# Animal Extinction - the greatest threat to mankind



## lotuseclat79

By the end of the century half of all species will be extinct. Does that matter?
Article here.

-- Tom


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## Wiskycoo

.... it matters to me 

...heck I'm worried about polar bears, caribou, BEES... sparrows, Mulder.... You name it I'm worried.



> one in four mammals, one in eight birds, one in three amphibians, one in three conifers and other gymnosperms are at risk of extinction.





> our present course will lead to the extinction of half of all plant and animal species by 2100.


That's staggering!!!!!


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## Wiskycoo

bumping this, as I think this is very important... people should really pay attention to information like this... THIS is the war we should all be fighting... but on no... wars on terror get the attention... shows you actually were peoples priorities are... 

If all these animals and other living things go extinct, you won't have a pot to pee in... never mind some stupid money wasting war machines used to kill people rather than save the world, it's Earth, it's plants and Animals... 

...human beings are a selfish lot.

Right, I'm going back out into my garden to play... so naa


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## Gabriel

I think it's a great idea for a thread too, , i will try to contribute to it...


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## Izme

As the population of this planet increases...humans are encroaching on every habitat...not to mention our consumption rate. To the animals of this planet other than ourselves 
we are like a disease that is spreading.

I am saddend by the fact that animals are becoming exinct at a staggering rate, victims of an over populated planet of humans

it's only natural that it comes back to bite us all in the arse


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## Blackmirror

I hope kittens are not on the list ..

We have to do something to protect Nature .. without the natural balance there wil lbe trouble ahead


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## Izme

Blackmirror said:


> I hope kittens are not on the list ..
> 
> We have to do something to protect Nature .. without the natural balance there wil lbe trouble ahead


It's this *chicken today - feathers tomorrow *mentality


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## Gabriel

izme said:


> it's only natural that it comes back to bite us all in the arse


Look what happens when these guys don't get fed

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...18235_RTRUKOC_0_US-SPAIN-VULTURES.xml&src=rss


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## Izme

Gabriel said:


> Look what happens when these guys don't get fed
> 
> http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...18235_RTRUKOC_0_US-SPAIN-VULTURES.xml&src=rss


It's all sad...that the great animals of this big blue marble will pay for us occupying this planet


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## Izme

see...people matter most..that's the argument I hear...lowly animals...who cares? Unable to defend themselves from the onslaught of our civilization spreading out over this planet with a handful of people that really care and intend to do something about it. We the deep thinking species must come up with real viable solutions, before this chicken today - fethers tomorrow mentality comes back at us with devistating results. All animals matter and the insects as well. We share the planet with them and they as well have a right to exist.


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## RSM123

George is ready for the next 'Ice Age.'










There was a report in the newspaper today, that botanists here in the UK have assembled a so called 'Bilion Seed Store.' The ideabeing that they will be able to contribute to replanting, after some so called 'global catastrophe.'

Should we be doing the same with DNA from Birds, Fish, and Mammals ?


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## ACA529

lotuseclat79 said:


> By the end of the century half of all species will be extinct. Does that matter?
> Article here.
> 
> -- Tom


Yes, it certainly does.


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## Gabriel

RSM123 said:


> Should we be doing the same with DNA from Birds, Fish, and Mammals ?


Here is a Google search for species gene banks...thay are doing this with both plants and animals all over the globe. Check it out.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...ial&hs=LlS&q=gene+bank+of+species&btnG=Search

And here is a project Lunar Gene Back

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=564616&page=1


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## poochee

I can't imagine a world without animals. Unfortunately, a lot of people could care less!


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## ekim68

Will zoos end up being the only place for other animals?


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## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Will zoos end up being the only place for other animals?


I'm guessing yes!


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## Izme

ekim68 said:


> Will zoos end up being the only place for other animals?


I doubt it and hope not...I guess it depends on what decade you're talking about 

Global warming is a reality...and how it effects everything on this planet is yet a mystery

one thing that I find puzzling is the fact that scientists do little to check the effects on animals and plants of genetic and chemical alterations of plants. One major flaw and it could wipe out something like all the bees or? 

scairy stuff indeed

we depend on other animals and insects more than many realize

when I watched Planet Earth on the Discovery channel, much of it really saddened me


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## Izme

We must work to save the species left. Who are we to wipe them out? We must have real solutions in an effort to save these species. and take the proper precautions as well. As human race evolves, hopefully we can realize how key they all are to our existance and to our children and grandchildren. Creating more what they call GREEN evironments and attitudes...regardless of how large Corporations want to rape the earth in an effort to make an extra buck. We must see the consequences now of what we are doing and correct what we can ASAP! A collective effort of the status quo for the very survival of not just human kind but every living thing on this planet


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## ekim68

I agree. And it starts with education...From and to all of us..And, everyone can do an individual thing to help..Small but sure....Like, use less resources..(That's another discussion.)

It would be interesting to see if the scientists who look for planets that can support life in the way we know it, check for pesticides also...


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## Izme

poochee said:


> I'm guessing yes!


We cannot have that mentality...we cannot give up...hope and determination can bring about positive changes...we are not doomed...we had a wake up call...now it's time to heed it's message and work for the futire not just the present. I say that we cannot give up...we need to fight for these things, regardless if people call us tree hugging animal lovers. Nothhing cool how being capitalistic corporate lovers is there? We don't just need corporations, we need so much more and we must as a supreme race wake up and smell the coffee before it is truly too late...people need to stand up and join the organizations that are working to protect. and even form some new ones in an effort to save us all. A premptive strike that matters..Which would be a first


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## Izme

ekim68 said:


> I agree. And it starts with education...From and to all of us..And, everyone can do an individual thing to help..Small but sure....Like, use less resources..(That's another discussion.)
> 
> It would be interesting to see if the scientists who look for planets that can support life in the way we know it, check for pesticides also...


Education is the key...and the heart and determination to bring about positive change.
it depends if greed is at the heart of the issue and if the people are willing to be the watchdogs against these things and the protectors of all things on earth...A fight that matters to us and our future


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## ekim68

I wrote a song called 'Blame Greed'


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## Izme

ekim68 said:


> I wrote a song called 'Blame Greed'


:up:

right on Ekim! If you ever decide to share it..I'd like to see it..

you know...copyright it first 

I'm tired of this bend over and take it mentality, especially in a so called free Nation...we as a collective whole can truly make strides in saving this panet and it's living things if we just get up off the couch and fight! I am part of some organizations that are fighting, but it's not enough. We need more people and more organizations to fight this greedy sect of (could care less) people and this global spiral to obliteration. We the people can do it! But it will take hard work and determination. Regardless of what political affiliation you have...after all, we are all in this together. We make our planet what it is and now it's time to fix it any way we can! We can overcome anything with a collective voice...our Government and these big Corporations are counting on the fact that we won't fight for what's right..they're wrong!.

Awareness is key..then implementation


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## ekim68

Sure, I wrote it to share...And, it is copyrighted...

http://www.oldguys.net/mp3s/cd4/07_greed.mp3


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## Izme

Who knows, maybe you will all see me leading something like that...I believe that one person can make change and I've been looking into how to do it...That would truly be the greatest of lifes dreams to be a champion of animals and environment..maybe it's a pipedream but I'll still fight with all of my might anyway I can. It is my duty as a human being on this planet with a belief and hope that we can turn it all around someday.

So come on folks

stand up and take a stand for the betterment of us all!


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## Izme

ekim68 said:


> Sure, I wrote it to share...And, it is copyrighted...
> 
> http://www.oldguys.net/mp3s/cd4/07_greed.mp3


excellent! nice step in the right direction! :up:

Yep we should care about other people indeed...blame greed? no doubt 

have to sent it off to radio stations or anything?

Thanks for sharing that with us!


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## ekim68

Share it with anyone you want...I think it needs to be heard...


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## Izme

ekim68 said:


> Share it with anyone you want...I think it needs to be heard...


Thanks and I will

but we must REALLY listen, then implement action...each and everyone of us...NOW

we can turn so much around if we just fight for what's right..A loud thundering voice of certain change


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## Izme

St. George and the dragon is now

the people against animal and climate change for the worst

an epic battle for the very existance of every living thing on Earth

got your battle axe? and the will to fight?

dig deep



or remain part of the problem by doing nothing 

the key to a memorable life is living a life worth remembering 
Bruce Lee


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## ekim68

*Pacific whale decline 'a mystery'*

_Grey whales in the eastern Pacific appear to be in some trouble, with the cause far from clear, scientists say._

Researchers with the conservation group Earthwatch found that whales are arriving in their breeding grounds off the Mexican coast malnourished.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6599805.stm


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## poochee

I sign all petitions for the protection of animals. And distribute them to all on my email list.


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## ekim68

poochee said:


> I sign all petitions for the protection of animals. And distribute them to all on my email list.


As we all should...We should do much more than just eat them..


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## Zaney1

And everyone was acting like people in Greenpeace were a bunch of nuts. Did any of you read about the national parks being created in Madagascar?


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## Zaney1

Sorry, meant to provide a link so here you go!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070504-madagascar-parks.html


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## poochee

*A step in the right direction:*:up:

*Hoof it to Placer fairgrounds to adopt a mustang*
By Melissa Nix - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, May 6, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1

The conquest of the New World was palpable Saturday at the Placer County Fairgrounds.

It must've been the dung.

Sixty-four wild mustangs -- and 20 fuzzy feral burros -- were on display in grassy pens.

They're descendants of the horses and pack animals Spanish conquistadors brought to Mexico centuries ago.

They munched grass. They neighed and brayed and shook their manes. And the wild things were all up for adoption.

How's that for taking home a piece of history?

Officials from the Bureau of Land Management, which is charged with taking care of the wild population, transported the animals from the agency's corrals in Susanville to Placer County.

They also oversaw adoptions, which continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the fairgrounds.

They make sure prospective owners are up to the challenge and can provide the proper environment for the animal.

After the adoption, a bureau compliance officer checks on the family and the animal over the course of a year.

"The best thing you could ever do is get a mustang," said Kelly Szymulewski of Plumas Lake, who had selected a 2-year-old pinto to take home. "I will never own another horse than a mustang."

Szymulewski was watching the pinto being herded out of his pen. He bucked and moved around. He was scared.

"Wow, he's gorgeous," Szymulewski said to herself.

She adopted her first mustang, a dun gelding named Pepsi, in 2005.

"You know when you are dealing with a mustang (as compared to a domestic horse)," Szymulewski said. "They're herd animals. They're looking for guidance."

Once you earn their respect and trust, you're the "alpha," she said.

"If he gets spooked," said Szymulewski, referring to her Pepsi, "he looks for me, as if to say, 'Mom, is this OK? Can I go around this bag or person in a fluorescent shirt or man wearing glasses?' "

Such adoptions are crucial to effectively managing the mustang and burro wild population, which can grow as much as 18 percent a year, said Jeff Fontana, the bureau's Northern California public affairs officer. The bureau has been charged with the responsibility since 1971.

Today, that population numbers 28,000 mustangs and burros in 200 wild herds across nine Western states.

Last year, the bureau "gathered" 2,500 wild mustangs from Northern California and Nevada.

As the animals have no known predators, the herds "will eat themselves out of house and home," Fontana said.

Overgrazing hurts both wildlife and range lands. It also upsets livestock owners, many of whom have leased bureau public lands to graze their cattle.

The BLM's "Adopt-a-Horse-or-Burro" program has settled 215,000 animals in homes since 1972, Fontana said.

Excerpt from: www.sacbee.com


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## poochee

Zaney1 said:


> Sorry, meant to provide a link so here you go!
> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070504-madagascar-parks.html


Neat link!


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## Zaney1

Glad you liked it as I have enjoyed many of yours and not told you !


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## Melquiades

maybe we should understand why this is happening. Developed countries are not the ones losing the species. The only means of survival for a good chunk of the population in developing countries requires environmentally destructive methods, most notoriously the slash and burn rainforest clearing techniques in the Tropical Rain Forest regions. This is because they do not have the technology or the money for environmentally friendly survival and progress. Now, instead of spending the time and the money on useless wars, complaining about the wars, on the rights of farm animals, on why people should not wear fur coats.... we should spend the time and the money on teaching the people in developing countries how to grow crops using the land available more effectively, teaching their children how to read, write and use technology, getting drinking water to remote areas, stop selling them weapons, and yes, showing the men how to put a condom on, so they can effectively control population density. 

It is very nice to say that we should save animals when do not need to feed a family of 20 kids, and we can just get our food by grabbing something from the frozen goods aisle at the gorcery store, and we do not have to farm or hunt for it.


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## ekim68

Really doesn't matter if developed or undeveloped countries. Resources have been pummeled everywhere...I think the key is education....People just aren't up to date....That's why I think the major media should be doing us all a favor by being instructive rather than destructive.


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## Melquiades

1.) In developed countries, people at least have the option to use more renewable resources.

2.) Media need something that they can sell. Since when has instructive sold more than destructive?


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## ekim68

Melquiades said:


> 1.) In developed countries, people at least have the option to use more renewable resources.
> 
> 2.) Media need something that they can sell. Since when has instructive sold more than destructive?


Case in point....Well said...But, is capitalism sustainable? Or at least unrestrained capitalism?
When does continuous growth on a medium sized planet get unmanageable?


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## ekim68

I almost keep forgetting why I came here tonight..

*Famous Caymans coral reefs dying, scientists say*

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (Reuters) - To coral reef-driven tourism industries like those of the Cayman Islands, there could be a greater cost in ignoring climate change than fighting it.

Ranked among the top 10 scuba diving destinations in the world, the reef system of the western Caribbean territory has lost 50 percent of its hard corals in the last 10 years in spite of strong environmental laws, scientists say.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0627404120070506


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## Zaney1

Melquiades said:


> maybe we should understand why this is happening.


While you do have a point, I'm afraid it is an oversimplification of the problem. Since the problem is pandemic we must understand that the causes are multiple and complex. Even those of us who can read and have some level of sophistication have A LOT of education required to understand then remedy the situation.
I remember watching a program where they were trying to figure out what happened to an extinct primate. One cause of the depletion in population is that people were eating them, they had little else in terms of meat. War had ravaged their community for so long they could not improve their lot.


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## poochee

*Interesting balance of nature story. Happened in an old neighborhood.*

*With cats away, rat nuisance climbs*
By Bobby Caina Calvan - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, May 5, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B2

Sweetie, a wooly-haired black-and-gray cat, was the queen of the neighborhood, presiding over a court of feral felines well known to residents such as the Rev. Ashiya Odeye.

When Sweetie stopped making her rounds a few months back, Odeye's Oak Park neighborhood at 42nd Street, near Broadway, grew alarmed. "She just disappeared," he said.

*Soon, rats invaded in bone-chilling numbers, said Jellether Odeye, the reverend's wife. The rodents gnawed through walls, scampered through the backyard garden and scurried from near-death confrontations with the family dogs.*

The sudden infestation has been unsettling, Odeye said.

"I could hear them in the walls. It was spooky," she said. "I'm just so afraid of them."

In the past few months, the reverend and his two dogs have captured -- and killed -- 46 mice and rats, some a foot long, not counting tails, the reverend said. "We're talking about big rats," he said, his hands a foot-wide apart.

Across the street, M. Delphine LeDoux got so fed up, she sought relief from an exterminator, who recently hauled away about a half-dozen rats. "They were trying to come up through the bathtub -- scratch, scratch," she said.

On most days, as many as a dozen cats would show up on LeDoux's porch or linger around her yard. These days, the number is down to three.

*Meanwhile, the neighborhood's rat population is booming.*

"We've never had this problem, no -- not as long as the cats were here," said Odeye, who voiced concerns during a meeting Thursday night of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association.

That's when the Odeyes first realized that they weren't alone in their rat problem and that Sweetie might have been snatched.

What happened to Sweetie and the neighborhood's other strays is uncertain. Some residents believe they were captured by the city's Animal Care and Control Division as part of a sweep -- which is probably not the case, said Hector Cazares, the city's manager for animal care services.

"We're concerned about feral cats throughout the city, but there's no special effort in Oak Park," Cazares said. "It's not inconceivable that some irate neighbor has been trapping them and bringing them in."

Rats in the city aren't unusual, he said. Rodents rustle through trees, leap atop fences and run along utility lines. At times, they strike fear among unsuspecting city dwellers.

"There are more rats in the city than there are people, and I'm probably right by three times," said Tony Carlson, who takes sales calls for Pest Control Center, which has been coming to the rescue of LeDoux.

Cazares welcomed news that the feral cat population in one neighborhood was in decline -- until informed of the unforeseen consequences.

Excerpt from: www.sacbee.com


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## Melquiades

why were cats gone/disappearing?

Zaney, I know it's an over-simplification of the problem. Whole books have been written on the subject, NGO's with thousands of members devoted to this, and this is a discussion forum, and with time and space constraints . My point is that we get caught up in our own material world, where life is easy, we flush our toilets with gallons of drinking water, electricity is availiable 24/7 (and it's such a nuisance when we loose power for a few hours because of a storm!), and we drive our nice air conditioned/heated cars the half mile distance to the grocery store to get food. Then we see a nature show on tv and we feel remorse, so we pretend to try to save the world by taking up causes like the rights of farm animals (??), or glorified rats (minks), so that we feel better.


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## Zaney1

Yes, again, I agree you have a point. Growing up I had a real interest in the native american side of my heritage, small though it is. I loved the philosophy of living in harmony with nature. This approach was taken by many indigenous cultures. I still laugh at how the european influence "civilized" the world.
Too bad we didn't realize sooner that even the hated cockroach has it's place in the ecosystem.


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## Melquiades

well... nature gets in the way of progress... too bad that just might be the thing that kills us off...


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## poochee

Melquiades said:


> why were cats gone/disappearing?


I suspect someone trapped them and took them to the pound. Many people hate cats.

I have a friend who used to trap ferrel cats and have them fixed and released them again. Due to health problems she can't do it anymore.


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## Melquiades

poochee said:


> I suspect someone trapped them and took them to the pound. Many people hate cats.


Yeah, I can see that happening...

Their ability to get rid of pests was one of the many reasons why cats were venerated (they were even mummified in ancient egypt) in ancient civilizations, specially ones that stored grain in silos for the winter.

It would be interesting to see if the number of rodent transmitted diseases has increased in that area, i'm thinking of leptospirosis (bacterial infection - not pretty),toxoplasmosis (parasite - symptoms: bad case of flu), and even the plague (yes, it's still around)


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## poochee

Melquiades said:


> Yeah, I can see that happening...
> 
> Their ability to get rid of pests was one of the many reasons why cats were venerated (they were even mummified in ancient egypt) in ancient civilizations, specially ones that stored grain in silos for the winter.
> 
> It would be interesting to see if the number of rodent transmitted diseases has increased in that area, i'm thinking of leptospirosis (bacterial infection - not pretty),toxoplasmosis (parasite - symptoms: bad case of flu), and even the plague (yes, it's still around)


I will post if I see anything pertinent.

One of my friend's husband hated cats. He was always complaining about the neighborhood cats coming into their yard. They were mainly taking short cuts and he couldn't even tolerate that. He also complained about the squirrels. They nested in the wiring under their RV and did damage to the wiring. The little devils.

I was always telling him they need to have a cat. So she started putting out some food and the cats started visiting daily. Took care of the squirrel problem. Unfortunately, he passed away last year. She has become very attached to the visiting cats and worries if the don't show up daily for a feed. Finally learned to appreciate cats.:up:


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## Wiskycoo

...I've heard the plague is actually on the rise again. Most people think of it as a medieval disease but it's not...no one has ever found the cure for it...there is just preventative measures.

I think we'll only see more of an effort done to save the Earths living things when farmers are directly being effected by it... like for instance the bee's this year and their 90%-100% death rate in hives right now. It's going to have to be the ones who produce our foods that will have the strongest voices to make our governments do what they need to do... as it seems governments don't consider normal population a threat to their vote any more.... its all about big business and money...and the farmers have both of that.

And sure, the third world countries MIGHT do better if they had the education to do more with what they have... but once again it's not solely a third world problem... we are talking about EVERY country here... EVERY sea, EVERY forest, plant animal...you name it...and as far as I know.. we first worlders are pretty educated....supposedly.

I know I have a real pet peeve with golf courses... they kill, poison,chop, cut everything that doesn't involve a white ball and some nitwits chasing it. ... it's like here where I am... the other day a family of skunks walked across the golf course... a big hairy stink(no pun intended) was made and the poor little things were trapped.... TRAPPING is NOT away to go... most animals that are relocated don't do very well...most of them die... it's like taking you from your house and dropping you off some place else without all your stuff...you wouldn't do so well either.

Red squirrels...trapped and killed...another golf course tragedy... they happen to be a very rare squirrel these days....same with chipmunks... crows... birds in general that pick at the greens.

...anyway... that's my green rant of the day.


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## poochee

It seems like humans want to cover every square inch of land with houses, malls etc. The animals get displaced. A friend of mine looked out on her patio door one morning and a buck with huge antlers was looking in. Heavy building around her area.

Occasionally mountian lions show up in Sacramento. Some years ago a woman running along a bike path by the river was killed by one. I live about 5 blocks from the river. 

I don't know what the answer is!


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## Zaney1

I agree with you Wisky that farmers will only change if they feel the pain. But how do you make an Archers Daniels Midland feel anymore than a pinprick. They are so large they have a hand in every aspect of Agro. And don't get me started on the politicians...


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## Melquiades

Politicians go with the flow, we are the ones that put them in office, arent we?
Politicians, at least when they first start, really believe that they can change things. They promise a myriad of changes during the campaign. Unfortunately, when in office disillusionment kicks in when they realize that in order to accomplish what they promised they have to undertake the daunting task of changing the way a society thinks.
It's easy to say that we want to go green, but in reality, no one wants to give up large gas guzzling cars, cheap products from asian sweat shops, or beautifully manicured-grass golf courses. I do not think it is the politician's fault, but our own, that no action is taken. If we show that we are willing to commit to change, politicians will act, even if only out of greed for votes to get re-elected. 

Again I think we (I'm including myself when I say "we") tend to speak bold statements, but yet seem to coward when we have to act upon our words. I guess it's human nature.


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## Melquiades

Yes, that is pessimism.


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## ekim68

Melquiades said:


> Politicians go with the flow, we are the ones that put them in office, arent we?


Are we? Or is it that the majority don't vote..? But, no matter what, we should hold them accountable...And, status quo isn't doing it anymore....I think we should be concerned about the broader aspect of rules, but, we can do a lot individually.....We should make that first step..


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## Melquiades

I am not saying that we should not hold them accountable, I am saying that it is our fault as well that nothing significant is done.

We LOVE status quo. It is too damn hard to get off our ***** and do something.

and you are right, the majority do not vote, and yet feel it is their right to complain.

I do not think that individualism cuts it anymore. We need an organized community of intelligent individuals willing to put something forth. Unfortunately, right now the only organizations big enough to maybe enable some change are the crazies from PETA, Greenpeace and the likes, who I thoroughly dislike.


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## Melquiades

Eco extremist wants world population to drop below 1 Billion click here to read. :down: :down:


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## Zaney1

Say what you want about PETA & Greenpeace. I thought they were nuts too, for decades. But they were shouting the truth & no one was listening. I think finally they went over the edge & jumped up on the desk & started a tantrum.
As for the politicians, $ puts them in office, they can't even run a successful primary without so many millions of $.
I think politically the biggest problem for the US is apathy. Look at the voters in France 84 % turnout. And Sarkozy wins but still has to go through an election in the legislature. And the voters are sophisticated enough to follow all of this & leverage it.
No, I think some type of crisis is the only thing that will bring about an upheaval to get us off our collective *****.


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## Melquiades

There was such a high turnout in France because the previous president was absolutely disastrous, and people could not stand it anymore.
...and I would not call rioting in the streets because you do not like the new president sophistication.


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## Zaney1

I am referring to the sophistication of the voters not the rioters who were almost exclusively immigrants, many of them illegal. The point about the prior president is well take but, our current president is as well. With an approval rating currently in the 20's, if I'm not mistaken, least popular in a log time. Do you believe the turnout will be any higher ?
Look at what the EPA has become under his admin.


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## Melquiades

I was refering to the riots after this past election. 

The situation in France is completely different. The previous government was Socialist, more ecologically inclined than the current government. This new government is actually right wing, pro-Bush, big corporations, and less "green" if you will.
The problem in France, is that the previous socialist government had no spine (as most euro-socialist governments), and it immersed France in social chaos. I don't think the US is in social chaos, but it would be nice to see an increase in voter registration.


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## Zaney1

I guess I'll give you that one but the French are a passionate people  
Is that any more stupid than when some cities here riot over their team winning the championship though ? Anyway we're way off point really & I did'nt mean to hijack a thread that I find interesting. We were talking about animals & I don't know how we got off track.


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## Melquiades

It might have not been necessarily off topic... it all kind of ties up together... politics, political upheaval, how to prevent the planet from going down the drain...


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## Zaney1

An interesting article here... well I found it interesting anyway. It's kind of funny the way we sometimes fail to look before we leap, all in the name of profit.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/08/tech/main2774983.shtml


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## poochee

Zaney1 said:


> An interesting article here... well I found it interesting anyway. It's kind of funny the way we sometimes fail to look before we leap, all in the name of profit.
> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/08/tech/main2774983.shtml


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## ekim68

One of the truly great things to come of the internet is a discussion like this.

Interesting link Zaney1...Looks like we have to continue to learn as we continue to ravage the earth....


----------



## Zaney1

ekim68 said:


> ...Looks like we have to continue to learn as we continue to ravage the earth....


I could not agree more, sadly.


----------



## Melquiades

A nice visual comparison on how "big" Earth really is

nice lesson in humility


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## poochee

Melquiades said:


> A nice visual comparison on how "big" Earth really is
> 
> nice lesson in humility


Interesting!


----------



## ekim68

*Delaying tactics endanger U.S. wildlife*

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The case of the Hawaiian Haha is no laughing matter to environmentalists, who say the rare plant went extinct while waiting for U.S. wildlife officials to put it on the Endangered Species list

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0820885020070509


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## Melquiades

and those are the two species we knew about... imagine the many others that went extinct without us knowing.


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## Zaney1

Melquiades said:


> A nice visual comparison on how "big" Earth really is
> 
> nice lesson in humility


Thanks, that's something great to share with my daughter.


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## ekim68

Melquiades said:


> A nice visual comparison on how "big" Earth really is
> 
> nice lesson in humility


Cool...I've shared it....


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## Melquiades

glad you liked it.


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## Gabriel

Pronghorn recovery program

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/05/14/pronghorn_ani.html?category=animals&guid=20070514093030

Mexican Grey Wolf Re-introduction

http://www.azpbs.org/wildaz/wolf/facts/reintro.html


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## Gabriel

I think I will keep in the more positive vein of recovery and re-introduction programs and their successes (and sometimes setbacks), and the such.


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## Blackmirror

It is wonderful when they can reintroduce a species ....


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## Gabriel

Blackmirror said:


> It is wonderful when they can reintroduce a species ....


Yes it is. The Mexican Grey Wolf I came across as part of a monthly question in my Wilderness class.
The question was posed as a picture of the dung of the grey wolf, with the typical silvery white hairs of an animal it had eaten...that was all, oh, and the location of the dung. 
It is chararcteristic of the wolf to eat the majority of the animals carcass...the fur cocoons the bones, etc...of the eaten animal so that they don't pucture the intestines of the wolf...pretty neat, huh....
I and I believe 3 others got all the parts of the tracking quiz correct.....
That is.... species of animal...size of dung...characteristics /eating habits, etc,....habitat and short history...especially of the re-introduction project in that area. 
I had no idea my tracking research would be that good


----------



## poochee

*Whales spotted in Sacramento River* *Hope they reverse course!*
By Bee Metro Staff - 
Last Updated 3:47 pm PDT Monday, May 14, 2007

The U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed that "three or four" whales are in the Sacramento River just north of the town of Rio Vista, said Petty Officer Shannon Swagerty. The Coast Guard is using boats to maintain a 100-yard safety perimeter around the whales to protect them from boat traffic, and it has notified the Marine Mammal Center in case the whales need any help.

Swagerty said he did not know whether it is three or four whales, how big they are or what species. But several sources said one of the whales is a young calf, possibly accompanied by its mother. The whales were first spotted Sunday morning and have been seen in a long stretch of the Sacramento River's main channel centered on Rio Vista.

"They're hanging out from the south side of Decker Island all the way up to the Ryer Island Ferry crossing, where Steamboat Slough goes up," said Swagerty. "They just kinda swimming around. They're moving around pretty good, coming up every once in a while and coming back down."

The siting immediately evoked memories of "Humphrey" the humpback whale, whose visit to Rio Vista in 1985 was immortalized with a waterfront plaque. Humphrey was safely escorted back to sea, but then returned to San Francisco Bay five years later and had to be pulled off a mudflat by rescuers.

"I'm hoping they can get this mother and calf to turn around and get out of here so they won't be in any danger," said Linda Lannon, executive director of the Rio Vista Chamber of Commerce.
*
View News10 video of the whales. *http://www.news10.net/video/sacbee_player.aspx?aid=39725&sid=27827&bw=hi&cat=2

Excerpt from: www.sacbee.com


----------



## ekim68

Wasn't sure where to put this.

*Trawlers' 'mudtrails' visible from space*

Scientists have known for years that when fishing trawlers drag nets and gear across the ocean bottom, they trap or kill almost all the fish, mollusks and other creatures they encounter. And the dragging destroys underwater features like reefs, turning the bottom to mud.

Now, scientists have used satellite images to show fleets of trawlers leaving plumes of mud behind them like contrails. They hope the images will focus wider attention on trawling damage, and on the possible uses of satellites to monitor fishing.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/15/MNG3APQS0O1.DTL


----------



## Gabriel

Rising Population of Bald Eagles....Possible delisting from endangered species list....

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...OC_0_US-USA-ENDANGERED-BALDEAGLES.xml&src=rss


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## LANMaster

> By the end of the century half of all species will be extinct.


Well, if you believe in macro evolution, there should be even more species to replace them.



> Does that matter?


If it were true, it might. 

I'm all for the protection of endangered species. 
Although I do not see how the world would suffer if there were no more great white sharks. 

It all depends on how cute they are.


----------



## poochee

*Two missing whales turn up near West Sacramento* *Not good!*
Bee Metro Staff - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 7:03 pm PDT Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The two wayward humpback whales made a surprise appearance Tuesday evening just south of the Port of Sacramento in the Delta's Deep Water Channel.

The whales were spotted after eluding would-be rescuers and the U.S. Coast Guard, whose boats spent most of Tuesday searching choppy waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta near Rio Vista.

*Rescue teams are headed for the site. *

Although whales have ventured far up Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta before, marine biologists said the Deep Water Channel is not where these whales should be.

Their movement so far north raises questions about the health of the whales -- an urgency that propelled the daylong search for the mammals Tuesday.

As word of the whale spotting spread, hundreds of residents of West Sacramento's South Port Parkway neighborhood streamed to the levee overlooking the Deep Water Channel.

"I saw it! I saw it!" yelled Robert Patty, 7, who ran to the river with his brothers and his mother Tuesday evening.

Excerpt from: www.sacbee.com


----------



## LANMaster

I hope that the whales make their way back to the open ocean.

Whales are beautiful creatures.

Kill the sharks! Save the whales.


----------



## ekim68

The sharks have their place, too. And, BTW, they're starting to dwindle in numbers due to new cooking recipes....


----------



## LANMaster

ekim68 said:


> The sharks have their place, too. And, BTW, they're starting to dwindle in numbers due to new cooking recipes....


I won't shed a tear when the great white, the maco, and the tiger no longer swim the depths.


----------



## poochee

*Whale update: I'm just across town from where they are. Hope they can be turned around.*

*Whales in West Sac*
Survival at stake for wayward humpbacks
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg and Bobby Caina Calvan - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 1:08 am PDT Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Two imperiled humpbacks surfaced Tuesday evening in muddy waters near the Port of Sacramento, so far upriver that federal wildlife officials launched frantic efforts to save the whales.

"We need to start turning those animals around," said Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

After saying earlier Tuesday that it might be wise to let the whales try to swim out on their own, *Cordaro said it's too late for that. *

Fisheries service officials planned to fly into Sacramento today from their Southern California offices to oversee a rescue attempt.

Biologists just don't know enough yet to say whether the whales will survive, although being so far from the mouth of the San Francisco Bay -- perhaps far enough to set a record -- worsens the odds, Cordaro said.

"It's not good. They've got a heck of a long way to go," he said.

One of the biggest problems now will be figuring out how to urge the whales downriver without exhausting them so much that they deplete reserves needed for their continued northward migration.

"If we can get them going downstream, and they keep on going without turning back, there should be no problem regarding their survivability," said Cordaro. "If they get a certain way and then they turn around and go back, and this keeps going on over and over again, then the odds of their surviving aren't as good."

The fisheries service, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, must authorize any rescue effort because it is charged with protecting the endangered humpbacks. No one can make contact with one, or otherwise annoy it, without a federal permit.

But a certain amount of annoyance might be needed to drive the creatures, which appear to be a mother and calf, to the ocean. When they were spotted Tuesday evening, they were just three miles south of the port in West Sacramento, near where Jefferson Boulevard begins paralleling the Deep Water Channel.

That puts them 10 miles upriver from where they were last sighted Monday, and 70 miles from the Golden Gate, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Alex Saldana.

Before deciding what to do next, biologists want to get a better feel for how weak or strong the whales are. "Until the doctor sees you, there can be no plan," said Frances Gulland, a marine mammal veterinarian with the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center, which is working with federal officials.

Pieter Folkens, co-founding director of the Alaska Whale Foundation who accompanied Gulland and others on the fruitless search, agreed the risks have increased along with their distance from open waters.

"Now we have to be concerned," he said. "Now, we have thoughts about using some sounds to lure them in the opposite direction."

Folkens believes this foray sets a record for a whale going upriver in fresh water in America's lower 48 states. "This is new waters for us. We've never dealt with this before," he said.

One of the first tasks today will be to try again to make an initial health assessment, a kind of float-by exam that Gulland hopes will be revealing.

While Folkens theorized that the two whales are going farther inland to follow their instinctive drive to head north, Gulland feared that curious onlookers may also have spooked the animals.

They have certainly attracted crowds, on the waters around Rio Vista Monday and on West Sacramento levees Tuesday night.

"Mostly you're wanting people to keep away and be patient," said John Calambokidis, a research biologist who specializes in whales at the nonprofit Cascadia Research in Olympia, Wash. "You don't want a lot of boats crowding the whales."

Excerpt from: www.sacbee.com


----------



## ekim68

Just an update poochee. I'm starting to follow this more..

*Whales lost, injured in California inland waterway*

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - Two lost humpback whales which swam 92 miles inland to California's Port of Sacramento have been injured, perhaps from a boat, experts said on Wednesday.

An effort to lure them back to the ocean using recorded humpback whale songs is expected to get underway on Thursday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1658842220070517


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Just an update poochee. I'm starting to follow this more..
> 
> *Whales lost, injured in California inland waterway*
> 
> SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - Two lost humpback whales which swam 92 miles inland to California's Port of Sacramento have been injured, perhaps from a boat, experts said on Wednesday.
> 
> An effort to lure them back to the ocean using recorded humpback whale songs is expected to get underway on Thursday.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1658842220070517


Thanks.


----------



## poochee

I don't know if this site has been posted already but if not it is a good site.

WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals)

There are some petitions here:

http://www.wspa-international.org/


----------



## Izme

The A.S.P.C.A. just announced a nation wide goal to stem dog pound/animal shelter deaths dramatically. My town is getting up to $200,000 a year to make sure that at least 75% of animals in shelters survive and are found a home!

Great news...still must really keep the spay and neutering at an all time high as well.


----------



## Zaney1

My daughter assures me that the world will be diminished without these cute little guys in it. Even if you neve see one in the wild, just knowing they are there is a comfort.
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3155909&page=1


----------



## Gabriel

Those are so cute


----------



## poochee

Zaney1 said:


> My daughter assures me that the world will be diminished without these cute little guys in it. Even if you neve see one in the wild, just knowing they are there is a comfort.
> http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3155909&page=1


Soooooooo cute!


----------



## ekim68

And, that begs the question...If we have the ability to save them, shouldn't we?


----------



## Izme

It's so important to save as many species as we can...As society's evolve we should come to the realization that pretty much all living things have an integral part on this planet. Their time and right to exist being important as well. Our ability to co-exist with other species on this planet hinges on our compassion and intelligence to save other living creatures on Earth from extinction for the good of all humankind and our future. And our children can stand in amazement and watch a beautiful wild animal in the woods...free and plentiful. I have to believe that I and everyone else that can help and feels like doing so.. should help...but especially me... What a worthy cause and a great investment for centuries to come. Let's turn and face that direction and implement the necessary steps to ensure the survival of so many species.

we have so much to lose if we don't do it


----------



## ekim68

Well said, izme...


----------



## Izme

ekim68 said:


> Well said, izme...


Thanks Ekim 

Can you think of a species that doesn't have the right to exist?

Rats maybe?...might be arguable


----------



## ekim68

izme said:


> Can you think of a species that doesn't have the right to exist?


If I had to choose, I couldn't..What right have I, for them.?


----------



## Izme

ekim68 said:


> If I had to choose, I couldn't..What right have I, for them.?


Definitely not an individual...but I think not for a civilization as well. Each one of us are only here for a blink in the eye in time...we need to preserve these species for our future...we must understand completely and implement a working biodiversity solution that can help carry us into the future In a better effort to safeguard habitats from the plains to the deserts to the jungles to the Oceans and implement management of resources from Forests to fresh water etc. And the protection of so many species in current or future danger of extinction. It's the most logical step


----------



## poochee

All animals have the right to exist. Balance of nature.


----------



## LANMaster

izme said:


> Thanks Ekim
> 
> Can you think of a species that doesn't have the right to exist?
> 
> Rats maybe?...might be arguable


GW Sharks.

Wipe 'em off the planet. I wouldn't miss them a bit.


----------



## LANMaster

Zaney1 said:


> My daughter assures me that the world will be diminished without these cute little guys in it. Even if you neve see one in the wild, just knowing they are there is a comfort.
> http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3155909&page=1


1. The article is full of BS


> Trouble is, warmer temperatures have been creeping steadily up the slopes in recent decades *due to man-made global warming*, experts say.


Global warming is a natural cyclical phenomenon. Humanity's contribution is a mere drop in the bucket.
2. Natural selection
If the animal is meant to survive, then it will. If not, then either it will need to adapt or it will perish. Perhaps it's time for the pika to evolve.
3. It's a rodent

If you want to save the Pika, perhaps we need to start murdering the weasels. (the pika's cheif predator)

But wait, aren't weasels "cute" too??? 

Stupid liberals.

Humanity accords protection to wild animals, as we should.

But do they have "rights"
I think not. 
In order to give "rights" one must be able to convey "rights" to others. Animals have no concept of "rights"


----------



## LANMaster

ekim68 said:


> Just an update poochee. I'm starting to follow this more..
> 
> *Whales lost, injured in California inland waterway*
> 
> SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - Two lost humpback whales which swam 92 miles inland to California's Port of Sacramento have been injured, perhaps from a boat, experts said on Wednesday.
> 
> An effort to lure them back to the ocean using recorded humpback whale songs is expected to get underway on Thursday.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1658842220070517


Probably injured by the very people trying to save them.


----------



## lotuseclat79

LANMaster said:


> GW Sharks.
> 
> Wipe 'em off the planet. I wouldn't miss them a bit.


Hi LANMaster,

If all sharks were wiped off the planet's oceans, the ocean would be out of balance as the sharks provide a vital service of being the garbage collectors. Without them, there would be no control over the balance with other species that are their prey.

-- Tom


----------



## Gabriel

LANMaster said:


> 1. The article is full of BS
> 
> Global warming is a natural cyclical phenomenon. Humanity's contribution is a mere drop in the bucket.
> 2. Natural selection
> If the animal is meant to survive, then it will. If not, then either it will need to adapt or it will perish. Perhaps it's time for the pika to evolve.
> 3. It's a rodent
> 
> If you want to save the Pika, perhaps we need to start murdering the weasels. (the pika's cheif predator)
> 
> But wait, aren't weasels "cute" too???
> 
> Stupid liberals.
> 
> Humanity accords protection to wild animals, as we should.
> 
> But do they have "rights"
> I think not.
> In order to give "rights" one must be able to convey "rights" to others. Animals have no concept of "rights"


Now LAN...we are suppossed to take care of the animals. God loves them too. God may love us more, but he loves them too. Aren't we like their caretakers? I feel he gave them to us to love and take care of, and we miss the mark in this area also.


----------



## LANMaster

Gabriel said:


> Now LAN...we are suppossed to take care of the animals. God loves them too. God may love us more, but he loves them too. Aren't we like their caretakers? I feel he gave them to us to love and take care of, and we miss the mark in this area also.


I agree that we are to protect them.


----------



## LANMaster

lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi LANMaster,
> 
> If all sharks were wiped off the planet's oceans, the ocean would be out of balance as the sharks provide a vital service of being the garbage collectors. Without them, there would be no control over the balance with other species that are their prey.
> 
> -- Tom


Just the Great White sharks then, okie dokie?


----------



## poochee

Gabriel said:


> Now LAN...we are suppossed to take care of the animals. God loves them too. God may love us more, but he loves them too. Aren't we like their caretakers? I feel he gave them to us to love and take care of, and we miss the mark in this area also.


Amen!:up:


----------



## poochee

*Whale update.*

*Will piped-in sounds lure wounded pair back to sea?*
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg and Deb Kollars - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 6:49 am PDT Thursday, May 17, 2007

This morning, a team of scientists and animal rescuers will find out whether the familiar sounds of humpbacks feeding will tempt a pair of lost whales back to their ocean home.

The two whales, a mother and calf, turned up in the Port of Sacramento's Lake Washington on Wednesday after an ill-fated journey from the San Francisco Bay, up the Sacramento River and into the Deep Water Ship Channel in West Sacramento.

The port waters marked a dead end for the whales. Long-term, they cannot survive in fresh water, and so far have been unwilling or unable to turn around and find their way back to the sea.

On Wednesday, they went under a very public microscope, as scientists in boats drew close to take photographs of their condition, while crowds gathered on nearby levees to catch glimpses of the large, graceful creatures. By the end of the day, thousands had come for a look.

The crowds were a worry to wildlife experts, who feared they would distress the animals, and to officials concerned about potential levee damage. City officials urged people to refrain from gathering on the levees, but said they would not stop anyone from coming for a look.

At daybreak Thursday, a crew was in the channel testing the sounds of humpbacks eating and other acoustic luring efforts to get the mammals back to sea, said Jim Milbury of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Wednesday's inspections by scientists revealed both whales are wounded, but the mother whale is not entangled in fishing debris, as previously believed.

Pictures taken from an Alaska Whale Foundation boat showed close-up views of barnacles on the calf's face and a long, pale gouge along the mother's back.

The gash likely came three days ago from a boat's propeller in the Sacramento River, said Frances Gulland, director of veterinary science at the Marine Mammal Center.

The wound has a large flap of skin. The flap's movements back and forth had led some to initially believe the animal was entangled in rope or other gear.

The calf has a deeper, potentially more troubling wound, Gulland said. The same boat could have wounded both animals, its propeller slashing the mother's back as she tried to surface and the youngster's underside as it rolled or swam on its side. The boat's operator was likely aware of the collision, Gulland said.

The smaller animal's wound is harder to assess because it is visible only when the whale rises far out of the water. The mother's wound, 2 feet long and 6 inches deep, penetrated only the blubber, not muscle.

Pictures of the injuries were shown to about two dozen wildlife and public safety officials gathered at UC Davis Wednesday for a two-hour strategy session on how to help the animals return to their saltwater home in the Pacific. The session drew representatives from the California Department of Fish and Game, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port of Sacramento, West Sacramento police, the Marine Mammal Center and the Alaska Whale Foundation.

Among those attending was Laurie Gage, a veterinarian who helped Humphrey the humpback whale return to the San Francisco Bay in 1985 after it became stranded in the Sacramento River near Rio Vista.

Gage told the group very few humpbacks have wound up in such inland waters. The Humphrey experience, she said, offered the best model for helping the currently stranded whales.

In the case of Humphrey, scientists tried numerous strategies over 26 days to help the wayward whale return to the Pacific, with little success.

Finally, the scientists began playing underwater recordings of humpbacks feeding.

"It was either coincidence or it worked like a charm," Gage said. "Because that was when he went out."

This morning, rescuers plan to play underwater sounds of humpbacks feeding downstream of the whales. They may use boats to do some herding.

Scientists hope to attach a suction cup tagging device to at least one of the whales. It won't stay on forever, but veterinarians don't want to risk injury by using embedded tracking tags.

If the luring effort succeeds, scientists estimated, it would take about six hours for the animals to swim out of the channel and into the Sacramento River.

Shipping and small boat traffic were halted on the channel. Recreational boaters were asked to stay at least 100 yards away.

Excerpt from: www.sacbee.com


----------



## Zaney1

ekim68 said:


> And, that begs the question...If we have the ability to save them, shouldn't we?


I think we definitely should try but it may be too late from what I read in the article. I think the hardest thing for me to grasp until recently (I used to make fun of "tree huggers) is that it's all connected. The planet is a huge rubiks cube and our survival depends on the many species in trouble. It reminds me of the old " For want of a nail a horse was lost" thing. I've said before that I see no purpose for cockroaches & would wipe them all out if I could. Nothing but disease ridden pestilence carrying crap. But what do I know ? If you read the thread about bees endangered you know that's a wake up call. But are people going to stop using cell phones if that is contributing to the phenomena ? I think not.


----------



## Izme

http://www.guzer.com/videos/bad_case_of_humans.php


----------



## ekim68

Wow izme, sharp but succinct.


----------



## Izme

ekim68 said:


> Wow izme, sharp but succinct.


All the the understanding of needs to lead and end with an exclamation point


----------



## poochee

*Whale rescue effort set to resume Tuesday*
Officials urge public to take break, too, but prepare for weekend crowds
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg and Matt Weiser - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 8:19 pm PDT Friday, May 18, 2007

*The next effort to get the two wayward whales back to sea is tentatively set for Tuesday and will take an armada of roughly 50 boats stationed along the Delta, heaps of metal pipes and a cadre of pipe-bangers ready to make so much noise the mother and calf just can't stand to stay.*

The creatures can't dawdle endlessly in the freshwater turning basin that leads toward silted-shut locks. They have perhaps four to six weeks before the mother faces serious malnutrition, said veterinarian Frances Gulland of the Marine Mammal Center.

For those trying to save the whales, hopes rose briefly and dropped just as rapidly on Friday. The first sign came early in the morning, before the luring effort began. The whales ventured about 200 yards down the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel -- the way home.

But the progress didn't last. Neither did another hopeful sign just before 1 p.m., as whale sounds were playing underwater and mother and calf seemed to linger near the channel mouth.

Moments later, they resumed their old pattern of making laps around the basin, surfacing for air together about every five minutes.

Biologists began playing whale sounds underwater Friday at 11:30 a.m., but broke off repeatedly to struggle with equipment.

Safety officials are asking the public to take a break, too, from the whale watching scene that has developed south of the port. *Wish people would respect this request. *

Excerpt: www.sacbee.com


----------



## ekim68

"Biologists began playing whale sounds underwater Friday at 11:30 a.m., but broke off repeatedly to struggle with equipment."

What? Trouble with equipment? Not acceptable....Where are the experts?


----------



## Guest

> By the end of the century half of all species will be extinct. Does that matter?


that is a rhetorical question if i ever saw one.

if most of the animals die,we will die soon after.

we are all connected...we all share the same fate.

if the plants die:the herbivores die:if the herbivores die:the carnivores die,if the carnivores die:humans will die with them.

contemplate this:a dominant species with "superior intelligence" is rapidly exterminating animals and plants of this world{our food source],polluting both air and the earth,most of which are living their ignorant lives without thinking about the consequences of their actions just to satisfy their egoistical and momentary needs...waiting for the greedy,fearful,and power obsessed leaders to solve their problems for them.

are these the trademarks of a superiorly intelligent species?

stop looking at your wallet and start looking at the earth.

you cannot use the wealth and power you have amassed if you are dead.

and siting in front of a monitor all day...."worrying" about the "poor little animals",worrying about loosing your caged zoo entertainment!.Debating and having fun will not change their[or your] fate either.

like an overweight human....waiting for a heart attack to happen!

dont "contribute to this thread"....contribute to the world by doing your part....dont look at these horrible reports as your personal entertainment because you have "nothing better to do"!!do something about it!!

stop thinking only about yourself and your ego:start thinking about the planet!.dont post reports and expect someone to show his gratitude for posting this "interesting but horrible article"and thanking you for providing him with his daily entertainment dose, and saying:"this is and interesting article..."take a look"....and they say:"oh my!what interesting but horrible article you have posted!","why thank you!i am glad you have enjoyed it!!!!!!"....

to to something is better than to do nothing at all!

stop buying newspapers,useless celebrity magazines,driving fossil fuel powered cars,flying in fossil fuel powered planes,stop buying useless animal fur fashion accessories!,useless animal fur lucky charms,recycle...etc...Be a part of the solution:not the part of the problem.

we have the power to change our fate.....we will not chage it by electing feeble minded neanderthals as our leaders!what you want is what you will get!

words without action are meaningless.

give your life a meaning...or die a meaningless death.


----------



## ekim68

More on the whales....

_Errant whales delight delta crowds_

Ice chests, binocs, cameras fill shore at Port of Sacramento

(There always seems to a chance for business opportunities..)

(05-20) 04:00 PDT West Sacramento, (Yolo County) -- A shipping channel far from the sea has become the biggest tourist attraction in the county, and whale watchers lined its banks by the hundreds Saturday to catch a glimpse of two celebrity humpbacks circling forlornly in its murky water.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/20/MNG2NPUD131.DTL


----------



## poochee

*Whales abruptly leave Port of Sacramento* 
*Hope they continue in the right direction. There were 10,000 people out there viewing them. They probably decided it was time to escape being stared at.*

By Deb Kollars - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 7:10 pm PDT Sunday, May 20, 2007

The two whales stranded in the Port of Sacramento's turning basin left the lake waters and began swimming southward Sunday afternoon, possibly prompted by two tugboats that left the port to meet a large ship docked downstream.

As of 7 p.m. Sunday, the mother and her calf were about 14 miles downstream of the Port's turning basin and continuing southward in the deep water ship channel.

The scientists and animal rescue workers began following the whales in boats in an attempt to herd them downstream.

The scientists had given the animals a day of rest and relaxation Sunday while they planned a rescue effort slated for Tuesday that involved banging on underwater pipes to force the animals southward. Instead, they began placing the pipes on vessels to begin the noisemaking as soon as they could to continue pushing the animals downstream.

Brian Gorman, public information officer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the two tug boats had been berthed at the port. They left at 2 p.m. to meet the 581-foot Sanko Jupiter, a huge ship parked at the Agrium Dock one mile south of the port.

When the tugs crossed into the Deep Water Ship Channel, the two whales started heading the same direction, Gorman said.

"We immediately launched several vessels to follow them," he said. The team of veterinarians, scientists and animal rescuers worried the large Sanko Jupiter would stop the whales in their tracks. To their great relief, the whales kept going.

"They have safely passed the Sanko Jupiter," Gorman said.

Excerpt from: www.sacbee.com


----------



## ekim68

Right on...You go Whales.....


----------



## Zaney1

Last I heard the whales were headed in the right direction. Thought someone might be interested in this article since it speaks directly to the title of the thread.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/05/20/hefner.rabbits.ap/index.html


----------



## poochee

Latest from Sacramento on the whales. They reversed course and are headed back to Sacramento. As of this morning.


----------



## LANMaster

poochee said:


> Latest from Sacramento on the whales. They reversed course and are headed back to Sacramento. As of this morning.


Maybe they want to cast their votes to rid California of all those Democrats? 

 Good morning, Poochers.


----------



## poochee

LANMaster said:


> Maybe they want to cast their votes to rid California of all those Democrats?
> 
> Good morning, Poochers.


Good morning.

Nope, they know they are *safer* surrounded by Democrats!


----------



## Zaney1

Could they be confusing Arnold's voice for whalesong ?


----------



## poochee

Zaney1 said:


> Could they be confusing Arnold's voice for whalesong ?




Just heard they are circling beneath the Rio Vista bridge. Hope they move in the right direction!


----------



## Gabriel

Another species in decline....again

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...L188838_RTRUKOC_0_US-INDIA-TIGERS.xml&src=rss

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Early results from a tiger census in India indicate the population of the endangered big cats is drastically lower than previously assumed, wildlife experts and conservationists said on Wednesday.


----------



## Izme

Gabriel said:


> Another species in decline....again
> 
> http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...L188838_RTRUKOC_0_US-INDIA-TIGERS.xml&src=rss
> 
> NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Early results from a tiger census in India indicate the population of the endangered big cats is drastically lower than previously assumed, wildlife experts and conservationists said on Wednesday.


----------



## poochee

*Rescuers introduce killer whale sounds to push whales seaward*
By Christina Jewett and Carrie Peyton Dahlberg - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 7:16 pm PDT Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Rescue teams on Wednesday introduced a recording of killer whales into the water near wayward humpback whales, hoping the scary sounds would push them toward the ocean.

The new sound, of orcas preying on a gray whale mother and calf, replaced an unsuccessful pipe-clanging strategy that was followed Wednesday by gentler recordings humpback feeding sounds. The ailing mother humpback whale and her calf had frustrated those attempts by repeatedly swimming upriver and even under a noisy tug.

That orca recording -- which was played until sundown -- carries its own risks, but its use underscores the rescue effort's growing urgency.

In the worst case, the killer whale sounds could frighten the mother into deserting her calf, or could scare both whales into stranding themselves in shallow water, said Scott Hill, a population ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Yet with the whales' condition worsening and the pipe-clanging clearly ineffective, "we feel it is important to get these animals to at least a brackish environment in the near future," Hill said.

Excerpt from: SacBee


----------



## Izme

poochee said:


> *Rescuers introduce killer whale sounds to push whales seaward*
> By Christina Jewett and Carrie Peyton Dahlberg - Bee Staff Writers
> Last Updated 7:16 pm PDT Wednesday, May 23, 2007
> 
> Rescue teams on Wednesday introduced a recording of killer whales into the water near wayward humpback whales, hoping the scary sounds would push them toward the ocean.
> 
> The new sound, of orcas preying on a gray whale mother and calf, replaced an unsuccessful pipe-clanging strategy that was followed Wednesday by gentler recordings humpback feeding sounds. The ailing mother humpback whale and her calf had frustrated those attempts by repeatedly swimming upriver and even under a noisy tug.
> 
> That orca recording -- which was played until sundown -- carries its own risks, but its use underscores the rescue effort's growing urgency.
> 
> In the worst case, the killer whale sounds could frighten the mother into deserting her calf, or could scare both whales into stranding themselves in shallow water, said Scott Hill, a population ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
> 
> Yet with the whales' condition worsening and the pipe-clanging clearly ineffective, "we feel it is important to get these animals to at least a brackish environment in the near future," Hill said.
> 
> Excerpt from: SacBee


I sure hope those whales make it, they are such awesome creatures


----------



## poochee

izme said:


> I sure hope those whales make it, they are such awesome creatures


This is upsetting to me. Hope they can turn them around.


----------



## Izme

poochee said:


> This is upsetting to me. Hope they can turn them around.


Let's all hope they do turn them around..it upsets me as well


----------



## LANMaster

ekim68 said:


> Right on...You go Whales.....


They can't hear you ..... they're whales.


----------



## lotuseclat79

LANMaster said:


> They can't hear you ..... they're whales.


Hi LAN,

Whales make sound, e.g. humpback whale songs, and therefore, it stands to reason that the low frequency sound that they make (not unlike elephant sounds which are low frequency), can be heard by other whales at some far distance in the ocean (and thus under water in a river).

Sound does travel in water you are aware I am sure. The two whales as I understand it, are humpback whales as well.

How do you conclude that whales can't hear? One does not have to have an ear to hear. Some animals like owls have uniquely shaped bone structures to accentuate their hearing from a directional point of view. Why not whales?

-- Tom


----------



## LANMaster

ekim68 said:


> Right on...You go Whales.....





LANMaster said:


> They can't hear you ..... they're whales.


What I meant by "hear" was "understand".

And I couldn't help but think about the Geico commercial where the caveman is told to talk to a cave-doll, and he says, "It doesn't answer ... it's a doll".


----------



## ekim68

LANMaster said:


> They can't hear you ..... they're whales.


Heh, heh....

Well then:

Uuruhah, Wommonone, Ohrnwaanuhuuu...


----------



## LANMaster

ekim68 said:


> Heh, heh....
> 
> Well then:
> 
> Uuruhah, Wommonone, Ohrnwaanuhuuu...


Ya lost me there.


----------



## ekim68

It's whale talk...


----------



## Gabriel

LANMaster said:


> Ya lost me there.


 I think it means "Jonah...get back here you pesky human" in whale language LAN


----------



## ekim68

_Rescuers come up with hose plan for whales_

RIO VISTA, Calif. (AP)  Marine biologists said Thursday that they planned to spray two lost, injured whales with fire hoses in the next attempt to force the pair to head back to salt water.

The method has never been tried before, and biologists don't know how the whales will respond Friday. If the whales like the spray, crews will try to lure them back to the ocean; if they hate it, they'll try to force them there.

"No one has done this before," said Frances Gulland, who is leading the campaign to move the pair back to the ocean. "At this point, we don't know if it will be a deterrent or an attractant," she said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-05-24-whales-sacramento_N.htm


----------



## LANMaster

ekim68 said:


> It's whale talk...


What does it mean. Have you translated it into English yet?


----------



## LANMaster

Gabriel said:


> I think it means "Jonah...get back here you pesky human" in whale language LAN


Was Jonah swallowed by a whale?


----------



## poochee

*New tactic to move whales: Shoot water at them*
By Todd Milbourn - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 10:15 am PDT Friday, May 25, 2007

The whale rescuers are trying a new tact to get Delta and Dawn moving toward the ocean.

In a morning press conference at U.S. Coast Guard headquarters in Rio Vista, officials said they will shoot water from a fire hose toward the whales in hopes that the bubbles or changes in water pressures prompts them to swim downstream.

"We don't know if it is going to work. One thing we heard from the public, is that we need to experiment and try new things. This is definitely a new thing," said Greg Hurner with the California Department of Fish and Game.

The humpback whales are swimming near the Ryer Island ferry in the same vicinity where they have been in recent days.

Scientists said they continue to be concerned about the whales' wounds and deterioration of their skin in the fresh water of the Sacramento River delta.

A flotilla of four U.S. Coast Guard boats will stay close to the pair over the Memorial Day weekend, rigorously enforcing a 500-yard boat-free zone around the whales. The Coast Guard advises slowing down to "no-wake speed" when boaters are anywhere near the huge mammals.

"You'll be able to recognize us -- stay clear!" said Coast Guard Ensign Brian Trapp, adding that violators could face prosecution under the Endangered Species Act or the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Adding to the river congestion will be several hundred boats heading for Sacramento's Jazz Jubilee. Trapp said recreational boaters can tune into marine radio Channels 16 and 22A, which will broadcast updates on the whales' location on the hour.

Frances Gulland, lead veterinarian in the rescue effort, said the anticipated weekend boat traffic is a concern for scientists trying to head the whales back to the Pacific.

"I would love it if no one were on the water at all, but we're realistic," she said at a news briefing Thursday.

The mother and her calf had a peaceful day Thursday after scientists decided to halt temporarily their attempts to point the mammals in the right direction.

Gulland reported that they stayed in a three-mile stretch of the Delta, between Cache Creek and Marker 43 in the Deep Water Shipping Channel.

Excerpt from: SacBee


----------



## Gabriel

LANMaster said:


> Was Jonah swallowed by a whale?


Unless you can imagine a fish that big, it would most likely have been a whale


----------



## LANMaster

Gabriel said:


> Unless you can imagine a fish that big, it would most likely have been a whale


3000+ years ago it was written as a big fish *prepared by God*. Not a whale.
It was probably the only one its kind. Perhaps even some kind of submarine.


----------



## ekim68

LANMaster said:


> What does it mean. Have you translated it into English yet?


Have you tried sounding out the words? I made them up...But, in a way it sounded like the speech of the antarctic speaking whales, and, I haven't learned antarctic, yet....

(So, I can't translate it yet..)


----------



## Izme

This is a must read book for animal lovers :up:​
From Baghdad With Love

Video​

This is one of the best books that I've read. I do think and care about those animals trapped in the center of war​


----------



## poochee

izme said:


> This is a must read book for animal lovers :up:​
> From Baghdad With Love
> 
> Video​
> 
> This is one of the best books that I've read. I do think and care about those animals trapped in the center of war​


Thanks!


----------



## Izme

poochee said:


> Thanks!


Hiya Poochee, you're welcome

puts a smile on your face for sure :up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

Whales injected with antibiotics
Article here.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Desert pupfish in hot water
Only 42 left: Creature whose plight led to the Endangered Species Act is on the brink -- researchers don't know why

"The Devil's Hole pupfish is one of the rarest animals in the world. The seemingly endless effort to save it laid the foundation for the Endangered Species Act and shaped Western water policy a generation ago with a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

But after 20,000 years in the desert, the fish teeters on the edge of extinction. No more than 42 remain in Devil's Hole. "

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/27/MNGA0Q2IAL1.DTL


----------



## tempus_fugit

It's really frightening to see that the animals we share existence with are slowly disappearing.

________________________
Jelai

McIntosh MX135 Audio/Video Control Center - Download the MX135 Audio/Video Control Center Catalog by McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.


----------



## ekim68

It is...It took 2 million years to create the infrastructure....


----------



## poochee

*Whales head out again*
After lolling in channel, pair move south toward bay
By Deb Kollars - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, May 28, 2007

For the second Sunday in a row, the proverbial day of rest turned into a day of action for a pair of humpback whales stranded in the Deep Water Ship Channel.

The mother and calf, after spending an entire week milling around in the channel about four miles north of the Rio Vista Bridge, *suddenly began swimming southward Sunday afternoon.*:up:

They turned and headed downstream about 2 p.m., swimming under the Rio Vista Bridge while it was down with traffic crossing, said Greg Hurner, senior adviser for the California Department of Fish and Game.

At 5:15 p.m., the two whales -- both injured and in deteriorating condition -- were swimming in the Sacramento River about eight miles south of the bridge. The whales took a brief northward turn about 5 p.m., but soon were heading downstream again.

*"I can tell you, the mood in the rescue center and on the boats is ecstatic," Hurner said.*

As sunset approached, some observers expressed confidence that the pair were finally bound for San Francisco Bay. *I hope and pray! Please go home!*

"We're very hopeful that they're heading back to the open ocean," said Trevor Spradlin, a marine mammal biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Department.

At 8:15 p.m., the whales were 17 nautical miles south of the Rio Vista Bridge and had moved past the power plant near Pittsburg, according to Bernadette Fees, a spokeswoman for the Department of Fish and Game. She said they continued to move toward the ocean.

For the past week, the whales have been swimming and spouting just north of the bridge. Worried rescuers spent the week trying to encourage the whales to begin swimming southward by using various underwater sounds and herding techniques -- to no avail, although a novel idea of spraying water at the humpbacks using high-pressure hoses Friday seemed to have helped in coaxing them to change direction.

By late Sunday afternoon, six boats were following the whales and more were being mobilized, Hurner said. Rescuers planned to station vessels at various slough and channel entrances -- if the whales continued southward -- to prevent the animals from veering from the river, and also to prevent boat traffic from entering the river when the whales were near. It is a 70-mile journey from the Rio Vista Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge, Hurner said.

Three research vessels monitored the whales throughout Sunday morning, while two law enforcement boats enforced a 500-yard safety perimeter to protect the animals. Boat traffic was lighter than expected, and there were no problem boating incidents as of early Sunday afternoon.

Excerpts from: SacBee


----------



## Izme

In today's Spokesman Review newspaper

Rebels threatened to kill all mountain gorillas in Congo's Virunga National Park if government forces retaliate for a rebel attack on a ranger station that killed three staff members. WildlifeDirect said that during the raids, 13 other wildlife workers were takin hostage by the militia workers, but they were released.

Despite the threat to the critically engangered primates, The Democratic Republic of the Congo government said it had dispatched two of it's elite ranger units to chase down the Mai Mai rebel group. Conservation groups have accused the Mai Mai of also slaughtering hundreds of hippos with automatic rifles along the shores of lake Edward. 

 

Animals can fall vicitim to war as well....I hope the gorillas actually survive this, they are so endangered 

amazing creatures indeed


----------



## poochee

That's awful!!


----------



## Izme

poochee said:


> That's awful!!


To me it's beyond comprehension. Such beautiful and endangered species being endangered by a bunch of neannderthal idiots. The world must cry out in disgust over this. 

Did anyone see Gorillas in the mist?


----------



## Izme

Not to mention how sick and totally stupid it is to mow down hippos with automatic weapons in your own back yard so to speak


----------



## LANMaster

Fish ..... got a link?


----------



## LANMaster

ekim68 said:


> Have you tried sounding out the words? I made them up...But, in a way it sounded like the speech of the antarctic speaking whales, and, I haven't learned antarctic, yet....
> 
> (So, I can't translate it yet..)


Oh.


----------



## Izme

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21668441.htm


----------



## LANMaster

Idiots.

These Mai Mai bungholes need to be strung up. 

They are terrorists.


----------



## Izme

LANMaster said:


> Idiots.
> 
> These Mai Mai bungholes need to be strung up.
> 
> They are terrorists.


That's putting it rather mildly


----------



## poochee

*Whales at last over the hump?*
Pair steamed ahead until reaching another bridge.
By Jim Downing - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 10:35 am PDT Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Delta and Dawn, the wandering humpback whales, were spotted about a half mile east of the Carquinez Bridge late Tuesday morning, officials said.

They still have 26 nautical miles to get to the Golden Gate Bridge, and researchers say their main concern is that the pair may wander into the Napa or Petaluma rivers. They'll take precautions, they said, if it looks like the whales are approaching those waterways.

*Coast Guard Petty Officer John Cilley said the whales appear to be in good spirits. *

The whales left the Sacramento River near Rio Vista Sunday afternoon and spent much of Monday swimming near the Benicia-Martinez Bridge briege.

"They did make some progress again last evening," California Department of Fish and Game Spokeswoman Bernadette Fees said Tuesday morning.

Rescuers will keep their distance Tuesday she said, only attempting to get a flesh sample from the calf. She said antibiotics administered over the weekend appear to be taking effect and that the whales' wounds are healing.:up:

Rescuers remained optimistic because the mother and calf reached brackish water and their health appears to be improving.

To reach the ocean, the whales now must navigate the busy waters of the Carquinez Strait, San Pablo Bay and San Francisco Bay. And researchers who have watched the whales for more than two weeks say they still can't tell what prompts the whales to start or stop, turn one way or the other.

"We are anticipating that there could be some wrong turns" ahead, Fees said.

Researchers hope the combination of a return to salt water and a dose of antibiotics administered Saturday are helping to return the whales to health, Fees said. The two are suffering from wounds apparently caused by a ship's propeller. Both also have skin lesions that may be caused by prolonged exposure to fresh water.

Over the past week, the whales at times appeared sluggish and sick. But Monday, Fees said, at least some of their energy seemed to have returned. Dawn, the calf, was seen diving and rolling in the water.

"The calf was certainly exhibiting typical calf behavior," Fees said.:up:

The whales are now in water used heavily by both oceangoing ships and recreational boats. An escort of U.S. Coast Guard boats is maintaining a 500-yard perimeter around the whales during daylight hours.

Research vessels are monitoring the whales from within that safe zone.

McInnes said discussions are under way between rescue officials and the Coast Guard on the possibility of limiting ship traffic while the whales are in the channel.

McInnis also said a plan to attach tracking devices to the whales has been delayed by technical difficulties. Scientists want to attach satellite transmitters to the whales before they swim from San Francisco Bay into the ocean.

Such instruments would be attached to barbed hooks shot into the whales' hides and would allow scientists to follow the whales in the open sea.

The tags are expected to fall off after two to three months, but researchers could also identify the whales by unique markings on the undersides of their tail fins if they are encountered again.

Excerpts from: SacBee


----------



## LANMaster

The SacBee writer and editor should lose their jobs for oferring up such a poor pun.


At last "over the hump" indeed.


----------



## poochee

*Aiming for the Golden Gate, Delta and Dawn are almost home* :up: 
By Bobby Caina Calvan and Dorothy Korber - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 5:38 pm PDT Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Humpback whales Delta and Dawn are wayward no longer. They are swimming seaward with a purpose, speeding past Angel Island at 4:50 p.m. today and aiming for the Golden Gate.

That fabled portal marks the finish line of their remarkable, two-week saga.

Bernadette Fees, spokeswoman for California State Fish and Game, described the euphoria flooding the whale rescue team as the humpbacks sliced through San Pablo Bay.

When they reach the Golden Gate, she said: "We'll say goodbye - and we'll wish them well."

Sailing in their wake is a flotilla of boats - no longer "herding" the majestic creatures but now escorting them home.

"Everybody's really excited that hopefully these animals are heading out. Everybody's got their fingers crossed," said Jim Oswald, spokesman for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.

The whales are moving on their own without any human assistance. The flotilla of vessels tracking them are there primarily to monitor their health and keep them from harm's way from ships and boats in these busy channels.

On Monday, authorities fished out at least two people who jumped into the water to attempt to swim with the whales, and issued verbal warnings to nearly two dozen others on piers and in kayaks. The whale team continues to ask boaters, kayakers and others to respect the 500-yard safety zone around the humpbacks. *Idiots!*

Before reaching the Pacific, the whales have one more bridge to navigate: the Golden Gate. *Oh please swim on!*

But the Carquinez Bridge and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge seemed to pose no obstacle to the pair. After some hesitation, they swam beneath its spans while a freight train rumbled by, blowing its horn. There was also a plane overhead and vehicular traffic on the bridge -- plus a gallery of onlookers.

Earlier this morning, there were euphoric shouts from spectators as the calf breeched from the water in a silvery spray - behavior typical of healthy whale young.

Researchers think the antibiotics administered over the weekend are taking effect -- their skin condition is improving with some of the lesions sloughing off.


----------



## ekim68

Wow, thanks poochee. That's good news..


----------



## ekim68

_Whales are within 10 miles of Golden Gate_

SACRAMENTO -- After a wandering two-week voyage up the Sacramento River, a pair of humpback whales steamed purposefully into San Francisco Bay today in what experts hoped would be a last dash to the ocean.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-whales30may30,0,4582875.story?coll=la-home-center


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> _Whales are within 10 miles of Golden Gate_
> 
> SACRAMENTO -- After a wandering two-week voyage up the Sacramento River, a pair of humpback whales steamed purposefully into San Francisco Bay today in what experts hoped would be a last dash to the ocean.
> 
> http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-whales30may30,0,4582875.story?coll=la-home-center


Getting closer..............:up:


----------



## Zaney1

If this is true then it's great news !
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18867297/


----------



## poochee

'Operation Humpback' taught lessons on rare whales *A Happy Ending!* 
POSTED: 8:50 a.m. EDT, May 31, 2007 
Story Highlights NEW: Scientists, rescuers ready to declare Operation Humpback a success

 Whales believed to have have reached Pacific Ocean
 Mother and calf first spotted May 12; they got as far as 90 miles inland
 Journey gave scientists unique opportunity to study endangered whales

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Scientists observing the wayward wanderings of two humpback whales in a California river have more to celebrate than their return to the Pacific Ocean.

The duo provided an unexpected opportunity to study the endangered species.

The information scientists gathered includes sound recordings, logs of their behavior and tissue samples from both the mother and calf.

It which will be analyzed to determine whether they come from a pod of whales that travel between Mexico and California. (Watch whales make steady progress down Sacramento River )

"All those things are very hard to get. So what we are doing is filling up the knowledge bank on humpback whales in the wild," said Jim Oswald, a spokesman for the nonprofit Marine Mammal Center, a private scientific and rescue organization.

*The experience also could prove helpful in approaching other stranded whales, he said.*:up:

After spending more than two weeks trying to coax the whales back to sea with mixed results, officials are ready to declare Operation Humpback a success.

Since the previously conspicuous whales had not been seen for a full day, officials assumed the duo found their way home, undoing a wrong turn that inspired a range of rescue attempts.

The whales, believed to be a mother and calf, were last observed at sunset Tuesday swimming in San Francisco Bay about 10 miles north of the city. A convoy of boats that accompanied the whales across the bay to keep traffic at a distance stopped escorting them when it got dark.

Officials think the whales slipped out of San Francisco Bay to the open sea late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, when no one was watching.

To make sure the whales did not take another wrong turn, two government boats were launched Wednesday morning to look for them in the Pacific Ocean. Rescuers relied on reports from commercial vessels and Coast Guard patrols to determine if the humpbacks still were in the bay.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/30/delta.whales.ap/index.html


----------



## ekim68

That's good news poochee. Thanks.


----------



## Izme

ekim68 said:


> That's good news poochee. Thanks.


I second that :up:


----------



## LANMaster

I'll go along with that as well. I'm happy they are heading the right direction.


----------



## Bush Lady

I just heard a story on a local radio program, "Morning North". They were talking about how many Moose and Deer were killed on the road side. This is in the Algonquin Park area up here. It was said that don't drive at night unless you absolutely have too. And if you must drive at night do not go any faster than 70 kilometers per hour. (About 45 miles per hour). So when you meet one of these animals, you at least have a chance to stop.

They mentioned a Tractor-Trail vehicle was completely destroyed because the driver was trying to avoid a moose.


----------



## ekim68

Overfishing needs to be looked at...

The other day I told you how there's a good chance we could see an end to commercial overfishing subsidies through WTO negotiations. And my organization is not alone in making the case to the World Trade Organization. At least 125 scientists from 27 countries feel the same way and sent a letter to the WTO making it clear that "an ambitious outcome in the ongoing WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations is vital to the future of the world's fisheries."

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/6/1/10524/42591


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Overfishing needs to be looked at...
> 
> The other day I told you how there's a good chance we could see an end to commercial overfishing subsidies through WTO negotiations. And my organization is not alone in making the case to the World Trade Organization. At least 125 scientists from 27 countries feel the same way and sent a letter to the WTO making it clear that "an ambitious outcome in the ongoing WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations is vital to the future of the world's fisheries."
> 
> http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/6/1/10524/42591


:up:


----------



## Zaney1

One of the few good things going on in Africa is the various game reserves in many countries. Many are involved in breeding endangered species as well as protecting thousands of acres from poachers. I'm more worried about S. America & parts of Asia. I read that the forest in Cambodia is being threatened.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18989077/


----------



## poochee

Bush Lady said:


> I just heard a story on a local radio program, "Morning North". They were talking about how many Moose and Deer were killed on the road side. This is in the Algonquin Park area up here. It was said that don't drive at night unless you absolutely have too. And if you must drive at night do not go any faster than 70 kilometers per hour. (About 45 miles per hour). So when you meet one of these animals, you at least have a chance to stop.
> 
> They mentioned a Tractor-Trail vehicle was completely destroyed because the driver was trying to avoid a moose.


Wonder if they have Moose/Deer crossing signs? We do here, plus a lower speed posted.


----------



## poochee

Zaney1 said:


> One of the few good things going on in Africa is the various game reserves in many countries. Many are involved in breeding endangered species as well as protecting thousands of acres from poachers. I'm more worried about S. America & parts of Asia. I read that the forest in Cambodia is being threatened.
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18989077/


I have a friend who was a docent at the zoo. The zoo had a trip to Africa each year. She and her husband went 5 times, different countries. The stayed in these reserves. They are photographers and took many pictures. The group had guides and had many interesting adventures. Of course, they didn't go into areas that were at war. She made a travelogue with music. They loved it and wished they could afford to live their for 6 months a year. It is an expensive trip to make, but according to them well worth it.


----------



## Bush Lady

poochee said:


> Wonder if they have Moose/Deer crossing signs? We do here, plus a lower speed posted.


There are signs up up here alone the highways too.

But in the summer there are at times so many cars on the highways. And if there is someone driving slow, it slows all the traffic down. In the summer people just like to go fast.

There are drivers that cut you off, and also follow to close. And then we also have the Moose and Deer to deal with. There are quite a few animals killed along the highway ever year. And it is not just the animal, it as also the people in the vehicle. If it is a moose, that animal could land right on top of the vehicle. It will take the roof of the car right off. Could quite possibly kill the people in the vehicle.

And for what because they just want to go fast.


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## poochee

Bushlady...unfortunately there are people who don't care.


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## ekim68

Well, this doesn't help..

_Discarded drugs found in blood of sharks_

SARASOTA, Fla., June 3 (UPI) -- Scientists in Florida are studying traces of pharmaceutical drugs found recently in the blood of bull sharks, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

Prescription anti-depressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, cholesterol-reducing drugs like Lipitor, and synthetic estrogen are reportedly the most commonly found drugs in bull sharks in Florida's Caloosahatchee River. Scientists believe the drugs were flushed down toilets and eventually ended up in the bloodstreams of sharks, the newspaper said.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/06/03/discarded_drugs_found_in_blood_of_sharks/7940/


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## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Well, this doesn't help..
> 
> _Discarded drugs found in blood of sharks_
> 
> SARASOTA, Fla., June 3 (UPI) -- Scientists in Florida are studying traces of pharmaceutical drugs found recently in the blood of bull sharks, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.
> 
> Prescription anti-depressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, cholesterol-reducing drugs like Lipitor, and synthetic estrogen are reportedly the most commonly found drugs in bull sharks in Florida's Caloosahatchee River. Scientists believe the drugs were flushed down toilets and eventually ended up in the bloodstreams of sharks, the newspaper said.
> 
> http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/06/03/discarded_drugs_found_in_blood_of_sharks/7940/


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## ekim68

Just look at what we let into our rivers, and, where does it go?


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## LANMaster

Who flushed the drugs?


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## lotuseclat79

Did you know that humpback whales breach the surface at 25 ft/sec! That's right - whales can fly  - and smile back at you (grining) at the same time!

Article here.

Now that first picture would make a great wallpaper on the computer.

-- Tom


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## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Did you know that humpback whales breach the surface at 25 ft/sec! That's right - whales can fly  - and smile back at you (grining) at the same time!
> 
> Article here.
> 
> Now that first picture would make a great wallpaper on the computer.
> 
> -- Tom


Neat!


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## LANMaster

lotuseclat79 said:


> Did you know that humpback whales breach the surface at 25 ft/sec! That's right - whales can fly  - and smile back at you (grining) at the same time!
> 
> Article here.
> 
> Now that first picture would make a great wallpaper on the computer.
> 
> -- Tom


Lovely. :up:


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## ekim68

A long but good read on dumping in the oceans.

*Polymers Are Forever*
_Alarming tales of a most prevalent and problematic substance_

"Long before that, however, these deposits will have been preceded by a substance far lighter and more easily carried seaward than rocks or even grains of silt.

Captain Charles Moore of Long Beach, California, learned this one day in 1997 when, sailing out of Honolulu, he steered his aluminum-hulled catamaran into a part of the western Pacific hed always avoided. Sometimes known as the Horse Latitudes, it is a Texas-sized span of ocean between Hawaii and California rarely plied by sailors because of a perennial, slowly rotating high-pressure vortex of hot equatorial air that inhales wind and never gives it back. Beneath it, the water describes lazy, clockwise whorls toward a depression at the center.

Its correct name is the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, though Moore soon learned that oceanographers had another label for it: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Captain Moore had wandered into a sump where nearly everything that blows into the water from half the Pacific Rim eventually ends up, spiraling slowly toward a widening horror of industrial excretion. For a week, Moore and his crew found themselves crossing a sea the size of a small continent, covered with floating refuse. It was not unlike an Arctic vessel pushing through chunks of brash ice, except what was bobbing around them was a fright of cups, bottle caps, tangles of fish netting and monofilament line, bits of polystyrene packaging, six-pack rings, spent balloons, filmy scraps of sandwich wrap, and limp plastic bags that defied counting. "

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/270


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## poochee

Ekim...quite an article!


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## lotuseclat79

Ancient DNA traces the woolly mammoth's disappearance
Article here.

Some ancient-DNA evidence has offered new clues to a very cold case: the disappearance of the last woolly mammoths, one of the most iconic of all Ice Age giants, according to a June 7th report published online in Current Biology.

-- Tom


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## poochee

*Yearly tallies obscure troubling times for sea otters*
By LISA LEFF Associated Press Writer
Article Last Updated: 06/09/2007 02:43:25 PM PDT

MONTEREY, Calif.Training her binoculars on a dark patch of seaweed swaying in the shallows, Gena Bentall gasped. After searching for sea otters all day, the research biologist had spotted one: a mother with a pup on her belly, a mauled face dripping blood and a male pursuer hot on her tail.

Female sea otters often sport scars on their noses, the price of breeding with clumsy, sharp-toothed partners. But vicious injuries like this one are showing up with unusual frequency off the California coast, one of several signs leading marine scientists to suspect something is amiss in the kelp beds where the state's beloved aquatic mammals make their homes.

"This is one of the things that makes us think the sex ratio is skewed in an unhealthy way," said Tim Tinker, another otter expert who joined Bentall in watching the wounded mother try to outswim her menacing attacker in a rocky cove near Monterey's famed Cannery Row.

The biologists have seen female ottersmany nursing babies and incapable of getting pregnantwith their muzzles ripped off. Even young males have become targets of aggressive mating. The culprits are thought to be itinerant, adolescent otters invading the territories of males who typically jealousy guard their harems.

Every spring and fall for the last quarter-century, teams of scientists have fanned out across 375 miles of California coastline to count southern sea otters, a threatened species that was hunted to near-extinction a century ago. The census is used to gauge whether the struggling population is rebounding or declining, with at least three years of similar results required to demonstrate a trend.

The survey conducted last month brought welcome news following two years of dropsa solid 12 percent, or 334-otter increase that brought the number of adults and pups combined above 3,000 for the first time. For the California sea otter to be removed from the threatened species list, the count would have to average 3,090 or more over three years.

Excerpt from: http://www.montereyherald.com/state/ci_6103439


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## lotuseclat79

Populations of 20 common birds declining
Article here.

The populations of 20 common American birds - from the fence-sitting meadowlark to the whippoorwill with its haunting call - are half what they were 40 years ago, according to an analysis released Thursday.

Suburban sprawl, climate change and other invasive species are largely to blame, said the study's author Greg Butcher of the National Audubon Society.

"Most of these we don't expect will go extinct," he said. "We think they reflect other things that are happening in the environment that we should be worried about."

-- Tom


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## ekim68

Stupid politicians.....

*Last-minute reversal on protecting coral at UN wildlife body*

The UN wildlife trade organisation back-tracked Friday and removed restrictions it had imposed days earlier on the global trade in coral species severely depleted by commercial exploitation.

"The reversal by the delegates by a secret ballot is deplorable," said Elizabeth Meely of Sea Web, a marine conservation group.

"The science was clear on this issue and not debated -- this is a political decision," she said.

http://www.terradaily.com/2007/070615154329.1o6r6c72.html


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## ekim68

Every little bit helps..

*U.N. talks help eels, elephants, slow extinctions*

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Elephants and eels may find life slightly easier as a result of trade curbs imposed after UN talks that ended on Friday in a modest attempt to slow what may be the worst wave of extinctions since the dinosaurs.

The June 3-15 meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) also agreed to curb trade in commercial species including Brazilwood timber, used in violin bows, and sawfish, which have long toothed snouts.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1579392620070615


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## poochee

Good information being posted!


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## ekim68

*Fish die-off in Ontario lake a mystery*

TORONTO, June 16 (UPI) -- So many carp have died in a lake near Toronto that local public works officials have scheduled special pickup days for dead fish.

People living near Lake Scugog, an hour's drive north of Toronto, also would like to know what is killing the fish, the Toronto Star reported. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has sent water samples to Guelph University but does not expect any results for about two weeks.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/06/16/fish_dieoff_in_ontario_lake_a_mystery/3237/


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## poochee

*Birdies par for the course Some good animal news. 
Davis golf managers take special care of owls*
By Bill Lindelof - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, June 16, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1

A burrowing owl stands over a mouse meal at Wildhorse Golf Course in Davis. The species has several nesting sites at the course, where holes have been dug for them and golfers see signs alerting them to nearby sites. There were *70* burrowing owls counted on the course recently, up from *eight* several years earlier. 
Sacramento Bee/Bryan Patrick

At nest site No. 17, also known as the fifth-hole tee at Wildhorse Golf Course in Davis, Kimberly West had something of a birdie binge of her own.

Volunteer bird counter West tallied nine burrowing owls, a state species of special concern.

Oblivious to a golfer who shanked his shot and loudly expressed his displeasure, the owls bobbed and flitted around their hole-in-the-ground home.

In the past few years, according to the city of Davis, the bird's numbers have been largely stable in town because of the efforts of the Burrowing Owl Preservation Society, Wildhorse Golf Course managers and land use decisions that preserved open space.

Davis resident West, a lawyer, is a volunteer counter for the Institute of Bird Population statewide survey of burrowing owl breeding pairs.

The organization is trying to gain a better estimate of the state's population. Fourteen years ago, the institute conducted a similar study.

Each survey team has responsibility for a 5-kilometer-by-5-kilometer region during the owl breeding season. When West heard of the survey, she wanted to become involved.

West and her son, Parker Fritch, have been observing burrowing owls for years at the golf course. Four or five years ago they counted only eight of the rodent-eating owls.

The other afternoon during an official count for the statewide survey, she and her son counted 70. West planned to come back another day and count owls just off the course.

"On the perimeter, I would guess there are 15 to 20 more," she said.

Jim Rose, a golf course greenskeeper, gives credit to Wes Leith, course superintendent, for the owls' doing so well at Wildhorse.

Rose has also been important, building artificial nesting burrows, advocating for owl protection and learning all he can about the owls on the course.

John McNerney, city of Davis wildlife resource specialist, said the owls are truly thriving at Wildhorse Golf Course.

"It has the highest number of burrowing owls in one colony in the local region," he said. "And it is possibly one of the largest concentrations in the entire Valley."

Several theories exist as to why the owls like the course, including excellent foraging area in open land next to Wildhorse and great nesting habitat, including artificial burrows created by Rose and students of Tafoya Elementary School in Woodland.

Course managers have made many changes to accommodate owls. The birds can be stressed by gas engines; when Wildhorse switched to electric carts, the owl population increased.

Course managers have also roped off areas to limit entry by players. Signs call attention to nesting sites, and informational notices in golf carts alert players to burrowing owl habitat on the course.

In general, McNerney said, as Davis has filled in, owls have been pushed to the town's outskirts.

Urban development is a big reason for declining numbers in the north part of the state, he said.

Counting the owls is important because the more information that can be provided to the state regulators, the better, McNerney said.

Excerpt from: http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/225716.html


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## poochee

*Wildlife officers nab alligator in Sacramento River* *A rescue.:up: *
The Associated Press
Last Updated 11:49 am PDT Saturday, June 16, 2007

VACAVILLE, Calif. -- State wildlife officials captured a 4-foot-long alligator from an area of the Sacramento River where two wayward whales dazzled crowds along the riverbank last month.

A driver first spotted the gator resting on Sherman Island across the river from Rio Vista on Friday morning and alerted authorities.

Fish and Game wardens and animal control officers used a catch pole to catch the creature, which was taken to an investigations lab in Rancho Cordova.

Officials believe the gator was probably a pet that got too large for its owner, who likely dumped it in the river where the humpback whales were stranded for weeks before they returned safely to the ocean.

Excerpts from: http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/226382.html


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## poochee

*Tourists witness a good turn for a baby tern* *Another good story!* 
Boat passengers applaud as lifeguards rescue the drowning seabird next to a barge in Long Beach Harbor.
By Louis Sahagun, Times Staff Writer
June 17, 2007

*Tour boat captain captain Dan Salas radioed for help Saturday as soon as he noticed a drowning baby seabird in the rolling swell beside a barge anchored in Long Beach Harbor.*

Three minutes later, Long Beach lifeguards arrived in a patrol boat and set to work, providing the 20 tourists aboard Salas' 80-foot vessel, Kristina, with a rare view of an avian rescue operation half a mile offshore.

The passengers applauded and whistled when lifeguard John Virack carefully scooped the baby Caspian tern out of the water with two hands, then wrapped it in a towel for transport to a local bird rescue center.

Back on the barge, a raucous colony of Caspian terns had transformed mounds of coiled rope into shady camouflage for pale yellow hatchlings. Adult terns swooped in every few minutes with tiny silver fish in their beaks and promptly fed newly hatched birds. Others chased intruding brown pelicans, double-crested cormorants and Heermann's gulls away from their nests on the flat deck.

The steel barge, a former icebreaker named Arctic Challenger, has become a precarious artificial nesting site for an estimated 350 Caspian terns  slim, gull-like seabirds protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The barge's owner, Sause Bros. of Coos Bay, Ore., has agreed not to move it until all of the birds have matured and migrated elsewhere for the winter. Nonetheless, uncertainty shrouds the colony in the heart of the nation's busiest port complex  an area plied by freighters, harbor cruise ships, recreational boaters and roaring jet skiers.

"The fact that these birds have settled on this barge underlines a critical problem: We need more natural habitat for them," said Susan Kaveggia, a biologist with the International Bird Rescue Research Center in San Pedro. "Terns need flat, barren, sandy or pebbly land on which to nest. There's none left in the port complex, so they're moving in desperation from boat to boat to boat."

A year ago, more than 400 Caspian and elegant terns  most too young to fly  plummeted off two privately owned barges anchored not far from the Arctic Challenger. A few hours later, local beaches were littered with baby tern carcasses.

Three men were charged with animal cruelty in that case, which triggered one of the longest investigations ever by the California Department of Fish and Game.

Seven misdemeanor counts each were filed against tugboat operator Ralph Botticelli, 39, of San Diego, and two crewmen. Botticelli told The Times in February that his workers were attempting to move the barges from the port complex to Santa Barbara when they accidentally spooked the birds into stampeding off the sides.

Many of the terns now colonizing the Arctic Challenger are believed to have been former annual visitors to the barges involved in Botticelli's case, which is pending.

Sause Bros. had been intending to move the Arctic Challenger within the next few weeks to its shipyard in Oregon for work. However, "we will leave the barge in place for as long as is necessary to protect the colony of Caspian terns through to maturity," the company said in a written statement.

Excerpt from:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/l...966.story?coll=la-tot-callocal&track=ntottext


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## ekim68

*Mockingbird population declining in Texas*

AUSTIN, Texas, June 17 (UPI) -- The population of the official Texas state bird -- the mockingbird -- is in sharp decline, experts say.

The National Audubon Society released a study showing that mockingbird populations have declined by 18 percent over the past 40 years, The Austin American-Statesman reported Sunday.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/06/17/mockingbird_population_declining_in_texas/2160/


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## LANMaster

ekim68 said:


> *Mockingbird population declining in Texas*


They all moved to Washington to mock the President.

They'll start migrating back to Crawford in early '09.


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## ekim68

*Northern spotted owl's decline revives old concerns*

_Habitat for the famous owl is again a hot issue, as the US seeks to set aside less old-growth forest._

Ashland, Ore. - Twenty years after the northern spotted owl became the prime symbol for endangered species and habitat protection, it's back in the news and steeped in controversy.

Despite the bird's official listing as threatened and efforts to protect its home range, its numbers continue to fall from British Columbia to northern California. Now estimated to number between 3,000 and 5,000 pairs  and dropping by 3.7 percent per year  the spotted owl is at risk of declining to the point that the species would need to be "uplisted" from threatened to endangered, some experts warn.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0627/p02s01-sten.html


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## ekim68

_Galapagos Islands, park in Senegal added to UNESCO's in danger heritage list_

WELLINGTON, New Zealand: The Galapagos Islands and Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park were added Tuesday to the U.N.'s World Heritage sites in danger from environmental threats or overuse.

The Galapagos Islands, an Ecuadorian territory situated in the Pacific Ocean some 1,000 kilometers (625 miles) from South America, helped shape Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and in 1978 was the first site placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

But the islands and a marine reserve surrounding them that are home to dozens of endangered species have increasingly come under threat from invasive species, growing tourism and immigration, the organization's Heritage Committee said

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/26/asia/AS-GEN-New-Zealand-World-Heritage.php


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## poochee

Lots of important animal news posted here.


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## Guest

the greatest threat to mankind is mankind itself.



Code:


http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2187944/mobile-phones-kill-bees


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## eddie5659

Read in my latest copy of PC Format, that bee colonies in the US have decreased by 70%, and its happening in Europe now.

So what, you all say, no more bee stings.

Well, they are needed bigtime. Without bees, no more pollination of crops will happen, hence no food. Also, flowers etc will die out, effecting the entire ecosystem.

They actually say its due to mobile phones, as in if they're used nearby the hives, they won't return, so die out. 

No link to give, it was just at the back of the Issue 202, the one with Hellgate on the front cover.

eddie


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## ekim68

There's this one, too, eddie...

http://forums.techguy.org/random-di...-colony-collapse-disorder.html?highlight=bees


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## eddie5659

Thanks ekim68 

As I tend to keep out of Random, I've missed some good threads. Will read that one as well 

eddie


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## poochee

*Infection kills a rare red panda 
Harold, almost 17, was semiretired and kept mostly out of sight at the Sacramento Zoo.*

By Eric Stern - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B3

Awaking from a nap, a red panda peers from a tree at the Sacramento Zoo. The animals are less than 4 feet long and weigh under 10 pounds.

Harold the red panda, a raccoon-like critter with a mellow personality, has died at the Sacramento Zoo from an infection.

One week shy of his *17th birthday*, Harold was the oldest male red panda in captivity, officials said. He had been living at the zoo since 2003.

Red pandas typically live up to *13 years *in captivity and are an endangered species from the highlands of eastern Asia.

Harold had been receiving medication for chronic arthritis but otherwise was in good health for his age, zoo officials said.

"Harold was very old for a red panda and experienced common health issues related to his age," zoo curator Jim Schnormeier said in a statement. "We hate to see him go, but we did our best to make him comfortable in his senior days and surely would not want to see him in pain."

Zoo officials say Harold died from an infection near his hip that likely started from "urine scald" -- urinating on his fur that burned his skin. The wound led to septic shock, and he died June 28.

Leslie Field, a zookeeper and supervisor, said older animals, from pets to pandas, often have trouble cleaning themselves as they age.

"It was kind of like an elderly person," said Field, adding that Harold was 95 in human years. "You get one thing and ... and they can't handle it."

Sacramento Zoo officials said the oldest female red panda in captivity is Flo, who resides at a zoo in Knoxville, Tenn. She is *18 years old *and once shared a zoo exhibit with Harold in Knoxville.

According to National Zoo officials in Washington, there are fewer than 2,500 red pandas in the world.

Harold came to the Sacramento Zoo in May 2003 from the Mill Mountain Zoo in Roanoke, Va., and was primarily a companion for another older red panda, Jane, in an off-exhibit area.

"He had a very important role here," Field said.

A younger, more virile pair of red pandas -- Beckie and Duande -- inhabited the main exhibit space, a concrete-boulder enclosure with shade trees. Every two years, the younger couple would breed, and Harold and Jane would be swapped into the exhibit space to give Beckie and Duande more privacy to have their babies.

Harold and Jane generally lived behind the exhibit space in a large, caged area with tree limbs for lounging and bamboo shoots for eating. Field called it a "retirement home" for Harold.

"He'd come out here and spend the day sleeping and resting," she said.

Excerpt from: http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/255832.html


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## poochee

*Critics say species list is endangered 
Though the bald eagle has rebounded, others are dying off. Critics blame an agency that's underfunded and in turmoil.*
By Margot Roosevelt, Times Staff Writer
July 5, 2007

The bald eagle may be soaring back from near-extinction, but hundreds of other imperiled species are foundering, as the federal agency charged with protecting them has sunk into legal, bureaucratic and political turmoil.

*In the last six years, the Bush administration has added fewer species to the endangered list than any other since the law was enacted in 1973.*

The slowdown has resulted in a waiting list of 279 candidates that are near extinction, according to government scientists, from California's Yosemite toad to Puerto Rico's elfin-woods warbler.

*Beyond the reluctance to list new species, a bottleneck is weakening efforts to save those already listed. Some 200 of the 1,326 officially endangered species are close to expiring, according to environmental groups, in part because funds have been cut for their recovery.*

"It's wonderful the bald eagle is recovering - one of the most charismatic and best funded species ever," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, a former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who now works for Defenders of Wildlife, an advocacy group. "But what's happening with the other species? This administration has starved the endangered species' budget. It has dismantled and demoralized its staff."

Bryan Arroyo, acting assistant director of endangered species for the Fish and Wildlife Service, acknowledges a 30% vacancy rate in the program's staff, and the fact that the agency's top position has been left unfilled for more than a year.

"We have a national deficit, and we are in the midst of a war," he said. "We have to live within the president's budget."

*The Bush administration has added 58 species to the endangered list, 54 of those in response to litigation. *

*By comparison, 231 mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects and plants were protected by the president's father, George H.W. Bush, during his four years in office.*

*Since 2000, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budgets for the sorts of interventions that saved the bald eagle - reintroducing breeding pairs, guarding nests and acquiring land - have been slashed by 15% in real dollars. Bush's fiscal 2008 budget calls for an additional 28% in cuts.*

Meanwhile, the endangered-species staff is rife with infighting, according to a report last month by the Interior Department's inspector general. *And recovery programs, listing decisions and efforts to remove wildlife from existing protections have been heavily influenced by Bush appointees with close ties to industries that have contested the law. *

Julie A. MacDonald, a deputy assistant secretary of the Interior who oversaw the endangered-species program, resigned last month after the inspector general found that she had *ordered scientists to change their findings,* *and shared internal documents with lobbyists for agricultural and energy interests.*

MacDonald, who owns a Sacramento-area ranch with her husband, took a particular interest in California, forcing cutbacks in proposed habitat protection for several listed species, including the Klamath River's bull trout and the Southwestern willow flycatcher, a bird that ranges from New Mexico to Southern California.

Last week, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall II (D-W.Va.) announced he would hold hearings on reports by the Washington Post that, in 2002, *Vice President Dick Cheney interjected* himself into a dispute over Klamath River water flows.

*According to the Post, after Cheney objected to the amount of water withheld to preserve fish, it was diverted to irrigation and an estimated 70,000 salmon died, including a small percentage of coho, a species listed as threatened in the region.*

*"Vice President Cheney turned the science upside down for political reasons," said Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez). "They had to close the fishing season. Taxpayers shelled out $60 million for businesses and boats."*

Arroyo declined to discuss allegations of political intervention, but he defended efforts to ease restrictions overall. Endangered species protection "started as a heavy-handed regulatory program," he said. "If you tally the cost of implementing every recovery program now in place, it would cost billions of dollars - and the program will never have that much funding."

The agency has reached out to states, private landowners and conservation groups, Arroyo said. "It is more effective to have 20 or 30 entities pursuing conservation of a species than one federal agency alone."

Three-quarters of endangered species are on private property, and property rights advocates say that overly strict rules give landowners an incentive to "shoot, shovel and shut up" - as the saying goes in the fast-growing West - rather than submit to restrictions on ranching, farming or subdividing.

Arroyo said the best way to prevent that was to work cooperatively, encouraging landowners to voluntarily conserve wildlife through grants and technical assistance.

Excerpt from:
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-s...1.story?coll=la-tot-topstories&track=ntottext


----------



## lotuseclat79

Camera trap captures three-legged Sumatran tiger
Article here.

An endangered Sumatran tiger that lost one of its paws, probably while trying to escape from a snare, has been photographed in an Indonesian wildlife park, global conservation group WWF said on Friday.









A Sumatran tiger that lost one of its paws is seen in the Tesso Nilo...Reuters Photo

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Camera trap captures three-legged Sumatran tiger
> Article here.
> 
> An endangered Sumatran tiger that lost one of its paws, probably while trying to escape from a snare, has been photographed in an Indonesian wildlife park, global conservation group WWF said on Friday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A Sumatran tiger that lost one of its paws is seen in the Tesso Nilo...Reuters Photo
> 
> -- Tom


My favorite wild animal. Hope it makes it.


----------



## angelize56

Now on to a cure...:up:

Jul 6, 12:36 PM EDT
*
Biologists Find Answer to Dying Sheep*

By KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press Writer

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- *Biologists at Washington State University say they have isolated a bacterium that may have contributed to the deaths of thousands of bighorn sheep in the West over the past five decades.*

The biologists say *they found mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in tissue taken from dying lambs captured in Hells Canyon - a chasm that borders Idaho, Oregon and Washington.* They believe it inhibits the ability of hairlike structures in the sheeps' airways to eliminate bacteria that lead to pneumonia - a leading cause of death in bighorns.

"This is the first problem I've worked on where there is quite a bit of evidence piling up where the agent is a mycoplasma," said Tom Besser, a professor in WSU's department of veterinary microbiology and pathology.

*In herds known to be infected with mycoplasma, more than half the sheep die each year from pneumonia. Lambs are the most susceptible, mainly because their immune systems are not fully developed,* said Frances Cassirer, a wildlife research biologist with Idaho Fish and Game.

*Pneumonia is the leading killer of bighorns infected with mycoplasma, she said. In herds not infected, the leading cause of death is predators,* she said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FARM_SCENE_BIGHORN_MYSTERY?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US


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## TOGG

I don't know if the definition of 'animals' includes humble creatures like the dung beetle, but you don't have to stretch the imagination too far to understand what a state we would be in if they were to disappear! ; http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/498.shtml

You guessed it, waist deep in cr*p!


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## poochee

All creatures of nature are important.


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## ekim68

_Rare butterfly makes comeback on L.A.-area beaches_

Amid surfers and skaters, a tiny blue butterfly has scored a telling victory in its fight against extinction.

The rare El Segundo blue has returned to two popular beaches southwest of Los Angeles where it has not been seen in decades.

This is no mere academic sighting of a rare species.

Scientists say they are surprised at the resurgence. Dozens of the rare butterflies are thriving, not in some rarefied fenced-off reserve but in public view at county beaches in Redondo Beach and Torrance.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-butterfly9jul09,0,1447675.story?coll=la-home-local


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> _Rare butterfly makes comeback on L.A.-area beaches_


:up:


----------



## FERGUS_MANERGUS

*404 Not Found*


----------



## poochee

*Six-toed Hemingway cats can stay, city says
Officials in Key West, Florida, side with Hemingway House on feline issue*:up:

KEY WEST, Florida (AP) -- City officials have sided with Ernest Hemingway's former home and its celebrated six-toed felines in its cat fight with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Key West City Commission exempted the home from a city law prohibiting more than four domestic animals per household.

About 50 cats live there.

The house has been locked in a dispute with the USDA, which claims the museum is an "exhibitor" of cats and needs a special license, a claim the home disputes.

The new ordinance reads in part, "The cats reside on the property just as the cats did in the time of Hemingway himself. They are not on exhibition in the manner of circus animals. ... The City Commission finds that family of polydactyl Hemingway cats are indeed animals of historic, social and tourism significance."

It also states that the cats are "an integral part of the history and ambiance of the Hemingway House."

The cats are descendants of a six-toed cat given as a gift to the writer in 1935. All carry the gene for six toes, though not all display the trait.

Excerpt from: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/09/hemingway.cats.ap/index.html


----------



## ekim68

*Melting ice drives polar bear mothers to land*

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Melting sea ice is driving mother polar bears onto dry land to give birth in northern Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey scientists reported on Thursday.

They found that just 37 percent of polar bear dens were built on sea ice between 1998 and 2004, compared to 62 percent between 1985 and 1994.

"Right now, pregnant females foraging offshore in summer must wait up to a month longer than they did even 10 years ago for new sea ice to form so they can travel to denning areas on land," USGS researcher Steve Amstrup said in a statement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1235191720070712


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Melting ice drives polar bear mothers to land*
> 
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Melting sea ice is driving mother polar bears onto dry land to give birth in northern Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey scientists reported on Thursday.
> 
> They found that just 37 percent of polar bear dens were built on sea ice between 1998 and 2004, compared to 62 percent between 1985 and 1994.
> 
> "Right now, pregnant females foraging offshore in summer must wait up to a month longer than they did even 10 years ago for new sea ice to form so they can travel to denning areas on land," USGS researcher Steve Amstrup said in a statement.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1235191720070712


----------



## ekim68

*Natural Selection At Work In Dramatic Comeback Of Male Butterflies*

Science Daily  An international team of researchers has documented a remarkable example of natural selection in a tropical butterfly species that fought back - genetically speaking - against a highly invasive, male-killing bacteria.

Within 10 generations that spanned less than a year, the proportion of males of the Hypolimnas bolina butterfly on the South Pacific island of Savaii jumped from a meager 1 percent of the population to about 39 percent. The researchers considered this a stunning comeback and credited it to the rise of a suppressor gene that holds in check the Wolbachia bacteria, which is passed down from the mother and selectively kills males before they have a chance to hatch.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070712143300.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Natural Selection At Work In Dramatic Comeback Of Male Butterflies*
> 
> Science Daily  An international team of researchers has documented a remarkable example of natural selection in a tropical butterfly species that fought back - genetically speaking - against a highly invasive, male-killing bacteria.
> 
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070712143300.htm


:up:


----------



## LANMaster

lotuseclat79 said:


> By the end of the century half of all species will be extinct. Does that matter?
> Article here.
> 
> -- Tom


Sorry to disappoint you ..... I know how much you wantied the reason to be climate change. 



> MADRID - A parasite common in Asian bees has spread to Europe and the Americas and is behind the mass disappearance of honeybees in many countries, says a Spanish scientist who has been studying the phenomenon for years.
> 
> The culprit is a microscopic parasite called nosema ceranae said Mariano Higes, who leads a team of researchers at a government-funded apiculture centre in Guadalajara, the province east of Madrid that is the heartland of Spain's honey industry.


http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43163/story.htm


----------



## lotuseclat79

LANMaster said:


> Sorry to disappoint you ..... I know how much you wantied the reason to be climate change.
> 
> http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43163/story.htm


Hi LAN,

I said no such thing! Be very careful of what you impute to others, because as in this case it is a falsehood that you promulgate.

-- Tom


----------



## Gabriel

Audobons report on Americas top 10 most endangered birds
http://www.nativeecosystems.org/spe...ort-on-america-s-top-10-most-endangered-birds


----------



## LANMaster

lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi LAN,
> 
> I said no such thing! Be very careful of what you impute to others, because as in this case it is a falsehood that you promulgate.
> 
> -- Tom


I was joking. Sincere apologies that that wasn't clear. 
I should have added winky's and smilies.


----------



## lotuseclat79

U.S. wildlife was unduly influenced
Article here.

Biologists to reconsider endangered species calls after determining Bush administration appointee altered scientific findings

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

LANMaster said:


> Sorry to disappoint you ..... I know how much you wantied the reason to be climate change.
> 
> http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43163/story.htm


Hi LAN,

Looks like you posted this in the wrong thread - i.e. the correct one is the Honey Bees & Colony Collapse Disorder thread.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Making life bearable
Tahoe woman tries to keep fur from flying*
By Todd Milbourn - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, July 28, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1

CARNELIAN BAY -- Bears famously fancy honey and picnic baskets. *But they dine just fine on day-old tacos.*

Melinda Potter was puttering around her Lake Tahoe cabin this week when a black bear smashed through the vestibule and dove snout-first into a garbage bin. The cub rummaged past Coke cans and banana peels before snatching the *Taco Bell leftovers.*

The bear scampered up a tree for a post-snack nap. Exasperated, Potter did what many Tahoe denizens do after a bear eats their taco, or climbs into their car, or sneaks under their deck -- *she called Ann Bryant.*

*Bryant is Lake Tahoe's bear whisperer,* even if her form of ursine communication generally involves yelling and stomping her feet. Bryant, the founder of Tahoe's BEAR League, and her army of 150 volunteers are on call 24 hours a day to soothe human nerves or escort bears to the wilderness with a dose of tough love.

Clashes between humans and bears in Tahoe are at an all-time high, according to Bryant and the California Department of Fish and Game.

The BEAR League -- Bear Education Aversion and Response -- is receiving 150 to 200 reports a day, up from 50 to 100 at this time last year. As of this week, Bryant had documented 21 bear-related traffic accidents. There were just 25 in 2006.

*Don't blame the bears, Bryant says.*

Food for bears is dwindling in the forest. Thanks to a drought, berries are shriveling on the vine. Water is in short supply. And last month's Angora fire charred 3,100 acres and a lot of bear foraging ground.

*Bears have been roaming into populated areas. Like tourists to nearby casinos, they're drawn by the prospect of all-you-can-eat dining.*

*Black bears have never killed a person in California or Nevada,* Bryant said. Yet they are often lumped with their more ferocious cousin, the grizzly.

"People come up here for vacation, to see the beauty, but they forget this is the wilderness," Bryant said. "They see a bear, they panic and want to kill him. ... We're teaching everyone how to coexist."

Tahoe black bears feast on spreads like the one at a house Bryant visited last week, along Ward Canyon Road.

Bryant scared off three bears, but they came back looking for seconds and thirds. They had trashed the house, leaving a gaping hole in the door, condiments strewn across the kitchen linoleum. Pantry doors were ripped from their hinges.

"This is what really worries me," said Bryant, surveying the wreckage. "You have a mother teaching her cubs that this is how you forage. You break down a door, you break into somebody's house, get into the refrigerator."

Bryant said this mama and her two cubs, *too comfortable with humans for their own good,* will likely one day get struck by a car or become such a nuisance that a property owner will get a permit to kill them.

After moving to Tahoe, Bryant worked as a wildlife rehabilitator. She came to know bears quite well.

She even raised one.

Excerpts from:
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/296448.html


----------



## ekim68

*Exploring an amphibian epidemic UC team believes deadly fungus may be killing frogs, toads, salamanders in Sierra*

For decades, the mass disappearance of frogs and other amphibians from the High Sierra has puzzled biologists, fishermen, hikers and even motorists from the city who pause by roadside streams and lakeshores in vain attempts to glimpse whatever's there.

The creatures are vanishing all over the world, too - a major environmental disaster, as a UC science team calls it - and now it appears that sexual reproduction in a single fungus species that produces hardy, long-lived spores may be primarily to blame.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/07/MNV5RCGO21.DTL


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Exploring an amphibian epidemic UC team believes deadly fungus may be killing frogs, toads, salamanders in Sierra*
> 
> For decades, the mass disappearance of frogs and other amphibians from the High Sierra has puzzled biologists, fishermen, hikers and even motorists from the city who pause by roadside streams and lakeshores in vain attempts to glimpse whatever's there.
> 
> The creatures are vanishing all over the world, too - a major environmental disaster, as a UC science team calls it - and now it appears that sexual reproduction in a single fungus species that produces hardy, long-lived spores may be primarily to blame.
> 
> http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/07/MNV5RCGO21.DTL


Used to see a lot when I used to hike and camp up there.


----------



## ekim68

*Yangtze River dolphin probably extinct: study*

LONDON (Reuters) - The long-threatened Yangtze River dolphin in China is probably extinct, according to an international team of researchers who said this would mark the first whale or dolphin to be wiped out due to human activity.

The freshwater dolphin, or baiji, was last spotted several years ago and an intensive six-week search in late 2006 failed to find any evidence that one of the rarest species on earth survives, said Samuel Turvey, a conservation biologist, at the Zoological Society of London, who took part in the search.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL0739427720070808


----------



## steppenwolf

caused by what?man? or some forest fires that lightening caused and wiped out tons of forests?


----------



## steppenwolf

people should plant more trees in their yards for those owls

is it true spain wiped out most there trees decades ago?

i heard africans seldom have trees -they use the tree for firewood


----------



## ekim68

*Global bird conservation effort lifts off*

LONDON, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A massive international campaign is set to launch, intended to save the 189 bird species that face extinction.

BirdLife International, a worldwide bird science and conservation umbrella group, will next week unveil what it calls the largest bird conservation program the world has ever seen, at Birdfest -- a British festival for avian enthusiasts -- The (London) Independent reported Sunday.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/08/12/global_bird_conservation_effort_lifts_off/9176/


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Global bird conservation effort lifts off*
> 
> LONDON, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A massive international campaign is set to launch, intended to save the 189 bird species that face extinction.
> 
> BirdLife International, a worldwide bird science and conservation umbrella group, will next week unveil what it calls the largest bird conservation program the world has ever seen, at Birdfest -- a British festival for avian enthusiasts -- The (London) Independent reported Sunday.
> 
> http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/08/12/global_bird_conservation_effort_lifts_off/9176/


:up:


----------



## ekim68

steppenwolf said:


> people should plant more trees in their yards for those owls
> 
> is it true spain wiped out most there trees decades ago?
> 
> i heard africans seldom have trees -they use the tree for firewood


Have you ever heard of the Lebanese Cedar? An interesting, tragic story...


----------



## ekim68

Good grief...

*Gorilla Warfare*

_Even after 10 years of war, rangers are stunned by the mysterious killings of great apes in Africa's oldest park._

Aug. 6, 2007 issue - The men huddled under billowing green ponchos and shouldered their AK-47s nervously. Summer rains drenched the plains and canopied jungle of Virunga National Park, a vast preserve along the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo that is home to an estimated 60 percent of the world's surviving mountain gorillas. The men allowed the rain to douse their cigarettes. Then, in single file, they began to move into the forest. Through the din of the storm, a shout quickly rose up.

The rangers found the first corpse less than a hundred yards away, in a grove of vines and crooked thicket. The mammoth gorilla lay on her side, a small pink tongue protruding slightly from her lips. She was pregnant and her breasts were engorged with milk for the baby that now lay dead inside her womb.

The rangers crowded around and caressed the gorilla's singed fur. They shook their heads and clicked their tongues with disapproval. One grabbed her hand and held it for a long time, his head bowed in grief. This gorillawhom the rangers knew as intimately as they do all those who live in their sector of the parkwas named Mburanumwe. Her killers had set her alight after executing her. Now her eyes were closed, as if in deep concentration. "My God," one ranger said in disgust, "they even burned her." Nearby the rangers found the bodies of two other adult females, all from the same 12-member family. Two infants had been orphaned. A male would be found dead the next day. The massacre, first discovered on July 23, could be the worst slaughter of mountain gorillas in the last quarter century.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20012315/site/newsweek/page/0/


----------



## poochee

That's awful!


----------



## LANMaster

It's terrorism


----------



## Gabriel

LAN, you are too much.....

Here is an update on the wolf management projects going on in the US, including re-introduction and repopulation
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCntrWild/gray_wolf/wolflinks.html

Also...Butterflies in danger of Extinction

http://www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?story=AX1623517S

And...Water Firm Bids to Save Butterfly from Extinction

http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2004/8/18/110526.html

I am hoping everyone feels that butterflies are animals too


----------



## ekim68

Yep, butterflies are animals to me...:up:


----------



## LANMaster

Gabriel said:


> LAN, you are too much.....


Thank you?  

No, really. I had heard these gorillas were being basically executed by these rebels in an effort to shock the covernment into certain reconciliations. 
This is why these jerks are so brutal in their killing., It's for the shock value.
That's terrorism, by definition.

And it is very, very sad.


----------



## Gabriel

LANMaster said:


> Thank you?
> 
> No, really. I had heard these gorillas were being basically executed by these rebels in an effort to shock the covernment into certain reconciliations.
> This is why these jerks are so brutal in their killing., It's for the shock value.
> That's terrorism, by definition.
> 
> And it is very, very sad.


Oh Gees LAN....I thought you were kidding around.....sorry.
Yes it is very sad


----------



## ekim68

LANMaster said:


> Thank you?
> 
> No, really. I had heard these gorillas were being basically executed by these rebels in an effort to shock the covernment into certain reconciliations.
> This is why these jerks are so brutal in their killing., It's for the shock value.
> That's terrorism, by definition.
> 
> And it is very, very sad.


Well said LAN........


----------



## LANMaster

Yes, it really stinks.
Unfortunately it will continue until these terrorists are stopped.
You can't appease terrorists, the best you can hope for is to wipe them out.


----------



## poochee

*A beastly kind of cruelty* 
Drive-by shooters, often youths, are killing farm animals in a growing wave of violence. *The culprits may face only vandalism charges.* *Should be a crime.*
By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 17, 2007

PETALUMA, CALIF. -- The buzzards led Nick Bursio to his prized calf. He found the body just over a rise in the field, with a bullet hole in its left shoulder, near the heart.

Bursio had heard of animals killed by rustlers for their meat. But not until that May morning had he ever imagined anything so senseless as shooting cattle presumably just to watch them die.

"I had a hollow feeling in my gut, to see that dead calf laying there, with the mother cow bellowing nearby," said the Sonoma County rancher. "I thought, what the hell's going on in this place?"

Authorities are searching for a drive-by shooter who guns down cows as they calmly munch grass in the rolling pastureland 50 miles north of San Francisco. Since February, five cows have been found dead in two counties, shot with small-caliber bullets designed to inflict prolonged pain and suffering.

Nationwide, an *increasing number *of animal cruelty cases are being reported outside city limits: Horses, cows, goats and other farm animals are being killed, authorities say, often by angry, reckless youths, perhaps acting on dares.

Although there are no statistics on such crimes, newspapers detail scores of cases. Two Texas college students were indicted last fall for slashing a horse's neck before stabbing it in the heart with a broken golf club handle. In Pennsylvania in 2005, three joy-riding men killed a pony named Ted E. Bear that belonged to a 4-year-old boy.

Last year, two Tennessee teens shot and killed 24 cows, many of them pregnant. "They just wanted to see what shooting cattle was like," said Hickman County Sheriff Randal Ward. *Criminal minds.*

Excerpt from: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-c...3.story?coll=la-tot-topstories&track=ntottext


----------



## Gabriel

I hope they can stop whatever is killing the camels

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...4_RTRUKOC_0_US-SAUDI-CAMELS-DEATH.xml&src=rss


----------



## poochee

*Treaty may ban toxic ship chemical*:up: 
By Frank Greve - McClatchy Washington Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, August 31, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A11

*WASHINGTON -- A treaty that forbids the maritime use of what the Environmental Protection Agency deems the most toxic chemical ever deliberately released into the world's waters is expected to be ratified within days.*

It bans the poison tributyltin, a cheap and effective barnacle and algae killer once used on nearly all of the world's 30,000 commercial ships. The treaty also sets up a system for future testing and curbs on other hull biocides worldwide.

By 1995, more than 500 research papers worldwide had linked tributyltin, known as TBT, to adverse environmental or health effects.

The most worrisome were "profound reproductive effects" coupled with diminished marine-species populations, said Jill Bloom, an EPA chemical-review manager who worked on the treaty.

"It's very, very bad stuff," said Lindy Johnson, a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration lawyer who worked alongside Bloom.

"It's a tremendous victory for the marine environment," said Simon Walmsley, head of marine programs at the World Wildlife Fund's London office, "but one that is long overdue."

The ban on TBT signals a *green turn* for the U.S. and European chemical and paint and coatings industries, which endorsed the deal, cruise lines, freighter and container fleets and shipyard and marina operators.

Their commitment will be tested further by other pending maritime environmental concerns, including, in California, growing resistance to copper-based substitutes for TBT. Other challenges include ballast water releases and stack emissions from ships' massive engines.

Although an EPA official orchestrated the TBT treaty's drafting and key federal agencies have agreed on regulations to enforce it, the ban has yet to clear the White House Office of Management and Budget. Panama or the Marshall Islands are expected to cast the decisive vote before the United Nations International Maritime Organization in London, which oversees the treaty.

Excerpt from: www.sacbee.com


----------



## lotuseclat79

On a positive note, a sighting of the thought to be probably extinct Yangtse river dolphin occured - the news article was out there earlier today, but I don't see it on my RSS feeds just now.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

I found this:

BEIJING  A rare white dolphin native to China's Yangtze River that scientists declared extinct last year has been spotted swimming in the wild, state media said Wednesday.

The baiji or white flag dolphin survived for millions of years but was declared effectively extinct in December after a fruitless six-week search of its Yangtze River habitat.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that a man in the central province of Anhui saw and shot footage of a "big white animal" in the Yangtze River on Aug. 19. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has confirmed that the animal in the footage was a white flag dolphin, it said.

"I never saw such a big thing in the water before, so I filmed it," Zeng Yujiang, the man who spotted the dolphin, told Xinhua. "It was about [3,280 feet] away and jumped out of water several times."

Excerpt from: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294999,00.html


----------



## nascarlam

Well anyways we are animals too and we too are on the verge of it. Huh take it or leave it.


----------



## ekim68

Okay, I'll take it....What happens if we leave it?


----------



## lotuseclat79

Report: African, Asian, Latin American farm animals face extinction
Article here.

With the world's first global inventory of farm animals showing many breeds of African, Asian, and Latin American livestock at risk of extinction, scientists from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) today called for the rapid establishment of genebanks to conserve the sperm and ovaries of key animals critical for the global population's future survival.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Scientists find clue in mystery of the vanishing bees

Story Highlights*
Colony collapse disorder has killed millions of bees
Scientists suspect a virus may combine with other factors to collapse colonies
isorder first cropped up in 2004, as bees were imported from Australia
$15 billion in U.S. crops each year dependent on bees for pollination

(CNN) -- A virus found in healthy Australian honey bees may be playing a role in the collapse of honey bee colonies across the United States, researchers reported Thursday.

Colony collapse disorder has killed millions of bees -- up to 90 percent of colonies in some U.S. beekeeping operations -- imperiling the crops largely dependent upon bees for pollination, such as oranges, blueberries, apples and almonds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says honey bees are responsible for pollinating $15 billion worth of crops each year in the United States. More than 90 fruits and vegetables worldwide depend on them for pollination.

Signs of colony collapse disorder were first reported in the United States in 2004, the same year American beekeepers started importing bees from Australia.

Excerpt from: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/06/bee.disorder/index.html


----------



## poochee

*Scientists: Dramatic sea ice loss by 2050*

*Story Highlights*
Models predict Alaskan summer sea ice will likely shrink dramatically by 2050
Environmentalist: The situation is 'horrifying' for polar bears
Less sea ice will also impact commercial fishermen and marine mammals

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- An analysis of 20 years' worth of real-life observations supports recent U.N. computer predictions that by 2050, summer sea ice off Alaska's north coast will probably shrink to nearly half the area it covered in the 1980s, federal scientists say.

The polar bear is being considered for threatened species status because of changes in habitat.

Such a loss could have profound effects on mammals dependent on the sea ice, such as polar bears, now being considered for threatened species status because of changes in habitat due to global warming. It could also threaten the catch of fishermen.

In the 1980s, sea ice receded 30 to 50 miles each summer off the north coast, said James Overland, a Seattle-based oceanographer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"Now we're talking about 300 to 500 miles north of Alaska," he said of projections for 2050

That's far past the edge of the highly productive waters over the relatively shallow continental shelf, considered important habitat for polar bears and their main prey, ringed seals, as well as other ice-dependent mammals, such as walrus.

The NOAA researchers reviewed 20 computer scenarios of the effects of warming on sea ice, used by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its assessment report released this year.

The researchers compared those models with observations from 1979 through 1999, Overland said, and concluded that the summer ice in the Beaufort Sea likely will have diminished by 40 percent, compared with its 1980s area.

The same is likely for the East Siberian-Chukchi Sea region off northwest Alaska and Russia. In contrast, Canada's Baffin Bay and Labrador showed little predicted change.

There was less confidence for winter ice, but the models also predict a sea ice loss of more than 40 percent for the Bering Sea off Alaska's west coast, the Sea of Okhotsk east of Siberia and the Barents Sea north of Norway.

The research paper by Overland and Muyin Wang, a NOAA meteorologist, will be published Saturday in Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union.

The situation is dire for polar bears, said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity, who wrote the petition seeking federal protection for the animals.

Such a loss could have profound effects on mammals dependent on the sea ice, such as polar bears, now being considered for threatened species status because of changes in habitat due to global warming. It could also threaten the catch of fishermen.

Excerpt from:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/07/low.ice.ap/index.html


----------



## ekim68

*Tigers rediscovered in Indian rainforest*

MUMBAI (Reuters) - At least 20 tigers have resurfaced in a tropical rainforest in western India, almost three decades after it was thought that poaching had wiped them out there, experts said on Tuesday.

The big cats were sighted over an 800 square kilometer (300 square miles) mountainous forest range in the western state of Maharashtra, bringing rare good news in a country that is rapidly losing its wildlife to poaching and habitat destruction.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSSP15222820070911


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Tigers rediscovered in Indian rainforest*
> 
> MUMBAI (Reuters) - At least 20 tigers have resurfaced in a tropical rainforest in western India, almost three decades after it was thought that poaching had wiped them out there, experts said on Tuesday.
> 
> The big cats were sighted over an 800 square kilometer (300 square miles) mountainous forest range in the western state of Maharashtra, bringing rare good news in a country that is rapidly losing its wildlife to poaching and habitat destruction.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSSP15222820070911


My favorite wild animal. They are so beautiful!


----------



## poochee

*Congo fighting threatens gorillas

Story Highlights*
Rebel fighting threatens some of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas
About 300 people -- rangers and their families -- have fled the national park
The gorillas can roam freely and the park is not fenced off

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) -- Renewed fighting Saturday inside a national park in Congo that is home to endangered mountain gorillas forced rangers to flee for the second time in less than a week, conservationists said.

The clashes between fighters loyal to warlord Laurent Nkunda and government soldiers took place in Virunga National Park, where some of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas live on the slopes of a volcanic mountain range that straddles Congo's border with Rwanda and Uganda, the international conservation group WildlifeDirect said.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting across North Kivu province, where the park is located, and tens of thousands more have fled into neighboring Uganda.

About 300 people -- rangers and their families -- fled the park itself on Monday after skirmishes first broke out there. Wildlife groups said huge swaths of the park, including several of the rangers' patrol posts, had been occupied by Nkunda's insurgents and looted.

Concerned about the fate of the gorillas, a few rangers returned Friday. In the brief time they were there they found only one five-member group outside of the park and "vulnerable to crossfire," WildlifeDirect said. The rangers reported hearing shelling and gunfire on Friday and Saturday, and fled again before they were able to check on any other gorillas.

Though they typically stay high up on the mountain slopes, the gorillas can roam freely and the park is not fenced off.

"We thought the situation was calming a couple of days ago, but once again the mountain gorillas are in peril and the rangers cannot do their job," the director of WildlifeDirect, Dr. Emmanuel de Merode, said in a statement. Conservation is "consistently challenging, and we can only hope the mountain gorillas survive this most recent saga."

Only about 700 mountain gorillas remain in the world, an estimated 380 of them in the Virunga range. About 100 of those are believed to live on the Congo side of the border, where nine gorillas have been killed since January. The other 320 live in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Excerpt from: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/09/09/congo.gorillas.ap/index.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

poochee said:


> My favorite wild animal. They are so beautiful!


Hi poochee,

Did you know that tigers have striped skin? (Ref: pbs.org TV ad)

-- Tom

P.S. Part of the PBS ad may now be out-of-date. I remember a physorg.com article earlier this year that discovered that DNA will break when stretched, so it couldn't make it to the moon, however, when compressed it becomes elastic - something like that (I remember having the conflict about the pbs ad when I first read the article, but maybe I should go back, find and reread that article again to see if I properly understood it. I think the question I may have is how and whether DNA can be unraveled or whether it must be compressed to do so vs stretched.


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi poochee,
> 
> Did you know that tigers have striped skin? (Ref: pbs.org TV ad)
> 
> -- Tom
> 
> P.S. Part of the PBS ad may now be out-of-date. I remember a physorg.com article earlier this year that discovered that DNA will break when stretched, so it couldn't make it to the moon, however, when compressed it becomes elastic - something like that (I remember having the conflict about the pbs ad when I first read the article, but maybe I should go back, find and reread that article again to see if I properly understood it. I think the question I may have is how and whether DNA can be unraveled or whether it must be compressed to do so vs stretched.


No I didn't know that! I vaguely remember that ad.


----------



## ekim68

Striped skin and not hair? Or, striped skin and hair?


----------



## LANMaster

lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi poochee,
> 
> Did you know that tigers have striped skin? (Ref: pbs.org TV ad)
> 
> -- Tom


How would you like to be the guy that had to shave the tiger to find out?


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Striped skin and not hair? Or, striped skin and hair?


Check here, it says skin and hair. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger


----------



## ekim68

*Mauritius parakeet avoids fate of the dodo*

BLACK RIVER GORGES PARK, Mauritius (Reuters) - In the 1980s, there were only about 10 left alive. But, in a rare success story, a two-decade conservation program in a wooded corner of Mauritius has brought the Echo Parakeet back from the brink of extinction.

Evolving over millions of years on the once-uninhabited Indian Ocean island best known as the site of the dodo's demise, the green-feathered Echo Parakeet was hit hard by rats, monkeys and the loss of forest that came with the arrival of humans.

But careful breeding, supplementary feeding and the protection of nests have boosted numbers in the wild to more than 320 birds.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1212063420070912


----------



## ekim68

*Threatened species Red List shows escalating 'global extinction crisis'*

Corals and seaweed have joined the ranks of threatened species, and more apes and reptiles are now facing extinction according to the World Conservation Union, which warns of a "global extinction crisis".

The conservation group's annual Red List of threatened species, published today, found that the extinction crisis had escalated in the last year with 16,306 species now at the highest levels of extinction threat, equivalent to almost 40% of all species in the survey.

A quarter of all mammals, a third of all amphibians and one in eight birds on the 2007 IUCN Red List are in jeopardy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/sep/12/internationalnews.greenpolitics


----------



## LauraMJ

jaye944, I've removed your last two posts, lets try not to deliberately pick a fight, 'kay?


----------



## poochee

*Climate Change Brings Risk of More Extinctions*

By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 17, 2007; Page A07

BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Md. -- Third in a monthly series

What has gone missing here is almost as spectacular as the 8,000 acres of swampy wilderness that remain. And that makes it Chesapeake Bay's best place to watch climate change in action.

Visitors can see ospreys gliding overhead, egrets wading in the channels and Delmarva fox squirrels making their unhurried commutes between pine trees.

But then the road turns a corner, and Blackwater's marsh yields to a vast expanse of open water. This is what's missing: There used to be thousands more acres of wetland here, providing crucial habitat for creatures including blue crabs and blue herons. But, thanks in part to rising sea levels, it has drowned and become a large, salty lake. "If people want to see the effects" of Earth's increasing temperature, refuge biologist Roger Stone said, "it's happening here first."

But not just here. Around the world, scientists have found that climate change is altering natural ecosystems, making profound changes in the ways that animals live, migrate, eat and grow. Some species have benefited from the shift. Others have been left disastrously out of sync with their food supply. Two are known to have simply disappeared.

If warming continues as predicted, scientists say, 20 percent or more of the planet's plant and animal species could be at increased risk of extinction. But, as the shrinking habitat at Blackwater shows, the bad news isn't all in the out years: Some changes have already begun. "This is actually something we see from pole to pole, and from sea level to the highest mountains in the world," said Lara Hansen, chief climate change scientist at the World Wildlife Fund, a private research and advocacy group. "It is not something we're going to see in the future. It's something we see right now."

Excerpt from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/16/AR2007091600607.html?hpid=topnews


----------



## poochee

updated 9:01 a.m. EDT, Sun September 23, 2007 
*Federal report shows declining loggerhead turtle populationsStory

Highlights*U.S. nestings have dropped almost 7 percent in the Gulf of Mexico in recent years
Report: Marked decrease from the number of loggerheads found in the 1990s
Expanding commercial fishing operations are to blame, some researchers say
Advocates say federal agencies have responded slowly to decline

WASHINGTON (AP) -- After encouraging gains in the 1990s, populations of loggerhead sea turtles are now dropping, primarily because of commercial fishing, according to a federal review.

The report stops short of recommending upgrading the federally threatened species to "endangered" status. But scientists and environmentalists say it should serve as a wake-up call about the future of loggerheads, which can grow to more than 300 pounds and are believed to be one of the oldest species.

"We are very concerned," said Mark Dodd, a wildlife biologist for the state of Georgia. In 2006, the state counted the third lowest loggerhead nesting total since daily monitoring began in 1989.

"As a biologist you're always trying to find that point at which we really have to start doing something drastic if we want to maintain loggerhead populations on our beaches."

The state is not there yet, he said, but it has increased protections for the turtle under its own endangered species law.

The Southeast -- Florida in particular -- is one of the two largest loggerhead nesting areas in the world; eggs are laid and hatched along beaches from Texas to North Carolina. The other major nesting area is in the Middle Eastern nation of Oman.

According to the federal report, U.S. nestings have dropped almost 7 percent annually in the Gulf of Mexico in recent years. Numbers in south Florida are down about 4 percent annually, while populations in the Carolinas and Georgia have dropped about 2 percent per year.

Excerpt from:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/23/loggerhead.turtles.ap/index.html


----------



## ekim68

*Sushi craze threatens Mediterranean's giant tuna*

BARBATE, Spain (Reuters) - Fishermen like Diego Crespo have trapped the giant tuna swarming into the warm Mediterranean for over 3,000 years, but he says this year may be one of his last.

Japanese demand for its fatty flesh to make sushi has sparked a fishing frenzy for the Atlantic bluefin tuna -- a torpedo-shaped brute weighing up to half a tonne that can accelerate faster than a Porsche 911.

Now a system of corralling the fish into "tuna ranches" has combined with a growing tuna fishing fleet to bring stocks dangerously close to collapse, warn scientists from ICCAT -- the body established by bluefin fishing countries to monitor the stock.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1642343020071001


----------



## poochee

*India's tigers need miracle to survive* 
Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:58pm EDT
By Nita Bhalla

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's dwindling tiger population will never recover and it will take a miracle to save those left from habitat destruction and poaching, a renowned expert said on Wednesday.

Failure by authorities to understand the needs of tigers and provide protection has led to numbers falling to 1,300 now from around 3,700 in 2001/02, Valmik Thapar told Reuters ahead of the Reuters Environment Summit next week.

"I believe that the government of the day failed the tigers of India and we cannot recover this population ever again," said Thapar, who has spent the past three decades documenting the behavior of tigers and crusading for their survival.

"A miracle is required to save the Indian tiger. But I don't believe in miracles, as the commitment to save tigers is non-existent."

India has half the world's surviving tigers, but their populations have suffered, driven by a demand for *tiger skins and bones in China* for traditional medicines.

"What is happening now is a great tragedy," he said. "No one understands the needs of tigers. Committees set up to look after tigers are filled with people who know nothing about the tiger."

Thapar, 55, has written 15 books about tigers and presented around 20 documentaries for broadcasters and channels such as the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery and Animal Planet.

His close relationship over six or seven years with a tigress called "Macchli" -- meaning fish in Hindi due to a fish-like marking on her cheek -- is widely documented in his films.

Excerpt from: http://www.reuters.com/article/GlobalEnvironment07/idUSSP25820720071001


----------



## lotuseclat79

The 10 Rarest Animals in the World
Article here with pics.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Why Are Huge Numbers Of Camels Dying In Africa And Saudi Arabia?*

Science Daily - More than 2000 dromedaries -- Arabian camels -- have died since August 10 in Saudi Arabia. Various theories have been put forward to explain the numerous deaths. For several years, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa have also seen similar numbers of deaths. In 1995-1996, CIRAD worked on a fatal epizootic disease affecting dromedaries in Ethiopia.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009083359.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Why Are Huge Numbers Of Camels Dying In Africa And Saudi Arabia?*
> 
> Science Daily  More than 2000 dromedaries -- Arabian camels -- have died since August 10 in Saudi Arabia. Various theories have been put forward to explain the numerous deaths. For several years, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa have also seen similar numbers of deaths. In 1995-1996, CIRAD worked on a fatal epizootic disease affecting dromedaries in Ethiopia.
> 
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009083359.htm


----------



## poochee

*Poaching and Population Threaten India's Tigers 
Development, New Law on Tribal Rights Add to Pressure*

By Emily Wax
Washington Post Foreign Service 
Tuesday, October 16, 2007; Page A12

PHALODI QUARRY, India -- With homemade muskets, Lakhan and his brothers tracked one of India's endangered Bengal tigers as it slunk along the forested trails and lakes of Ranthambhore National Park, not far from Lakhan's village. Then, under cover of night, one of them fired a bullet into the chest of the howling cat.

"Hunger," said the wiry Lakhan, pointing to his concave stomach, which was covered by a white lungi, or skirt-like wrap. "That's why I did it. That scenario hasn't changed much. My heart pounds when we kill a tiger. But we have pressures."

Excerpt from: www.washingtonpost.com


----------



## poochee

*A petition you may be interested in.*

*Protect Polar Bears from Extinction!*

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/225344285/tf_link?z00m=10587714


----------



## lotuseclat79

Fossil record supports evidence of impending mass extinction
Article here.

Global temperatures predicted for the coming centuries may trigger a new 'mass extinction event', where over 50 per cent of animal and plant species would be wiped out, warn scientists at the Universities of York and Leeds.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Fossil record supports evidence of impending mass extinction
> Article here.
> 
> Global temperatures predicted for the coming centuries may trigger a new mass extinction event, where over 50 per cent of animal and plant species would be wiped out, warn scientists at the Universities of York and Leeds.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Good article Tom...Did you ever watch the movie, "When Worlds Collide"? Just a late night analogy...


----------



## lotuseclat79

Hi ekim68,

Not sure whether I watched it or not. Was it Sci-Fi? Then maybe. Analolgies are the tapestries of methphors! 

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Actually I agree, 'analogies are the tapestries of metaphors'... 

But, it was a movie about what to do in case another planet collided with earth..
There was only so much time, and the only technology, and so, the choice of who should go.
A neat story..


----------



## lotuseclat79

Hi ekim68,

Sounds like a perfect example of "Noah's Ark" - preserve as many species as you know about - by way of DNA would be the most efficient.

Also, I find the concept of a rogue planet colliding with Earth less credible than an asteroid. Gravity and the Sun has something to do with how large planets orbit in our solar system, and the moment (let's say for discussion) a rougue planet were to enter our solar system - all large objects would have an influence by way of gravity on it. In other words, random chance would play a role, and the probability would be there but only if the planets are lined up just so to minimize the effect of gravity on its path through our solar system - would it be likely to come in contact with the Earth.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Monkeys, apes teeter on brink of extinction*

BEIJING (Reuters) - Mankind's closest relatives are teetering on the brink of their first extinctions in more than a century, hunted by humans for food and medicine and squeezed from forest homes, a report on endangered primates said on Friday.

There are just a few dozen of the most threatened gibbons and langurs left, and one colobus may already have gone the way of the dodo, warned the report on the 25 most vulnerable primates.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSPEK3382420071026


----------



## lotuseclat79

I am posting the following URL/article here about: 400 Year Old Clam Found -- Oldest Animal Ever
Article here.

A clam dredged from Icelandic waters had lived for 400 years - is this the longest-lived animal known to science?

-- Tom


----------



## LANMaster

Scientists Find Oldest Living Animal, Then Kill It 



> British marine biologists have found what may be the oldest living animal  that is, until they killed it.
> 
> The team from Bangor University in Wales was dredging the waters north of Iceland as part of routine research when the unfortunate specimen, belonging to the clam species Arctica islandica, commonly known as the ocean quahog, was hauled up from waters 250 feet deep.
> 
> Only after researchers cut through its shell, which made it more of an ex-clam, and counted its growth rings did they realize how old it had been  between 405 and 410 years old.
> 
> Another clam of the same species had been verified at 220 years old, and a third may have lived 374 years. But this most recent clam was the oldest yet.
> 
> "Its death is an unfortunate aspect of this work, but we hope to derive lots of information from it," postdoctoral scientist Al Wanamaker told London's Guardian newspaper. "For our work, it's a bonus, but it wasn't good for this particular animal."


Link


----------



## ekim68

Amazing that anything could live 400 years...Imagine how much history would pass...


----------



## lotuseclat79

The animal is only the oldest "we have found" making it likely there are other clams of the same species that are even older IMO.

-- Tom


----------



## LANMaster

lotuseclat79 said:


> The animal is only the oldest "we have found" making it likely there are other clams of the same species that are even older IMO.
> 
> -- Tom


Maybe then the "Scientists" can find them and kill those too?


----------



## poochee

*Effort to Save Everglades Falters as Funds Drop * arbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times
By ABBY GOODNOUGH
Published: November 2, 2007

MIAMI, Oct. 31  The rescue of the Florida Everglades, the largest and most expensive environmental restoration project on the planet, is faltering.

Seven years into what was supposed to be a four-decade, $8 billion effort to reverse generations of destruction, federal financing has slowed to a trickle. Projects are already years behind schedule. *Thousands of acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat* continue to disappear, paved by developers or blasted by rock miners to feed the hungry construction industry.

The idea that the federal government could summon the will and money to restore the subtle, sodden grandeur of the so-called River of Grass is disappearing, too.

Supporters say the effort would get sorely needed momentum from a *long-delayed *federal bill authorizing $23 billion in water infrastructure projects, including almost $2 billion for the Everglades.

*But President Bush is expected to veto the bill, possibly on Friday.:down: And even if Congress overrides the veto, which is likely, grave uncertainties will remain. *

The product of a striking bipartisan agreement just before the 2000 presidential election, the plan aims to restore the gentle, shallow flow of water from Lake Okeechobee, in south-central Florida, into the Everglades, a vast subtropical marshland at the states southern tip.

That constant, slow coursing nurtured myriad species of birds, fish and other animals across the low-lying Everglades, half of which have been lost to agriculture and development over the last century.

Excerpt from: http://www.nytimes.com:80/2007/11/0...l=1&adxnnlx=1194023136-Wd6iJj/gkZKJ7ht3aTo1cw


----------



## ekim68

*Gas may be to blame for extinction*

_Contrarian theory argues against meteorite killing dinosaurs._

A worldwide burp of volcanic gases caused the mass extinction that wiped out dinosaurs and other creatures 65 million years ago, says research reported this week. It's the latest argument from a group that has been trying for some time to discredit the leading theory - that a meteorite striking Mexico led to the mass die-offs.

The international team says that we should instead blame plumes of climate-altering gas given off by monumental lava flows that stretch hundreds of kilometres across India.

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071031/full/news.2007.205.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Explorers relive 'nightmare' of being ringed by Arctic wolf pack
Article here.

Pics are in pop-ups - so, your browser settings may need to be jiggered to see them.

British explorers on a polar expedition described their terror yesterday after coming face to face with a pack of bloodstained wolves. Event occured Nov 1, 2007.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Explorers relive 'nightmare' of being ringed by Arctic wolf pack
> Article here.
> 
> Pics are in pop-ups - so, your browser settings may need to be jiggered to see them.
> 
> British explorers on a polar expedition described their terror yesterday after coming face to face with a pack of bloodstained wolves. Event occured Nov 1, 2007.
> 
> -- Tom


Dinner?


----------



## lizard

> *Scientists warn that species extinction could reduce productivity of plants on Earth by half *
> 
> *An international team of scientists has published a new analysis showing that as plant species around the world go extinct, natural habitats become less productive and contain fewer total plants  a situation that could ultimately compromise important benefits that humans get from nature. *
> 
> The article is to appear in the online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of Nov. 5.
> 
> The process by which plants grow and produce more plant biomass is one of the most fundamental biological processes on the planet, said Bradley Cardinale, lead author of the paper and assistant professor of biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
> 
> Plant productivity regulates the ability of nature to take greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, as well as the ability of habitats to produce oxygen, food, fiber, and biofuels, according to the authors of the study. Therefore, species extinctions could compromise the benefits that nature provides to society, said Cardinale.


----------



## ekim68

Well, we're all in this together....Nature and everything...


----------



## poochee

*Oil spill could threaten S.F. Bay wildlife for years*

*Story Highlights*
Environmentalists rush to save oil-covered wildlife off San Francisco
Some question whether Coast Guard reported spill's extent quickly enough
Oil spilled from a South Korea-bound container ship that hit bridge support
Accident is bad news for area fish and fishermen

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Dozens of dead and injured seabirds found coated in black goo are the most visible victims of a 58,000-gallon oil spill in the San Francisco Bay, an incident that scientists say could threaten wildlife for years.

The spill has fouled miles of coastline and had environmentalists scrambling Friday to save the bay's birds, fish, invertebrates and marine mammals.

"The effects of the oil spill could persist for months and possibly years," said Tina Swanson, a fish biologist with the Bay Institute.

Excerpt from: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/09/bay.spill.ap/index.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Remains of extinct sloth found in Peru
Article here.

Workers in Peru stumbled upon the remains of a megathere, an extinct elephant-sized ground sloth that roamed the American continent in the Pleistocene Epoch, El Comercio reported Friday.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

World's Smallest Bear Faces Extinction
Article here.

The world's smallest bear species faces extinction because of deforestation and poaching in its Southeast Asian home, a conservation group said Monday.









A 9-month-old baby Asian sun bear reaches out through his cage at his new home at the Wildlife Division of the Thai Forestry Department in Banglamung, 200 kilometers (130 miles) south of Bangkok in this Sept. 14, 1995 file photo. The world\'s smallest bear species faces extinction because of deforestation and poaching in its Southeast Asian home, a conservation group said Monday Nov. 12, 2007. The sun bear, whose habitat stretches from India to Indonesia, has been classified as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Some good news*
updated 2:23 p.m. EST, Fri November 23, 2007 
*Panda super couple thrills zoo

Story Highlights*
San Diego Zoo pandas Bai Yun and Gao Gao have produced 3 cubs since 2003
They are one of the most reproductively successful panda couples ever in captivity
Their youngest offspring, a female, will be named Monday
Pandas are notoriously poor breeders -- one reason their species is endangered

SAN DIEGO, California (AP) -- Giving each other space may not work in every relationship, but it's what keeps the magic alive for the very fertile giant panda pair at the San Diego Zoo.

Bai Yun and Gao Gao, have produced three cubs.

1 of 4 Since 2003, Bai Yun and her consort, Gao Gao, have produced three cubs, making them one of the most reproductively successful panda couples ever in captivity.

Their youngest offspring, a chubby female, will be named Monday when she reaches 100 days old, following Chinese tradition.

For all but two days of the year, Bai Yun (White Cloud) and Gao Gao (Big Big) lead separate lives, gnawing on bamboo and taking long naps in pens far apart, much as wild pandas -- naturally solitary creatures -- would hide from each other in mountain forests.

Excerpt from: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/11/23/panda.super.couple.ap/index.html


----------



## ekim68

*Rare South China tiger cub born in SAfrica*

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A male South China tiger cub was born in the Free State province of South Africa on Friday, the first time the animal has been born outside China, the Save China's Tigers organization said on Sunday.

The cub was born healthy and larger than normal at 1.2 kilograms on a wildlife conservation reserve, the group said in a statement. The cub was being hand-reared and would be taught to hunt for itself.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL2524062620071125


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Rare South China tiger cub born in SAfrica*
> 
> JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A male South China tiger cub was born in the Free State province of South Africa on Friday, the first time the animal has been born outside China, the Save China's Tigers organization said on Sunday.
> 
> The cub was born healthy and larger than normal at 1.2 kilograms on a wildlife conservation reserve, the group said in a statement. The cub was being hand-reared and would be taught to hunt for itself.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL2524062620071125


----------



## ekim68

*More Than One-quarter Of US Bird Species Imperiled, Report States*

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2007) - One hundred seventy-eight species in the continental U.S. and 39 in Hawaii have the dubious distinction of landing on the newest and most scientifically sound list of America's most imperiled birds. WatchList 2007, a joint effort of Audubon and American Bird Conservancy, reflects a comprehensive analysis of population size and trends, distribution, and threats for 700 bird species in the U.S. It reveals those in greatest need of immediate conservation help simply to survive amid a convergence of environmental challenges, including habitat loss, invasive species and global warming.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071129083858.htm


----------



## ekim68

*Tigers' fate is still uncertain*

NEW DELHI - One of the most riveting images in the office of award-winning photographer and lifelong tiger advocate Belinda Wright isn't of the charismatic feline itself, but of its aftermath. Tibetan men are draped in the gleaming pelts - worth nearly $10,000 each on the black market - of a creature wildlife experts worry may be on its last legs.

The good news, notes Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, is that sales and display of tiger skins among Tibetans have dropped in response to a public awareness campaign by the Dalai Lama, the World Wildlife Fund and others. At the same time, however, an illegal demand for tiger bones and other body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine has prompted an expansion of tiger farming in China, where there's commercial lobbying to lift a domestic trade ban on tiger parts.

And that, coupled with escalating pressure on forest habitat in the tiger's biggest stomping ground, India, means the doomsday clock for Panthera tigris is ticking perilously close to midnight.

According to a new Indian-government-sponsored survey, no more than 1,500 Bengal tigers are left in India, where Project Tiger was launched 35 years ago after the country's first tiger census showed the population had dipped to about 1,800. Worldwide, the total number of wild tigers (of six sub-species, the Bengal is the most numerous) has dwindled to fewer than 5,000, says the World Wildlife Fund's Sybille Klenzendorf.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-11-29-tiger-side_N.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Tigers' fate is still uncertain*
> 
> NEW DELHI  One of the most riveting images in the office of award-winning photographer and lifelong tiger advocate Belinda Wright isn't of the charismatic feline itself, but of its aftermath. Tibetan men are draped in the gleaming pelts  worth nearly $10,000 each on the black market  of a creature wildlife experts worry may be on its last legs.
> 
> The good news, notes Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, is that sales and display of tiger skins among Tibetans have dropped in response to a public awareness campaign by the Dalai Lama, the World Wildlife Fund and others. At the same time, however, an illegal demand for tiger bones and other body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine has prompted an expansion of tiger farming in China, where there's commercial lobbying to lift a domestic trade ban on tiger parts.
> 
> And that, coupled with escalating pressure on forest habitat in the tiger's biggest stomping ground, India, means the doomsday clock for Panthera tigris is ticking perilously close to midnight.
> 
> According to a new Indian-government-sponsored survey, no more than 1,500 Bengal tigers are left in India, where Project Tiger was launched 35 years ago after the country's first tiger census showed the population had dipped to about 1,800. Worldwide, the total number of wild tigers (of six sub-species, the Bengal is the most numerous) has dwindled to fewer than 5,000, says the World Wildlife Fund's Sybille Klenzendorf.
> 
> http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-11-29-tiger-side_N.htm


----------



## ekim68

*Parasite puts more pandas at risk*

A new natural enemy is preying upon China's shrinking population of wild pandas, posing a "significant threat" to their survival, researchers say.

Stalked to near extinction by poachers and decimated by starvation, China's most beloved creatures are now also dying of a disease most likely caused by a roundworm called Baylisascaris schroederi, which can infect the brain and other vital organs.

"It's the most significant cause of death in the last decade, and it seems to be increasing," says study author Peter Daszak of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, a collaboration of the Wildlife Trust and several universities focused on the interactions of humans, wildlife and disease-causing organisms.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/environment/2007-12-05-panda-parasite_N.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Parasite puts more pandas at risk*
> 
> A new natural enemy is preying upon China's shrinking population of wild pandas, posing a "significant threat" to their survival, researchers say.
> 
> Stalked to near extinction by poachers and decimated by starvation, China's most beloved creatures are now also dying of a disease most likely caused by a roundworm called Baylisascaris schroederi, which can infect the brain and other vital organs.
> 
> "It's the most significant cause of death in the last decade, and it seems to be increasing," says study author Peter Daszak of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, a collaboration of the Wildlife Trust and several universities focused on the interactions of humans, wildlife and disease-causing organisms.
> 
> http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/environment/2007-12-05-panda-parasite_N.htm


----------



## poochee

*Can They Stay Out of Harm's Way? * *I hope so!*
By J. MADELEINE NASH
Published: January 1, 2008

The morning was just starting to heat up when a biologist, Ricardo Costa, set out to look for jaguars on Fazenda San Francisco, a 30,000-acre cattle ranch, rice farm and wildlife reserve in the region of southwest Brazil known as the Pantanal.

Soon, along a fringe of scrubby woodland, Mr. Costa spotted a young male jaguar lazing in sun-flecked shade. "It's Orelha," he whispered, pointing out the tear in the animal's right orelha, or ear.

As Mr. Costa watched from the driver's seat of a Toyota truck, the animal stretched and yawned, exposing teeth strong enough to crunch through the skull of almost anything. "Wonderful!" he said.

The jaguar, Panthera onca - the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world - still prowls the rangelands of the Pantanal, a 74,000-square-mile mosaic of rivers, forests and seasonally flooded savannas that spill from Brazil into neighboring Bolivia and Paraguay.

No one knows the precise rate at which the number of jaguars is declining or just how many jaguars there are. But the World Conservation Union pegs the total free-ranging population at fewer than 50,000 adults and classifies the animal as near threatened.

Jaguars may not yet be in such desperate shape as Asian tigers, whose noncaptive breeding population has plummeted below 2,500, or African lions, of which there are perhaps only 20,000 to 30,000 left in the wild. But if conflicts with people and their livestock are not soon resolved, conservationists warn, jaguars could quickly trace a similar trajectory.

Excerpts from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/science/01jag.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin


----------



## lotuseclat79

Disease threatens mass extinction of frogs
Article here.

Amphibians are important as an 'indicator species' - similar to canaries in a coal mine - who serve as a warning when there is something wrong with the environment. Now 2008 has been designated Year of the Frog by conservationists to raise awareness of the plight of amphibians and to raise the funds needed for a concerted worldwide effort to save them.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Drought is a hard time for horses*
Many are ending up in slaughterhouses or on back roads, left to die, because of overpopulation and expensive feed.
By Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 
January 13, 2008

Joe Penn, a Kentucky horse and mule auctioneer, is not a sentimental man -- not once he enters the stockyard. He knows that the value of many horses is measured in pounds of flesh.

But this winter, the horses are thinner than usual, and Penn finds himself wondering what becomes of the creatures with bare ribs and flat rumps, the ones that now sell for as little as $10.

"I wonder," Penn said. "And then I tell myself I probably don't want to know."

Excerpt from: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...728.story?coll=la-tot-national&track=ntothtml


----------



## ekim68

*Europe Takes Africa's Fish, and Boatloads of Migrants Follow*

KAYAR, Senegal - Ale Nodye, the son and grandson of fishermen in this northern Senegalese village, said that for the past six years he netted barely enough fish to buy fuel for his boat. So he jumped at the chance for a new beginning. He volunteered to captain a wooden canoe full of 87 Africans to the Canary Islands in the hopes of making their way illegally to Europe.

The 2006 voyage ended badly. He and his passengers were arrested and deported. His cousin died on a similar mission not long afterward.

Nonetheless, Mr. Nodye, 27, said he intended to try again.

"I could be a fisherman there," he said. "Life is better there. There are no fish in the sea here anymore."

Many scientists agree. A vast flotilla of industrial trawlers from the European Union, China, Russia and elsewhere, together with an abundance of local boats, have so thoroughly scoured northwest Africa's ocean floor that major fish populations are collapsing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/world/africa/14fishing.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Europe Takes Africas Fish, and Boatloads of Migrants Follow*
> 
> KAYAR, Senegal  Ale Nodye, the son and grandson of fishermen in this northern Senegalese village, said that for the past six years he netted barely enough fish to buy fuel for his boat. So he jumped at the chance for a new beginning. He volunteered to captain a wooden canoe full of 87 Africans to the Canary Islands in the hopes of making their way illegally to Europe.
> 
> The 2006 voyage ended badly. He and his passengers were arrested and deported. His cousin died on a similar mission not long afterward.
> 
> Nonetheless, Mr. Nodye, 27, said he intended to try again.
> 
> I could be a fisherman there, he said. Life is better there. There are no fish in the sea here anymore.
> 
> Many scientists agree. A vast flotilla of industrial trawlers from the European Union, China, Russia and elsewhere, together with an abundance of local boats, have so thoroughly scoured northwest Africas ocean floor that major fish populations are collapsing.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/world/africa/14fishing.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


That is sad.


----------



## ekim68

poochee said:


> That is sad.


It's really indicative of an over-crowded world...It is sad that it should get to this point...
It really is a small world..


----------



## poochee

*U.S. close to decision on polar bears*
Associated Press
By Kenneth R. Weiss, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 
February 3, 2008

The Bush administration is nearing a decision that would officially acknowledge the environmental damage of global warming, and name its first potential victim: the polar bear.

*The Interior Department may act as soon as this week on its year-old proposal to make the polar bear the first species to be listed as threatened with extinction because of melting ice due to a warming planet.*

Both sides agree that conservationists finally have the poster species they have sought to use the Endangered Species Act as a lever to force federal limits on the greenhouse gases linked to global warming, and possibly to battle smokestack industry projects far from the Arctic.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," said Kassie Siegel, an attorney with the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity. "And then there is the polar bear."

Even Frank Luntz, the political consultant who advised President Bush six years ago to focus on discrediting the science of global warming and refer to it as *"climate change," *has recognized the bear's potency. In an interview on the environmental website Grist.org, he said the public has a "soft side" for the bear.

Federal government scientists have presented increasingly compelling evidence that the top predator at the top of the world is *doomed* if the polar regions get warmer and sea ice continues to melt as forecast.

Excerpt from: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-polar3feb03,0,386025.story?track=ntothtml


----------



## lotuseclat79

The Earth's 6th Great Mass Extinction is Occurring as You Read This
Article here.

"In one sense we know much less about Earth than we do about Mars. The vast majority of life forms on our planet are still undiscovered, and their significance for our own species remains unknown. This gap in our knowledge is a serious matter: we will never completely understand and preserve the living world around us at our present level of ignorance.

"If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos."

-- Tom


----------



## LANMaster

Cool link, Lotus. :up:

I'm gonna add that to me fav's.


----------



## poochee

*India Pledges $13 Million To Protect Endangered Tigers*:up:
March 3, 2008 11:32 p.m. EST 
Nidhi Sharma - AHN News Writer

New Delhi, India (AHN) - Following pressure from international conservation groups to save the last remaining tigers in India, New Delhi plans to spend more than $13 million establishing a special ranger force to protect the wild cats. The numbers of tigers in India are on the decline mainly due to poorly armed and badly paid guards, mismanagement, corruption, rampant poaching and destruction of their habitat.

According to latest figures, there are just 1,411 tigers left in India. The number is half since 2002 census and the decline is even more worrying considering India had about 40,000 tigers a century agn Friday, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram announced a $12.5 million one-off grant, mainly to raise, arm and deploy a special Tiger Protection Force. The funding follows the previous announcement just weeks ago of a $153million program to create new tiger reserves.

Excerpt from: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010219808


----------



## lotuseclat79

Time running out for Cyprus vulture
Article here.

The majestic sight of vultures hovering over Cypriot skies may become a thing of the past if the island's fast dwindling griffon predator population is not protected from extinction.









A recent but undated handout picture shows a griffon vulture resting on the cliff tops surrounding Episkopi garrison, a British sovereign military base area. The majestic sight of vultures hovering over Cypriot skies may become a thing of the past if the island's fast dwindling griffon predator population is not protected from extinction.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Bats Perish, and No One Knows Why*

Al Hicks was standing outside an old mine in the Adirondacks, the largest bat hibernaculum, or winter resting place, in New York State.

It was broad daylight in the middle of winter, and bats flew out of the mine about one a minute. Some had fallen to the ground where they flailed around on the snow like tiny wind-broken umbrellas, using the thumbs at the top joint of their wings to gain their balance.

All would be dead by nightfall. Mr. Hicks, a mammal specialist with the state's Environmental Conservation Department, said: "Bats don't fly in the daytime, and bats don't fly in the winter. Every bat you see out here is a 'dead bat flying,' so to speak."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/science/25bats.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin


----------



## lotuseclat79

I was beginning to worry that I hadn't seen the local fox yet this spring. Just saw her yesterday taking a stroll in my neighbor's yard - no doubt on her way to hunt mice/squirrels/chipmunks wherever she may find them. Ya can't mistake a fox, large bushy tail almost as long as the body.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> I was beginning to worry that I hadn't seen the local fox yet this spring. Just saw her yesterday taking a stroll in my neighbor's yard - no doubt on her way to hunt mice/squirrels/chipmunks wherever she may find them. Ya can't mistake a fox, large bushy tail almost as long as the body.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Zoologists Unlock New Secrets About Frog Deaths
Article here.

One previous theory, blamed the fungus on global climate change.The scientists, however, found climate change doesn't appear to trigger outbreaks of the fungus, but that it instead spreads in wave-like patterns often seen in exotic species and emerging infectious diseases. They call their theory the "spreading pathogen hypothesis."









Red-eyed Tree Frog. 43 percent of known amphibian species in the world are at risk because of a fungus. (Credit: iStockphoto/Mark Kostich)

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Zoologists Unlock New Secrets About Frog Deaths
> Article here.
> 
> One previous theory, blamed the fungus on global climate change.The scientists, however, found climate change doesnt appear to trigger outbreaks of the fungus, but that it instead spreads in wave-like patterns often seen in exotic species and emerging infectious diseases. They call their theory the spreading pathogen hypothesis.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Red-eyed Tree Frog. 43 percent of known amphibian species in the world are at risk because of a fungus. (Credit: iStockphoto/Mark Kostich)
> 
> -- Tom


Interesting article.

Colorful frog.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Tenn. zoo breeds endangered frogs
Article here.

A new breeding program at the Memphis Zoo could nearly double the known population of an endangered frog species. Biologists estimate there are only about 100 adult Mississippi gopher frogs left in the wild, but zoo officials say they've successfully produced 94 tadpoles through in-vitro fertilization.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Tenn. zoo breeds endangered frogs
> Article here.
> 
> A new breeding program at the Memphis Zoo could nearly double the known population of an endangered frog species. Biologists estimate there are only about 100 adult Mississippi gopher frogs left in the wild, but zoo officials say they've successfully produced 94 tadpoles through in-vitro fertilization.
> 
> -- Tom


:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

Humans were final cause of woolly mammoth extinction
Article here.

The woolly mammoth was driven to extinction by our ancestors, after the giant creatures had been pushed to the brink by climate change, marking a milestone in the destructive effects of mankind on the Earth's ecosystems.









Mammoth found in Siberia, 1903: Humans, not climate change, were the final factor in causing woolly mammoth extinction

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Humans were final cause of woolly mammoth extinction
> Article here.
> 
> The woolly mammoth was driven to extinction by our ancestors, after the giant creatures had been pushed to the brink by climate change, marking a milestone in the destructive effects of mankind on the Earth's ecosystems.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mammoth found in Siberia, 1903: Humans, not climate change, were the final factor in causing woolly mammoth extinction
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Reflective collars may help save Riverside County's wild burros*:up:
The animals have become a traffic hazard along increasingly busy Reche Canyon Road, where residents hope to protect them.
By David Kelly, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 
April 13, 2008

Former rodeo rider and jockey Kim Terry has been around all sorts of animals his whole life, but it's the wild burros that have snorted and kicked their way into his heart. He loves their moxie, respects their survival skills and is smitten with what he calls their "fantastic personalities."

*"Just don't get behind them,"* he advised recently as he prepared to flush a dozen or so from a holding pen. 

Terry let rip with a sharp "heyaaaah!" and charged them, swinging a long blue stick. The burros stampeded into a narrow chute. He straddled the bars above them, struggling to fasten shiny red collars around their thick necks.

"Man, that's hard work," he said, sucking deeply for air. "That'll make you sweat."

Terry and a handful of Reche Canyon residents are trying to save the feral burros prowling the badlands of the rural enclave between bustling Colton and sprawling Moreno Valley.

The burros are California's only herd on private land. They arrived at least half a century ago, and state officials think there are about 50 within Reche Canyon. Terry believes as many as 400 others live in neighboring canyons and wander over.

They have become major hazards on increasingly busy Reche Canyon Road, a convenient shortcut between the two cities.

Animal control officers said there were 37 accidents involving burros between 2003 and 2006, with 17 of the small donkeys killed. A 21-year-old Rialto resident died when her car struck a burro in 2005.

"I saw her laying dead," Terry said. "A burro went right through their windshield. It was the most heartbreaking thing you can imagine."

Terry, 55, and Rhonda Leavitt, 50, are now putting reflective collars on the animals to make them easier to spot at night. Terry rounds them up while Leavitt makes the collars.

"I go to thrift stores to get my belts, then sew on this reflecting tape," she said recently as she sat in the back room of her hilltop house, carefully feeding belts through an old sewing machine. "I can make 10 or 15 in a couple hours."

Two notches on the sewing table mark how long a belt must be to fit a burro's neck. Style isn't a question.

"They don't care what they look like," she said. "And the belts reflect like you wouldn't believe."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-burros13apr13,0,1821184.story?track=ntothtml


----------



## ekim68

*Nuked coral reef bounces back*

What does a coral reef look like 50 years after being nuked? Not so bad, it seems. Coconuts growing on Bikini Atoll haven't fared so well, however.

Three islands of Bikini Atoll were vapourised by the Bravo hydrogen bomb in 1954, which shook islands 200 kilometres away. Instead of finding a bare underwater moonscape, ecologists who have dived it have given the 2-kilometre-wide crater a clean bill of health.

"It was fascinating - I've never seen corals growing like trees outside of the Marshall Islands," says Zoe Richards of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Australia.

Richards and colleagues report a thriving ecosystem of 183 species of coral, some of which were 8 metres high. They estimate that the diversity of species represents about 65% of what was present before the atomic tests.

http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn13668-nuked-coral-reef-bounces-back.html

(Well, kind of like animals.)


----------



## ekim68

*Whale sightings off Chile raise hope*

_Whales appear to be making a comeback in the waters where they were once hunted to near extinction._

STRAIT OF MAGELLAN, CHILE -- From the earliest days of exploration, mariners in Chile's cool southern waters marveled at the abundance of whales. A Jesuit naturalist wrote of the sea "boiling" with the spouts of the leviathans.

Among 19th century Nantucket boatmen, the island of Mocha was notorious as the stamping grounds of "Mocha Dick," an ill-tempered sperm whale riddled with harpoons. Why Herman Melville opted to substitute "Moby" for "Mocha" remains unclear, but literary detectives believe the vengeful whale helped inspire his dark classic.

Now, almost two centuries after the commercial carnage of Melville's era and 22 years after an international whale-hunting moratorium went into effect, some whales appear to be making a comeback off Chile's coast, where a proliferation of islands, fiords, peninsulas and straits creates tens of thousands of miles of shoreline.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-whales28apr28,0,6552812.story


----------



## lotuseclat79

Narwhals More at Risk to Arctic Warming Than Polar Bears
Article here.

The polar bear has become an icon of global warming vulnerability, but a new study found an Arctic mammal that may be even more at risk to climate change: the narwhal.









New research suggests the narwhal's tusk has remarkable sensing abilities, allowing it to determine water salinity and search for fish. Credit: Glenn Williams









A pod of narwhals off northern Canada in August 2005. Credit: NOAA/Kristin Laidre









A polar bear mother and her cub rest on Arctic ice. Credit: Scott Schliebe/USFWS

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

Informative articles here.


----------



## ekim68

*Whale watch*

_Undersea detection system helps to guard against collision with ships_

In the deep, cold waters off Massachusetts, the world's last 350 or so North Atlantic right whales search for each other with soft, drawn-out "whoops" and "moos." The ethereal sounds travel for miles in the dark undersea to help the leviathans meet to mate and share feeding grounds.
more stories like this

Now, scientists are using those calls to help the whales survive.

They have developed a cutting-edge underwater listening system to protect the creatures from their number one killer: ships. The Massachusetts Bay network can track right whales by their signature call - and in as little as 20 minutes warn mariners to slow if they're too close.

The devices are also giving scientists unprecedented insight into how the creatures change behavior to respond to the cacophony of man-made noises in the bay.

"We need to listen to these whales" to save them, said Christopher W. Clark, director of Cornell University's Bioacoustics Research Program, which developed the technology with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2008/04/07/whale_watch/


----------



## ekim68

(So now it has economic repercussions...)

*Germany warns of economic risks from species loss*

BERLIN (Reuters) - Nations must act to slow extinction rates, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday, arguing the loss of species threatened food supplies for billions of people.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0892522120080508


----------



## lotuseclat79

Saving frogs before it's too late
Article here.

With nearly one-third of amphibian species threatened with extinction worldwide, fueled in part by the widespread emergence of the deadly chytrid fungus, effective conservation efforts could not be more urgent. In a new article in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Franco Andreone and his colleagues argue that one of the best places to focus these efforts is Madagascar, a global hotspot of amphibian diversity that shows no signs of amphibian declines-or traces of the chytrid fungus.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Slow, steady -- and under siege*
Endangered tortoises airlifted from an Army base face other threats.
By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 
May 11, 2008

BARSTOW -- As the sun rose over the Mojave Desert, researcher Kristina Drake approached with caution as a creature with weary eyes, a scuffed carapace and skin as rough as rhino hide peered at her from the edge of a dirt road just east of here.

The tortoise, nicknamed "Road Warrior," was among the 760 captured and airlifted by helicopter a month ago out of the southern portion of the Army's nearby National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, which is slated for expanded combat exercises. Her well-being in new terrain is essential to the $8.7-million relocation effort, which has been hit hard by a problem unforeseen by federal biologists: rampant coyote attacks.

Excerpt from: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-tortoise11-2008may11,0,3311127.story?track=ntothtml


----------



## Gabriel

Oh, how incredibly sad

Rare Cayman blue iguanas found slaughtered
Two were females of critically endangered species and about to lay egg

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24541972&GT1=43001


----------



## ekim68

Good grief...Humans are so cruel...


----------



## poochee

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 -- 3:14 PM ET
-----
*Polar Bear to Be Protected Species*:up:

The Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened
species, saying it must be protected because of the decline
in Arctic sea ice from global warming.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na


----------



## poochee

*Extinct Australian Tiger gene functions in mouse*
Tue May 20, 2008 1:56am EDT
(Reporting by Michael Perry; Editing by Roger Crabb)

SYDNEY (Reuters) - For the first time DNA from an extinct species, Australia's marsupial Tasmanian Tiger, has been used to induce a functional response in a living organism, a mouse embryo, Australian and American scientists said on Tuesday.

"At a time when extinction rates are increasing at an alarming rate, especially of mammals, this research discovery is critical," said Marilyn Renfree from the University of Melbourne.

Excerpts from: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSSYD3581420080520?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest


----------



## ekim68

*Tasmanian Devil listed as endangered*

HOBART, Australia (Reuters) - Australia's Tasmanian Devil, its population decimated by a facial cancer, was listed as an endangered species on Wednesday by the Tasmanian state government.

The deadly and disfiguring facial cancer, which often kills within months, has cut the island state's wild devil population by as much as 60 percent. The Tasmanian Devil faces extinction in 10 to 20 years due to the facial cancer.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSSYD7906620080521


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Tasmanian Devil listed as endangered*
> 
> HOBART, Australia (Reuters) - Australia's Tasmanian Devil, its population decimated by a facial cancer, was listed as an endangered species on Wednesday by the Tasmanian state government.
> 
> The deadly and disfiguring facial cancer, which often kills within months, has cut the island state's wild devil population by as much as 60 percent. The Tasmanian Devil faces extinction in 10 to 20 years due to the facial cancer.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSSYD7906620080521


----------



## ekim68

poochee said:


> Breaking News Alert
> The New York Times
> Wednesday, May 14, 2008 -- 3:14 PM ET
> -----
> *Polar Bear to Be Protected Species*:up:
> 
> The Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened
> species, saying it must be protected because of the decline
> in Arctic sea ice from global warming.
> 
> Read More:
> http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na


Hmmm...

*Alaska to sue to block polar bear listing*

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - The state of Alaska will sue the U.S. government to stop the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species, arguing the designation will slow development in the state, Gov. Sarah Palin said on Wednesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2145097820080522


----------



## lotuseclat79

I'm sure the polar bears will adapt in some way - probably the reverse of how they became polar bears in the first place.

If the poobahs that made the decision in the first place had even bothered to look at the data, they would have chosen the narwhals instead of bowing to the polar bear lobby.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Over 50 percent of oceanic shark species threatened with extinction
Article here.

The first study to determine the global threat status of 21 species of wide-ranging oceanic pelagic sharks and rays reveals serious overfishing and recommends key steps that governments can take to safeguard populations. These findings and recommendations for action are published in the latest edition of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

lotuseclat79 said:


> I'm sure the polar bears will adapt in some way - probably the reverse of how they became polar bears in the first place.
> 
> If the poobahs that made the decision in the first place had even bothered to look at the data, they would have chosen the narwhals instead of bowing to the polar bear lobby.
> 
> -- Tom


My problem with that is the reason against is for development...On it goes....


----------



## lotuseclat79

ekim68 said:


> My problem with that is the reason against is for development...On it goes....


Hi ekim68,

If what you are saying the reason against putting polar bears on the protection list is for development, that does not say that putting the narwhals on the list is for development.

The data indicates that the narwhals are in greater danger to their habitat, ergo, they should be higher on the list to be protected.

I am not also saying that polar bears should be denied being on the list, only that the narwhals are more deserving (no cuteness factor involved), and that polar bears have a better chance of surviving global warming than the narwhals and adapting to it even if they are not on the list.

My argument has nothing to do with development which IMO is anti-habitat and should not enter into the decision of what gets on the protection list.

The fact that the critics have even mentioned that putting polar bears on the list should mean that the program should fight global warming is incongruous - two different programs with vastly different goals.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Sorry Tom, I misunderstood you. I agree that the narwhals deserve the protection as much if not more so than the bears. I was referring to the fact that Alaska didn't want the bear protection because of their development ideas...


----------



## lotuseclat79

Southern Utah tortoise continues decline
Article here.

It's been a tough few years for the shelled sentinels scratching out a living in Utah's southwestern desert. The population of desert tortoises in the scrubby 62,000 acres of Red Cliffs Desert Reserve has been declining steadily since 2000. New numbers for 2007 show the lowest count since regional monitoring began in 1998.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Over 50 Percent Of Oceanic Shark Species Threatened With Extinction*

ScienceDaily (May 25, 2008) - The first study to determine the global threat status of 21 species of wide-ranging oceanic pelagic sharks and rays reveals serious overfishing and recommends key steps that governments can take to safeguard populations. These findings and recommendations for action are published in the latest edition of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522094652.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Over 50 Percent Of Oceanic Shark Species Threatened With Extinction*
> 
> ScienceDaily (May 25, 2008)  The first study to determine the global threat status of 21 species of wide-ranging oceanic pelagic sharks and rays reveals serious overfishing and recommends key steps that governments can take to safeguard populations. These findings and recommendations for action are published in the latest edition of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.
> 
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522094652.htm


----------



## poochee

updated 9:44 p.m. EDT, Fri May 23, 2008 
Associated Press

*Drugs, prostitution threaten wildlife refuges*

*Story Highlights*

Study says the nation's 548 wildlife refuges are underfunded by 43 percent
Lack of law enforcement makes sites vulnerable to crime and prostitution
Agency says drug dealers are setting up marijuana, methamphetamine

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- America's wildlife refuges are so short of money that one-third have no staff, boardwalks and buildings are in disrepair, and drug dealers are using them to grow marijuana and make methamphetamine, a group pushing for more funding says.

"Without adequate funding, we are jeopardizing some of the world's most spectacular wildlife and wild lands," said Evan Hirsche, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association and chairman of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement.

"The refuge system has been underfunded for years, but it has really mushroomed in the past several," Hirsche said.

Excerpts from: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/23/neglected.refuges.ap/index.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Climate change raising extinction risk among birds: study
Article here.

Climate change has emerged as a major factor behind the growing risk of extinction facing birds, the world's leading conservation agency warned on Monday.









A bird flies over the sea after sunset.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

U.N. experts warn of economic cost of species loss
Article here.

Mankind is causing 50 billion euros ($78 billion) of damage to the planet's land areas every year, making it imperative governments act to save plants and animals, a Deutsche Bank official told a U.N. conference.

A study, presented to delegates from 191 countries in the U.N.'s Convention on Biological Diversity on Thursday, said recent pressure on commodity and food prices highlighted the effects of the loss of biodiversity to society.

"Urgent remedial action is essential because species loss and ecosystem degradation are inextricably linked to human well-being," said Pavan Sukhdev, a banker at Deutsche Bank and the main author of the report.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

It's official: Caribbean monk seal is extinct
Article here.

Only seal species to vanish due to human impacts; two other species at risk









The Caribbean monk seal, also known as the West Indian seal, will be remembered only by drawings. On Friday, the U.S. declared it extinct.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> It's official: Caribbean monk seal is extinct
> Article here.
> 
> Only seal species to vanish due to human impacts; two other species at risk
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Caribbean monk seal, also known as the West Indian seal, will be remembered only by drawings. On Friday, the U.S. declared it extinct.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Wow...Everyone should take a look around. Nothing will be same again...Who are the stewards of this world anyway?


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Wow...Everyone should take a look around. Nothing will be same again...Who are the stewards of this world anyway?


Many don't appreciate the fauna and flora.


----------



## ekim68

poochee said:


> Many don't appreciate the fauna and flora.


And the air they breathe...


----------



## poochee

updated 12:50 p.m. EDT, Fri June 13, 2008 
*Rare male sea dragon pregnant*
By Mallory Simon
CNN

*Story Highlights*
Male sea horses, sea dragons and pipe fish carry eggs instead of the female
Breeding of weedy sea dragons is rare because so little is known about their mating
Eggs should begin to hatch in four to six weeks
Staff altered lighting conditions, adjusted plants to see if conditions would help

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- He's pregnant.

After setting the mood with lighting and finessing, the Georgia Aquarium's attempts to coax rare sea dragons to mate have finally worked -- just in time for Father's Day.

The pregnant male weedy sea dragon is now only the third of its kind in the United States to successfully become pregnant outside of its natural habitat.

Excerpt from: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/06/13/pregnant.seadragon/index.html?iref=mpstoryview


----------



## ekim68

*White rhino in Congo on brink of extinction*

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Rhino numbers in Africa have reached record levels but one sub-species confined to a remote and lawless corner of Congo is on the brink of extinction, a leading conservation group warned on Tuesday.

While populations thrive elsewhere, the northern white rhino -- found only in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Garamba National Park -- has been hounded by poachers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1640200620080617


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## ekim68

*Study: Shark species face extinction*

WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- The Mediterranean Sea shark population fell 97 percent in the past two centuries and 19 shark species face extinction, researchers have concluded.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/06/30/Study_Shark_species_face_extinction/UPI-37601214800031/


----------



## ekim68

*Penguins Setting Off Sirens Over Health Of World's Oceans*

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2008) - Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, penguins are sounding the alarm for potentially catastrophic changes in the world's oceans, and the culprit isn't only climate change, says a University of Washington conservation biologist.

Oil pollution, depletion of fisheries and rampant coastline development that threatens breeding habitat for many penguin species, along with Earth's warming climate, are leading to rapid population declines among penguins, said Dee Boersma, a University of Washington biology professor and an authority on the flightless birds.

"Penguins are among those species that show us that we are making fundamental changes to our world," she said. "The fate of all species is to go extinct, but there are some species that go extinct before their time and we are facing that possibility with some penguins.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083537.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Penguins Setting Off Sirens Over Health Of World's Oceans*
> 
> ScienceDaily (July 1, 2008)  Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, penguins are sounding the alarm for potentially catastrophic changes in the world's oceans, and the culprit isn't only climate change, says a University of Washington conservation biologist.
> 
> Oil pollution, depletion of fisheries and rampant coastline development that threatens breeding habitat for many penguin species, along with Earth's warming climate, are leading to rapid population declines among penguins, said Dee Boersma, a University of Washington biology professor and an authority on the flightless birds.
> 
> "Penguins are among those species that show us that we are making fundamental changes to our world," she said. "The fate of all species is to go extinct, but there are some species that go extinct before their time and we are facing that possibility with some penguins.
> 
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083537.htm


----------



## lotuseclat79

Species extinction threat underestimated due to math glitch, says study.

Extinction risks for natural populations of endangered species are likely being underestimated by as much as 100-fold because of a mathematical "misdiagnosis," according to a new study led by a University of Colorado at Boulder researcher.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*'Invasive' humans threaten U.S. coral reefs*

Half of all U.S. coral reefs, the center of marine life in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, are either in poor or fair condition, a federal agency warns today.

The report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration places much of the blame on human activities and warns of further oceanwide decline.

Reefs closer to cities were found to suffer poorer health, damaged by trash, overfishing and pollution.

"Human impacts are making the big difference," says NOAA's Timothy Keeney, co-chair of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. "Humans are the most invasive species of all."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2008-07-06-coral-reefs_N.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *'Invasive' humans threaten U.S. coral reefs*
> 
> Half of all U.S. coral reefs, the center of marine life in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, are either in poor or fair condition, a federal agency warns today.
> 
> The report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration places much of the blame on human activities and warns of further oceanwide decline.
> 
> Reefs closer to cities were found to suffer poorer health, damaged by trash, overfishing and pollution.
> 
> "Human impacts are making the big difference," says NOAA's Timothy Keeney, co-chair of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. "Humans are the most invasive species of all."
> 
> http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2008-07-06-coral-reefs_N.htm


:down:


----------



## ekim68

*Study: Orangutans could face extinction in wild*

BANGKOK, Thailand - Orangutan numbers have declined sharply on the only two islands where they still live in the wild and they could become the first great ape species to go extinct if urgent action isn't taken, a new study says.

The declines in Indonesia and Malaysia since 2004 are mostly because of illegal logging and the expansion of palm oil plantations, Serge Wich, a scientist at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa, said on Saturday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25540331/


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Study: Orangutans could face extinction in wild*
> 
> BANGKOK, Thailand - Orangutan numbers have declined sharply on the only two islands where they still live in the wild and they could become the first great ape species to go extinct if urgent action isn't taken, a new study says.
> 
> The declines in Indonesia and Malaysia since 2004 are mostly because of illegal logging and the expansion of palm oil plantations, Serge Wich, a scientist at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa, said on Saturday.
> 
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25540331/


----------



## lotuseclat79

Sturgeon swimming towards 'extinction vortex'.

Irrational preferences for rare products are likely to drive the few remaining caviar sturgeon in the Caspian Sea to extinction, warn biologists in France. They have shown that snobbish attitudes drive a strong preference for caviar supposedly from "rare" species, even when the samples are the same.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

You know, I heard someone say:

It takes 2 million years to build a 2 million year-old eco-system....There's a lot to that...It's harder to build it than it is to let it go...


----------



## ekim68

More on the coral reefs:

*Ocean quest: The race to save the world's coral reefs*

Last week, scientists issued their latest, grim assessment of the world's coral reefs. But as Steve Connor reports from Florida, extraordinary new ocean 'reseeding' techniques mean there may still be time to halt - or even reverse - the destruction of mother nature's marine marvels.

http://www.independent.co.uk/enviro...ce-to-save-the-worlds-coral-reefs-869589.html


----------



## poochee

Informative articles.


----------



## poochee

updated 9:22 p.m. EDT, Fri July 18, 2008 
Associated Press

*Gray wolves back in protected column*:up:

*Story Highlights*
Protections reinstated for wolves in Northern Rockies
Wolves taken off endangered species list in March
Judge says federal government has not met standard for wolf recovery
Decision halts plans by three states to hold public wolf hunts this fall

BILLINGS, Montana (AP) -- A federal judge has restored endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, *derailing plans* by three states to hold public wolf hunts this fall.

Excerpt from: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/18/wolf.delisting.ap/index.html


----------



## ekim68

*Rare new Tanzania monkey "at risk of extinction"*

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A new species of Tanzanian monkey is threatened with extinction just two years after it was formally identified, conservationists have warned.

The rare "kipunji" monkey was first spotted in the country's remote Udzungwa Mountains and Southern Highlands, becoming the first new genus of a living primate from Africa to be discovered in 83 years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL942955520080729


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Rare new Tanzania monkey "at risk of extinction"*
> 
> NAIROBI (Reuters) - A new species of Tanzanian monkey is threatened with extinction just two years after it was formally identified, conservationists have warned.
> 
> The rare "kipunji" monkey was first spotted in the country's remote Udzungwa Mountains and Southern Highlands, becoming the first new genus of a living primate from Africa to be discovered in 83 years.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL942955520080729


----------



## ekim68

*Ivory Poaching At Critical Levels: Elephants On Path To Extinction By 2020?*

ScienceDaily (Aug. 1, 2008) - African elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory at a pace unseen since an international ban on the ivory trade took effect in 1989. But the public outcry that resulted in that ban is absent today, and a University of Washington conservation biologist contends it is because the public seems to be unaware of the giant mammals' plight.

The elephant death rate from poaching throughout Africa is about 8 percent a year based on recent studies, which is actually higher than the 7.4 percent annual death rate that led to the international ivory trade ban nearly 20 years ago, said Samuel Wasser, a UW biology professor.

But the poaching death rate in the late 1980s was based on a population that numbered more than 1 million. Today the total African elephant population is less than 470,000.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731140219.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Ivory Poaching At Critical Levels: Elephants On Path To Extinction By 2020?*
> 
> ScienceDaily (Aug. 1, 2008)  African elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory at a pace unseen since an international ban on the ivory trade took effect in 1989. But the public outcry that resulted in that ban is absent today, and a University of Washington conservation biologist contends it is because the public seems to be unaware of the giant mammals' plight.
> 
> The elephant death rate from poaching throughout Africa is about 8 percent a year based on recent studies, which is actually higher than the 7.4 percent annual death rate that led to the international ivory trade ban nearly 20 years ago, said Samuel Wasser, a UW biology professor.
> 
> But the poaching death rate in the late 1980s was based on a population that numbered more than 1 million. Today the total African elephant population is less than 470,000.
> 
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731140219.htm


----------



## lotuseclat79

Bush wants some endangered species rules extinct (Update).

Just months before President Bush leaves office, his administration is antagonizing environmentalists by proposing changes that would allow federal agencies to decide for themselves whether subdivisions, dams, highways and other projects have the potential to harm endangered animals and plants.









In this Jan. 30, 2005, file photo, a bald eagle soars over a farm in Sheffield Mills, N.S., Canada. Parts of the Endangered Species Act may soon be extinct. The Bush administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether construction projects such as highways, dams and mines might harm endangered animals and plants. The new regulations, which don't require the approval of Congress, would reduce the mandatory, independent reviews government scientists have been performing for 35 years, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Andrew Vaughan)

-- Tom :down:


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Bush wants some endangered species rules extinct (Update).
> 
> Just months before President Bush leaves office, his administration is antagonizing environmentalists by proposing changes that would allow federal agencies to decide for themselves whether subdivisions, dams, highways and other projects have the potential to harm endangered animals and plants.
> 
> -- Tom :down:


:down:


----------



## lotuseclat79

Humans Implicated In Prehistoric Animal Extinctions With New Evidence.

Research led by UK and Australian scientists sheds new light on the role that our ancestors played in the extinction of Australia's prehistoric animals. The new study provides the first evidence that Tasmania's giant kangaroos and marsupial 'rhinos' and 'leopards' were still roaming the island when humans first arrived.

The findings suggest that the mass extinction of Tasmania's large prehistoric animals was the result of human hunting, and not climate change as previously believed.









Palorchestes azael. A marsupial similar to a ground-sloth. Weight: approx 500 kg. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Exeter)

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

The Bigger They Are: 10 Ice Age Giants.

Wow! I didn't know about some of these now extinct animals at all - like the largest flying bird ever or, anyone ever hear of the North American Lion?

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Berkeley Scientists: World In 'Mass Extinction Spasm'.

Scientists: Humans To Blame

I don't know if it is related, but the world's oceans are becoming more acidic and the ocean habitat is also in danger of a lot of species being in danger of extinction.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

Interesting articles.


----------



## ekim68

*Study: Earth's edible fish face extinction*

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist predicts continued overfishing will lead to the extinction of the Earth's edible species of fish and affect other levels of the food chain.

But Jeremy Jackson, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, says just the enforcement of fishery regulations would help prevent such extinctions.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/200...ible_fish_face_extinction/UPI-40301218740509/


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Study: Earth's edible fish face extinction*
> 
> WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist predicts continued overfishing will lead to the extinction of the Earth's edible species of fish and affect other levels of the food chain.
> 
> But Jeremy Jackson, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, says just the enforcement of fishery regulations would help prevent such extinctions.
> 
> http://www.upi.com/Science_News/200...ible_fish_face_extinction/UPI-40301218740509/


Sounds like we the people are trying to extreminate everything we can!


----------



## ekim68

*Ivory poachers decimate Congo elephant population*

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Poachers in Congo have killed a fifth of the elephants in Africa's oldest national park this year as China buys more ivory, the park's director said on Friday.

Rwandan rebels have killed seven Savannah elephants in the past 10 days alone in the Virunga National Park, along Congo's eastern border with Rwanda and Uganda, Emmanuel de Merode told Reuters.

"We've definitely lost 20 percent of the population this year and probably more," he said. "We have rangers with them, and we're trying to reinforce them. But (the rangers) are outnumbered 20 to one."

The 790,000-hectare (2 million-acre) reserve was home to one of central Africa's largest Savannah elephant herds in the 1970s numbering around 5,000.

But a brutal 1998-2003 war, heavy poaching, corruption and mismanagement of the park have taken a heavy toll. Today conservationists believe no more than 300 elephants remain.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSLM40286220080822


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Ivory poachers decimate Congo elephant population*
> 
> KINSHASA (Reuters) - Poachers in Congo have killed a fifth of the elephants in Africa's oldest national park this year as China buys more ivory, the park's director said on Friday.
> 
> Rwandan rebels have killed seven Savannah elephants in the past 10 days alone in the Virunga National Park, along Congo's eastern border with Rwanda and Uganda, Emmanuel de Merode told Reuters.
> 
> "We've definitely lost 20 percent of the population this year and probably more," he said. "We have rangers with them, and we're trying to reinforce them. But (the rangers) are outnumbered 20 to one."
> 
> The 790,000-hectare (2 million-acre) reserve was home to one of central Africa's largest Savannah elephant herds in the 1970s numbering around 5,000.
> 
> But a brutal 1998-2003 war, heavy poaching, corruption and mismanagement of the park have taken a heavy toll. Today conservationists believe no more than 300 elephants remain.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSLM40286220080822


----------



## lotuseclat79

10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Wow, that's sobering Tom..


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> 10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Experts fear firefly populations are blinking out*

BAN LOMTUAN, Thailand - Preecha Jiabyu used to take tourists on a rowboat to see the banks of the Mae Klong River aglow with thousands of fireflies.

These days, all he sees are the fluorescent lights of hotels, restaurants and highway overpasses. He says he'd have to row a good two miles to see trees lit up with the magical creatures of his younger days.

"The firefly populations have dropped 70%, in the past three years," said Preecha, 58, a former teacher who started providing dozens of row boats to compete with polluting motor boats. "It's sad. They were a symbol of our city."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-09-02-firefly-population-endangered_N.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Experts fear firefly populations are blinking out*
> 
> BAN LOMTUAN, Thailand  Preecha Jiabyu used to take tourists on a rowboat to see the banks of the Mae Klong River aglow with thousands of fireflies.
> 
> These days, all he sees are the fluorescent lights of hotels, restaurants and highway overpasses. He says he'd have to row a good two miles to see trees lit up with the magical creatures of his younger days.
> 
> "The firefly populations have dropped 70%, in the past three years," said Preecha, 58, a former teacher who started providing dozens of row boats to compete with polluting motor boats. "It's sad. They were a symbol of our city."
> 
> http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-09-02-firefly-population-endangered_N.htm


It was so much fun to watch them when I was a kid.


----------



## poochee

*Message from a Harp Seal*
Fred Krupp

This summer, I journeyed closer to the North Pole than I've ever been.

My wife and I joined over 80 business leaders, scientists, environmentalists, journalists, and politicians on a voyage called the Arctic Expedition for Climate Action.

I came back with an urgent story.

*Story at:* http://edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=26791


----------



## ekim68

Good article poochee...You know it comes down to whether or not we, people, are proper stewards of the world...So far our most successful traits are blowing up parts of it...


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Good article poochee...You know it comes down to* whether or **not we, people, are proper stewards of the world*...So far our most successful traits are blowing up parts of it...


True statement!


----------



## ekim68

Have you ever heard of the Lebanese Cedar trees? They used to line the Mediterranean Sea and they were 300 feet tall in places...And, people cut them down....And, now, they're gone...We're not good stewards...


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Have you ever heard of the Lebanese Cedar trees? They used to line the Mediterranean Sea and they were 300 feet tall in places...And, people cut them down....And, now, they're gone...We're not good stewards...


Yes, they were around in ancient times.


----------



## lotuseclat79

ekim68 said:


> Have you ever heard of the Lebanese Cedar trees? They used to line the Mediterranean Sea and they were 300 feet tall in places...And, people cut them down....And, now, they're gone...We're not good stewards...


Hi ekim68,

Apparently not extinct yet, see: Lebanon Cedar.









Lebanon Cedar in the Forest of the Cedars of God

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Thanks for the article Tom. It's good to see reforestation going on. The Forest of the Cedars of God has a ring to it.  As an aside, I was listening to a history professor once describe how nomadic tribes in Persia used the roots of the cedars to make their campfires. Once they made camp a few of them would dig down sometimes 10 to 15 feet in the sand and find the roots to make their fires.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Extinction Circles Giant Vultures.

A shadow has fallen over endangered giant vultures whose captive populations are too small to save the species.

"We know the problem, and we know the solution," said Jeff Johnson, a biologist who conducted the research at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is now at the University of North Texas in Denton. "We just need to get diclofenac out of the environment and more birds into protection before it is too late."

Their fate shares similarities with that of the California condors in North America, which are dying from lead poisoning after feeding on animals wounded or killed by hunters.

Without vultures - there will be other scavenger animal populations also at risk!

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*It Takes Just One Village to Save a Species*

CHONGZUO, China - Long ago, in the poverty-stricken hills of southern China, a village banished its children to the forest to feed on wild fruits and leaves. Years later, when food stores improved, the children's parents returned to the woods to reclaim their young.

To their surprise, their offspring had adapted to forest life remarkably well; the children's white headdresses had dissolved into fur, tails grew from their spines and they refused to come home.

At the Nongguan Nature Reserve in Chongzuo, Guangxi province, the real-life descendants of these mythical children - monkeys known as white-headed langurs - still swing through the forest canopy.

As the langurs traverse a towering karst peak in a setting out of a Chinese landscape painting, they appear untouched by time and change, but it is remarkable that they and their tropical forest home have survived. In 1996, when the langurs were highly endangered, Pan Wenshi, China's premier panda biologist, came to study them in Chongzuo at what was then an abandoned military base. This was at a time when hunters were taking the canary-yellow young langurs from their cliff-face strongholds, and villagers were leveling the forest for firewood.

Dr. Pan quickly hired wardens to protect the remaining animals but then went a step further, taking on the larger social and economic factors jeopardizing the species. Dr. Pan recognized the animal's origin myth as legend, but he also believed that alleviating the region's continuing poverty was essential for their long-term survival.

In the 24-square-kilometer nature reserve where he has focused his studies, the langur population increased to more than 500 today from 96 in 1996.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/science/23monk.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *It Takes Just One Village to Save a Species*
> 
> CHONGZUO, China  Long ago, in the poverty-stricken hills of southern China, a village banished its children to the forest to feed on wild fruits and leaves. Years later, when food stores improved, the childrens parents returned to the woods to reclaim their young.
> 
> To their surprise, their offspring had adapted to forest life remarkably well; the childrens white headdresses had dissolved into fur, tails grew from their spines and they refused to come home.
> 
> At the Nongguan Nature Reserve in Chongzuo, Guangxi province, the real-life descendants of these mythical children  monkeys known as white-headed langurs  still swing through the forest canopy.
> 
> As the langurs traverse a towering karst peak in a setting out of a Chinese landscape painting, they appear untouched by time and change, but it is remarkable that they and their tropical forest home have survived. In 1996, when the langurs were highly endangered, Pan Wenshi, Chinas premier panda biologist, came to study them in Chongzuo at what was then an abandoned military base. This was at a time when hunters were taking the canary-yellow young langurs from their cliff-face strongholds, and villagers were leveling the forest for firewood.
> 
> Dr. Pan quickly hired wardens to protect the remaining animals but then went a step further, taking on the larger social and economic factors jeopardizing the species. Dr. Pan recognized the animals origin myth as legend, but he also believed that alleviating the regions continuing poverty was essential for their long-term survival.
> 
> *In the 24-square-kilometer nature reserve where he has focused his studies, the langur population increased to more than 500 today from 96 in 1996.*
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/science/23monk.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin


:up:


----------



## poochee

*Delisting endangers wolves**Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began the process to put wolves back on the endangered species list.*:up:
By Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 
September 28, 2008

DANIEL, WYO. -- It's hard for ranchers here to figure how it came to this -- again.

After railing for more than a decade against the federal government for reintroducing gray wolves to the region, after finally winning the battle to get the animals taken off the endangered species list, what went so wrong that Washington stepped in last week to protect the wolves all over again?

From endangered list to hit list It began near here in this high-altitude chaparral. No sooner were gray wolves delisted in March than sportsmen in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming began locking and loading. Wyoming officials declared 90% of the state a "free-fire zone*." Hunters from around the state flocked to rural Sublette County to bag a wolf.*

Rancher Merrill Dana, 57, saw the results right away. Hunters aboard snowmobiles chased wolves across the early spring snow on his sprawling ranch. "The first morning it was opened up, they killed three up here," he said. "Trespassers. We didn't even know they were up here until we heard the snow machines."..*Blood thirsty.*

Through the early summer, an average of a wolf a day was being killed across the region. In all, at least 130 animals died since the delisting, or *nearly 10% *of the wolf population in the northern Rockies. Then, on July 21, a federal judge stopped the hunt. Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service capitulated and began the process to relist wolves.:up:

Excerpts from: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-wolf28-2008sep28,0,7636399.story?track=ntothtml


----------



## poochee

*One-fourth of wild mammal species may face extinction*
By Kenneth R. Weiss, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 
October 7, 2008

BARCELONA, SPAIN -- At least one-quarter of the world's mammal species in the wild are threatened with extinction, according to an international survey released Monday that *blames the loss of wildlife habitat as well as hunting and poaching for the steep declines.*

The survey, assembled over five years by 1,700 researchers in 130 countries, is the most comprehensive yet to assess the status and future of mammals on every continent and in every ocean.

The baiji, or Chinese river dolphin, is teetering on the edge of extinction and may have already joined the list of species that have vanished from Earth. Others are not far behind, such as the vaquita, a small porpoise that has been drowning in fishing nets in the northern part of the Gulf of California; the North Atlantic right whale; and various monkeys and other primates hunted by poachers in Africa.

Scientists have determined that about 25% of the world's 5,487 species of mammals face extinction. The proportion of marine mammals in trouble appears to be higher, with an estimated one-third under serious threat of being wiped out. Many are killed when they are struck by ships or become entangled in fishing gear and drown.

Excerpts from: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fg-extinct7-2008oct07,0,7276668.story?track=ntothtml


----------



## ekim68

Maybe it's not so bad the economy of the world is tanking. Be a lot less man-made gases and waste. The earth deserves a break...


----------



## ekim68

At least we can save the pictures...

*The world's most endangered species 2008*

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme...angeredspecies.conservation?picture=338256771


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> At least we can save the pictures...
> 
> *The world's most endangered species 2008*
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme...angeredspecies.conservation?picture=338256771


:up:


----------



## poochee

October 14, 2008, 7:23 pm 
*Cancer of the Devil*
Olivia Judson

Last week, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released its latest report on the state of the worlds species. It makes for gloomy reading. Although there have been a few triumphs  species increasing their numbers thanks to conservation efforts  the general picture is one of decline. A quarter of all mammal species are now endangered, mostly because their habitat is disappearing. But of all the mammals now on the endangered list, from the fishing cat to the Caspian seal, the most startling is the *Tasmanian devil. *

*Tasmanian Devil* (Sarcophilus harrisii) (Ian Waldie/Getty Images)Tasmanian devils live on the island of (surprise!) Tasmania, off the south coast of Australia. They are marsupials: their young are born tiny (about a third of a gram  thats a hundredth of an ounce), then fed on milk and carried in a pouch. As adults, devils are thick-set, thuggish-looking animals, with massive teeth that they use to chomp up carcasses, bones and all. Although they are far from enormous  the biggest males weigh in at around 14 kilograms (30 pounds), about the size of a French bulldog  Tasmanian devils are the largest carnivorous marsupials to have, so far, escaped extinction.

But over the last 12 years, the population has crashed  in some areas, population numbers have fallen by 90 percent. The dramatic decline has led the IUCN to move the species from least concern a decade ago to endangered now. Some think it could be extinct within 25 years. *The reason? An infectious cancer.*

http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/cancer-of-the-devil/index.html?th&emc=th


----------



## ekim68

*Beluga whales in Alaska listed as endangered*

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - The depleted population of beluga whales that swim off the coast of Alaska's largest city was listed as endangered on Friday by the federal government.

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE49G6JD20081017


----------



## poochee

*Administration Reopens Effort to De-List Endangered Gray Wolves*:down:
By Joel Achenbach
Washington Post Staff Writer 
Friday, October 24, 2008; 3:26 PM

*The Bush Administration* is trying again to take the gray wolf of the Northern Rockies off the federal endangered species list.

Having lost a court battle with conservationists this summer, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to reopen for public comment its 2007 proposal to de-list the wolves, currently considered *"endangered" *under the Endangered Species Act.

*Wolf advocates immediately protested. *:up:

"This is the Bush Administration's *last-gasp attempt* to remove protections for wolves," said Louisa Wilcox, senior wildlife advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council in Livingston, Mont.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102402024.html?hpid=topnews


----------



## ekim68

Thanks Prez. What a leader..


----------



## lotuseclat79

'Extinct' cockatoo rediscovered in Indonesia: researchers.

*A species of cockatoo feared to have become extinct has been "rediscovered" with the sighting of a handful of breeding pairs on a remote Indonesian island, researchers said Thursday.*









A white Cockatoo. A species of cockatoo feared to have become extinct has been "rediscovered" with the sighting of a handful of breeding pairs on a remote Indonesian island.

-- Tom :up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

Researchers: 7 orcas missing from Puget Sound.

Seven Puget Sound killer whales are missing and presumed dead in what could be the biggest decline among the sound's orcas in nearly a decade, say scientists who carefully track the endangered animals.

"This is a disaster," Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island, said Friday. "The population drop is worse than the stock market."

While the official census won't be completed until December, the total number of live "southern resident" orcas now stands at 83.

Among those missing since last year's count are the nearly century-old leader of one of the three southern resident pods, and two young females who recently bore calves. The loss of the seven whales, Balcomb said, would be the biggest decline among the Puget Sound orcas since 1999, when the center also tracked a decline of seven whales.

Low numbers of chinook salmon, a prime food for these whales, may be a factor in the unusual number of deaths this year, Balcomb said.

"It was a bad salmon year and that's not good for the whales," he said. "Everybody considers these wonderful creatures, but we really have to pay attention to the food supply."

The three pods, or families, that frequent western Washington's inland marine waters - the J, K, and L pods - are genetically and behaviorally distinct from other killer whales. The sounds they make are considered a unique dialect, they mate only among themselves, eat salmon rather than marine mammals and show a unique attachment to the region.

... Interesting story ...

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Wise Elephants Fear Roads.

Endangered forest elephants are avoiding roads at all costs, having learned to associate roads with danger due to rampant poaching in Central Africa.

"Forest elephants are basically living in fear of their lives in prisons created by roads," lead researcher of a new study on the elephants Stephen Blake, now at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, said today. "They are roaming around the woods like frightened mice rather than tranquil formidable giants of their forest realm."

Blake and Wildlife Conservation Society scientists tracked 28 forest elephants with GPS collars that were living in six conservation areas in the Congo, Central African Republic and Gabon.

The results showed that roads, particularly those outside of parks and protected areas, attract poachers and so have become daunting barriers to elephant movements.

Researchers say the pachyderm strategy could become dangerously confining as roadless space becomes even sparser. Over time, the elephants would have less access to food resources and increased competition for food, which could lead to aggressive social interactions among the elephants and thus less social cohesion and possible lowered reproductive success, the researchers say. The end result could be a decline in forest elephant populations.









A forest elephant examines the bones of another elephant that may have been killed by a poacher. Credit: Wildlife Conservation Society.









The researchers say a dramatic expansion of road building is underway in the Republic of Congo (new road shown here) fueled by private enterprise, international aid and government projects. Credit: Stephen Blake.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

Wonder how many animals there will be here a 100 years from now.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Bat Death Mystery Solved.

Bats are getting moldy and dying, and this is no Halloween trick. Now scientists have identified the culprit in the deadly mystery.

The killer is a member of a group of cold-loving fungi called Geomyces. This white, powdery-looking fungus coats the muzzles, ears and wings of bats and has meant death for more than 100,000 of the night flyers in the northeastern United States.

The exact mechanism of how the bats are contracting the fungus is still unknown.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Bat Death Mystery Solved.
> 
> Bats are getting moldy and dying, and this is no Halloween trick. Now scientists have identified the culprit in the deadly mystery.
> 
> The killer is a member of a group of cold-loving fungi called Geomyces. This white, powdery-looking fungus coats the muzzles, ears and wings of bats and has meant death for more than 100,000 of the night flyers in the northeastern United States.
> 
> The exact mechanism of how the bats are contracting the fungus is still unknown.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Why frogs are croaking

In the quest to find out why frog species have been declining so dramatically, various researchers have blamed climate change, disease, pollution, and increases in ultraviolet light from the sun reaching the surface. If two new studies are any indication, the answer increasingly appears to be: all of the above.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Death by hyperdisease: DNA detective work explains the extinction of Christmas Island's native rats.

*It took less than a decade for native rats to become extinct on the Indian Ocean's previously uninhabited Christmas Island once Eurasian black rats jumped ship onto the island at the turn of the 20th century. But this story is more than the typical tale of direct competition: according to new genetic research published in PLoS One on November 5, black rats carried a pathogen that exterminated two endemic species, Rattus macleari and R. nativitatis. This study is the first to demonstrate extinction in a mammal because of disease, supporting the hypothesis proposed a decade ago that "hyperdisease conditions" -- unusually rapid mortality from which a species never recoverscan lead to extinction.*









Rattus nativitatis went extinct on Christmas Island by 1908. Credit: P. Wynne/patriciawynne.com

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

DNA provides 'smoking gun' in the case of the missing songbirds.

*It sounds like a tale straight from "CSI": The bully invades a home and does away with the victim, then is ultimately found out with the help of DNA evidence.*

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

And then you have this:

*Nunavut OKs cull of 105 polar bears*

IQALUIT, Nunavut, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The northeastern Canadian territory of Nunavut has ignored conservationists' pleas and will permit a cull of 105 polar bears, officials said.



> Various estimates show the number of polar bears has dropped from an estimated 2,100 in 1997 to about 1,500 now, the newspaper said.


http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/06/Nunavut_OKs_cull_of_105_polar_bears/UPI-80091225985227/


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> And then you have this:
> 
> *Nunavut OKs cull of 105 polar bears*
> 
> IQALUIT, Nunavut, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The northeastern Canadian territory of Nunavut has ignored conservationists' pleas and will permit a cull of 105 polar bears, officials said.
> 
> http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/06/Nunavut_OKs_cull_of_105_polar_bears/UPI-80091225985227/


:down:


----------



## ekim68

Related in a way...

*'Whale' saviors on warpath for Japanese hunters*

Forget cuddly animals and ugly-dog competitions. Animal Planet is launching an attack for viewers with Whale Wars (premiering Friday, 9 ET/PT).

The seven-episode series focuses on the eco-warriors of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on a three-month crusade against Japanese whalers on their annual hunt in the Antarctic Ocean.

Led by Greenpeace co-founder Paul Watson under a Jolly Roger pirate flag, the 34-member group - mostly volunteers with little formal training or sea legs - sails aboard a converted patrol ship. They use stink bombs, ship boardings, electronic tracking devices and other subversive tools and tactics to thwart the harvesting of up to 1,000 whales.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-11-06-whale-wars_N.htm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Related in a way...
> 
> *'Whale' saviors on warpath for Japanese hunters*
> 
> Forget cuddly animals and ugly-dog competitions. Animal Planet is launching an attack for viewers with Whale Wars (premiering Friday, 9 ET/PT).
> 
> The seven-episode series focuses on the eco-warriors of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on a three-month crusade against Japanese whalers on their annual hunt in the Antarctic Ocean.
> 
> Led by Greenpeace co-founder Paul Watson under a Jolly Roger pirate flag, the 34-member group  mostly volunteers with little formal training or sea legs  sails aboard a converted patrol ship. They use stink bombs, ship boardings, electronic tracking devices and other subversive tools and tactics to thwart the harvesting of up to 1,000 whales.
> 
> http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-11-06-whale-wars_N.htm


:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

ekim68 said:


> And then you have this:
> 
> *Nunavut OKs cull of 105 polar bears*
> 
> IQALUIT, Nunavut, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The northeastern Canadian territory of Nunavut has ignored conservationists' pleas and will permit a cull of 105 polar bears, officials said.
> 
> http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/06/Nunavut_OKs_cull_of_105_polar_bears/UPI-80091225985227/


Hi Mike,

When I read your post, I became curious - where exactly is IQALUIT, Nunavut, Canada.

MapQuest had the answer! Now, if my post has the reader wondering like I did, just fire up your browser and feed in the name to MapQuest for a journey up to the real Northland - brrrr, and shivers just thinking about it!

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Mountain gorillas at mercy of Congo war factions*

GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - East Congo's conflict has put more than a quarter of the world's last mountain gorillas at the mercy of armed groups who hunt and camp in their territory, park officials said on Monday.

With no rangers left to protect or care for them, the gorillas face even greater risk of extinction, they said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4A95XF20081110


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Mountain gorillas at mercy of Congo war factions*
> 
> GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - East Congo's conflict has put more than a quarter of the world's last mountain gorillas at the mercy of armed groups who hunt and camp in their territory, park officials said on Monday.
> 
> With no rangers left to protect or care for them, the gorillas face even greater risk of extinction, they said.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4A95XF20081110


----------



## ekim68

I had this discussion, in a way, with WarC a couple of years back, in that 'what kind of damage does a war cause'....At the time our discussion was on the devastating affect of munitions on the earth, after all, if you blow everything up, how will plants grow?

But, I, maybe we, didn't see the effects of the natural inhabitants...People, there is only one earth, and it is our home...


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> I had this discussion, in a way, with WarC a couple of years back, in that 'what kind of damage does a war cause'....At the time our discussion was on the devastating affect of munitions on the earth, after all, if you blow everything up, how will plants grow?
> 
> But, I, maybe we, didn't see the effects of the natural inhabitants...People, there is only one earth, and it is our home...


*It's sad.*


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## ekim68

It's more than sad, we need to take action to save what we can...


----------



## ekim68

(We're not very good stewards...:down

*Supreme Court Rules for Navy in Sonar Case*

WASHINGTON - Courts must be wary of second-guessing the military's considered judgments, the Supreme Court said Wednesday in lifting judicial restrictions on submarine training exercises off the coast of Southern California that may harm marine mammals.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/washington/13scotus.html?hp


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> (*We're not very good stewards*...:down
> 
> *Supreme Court Rules for Navy in Sonar Case*
> 
> WASHINGTON  Courts must be wary of second-guessing the militarys considered judgments, the Supreme Court said Wednesday in lifting judicial restrictions on submarine training exercises off the coast of Southern California that may harm marine mammals.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/washington/13scotus.html?hp


Very true.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Hi poochee and ekim68,

I feel the same way as you both, and if I were making the judgment I would have designed in restrictions on testing when the different whales are on their annual migrations along the west coast of the USA. Also, I would have required the Navy to conduct its tests way out in the Pacific away from known whale migration paths and breeding grounds like near Baja California at certain times of the year - if they absolutely, positively gotta do the testing - i.e. no other way to get the job done.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Tiny, long-lost primate rediscovered in Indonesia*

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On a misty mountaintop on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, scientists for the first time in more than eight decades have observed a living pygmy tarsier, one of the planet's smallest and rarest primates.

Over a two-month period, the scientists used nets to trap three furry, mouse-sized pygmy tarsiers -- two males and one female -- on Mt. Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in central Sulawesi, the researchers said on Tuesday.

They spotted a fourth one that got away.

The tarsiers, which some scientists believed were extinct, may not have been overly thrilled to be found. One of them chomped Sharon Gursky-Doyen, a Texas A&M University professor of anthropology who took part in the expedition.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4AH96X20081118


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Tiny, long-lost primate rediscovered in Indonesia*
> 
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On a misty mountaintop on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, scientists for the first time in more than eight decades have observed a living pygmy tarsier, one of the planet's smallest and rarest primates.
> 
> Over a two-month period, the scientists used nets to trap three furry, mouse-sized pygmy tarsiers -- two males and one female -- on Mt. Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in central Sulawesi, the researchers said on Tuesday.
> 
> They spotted a fourth one that got away.
> 
> The tarsiers, which some scientists believed were extinct, may not have been overly thrilled to be found. *One of them chomped Sharon Gursky-Doyen,* a Texas A&M University professor of anthropology who took part in the expedition.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4AH96X20081118


Maybe they want to be alone!


----------



## ekim68

Seems as though...


----------



## skinee

This just came out today:

Regenerating a Mammoth for $10million

It's the closest we can get to time travel, cloning extinct animals. I wonder about the viability of such a regenerated animal. Won't it die from not having resistance to todays viruses and bacteria?

But ultimately, are we going to come to a point where we lower our apprehension to destroying animals we can just regenerate?


----------



## ekim68

skinee said:


> This just came out today:
> 
> Regenerating a Mammoth for $10million
> 
> It's the closest we can get to time travel, cloning extinct animals. I wonder about the viability of such a regenerated animal. Won't it die from not having resistance to todays viruses and bacteria?
> 
> But ultimately, are we going to come to a point where we lower our apprehension to destroying animals we can just regenerate?


Interesting thought skinee...And, to add to the equation:

*Return of the Neanderthals*

_If we can resurrect them through fossil DNA, should we?_

Here's the next question in the evolution debate: We know roughly how the sequence of life ran forward in time. What about running it backward? How would you feel about rewinding human evolution to a species that's almost like us, but not quite?

http://www.slate.com/id/2205310/


----------



## ekim68

*Ocean acidity threatens sea life*

Increasing levels of acidity in the world's oceans -- caused by excess carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels -- are threatening several species of sea creatures, according to a study in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers, led by Timothy Wootton of the University of Chicago, compiled eight years of acidity, salinity, temperature, and other measurements from probes at Tatoosh Island, Wash., which is located just off the Olympic Peninsula.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/weather/2008/11/ocean-acidity-t.html


----------



## ekim68

*Wasp vs. wasp may save Hawaiian trees*

HONOLULU, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Officials in Hawaii were waiting Wednesday to see how a tiny African wasp they released at a botanical garden fares against a potentially devastating cousin.

The small Tanzanian wasp produces larvae that have an appetite for the larvae of the Gall wasp, a species that threatens to decimate the native Coral and Wiliwili trees.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/26/Wasp_vs_wasp_may_save_Hawaiian_trees/UPI-81031227736562/


----------



## ekim68

*Alien-like Squid With "Elbows" Filmed at Drilling Site*

A mile and a half (two and a half kilometers) underwater, a remote control submersible's camera has captured an eerie surprise: an alien-like, long-armed, and-strangest of all-"elbowed" Magnapinna squid

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081124-giant-squid-magnapinna.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Climate change wiped out cave bears 13 millennia earlier than thought.

*Enormous cave bears, Ursus spelaeus, that once inhabited a large swathe of Europe, from Spain to the Urals, died out 27,800 years ago, around 13 millennia earlier than was previously believed, scientists have reported.*.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

New population of Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys found (swf video)

*Discovery of a new breeding colony in the north of Vietnam is good news for the future of the species, which has been pushed to the brink of extinction by habitat loss and the bushmeat and traditional medicine trades*

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> New population of Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys found (swf video)
> 
> *Discovery of a new breeding colony in the north of Vietnam is good news for the future of the species, which has been pushed to the brink of extinction by habitat loss and the bushmeat and traditional medicine trades*
> 
> -- Tom


:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

21 new species in danger of extinction: UN convention.

*Twenty-one animal species, including the cheetah, three dolphin families and an Egyptian vulture, were added to the list of those in danger of extinction by a UN conference that ended Friday.*

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

lotuseclat79 said:


> 21 new species in danger of extinction: UN convention.
> 
> *Twenty-one animal species, including the cheetah, three dolphin families and an Egyptian vulture, were added to the list of those in danger of extinction by a UN conference that ended Friday.*
> 
> -- Tom


Good grief...A continuous grinding down of the world's resources...:down:


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> 21 new species in danger of extinction: UN convention.
> 
> *Twenty-one animal species, including the cheetah, three dolphin families and an Egyptian vulture, were added to the list of those in danger of extinction by a UN conference that ended Friday.*
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## brandmantra

> Several types of sharks have been placed on the so-called list II of threatened species, including two families of Mako sharks in the Mediterranean whose population have fallen off by 96 percent in recent years due to overfishing.
> 
> The conference also adopted a resolution that aims to reduce noise pollution in oceans caused by increases in vessels, more seismic surveys and a new generation of military sonars.
> 
> Marine mammals that use sound, including whales and dolphins, are particularly affected by the noise.
> 
> A spokesman for the Whale and Dolphin Society welcomed measures on increased protection for marine species, but said governments had not committed enough money to conservation.


 Our so called civilized society is responsible for these fatal incidents but we are still unchanged.


----------



## ekim68

*Patagonia Indian tribe faces extinction*

PUERTO EDEN, Chile (Reuters) - Hawking sea lion skin souvenir canoes at one of South America's most remote outposts, Francisco Arroyo is among the last members of a Patagonian tribe staring down the barrel of extinction.

The elderly Arroyo recalls wending the icy channels and fjords of southern Chile's Patagonia region with his father as a boy, tending a fire lit on dried earth on the bottom of their canoe and diving naked for giant mussels to survive.

With only an estimated 12-20 pure-blooded members of his nomadic Kawesqar tribe surviving, most of them elderly, another of the far-flung region's tribes will soon disappear.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE4B947E20081210


----------



## uglath

I find it more accurate to say that mankind itself is mankind's worst enemy. Our ability to alter the world around us superceeds the wisdom to judge the course of such actions and their possibly endless far reaching consequences. ie....a two year old with a gun. Silly psychotic monkeys.


----------



## ekim68

I call it the 'human condition'...Greed, power, and consumption are powerful emotions. 
It's easy to address it and see it, but how does it get fixed? Certainly at a local or personal level we can deal with it for a small outcome, and we should.. But at a whole world wide level it's gonna have to take some creative thinking...


----------



## uglath

Fix it?
In my opinion the problem is with basic human nature. I think we'll have to evolve to overcome this.


----------



## ekim68

uglath said:


> Fix it?
> In my opinion the problem is with basic human nature. I think we'll have to evolve to overcome this.


Agreed, but will it be in time before the resources run out?


----------



## steppenwolf

on Wikipedia they have a list of extinct European animals


----------



## ekim68

*Zoo life is killing elephants: study*

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Zoo life can be deadly for elephants, researchers concluded in a study that found wild elephants live longer than their captive sisters.

The average African female elephant lived to be just under 17 in a zoo but female elephants living natural lives in Amboseli National Park in Kenya lived an average of 56 years, they found.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4BB0TA20081212


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Zoo life is killing elephants: study*
> 
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Zoo life can be deadly for elephants, researchers concluded in a study that found wild elephants live longer than their captive sisters.
> 
> The average African female elephant lived to be just under 17 in a zoo but female elephants living natural lives in Amboseli National Park in Kenya lived an average of 56 years, they found.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4BB0TA20081212


----------



## ekim68

*Coral growth slows sharply on Great Barrier Reef*

LONDON (Reuters) - Coral growth since 1990 in Australia's Great Barrier Reef has fallen to its lowest rate for 400 years, in a troubling sign for the world's oceans, researchers said on Thursday.

This could threaten a variety of marine ecosystems that rely on the reef and signal similar problems for other similar organisms worldwide, Glen De'ath and colleagues at the Australian Institute of Marine Science said.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral expanse, and like similar reefs worldwide is threatened by climate change and pollution.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5010SD20090102


----------



## poochee

*Northern rockhopper penguins near extinction*
Study estimates a million birds were lost on two key islands
msnbc.com
updated 3:43 p.m. PT, Fri., Jan. 16, 2009

A new study has found that the population of Northern Rockhopper Penguin declined by 90percent over the last 50 years.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28696101/


----------



## ekim68

*'Ark' races to rescue jungle frogs *

As lethal fungus spreads, captive amphibians are bred for eventual return to the wild.

http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/02/27/‘ark’-races-to-rescue-jungle-frogs/


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Ark races to rescue jungle frogs *
> 
> As lethal fungus spreads, captive amphibians are bred for eventual return to the wild.
> 
> http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/02/27/‘ark’-races-to-rescue-jungle-frogs/


:up:


----------



## ekim68

_Study: World's coral reefs likely to 'dissolve completely'_

Unless carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere and oceans are reduced, coral reefs around the world will start to dissolve completely in just a few decades, according to a new study published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The impact on coral reefs is due to both ocean acidification (caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide into ocean water) as well as rising water temperatures. "Globally, each second, we dump over 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and, each second, about 300 tons of that carbon dioxide is going into the oceans," said study co-author Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology last month. "We can say with a high degree of certainty that all of this CO2 will make the oceans more acidic - that is simple chemistry taught to freshman college students."

http://blogs.usatoday.com/weather/2009/03/study-worlds-co.html


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> _Study: World's coral reefs likely to 'dissolve completely'_
> 
> Unless carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere and oceans are reduced, coral reefs around the world will start to dissolve completely in just a few decades, according to a new study published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
> 
> The impact on coral reefs is due to both ocean acidification (caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide into ocean water) as well as rising water temperatures. "Globally, each second, we dump over 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and, each second, about 300 tons of that carbon dioxide is going into the oceans," said study co-author Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology last month. "We can say with a high degree of certainty that all of this CO2 will make the oceans more acidic  that is simple chemistry taught to freshman college students."
> 
> http://blogs.usatoday.com/weather/2009/03/study-worlds-co.html


----------



## ekim68

*One Third of U.S. Bird Species Endangered, Survey Finds*

Habitat destruction, pollution and other problems have left nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species endangered, threatened or in serious decline, according to a study issued on Thursday.

Described as the most comprehensive survey of American bird life, the report analyzed changes in the bird population over the last 40 years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/science/earth/20bird.html


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *One Third of U.S. Bird Species Endangered, Survey Finds*
> 
> Habitat destruction, pollution and other problems have left nearly a third of the nations 800 bird species endangered, threatened or in serious decline, according to a study issued on Thursday.
> 
> Described as the most comprehensive survey of American bird life, the report analyzed changes in the bird population over the last 40 years.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/science/earth/20bird.html


----------



## ekim68

A sign of the times:

*Calif. chinook fishing season halted again*

California's commercial chinook salmon fishing season will be called off again after a record low number of the fish returned to the Sacramento River to spawn last year, federal fisheries managers announced Wednesday.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/08/state/n154751D22.DTL&tsp=1


----------



## _Andrew_

I wholeheartedly agree with ppl's concerns, but on a lighter note..- it would appear the hippies were right all along-..back to heavy notes, I see a scary analogy between we the humans, and bacteria on the surface of an apple, slowly but surely degrading it..(except we tend not to leave potential for organic life to continue)..is this our actual purpose?..maybe the 'nasty' germs/diseases and pathogens are actually Natures way of defending the Earth from us..

No offense intended, but we are really a horrible species (I include myself in that statement).. too much of a good thing methinks..


----------



## name is guy

as long as there's human bacteria pumping out units every day like the octo mom ,animals will soon to be a thing of the past ,sad but you cant stop it unless we stop pumping out useless talentless fat slobs with just enough money and power to live out there miserable lives and spread out.

''in a nut shell'' we suck!!!


----------



## ekim68

*Overfishing to wipe out bluefin tuna in 3 years: WWF*

MADRID (Reuters) - Overfishing will wipe out the breeding population of Atlantic bluefin tuna, one of the ocean's largest and fastest predators, in three years unless catches are dramatically reduced, conservation group WWF said on Tuesday.

As European fishing fleets prepare to begin the two-month Mediterranean fishing season on Wednesday, WWF said its analysis showed the bluefin tuna that spawn -- those aged four years and older -- will have disappeared by 2012 at current rates.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE53D00320090414


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Overfishing to wipe out bluefin tuna in 3 years: WWF*
> 
> MADRID (Reuters) - Overfishing will wipe out the breeding population of Atlantic bluefin tuna, one of the ocean's largest and fastest predators, in three years unless catches are dramatically reduced, conservation group WWF said on Tuesday.
> 
> As European fishing fleets prepare to begin the two-month Mediterranean fishing season on Wednesday, WWF said its analysis showed the bluefin tuna that spawn -- those aged four years and older -- will have disappeared by 2012 at current rates.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE53D00320090414


----------



## ekim68

*Imagine a World Without Seafood for Supper -- It's Nearer Than You Think*

The majority of fish populations have been reduced by 70-95% -- and global demand keeps rising.

http://www.alternet.org/environment...ood_for_supper_--_it's_nearer_than_you_think/

(A long but interesting read.)


----------



## ekim68

*Marine Mammals' Brains Exposed To Hazardous Cocktail Of Pesticides Including DDT, PCBs, Brominated Flame Retardants*

ScienceDaily (May 21, 2009) - The most extensive study of pollutants in marine mammals' brains reveals that these animals are exposed to a hazardous cocktail of pesticides such as DDTs and PCBs, as well as emerging contaminants such as brominated flame retardants.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090520122227.htm


----------



## Gabriel

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090522/ts_afp/australiaanimalenvironmentdevil

Tasmanian Devil endangered


----------



## poochee

Gabriel said:


> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090522/ts_afp/australiaanimalenvironmentdevil
> 
> Tasmanian Devil endangered


 Hope this can be turned around.


----------



## Gabriel

Here are some frogs they are trying to save

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090509/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_montserrat_flying_frogs


----------



## ekim68

_"The mountain chicken frog has been virtually wiped out."_

This from the article Gabriel...How little we value other lives, eh? :down:


----------



## poochee

Sad about the frogs.


----------



## lotuseclat79

21% of Cetaceans Could Go Extinct Due to Global Warming.

*According to a new study, climate change could drastically alter 88% of the waters where dolphins, whales and porpoises are found. While some species may stand to benefit from the changes, the research concluded that one fifth of cetacean species could be lost forever.*









Dolphin

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> 21% of Cetaceans Could Go Extinct Due to Global Warming.
> 
> *According to a new study, climate change could drastically alter 88% of the waters where dolphins, whales and porpoises are found. While some species may stand to benefit from the changes, the research concluded that one fifth of cetacean species could be lost forever.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dolphin
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Declining tigers find a friend - at the World Bank*

The world's diminishing population of tigers - which could face extinction within a decade - found a potential saviour today after the World Bank put its weight behind a new international conservation programme. The partnership with the Smithsonian Institution is a personal project of the bank's president, Robert Zoellick.

The initiative will seek to strengthen and expand a patchy system of tiger reserves across the 13 countries, including India, Indonesia, Thailand, China and Russia, that are home to the world's rapidly diminishing tiger population.

Experts believe there are only about 3,500 tigers left. A century ago they were thought to number 100,000.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/19/world-bank-tiger-reserves-initiative


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Declining tigers find a friend - at the World Bank*
> 
> The world's diminishing population of tigers - which could face extinction within a decade - found a potential saviour today after the World Bank put its weight behind a new international conservation programme. The partnership with the Smithsonian Institution is a personal project of the bank's president, Robert Zoellick.
> 
> The initiative will seek to strengthen and expand a patchy system of tiger reserves across the 13 countries, including India, Indonesia, Thailand, China and Russia, that are home to the world's rapidly diminishing tiger population.
> 
> Experts believe there are only about 3,500 tigers left. A century ago they were thought to number 100,000.
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/19/world-bank-tiger-reserves-initiative


The tiger is my favorite wild animal. They are so beautiful. Something must be done to save them!


----------



## ekim68

On today's front page on the 'animal bytes' section of the San Diego's Zoo site, there's a cool video of tigers at play....

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/index.html

(I know you don't do video, poochee, but they have a lot on their site..:up


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> On today's front page on the 'animal bytes' section of the San Diego's Zoo site, there's a cool video of tigers at play....
> 
> http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/index.html
> 
> (I know you don't do video, poochee, but they have a lot on their site..:up


Thanks! I will save this site for the future. I did get to see them, but it cut out too much so I gave up.


----------



## poochee

Huffpost - *Lost Baby Sea Lion Rescued On Freeway (VIDEO) *
First Posted: 06-22-09 05:57 PM | Updated: 06-22-09 11:30 PM 
*AP*

(Associated Press) SAN FRANCISCO - A baby sea lion was rescued early Monday after wandering onto a busy San Francisco Bay area freeway.

Drivers on Interstate 880 started calling authorities around 5:45 a.m. to report the animal "walking" in the center divider near the Oakland Coliseum, said Peter Van Eckhardt, an officer with the California Highway Patrol.

He said the sea lion likely made it onto land from a nearby San Francisco Bay estuary and crossed the roadway in the middle of the night.

The center has seen a spike this year in the number of *weakened and malnourished sea* lions found along the Northern California coast. In a recent week, staff at the center rescued 10 more sea lions a day than usual.

Experts say the increase could be caused by a drop in the number of smaller fish that younger sea lions rely on for food while they are developing.

Excerpts from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/22/lost-baby-sea-lion-rescue_n_219245.html


----------



## ekim68

poochee said:


> Thanks! I will save this site for the future. I did get to see them, but it cut out too much so I gave up.


They have pictures, too, rather than videos...:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

Legless frogs mystery solved

*Scientists think they have resolved one of the most controversial environmental issues of the past decade: the curious case of the missing frogs' legs.*









Deformed toads, each a product of 'selective predation'

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Legless frogs mystery solved
> 
> *Scientists think they have resolved one of the most controversial environmental issues of the past decade: the curious case of the missing frogs' legs.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Deformed toads, each a product of 'selective predation'
> 
> -- Tom


Interesting!


----------



## Gabriel

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090705/sc_mcclatchy/3264807

More on positive stuff


----------



## poochee

Gabriel said:


> http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090705/sc_mcclatchy/3264807
> 
> More on positive stuff


:up:


----------



## ekim68

*Reefs could perish by end of century, experts warn*

LONDON (Reuters) - Increasingly acidic oceans and warming water temperatures due to carbon dioxide emissions could kill off the world's ocean reefs by the end of this century, scientists warned on Monday.

The experts told a meeting in London the predicted pace of emissions means a level of 450 parts per million of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere will be reached by 2050, putting corals on a path to extinction in the following decades.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE5654JY20090706


----------



## ekim68

*New monkey discovered in Brazilian Amazon*

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Researchers have discovered a new sub-species of monkey in a remote part of the Amazon rain forest, a U.S.-based wildlife conservation group said on Tuesday.

The newly found monkey was first spotted by scientists in 2007 in the Brazilian state of Amazonas and is related to the saddleback tamarin monkeys, known for their distinctively marked backs, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE5665Y820090707


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *New monkey discovered in Brazilian Amazon*
> 
> RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Researchers have discovered a new sub-species of monkey in a remote part of the Amazon rain forest, a U.S.-based wildlife conservation group said on Tuesday.
> 
> The newly found monkey was first spotted by scientists in 2007 in the Brazilian state of Amazonas and is related to the saddleback tamarin monkeys, known for their distinctively marked backs, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said.
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE5665Y820090707


:up:


----------



## poochee

*Zoo May Close, Euthanize Animals* 
*Budget Cuts Threaten Boston Zoo*
POSTED: 9:14 pm EDT July 10, 2009
UPDATED: 10:53 am EDT July 11, 2009

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/20021259/detail.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

poochee said:


> *Zoo May Close, Euthanize Animals*
> *Budget Cuts Threaten Boston Zoo*
> POSTED: 9:14 pm EDT July 10, 2009
> UPDATED: 10:53 am EDT July 11, 2009
> 
> http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/20021259/detail.html


Hi poochee,

That was the lead story on all of the major Boston channels last night - sad if it happens, but the zoo's official statment to the press claimed they had no plans to euthanize any of the animals.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi poochee,
> 
> That was the lead story on all of the major Boston channels last night - sad if it happens, but the zoo's official statment to the press claimed they had *no plans to euthanize* any of the animals.
> 
> -- Tom


Thanks, that is good news.


----------



## poochee

*Feds ban krill fishing to save it for the whales*:up:
ShareThisBy JEFF BARNARD 
AP Environmental Writer
Published: Monday, Jul. 13, 2009 - 12:28 pm 
Last Modified: Monday, Jul. 13, 2009 - 2:14 pm

No one fishes for krill off the West Coast, and federal fisheries managers want to keep it that way so the tiny shrimp-like creatures remain as plentiful as possible as food for whales, salmon, and seabirds.

http://www.sacbee.com/827/story/2022532.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Sustainable Farming is Being Destroyed to Eradicate E. Coli.

*A great story in the SF Chronicle about how major produce buyers are imposing scorched-earth policies on hundreds of thousands of acres where spinach and other leafy greens are grown--in a misguided attempt to eradicate E. Coli. Trees are being bulldozed, animals are being killed, and wastelands of bare dirt are being put in as buffers.*

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Indian tiger park 'has no tigers'*

_One of India's main tiger parks - Panna National Park - has admitted it no longer has any tigers._

The park, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, was part of the country's efforts to save the famous Royal Bengal Tiger from extinction.

State Minister of Forests Rajendra Shukla said that the reserve, which three years ago had 24 tigers, no longer had any.

A special census was conducted in the park by a premier wildlife institute, after the forest authorities reported no sightings of the animals for a long time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8150382.stm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Indian tiger park 'has no tigers'*
> 
> _One of India's main tiger parks - Panna National Park - has admitted it no longer has any tigers._
> 
> The park, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, was part of the country's efforts to save the famous Royal Bengal Tiger from extinction.
> 
> State Minister of Forests Rajendra Shukla said that the reserve, which three years ago had 24 tigers, no longer had any.
> 
> A special census was conducted in the park by a premier wildlife institute, after the forest authorities reported no sightings of the animals for a long time.
> 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8150382.stm


----------



## ekim68

*Fish stocks recover as conservation measures take effect, analysis shows*

Regions in Iceland, California and north-east US show signs of recovery but North Sea and Ireland still overfished.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/30/fishing-stocks-recover


----------



## lotuseclat79

Butterflies tracked as environmental barometer.

*Counting expeditions look for signs of declining populations*

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Mercury-tainted fish found widely in U.S. streams*

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Scientists have detected mercury contamination in every one of hundreds of fish sampled from 291 freshwater streams, according to a U.S. government study released on Wednesday.

More than a quarter of those fish contained concentrations of mercury exceeding levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency for the protection of people who eat average amounts of fish, the U.S. Geological Survey report said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE57J01420090820


----------



## lotuseclat79

Traffic noise could be ruining sex lives of frogs.









In this undated photo, a Growling Grass Frog sits on a rock in swampy lands near Melbourne, Australia. Traffic noise could be ruining the sex lives of urban frogs by drowning out the seductive croaks of amorous males, an Australian researcher said Friday, Aug. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Geoff Heard)

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Endangered Lemurs: Slaughtered, Smoked and Sold to Restaurants.

*Madagascar is famous for its lemurs. But poachers on the island are hunting and killing the lemurs for about 50 cents each. The endangered lemurs are then smoked and sold as delicacies to restaurant owners who are ordering the "killing of the animals."*









Black lemur photo via Mila Zinkova via Creative Commons









Crowned lemur photo by Olivier Lejade via Creative Commons

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Endangered Lemurs: Slaughtered, Smoked and Sold to Restaurants.
> 
> *Madagascar is famous for its lemurs. But poachers on the island are hunting and killing the lemurs for about 50 cents each. The endangered lemurs are then smoked and sold as delicacies to restaurant owners who are ordering the killing of the animals.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Black lemur photo via Mila Zinkova via Creative Commons
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Crowned lemur photo by Olivier Lejade via Creative Commons
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Tiger Killed, Skinned Inside Indonesian Zoo.

*Authorities fear that the killing of Sheila the tiger at Jambi's Rimbo Zoo is a shocking new development in the illegal wildlife trade. The tiger's skin, along with body parts in demand for traditional Asian "remedies", were taken from the tiger's enclosure. Officials noted that even the tiger's blood had been collected.*










Outrageous! 

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Tiger Killed, Skinned Inside Indonesian Zoo.
> 
> *Authorities fear that the killing of Sheila the tiger at Jambis Rimbo Zoo is a shocking new development in the illegal wildlife trade. The tigers skin, along with body parts in demand for traditional Asian remedies, were taken from the tigers enclosure. Officials noted that even the tigers blood had been collected.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Outrageous!
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Rare Photographs of Now Extinct Beasts.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Rare Photographs of Now Extinct Beasts.
> 
> -- Tom


Neat pics. Too bad they are now extinct.


----------



## ekim68

*Major Shipping Route Fosters a Plague of Sea Life*

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959 to great fanfare. The system of canals connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the five Great Lakes cut a lucrative international trade route through the heartland and gave the United States a refuge and staging ground for ships and submarines in case of war with the Soviet Union.

No one expected the seaway to become the key player in a different war, the invasion of non-native aquatic species into the Great Lakes, which has dramatically altered ecosystems and costs hundreds of millions of dollars a year. About a third of the 186 invasive species in the Great Lakes are thought to have entered on oceangoing ships in the ballast water they take on for stabilization when carrying little or no cargo.

Zebra and quagga mussels from the Black Sea clog intake structures for municipal water systems and power plants. The mussels also gobble plankton so voraciously that little is left for other organisms. Round gobies and other invasive fish beat out native fish for food supplies, harming the lucrative commercial and sport fishing industries. Ballast is even blamed for the emergence of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, often called "fish ebola," resulting in large fish kills in the past several years.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...08/30/AR2009083002333.html?hpid=moreheadlines


----------



## ekim68

*Japan's annual dolphin cull disrupted by activists*

An animal rights campaigner who trained dolphins for the 1960s television series Flipper has managed to disrupt the first two days of the annual dolphin hunt in the Japanese town of Taiji, but accepts that as soon as he leaves the fishermen will resume the killing.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wi...nual-dolphin-cull-disrupted-by-activists.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Google Algorithm Predicts When Species Will Go 404, Not Found.

*Biologists have figured out the most efficient way to destroy an ecosystem - and it's based on the Google search algorithm.*

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Turtle thought to be extinct spotted in Myanmar.

*The rare Arakan forest turtle, once though to be extinct, has been rediscovered in a remote forest in Myanmar, boosting chances of saving the reptile after hunting almost destroyed its population*









In this 2009 photo released by the Wildlife Conservation Society, juvenile Arakan Forest turtles

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Turtle thought to be extinct spotted in Myanmar.
> 
> *The rare Arakan forest turtle, once though to be extinct, has been rediscovered in a remote forest in Myanmar, boosting chances of saving the reptile after hunting almost destroyed its population*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In this 2009 photo released by the Wildlife Conservation Society, juvenile Arakan Forest turtles
> 
> -- Tom


Hope they continue to survive! Cute little turtles.


----------



## poochee

*Huffpost - Kenya's Famous Elephants Die of Drought, Poaching *
KATHARINE HOURELD | 09/ 9/09 01:42 PM | *AP*
Associated Press Writer Khaled Kazziha contributed to this report.

*NAIROBI, Kenya  A drought in Kenya has gotten so bad that it is felling even the giants of the animal kingdom  the country's famed elephants which are dying as rivers dry up and grasslands shrivel in parched game reserves.*

The bones of the elephants bleaching under a relentless African sun underscore how bad the drought is. It has killed hundreds of cattle and many acres (hectares) of crops, threatening the lives of people who depended on them for food. *There are no tallies of deaths among people attributed to the drought but the U.N.'s World Food program said recently that 3.8 million Kenyans are at risk and need emergency food aid*.

Zoologist Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who founded Save the Elephants, said the drought is the worst he has seen in 12 years and poses a serious threat to the large and majestic animals, whose striking silhouettes roaming Kenya's broad savannah help draw 1 million tourists each year.

Associated Press Writer Khaled Kazziha contributed to this report.


----------



## poochee

Posted on Monday, September 21, 2009 
*U.S. judge reverses Bush, puts grizzlies on endangered list*:up:
By Rocky Barker | Idaho Statesman

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy on Monday returned grizzly bears in eastern Idaho, Wyoming and Montana to federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/75782.html


----------



## ekim68

*Monarch butterflies' migration at risk*

SACRAMENTO, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Excessive logging in central Mexico is threatening the annual migration of butterflies from Canada to Mexico, environmental officials say.

More


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Monarch butterflies' migration at risk*
> 
> SACRAMENTO, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Excessive logging in central Mexico is threatening the annual migration of butterflies from Canada to Mexico, environmental officials say.
> 
> More


----------



## ekim68

*Deep freeze 'arks' to save coral reefs*

_Researchers fear coral reefs won't survive next 50 years, so cryogenic plans are laid to rebuild them_

Scientists are preparing plans to store coral in cryogenic vaults, so that the world's vanishing reefs can be rebuilt once the climate is stabilised.

Researchers consider there is now little chance that coral reefs - which are built by living creatures, and support up to a third of the world's marine biodiversity - will survive the next 50 years. They are threatened by rising sea temperatures and increasing acidification, triggered by rising carbon dioxide levels.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/25/coral-arks-doomed-reefs


----------



## bp936

poochee said:


> Posted on Monday, September 21, 2009
> *U.S. judge reverses Bush, puts grizzlies on endangered list*:up:
> By Rocky Barker | Idaho Statesman
> 
> U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy on Monday returned grizzly bears in eastern Idaho, Wyoming and Montana to federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.
> 
> http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/75782.html


:up::up:

I worry 

living many decades in the same spot in the country, we used to hear many frogs from the pond nearby, then we knew summer is not far. 
In recent years, I noticed that we were missing the sound of the frogs in spring and never hear them any longer in summer evenings either, 
this is at least for the last 5 years. We can't find any frogs, when we walk to the pond.
Something definitely has happened. What a shame.


----------



## lotuseclat79

bp936 said:


> :up::up:
> 
> I worry
> 
> living many decades in the same spot in the country, we used to hear many frogs from the pond nearby, then we knew summer is not far.
> In recent years, I noticed that we were missing the sound of the frogs in spring and never hear them any longer in summer evenings either,
> this is at least for the last 5 years. We can't find any frogs, when we walk to the pond.
> Something definitely has happened. What a shame.


Hi bp936,

Here is some information on what has been happening:

Killer Disease Short-Circuits Frog Hearts.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

bp936 said:


> :up::up:
> 
> I worry
> 
> living many decades in the same spot in the country, we used to hear many frogs from the pond nearby, then we knew summer is not far.
> In recent years, I noticed that we were missing the sound of the frogs in spring and never hear them any longer in summer evenings either,
> this is at least for the last 5 years. We can't find any frogs, when we walk to the pond.
> Something definitely has happened. What a shame.


I worry too.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Nearly 200 Rhinos Killed in Zimbabwe Over Three Years.

*About 200 rhino have reportedly been killed by poachers in Zimbabwe over the last three years, and wildlife officials warn that international and regional poaching syndicates are benefiting from local cooperation.*

Save the rhinos!

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Nearly 200 Rhinos Killed in Zimbabwe Over Three Years.
> 
> *About 200 rhino have reportedly been killed by poachers in Zimbabwe over the last three years, and wildlife officials warn that international and regional poaching syndicates are benefiting from local cooperation.*
> *
> Save the rhinos!*
> 
> -- Tom


:up:


----------



## Gabriel

Giraffes on the rebound

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33753490?Gt1=43001


----------



## poochee

Gabriel said:


> Giraffes on the rebound
> 
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33753490?Gt1=43001


:up:

They are so beautiful.


----------



## ekim68

Very cool Gabriel...:up: Interesting note:



> There are nine subspecies of giraffes in Africa, each distinguished by geographic location and the color, pattern and shape of their spotted coats.


----------



## ekim68

*Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash*

ABOARD THE ALGUITA, 1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii - In this remote patch of the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from any national boundary, the detritus of human life is collecting in a swirling current so large that it defies precise measurement.

Light bulbs, bottle caps, toothbrushes, Popsicle sticks and tiny pieces of plastic, each the size of a grain of rice, inhabit the Pacific garbage patch, an area of widely dispersed trash that doubles in size every decade and is now believed to be roughly twice the size of Texas. But one research organization estimates that the garbage now actually pervades the Pacific, though most of it is caught in what oceanographers call a gyre like this one - an area of heavy currents and slack winds that keep the trash swirling in a giant whirlpool.

Scientists say the garbage patch is just one of five that may be caught in giant gyres scattered around the world's oceans. Abandoned fishing gear like buoys, fishing line andnets account for some of the waste, but other items come from land after washing into storm drains and out to sea.

Plastic is the most common refuse in the patch because it is lightweight, durable and an omnipresent, disposable product in both advanced and developing societies. It can float along for hundreds of miles before being caught in a gyre and then, over time, breaking down.

But once it does split into pieces, the fragments look like confetti in the water. Millions, billions, trillions and more of these particles are floating in the world's trash-filled gyres.

PCBs, DDT and other toxic chemicals cannot dissolve in water, but the plastic absorbs them like a sponge. Fish that feed on plankton ingest the tiny plastic particles. Scientists from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation say that fish tissues contain some of the same chemicals as the plastic. The scientists speculate that toxic chemicals are leaching into fish tissue from the plastic they eat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/science/10patch.html?hp


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash*
> 
> ABOARD THE ALGUITA, 1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii  In this remote patch of the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from any national boundary, the detritus of human life is collecting in a swirling current so large that it defies precise measurement.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/science/10patch.html?hp


----------



## poochee

*Russia launches program to save tigers worldwide * 
GARY PEACH | November 11, 2009 01:10 PM EST | * AP*

MOSCOW  Vladimir Putin has made headlines by championing the endangered Siberian tiger  posing with a cuddly cub and placing a tracking collar on a full-grown female in the wilds of his country's Far East. Now Russia is helping plan an ambitious program it hopes can double the global tiger population by 2022.

Russia hopes to hold a "tiger summit" in the Far East city of Vladivostok in September to coordinate multinational efforts to protect the Amur tiger, its habitats and increasingly scarce food sources, representatives of Russia's Natural Resources Ministry, the World Bank and the World Wildlife Fund said Wednesday.

"We decided that this time we should do something serious in order to preserve tigers on our planet," said Igor Chestin, director of the Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund. "The situation is catastrophic."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20091111/eu-russia-endangered-tiger/


----------



## ekim68

poochee said:


> "We decided that this time we should do something serious in order to preserve tigers on our planet," said Igor Chestin, director of the Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund. "The situation is catastrophic."
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20091111/eu-russia-endangered-tiger/


:up:


----------



## Gabriel

Pelicans no longer on endangered species list

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unl...endangered-species-say-federal-officials.html


----------



## poochee

Gabriel said:


> Pelicans no longer on endangered species list
> 
> http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unl...endangered-species-say-federal-officials.html


:up:


----------



## steppenwolf

http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2009/02/chimpanzees_are_not_pets.php

people on endangered list

Category: Conservation  Culture  Education  Media and Science
Posted on: February 18, 2009 2:02 PM, by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum

You've likely already seen this story all over the news:

Chimp's owner calls vicious mauling 'freak thing'

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The owner of a 200-pound chimpanzee that viciously mauled a Stamford woman calls the incident "a freak thing," but says her pet was not a "horrible" animal.

Sandra Herold told NBC's "Today Show" in an interview aired Wednesday that Travis, her 14-year-old chimpanzee, was like a son to her.

Herold tried to save her friend by stabbing the chimp with a butcher knife and bludgeoning it with a shovel.

I have extremely strong emotions concerning this particular issue... in part because of my conservation biology background, but more recently, from my friendship with science writer Vanessa Woods and her husband, evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Brian Hare. The very reason they study sanctuary orphans is because often mothers have been killed so the babies can be sold to people who want them as pets. Vanessa explained the problems with this last year at her terrific blog Bonobo Handshake, reposted here:

#1 Chimpanzees are wild animals. Animals that make good PETS like dogs and cats, have been domesticated for [thousands] of years. There has been selection on them against agression, which is why a dog, unlike a wolf, will not automatically tear you to pieces. Anyone who has a pet chimpanzee for long enough will eventually no longer be able to control them and will either get a body part bitten off or will have to use extreme force to control them. Chimps live to be 50 years old and grow almost as big as a human male. They have extremely powerful muscles and are 5-10 stronger than a heavy weight boxer.


----------



## poochee

steppenwolf said:


> http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2009/02/chimpanzees_are_not_pets.php
> 
> people on endangered list
> 
> Category: Conservation • Culture • Education • Media and Science
> Posted on: February 18, 2009 2:02 PM, by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum
> 
> You've likely already seen this story all over the news:
> 
> * Chimp's owner calls vicious mauling 'freak thing'*


She is a very foolish woman! I saw the victums interview on the Oprah show. Veeeeeeery sad.


----------



## ekim68

*Turtles Are Casualties of Warming in Costa Rica *

PLAYA GRANDE, Costa Rica  This resort town was long known for Leatherback Sea Turtle National Park, nightly turtle beach tours and even a sea turtle museum. So Kaja Michelson, a Swedish tourist, arrived with high expectations. Of course were hoping to see turtles  that is part of the appeal, she said.

But haphazard development, in tandem with warmer temperatures and rising seas that many scientists link to global warming, have vastly diminished the Pacific turtle population.










http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/science/earth/14turtles.html?_r=1&hp


----------



## lotuseclat79

After mastodons and mammoths, a transformed landscape.

*Roughly 15,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, North America's vast assemblage of large animals -- including such iconic creatures as mammoths, mastodons, camels, horses, ground sloths and giant beavers -- began their precipitous slide to extinction.*









Mastodons graze on black ash trees in a pleistocene swamp. A new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that the disappearance of North America's large herbivores not long after the retreat of the ice sheets that covered much of the continent triggered a dramatic reshaping of the landscape. Illustration: Barry Roal Carlsen

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Sea lion allegedly shot by fisherman is being treated*:up:
*Is resting at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.*
Published: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 2B
- Cathy Locke

State Fish and Game wardens on Nov. 21 arrested a North Highlands man on three misdemeanor charges related to the shooting. Larry Allen Legans, 43, allegedly confessed to shooting the animal from his boat with a shotgun, *saying he was tired of sea **lions taking his fish.* 

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2373856.html


----------



## ekim68

*Beached whales killed by ingesting plastic*

FOGGIA, Italy, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Seven sperm whales that beached at Foggia, Italy, died from ingesting plastic in the ocean, a scientist at Tusica University said Friday.

"They must have mistaken the objects for squid, one of their favorite foods," said Giuseppe Nascetti, who teaches marine ecology at Tuscia University.

The plastic "strangled" the whales' stomachs, which also contained pieces of rope, tin cans and other containers, Nascetti told the Italian news agency ANSA in a story published Friday.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/200...lled-by-ingesting-plastic/UPI-47351261152108/


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Beached whales killed by ingesting plastic*
> 
> FOGGIA, Italy, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Seven sperm whales that beached at Foggia, Italy, died from ingesting plastic in the ocean, a scientist at Tusica University said Friday.
> 
> "They must have mistaken the objects for squid, one of their favorite foods," said Giuseppe Nascetti, who teaches marine ecology at Tuscia University.
> 
> The plastic "strangled" the whales' stomachs, which also contained pieces of rope, tin cans and other containers, Nascetti told the Italian news agency ANSA in a story published Friday.
> 
> http://www.upi.com/Science_News/200...lled-by-ingesting-plastic/UPI-47351261152108/


----------



## ekim68

*4 rare northern white rhinos relocated to Kenya*

Four of the world's last known eight northern white rhinos landed in Kenya on Sunday and were transported to a game park where officials hope the endangered mammals will reproduce and save their subspecies.

No white rhinos are known to remain in the wild, and the animals transported on Sunday have produced no offspring after nearly 24 years in a Czech zoo. So wildlife workers hoping to save the subspecies loaded two males and two females into wooden crates and began the effort to return them to what was once their savannah homeland.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/20/international/i070855S61.DTL&tsp=1


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *4 rare northern white rhinos relocated to Kenya*
> 
> Four of the world's last known eight northern white rhinos landed in Kenya on Sunday and were transported to a game park where officials hope the endangered mammals will reproduce and save their subspecies.
> 
> No white rhinos are known to remain in the wild, and the animals transported on Sunday have produced no offspring after nearly 24 years in a Czech zoo. So wildlife workers hoping to save the subspecies loaded two males and two females into wooden crates and began the effort to return them to what was once their savannah homeland.
> 
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/20/international/i070855S61.DTL&tsp=1


:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

The Truth About Lions (9 web pages).

*The world's foremost lion expert reveals the brutal, secret world of the king of beasts*

This is a really great story - well, worth the read!

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> The Truth About Lions (9 web pages).
> 
> *The world's foremost lion expert reveals the brutal, secret world of the king of beasts*
> 
> This is a really great story - well, worth the read!
> 
> -- Tom


Very interesting. I hope they survive.


----------



## poochee

Huffpost -* San Francisco's Famous Sea Lions Have VANISHED *
*Hope they return!*
EVELYN NIEVES | 12/29/09 10:01 PM | *AP*

SAN FRANCISCO  Last month, marine scientists counted more than 1,500 sea lions on fabled Pier 39, a record number that delighted tourists and baffled experts. Why so many? Why were they sticking around? But now, almost all of the sea lions are gone, leaving the experts guessing where they went  and why.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/29/san-franciscos-famous-sea_n_406702.html


----------



## poochee

Posted on Thursday, 01.07.10
FLORIDA WILDLIFE
*Manatee death rate hit record high in '09*
A record death toll for manatees shows that the sea cow population remains vulnerable even as its numbers grow.
BY CURTIS MORGAN
[email protected]



> It was a landmark year, good and bad, for Florida manatees.
> 
> The endangered mammals suffered the deadliest year on record in 2009 as state wildlife biologists documented 429 fatalities, a mark boosted by a trio of all-time highs for boat strikes (97), newborns (114) and cold stress (56).


http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1413078.html


----------



## poochee

*Update on San Francisco's Famous Seal Lions.*

*Where did SF Bay's sea lions go? Try Oregon Coast*
JEFF BARNARD | January 8, 2010 08:07 PM EST | *AP*



> GRANTS PASS, Ore.  Hundreds of sea lions that abruptly blew out of San Francisco Bay's Pier 39 last Thanksgiving have apparently found a new home at another tourist attraction  500 miles north on the Oregon coast. Thousands of California sea lions started showing up in December at Sea Lion Caves, a popular tourist draw because of the Stellar sea lions living in the caves.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100108/us-sea-lion-newcomers/


----------



## ekim68

*Stanford study opposes minke culling*

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Minke whales are not preventing the recovery of larger whales in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, scientists in California say.

Some whaling proponents have argued the minke population has grown too large and should be culled, saying they compete for food with larger whales whose populations were decimated by industrialized whaling early in the last century.

A study at Stanford University, however, found minkes were not competing for food with other whale species, such as blue, humpback, sei and fin, the university said in a release Thursday.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/01/15/Stanford-study-opposes-minke-culling/UPI-44861263585989/


----------



## lotuseclat79

Humans were once an endangered species.

*Scientists from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in the U.S. have calculated that 1.2 million years ago, at a time when our ancestors were spreading through Africa, Europe and Asia, there were probably only around 18,500 individuals capable of breeding (and no more than 26,000). This made them an endangered species with a smaller population than today's species such as gorillas (approximately 25,000 breeding individuals) and chimpanzees (an estimated 21,000). They remained an endangered species for around one million years.*









Temporal and Geographical Distribution of Hominid Populations Redrawn from Stringer (2003). From: Genetic Analysis of Lice Supports Direct Contact between Modern and Archaic Humans Reed DL, Smith VS, Hammond SL, Rogers AR, Clayton DH PLoS Biology Vol. 2, No. 11, e340 doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020340. Image via Wikipedia.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

New evidence links humans to megafauna demise.

*A new scientific paper co-authored by a University of Adelaide researcher reports strong evidence that humans, not climate change, caused the demise of Australia's megafauna -- giant marsupials, huge reptiles and flightless birds -- at least 40,000 years ago.*









Artist's reconstruction of the half-tonne Palorchestes azael, an extinct Australian giant marsupial which was similar to a ground sloth (Picture credit: Peter Schouten).

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Net Gains and Losses (5 web pages).

*Is the Omega Protein company overfishing the most important fish in the sea?*

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Arizona Intentionally Snared Last Jaguar, Inquiry Finds*

Contrary to their denials, employees of the Arizona Game and Fish Department intentionally snared the *last known jaguar in the Southwest* last year, a report by the federal government says.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/23/science/earth/23jaguar.html?hpw


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Arizona Intentionally Snared Last Jaguar, Inquiry Finds*
> 
> Contrary to their denials, employees of the Arizona Game and Fish Department intentionally snared the *last known jaguar in the Southwest* last year, a report by the federal government says.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/23/science/earth/23jaguar.html?hpw


:down:


----------



## ekim68

*Sexy sparrow exposed as world's most promiscuous bird *

A bird living on the coast of the US is the world's most promiscuous bird, say scientists.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8473000/8473161.stm


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Sexy sparrow exposed as world's most promiscuous bird *
> 
> A bird living on the coast of the US is the world's most promiscuous bird, say scientists.
> 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8473000/8473161.stm


s


----------



## poochee

*Fla. manatees die in record numbers from cold*
January 26, 2010 10:53 AM EST | *AP*

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100126/us-manatee-deaths-cold/


----------



## poochee

*Cow Torture Video: Willet Dairy Caught Burning Off Cows' Horns, Chopping Calf's Tail In Mercy For Animals Expose*
*Disgusting.*
Huffington Post/*AP* | MARY ESCH First Posted: 01-27-10 09:56 AM | Updated: 01-27-10 10:24 AM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/cow-torture-video-willet-_n_438403.html


----------



## ekim68

*Deep-sea trawling is destroying coral reefs and pristine marine habitats*

A survey of the world's reefs and submerged mountains has revealed widespread damage from deep-sea trawling.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/18/deep-sea-trawling-coral-reefs


----------



## lotuseclat79

On the brink of extinction - 25 of our closest relatives.

*Governments around the world need to take drastic action to save the most endangered primate species, a new report is demanding*

In pictures.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Extinct In Our Lifetime - 11 Species We've Lost Forever.

*Check out some of the beautiful creatures we've lost recently - in just the last 40 years.*

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Extinct In Our Lifetime  11 Species We've Lost Forever.
> 
> *Check out some of the beautiful creatures we've lost recently  in just the last 40 years.*
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Origin of Tasmanian Devil Cancer Uncovered.

*A relatively rare form of transmissible cancer-known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD)-has been decimating Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harisii) populations in Northeast Tasmania over the past thirteen or more years. First identified in 1996, the cancer has become so pervasive that the animal-the world's largest carnivorous marsupial-has now become one of the world's most endangered species.*









Male Tasmanian Devil: photo credit: Wayne McLean on wikipedia.org

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Origin of Tasmanian Devil Cancer Uncovered.
> 
> *A relatively rare form of transmissible cancerknown as Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD)has been decimating Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harisii) populations in Northeast Tasmania over the past thirteen or more years. First identified in 1996, the cancer has become so pervasive that the animalthe worlds largest carnivorous marsupialhas now become one of the worlds most endangered species.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Male Tasmanian Devil: photo credit: Wayne McLean on wikipedia.org
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

'Extinct' frog species found again after 30 years.

*A species of frog thought to have been extinct for 30 years has been found in rural Australian farmland, officials said Thursday.*









This undated photo provided by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service shows a pair of Yellow-spotted Bell Frogs in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales state of Australia. The species of frog thought to have been extinct for 30 years has been discovered in rural Australian farmland, officials said Thursday, March 4, 2010. (AP Photo/New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, David Hunter)

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> 'Extinct' frog species found again after 30 years.
> 
> *A species of frog thought to have been extinct for 30 years has been found in rural Australian farmland, officials said Thursday.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This undated photo provided by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service shows a pair of Yellow-spotted Bell Frogs in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales state of Australia. The species of frog thought to have been extinct for 30 years has been discovered in rural Australian farmland, officials said Thursday, March 4, 2010. (AP Photo/New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, David Hunter)
> 
> -- Tom


:up:


----------



## ekim68

*A rare butterfly takes flight on the Palos Verdes Peninsula*

Conservationists watch in awe as 80 endangered Palos Verdes blue butterflies, each bred in captivity, venture into the wild for the first time. It's a step toward saving the insect from extinction.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/l...mostviewed+(L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories)


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *A rare butterfly takes flight on the Palos Verdes Peninsula*
> 
> Conservationists watch in awe as 80 endangered Palos Verdes blue butterflies, each bred in captivity, venture into the wild for the first time. It's a step toward saving the insect from extinction.
> 
> http://www.latimes.com/news/local/l...mostviewed+(L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories)


:up:


----------



## ekim68

*Ghost orchid comes back from extinction*

Three species thought to be extinct have been found again, to the delight of conservationists.

In the UK, the rare ghost orchid, declared extinct in this country just last year, has been found in England, and a caddisfly - a small flying insect - last seen more than a century ago has been discovered again in Scotland.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/08/ghost-orchid-extinction


----------



## ekim68

lotuseclat79 said:


> Origin of Tasmanian Devil Cancer Uncovered.
> 
> *A relatively rare form of transmissible cancerknown as Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD)has been decimating Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harisii) populations in Northeast Tasmania over the past thirteen or more years. First identified in 1996, the cancer has become so pervasive that the animalthe worlds largest carnivorous marsupialhas now become one of the worlds most endangered species.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Male Tasmanian Devil: photo credit: Wayne McLean on wikipedia.org
> 
> -- Tom


More on this:

*Tasmanian devil colony shows immunity to cancer*

ADELAIDE, Australia -- Australian scientists said Wednesday that the discovery of a genetically distinct colony of Tasmanian devils may save the species from being wiped out by a contagious cancer that has decimated the population.



> Devil Facial Tumor Disease was discovered in 1996. Since then, the numbers of Tasmanian devils have plummeted by 70 percent. Last spring, Australia listed the devils as an endangered species and current estimates suggest the Tasmanian devil could be extinct within 25 years.
> 
> But Belov said the new findings, which were published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society, buy more time for managing the disease and developing a vaccine.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...03/10/AR2010031000581.html?hpid=moreheadlines


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Ghost orchid comes back from extinction*
> 
> Three species thought to be extinct have been found again, to the delight of conservationists.
> 
> In the UK, the rare ghost orchid, declared extinct in this country just last year, has been found in England, and a caddisfly  a small flying insect  last seen more than a century ago has been discovered again in Scotland.
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/08/ghost-orchid-extinction


:up:


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> More on this:
> 
> *Tasmanian devil colony shows immunity to cancer*
> 
> ADELAIDE, Australia -- Australian scientists said Wednesday that the discovery of a genetically distinct colony of Tasmanian devils may save the species from being wiped out by a contagious cancer that has decimated the population.
> 
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...03/10/AR2010031000581.html?hpid=moreheadlines


:up:


----------



## wowlikecandy

I am also worried about the animals that we kill off. I hope over population doesn't come to are government murdering people to save a select few.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Should we be trying to save the dodo?.

*A quantitative way to decide whether to keep on conserving a species.*









How do we know when a species really is as dead as a dodo? Science Photo Library









The mountain pygmy possum - still worth saving.Biosphoto / J. L. Klein & M. L. Hubert / Still Pictures



> "There's a big move towards more incorporation of decision-making theory and economics into conservation decision-making," she adds. "It will at least make it more transparent why we're working on a particular species."
> 
> Andrew Solow, director of the Marine Policy Center at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, says that papers of this sort are beginning to make an impact on conservation practices. Solow, who co-authored a paper with Roberts on the dodo's extinction2, adds, "The resources are scarce and any time you can allocate them better it's a good thing."


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Wolverine State loses only known wild wolverine*
March 16, 2010 12:43 AM EST | *AP*



> State officials said Monday hikers found the 28-pound female over the weekend outside Minden, about 90 miles north of Detroit.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100316/us-wolverine-dies-michigan/


----------



## ekim68

*Surge in rhino poaching devastates African populations*

Organized gangs decimate Zimbabwe herds and may wipe out South Africa's endangered black rhinos within a decade. Ranchers trying to save the animals find heartbreak amid carcasses shorn of horns.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-south-africa-rhinos16-2010mar16,0,4093161.story


----------



## ekim68

*Nations now free to fish bluefin tuna to extinction*

A proposal to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna prized in sushi has been rejected by a U.N. wildlife meeting.

Thursday's decision occurred after Japan, Canada and scores of poor nations opposed the measure on the grounds that it would devastate fishing economies.

Monaco introduced the proposal at the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES. It argued that extreme measures are necessary because the stocks have fallen by 75 percent and current managing agencies have done nothing to rebuild the stocks.

Only the United States, Norway and Kenya supported the proposal outright.

http://www.grist.org/article/nations-now-free-to-fish-bluefin-tuna-to-extinction


----------



## ekim68

*Gorillas could vanish from Congo by 2025*

UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (UPI) -- Gorillas could disappear from much of Africa's Congo River Basin within 15 years without urgent action to protect them, a United Nations and police report says.

"Illegal logging, mining, charcoal production and increased demand for bush meat, of which an increasing proportion is ape meat," are killing off gorillas, the largest of the living primates, the U.N. Environment Program and International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, report said.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/201...vanish-from-Congo-by-2025/UPI-53711269538455/


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Gorillas could vanish from Congo by 2025*
> 
> UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (UPI) -- Gorillas could disappear from much of Africa's Congo River Basin within 15 years without urgent action to protect them, a United Nations and police report says.
> 
> "Illegal logging, mining, charcoal production and increased demand for bush meat, of which an increasing proportion is ape meat," are killing off gorillas, the largest of the living primates, the U.N. Environment Program and International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, report said.
> 
> http://www.upi.com/Science_News/201...vanish-from-Congo-by-2025/UPI-53711269538455/


----------



## lotuseclat79

Monarch Butterflies Under Seige.

*This year may be one of the worst on record for the monarch butterfly, experts are reporting. Severe hailstorms in Mexico (one of the monarch's winter home) followed by fifteen inches of rain has left the population decimated by up to 50 percent this year.*









Monarchs

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Britain protects Chagos Islands, creating world's largest marine reserve*

The British government on Thursday announced the creation of the world's largest marine reserve, designating a group of 55 islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean off-limits to industrial fishing and other extractive activities.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040102894.html?hpid=artslot


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Monarch Butterflies Under Seige.
> 
> *This year may be one of the worst on record for the monarch butterfly, experts are reporting. Severe hailstorms in Mexico (one of the monarch's winter home) followed by fifteen inches of rain has left the population decimated by up to 50 percent this year.*
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

The following article is related to Ecology and may be evidence of global warming effects where species shift and are harbingers of change in climate - i.e. the plant and animal species are highly inter-related.

NYC study: 50 native plants disappearing.

*Oriental Bittersweet was an exotic foreigner still found mostly in East Asia when the New York Botanical Garden planted its first specimen in 1897.*









This undated photo of Celastrus Scandens, commonly known as American Bittersweet, was released by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Friday, April 2, 2010 in New York. A 20-year-long study by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, has identified the plant as one of species native to New York City that has been in a slow decline. Once common across the eastern two thirds of the U.S., the native version of the plant is still around, but it has vanished from many areas now dominated by its hardier, faster-breeding Asian cousin, the Oriental Bittersweet. (AP Photo/Brooklyn Botanic Garden)

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Stranded ship "time bomb" to Great Barrier Reef*

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A stranded Chinese coal ship leaking oil onto Australia's Great Barrier Reef is an environmental time bomb with the potential to devastate large protected areas of the reef, activists said on Monday.

The ship was a "ticking environmental time bomb," Gilly Llewellyn, director of conservation for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Australia, told Reuters.

She said this was the third major international incident involving its owners in four years.

Australian government officials say the stricken Shen Neng I belongs to the Shenzhen Energy Group, a subsidiary of China's state-owned China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, better known by its acronym COSCO.

In 2007, COSCO was linked to a major oil spill in San Francisco bay, while last year it was tied to another in Norway, both of which damaged environmentally sensitive areas.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100405/ts_nm/us_australia_ship


----------



## ekim68

*Calif condor egg successfully hatches at Pinnacles*

For the first time in more than a century, a California condor chick has hatched inside the federal park that once was the species' domain.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/04/07/state/n112125D51.DTL&tsp=1


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Calif condor egg successfully hatches at Pinnacles*
> 
> For the first time in more than a century, a California condor chick has hatched inside the federal park that once was the species' domain.
> 
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/04/07/state/n112125D51.DTL&tsp=1


:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

Critical Condition: 12 Very Rare and Endangered Animals.









(Images via: Lists O Plenty, ESA Blawg, Davo Trip, Fat Birder, Say I Am Green, Current, Flickr, The Age, The Website of Everything, Green Packs, Flickr, It's Nature)

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Earth's Most Endangered Cat.

*Not since the time of the sabertooth has a feline species gone extinct. Earth's most endangered cat could be next.*









Iberian Lynx

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Critical Condition: 12 Very Rare and Endangered Animals.
> -- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Earth's Most Endangered Cat.
> 
> -- Tom


 Beautiful Cat.


----------



## poochee

*Supreme Court Overturns Animal Cruelty Video Ban: Ruling Could Spur New 'Crush' Videos *
MARK SHERMAN | 04/20/10 12:34 PM | *AP*

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court struck down a federal law Tuesday aimed at banning videos that show graphic violence against animals, saying it violates the right to free speech.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/20/supreme-court-overturns-a_n_544307.html


----------



## ekim68

Good grief. I'll bet the animals wish they had 'free speech' and the rights that go with it...:down:


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Good grief. I'll bet the animals wish they had 'free speech' and the rights that go with it...:down:


Yes, it is disgraceful/sick what is allowed to be done to helpless animals.:down:


----------



## ekim68

*Protected Reef Offers Model for Conservation*

GLOVER'S REEF, Belize - As Alex Tilley powers his 15-foot skiff over the turquoise surface, a dark form slips across the white sand floor below. "Sting ray," Mr. Tilley says.

For the next half mile, en route to the Wildlife Conservation Society research station here at Glover's Reef in Belize, at least half a dozen rays are spotted moving beneath the surface. To Mr. Tilley, the presence of so many rays says a lot about the state of the reef here.

"The fish populations at Glover's are still very robust," he said. "This is definitely one of the healthiest reefs in the region."

Mr. Tilley is the station manager and resident scientist here on Middle Caye, one of six small islands within the Glover's Reef atoll. A Ph.D. candidate in marine biology from Bangor University in North Wales, Mr. Tilley leads a reef monitoring program sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a Bronx-based organization that helped establish the reserve here in 1993.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/science/earth/27reef.html?hpw


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Protected Reef Offers Model for Conservation*
> 
> GLOVERS REEF, Belize  As Alex Tilley powers his 15-foot skiff over the turquoise surface, a dark form slips across the white sand floor below. Sting ray, Mr. Tilley says.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/science/earth/27reef.html?hpw


:up:


----------



## ekim68

*U.K. trawl fishing hurt by decline in fish*

YORK, England, May 6 (UPI) -- British researchers said the U.K.'s trawl fishing fleet works 17 times harder to catch the same amount of fish as it did when its boats were powered by sail.

Scientists from the University of York and Britain's Marine Conservation Society said they used government data on the amount of fish caught and the size and number of boats involved to analyze the change in fish stocks since 1889.

Ruth Thurstan of the University of York, the study's lead author, said the findings show trawl fish landings peaked in 1937, 14 times higher than today's figures, and the availability of bottom-living fish to the fleet has fallen by 94 percent.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/201...g-hurt-by-decline-in-fish/UPI-78171273159153/


----------



## poochee

Posted on Monday, May 10, 2010 
*Traffic hit Alaska gray wolves hard during winter*
By Kyle Hopkins | The Anchorage Daily News

*At least six wolves were killed by cars along a roughly half-mile stretch of the Glenn Highway outside of Anchorage last winter and fall, with wolf experts saying they've never seen that kind of carnage in a single season anywhere in Alaska  much less on the outskirts of the state's biggest city. *

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/10/93813/traffic-hit-alaska-gray-wolves.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Study documents widespread extinction of lizard populations due to climate change.

*A major survey of lizard populations worldwide has found an alarming pattern of population extinctions attributable to rising temperatures. If current trends continue, 20 percent of all lizard species could go extinct by 2080, according to Barry Sinervo, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.*









Madagascar is a hotspot of extinctions (21 percent local extinctions) and members of the Chamaeleonidae family (Pictured here: Furcifer lateralis) are currently going extinct. Credit: Photo by Ignacio De la Riva

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Mass Animal Extinctions, Not Climate Change, Killed Plants.









A gradual dying out of large herbivores about 15,000 years ago, lead to the disappearance of certain plant populations, a new study says. The findings contradict pervious ideas that climate change could have killed off these plant communities. Here, mastodons graze on black ash trees in a Pleistocene swamp. Credit: Barry Carlsen; courtesy University of Wisconsin Board of Regents

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*U.N. experts warn that world's oceans could be 'fished out' in 40 years*

U.N. experts warn that the world's oceans could be out of fish in 40 years unless fishing fleets are slashed and stocks allowed to replenish.

A Green Economy report due later this year finds that mismanagement, lack of enforcement and subsidies totaling over $27 billion annually have left close to 30% of fish stocks classed as "collapsed," that is, yielding less than 10% of their former potential.

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...rlds-oceans-could-be-fished-out-in-40-years/1


----------



## ekim68

More on the oceans: 

*In wake of BP spill, will we save our oceans?*



> Just over a month ago, the ocean burned. The images of BP Deepwater Horizon in flames have led us to question both ocean industrialization and the anemic state of conservation. Not long ago, however, Americans were swept up in a wave of environmentalism spurred in part by two very different events.
> 
> First, in 1956, Jacques Cousteau released his film, The Silent World, upon an unsuspecting and soon awestruck public. Though hard to fathom now, few humans had ever glimpsed the beauty, grace and mystery just a few feet below the ocean's surface. The second, in 1969, came when Cleveland's Cuyahoga River caught fire. The image of a polluted river in flames was seared into the national consciousness. The United States would go on to pass the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and other important protections.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-05-24-column24_ST1_N.htm


----------



## lotuseclat79

Website Offers Betting on Spill-Related Extinctions of Gulf Species.

*Think the spreading oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico could drive some species to extinction? Put your money where your mouth is.

The gambling website PaddyPower.com placed odds today on what species would be first to become extinct as a result of crude belching from BP PLC's ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Odds are the Kemp's ridley turtle, and endangered species that migrates to the Gulf this time of year, would go first. A $5 bet on the turtle would win $9 if it's listed as extinct at any time because of the spill.*

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Website Offers Betting on Spill-Related Extinctions of Gulf Species.
> 
> *Think the spreading oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico could drive some species to extinction? Put your money where your mouth is.
> 
> The gambling website PaddyPower.com placed odds today on what species would be first to become extinct as a result of crude belching from BP PLC's ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico.
> 
> Odds are the Kemp's ridley turtle, and endangered species that migrates to the Gulf this time of year, would go first. A $5 bet on the turtle would win $9 if it's listed as extinct at any time because of the spill.*
> 
> -- Tom


Disgusting.:down:


----------



## lotuseclat79

End of Alaotra grebe is further evidence of Sixth Great Extinction.

*Species are vanishing quicker than at any point in the last 65 million years*



> One more step in what scientists are increasingly referring to as the Sixth Great Extinction is announced today: the disappearance of yet another bird species. The vanishing of the Alaotra grebe of Madagascar is formally notified this morning by the global conservation partnership BirdLife International - and it marks a small but ominous step in the biological process which seems likely to dominate the 21st century.











A painting of the Alaotra grebe by Chris Rose



> Earth's Five Great Extinctions
> 
> 65 million years ago (mya) Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T extinction). Did for the dinosaurs. May have been caused by a meteorite hitting what is now Yucatan, Mexico; 75 per cent of species disappeared.
> 
> 205 mya Triassic-Jurassic extinction. Did away with competition for the dinosaurs.
> 
> 251mya Permian-Triassic (the worst of all). Known as "The Great Dying." About 96 per cent of marine species and 70 per cent of land species disappeared.
> 
> 360-375mya Late Devonian. A prolonged series of extinctions which may have lasted 20 million years.
> 
> 440-450mya Ordovidician-Silurian. Two linked events which are considered together to have been the second worst extinction in the list.


Related article: Madagascar bird driven to extinction by invasive fish.

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Newfound Frog Species Threatened by Deadly Fungus.

*Two previously unknown frog species have been identified from two sites in Panama, and they are already under threat from the deadly fungus that has wiped out many amphibian species and is poised to threaten many more.*

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Earth holds less biodiversity than thought*

SYDNEY: How many species share our planet? According to a recalculation by an international research team, the number is significantly lower than we thought - only around 5.5 million.

While that may sound like a lot, this number pales in comparison to previous species estimates, which varied widely from 30 million to over 100 million species.

In fact, the new study, appearing in the journal The American Naturalist, shows that there is less than 0.001% chance that the frequently cited previous estimate of 30 million could be true.

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/3472/earth-holds-less-biodiversity-thought


----------



## lotuseclat79

12,000 endangered saiga antelope found dead in Kazakhstan.

*Mysterious deaths are a devastating blow to the unique-looking animal, which has seen its population decline by 95% since 1995.*









SAIGA: These unique animals, which have distinct bulbous noses, once roamed over a vast area of the Eurasian steppe zone. (Photo: Wiki Commons/GNU)

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> 12,000 endangered saiga antelope found dead in Kazakhstan.
> 
> *Mysterious deaths are a devastating blow to the unique-looking animal, which has seen its population decline by 95% since 1995.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SAIGA: These unique animals, which have distinct bulbous noses, once roamed over a vast area of the Eurasian steppe zone. (Photo: Wiki Commons/GNU)
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Whales said to have high levels of toxic metals*

Reporting from Agadir, Morocco -
Sperm whales feeding in even the most remote reaches of Earth's oceans have built up shockingly high levels of toxic and heavy metals, according to American scientists who say the findings spell danger not only for marine life but for the millions of humans who depend on seafood.

http://www.latimes.com/news/health/...mostviewed+(L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories)


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Whales said to have high levels of toxic metals*
> 
> Reporting from Agadir, Morocco 
> Sperm whales feeding in even the most remote reaches of Earth's oceans have built up shockingly high levels of toxic and heavy metals, according to American scientists who say the findings spell danger not only for marine life but for the millions of humans who depend on seafood.
> 
> http://www.latimes.com/news/health/...mostviewed+(L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories)


----------



## lotuseclat79

ekim68 said:


> *Whales said to have high levels of toxic metals*
> 
> Reporting from Agadir, Morocco 
> Sperm whales feeding in even the most remote reaches of Earth's oceans have built up shockingly high levels of toxic and heavy metals, according to American scientists who say the findings spell danger not only for marine life but for the millions of humans who depend on seafood.
> 
> http://www.latimes.com/news/health/...mostviewed+(L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories)


Well, that should give the Japanese pause in their whaling industry/population's fervor for eating whale meat, eh?

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

*Could pollution in the St. Johns River be leading to bird deaths?*

In adddition to the more than 70 calls that have been made to the St. Johns River fish-kill hotline with reports of dead fish, area organizations have started getting calls to report another ailing species: birds.

http://floridaindependent.com/2759/could-pollution-in-the-st-johns-river-be-leading-to-bird-deaths

(Our planet is sick and no one seems to care...)


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *Could pollution in the St. Johns River be leading to bird deaths?*
> 
> In adddition to the more than 70 calls that have been made to the St. Johns River fish-kill hotline with reports of dead fish, area organizations have started getting calls to report another ailing species: birds.
> 
> http://floridaindependent.com/2759/could-pollution-in-the-st-johns-river-be-leading-to-bird-deaths
> 
> (Our planet is sick and no one seems to care...)


Yep!


----------



## ekim68

Caring for the earth was most important to Native Americans back in the day...Their way of life was the utmost recycling program...:up:


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Caring for the earth was most important to Native Americans back in the day...*Their way of life was the utmost recycling program..*.:up:


Yes, it was!


----------



## poochee

*I figure more animal lovers would see this here than in any other thread.*

*Rare White Elephant PHOTO: Animal Captured In Myanmar *
First Posted: 06-29-10 06:47 PM | Updated: 06-29-10 06:47 PM

*(AP)* YANGON, Myanmar  A rare white elephant has been captured in the jungles of northwestern Myanmar, a mostly Buddhist country where the animals are considered good omens, state media reported Tuesday.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/29/rare-white-elephant-photo_n_630042.html


----------



## ekim68

poochee said:


> *I figure more animal lovers would see this here than in any other thread.*
> 
> *Rare White Elephant PHOTO: Animal Captured In Myanmar *
> First Posted: 06-29-10 06:47 PM | Updated: 06-29-10 06:47 PM
> 
> *(AP)* YANGON, Myanmar  A rare white elephant has been captured in the jungles of northwestern Myanmar, a mostly Buddhist country where the animals are considered good omens, state media reported Tuesday.
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/29/rare-white-elephant-photo_n_630042.html


:up:


----------



## poochee

*Pups offer hope for wolf breed near extinction*
JIM SALTER | July 1, 2010 12:23 PM EST | *AP*

ST. LOUIS  They looked just like five well-behaved puppies, barely squirming, when a veterinarian gave them their eight-week inoculations. In reality, experts believe the tiny animals offer hope for a nearly extinct breed of wolf.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100701/us-wolf-pups/


----------



## ekim68

Not quite an extinction thing, but...

Nuclear plant must stop killing fish



> TORONTO, July 7 (UPI) -- A Canadian nuclear power plant has been ordered to stop killing fish by the millions or risk losing its operating license, government officials say.
> 
> Ontario Power Generation, operator of the Pickering plant, must reduce fish mortality in Lake Ontario by 80 percent, the Toronto Star reported Wednesday.
> 
> Nearly 1 million fish and 62 million fish eggs and larvae die each year after being sucked into the water intake channel that is part of the cooling system of the power plant, completed in 1986.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Not quite an extinction thing, but...
> 
> Nuclear plant must stop killing fish


Built in 1986, that's a long time!


----------



## ekim68

*WWF warn of wild tigers' extinction*

LONDON, July 9 (UPI) -- Wild tigers could be gone in 30 years unless action is taken to prevent hunting the big cats and to curb the loss of habitat, the World Wildlife Fund said.

The WWF said Friday the wild tiger population has fallen to 3,200 from an estimated 100,000 in 1900, The Daily Telegraph reported.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/07/09/WWF-warn-of-wild-tigers-extinction/UPI-56191278696757/


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> *WWF warn of wild tigers' extinction*
> 
> LONDON, July 9 (UPI) -- Wild tigers could be gone in 30 years unless action is taken to prevent hunting the big cats and to curb the loss of habitat, the World Wildlife Fund said.
> 
> The WWF said Friday the wild tiger population has fallen to 3,200 from an estimated 100,000 in 1900, The Daily Telegraph reported.
> 
> http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/07/09/WWF-warn-of-wild-tigers-extinction/UPI-56191278696757/


.My favorite wild animal.


----------



## poochee

*Madeleine Pickens Saves Nevada Wild Horses From Slaughter, Joins Donors To Buy Animals At Auction *
MARTIN GRIFFITH | 07/10/10 11:13 PM | * AP *



> *RENO, Nev. - With the financial backing of a California winery owner, activists on Saturday purchased almost all 174 horses up for sale at a state-sanctioned auction in Nevada to keep the horses from going to the slaughterhouse.*:up:
> 
> Stephanie Hoefener of the Lancaster, Calif.-based Livesavers Wild Horse Rescue group said activists purchased 172 horses for $31,415. The other two horses were acquired by private individuals for their personal use, she said.





> Agriculture department officials acknowledge the estray horses could have wound up at slaughterhouses because they did not have the federal protections afforded to wild-roaming horses.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/10/madeleine-pickens-saves-n_n_641995.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Amazon river dolphins being slaughtered for bait (2 web pages).









Amazon River Dolphin

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Amazon river dolphins being slaughtered for bait (2 web pages).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amazon River Dolphin
> 
> -- Tom


:down:


----------



## ekim68

What's Killing Farmed Salmon? New Virus May Also Pose Risk to Wild Salmon



> ScienceDaily (July 12, 2010) - Farmed fish are an increasingly important food source, with a global harvest now at 110 million tons and growing at more than 8 percent a year. But epidemics of infectious disease threaten this vital industry, including one of its most popular products: farmed Atlantic salmon. Perhaps even more worrisome: these infections can spread to wild fish coming in close proximity to marine pens and fish escaping from them.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Whats Killing Farmed Salmon? New Virus May Also Pose Risk to Wild Salmon


----------



## lotuseclat79

Frog killer caught in the act.

*A killer has been caught in the act: the first before-and-after view of an infectious disease that led to an amphibian die-off has been released by the scientists who tracked it.*



> An epidemic that wipes out a whole group of organisms is like the fire that burned the famous library of Alexandria, the scientists say.
> 
> It destroys a huge amount of accumulated information about how life has coped with change in the past.
> 
> Species surveys are like counting the number of different titles in the library; a genetic survey is like counting the number of different words.
> 
> "When you lose the words, you lose the potential to make new books," says Lips.


-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

59% Decrease in Population of Large African Animals.

A recent study has stated that large mammals like buffalo and lions in African game parks have decreased by 59 percent from 1970 to 2005.









Cheetas

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> 59% Decrease in Population of Large African Animals.
> 
> A recent study has stated that large mammals like buffalo and lions in African game parks have decreased by 59 percent from 1970 to 2005.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheetas
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Study: Time is short for African apes



> ROEHAMPTON, England, July 22 (UPI) -- Global warming could threaten African ape survival by depriving apes of sufficient time for such basic daily survival skills as finding food, researchers say.
> 
> British scientists said rising world temperatures and shifts in rainfall patterns could cause chimpanzees to lose up to 50 percent and gorillas up to 75 percent of their remaining habitats, a study published in the Journal of Biogeography said Thursday.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Study: Time is short for African apes


----------



## ekim68

Times are changing fast poochee. Faster than we know...IMO, we're not very good stewards of this old Earth...


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Times are changing fast poochee. Faster than we know...IMO, we're not very good stewards of this old Earth...


I agree 100%!


----------



## lotuseclat79

Can Australia save the dingo from extinction?.

*Where did the Australian dingo go? Once present throughout that country, the feared predator (Canis lupus dingo) in its current form is on its way to extinction as it is either killed or breeds and hybridizes with domesticated dogs. With the disappearance of the purebred dingo comes the loss of an important part of the region's ecosystem as well as a greater chance of environmental destruction by invasive species such as foxes and feral cats.*



> Now the Australian state of Victoria is taking baby steps toward preserving the dingo. Eighty percent of the dingoes there are hybrids, and pure dingoes exist in only two remote, mountainous areas.











Dingos

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Nuclear power, eh? 

Chernobyl zone shows decline in biodiversity



> The largest wildlife census of its kind conducted in Chernobyl has revealed that mammals are declining in the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear power plant.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Extinction spreads like a fungus among North America's bats.

*White Nose Syndrome, a fungal infection that kills bats by interfering with their hibernation cycle, was first spotted in a cave in New York in 2006. In just four years, it has spread over 1,200 km through the US and Canada, reaching from Quebec to Missouri, and killing off as many as 90 percent of the bats in infected areas. Those precipitous declines would seem to be unsustainable, and a new study in Science indicates that they are indeed: even in many scenarios where the virulence of the disease tails off, a common species of bat appears headed for regional extinction, perhaps in as little as 15 years.*

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

The endangered smallest monkey in the world.

It is the pygmy marmoset (Callithrix pygmaea). With an adult body length of only 14 to 16 centimetres, and weighing as little as 120 grams, the endangered pygmy marmoset is one of the smallest primates discovered.









They are normally found in the rainforest canopies of South America, however this chap was confiscated after being found inside the clothes of a Peruvian citizen by police. This marmoset will now recover at a primate rescue and rehabilitation centre near Santiago, Chile. (Image: Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

A million bats died from newly discovered disease in US.

*Known as "white-nose syndrome," scientists say that bats received the disease from humans who go spelunking or just visiting the caves where bats live.*

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

Boy, the animals are getting hit hard!


----------



## lotuseclat79

Scientists discover new monkey species, declare it almost extinct.

*Callicebus caquetensis, a cat-sized species of titi monkey, has has grayish-brown hair and a bushy red beard. It faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.*









A new species of titi monkey, Callicebus caquetensis, was found in the Colombian Amazon region near the borders with Ecuador and Peru by Drs Thomas Defler, Marta Bueno from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and undergraduate student Javier García with support from Conservation International. Javier Garcia/AP

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Scientists discover new monkey species, declare it almost extinct.
> 
> *Callicebus caquetensis, a cat-sized species of titi monkey, has has grayish-brown hair and a bushy red beard. It faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A new species of titi monkey, Callicebus caquetensis, was found in the Colombian Amazon region near the borders with Ecuador and Peru by Drs Thomas Defler, Marta Bueno from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and undergraduate student Javier García with support from Conservation International. Javier Garcia/AP
> 
> -- Tom


First time I have seen a titi. Beautiful.


----------



## ekim68

Endangered snow leopard gets 'insurance'



> ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Endangered snow leopards in Pakistan are being protected by an innovative "insurance" program involving local villagers with goat herds, a researcher says.
> 
> Shafqat Hussain, an environmentalist and anthropology professor at Trinity College in the United States, says the villagers normally try to kill the leopards in retaliation for attacks on their goats, Inter Press Service reported Thursday.
> 
> Hussein's Project Snow Leopard, started in 1999, is funded by the Royal Geographic Society and the U.S.-based Snow Leopard Conservancy.
> 
> "I'm not totally indifferent to the loss the local community bears at the loss of their goats," Hussain says.
> 
> His alternative "insurance" plan, he says, "helps in the conservation and protection of the snow leopards, but also compensates the local herders for every goat killed by the feline, on the condition that the villagers will not kill it."
> 
> A snow leopard recently attacked a herd belonging to Ghulam Mehdi in a village Baltistan.
> 
> "They (Project Snow Leopard) paid me a compensation of 4,500 rupees ($52)," says Mehdi, a 35-year-old goat herder.
> 
> Mehdi says he has insured all his goats.


:up:


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Endangered snow leopard gets 'insurance'
> 
> :up:


:up:


----------



## ekim68

More good news...

Endangered corals grow in Fla. 'nurseries'



> FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 13 (UPI) -- In ocean waters off Florida, scientists and volunteers are raising plots of rare corals to repopulate depleted Florida and Caribbean reefs, experts say.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> More good news...
> 
> Endangered corals grow in Fla. 'nurseries'


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Back from the brink: near-extinct Kihani spray toad returns to Tanzania



> Today 5,000 of the toads live at the Toledo Zoo and 1,500 in the Bronx Zoo. On Thursday 100 of the toads, 50 from the Bronx and 50 from Toledo, touched down in Dar es Salaam where they were moved in to a new, state-of the-art propagation center. The Tanzanian government is currently working to install a series of sprinklers in the Lower Kihansi Environment Management Project to allow the species to return to the wild.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Back from the brink: near-extinct Kihani spray toad returns to Tanzania


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Indonesia's coral reefs dying at alarming rate



> Coral that survived the 2004 tsunami is now dying at one of the fastest rates ever recorded because of a dramatic rise in water temperatures off northwestern Indonesia, conservationists said, warning Wednesday that the threat extends to other reefs across Asia.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Study: Climate change identified as extinction threat in nearly 60 percent of species recovery plans.

*Fifty-nine percent of the endangered species recovery plans issued by the U.S. government between 2005 and 2008 mention climate change as one of the major threats facing the species, according to a study published in Conservation Biology.*

-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Scientists find 10 new coral species in Hawaii.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Wolf Killing Set To Expand Despite Endangered Status, Proposal Would Gas Pups In Their Dens *
MATTHEW BROWN | 09/ 5/10 01:05 PM | * AP *

BILLINGS, Mont. - Government agencies are seeking broad new authority to ramp up killings and removals of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes, despite two recent court actions that restored the animal's endangered status in every state except Alaska and Minnesota.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/06/wolf-killing-set-to-expan_n_706479.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Early Warning Signs Could Show When Extinction Is Coming.



> Animal populations headed for extinction may give the same signals seen before crashes in coral reefs, the Sahara's climate and even stock markets.
> 
> These systems are very different, but each exhibits what's known as "critical slowing down," in which a loss of resilience magnifies the effect of small perturbations, which become more and more difficult to recover from.
> 
> "Critical slowing down is an early warning signal. If you can detect it, you can know that you're headed for a tipping point," said University of Georgia ecologist John Drake. "This could lead to new ways of quantifying population viability."


-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Scientists find drugs that may fight bat disease.



> *Scientists may have found some ways to help the nation's bats, which are being wiped out by a novel fungal disease, an unprecedented wildlife crisis.*


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Scientists find drugs that may fight bat disease.
> 
> -- Tom


:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

Breakthrough for cancer-hit Tasmanian Devils.



> *Australian scientists said on Thursday they had made a breakthrough in the fight to save the cancer-hit Tasmanian devil by mapping the species' genome for the first time.*


-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Tigers found at record altitude in boost for survival hopes.



> *A television crew filmed a "lost" population of tigers living at a higher altitude than any others known, raising hopes of linking isolated groups of the big cats across Asia, the BBC said Monday.*
> 
> The cats were spotted roaming in the hills in the remote Himalayan nation of Bhutan by a conservationist and a team from the BBC's Natural History Unit at a height of 4,100 metres (13,450 feet), said the broadcaster on its website.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A Siberian tiger, also known as a Manchurian tiger, bares its teeth at a tiger park in China.


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Tigers found at record altitude in boost for survival hopes.
> 
> -- Tom


They are so beautiful!


----------



## lotuseclat79

Florida panthers bound back thanks to Texas mates.



> *In the quest to save the endangered Florida panther, their Texas cousins were the cat's meow. Wildlife biologists moved eight female panthers from Texas - close relatives yet genetically distinct - into south Florida 15 years ago in hopes of boosting reproduction, and the immigration paid off.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This July 2009 handout photo provided by the journal Science shows a three-week old Florida panther kitten in the Picayune Strand State Forest. In the quest to save the endangered Florida panther, their Texas cousins were the cat's meow. Fifteen years ago, Florida imported some wild panthers from Texas as fresh blood for the dwindling Florida cats. Now scientists have created an astonishingly in-depth family tree of today's Florida panthers, and found the program not only boosted the population _ it left a group of cats who are genetically hardier. (AP Photo/Science)


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Florida panthers bound back thanks to Texas mates.
> 
> -- Tom


:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

A Third of 'Extinct' Mammals May Still Be Alive.

*There may be many more "extinct" mammals waiting to be rediscovered than conservation biologists previously thought.

Categorizing a mammal species as extinct has rested upon two criteria: It has not been seen for more than 50 years, or an exhaustive search has come up empty. But "extinct" species occasionally turn up again, and some species have disappeared more than once. Australia's desert rat kangaroo, for example, was rediscovered in 1931 after having gone missing for almost a century, only to disappear again in 1935 when invasive red foxes moved into the area of the remaining survivors.*









Caloprymnus: Desert rat kangaroo. John Gould/Wikimedia Commons

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

Posted on Monday, October 4, 2010
*Disappearance of Inyo chipmunks from Sierra Nevadas alarms researchers*
*Vanished?*
By Tom Knudson | The Sacramento Bee

With button-brown eyes, striped cheeks and a bushy orange-black tail, the Inyo chipmunk has darted among the gnarled pines of the Sierra Nevada for centuries.

*I have seen them when camping. Very cute. *

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/10/04/101530/disappearance-of-inyo-chipmunks.html


----------



## poochee

Posted on Friday, October 15, 2010 
*California man sentenced to jail for shooting sea lion:up:*
* Sgt. Nevis underwent a two-hour operation last week. *.
By Bill Lindelof | Sacramento Bee



> Larry Allen Legans was sentenced to 30 days in jail, five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $51,081 for injuring *the sea lion that came to be known as Sgt. Nevis. *
> 
> Legans is also barred from all hunting or fishing activities for the five years he will be on probation, according to a press release from the Sutter County District Attorney's office.


http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/10/15/102137/california-man-sentenced-to-jail.html


----------



## poochee

*Black-backed woodpeckers prefer to nest in burned trees and feed on insects that attack trees after a fire.*
*Pros and Cons on this one,*
By Matt Weiser 
[email protected] 
Published: Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1B 
Last Modified: Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010 - 12:19 am

The black-backed woodpecker, a native of the Sierra Nevada, has just three toes, a yen for burned trees, and tremendous potential to shake up California logging rules.

Environmental groups recently filed a petition to protect the woodpecker under the state Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity and the John Muir Project at Earth Island Institute say the species may go extinct because California doesn't have enough burned forests, the bird's preferred habitat.

If the petition succeeds, private forest owners who experience a fire could have a harder time harvesting burned trees to produce lumber, a practice known as salvage logging.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/17/3110051/groups-seek-protection-for-sierras.html


----------



## poochee

Monday, Oct. 25, 2010
*Scientists detect owl subspecies in Yosemite*
*Ice Age isolated great gray's kin in Yosemite meadows*
By Mark Grossi - [email protected]



> For years, scientists thought logging, mining and development drove North America's largest owl out of Northern California forests and into Yosemite National Park.
> 
> Scientists are rethinking that assumption. Genetic research shows the owls in Yosemite are a subspecies, a subtly different version of the great gray owl in North America.





> The great gray is an unmistakable yellow-eyed bird with a five-foot wingspan, but it is on the state Endangered Species Act list, and bird-watchers say it is a challenge to find one. Yosemite officials say there are about 150 great grays in the area.
> 
> The Yosemite owl is not only genetically different from great gray owls in Oregon, Idaho and Canada, it also nests slightly differently and prefers a more narrow diet of rodents, scientists say.


http://www.modbee.com/2010/10/24/1397677/scientists-detect-owl-subspecies.html


----------



## steppenwolf

ekim68 said:


> Will zoos end up being the only place for other animals?


no the wild boers are kiling us and other animals


----------



## ErikAlbert

Well, the dino's disappeared also, nobody is complaining about them.
If the living nature is tired of mankind, we will disappear also. One small virus is enough.
Aids and Ebola are one of these warnings of nature. Life is intelligent and will make the right decisions when the time comes.


----------



## lotuseclat79

New Snub-Nosed Monkey Discovered, Eaten.



> *Myanmar species sneezes uncontrollably when it rains, experts say.*


-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Extinction crisis revealed: One fifth of the world's mammals, birds and amphibians are threatened.



> *One fifth of the world's vertebrates are threatened with extinction. That's the word from the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity this week in Nagoya, Japan, where a team of 174 scientists presented an assessment of the world's at-risk vertebrate species.
> 
> According to the study, published in the October 28 issue of Science, the number of threatened species has grown dramatically in the past four decades, exceeding the normal "background rate" of extinction by a factor of two or three. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species currently lists 25,780 vertebrates as threatened, and an average of 52 species become more threatened (based on the IUCN's categories of risk) every year.*


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Extinction crisis revealed: One fifth of the world's mammals, birds and amphibians are threatened.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Tiger Habitat Saved From Logging.



> *There are an estimated 350-500 Siberian, or Amur tigers, remaining in the wild. In captivity there are another 400 or so. In the late 1940s, that number was down to twenty, and the species was very close to extinction.
> ...
> The halting of the logging is a victory for environmentalists and tiger supporters.*


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Tiger Habitat Saved From Logging.
> 
> -- Tom


:up:

The tiger is sooooooo beautiful! Nature's work of art!


----------



## lotuseclat79

Ssssuccessss: World's rarest snake is back from the brink.



> *Fifteen years ago, the future looked bleak for the Antiguan racer (Alsophis antiguae), the world's rarest snake. In 1995 just 50 of the creatures survived on the isolated 8.4-hectare Great Bird Island off of Antigua in the Caribbean. Introduced mongooses had wiped out the species on Antigua itself; invasive rats almost did the same trick on Great Bird.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Antiguan Racer - a harmless snake


-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

More than 1,000 tigers reduced to skin and bones in last decade.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> More than 1,000 tigers reduced to skin and bones in last decade.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Rare New Guinea Singing Dogs Discovered in Pennsylvania.



> *A rare breed of dog, indeed, is the New Guinea singing dogs (NGSD). So rare in fact, until one month ago, only 150 were known to exist in captivity -- most of those in world zoos. They are suspected of being extinct in the wild because there have been no known sightings in New Guinea since the 1970's.
> 
> And in case you're wondering, they are called singers because of their unique vocalizations. A melodious howl becomes a chorus when other singer dogs join in. Have a listen.*


Dogs 101: New Guinea Singing Dog.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Rare New Guinea Singing Dogs Discovered in Pennsylvania.
> 
> Dogs 101: New Guinea Singing Dog.
> 
> -- Tom


Neat! Wonder what they look like. Time to GOGGLE!
http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/New_Guinea_Singing_Dog/


----------



## lotuseclat79

Hi poochee,

If you would have looked at the link in the post about them, then you would have not only seen them, but been able to hear them without Googling!

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi poochee,
> 
> If you would have looked at the link in the post about them, then you would have not only seen them, but been able to hear them without Googling!
> 
> -- Tom


Duh. I missed the first link. The second one was Utube and my dial-up doesn't cooperate. So then I went searching.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Hi poochee,

The top link in the post webpage had an audio link - did you get to hear the dogs singing?

If you get a blacked out video screen, and you are using Firefox with NoScript - right-click on the NoScript icon and select Temporarily approve (i.e. when you exit Firefox they will be reverted) to see the video image.

With a modem, it is a long painful wait to watch a video, however, there is a Firefox add-on Flash Video Downloader - YouTube Downloader which may help - then you would be able to watch the video on your computer - if the video were worth watching in the first place.

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi poochee,
> 
> The top link in the post webpage had an audio link - did you get to hear the dogs singing?
> 
> -- Tom


It would take 27 minutes to download. I am in the process of upgrading to DSL. Investigating which provider I will go with. I like the one I am with because it is a local company and they give good service. Decisions, decisions!

I'm not an avid Utube person, but occasionally there is one I would like to view, like this one.


----------



## ekim68

It all comes down to money, and for who?...

Protecting shortnose sturgeon could cost S.C. utility millions



> MONCKS CORNER, S.C. - A state-owned utility that supplies power to about 2 million South Carolina residents is contesting a study that could require it to spend more than $130 million to build devices to allow an endangered fish species to swim from the sea to its spawning grounds above two dams.


----------



## ekim68

Tigers could be extinct in 12 years if unprotected



> Wild tigers could become extinct in 12 years if countries where they still roam fail to take quick action to protect their habitats and step up the fight against poaching, global wildlife experts told a "tiger summit" Sunday.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Tigers could be extinct in 12 years if unprotected


----------



## poochee

*Tiger Paste Sale In Vietnam Protested By Local Conservation Group *
| 12/ 3/10 01:31 AM | *AP*



> HANOI, Vietnam - *A local conservation group voiced opposition Friday to the planned sale of tiger paste by Vietnamese authorities, amid warnings by the international community that the animal's survival is in serious jeopardy.*





> *In Vietnam, tiger bones are used to make expensive traditional medicines purported to cure many illnesses. Two pounds (1 kilogram) of tiger paste could be sold for $10,000 on the black market.*


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/03/tiger-paste-sale-proteste_n_791513.html


----------



## ekim68

Ocean acidification threatens fisheries, says UNEP



> [CANCUN, MEXICO] The oceans are acidifying at probably the fastest rate for 65 million years - with unknown implications for the three billion people who depend on fish for protein, a report released at the 2010 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 16), in Mexico has said.


----------



## poochee

* Reports of sea lion shootings on rise in Calif.*
* Disgusting * 
JASON DEAREN | January 2, 2011 11:54 AM EST | *AP*

SAN FRANCISCO  The weak and woozy California sea lion found on a San Francisco Bay-area beach in December with buckshot embedded in its skull has become an all-too-common sight for wildlife officials.

Wildlife officials have seen a slight rise in the shooting of ocean mammals in recent years, and investigators often struggle to find a culprit. There are few witnesses to such shootings, making it nearly impossible to bring a case.

"We always try to do an investigation, but unless there's an eyewitness to the shooting it's hard to make a case for our enforcement folks," said Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who tracks reports of the shootings.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110102/us-marine-mammals-shootings/


----------



## ekim68

What Triggers Mass Extinctions? Study Shows How Invasive Species Stop New Life



> An influx of invasive species can stop the dominant natural process of new species formation and trigger mass extinction events, according to research results published today in the journal PLoS ONE (Invasive Species and Biodiversity Crises: Testing the Link in the Late Devonian)
> 
> The study of the collapse of Earth's marine life 378 to 375 million years ago suggests that the planet's current ecosystems, which are struggling with biodiversity loss, could meet a similar fate.
> 
> Although Earth has experienced five major mass extinction events, the environmental crash during the Late Devonian was unlike any other in the planet's history.


----------



## ekim68

Just got through watching a show on PBS with Art Wolfe. He was in India shooting pictures of tigers. What a majestic and beautiful animal....:up: Good thing is there is still a good size population, bad thing is they're running out of room...

More


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Just got through watching a show on PBS with Art Wolfe. He was in India shooting pictures of tigers. What a majestic and beautiful animal....:up: Good thing is there is still a good size population, bad thing is they're running out of room...
> 
> More


Tigers are my favorite wild animal. I'll watch for the program on my local PBS stations.


----------



## poochee

*Japan considers canceling whale hunt*
By Kyung Lah, CNN
February 17, 2011 4:10 a.m. EST

*STORY HIGHLIGHTS*
Japan's whale hunting activities have been condemned by animal rights groups
*There is a worldwide moratorium on whaling*
Japan has continued its whale hunt stating that the country is doing it for scientific purposes



> (CNN) -- In a victory for whale conservationist group Sea Shepherd, Japan's government said Thursday it is considering canceling the whaling season.





> Critics call Japan's hunt a cover for commercial whaling, since the whale meat ends up in supermarkets and restaurants. Animal rights groups, from Greenpeace to Sea Shepherd, and the governments of Australia and New Zealand, have publicly condemned Japan's hunts.


http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/17/japan.whale.hunt/index.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

How Network Theory Can Prevent Extinctions.



> *Killing off one sacrificial species can prevent extinctions spreading through ecosystems, according to the predictions of network theory.*


-- Tom


----------



## dvk01

lotuseclat79 said:


> How Network Theory Can Prevent Extinctions.
> 
> -- Tom


The only species that needs to be controlled & exterminating to prevent other species extinction is the human species
Without us interfering, spreading & taking over all the land & natural resources there wouldn't be any animal extinction on the scale we see. There will always be some natural extinction as climate changes and species develop. Take the rise of the mammals & the extinction of the dinosaurs due to natural events.

However this is really a subject for CD when it reopens so I will shut up for now


----------



## poochee

*Rhinos Face Severe Poaching Crisis In Africa *
By JOHN HEILPRIN 03/25/11 10:30 AM *AP*

GENEVA -- Ounce for ounce, rhino horns sell for more than gold  one reason why conservationists say Africa's rhinos are facing their *worst* poaching crisis in decades.

Organized crime syndicates have killed than 800 African rhinos in the past three years alone, the Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature said Friday.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/26/rhinos-horn-poaching-crisis_n_840963.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

India's tiger census shows numbers on the rise.



> *India's latest tiger census shows an increase in the numbers of the endangered big cat, but threats to their roaming territory could reverse those gains, officials said Monday.
> 
> The census counted at least 1,706 tigers in forests across the country, about 300 more than four years ago, a government official said Monday.*


-- Tom :up:


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> India's tiger census shows numbers on the rise.
> 
> -- Tom :up:


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Fungus sweeps across the country, killing bats



> Biologists across the nation are facing a similarly grim scenario. Since it was discovered in New York four years ago, the fungus has swept across 17 states as far west as Oklahoma, killing a million bats. A majority of the dead were little brown bats, which have lost an estimated 20% of their population in the northeastern United States over the last four years. The fungus seems to prefer the 25 species of hibernating bats, but each of the 45 species of bats in the United States and Canada may be susceptible to white-nose syndrome.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Fungus sweeps across the country, killing bats


----------



## lotuseclat79

Economic Importance of Bats in the 'Billions a Year' Range.



> *Bats in North America are under a two-pronged attack but they are not the only victim -- so is the U.S. economy. Gary McCracken, head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, analyzed the economic impact of the loss of bats in North America in agriculture and found it to be in the $3.7 to $53 billion a year range.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Little brown bats with white nose syndrome. (Credit: Al Hicks, USGS)


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Economic Importance of Bats in the 'Billions a Year' Range.
> 
> -- Tom


*Wow!*

I like your new avatar. Familiar, but I can't place the face?


----------



## lotuseclat79

poochee said:


> *Wow!*
> 
> I like your new avatar. Familiar, but I can't place the face?


Hi poochee,

The Doctor aka Dr. Who as played by the British actor Tom Baker! Dr. Who is BBC show as I recall, but I do not have cable - I miss it so!

-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Hi poochee,
> 
> The Doctor aka Dr. Who as played by the British actor Tom Baker! Dr. Who is BBC show as I recall, but I do not have cable - I miss it so!
> 
> -- Tom


Yes! Now I remember.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Scientists Have New Measure for Species Threat.



> *A new index has been developed to help conservationists better understand how close species are to extinction. The index, developed by a team of Australian researchers from the University of Adelaide and James Cook University, is called SAFE (Species Ability to Forestall Extinction).*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> According to the authors of the SAFE (Species Ability to Forestall Extinction) index, conservationists with limited resources may want to channel their efforts on saving the tiger, a species that is at the 'tipping point' and could have reasonable chance of survival. (Credit: Copyright Juliane Riedl)


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Scientists Have New Measure for Species Threat.
> 
> -- Tom


:up:

Beautiful!! So majestic.


----------



## poochee

*Russia Bans Polar Bear Hunting This Year :up:*
By NATALIYA VASILYEVA 04/14/11 09:42 AM ET *AP*

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/14/russia-bans-polar-bear-hunting_n_849096.html


----------



## poochee

*1,300 New Species Discovered: Conservation International Celebrates 20 Years Of Rapid Assessment Program:up: *(PHOTOS) 
The Huffington Post Posted: 04-13-11 03:37 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/13/new-species-2011-conservation-international_n_848787.html


----------



## Stoner

poochee said:


> *1,300 New Species Discovered: Conservation International Celebrates 20 Years Of Rapid Assessment Program:up: *(PHOTOS)
> The Huffington Post Posted: 04-13-11 03:37 PM
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/13/new-species-2011-conservation-international_n_848787.html


Evolution ..............:up:


----------



## poochee

*Wolves To Lose Endangered Status Within 60 days, First Time Congress Has Taken A Species Off List *
04/15/11 10:01 PM ET *AP *

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/16/wolves-endangered-list-congress_n_850046.html


----------



## poochee

*Potent new rat poisons killing California wildlife *
By Tom Knudson
[email protected] 
Published: Sunday, Apr. 17, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 1A

Outside Palm Desert, a young bobcat dies mysteriously at a nature preserve. South of Nevada City, a farmer finds an owl dead near his decoy shed. In San Rafael, a red-shouldered hawk bleeds heavily from its mouth and nose before succumbing at an animal care center.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/17/3558267/potent-new-rat-poisons-killing.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Sturgeon's death highlights threat to ancient fish.



> *Alas, poor Harald. Wired up to a satellite transmitter, he had much to teach science about the life of the great sturgeons of the Danube River and Black Sea.
> 
> His probable demise is a cautionary tale of the multiplying threats to the great sturgeons, sought since Roman times for the wealth they yield in meat and caviar.*


-- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Arabian 'unicorn' thrives again in wild.



> *The Arabian Oryx, whose distinctive horns are widely believed to have given rise to the unicorn legend, is back from the brink of extinction in the deserts of the Arabian peninsula.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An undated file photo made available by the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency showing an Arabian Oryx walking in the desert after having been released into the area. The Arabian Oryx, whose distinctive horns are widely believed to have given rise to the unicorn legend, is back from the brink of extinction in the deserts of the Arabian peninsula. About 1,000 of the wild Arabian or White Oryx now exist owing to nearly three decades of successful breeding, the Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature said Thursday June 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, HO)


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Arabian 'unicorn' thrives again in wild.
> 
> -- Tom


:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

19,000 Species Now in Danger of Extinction.



> *That's a lot of species. And it's roughly 9,000 more than were endangered just over ten years ago, in 2000. That's the finding of the latest report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): There are now roughly 19,000 species that are currently threatened with extinction around the world. So why the jump?
> 
> The usual suspects -- deforestation, poaching, climate change, pollution, and invasive species -- are largely to blame. But scientists have also done a remarkable job of discovering new species over the last decade or so -- and many of those are immediately whisked onto the watch list.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An endangered Panamanian Golden Frog. Photo credit: Brian Gratwickle via Flickr/CC BY


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> 19,000 Species Now in Danger of Extinction.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## lotuseclat79

Ocean life on the brink of mass extinctions: study.



> *Life in the oceans is at imminent risk of the worst spate of extinctions in millions of years due to threats such as climate change and over-fishing, a study showed on Tuesday.*


-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Scientific advance may keep Tasmanian devils alive



> A just-completed genetic analysis of the Tasmanian devil could help biologists create a genetically diverse ark to keep the species alive and healthy in captive breeding programs. The carnivorous marsupials, which live only on the island of Tasmania at Australia's southern tip, face almost certain extinction in the wild due to a fatal, transmissible cancer that has infected more than 60% of devils and is expected to kill off the rest within the next 10 to 40 years.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Scientific advance may keep Tasmanian devils alive


:up:


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Ocean life on the brink of mass extinctions: study.
> 
> -- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Great gray owls find a surprising home on timber firm's land:up:*
By Tom Knudson
[email protected] 
Published: Sunday, Jul. 10, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 1A 
Last Modified: Sunday, Jul. 10, 2011 - 1:06 am

Flip through a field guide to western birds and you'll discover the great gray owl occupies the narrowest of ecological niches in California: dense conifer forests next to moist mountain meadows.

But lately, the elusive owl has been spotted swooping through much different terrain: the sun-baked Sierra Nevada foothills where  surprisingly enough  *it is thriving on land owned by the state's largest timber company, Sierra Pacific Industries.*

The bird's discovery south of Placerville has startled wildlife biologists and bird-watchers who have long considered the exceedingly rare, brownish-gray owl to be a stalwart of higher elevations, a winged icon of the wilderness.

"It's pretty exciting they are being found this low," said Graham Chisholm, executive director of Audubon California. "It shows the resilience of these birds."

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/10/3759088/great-gray-owls-find-a-surprising.html


----------



## ekim68

Snow Leopard Population Discovered in Afghanistan



> The Wildlife Conservation Society has discovered a surprisingly healthy population of rare snow leopards living in the mountainous reaches of northeastern Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, according to a new study.
> 
> The discovery gives hope to the world's most elusive big cat, which calls home to some of the world's tallest mountains. Between 4,500 and 7,500 snow leopards remain in the wild scattered across a dozen countries in Central Asia.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Snow Leopard Population Discovered in Afghanistan


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Loss of predators in the food chain can alter the ecosystem



> •Lions. The destruction of lions in Africa resulted in an explosion in the baboon population. These primates carry diseases that crossed over and began infecting nearby humans.
> 
> •Wolves. When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, they brought down elk and deer populations, allowing creekside willows to rebound, making a more fruitful environment for species living in and near the water.
> 
> •Whales. Whales in the southern oceans dive deep to eat , then return to the surface to breathe. Their feces deposit important nutrients from the ocean bottom into the upper water layers. When populations crashed because of industrial whaling, many ocean areas become much less able to support the simple animals and plankton on which the entire ecosystem was based.
> 
> •Wildebeest. A human-introduced disease, rinderpest, almost wiped out wildebeest in parts of Africa, which in turn led to a build-up of woody vegetation, resulting in devastating wildfires. When the disease was eradicated with a vaccine, the native grasslands returned and fires calmed.


----------



## ekim68

Blue iguana rebounds from near-extinction



> One Caribbean species, the Blue Iguana of Grand Cayman island, found nowhere else in the world, is looking like that rarest of things, a threatened species roaring back from the brink. Once down to perhaps fewer than a dozen animals, the long-tailed lizards, some growing to 5 feet and weighing 30 pounds, now number about 500, suggests a tally from a weeklong health screening that ended July 3.


:up:


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## poochee

:up:


----------



## lotuseclat79

Worldwide map identifies important coral reefs exposed to stress.



> *Marine researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other groups have created a map of the world's corals and their exposure to stress factors, including high temperatures, ultra-violet radiation, weather systems, sedimentation, as well as stress-reducing factors such as temperature variability and tidal dynamics.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Marine researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other groups have created a map of the world's corals and their exposure to stress factors (i.e. high temperatures, ultra-violet radiation, weather systems, sedimentation, tides) that will help identify coral reef systems where biodiversity is high and stress is low, ecosystems where management has the best chance of success. The exposure index ranges from 0-1, with green indicating sites with a low exposure index (most likely to benefit from management), and red indicating sites with a high exposure index (less likely to benefit from management). Credit: Wildlife Conservation Society


Note: Corals are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients.

-- Tom


----------



## ekim68

Hidden Baja Undersea Park Is the World's Most Robust Marine Reserve



> Results of a 10-year analysis of Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP), published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE journal, revealed that the total amount of fish in the reserve ecosystem (the "biomass") boomed more than 460 percent from 1999 to 2009. Citizens living around Cabo Pulmo, previously depleted by fishing, established the park in 1995 and have strictly enforced its "no take" restrictions.
> 
> "We could have never dreamt of such an extraordinary recovery of marine life at Cabo Pulmo," said National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, who started the study in 1999. "In 1999 there were only medium-sized fishes, but ten years later it's full of large parrotfish, groupers, snappers and even sharks."
> 
> The most striking result of the paper, the authors say, is that fish communities at a depleted site can recover up to a level comparable to remote, pristine sites that have never been fished by humans.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Hidden Baja Undersea Park Is the World's Most Robust Marine Reserve


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Clapper rails discovered nesting in SF



> A nesting pair of California clapper rails and their two chicks have been confirmed in San Francisco's Heron's Head Park, the first time in decades that the endangered chicken-like bird has been documented breeding in the city.
> 
> The discovery has Bay Area birders in a flutter, particularly considering the location of the feathered family. The shy, marsh-loving waterfowl were nesting in a restored wetland near Hunters Point, an area not normally associated with a well-functioning ecosystem.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Clapper rails discovered nesting in SF


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Southwestern pond turtle shows signs of San Diego-area comeback



> Habitat destruction and invasive species almost made the pond turtle a goner in San Diego County. Now a conservation effort seems to be working.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Southwestern pond turtle shows signs of San Diego-area comeback


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Rocky Mountain pikas not nearing extinction, study finds



> A team of researchers from the University of Colorado has concluded that pikas, hamster-sized mammals, are doing better than previously believed, finding the population is holding its own in the southern Rocky Mountains.
> 
> The study, in the September issue of the journal Ecology, paints a brighter picture for the species than other surveys, notably a study from Nevada's Great Basin earlier this year in which local extinction rates were found to have increased fivefold in the last decade.


----------



## lotuseclat79

Stem Cells May One Day Revive Species From Extinction.



> *With countless endangered animals teetering on the brink of extinction throughout the world, the work of preservation has never been more important. But as conservationists work tirelessly to mitigate the numerous dangers which threaten to eliminate entire species altogether, others are exploring advances in medical technology which could hold the key to reviving them in case that happens. Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute at the San Diego Zoo have begun collecting stem cells from endangered species in the hopes that, if all else fails, they may one day get another crack at existence.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> White Rhino: Photo: derekkeats / cc


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

lotuseclat79 said:


> Stem Cells May One Day Revive Species From Extinction.
> 
> -- Tom


:up:


----------



## poochee

*Once thought extinct, black-footed ferrets rebound:up:*
MEAD GRUVER | September 25, 2011 11:01 AM EST | *AP*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEETEETSE, Wyo.  The only ferret species native to North America is well on its way to recovery since biologists concluded the creatures went extinct in 1979.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110925/us-ferrets-from-the-brink/


----------



## poochee

*Rare albino alligator arrives at the National Aquarium*

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...10/05/gIQATDzjOL_gallery.html?hpid=z7#photo=1


----------



## ekim68

2,000 sharks slaughtered for fins off Colombia



> About 2,000 sharks appear to have been slaughtered for their fins in a Pacific Ocean marine sanctuary off Colombia, the Guardian reports.
> 
> Hammerhead, Galápagos and whale sharks were among the carcasses research divers found in the waters of the Malpelo preserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, about 300 miles off Colombia. They saw fishing trawlers -- 10 flying the Costa Rican flag -- entering the zone illegally, said Sandra Bessudo, a marine biologist who is the top environmental adviser to President Juan Manuel Santos.
> 
> "When the divers dove, they started finding a large number of animals without their fins. They didn't see any alive," she said. Video shot by one diver shows the bodies of dead sharks on the ocean floor.
> 
> Costa Rica's Foreign Ministry said that it "energetically condemns" the reported finning and that Costa Rican-flagged ships would be prosecuted if they were involved.


----------



## ekim68

Africa's Western black rhino declared extinct



> Africa's Western black rhino has officially been declared extinct and other subspecies of rhinoceros could follow, according to the latest review by a leading conservation organization.
> 
> The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the Northern white rhino in central Africa as "possibly extinct in the wild" and the Javan rhino as "probably extinct" in Vietnam.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Africa's Western black rhino declared extinct


----------



## lotuseclat79

Scientists ID Bat Malady.



> *A fungus is behind the destructive White Nose Syndrome that has infected at least 10 species of bat.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> White nose syndrome threatens to decimate the Indiana bat, an endangered species. Photo: Alan Hicks / NYSDEC


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Silky Shark Conservation Agreed Upon At ICCAT Meeting *
By SUZAN FRASER 11/19/11 10:14 AM ET

ANKARA, Turkey -- Delegates at an international conservation meeting agreed Saturday on a measure mandating that silky sharks accidentally caught in fishing gear be released back into the sea alive, marine advocacy groups said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/19/silky-shark-conservation-iccat_n_1102785.html


----------



## lotuseclat79

Powerful mathematical model greatly improves predictions for species facing climate change.



> *UCLA life scientists and colleagues have produced the most comprehensive mathematical model ever devised to track the health of populations exposed to environmental change.*
> ...
> Just as physicists are searching for a unified field theory to bring the physics of the very large in harmony with the physics of the very small, the IPM "is the version in ecology and population genetics of a similar unified theory," Wayne said.
> ...


-- Tom


----------



## poochee

*Wolf that trekked across Oregon now 10 miles from California border*
By Matt Weiser The Sacramento Bee 
Last modified: 2011-12-29T07:05:06Z
Published: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 3B



> The wandering wolf that crossed the entire state of Oregon this fall is on the move again - and now even closer to California.
> The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Wednesday reported that the wolf known as OR7 is now south of Keno, Ore., a town less than 10 miles from the California border along Highway 97. If OR7 keeps moving south, *he could become the first gray wolf confirmed in California in more than 90 years.*





> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in October removed wolves from Endangered Species Act protection in most areas where they were reintroduced. Wolves dispersing into new areas are still protected by the act, however, including any that reach California.


http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/29/4150231/wolf-known-as-or7-is-10-miles.html


----------



## poochee

poochee said:


> *Wolf that trekked across Oregon now 10 miles from California border*
> By Matt Weiser The Sacramento Bee
> Last modified: 2011-12-29T07:05:06Z
> Published: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 3B
> 
> http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/29/4150231/wolf-known-as-or7-is-10-miles.html


*He has arrived in California!*

*Gray wolf makes historic crossing into California*
*Beautiful animal. PHOTOS*
By Cathy Locke The Sacramento Bee 
Last modified: 2011-12-30T01:23:20Z
Published: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 - 4:54 pm 
Last Modified: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 - 5:23 pm



> *"Whether one is for it or against it, the entry of this lone wolf into California is a historic event and result of much work by the wildlife agencies in the West," *Department of Fish and Game Director Charlton H. Bonham said in a written statement. "If the gray wolf does establish a population in California, there will be much more work to do here."


http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/29/4151761/gray-wolf-makes-historic-crossing.html

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/29/4151761/gray-wolf-makes-historic-crossing.html#storylink=cpy


----------



## ekim68

Monkey long believed extinct found in Indonesia



> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Scientists working in the dense jungles of Indonesia have "rediscovered" a large, gray monkey so rare it was believed by many to be extinct.
> 
> They were all the more baffled to find the Miller's Grizzled Langur - its black face framed by a fluffy, Dracula-esque white collar - in an area well outside its previously recorded home range.
> 
> The team set up camera traps in the Wehea Forest on the eastern tip of Borneo island in June, hoping to captures images of clouded leopards, orangutans and other wildlife known to congregate at several mineral salt licks.
> 
> The pictures that came back caught them all by surprise: groups of monkeys none had ever seen.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Monkey long believed extinct found in Indonesia


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Tar Sands Development to Lead to Poisoning of Wolves 



> As the Obama administration decides whether to give the go-ahead to the 1,700-mile Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to Texas, wildlife biologists have sounded a new alarm: expanding oil and gas production is contributing to the decline of caribou herds in Alberta.
> 
> Incredibly, Canada's proposed solution to habitat destruction from tar sands development is to destroy the wolves that prey on caribou, instead of protecting their habitat. Two particularly repugnant methods of destroying wolves - shooting wolves from helicopters and poisoning wolves with baits laced with strychnine - would be carried out in response to the caribou declines.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Tar Sands Development to Lead to Poisoning of Wolves


:down:


----------



## poochee

*Porcupines an increasingly rare sight in California forests, scientists say*
By Matt Weiser The Sacramento Bee 
Last modified: 2012-03-03T07:52:52Z
Published: Saturday, Mar. 3, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1A

The porcupine is not among the cuddly critters most forest visitors hope to stumble upon.

The large rodent seems aloof as it waddles through California woods. Long quills twitching like the headdress on a drum major, it forages leisurely for herbs, seeds and tree bark. When threatened, the prickly species mostly just turns its back and hopes you'll get the point.

While nobody was looking, however, it seems the humble porcupine has been quietly fading away.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/03/4307986/porcupines-an-increasingly-rare.html#storylink=cpy


----------



## ekim68

New Frog Species Found in New York City



> We tend to think of the discovery of a new species as requiring a trip to a remote and exotic location. But our ability to use DNA to determine how closely populations are related has revealed an unexpected fact: Lots of plants and animals that look indistinguishable to the human eye are actually quite distant from each other genetically, often far enough to merit a new species designation. In the latest example, researchers have found that a population of leopard frogs that make their home in the New York City area are probably a newly discovered species.


----------



## ekim68

Pacific reef sharks have declined by more than 90 percent, new study says



> Pacific reef shark populations have plummeted by 90 percent or more over the past several decades, according a new study by a team of American and Canadian researchers, and much of this decline stems from human fishing pressure.
> 
> Quantifying the decline for the first time, the analysis published online Friday in the journal Conservation Biology demonstrates that shark populations fare worse the closer they are to people - even if the nearest population is an atoll with fewer than 100 residents.


----------



## ekim68

Britain's hibernating bats avoid deadly fungus killing their US cousins



> It has been a satisfying spring for bat expert Lisa Worledge. Reports sent to her from volunteers who have been monitoring Britain's bats as they emerge from hibernation have given a clean bill of health to the nation's flying mammals. In particular, their observations have found no sign of an epidemic of fungal disease that has wiped out almost seven million bats in the US over the past six years and threatens to leave many American species extinct.





> White-nose syndrome - caused by the fungus Geomyces destructans - wreaks its damage by causing bats to wake up during hibernation. The effort involved in waking up, as bats shake themselves from their torpor, exhausts their fat stores too early in the hibernation season and they starve to death.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Britain's hibernating bats avoid deadly fungus killing their US cousins


:up:


----------



## ekim68

USDA's Wildlife Services program kills 50,000 harmless animals



> An investigation by The Sacramento Bee has discovered that the Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services program has killed 50,000 harmless animals from more than 150 species, some endangered, since the year 2000. Meant to protect livestock from predators, the program seems to be using methods that are not especially well targeted.
> 
> Protected golden and bald eagles, kit foxes, river otters, wolverines, and pet dogs are among the creatures that have fallen foul of the animal traps, snares, and poisons used by the service. Over the same period, 10 people have been killed in crashes during aerial gunning runs-the practice of shooting predator species from aircraft. At least another 18 employees, not to mention "several" members of the public, have suffered exposure to cyanide, The Bee reports, having accidentally sprung traps meant for coyotes (of which the service has managed to kill a million in that time).


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> USDA's Wildlife Services program kills 50,000 harmless animals


:down:


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## ekim68

Once-abundant West Coast oysters near extinction



> A disturbing nationwide decline in oysters and the life-giving reefs that they build is particularly dramatic in California, where the once-abundant native species has been virtually wiped out, according to a recent scientific study.


----------



## ekim68

Collapse of coral reefs could last thousands of years



> MELBOURNE, Fla. - Coral reefs might be undergoing a total collapse that could last thousands of years, a situation made worse by man-made greenhouse gases, according to a Florida Tech study published in Science.
> 
> But reefs rebounded from previous climate extremes, so they can still be saved, the researchers say, as long as greenhouse-gas trends are reversed or stopped.
> 
> "It's one of these good news-bad news sort of scenarios," said co-author Richard Aronson, a biology professor at Florida Tech. "The hopeful news is that if we can get serious about controlling greenhouse gas emissions and controlling climate change, we have a good chance of saving reefs. But it has to be combined with management of local issues as well."
> 
> Coral reefs are crucial nurseries for fish and other marine life. Their demise could collapse global fisheries that support the food web, including humans.


----------



## ekim68

World's Sea Life Is 'Facing Major Shock', Marine Scientists Warn



> ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2012) - Life in the world's oceans faces far greater change and risk of large-scale extinctions than at any previous time in human history, a team of the world's leading marine scientists has warned.
> 
> The researchers from Australia, the US, Canada, Germany, Panama, Norway and the UK have compared events which drove massive extinctions of sea life in the past with what is observed to be taking place in the seas and oceans globally today.
> 
> Three of the five largest extinctions of the past 500 million years were associated with global warming and acidification of the oceans -- trends which also apply today, the scientists say in a new article in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution.


----------



## ekim68

Time running out to save coral reefs, scientists say



> The chance to save the world's coral reefs from damage caused by climate change is dwindling as man-made greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, scientists said in a study released on Sunday.
> 
> Around 70 per cent of corals are expected to suffer from long-term degradation by 2030, even if strict emission cuts are enforced, according to the study.
> 
> "The window of opportunity to preserve the majority of coral reefs, part of the world's natural heritage, is small," said Malte Meinshausen, co-author of the report published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
> 
> "We close this window if we follow another decade of ballooning global greenhouse-gas emissions."


----------



## ekim68

Half of Great Barrier Reef coral lost in last 27 years



> Australia's Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half its coral cover in the past 27 years, a new study shows.
> 
> Researchers analysed data on the condition of 217 individual reefs that make up the World Heritage Site.


----------



## ozziebeanie

lotuseclat79 said:


> By the end of the century half of all species will be extinct. Does that matter?
> Article here.
> 
> -- Tom


Humans are their own worsted enemy


----------



## poochee

*Why White Tigers Should Go Extinct*
Everything youve been told about this exotic, royal, endangered species is wrong.
By Jackson Landers|Posted Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, at 11:04 AM ET

A white tiger is a striking creature. Tigers are always impressive animals, but when you take away the orange, the result is a big cat that looks like a phantom out of a dream. They seem almost magical, and yet I firmly believe that the world would be a better place if there was not a single white tiger in it.

http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...ise_these_inbred_ecologically_irrelevant.html


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## ekim68

New Maps Depict Potential Worldwide Coral Bleaching by 2056



> Large-scale 'mass' bleaching events on coral reefs are caused by higher-than-normal sea temperatures. High temperatures make light toxic to the algae that reside within the corals. The algae, called 'zooxanthellae', provide food and give corals their bright colors. When the algae are expelled or retained but in low densities, the corals can starve and eventually die. Bleaching events caused a reported 16 percent loss of the world's coral reefs in 1998 according to the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.


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## ekim68

Pesticide Acute Toxicity Is a Better Correlate of U.S. Grassland Bird Declines than Agricultural Intensification



> Common agricultural birds are in decline, both in Europe and in North America. Evidence from Europe suggests that agricultural intensification and, for some species, the indirect effects of pesticides mediated through a loss of insect food resource is in part responsible. On a state-by-state basis for the conterminous Unites States (U.S.), we looked at several agronomic variables to predict the number of grassland species increasing or declining according to breeding bird surveys conducted between 1980 and 2003. Best predictors of species declines were the lethal risk from insecticide use modeled from pesticide impact studies, followed by the loss of cropped pasture.


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## ekim68

Shark kills number 100 million annually, research says



> The most accurate assessment to date of the impact of commercial fishing on sharks suggests around 100 million are being killed each year.
> 
> The researchers say that this rate of exploitation is far too high, especially for a species which reproduces later in life.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Shark kills number 100 million annually, research says


----------



## ekim68

I just read that every tree has a name of its own....Imagine that, a living being having its own name...:up:


----------



## ekim68

Fake caviar threatens existence of dino fish



> IT SURVIVED the last great extinction, but the paddlefish is no match for the luxury food industry.
> 
> Conservationists fear that black- market demand for caviar is pushing the American paddlefish towards extinction. This month, a multi-year investigation into the trade led to the indictment of eight people in the US.
> 
> Strictly speaking, caviar is made from the roe of beluga sturgeon. But demand for the fishy delicacy led to a 90 per cent drop in the population in just 20 years, causing suppliers to look for ersatz alternatives. The eggs of the North American paddlefish - the last member of a family of fish that is between 300 and 400 million years old - are a particular favourite.


----------



## ekim68

Boat filled with protected species hits coral reef



> MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A Chinese vessel that ran into a protected coral reef in the southwestern Philippines held evidence of even more environmental destruction inside: more than 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) of meat from a protected species, the pangolin or scaly anteater.
> 
> The steel-hulled vessel hit an atoll on April 8 at the Tubbataha National Marine Park, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site on Palawan island. Coast guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said Monday that 400 boxes, each containing 25 to 30 kilograms of frozen pangolins, were discovered during a second inspection of the boat Saturday.


----------



## ekim68

The Formosan clouded leopard has been declared extinct 



> The Formosan clouded leopard, a subspecies of clouded leopard native to Taiwan, has probably been extinct for decades. But in the weird red-tape world of species extinction, it doesn't count until scientists make it official. After 13 years of searching with no leopards in evidence, though, researchers are having to reluctantly conclude that this Taiwanese subspecies is no more.


----------



## ekim68

ozziebeanie said:


> Humans are their own worsted enemy


And they are the World's Worsted Enemy, too...


----------



## ekim68

The rise of a frog-killing fungus pinned in part on global trade



> It's a tough time to be a frog. A fungal disease known as chytridiomycosis has been decimating populations across the planet for about a decade. Since its discovery in the late 1990s, it has already wiped out about 100 species. Although it seemed to appear suddenly, a team of scientists has now published the evolutionary history of the fungus, which suggests that chytridiomycosis has been killing amphibians for thousands of years.


(A long but fascinating Read... )


----------



## poochee

*Cat wars break out in New Zealand*
By Karla Adam,



> WELLINGTON, New Zealand  Call it the Kiwi cat wars.
> 
> In this island nation said to harbor more cat owners per capita than any other country, a furor has broken out over a crusade to eradicate mans second-best friend. The charge is being led by Gareth Morgan, a nationally renowned economist-turned-environmental-activist, who has dubbed cats natural born killers that are menacing the native bird population and bringing some to the verge of extinction.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...971-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story.html?hpid=z4


----------



## ekim68

Study reveals how fishing gear can cause slow death of whales



> Using a "patient monitoring" device attached to a whale entangled in fishing gear, scientists showed for the first time how fishing lines changed a whale's diving and swimming behavior. The monitoring revealed how fishing gear hinders whales' ability to eat and migrate, depletes their energy as they drag gear for months or years, and can result in a slow death.


----------



## ekim68

Vanishing species makes astounding comeback under combined action of local government and conservationists



> The reemergence of the endangered Huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) marks a momentous achievement by local governments and conservationists worldwide. From the brink of extinction-with populations decimated to one percent of what they previously were-the Huemul populations have not only stabilized but are steadily increasing, according to a new study in Oryx.





> Bernardo O'Higgins National Park is Chile's larges protected area and one of the most biodiverse places in all the world, encompassing fjords, mountains, glaciers, islands, grasslands, and forests, each with their own unique ecoregion. Many of these ecoregions are the homes to plant and animal species that exist nowhere else in the world, such as its own species of skunk, fox, and even cougar. The region is also home to a massive diversity of marine life ranging from sea anemone to sea lions.


----------



## ekim68

Study finds shipwrecks threaten precious seas



> A new report identifies the world's most dangerous waters for shipping and says accidents pose a particular danger for some of the most ecologically important areas.
> 
> The research says the worst accident hotspots are in the South China Sea, the Mediterranean and North Sea.
> 
> Losses are more likely in the future as the number of ships is expected to double, the authors warn.


----------



## ekim68

Once Extinct in the Wild, Galapagos Giant Tortoises Return to Pinzon Island



> Now here's a great conservation success story: After more than 100 years, Galápagos giant tortoise hatchlings finally have a chance to thrive and survive on their native Pinzón Island, after conservationists cleared it of the invasive rats that nearly wiped out the animals.


----------



## ekim68

Extinctions of Large Animals Sever the Earth's 'Nutrient Arteries'



> Aug. 13, 2013 - A new study has demonstrated that large animals have acted as carriers of key nutrients to plants and animals over thousands of years and on continental scales.





> In the study, the researchers use a new mathematical model to calculate the effect of mass extinctions of big animals around 12,000 years ago, focusing on a case study of the Amazon forest. They estimate that extinctions back then reduced the dispersal of phosphorus in the Amazon by 98%, with far-reaching environmental consequences that remain to this day. The model also enables them to forecast the likely environmental effects of the extinction of large animals currently under threat in Africa and Asian forests.


----------



## poochee

*10,000 walrus come ashore in northwest Alaska*
By DAN JOLING
Associated Press 
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 - 8:58 am 
Last Modified: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 - 9:13 am



> Walrus in such numbers are in danger of being crushed in stampedes caused by airplanes, human hunters or polar bears.


Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/01/5784714/10000-walrus-come-ashore-in-northwest.html#storylink=cpy


----------



## ekim68

Critically endangered species in Sumatra on the road to extinction



> Critically endangered wildlife, including some of the last Sumatran tigers as well as rhinos, bears and eagles, could be wiped out if plans go ahead to construct a major road through an Indonesian tropical forest reserve currently being restored by British conservationists.
> 
> The 51km-road, which would enable 850 truckloads of coal a day to be exported more easily to power stations across south-east Asia, would divide the Harapan rainforest, which is licensed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, with the backing of the British government, the Co-op bank, the EU and birdlovers around the world.


----------



## ekim68

Dolphin-Killing Virus Spreads South, May Be Infecting Whales Too



> A viral outbreak that's killing bottlenose dolphins is moving down the U.S. East Coast as the animals migrate south for the winter. Between July 1 and November 3, at least 753 animals have died.
> 
> The outbreak began along the coast between New York and Virginia this summer. Now, carcasses are washing ashore in the Carolinas and Florida. Researchers have identified the cause as dolphin morbillivirus, a pathogen that's related to human measles and canine distemper. Morbillivirus infects dolphins' lungs and brains, causing weird behaviors and skin lesions and pneumonia (but the marine mammals can't pass it on to humans).


----------



## poochee

Monday, Nov 11, 2013 09:30 AM PST 
* How to get selfish humans to care about climate change: Polar bears! *
Watch this live feed tracking polar bear migration -- it's the only way to make people care about the environment *VIDEO *

http://www.salon.com/2013/11/11/how...to_care_about_climate_change_polar_bears/?upw


----------



## ekim68

World's oldest creature was 507...but scientists killed it



> When scientists inadvertently killed what turned out to be the world's oldest living creature, it was bad enough.
> 
> Now, their mistake has been compounded after further research found it was even older - at 507 years.


----------



## poochee

*Hear them roar: Couple hope film stirs action on lions*
Weise, USA TODAY 8:26 a.m. EST November 30, 2013

*VIDEOS*

_Documentary airing Dec. 1 puts spotlight on perils lions face, particularly from humans._



> *Story Highlights*
> Couple are devoted to preserving African wildlife
> A new concern is China, where lion bone wine is soaring in popularity
> 'Game of Lions' is part of NatGeo's Big Cat Week
> 
> DUBA PLAINS, Botswana - After years making documentary films to educate the West about the need to preserve African wildlife, Beverly and Dereck Joubert are turning their sights on a new target.
> 
> The South African couple's 22 previous films have raised awareness throughout much of the world about the dwindling numbers of lions and other "big cats" in their natural habitats.





> The main current threat is simply more mouths to feed, Hunter said. Africa has the fastest-growing population on the planet, fueling the need to clear more land for farming, destroying the habitat lions need to survive.
> 
> But other dangers loom. For centuries tiger bone wine, made by soaking tiger bones in spirits, has been sold in China and across Asia as an elixir believed to have healing powers and as a male potency enhancer.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/30/jouberts-lions-documentary/3698919/


----------



## poochee

*Saving The Native Prairie  One Black-Footed Ferret At A Time*
by Elizabeth Shogren
December 01, 2013 5:20 AM



> American pioneers saw the endless stretches of grassland of the Great Plains as a place to produce grain and beef for a growing country. But one casualty was the native prairie ecosystem and animals that thrived only there.
> 
> Some biologists are trying to save the prairies and they've picked a hero to help them: the black-footed ferret. In trying to save this long skinny predator with a raccoon-like mask, the biologists believe they have a chance to right a wrong that nearly wiped a species off the planet.


http://www.npr.org/2013/12/01/228523650/saving-the-native-prairie-one-black-footed-ferret-at-a-time


----------



## ekim68

Dolphins Suffering From Lung Disease Due to Gulf Oil Spill, Study Says



> Dolphins in an area hard hit by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 are suffering from lung diseases and other abnormalities that are consistent with toxic exposure to oil, according to a study backed by the federal government and released on Wednesday.


----------



## ekim68

The starfish are dying, and no one knows why



> Something is killing starfish up and down the West Coast and no one knows what.
> 
> A mysterious illness that first appeared in June in Washington state has now spread from Sitka, Alaska, to San Diego. Starfish first waste away and then "turn into goo," divers say. Whatever is causing it can spread with astonishing speed - a healthy group of starfish can die in just 24 hours.


----------



## ekim68

Wild Tigers: the Time to Act Is Now



> HOBOKEN, New Jersey, December 31, 2013 (ENS) - Tigers are in trouble. The largest of the world's cats, a species that's existed for two million years, is slipping away before our eyes. Few realize that just 3,000 tigers remain in the wild. I just heard unofficial news that 100 tigers were poached in India in 2013.
> 
> A century ago, more than 100,000 roamed 30 nations; today, they hang on in 12. Scattered in small pockets across Asia, they've disappeared from 93 percent of their former range. Without serious intervention, tigers could be exterminated from the wild within our lifetimes, though others will languish behind bars in captivity.


----------



## ekim68

More than three quarters of large carnivores now in decline



> Three quarters of the world's big carnivores - including lions, wolves and bears - are in decline, says a new study.
> 
> A majority now occupy less than half their former ranges according to data published in the journal, Science.
> 
> The loss of this habitat and prey and persecution by humans has created global hotspots of decline.
> 
> The researchers say the loss of these species could be extremely damaging for ecosystems the world over.


----------



## ekim68

Overfishing doesn't just shrink fish populations-they often don't recover afterwards



> Thanks to surging demand for seafood and woefully inaccurate catch reporting, overfishing is out of control. And new research now argues (paywall) that it's a problem that, in many ecosystems, might be permanent.
> 
> By removing one of its species, overfishing "flips" an ecosystem into an "alternative state," explains the University of Maine's Robert Steneck, one of the report's authors. It sets off a complex reshuffling among remaining species. Often, this "locks" the ecosystem into a "alternative stable state"-meaning, the species of fish can't come back.


----------



## ekim68

Shark Species Thought to Be Extinct Found in Fish Market



> In 2008, during a Shark Conservation Society research expedition to Kuwait's sharq fish market (the name is a coincidence, it means east in Arabic), Moore says that "amongst the many species of whaler shark was one which looked very similar, but different, to a couple of other species." Later analysis revealed that although this specimen was more than 3,000 kilometers from where Hein caught his, this was a smoothtooth blacktip, the first new individual seen by scientists in over a century.


----------



## ekim68

Mexico is Saving Sharks While Australia Kills Them



> There was great news out of Mexico this week when the Mexican government announced a permanent ban on fishing for great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). The measure applies to national waters on both coasts and is notable because it means that white sharks caught accidentally - bycatch - by commercial or recreational fishermen must be immediately released back into the sea.


----------



## ekim68

As many as 988 million birds die annually in window collisions.



> Between 365 and 988 million birds die from crashing into windows in the United States each year, according to a new report. That may be as much as 10 percent of the estimated total bird population of the country.
> 
> The estimate puts windows behind only cats as the largest source of human-related menaces that kill birds directly.


(I know it's not extinction, but it's an eye catcher..)


----------



## poochee

*Danish zoo kills giraffe to prevent inbreeding*
By RICHARD STEED
 Feb. 9, 2014 11:07 AM EST



> COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Saying it needed to prevent inbreeding, the Copenhagen Zoo killed a 2-year-old giraffe and fed its remains to lions as visitors watched, ignoring a petition signed by thousands and offers from other zoos and a private individual to save the animal.
> 
> Marius, a healthy male, was put down Sunday using a bolt pistol, said zoo spokesman Tobias Stenbaek Bro. Visitors, including children, were invited to watch while the giraffe was then skinned and fed to the lions.


http://bigstory.ap.org/article/danish-zoo-kills-young-giraffe-stop-inbreeding


----------



## poochee

*These Animals Prove The Endangered Species Act Really Does Work*
The Huffington Post 
Posted: 02/08/2014 5:50 pm EST Updated: 02/08/2014 5:59 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/08/endangered-species-act-successful_n_4740535.html


----------



## poochee

*Another Danish Giraffe Named Marius Could Be Killed By Zoo*
Reuters
First published February 13th 2014, 8:12 am

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/another-danish-giraffe-named-marius-could-be-killed-zoo-n29516


----------



## poochee

*To Preserve and Protect: How a "Frozen Zoo" Is Helping to Save Endangered Species*
February 13, 2014, 12:08 PM PST
By James Temple

*VIDEO*



> One driveway down from the main entrance to the San Diego Zoo is an even bigger collection of species, though one that the general public doesn't get to see.


http://recode.net/2014/02/13/to-pre...en-zoo-is-helping-to-save-endangered-species/


----------



## ekim68

Protecting endangered species a 'great moral cause', says Hague



> "The human race and everything in the world will be poorer for ever" if elephants, rhinos or tigers become extinct, William Hague has said.
> 
> The foreign secretary was speaking to BBC Radio 5 live ahead of a conference in London aiming to boost enforcement of the law and curb demand in the trade of endangered species products.
> 
> The summit could be a "turning point" in this "great moral cause", he said.
> 
> But ultimately an "African-led solution" was needed, Mr Hague added.


----------



## ekim68

Wandering in the footsteps of the polar bear with Google Maps 



> In Inuit poetry, the polar bear is known as Pihoqahiak, the ever-wandering one. Some of the most majestic and elusive creatures in the world, polar bears travel hundreds of miles every year, wandering the tundra and Arctic sea ice in search of food and mates. Today, with the help of Street View, we're celebrating International Polar Bear Day by sharing an intimate look at polar bears in their natural habitat.


----------



## ekim68

Monsanto's Toxic Roundup Herbicide Found in 75 Percent of Rain and Air Samples



> Monsanto's Roundup herbicide is toxic, causes insect and weed immunity, and it has been found in 75 percent of air and rain test samples in at least one part of the United States. The US Geological Survey recently concluded a study in which samples of a variety of chemicals were traced in the air and rain around the Mississippi Delta agricultural region. Roundup was the most commonly found toxin in 2007, which means that the potentially carcinogenic compound is in the vast majority of the air and rain surrounding the area.


----------



## ekim68

Elephant Survives Fourth Poaching Attempt



> Just like in human beings, Mshale the elephant has proved that the will to live is stronger than any attack on life after he refused to succumb to multiple poaching attempts.
> 
> The bull elephant was first attacked by poachers in Kenya's Tsavo National Park in 2012, when he was shot with a poison arrow and narrowly escaped, fleeing with his life. Mshale was nursed back to health at an outpost for orphaned elephants by a veterinarian from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and continued to visit long after he was healed.
> 
> Last March, Mshale was assaulted again by poachers who aimed to slaughter him for his tusks but was rescued by rangers who were patrolling the park by aircraft and noticed the injured elephant from the sky. Once again, a poison arrow was extracted from his skin. "He stood gazing at his human helpers for a few minutes and then with a knowing look he limped back off into the bush," according to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.


----------



## ekim68

Why Did New Zealand's Moas Go Extinct?



> For millions of years, nine species of large, flightless birds known as moas (Dinornithiformes) thrived in New Zealand. Then, about 600 years ago, they abruptly went extinct. Their die-off coincided with the arrival of the first humans on the islands in the late 13th century, and scientists have long wondered what role hunting by **** sapiens played in the moas' decline. Did we alone drive the giant birds over the brink, or were they already on their way out thanks to disease and volcanic eruptions? Now, a new genetic study of moa fossils points to humankind as the sole perpetrator of the birds' extinction. The study adds to an ongoing debate about whether past peoples lived and hunted animals in a sustainable manner or were largely to blame for the extermination of numerous species.


----------



## hewee

Good day everyone 

Got fresh coffee, tea and juices made.


----------



## buffoon

hewee said:


> Good day everyone
> 
> Got fresh coffee, tea and juices made.


........maybe better take all that to the Cafe then


----------



## ekim68

Fished Out


----------



## ekim68

Time May Be Running Out for These Gorgeous Jewel-Like Snails



> Tiny tropical snails with beautiful, jewel-like shells are going extinct almost as fast as scientists can discover them. The minute mollusks, which average just 1 to 3 millimeters long, are members of the genus Plectostoma. Their shells are elaborate and irregularly coiled, unlike the snail shells were used to seeing.


----------



## poochee

*Copenhagen Zoo Euthanizes 2 Adult Lions, 2 Cubs Weeks After Feeding Baby Giraffe To Pride*
The Huffington Post | by Sara Gates 
Posted: 03/25/2014 3:27 pm EDT Updated: 03/26/2014 11:59 am EDT



> Several weeks after a Danish zoo euthanized an 18-month-old giraffe named Marius and fed it to lions in front of visitors, the same wildlife park has killed four more of its animals.
> 
> According to the Agence France-Presse, the Copenhagen Zoo euthanized four lions, including two cubs, on Monday in order to make room for a new male in the habitat.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/25/copenhagen-zoo-euthanizes-lions-cubs_n_5028941.html


----------



## ekim68

Can One Incredibly Stubborn Person Save a Species?



> Just ask Enriqueta Velarde, who's saved two. And she's not the only keystone lady saving entire ecosystems.


----------



## ekim68

Chernobyl's birds adapting to ionizing radiation



> Birds in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl are adapting to -- and may even be benefiting from -- long-term exposure to radiation, ecologists have found. The study is the first evidence that wild animals adapt to ionizing radiation, and the first to show that birds which produce most pheomelanin, a pigment in feathers, have greatest problems coping with radiation exposure.


----------



## ekim68

Spain: Endangered hamster-sized deer born in zoo



> A baby Java mouse-deer - one of the smallest hoofed animals in the world - has been born at a zoo in southern Spain.
> 
> The newborn deer is "no bigger than a hamster" and weighs about 100 grams, staff at Bioparc Fuengirola tell the El Pais newspaper. Adult Java mouse-deer are rarely bigger than rabbits or weigh more than 1kg (2.2lb). They are also known to be fiercely intelligent, and the species represents wisdom in many local legends in its native Java, says The Local website.


----------



## ekim68

As species decline, so do the scientists who name them



> The tree of life hasn't been so healthy lately. The Earth is deep in a biodiversity crisis and losing more than 10,000 species a year. Naming and understanding those species is often the first step in trying to save them before they're lost. And the problem extends beyond the species themselves, some say. We're losing the very scientists, like Wheeler, who do the naming: taxonomists.


----------



## ekim68

Something Is Seriously Wrong on the East Coast-and It's Killing All the Baby Puffins



> The new poster child for climate change had his coming-out party in June 2012, when Petey the puffin chick first went live into thousands of homes and schools all over the world. The "Puffin Cam" capturing baby Petey's every chirp had been set up on Maine's Seal Island by Stephen Kress, "The Puffin Man," who founded the Audubon Society's Project Puffin in 1973.





> But Kress soon noticed that something was wrong. Puffins dine primarily on hake and herring, two teardrop-shaped fish that have always been abundant in the Gulf of Maine. But Petey's parents brought him mostly butterfish, which are shaped more like saucers. Kress watched Petey repeatedly pick up butterfish and try to swallow them. The video is absurd and tragic, because the butterfish is wider than the little gray fluff ball, who keeps tossing his head back, trying to choke down the fish, only to drop it, shaking with the effort. Petey tries again and again, but he never manages it. For weeks, his parents kept bringing him butterfish, and he kept struggling. Eventually, he began moving less and less. On July 20, Petey expired in front of a live audience.


----------



## ekim68

Species disappearing faster than believed; world on verge of sixth great extinction, study says



> WASHINGTON (AP) - Species of plants and animals are becoming extinct at least 1,000 times faster than they did before humans arrived on the scene, and the world is on the brink of a sixth great extinction, a new study says.
> 
> The study looks at past and present rates of extinction and finds a lower rate in the past than scientists had thought. Species are now disappearing from Earth about 10 times faster than biologists had believed, said study lead author noted biologist Stuart Pimm of Duke University.
> 
> "We are on the verge of the sixth extinction," Pimm said from research at the Dry Tortugas. "Whether we avoid it or not will depend on our actions."


----------



## ekim68

Scientists race to save coral doomed by Government Cut dredging



> Miami scientists scrambled this week to rescue a crop of unusually hardy coral from an unlikely underwater garden at the bottom of one of the world's busiest shipping channels.
> 
> The coral, which may hold clues about how sea life adapts to climate change, is growing in Government Cut. The channel, created more than a century ago, leads to PortMiami and is undergoing a $205 million dredging project - scheduled to begin Saturday - to deepen the sea floor by about 10 feet in time for a wave of new monster cargo ships cruising through an expanded Panama Canal starting in 2015.





> The corals, some of which may be 40 years old, could prove significant because of the very work that spells their doom. Despite the churning, turbid waters in the busy channel, which is also whipped by currents rushing in and out with every tide, a variety of corals including brain, flower, great star, cactus and mustard hill have acclimated to the unnatural conditions, Baker said.


----------



## ekim68

Study: Deforestation leaves fish undersized and underfed



> Deforestation is reducing the amount of leaf litter falling into rivers and lakes, resulting in less food being available to fish, a study suggests.
> 
> Researchers found the amount of food available affected the size of young fish and influenced the number that went on to reach adulthood.
> 
> The team said the results illustrated a link between watershed protection and healthy freshwater fish populations.


----------



## poochee

*Iran tries to save Asiatic cheetah from extinction
*By NASSER KARIMI
 Jun. 26, 2014 1:11 AM EDT



> TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran is rushing to try to save one of the world's critically endangered species, the Asiatic cheetah, and bring it back from the verge of extinction in its last remaining refuge.
> 
> The Asiatic cheetah, an equally fast cousin of the African cat, once ranged from the Red Sea to India, but its numbers shrunk over the past century to the point that it is now hanging on by a thin thread  an estimated 50 to 70 animals remaining in Iran, mostly in the east of the country. That's down from as many as 400 in the 1990s, its numbers plummeting due to poaching, the hunting of its main prey  gazelles  and encroachment on its habitat.


http://bigstory.ap.org/article/iran-tries-save-asiatic-cheetah-extinction


----------



## ekim68

Ocean acidification could be creating friendless fish 



> Fish seem like chummy enough creatures, often schooling with fish they're familiar with to avoid predators and increase the chances of finding a mate. But as carbon dioxide levels rise worldwide, they could lose their ability to recognize each other, in effect becoming "friendless" wanderers who will hang out with just about anybody.
> 
> That's the short version of new research on climate change and fish behavior out of James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. A team led by Lauren Nadler wanted to know how fish will react to ocean acidification caused by more and more human-generated CO2 in the atmosphere. So they created two experimental setups, one with regular ocean water and the other enriched with CO2, and into them dumped a bunch of tropical damselfish.


----------



## ekim68

Study: Earth in the midst of sixth mass extinction



> The loss and decline of animals around the world - caused by habitat loss and global climate disruption - mean we're in the midst of a sixth "mass extinction" of life on Earth, according to several studies out Thursday in the journal Science.
> 
> One study found that although human population has doubled in the past 35 years, the number of invertebrate animals - such as beetles, butterflies, spiders and worms - has decreased by 45% during that same period.


----------



## ekim68

Impact of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Coral Communities Is Deeper and Broader than Predicted



> A new discovery of two additional coral communities showing signs of damage from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill expands the impact footprint of the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The discovery was made by a team led by Charles Fisher, professor of biology at Penn State University. A paper describing this work and additional impacts of human activity on corals in the Gulf of Mexico will be published during the last week of July 2014 in the online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


----------



## ekim68

'Dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico is the size of Connecticut



> Scientists say a man-made "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico is as big as the state of Connecticut.
> 
> The zone, which at about 5,000 square miles (13,000 sq km) is the second largest in the world but still smaller than in previous years, is so named because it contains no oxygen, or too little, at the Gulf floor to support bottom-dwelling fish and shrimp.


----------



## ekim68

39 endangered African vultures killed by poison



> CONSERVATIONISTS have warned that vultures are "more threatened than rhinos" after the bodies of 39 poisoned vultures were discovered in southern Zimbabwe.
> 
> The decomposing carcasses were discovered on a farm at Fort Rixon, about 370 kilometres from the capital Harare, according to Kerri Wolter, from vulture conservation group Vulpro in South Africa.
> 
> The birds - most of them endangered white-backed vultures - appear to have died after feeding on a cow carcass laced with cyanide or aldicarb, which are both fast-acting poisons.


----------



## ekim68

Madagascar pochard, world's rarest bird, needs new home



> The Madagascar pochard, the world's rarest bird, will not be able to thrive without a new wetland home.
> 
> This is according to a study revealing that 96% of the chicks are dying at two to three weeks old.
> 
> Conservationists say that human activity has driven the birds to one remaining wetland, but that that site has insufficient food for the ducks.


----------



## ekim68

California blue whales rebound from whaling; first of their kin to do so



> The number of California blue whales has rebounded to near historical levels, according to new research by the University of Washington, and while the number of blue whales struck by ships is likely above allowable U.S. limits, such strikes do not immediately threaten that recovery.
> 
> This is the only population of blue whales known to have recovered from whaling - blue whales as a species having been hunted nearly to extinction.
> 
> Blue whales - nearly 100 feet in length and weighing 190 tons as adults - are the largest animals on earth. And they are the heaviest ever, weighing more than twice as much as the largest known dinosaur, the Argentinosaurus.


:up:


----------



## airborne17

Animal extinction is the desecration, irresponsible and blatant destruction of natures wonders, created over millions of years, exclusively and progressively being terminated by mankind alone.

The biggest threat to mankind on this Planet is in fact *HUMANS*.

Animals have a hard life enough without being destroyed by humans. They only wish to breed, bring up their young in peace, scrape a living from their often harsh and dangerous habitats and die.

When *humans* are so unbelievably cruel and completely insensitive to the pain, suffering and deaths of *humans*, what hope is there for animals ?

I am too old to see it, but my hope is that sometime in the future before it is too late, a factor will arise which positively instigates human extinction, then perhaps if the Planet has not been ruined beyond repair, Nature will start all over again to recreate the beautiful Planet which existed before the destruction caused by mass human infestation.

You may wonder why I have said this. Well, the reasons are fairly obvious, but can be summed up by simply saying *payback time*.


----------



## ekim68

Well you could say that 'Life' is Payback Time.....We only last so long....Although I agree that Human Greed is responsible for the rapid consuming of Natural Resources of our dear Planet.....Makes me wonder why we don't pledge allegiance to the Earth, our Mother Home... ?


----------



## ekim68

World wildlife populations halved in 40 years - report



> The global loss of species is even worse than previously thought, the London Zoological Society (ZSL) says in its new Living Planet Index.
> 
> The report suggests populations have halved in 40 years, as new methodology gives more alarming results than in a report two years ago.
> 
> The report says populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by an average of 52%.
> 
> Populations of freshwater species have suffered an even worse fall of 76%.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> World wildlife populations halved in 40 years - report


----------



## poochee

*Kenya, South Africa march for rhinos and elephants *
By LYNSEY CHUTEL
Oct. 4, 2014 11:54 AM EDT
AP video journalist Josphat Kasire contributed to this report from Nairobi, Kenya.
*
PHOTOS*

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9286...62b10/march-johannesburg-rhinos-and-elephants


----------



## poochee

*Chinese eating exotic pangolin into extinction*
Sebastian Strangio, GlobalPost 10:11 a.m. EDT October 20, 2014



> MONG LA, Myanmar  "It's delicious," the Chinese waitress says, pointing at the three metal cages on the pavement.
> 
> Inside each is a pangolin  an odd-looking creature that, over the past decade, has become the most heavily trafficked wild mammal in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/10/20/china-pangolin-exotic-mammal/17602609/


----------



## poochee

*Elusive Fanged Deer Spotted For First Time In 66 Years*
The Huffington Post | By Hilary Hanson 
Posted: 11/02/2014 12:09 pm EST Updated: 11/02/2014 12:59 pm EST



> The Kashmir musk deer, which is one of seven similar species found throughout Asia, is endangered due to habitat loss and also because of poachers hunting the animal for its prized scent glands. No members of the species had been seen in Afghanistan by scientists since 1948.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/02/fanged-deer-kashmir-musk-deer-afghanistan_n_6089996.html


----------



## ekim68

Startling decline in European birds: Majority of losses from most common species



> The study, published today in the journal Ecology Letters, reveals a decrease of 421 million individual birds over 30 years. Around 90 percent of these losses were from the 36 most common and widespread species, including house sparrows, skylarks, grey partridges and starlings, highlighting the need for greater efforts to halt the continent-wide declines of our most familiar countryside birds.


----------



## DaveBurnett

I remember House Sparrows being a pest "when I was a kid"


----------



## poochee

*Can we pull elephants back from the brink?*
By Richard Leakey
updated 2:17 PM EST, Fri November 21, 2014
_Editor's note: Richard Leakey, a world-renowned anthropologist, is professor and chair of Stony Brook University's Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya_.

*SLIDESHOW/VIDEOS*



> *STORY HIGHLIGHTS*
> Richard Leakey: Angelina Jolie planning a movie about efforts to stop elephant poaching
> He says one tusk can bring $30,000; more elephants now killed each year than being born
> Africans involved in poaching, but market is global. We must end demand for ivory, he says
> Leakey: Nations, states, cities, must ban ivory trade. Don't buy ivory; save earth's diversity





> (CNN) -- The global effort to stop the slaughter of elephants received a major boost when Angelina Jolie announced recently that she will direct and produce a feature film about my efforts to stop the poaching of elephants in Kenya in the 1990s.


http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/20/opinion/leakey-elephants-killed-for-ivory/index.html?hpt=wo_t5


----------



## ekim68

Giraffes are silently disappearing



> It's apparently time to start worrying about giraffes.
> 
> While they don't get the attention of elephants or other high-profile animals on the brink, new numbers from a conservation group show a startling decline: The world had 140,000 giraffes in 1999, and it has 80,000 today.


----------



## poochee

.


----------



## poochee

*Northern White Rhino Dies At California Zoo, Leaving Only Five Alive In The World*
AP 
Posted: 12/15/2014 12:32 pm EST Updated: 5 hours ago



> SAN DIEGO (AP)  A northern white rhinoceros that was only one of six left in the world died Sunday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, zoo officials said.





> "Angalifu's death is a tremendous loss to all of us," safari park curator Randy Rieches said in a statement. "Not only because he was well beloved here at the park but also because his death brings this wonderful species one step closer to extinction."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/15/northern-white-rhino-dies_n_6328156.html


----------



## ekim68

Good News. Tiger Numbers in India up From 1,400 to 2,226 in 7 Years



> New Delhi: The number of tigers in India has seen a sharp rise to 2,226 tigers from 1,411 seven years ago, the environment ministry has said.
> 
> "India is now home to 70 per cent of the world's tigers," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday.
> 
> Karnataka has the most number of tigers at 406. Uttarakhand has 340 tigers, Tamil Nadu has 229, Madhya Pradesh has 208, Maharashtra has 190 and the Sundarbans in Bengal has 76 tigers.
> 
> India has struggled to stop the rapid decline of its big cat population in the face of poachers, international smuggling networks and loss of habitat.


----------



## valis

Wow.....that is awesome.....pretty sure nobody saw that coming as I read something a few years back (might have been this thread actually)about their decline.

Thanks Mike.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Good News. Tiger Numbers in India up From 1,400 to 2,226 in 7 Years


:up:


----------



## ekim68

valis said:


> Wow.....that is awesome.....pretty sure nobody saw that coming as I read something a few years back (might have been this thread actually)about their decline.
> 
> Thanks Mike.


Sounds like they're keeping a close eye on things with the State's Individual statistics, eh?


----------



## DaveBurnett

I was under the impression that there were more in Texas as pets than in the wild?


----------



## valis

nope, unfortunately.....don't click below if you like animals, please. I hunted for years, and these idiots are the reason I quit.

http://www.cottonmesawhitetail.com/texas-hunting/exotic-hunts/


----------



## ekim68

Wow, I didn't know those were still around...


----------



## valis

my friend.......this is texas........


----------



## ekim68

I've lived a Sheltered Life...


----------



## DaveBurnett

Shame the animals don't.......


----------



## poochee

*Ili Pika Seen for 1st Time in 2 Decades, Shows 'Teddy Bear Face' in China*
Mar 25, 2015, 10:42 AM ET
By AVIANNE TAN via Good Morning America

*VIDEO*



> The Ili pika lives in China and considered vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
> 
> Increases in grazing pressure and global atmospheric pollution resulting in climate change are believed to be the primary threats to these animals, according to the IUCN.


 http://abcnews.go.com/International/ili-pika-1st-time-decades-shows-teddy-bear/story?id=29891536


----------



## poochee

*Dolphin's Death Leaves Only 5 Of Her Kind On The Planet*
By Christina M. Russo 
April 08, 2015



> The recent death of one of the remaining six Irrawaddy river dolphins in the Mekong River in Laos highlights the desperate situation for the already critically endangered animal.


https://www.thedodo.com/dolphin-mekong-laos-1081919527.html


----------



## ekim68

The only male northern white rhino left in the entire world is under 24-hour protection by armed guards



> Sudan, the last male white rhino left in the entire world, is under 24-hour protection by armed guards at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya, CNN reports. The entire species depends on his ability to reproduce with the two other females there.
> 
> Sudan, however, is no spring chicken.


----------



## ekim68

One in six of world's species faces extinction due to climate change - study



> One in six of the planet's species will be lost forever to extinction if world leaders fail to take action on climate change, according to a new analysis.
> 
> The stark warning on the scale of global warming's impact on animals and plants comes just months before nearly 200 governments meet for UN climate talks in Paris in an attempt to forge a global deal on cutting carbon emissions.
> 
> Conservationists said such a large loss would be a tragedy with serious ramifications for people as well as ecosystems.
> 
> Creatures in Australia, New Zealand and South America will be hit much harder than North American and Europe, due to a high number of species not found anywhere else, such as Australia's white lemuroid ringtail possums, which can die within hours in higher temperatures.


----------



## valis

Posted that in climate change as well, fwiw.....


----------



## ekim68

And more on Extinctions for more reasons....

Wildlife decline may lead to 'empty landscape'



> Populations of some of the world's largest wild animals are dwindling, raising the threat of an "empty landscape", say scientists.
> 
> About 60% of giant herbivores - plant-eaters - including rhinos, elephants and gorillas, are at risk of extinction, according to research.
> 
> Analysis of 74 herbivore species, published in Science Advances, blamed poaching and habitat loss.


----------



## poochee

*10 endangered species getting new help*
Carrie Blackmore Smith, The Cincinnati Enquirer 9:12 a.m. EDT May 15, 2015

*SLIDESHOW*



> NEWPORT, Ky.  An international effort to save 10 species from extinction is being announced Friday at Newport Aquarium.
> 
> The international effort called Saving Animals From Extinction  SAFE for short  includes 228 other zoos, aquariums and oceanariums across the USA and in seven other countries.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...effort-to-save-10-species-announced/27352445/


----------



## ekim68

Critically endangered gibbon: New action plan to save world's rarest primate



> An international team of more than 100 scientists, policy makers and community representatives have published a new report outlining the vital steps needed to save the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) from extinction. With only 25 individuals remaining in less than 20 square kilometers of forest in China's Hainan Island, the Critically Endangered Hainan gibbon is one of the rarest animals in the world.


----------



## ekim68

Great Barrier Reef spared 'in danger' listing - for now



> The Great Barrier Reef should not go on a World Heritage danger list, according to a United Nations draft report.
> 
> However, it says Australia must carry out commitments to protect the reef, including restoring water quality and restricting new port developments.


----------



## DaveBurnett

Oh good! That means we can ignore the fact that it is being destroyed until they do!!


----------



## poochee

*
Sanctuary saves rare fawn that its mom tried to kill*
Eric D Lloyd, WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids, Mich. 10:31 a.m. EDT June 5, 2015

*VIDEO*



> CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich.  A piebald deer  one with less pigment than usual  is being bottle-fed and nursed by humans at a Michigan deer ranch because its mother would have killed it.
> 
> Meet Dragon, the young, curious fawn who lives at Deer Tracks Junction here about 21 miles north of Grand Rapids, Mich.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/05/rare-fawn-rejected-by-mom/28525153/


----------



## ekim68

Arctic Ocean rapidly becoming more corrosive to marine species



> New research shows that surface waters of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas could reach levels of acidity that threaten the ability of animals to build and maintain their shells by 2030, with the Bering Sea reaching this level of acidity by 2044.


----------



## ekim68

The U.S. government classifies all chimpanzees as endangered, after 40 years of stalling.



> Chimpanzees in captivity will gain endangered protections in September, announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Fridayreversing the 1990 decision that designated wild chimpanzees as endangered but captive chimpanzees as merely threatened. Conservationists and animal rights advocates, including the Humane Society and famed primatologist Jane Goodall, celebrated the move.


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## DaveBurnett

That was so they can treat them differently like beat them to train them.???


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## ekim68

Good News for the World's Rarest Lions



> One of the worlds rarest big cat species has received some much-needed good news this month. According to newly published surveys, the population of endangered Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) has experienced a population boom to a modern-day high of 523. Thats a 27 percent increase over the population of 411 cats during the previous survey five years ago.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Good News for the World's Rarest Lions


:up:


----------



## ekim68

Corals may already have the right genes to survive some global warming, scientists say



> Warming ocean waters due to climate change have been ravaging coral reefs over the past few decades, but researchers have discovered that, with the help of some breeding, the threat may be kept at bay.
> 
> Some corals already have the genes needed to adapt to higher ocean temperatures, and researchers expect those genes will naturally migrate and mix with corals under stress over time, according to a study published this week in Science.


----------



## valis

rather interesting read here.

http://gizmodo.com/why-did-60-000-antelope-drop-dead-over-four-days-1728591107


----------



## ekim68

World's smallest snail discovered in China




> Snails small enough to fit almost 10 times into the eye of a needle have been discovered in Guangxi province, Southern China.
> 
> With their shells measuring 0.86mm in height, the researchers believe they are the smallest land snails ever found.


----------



## ekim68

How Modern Agriculture Can Save the Gorillas of Virunga




> For the villager, who asks to be identified only as Bernadette, life is a running battle. On tiny plots of corn, millet and sweet potatoes next to Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she and her neighbors scrape a bare subsistence for themselves and their children. Her sweet potatoes, she told us last year, are under constant attack from baboons and elephants that stray from the park in search of food. Deep agrarian poverty of this kind is hard on nature, too. Virunga is home to half of the world's fewer than 900 remaining mountain gorillas, as well as endangered elephants and antelope. The park's forests are under pressure from the charcoal trade, and in 2007 the local charcoal mafia assassinated seven of the park's gorillas in retaliation for a crackdown on illegal logging. Poachers have killed 250 of Virunga's 300 elephants in recent years, probably with the acquiescence of residents fed up with crop raiding by the animals.
> 
> Rising affluence over the past several centuries has, overall, been hard on the environment. But on the front lines of conservation, where people live intimately with primary forests, biodiversity hotspots and endangered species, it is often grinding poverty that drives the destruction.
> 
> Improvements in productivity, as exemplified by Shigeharu Shimamura's farm in Japan, could hold the key for conservation in the 21st century. Shimamura oversees a 25,000-square-foot farm at the site of a former Sony microchip factory. Everything grows safely indoors.


----------



## ekim68

Scientists say a dramatic worldwide coral bleaching event is now underway




> For just the third time on record, scientists say they are now watching the unfolding of a massive worldwide coral bleaching event, spanning the globe from Hawaii to the Indian Ocean. And they fear that thanks to warm sea temperatures, the ultimate result could be the loss of more than 12,000 square kilometers, or over 4,500 square miles, of coral this year - with particularly strong impacts in Hawaii and other U.S. tropical regions, and potentially continuing into 2016.


----------



## ekim68

Frogs Are Really Cool. Too Bad Humans Are Killing Them All




> Frogs don't have a great public relations record. First, they plagued the Egyptians-not usually how you make friends. Then people accused the amphibians of giving them warts. Patently untrue. A brief respite came when a frog turned into a prince that one time, but now frogs face their greatest challenge yet: the scourge that is the human race.


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## charlilou

Kinda feel that it would be a shame, but not much we an do about saving all the animals


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## ekim68

Actually there's a lot we can do with some of the animals....Stop eating them for one thing.....


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## hewee

What about the humans that kill others and war etc. We are the worse.


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## DaveBurnett

Stop eating them for one thing.....
A lot of them wouldn't even exist if not for that.


----------



## valis

ekim68 said:


> Actually there's a lot we can do with some of the animals....Stop eating them for one thing.....


Pretty sure eating them isn't the issue. I'd say destroying their habitats _en masse_ is a bit larger problem. I'm fairly certain that human beings, as a whole, think that everything is somebody else's problem.


----------



## ekim68

The


> Stop eating Them


 was tongue in cheek. I know we're Omnivores just like Crows....


----------



## valis

Crows......those corvids scare me. Waaaaay too intelligent.

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/watch-a-genius-crow-solve-8-complex-puzzles-in-perfect-1520343494


----------



## ekim68

African elephants 'killed faster than they are being born'




> More African elephants are being killed for ivory than are being born, despite poaching levels falling for the fourth year in a row in 2015.
> 
> The new data, released on UN world wildlife day on Thursday, shows about 60% of elephant deaths are at the hands of poachers, meaning the overall population is most likely to be falling.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> African elephants 'killed faster than they are being born'


...


----------



## ekim68

Monarch butterflies could disappear from Eastern US within 20 years




> In colder climes, signs of spring can lift a heavy weight from a tired, frozen spirit. Trees bud, flowers bloom, and migratory species trickle in to announce the approach of summer. In the US, one of those species is a floppy orange gem: the monarch butterfly. These insects winter in amazingly dense clusters in Mexican forests before making a staggeringly long journey (one that spans multiple generations, in fact) to summer homes to the north.
> 
> But in recent years, the population of monarchs that stay east of the Rockies has dropped like a rock. Precise population numbers are difficult to come by, but estimates kept by the US Fish and Wildlife Service show about an 80 percent decline over the last decade.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Monarch butterflies could disappear from Eastern US within 20 years


...


----------



## ekim68

Australia's Great Barrier Reef hit by 'worst' bleaching




> Evidence that Australia's Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its worst coral bleaching on record has renewed calls for the UN to list it as "in-danger".
> 
> The National Coral Bleaching Taskforce says 95% of reefs from Cairns to Papua New Guinea are now severely bleached.
> 
> It says only four reefs out of 520 have no evidence of bleaching.


----------



## ekim68

And more on that......


Limiting catch of one type of fish could help save coral reefs, research finds




> Limiting the take of just one type of fish could protect coral reefs around the world from the most serious immediate impacts of climate change, researchers have found.
> 
> Studying Caribbean coral reefs, Peter Mumby and colleagues from the University of Queensland found that enforcing a rule limiting the fishing of a single type of herbivorous fish - parrotfish - would allow coral reefs there to continue to grow, despite bleaching and other impacts associated with climate change.
> 
> Coral reefs damaged by bleaching or storms can recover when new baby corals settle and grow on the dead old corals. But the new recruits must compete with seaweed. If the seaweed outcompetes the coral, the reef can be lost forever, transforming into a seaweed-dominated ecosystem, where most of the biodiversity is lost.
> 
> But herbivorous fish can eat the seaweed, giving the baby corals a fighting chance.


----------



## ekim68

The Secret World of Crayfish Extinction (and Beyond)




> Australia's gorgeous and colorful spiny crayfish are in the middle of an extinction crisis. Of the 52 crayfish species from the genus _Euastacus_, at least 34 are currently endangered or critically endangered due to habitat fragmentation and climate change.
> 
> If these crayfish go extinct, they won't be alone. According to research published last month in _Proceedings of the Royal Society B_, the disappearance of many spiny crayfish species could create a cascading effect, causing dozens of other species to blink out of existence.


----------



## ekim68

Scientists have discovered the true origin of the most isolated animal on Earth



> A tiny species of fish can claim some of the most unenviable of all records.
> 
> The so-called Devils hole pupfish survives within one of the driest places in the world, in the heart of the Mojave desert in the US.
> 
> Each fish is less than one inch-long (2.5cm), and perhaps fewer than 50 individuals survive.
> 
> Even more remarkably, every member of this species has existed in the wild, since they first appeared thousands of years ago, within an area no bigger than the living room in your house.


----------



## ekim68

1 In 10 People May Face Malnutrition As Fish Catches Decline



> There are many important reasons to manage the world's wild fisheries. We do it to maintain stock levels, to ensure biodiversity and because fish are valuable. But researchers say there's something else in need of protection: The very people who rely on fish for food.
> 
> Scientists are predicting more than 10 percent of the world's population, a whopping 845 million people, will experience deficiencies in critically important micronutrients including zinc, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and fatty-acids in the coming decades if global fish catches continue to decline.


----------



## ekim68

More on the Fish....

Global Fish Stocks Depleted to 'Alarming' Levels



> If we keep pulling fish out of our waterways at this rate, we're going to run out of fish. The Guardian has revealed that due to vast overfishing, nearly 90 percent of global fish stocks are either fully fished or overfished, based on a new analysis from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Meanwhile, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development forecasts a 17 percent rise in fish production by 2025.


----------



## ekim68

Mass extinction has a tipping point: study



> Experts say the results of a study of ancient zooplankton fossils offer a warning about mass extinction events: There's a tipping point, at which dramatic declines in populations begin.
> 
> The researchers studied nearly 22,000 fossils and found that ancient plankton communities began changing in important ways as much as 400,000 years before massive die-offs ensued during the first of Earth's five great extinctions.


----------



## 2twenty2

'Heading for extinction': Off South Africa's coast, great white sharks threatened


----------



## ekim68

Most humpback whales removed from endangered list, but threats remain



> The vast majority of the world's humpback whales, famous for putting on spectacular displays of leaping and splashing that this year have extended into San Francisco Bay, are being taken off the endangered species list in what one federal official called a "true ecological success story."
> 
> But even as the government marks progress that has unfolded over more than four decades, scientists and conservationists said Tuesday that threats remain to humpbacks - including the leviathans that migrate along the California coast every year.
> 
> The decision by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to delist nine of the 14 subspecies of humpbacks under the Endangered Species Act was momentous, highlighting how worldwide protection of the blubbery giants has succeeded since whaling was banned in the United States, fisheries experts said.
> 
> However, problems persist with the Central American population, with a federal count of only 411 whales prompting the National Marine Fisheries Service to keep that population on the endangered list. Meanwhile, the Mexico population, with 3,200 animals, was downgraded from endangered to threatened after experts determined that a lot of the animals were still dying from entanglements in commercial fishing gear.


----------



## ekim68

For the first time in 100 years, tiger numbers are growing



> After a century of constant decline, the number of wild tigers is on the rise! According to the most recent data, around 3,890 tigers now exist in the wild-up from an estimated 3,200 in 2010.
> 
> We can attribute this updated minimum number-compiled from national tiger surveys-to rising tiger populations in India, Russia, Nepal, and Bhutan; improved surveys; and enhanced protection of this iconic species.


:up:


----------



## poochee

...


----------



## 2twenty2

Grainy images show Tasmanian tiger didn't go extinct 80 years ago, group claims. 'It isn't a bloody kangaroo'

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/w...rs-ago-group-claims-it-isnt-a-bloody-kangaroo


----------



## ekim68

New Zealand kea, the world's only alpine parrot, faces extinction



> The world's only alpine parrot is at threat of extinction in New Zealand as numbers plummet in the face of threats from non-native predators and human development.
> 
> The kea is the world's only mountain-dwelling parrot and also one of the most intelligent species of bird known for their playfulness and novelty-seeking nature.


----------



## ekim68

Wildlife populations plunge almost 60 percent since 1970: WWF



> Worldwide populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles have plunged by almost 60 percent since 1970 as human activities overwhelm the environment, the WWF conservation group said on Thursday.
> 
> An index compiled with data from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to measure the abundance of biodiversity was down 58 percent from 1970 to 2012 and would fall 67 percent by 2020 on current trends, the WWF said in a report.
> 
> The decline is yet another sign that people have become the driving force for change on Earth, ushering in the epoch of the Anthropocene, a term derived from "anthropos", the Greek for "human" and "-cene" denoting a geological period.


----------



## poochee

...


----------



## poochee

*Adorable American Pika Is Fast Disappearing, And We're Doing Nothing To Stop It*
_The climate change-threatened mammal has been denied protections under the Endangered Species Act. Again._
10/27/2016 09:49 am ET

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...on-climate-change_us_580f2f63e4b0a03911ee8c9e


----------



## poochee

*Female Panther Crosses Florida River, Humans Applaud* 
November 15, 201611:40 AM ET
 Rebecca Hersher

Florida conservation officials say a female panther has crossed a river, and it could be a big deal for the survival of the species.

Florida panthers are endangered - about 200 of the large cats live in south Florida, in an area less than 5 percent of their original range. If the animal is to thrive, it needs to do two things: expand its territory and breed.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...-panther-crosses-florida-river-humans-applaud


----------



## ekim68

Two-thirds of Australians think reef crisis is 'national emergency' - poll



> More than two-thirds of Australians think the condition of the Great Barrier Reef should be declared a "national emergency" and support much stronger measures to protect it than are now being considered.


----------



## ekim68

[URL='http://gizmodo.com/thousands-of-snow-geese-die-after-landing-on-toxic-mini-1789760515']Thousands of Snow Geese Die After Landing on Toxic Mining Water in Montana[/URL]



> Last week, thousands of snow geese died in Montana after landing on "the acidic, metal-laden waters of an old open pit mine" to escape a snowstorm, the AP reported. Montana Resources, the mining company in charge of the toxic water, told the _Billings Gazette_ that the agency won't release the exact number until mid-week, but it estimates about 10,000 birds perished on the evening of November 28.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Thousands of Snow Geese Die After Landing on Toxic Mining Water in Montana


...


----------



## 2twenty2

Cheetahs heading towards extinction as population crashes

The sleek, speedy cheetah is rapidly heading towards extinction according to a new study into declining numbers.

The report estimates that there are just 7,100 of the world's fastest mammals now left in the wild.

Cheetahs are in trouble because they range far beyond protected areas and are coming increasingly into conflict with humans.

The authors are calling for an urgent re-categorisation of the species from vulnerable to endangered.


----------



## poochee

...


----------



## ekim68

Good news for a change....:up:


China Says It Will Shut Down Ivory Trade by End of 2017




> China





> says it plans to shut down its ivory trade by the end of 2017 in a move designed to curb the mass slaughter of African elephants.
> 
> The Chinese government will end the processing and selling of ivory and ivory products by the end of March as it phases out the legal trade, according to a statement released on Friday.
> 
> China had previously announced it planned to shut down the commercial trade, which conservationists described as significant because China's vast, increasingly affluent consumer market drives much of the elephant poaching across Africa.
> 
> "This is a game changer for Africa's elephants," said Aili Kang, the Asia director for the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society.


----------



## poochee

...


----------



## ekim68

:up:


----------



## 2twenty2




----------



## ekim68

Humans, not climate change, wiped out Australian megafauna



> The Australian collection of megafauna some 50,000 years ago included 1,000-pound kangaroos, 2-ton wombats, 25-foot-long lizards, 400-pound flightless birds, 300-pound marsupial lions and Volkswagen-sized tortoises. More than 85 percent of Australia's mammals, birds and reptiles weighing over 100 pounds went extinct shortly after the arrival of the first humans, said Miller.
> 
> The ocean sediment core showed the southwest is one of the few regions on the Australian continent that had dense forests both 45,000 years ago and today, making it a hotbed for biodiversity, said Miller, also associate director of CU Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.
> 
> "It's a region with some of the earliest evidence of humans on the continent, and where we would expect a lot of animals to have lived," Miller said. "Because of the density of trees and shrubs, it could have been one of their last holdouts some 45,000 years ago. There is no evidence of significant climate change during the time of the megafauna extinction."


----------



## valis

starting to think this should be re-titled 'Mankind- the greatest threat to mankind'.......


----------



## ekim68

[URL='http://gizmodo.com/will-a-radical-plan-to-save-new-zealands-birds-with-gen-1792224376']Will a Radical Plan to Save New Zealand's Birds With Genetic Engineering Work?[/URL]



> That the kiwi bird still exists at all is something of a marvel. Its native New Zealand has no endemic land predators, and so the bird evolved to be flightless. Today, its nests on the forest floor are under constant attack by invasive species-opossums, rats, feral cats and the occasional misbehaving dog.
> 
> Despite conservation efforts, there are less than 70,000 kiwi left in all of New Zealand. The country loses about 20 kiwi birds a week.
> 
> But a radical new plan imagines modern technology as the key to saving New Zealander's namesake kiwi, and other native birds threatened by invaders: scientists want to use a genetic engineering technique known as a gene drive to stamp out invasive rodents for good.


----------



## 2twenty2

*Back from extinction?*

Woolly mammoth on verge of resurrection, scientists reveal.

Scientist leading 'de-extinction' effort says Harvard team could create hybrid mammoth-elephant embryo in two years.

The woolly mammoth vanished from the Earth 4,000 years ago, but now scientists say they are on the brink of resurrecting the ancient beast in a revised form, through an ambitious feat of genetic engineering.


----------



## ekim68

[URL='http://gizmodo.com/some-good-news-about-the-worst-mass-extinction-in-earth-1792455946']Some Good News About the Worst Mass Extinction in Earth's History[/URL]



> If the fact that the Earth is careening toward a sixth mass extinction event makes you uncomfortable, good news: it turns out, the biosphere may have rebounded "quickly" after the worst mass extinction in history. That, at least, is the implication of one remarkable fossil assemblage formed less than 2 million years after the so-called Great Dying.


----------



## ekim68

Butterfly extinct to Presidio gets re-introduced



> Ecologists Friday afternoon continued their re-introduction of the Variable Checkerspot butterfly to the Presidio in San Francisco, a city known for the number of butterflies that have gone extinct there, an ecologist said.
> 
> At noon, about 300 butterfly larvae were released at El Polin Spring near MacArthur Avenue following a collection this morning on San Bruno Mountain in San Mateo County.
> 
> The goal of officials of the trust is to release 1,500 larvae by Monday and wildlife ecologist Jonathan Young said he thinks they'll easily meet that goal.


----------



## 2twenty2

'Sightings' of extinct Tasmanian tiger prompt search in Queensland.

Eyewitness accounts of large, dog-like animals in state's far north spur scientific hunt for thylacines, thought to have died out in 1936


----------



## 2twenty2

Rebounding Florida manatee no longer an 'endangered' species

The manatee - for decades the poster mammal for environmental decline in Florida - is officially no longer an endangered species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday that the manatee will instead be designated "threatened" - a status change that reflects a boom in population over the last decade. In February, Florida wildlife managers released preliminary results of an annual count that recorded 6,620 manatees lumbering in the warm waters of Florida's lagoons, springs and canals.


----------



## ekim68

Good stuff.....:up:


----------



## ekim68

Study shows warming, acidifying oceans could dissolve sea creatures



> Warming oceans might sound like a good thing for swimmers and surfers, but they're wreaking havoc on the plants and animals that call those waters home. Australia's Great Barrier Reef has undergone two consecutive years of severe coral bleaching, from which large swathes of it might not recover. Now, research out of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) has found some more bad news. A combination of warming and acidifying waters can cause invertebrate organisms called bryozoa (or moss animals) to start dissolving - and other sea creatures could soon face a similar fate.


----------



## ekim68

Popular Sport Fish May Be Headed for Broad Extinction in California



> Forty-five percent of California's native salmon, steelhead and trout species face extinction within 50 years, and nearly three-quarters will be wiped out in a century without intervention, a study released yesterday said.
> 
> The analysis from California Trout (CalTrout) and University of California, Davis, Center for Watershed Sciences blamed climate change as a primary culprit, titling the report "State of the Salmonids II: Fish in Hot Water." It details the status of 32 types of salmon, steelhead and trout native to the Golden State.


----------



## ekim68

Era of 'Biological Annihilation' Is Underway, Scientists Warn



> From the common barn swallow to the exotic giraffe, thousands of animal species are in precipitous decline, a sign that an irreversible era of mass extinction is underway, new research finds.
> 
> The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, calls the current decline in animal populations a "global epidemic" and part of the "ongoing sixth mass extinction" caused in large measure by human destruction of animal habitats. The previous five extinctions were caused by natural phenomena.


----------



## ekim68

Pepsico, Unilever and Nestlé accused of complicity in illegal rainforest destruction



> Pepsico, Unilever and Nestlé have been accused of complicity in the destruction of Sumatra's last tract of rainforest shared by elephants, orangutans, rhinos, and tigers together in one ecosystem.
> 
> Plantations built on deforested land have allegedly been used to supply palm oil to scores of household brands that also include McDonald's, Mars, Kellogg's and Procter & Gamble, according to a new report.


----------



## poochee

...


----------



## ekim68

Endangered whales won't reach half of pre-hunting numbers by 2100, study says



> Populations of the endangered blue and fin whales, which were hunted nearly to extinction in the 20th century, will not have recovered to even half of their pre-whaling numbers by 2100, according to a new Australian study.
> 
> The research, published in the Fish and Fisheries journal next month, analysed 122 years of whaling data from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and current population survey data to project future population growth, based on predicted food availability in the southern oceans.


----------



## poochee

ekim68 said:


> Endangered whales won't reach half of pre-hunting numbers by 2100, study says


...


----------



## ekim68

Monarch butterflies disappearing from western U.S., researchers say



> Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The monarch butterfly populations in western North America have declined dramatically and face a greater risk of extinction, a new study shows.
> 
> Scientists at Washington State University found that the decline in western monarch butterfly populations was significantly more than previously believed and greater than eastern monarchs.


----------



## ekim68

Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in insect numbers



> The abundance of flying insects has plunged by three-quarters over the past 25 years, according to a new study that has shocked scientists.
> 
> Insects are an integral part of life on Earth as both pollinators and prey for other wildlife and it was known that some species such as butterflies were declining. But the newly revealed scale of the losses to all insects has prompted warnings that the world is "on course for ecological Armageddon", with profound impacts on human society.
> 
> The new data was gathered in nature reserves across Germany but has implications for all landscapes dominated by agriculture, the researchers said.


----------



## poochee

...


----------



## ekim68

A successful coral transplant gives scientists hope for the Great Barrier Reef



> In a trial at the reef's Heron Island off Australia's east coast, the researchers collected large amounts of coral spawn and eggs late last year, grew them into larvae and then transplanted them into areas of damaged reef.
> 
> When they returned eight months later, they found juvenile coral that had survived and grown, aided by underwater mesh tanks.
> 
> "The success of this new research not only applies to the Great Barrier Reef but has potential global significance," lead researcher Peter Harrison of Southern Cross University said.


----------



## ekim68

Marsupial long thought extinct rediscovered living in the Australian desert



> Once widespread across the deserts of inland Australia, the Crest-tailed Mulgara was largely wiped out by invasive rabbits, cats and foxes. The cutesy carnivorous marsupial hasn't been seen in the state of New South Wales for a century, but environment scientists from a university in Sydney have recently rediscovered the creature in the area, alive and well.


----------



## 2twenty2

...


----------



## ekim68

How did half of the great Florida coral reef system disappear?



> Overfishing, development and pollution have all contributed to the reef's decline, but climate change is its biggest threat. UN targets must be met to stop ocean acidification.


----------



## ekim68

UV light may save bats from deadly fungus



> If you like bats, then you're probably familiar with white-nose syndrome. It's a disease that infects the animals as they hibernate, and it's been decimating bat populations across North America in recent years. There may be new hope, however, as scientists have discovered that the fungus behind the disease is killed by exposure to UV light.


----------



## ekim68

Oceans suffocating as huge dead zones quadruple since 1950, scientists warn



> Ocean dead zones with zero oxygen have quadrupled in size since 1950, scientists have warned, while the number of very low oxygen sites near coasts have multiplied tenfold. Most sea creatures cannot survive in these zones and current trends would lead to mass extinction in the long run, risking dire consequences for the hundreds of millions of people who depend on the sea.


----------



## ekim68

Heartbroken scientists lament the likely loss of 'most of the world's coral reefs'



> For decades, marine scientists have been warning of the demise of coral reefs in a warming world. But now, those warning calls have reached a full-scale alarm, leaving researchers at a loss for exactly how best to save the reefs.
> 
> A study published Thursday in Science by some of the world's top coral experts amounts to a last rites for the ecosystems often referred to as "the tropical rainforests of the sea." Scientists surveyed 100 reefs around the world and found that extreme bleaching events that once occurred every 25 or 30 years now happen about every five or six years.
> 
> Bleaching happens when corals become overheated and expel the symbiotic algae that feed them. Without the algae to photosynthesize their food for them, corals stop growing and become more susceptible to disease. If water temperatures remain too high for too long, the corals can die.


----------



## ekim68

Giant fans, starfish assaults and the half-baked plan to save the Great Barrier Reef



> Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in a bit of trouble. Back-to-back coral bleaching events brought on by warming waters have devastated areas of the Reef over the past two years, and 2018 has brought another feisty and familiar foe: the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish. Things are so dire that the Australian government has announced a AU$60 million (US$48 million) plan to preserve the world's largest living structure, including using submerged fans to pump cold water over the top of it and an "all-out assault" on the starfish. But environmental experts are wondering how much impact this likely to have, and whether it is simply a way of avoiding a larger, more complex issue.


----------



## ekim68

Most UK bat species 'recovering or stable'



> The UK's bats are holding their own, according to the most recent national survey.
> 
> Of the 18 resident species, most are growing in number or are stable.
> 
> It is evidence that protective measures introduced in recent years are working, the Bat Conservation Trust says.


----------



## ekim68

Insect die-off: Even common species are becoming rare



> Scientists were able to show that currently widespread insects are threatened with a serious decline in species diversity in the near future. The research team lists fragmentation of habitats and intensification of agriculture as reasons for the decline of these 'generalists.'


----------



## ekim68

Polar Bears Really Are Starving Because of Global Warming, Study Shows




> New science sheds more light on recent controversy over how much the large carnivores are being impacted by melting sea ice.


----------



## ekim68

Move or die: Global warming threatens Antarctica's King penguins



> Will our favorite flightless bird waddle off to the sunset?
> 
> Some 70% percent of all the king penguins on Earth - around 1.1 million breeding pairs - will be forced to relocate or die trying by the end of the century if global warming continues at its present rate, according to a new study published online Monday.


----------



## ekim68

New Study Confirms Cambodia's Last Leopards on Brink of Extinction



> New York, NY - A new study has confirmed that the world's last breeding population of leopards in Cambodia is at immediate risk of extinction, having declined an astonishing 72% during a five-year period. The population represents the last remaining leopards in all of eastern Indochina - a region incorporating Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
> 
> The report was published this month in the Royal Society Open Science journal by Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), Panthera - the global wild cat conservation organization, WWF-Cambodia, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Forestry Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia.
> 
> Carried out in Cambodia's Eastern Plains Landscape, the study revealed one of the lowest concentrations of leopards ever reported in Asia, with a density of one individual per 100 square kilometers. Increased poaching, especially indiscriminate snaring for the illegal wildlife trade and bushmeat, is to blame for the dramatic decline.


----------



## ekim68

Sudan, the world's last male northern white rhino, dies at age 45



> The world's last remaining male northern white rhino has died in Kenya at age 45, the conservationists who looked after him said Tuesday. There are now just two female members of the subspecies left.


----------



## ekim68

Japan whalers return from Antarctic hunt after killing 333 whales



> Japanese whaling vessels returned to port on Saturday after catching more than 300 of the mammals in the Antarctic Ocean without facing any protests by anti-whaling groups, officials said.
> 
> A fleet of five whalers set sail for the Southern Ocean in November, as Tokyo pursues its "research whaling" in defiance of global criticism.


----------



## ekim68

Death by Plastic: 64 Pounds of Trash in Whale's Digestive System



> A sperm whale found dead in southern Spain was killed after ingesting 64 pounds of mostly plastic garbage, a necropsy of the marine mammal recently revealed.
> 
> The 6-ton, 33-foot-long juvenile male beached near a lighthouse in Cabo de Palos in the region of Murcia in February.


----------



## ekim68

Since 2016, Half of All Coral in the Great Barrier Reef Has Died



> Once upon a time, there was a city so dazzling and kaleidoscopic, so braided and water-rimmed, that it was often compared to a single living body. It clustered around a glimmering emerald spine, which astronauts could glimpse from orbit. It hid warm nooks and crannies, each a nursery for new life. It opened into radiant, iris-colored avenues, which tourists crossed oceans to see. The city was, the experts declared, the planet's largest living structure.
> 
> Then, all at once, a kind of invisible wildfire overran the city. It consumed its avenues and neighborhoods, swallowed its canyons and branches. It expelled an uncountable number of dwellers from their homes. It was merciless: Even those who escaped the initial ravishment perished in the famine that followed.


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## ekim68

Great Barrier Reef has "died" five times already - but this might be the last straw



> The Great Barrier Reef is not doing so well. In 2016 it was hit with the worst coral bleaching event in its history, and it didn't help that another one struck the following year. As the fate of the reef remains uncertain, a new study has examined the health of the Great Barrier Reef over the last 30,000 years, and found that it has suffered five "death events" in the past - but its current woes could be the last straw.


----------



## ekim68

Africa's Iconic Baobabs Are Dying, Including World's OIdest Flowering Tree



> When researchers set out to investigate the structure, growth and age of Africa's iconic baobab trees-the largest and longest-living flowering trees in the world-they received a devastating surprise. Many of the oldest, largest baobabs were dead or dying.
> 
> The final study, published in Nature Plants Monday, reported that nine of the 13 oldest and five of the six largest African baobabs had entirely or partly died during the research period from 2005 to 2017. The oldest was 2,500 years old.


----------



## ekim68

Belize praised for 'visionary' steps to save coral reef



> World heritage body Unesco has removed the Belize Barrier Reef from its list of endangered World Heritage Sites after nine years.
> 
> It said the government of the Central American country had taken "visionary" steps to preserve it.
> 
> The reef is the second largest in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
> 
> It is home to many threatened species including marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile.


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## ekim68

First-ever test tube rhino embryo gives hope for functionally extinct species



> Although no living male northern white rhinos remain on Earth, experimental assisted reproduction techniques treatments still offer the functionally extinct species a fighting chance. Scientists are now reporting a promising breakthrough in the battle for their survival, producing first-of-a-kind test tube embryos they claim can offer a high probability of pregnancy in a surrogate mother.


----------



## ekim68

Sea Turtles Offer Dire Warning of Oceans' Crisis



> Wallace Nichols, a marine biologist who has been studying sea turtles and plastic pollution in the oceans for nearly 25 years, is worried.
> 
> "It used to be that when we found a rare piece of plastic on a nesting beach or tangled around a turtle, we'd pick it up or remove it and all would be right in the world again," he told Truthout. "But the problem steadily and steeply worsened to the point that now we can spend all day endeavoring to clean up the plastic in and on the same beaches, come back the next day and start all over again. Nearly all turtle necropsies produce internal plastics."


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## ekim68

Dead coral recruited to help keep the Great Barrier Reef alive



> The changing climate is affecting all kinds of environments, but few places are harder hit than coral reefs. Australia's Great Barrier Reef in particular has suffered several severe coral die-offs in recent years, and its ultimate fate is looking pretty dire. Now, researchers from the University of Queensland have outlined a plan to recycle dead coral into structures that can help protect the remaining reef and promote new growth.
> 
> Nothing highlights the Great Barrier Reef's recent troubles like the back-to-back coral bleaching events that struck it in 2016 and 2017.


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## Brigham

I think the greatest threat to mankind is too much mankind.


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## ekim68

I agree... :up:


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## ekim68

Time is running out in the tropics: Researchers warn of global biodiversity collapse



> A global biodiversity collapse is imminent unless we take urgent, concerted action to reverse species loss in the tropics, according to a major scientific study in the journal _Nature_.
> 
> In their paper 'The future of hyperdiverse tropical ecosystems' an international team has warned that a failure to act quickly and decisively will greatly increase the risk of unprecedented and irrevocable species loss in the most diverse parts of the planet.


----------



## 2twenty2

https://gizmodo.com/russian-scientists-claim-to-have-resurrected-40-000-yea-1827923906



> Russian Scientists Claim to Have Resurrected 40,000-Year-Old Worms Buried in Ice


----------



## ekim68

Largest king penguin colony has shrunk nearly 90%



> The world's biggest colony of king penguins is found in the National Nature Reserve of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF). Using high-resolution satellite images, researchers have detected a massive 88 percent reduction in the size of the penguin colony, located on Île aux Cochons, in the Îles Crozet archipelago. The causes of the colony's collapse remain a mystery but may be environmental.


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## ekim68

The oceans' last chance: 'It has taken years of negotiations to set this up'



> The leatherback turtle is one of our planet's most distinctive creatures. It can live for decades and grow to weigh up to two tonnes. It is the largest living reptile on Earth and its evolutionary roots reach back more than 100 million years.
> 
> "Leatherbacks are living fossils," says oceanographer Professor Callum Roberts, of York University. "But they are not flourishing. In fact, they are being wiped out at an extraordinary rate, particularly in the Pacific Ocean, where their numbers have declined by 97% over the past three decades. They are now critically endangered there."
> 
> Leatherbacks are suffering for several reasons. They have been hunted for their meat for centuries and the spread of tourist resorts disrupts turtles when they come ashore to lay their eggs on sandy beaches. But the cause of the most recent, most massive decline in numbers of _Dermochelys coriacea_ has a far more pernicious cause: long-line fishing in the high seas.


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## ekim68

Great Barrier Reef headed for 'massive death'



> Townsville, Australia - In a dusty, secluded corner of the Australian state of Queensland, a septuagenarian scientist is on an urgent mission to raise the alarm about the future of the planet.
> 
> John "Charlie" Veron -- widely known as "The Godfather of Coral" -- is a renowned reef expert who has personally discovered nearly a quarter of the world's coral species and has spent the past 45 years diving Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
> 
> But after a lifetime trying to make sense of the vast ecosystems that lie beneath the ocean's surface, the 73-year-old is now becoming a prophet of their extinction.
> 
> "It's the beginning of a planetary catastrophe," he tells CNN. "I was too slow to become vocal about it."


----------



## ekim68

Jurassic reptiles were forced to adapt to sea level rise



> Sept. 4 (UPI) -- New analysis of fossil teeth have offered scientists new insights into the impacts of sea level rise on Jurassic food chains.
> 
> Sea levels rose considerably over the course of the Jurassic period, the 56 million years between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods. As revealed by the fossil record, some species thrived, while others were pushed to the margins.
> 
> To better understand the dynamics of this upheaval, scientists studied the shapes and sizes of teeth found among Jurassic strata along the coasts of England.


----------



## ekim68

PCB pollution threatens to wipe out killer whales



> A new study shows that more than 40 years after the first initiatives were taken to ban the use of PCBs, the chemical pollutants remain a deadly threat to animals at the top of the food chain


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## valis

that stinks.

on a related note, have you read Zodiac by Neal Stephenson? You may like it.


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## ekim68

Nope, but I'll put it on my list. :up:


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## 2twenty2

https://www.washingtonpost.com/scie...ct-loss/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.128917fe688e



> 'Hyperalarming' study shows massive insect loss


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## ekim68

Pando, the world's largest organism is dying, study suggests



> Pando, a colony of trees in Utah considered the largest organism on Earth, is shrinking partly because of failed attempts by humans to keep it preserved, a new study suggests.
> 
> The Pando, found in Fishlake National Forest in Utah, is a cluster of more than 40,000 trees naturally cloned from a single tree. Pando, Latin for "I spread," stretches out over 106 acres.


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## ekim68

WWF report reveals a 60% decline in wildlife populations since 1970



> The WWF publishes its Living Planet Report every two years, and the last edition in 2016 described a sharp decline in global animal populations, with the number of vertebrates falling by well over half between 1970 and 2012. It warned that if no action was taken, this would result in some 67 percent of all animals disappearing by 2020.
> 
> Humanity's need for food and energy were noted as the most damaging factors, and two years on the reading doesn't get any better. The demand we place on the planet's natural resources to fuel our lifestyles continues to take a huge toll on biodiversity around the world. So much so, the WWF now says we've seen an average 60 percent decline in mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian populations between 1970 and 2014, the year that data was last available.


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## ekim68

Monarch butterfly populations in the west are down an order of magnitude from last year



> There's not much to be grateful for after the great Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count this year. The three-week volunteer effort in California dispatches scores of volunteers to hunt in their woods, backyards, and fields in search for the colorful migrating butterfly.
> 
> This year, signs of trouble came early.
> 
> Far fewer of the insects were heading south this year, and those that have arrived did so a month late, according to Xeres, a non-profit conservation group for invertebrates. One researcher said it was the fewest monarch butterflies in central California in 46 years. Surveyors at 97 sites found only 20,456 monarchs compared to 148,000 at the same sites last year, an 86% decline. It's possible more insects will make the journey late this year, says Xeres, but that now seems unlikely.


----------



## ekim68

Tech firm Sigfox develops tiny tracker to help fight rhino poaching



> PARIS (Reuters) - French tech company Sigfox has developed a bite-size tracker that can be inserted into the horns of rhinos to help conservationists monitor and protect the endangered species.


----------



## ekim68

Genomic analysis details eastern gorilla's declining genetic health



> Dec. 27 (UPI) -- New analysis of the critically endangered Grauer's gorilla's genome suggests the species' health is suffering from a loss of genetic diversity.
> 
> Scientists sequenced the genomes of several eastern gorilla specimens collected a century ago and compared the results to the genomes of modern Grauer's gorillas. The results, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, showed Grauer's gorillas have accumulated harmful mutations as they have lost genetic diversity.


----------



## ekim68

Madagascar pochard: World's rarest bird gets new home



> The rarest bird in the world - a species of duck called the Madagascar pochard - has been given a new home in time for the new year.
> 
> An international team of researchers released 21 of the birds at a lake in the north of Madagascar.
> 
> It is a step towards the recovery of a species that just over a decade ago was thought to be extinct.


----------



## ekim68

Study: Number of monarch butterflies in California declined by 86 percent in one year



> If you enjoy watching the annual migration of the western monarch along the California coast you have probably already seen the signs of trouble in recent years. Numbers have declined precipitously over the last two decades and extinction looks increasingly likely.
> 
> In 1981 the Xerces Society, a nonprofit environmental organization that focuses on invertebrate conservation, counted more than 1 million western monarchs wintering in California.
> 
> The group's most recent count, over Thanksgiving weekend, recorded less than 30,000 butterflies - an 86-percent decline since 2017 alone.


----------



## ekim68

Good stuff... 


Iguanas reintroduced to Galapagos island after almost 200 years




> Iguanas





> have been re-introduced to an island in the Galápagos archipelago for the first time in almost two centuries.
> 
> An initiative developed by the Galápagos National Park authority saw 1,436 land iguanas moved to Santiago Island from neighbouring North Seymour Island between 3 and 4 January.


----------



## ekim68

More good stuff.. 


Solar Farms Shine a Ray of Hope on Bees and Butterflies



> A trend of planting wildflowers on solar sites could maintain habitat for disappearing bees and butterflies.


----------



## ekim68

California's most famous butterfly nearing death spiral



> An alarming, precipitous drop in the western monarch butterfly population in California this winter could spell doom for the species, a scenario that biologists say could also plunge bug-eating birds and other species into similar death spirals.
> 
> Only 28,429 of the striking orange-and-black butterflies were counted at 213 sites in California, an 86 percent drop from a year ago, according to the final tally of the annual Thanksgiving count to be released Thursday by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.


----------



## ekim68

Researchers race against extinction to uncover tree's cancer-fighting properties



> Three Chinese fir trees on a nature reserve in Southeastern China are the last of their kind. As their existence is threatened by human disturbance and climate change, researchers are hurrying to learn everything they can about the tree-which might inspire new and more effective ways to treat various cancers.


----------



## ekim68

Penguins, starfish, whales: Which animals will win and lose in a warming Antarctic?



> Marine Antarctic animals closely associated with sea ice for food or breeding, such the humpback whale and emperor penguin, are most at risk from the predicted effects of climate change, finds a new study published in _Frontiers in Marine Science_. Using risk assessments like those used for setting occupational safety limits in the workplace, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey determined the winners and losers of Antarctic climate-change impacts, which includes temperature rise, sea-ice reduction and changes in food availability. They show that seafloor predators and open-water feeding animals, like starfish and jellyfish, will benefit from the opening up of new habitat.


----------



## ekim68

As orcas ail in the Sound, contiguous United States loses its last woodland caribou from Washington



> Washington and the contiguous United States have lost their last woodland caribou, as British Columbia officials have captured and shipped the one surviving animal to a breeding facility in Revelstoke, B.C.
> 
> The capture follows a precipitous decline of the South Selkirk Mountains caribou herd, which has traditionally inhabited the northeast corner of Washington, far-north Idaho and southern British Columbia.


----------



## ekim68

Alien species are the largest driver of recent extinctions



> March 4 (UPI) -- Alien species are the largest driver of animal and plant extinctions since 1500, according to a new survey.
> 
> Scientists at the University College London analyzed data related to 953 global extinctions listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their survey showed 300 extinctions were at least partially to blame for the species demise. Of the 300 extinctions, alien species were solely to blame for 42 percent -- 126 extinctions.


----------



## ekim68

To save the monarch butterfly, Mexican scientists are moving a forest 1,000 feet up a mountain



> As a boy, Francisco Ramirez Cruz loved hiking with his grandfather up into the mountains of central Mexico. While the old man grazed sheep or hunted for wild mushrooms, Ramirez would play amid the throngs of monarch butterflies that migrated 3,000 miles to this forest each autumn, turning the blue sky into a sea of orange.
> 
> Ramirez is 75 now, himself a great-grandfather, and each winter he still goes looking for butterflies. But these days, he might spend hours searching the forest without catching sight of a single one.
> 
> The world is losing monarch butterflies at a startling rate, as logging, herbicides and other human activities destroy natural habitats. But the biggest threat yet has only recently come into focus. Climate change, with its extreme storms, prolonged droughts and warming temperatures, is poised to eradicate the forest that serves as the butterfly's winter refuge.
> 
> To help his beloved butterflies, Ramirez has partnered with scientists on a monumental experiment: They are trying to move an entire forest 1,000 feet up a mountain.


----------



## ekim68

Frogs, salamanders and toads suffering 'catastrophic population decline', scientists say




> Amphibians





> across the world are experiencing "catastrophic population declines" from a widening range of interacting pathogens, scientists say.
> 
> Fungal disease chytridiomycosis is thought to have caused the extinction of 90 amphibian species around the world and the marked decline of at least 491 others over the last 20 years.


----------



## ekim68

As California's delta smelt spirals toward extinction, a future in captivity awaits



> Time may be running out for California's most infamous fish.
> 
> Despite a decades-long rescue effort, the tiny delta smelt appears closer than ever to vanishing from its only natural home, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
> 
> Now, some worry it won't be long before the only place the once-abundant species exists is within the confines of an artificial tank.


----------



## ekim68

As an aside.... 


400-year-old Greenland shark 'longest-living vertebrate'



> Greenland sharks are now the longest-living vertebrates known on Earth, scientists say.
> 
> Researchers used radiocarbon dating to determine the ages of 28 of the animals, and estimated that one female was about 400 years old.
> 
> The team found that the sharks grow at just 1cm a year, and reach sexual maturity at about the age of 150.


----------



## ekim68

Nature's dangerous decline 'unprecedented,' species extinction rates 'accelerating'



> Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history -- and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely, warns a landmark new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the summary of which was approved at the 7th session of the IPBES Plenary, meeting last week (29 April -- 4 May) in Paris.
> 
> "The overwhelming evidence of the IPBES Global Assessment, from a wide range of different fields of knowledge, presents an ominous picture," said IPBES Chair, Sir Robert Watson. "The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide."


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## valis

Read that earlier...talk about depressing news...


----------



## ekim68

Scientists propose rethinking 'endangered species' definition to save slow-breeding giants



> Conservation decisions based on population counts may fail to protect large, slow-breeding animals from irrevocable decline, according to new research coinciding with Endangered Species Day.
> 
> "Critical thresholds in so-called vital rates -- such as mortality and fertility rates among males and females of various ages -- can signal an approaching population collapse long before numbers drop below a point of no return," says lead author Dr. Shermin de Silva, President & Founder of Asian elephant conservation charity Trunks & Leaves. "We propose that conservation efforts for Asian elephants and other slow-breeding megafauna be aimed at maintaining their 'demographic safe space': that is, the combination of key vital rates that supports a non-negative growth rate."


----------



## ekim68

Study predicts shift to smaller animals over next century



> Researchers at the University of Southampton have forecast a worldwide move towards smaller birds and mammals over the next 100 years.
> 
> In the future, small, fast-lived, highly-fertile, insect-eating animals, which can thrive in a wide-variety of habitats, will predominate. These 'winners' include rodents, such as dwarf gerbil -- and songbirds, such as the white-browed sparrow-weaver. Less adaptable, slow-lived species, requiring specialist environmental conditions, will likely fall victim of extinction. These 'losers' include the tawny eagle and black rhinoceros.


----------



## ekim68

This is a long and sad read, however it shows how Humans treat other animals in the world...


The Most Senseless Environmental Crime of the 20th Century



> Fifty years ago 180,000 whales disappeared from the oceans without a trace, and researchers are still trying to make sense of why. Inside the most irrational environmental crime of the century.


----------



## ekim68

World's largest plant survey reveals alarming extinction rate



> The world's seed-bearing plants have been disappearing at a rate of nearly 3 species a year since 1900 ― which is up to 500 times higher than would be expected as a result of natural forces alone, according to the largest survey yet of plant extinctions.
> 
> The project looked at more than 330,000 species and found that plants on islands and in the tropics were the most likely to be declared extinct. Trees, shrubs and other woody perennials had the highest probability of disappearing regardless of where they were located.


----------



## ekim68

And more....


Joshua trees facing extinction



> They outlived mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. But without dramatic action to reduce climate change, new research shows Joshua trees won't survive much past this century.


----------



## ekim68

Elephant extinction will raise carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere



> One of the last remaining megaherbivores, forest elephants shape their environment by serving as seed dispersers and forest bulldozers as they eat over a hundred species of fruit, trample bushes, knock over trees and create trails and clearings. Their ecological impact also affects tree populations and carbon levels in the forest, researchers report, with significant implications for climate and conservation policies.


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## bobc

Species divergence is the means by which biological life hedges its bets against environmental change. The more divergent species there are then the greater the chance of life surviving catastrophic events. The fewer the species then the greater the likeliehood of mass extinction when circumstances change. Mankind is in danger of becoming a widespread "monoculture" which by depleting resources and suppressing other life forms not only endangers all life forms but reduces overall divergence. Does this matter? Probably not to the planet, but life might radically change. Ask the dinosaurs.


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## ekim68

We Ignore Thousands of Threatened Plant Species at Our Own Peril

_



Kokia drynarioides

Click to expand...

_


> is a small but significant flowering tree endemic to Hawaii's dry forests. Native Hawaiians used its large, scarlet flowers to make lei. Its sap was used as dye for ropes and nets. Its bark was used medicinally to treat thrush.
> 
> But _Kokia drynarioides_ - commonly known as Hawaii tree cotton, or _kokio_ and _hau hele'ula_ in Hawaiian - is also one of the loneliest plants on Earth. After more than a century of overgrazing from non-native animals, competition from weeds, wildfires and widespread habitat loss, these days, you can count with two hands the number of wild kokios that still remain.


----------



## ekim68

A Once Common Gecko Is Vanishing from Parts of Asia



> With millions of tokay geckos trapped each year for use in traditional Chinese medicine, conservationists are calling for international protections


----------



## ekim68

Fresh antlers suggests "extinct" deer species lived on



> The story of Schomburgk's deer is a sad one - and the saddest part is how familiar it sounds. The species was once widespread in Thailand, but was hunted to extinction, with the last known individual dying in 1938. But now researchers have found evidence that the species may have lived for 50 years after that - and could still be alive today


----------



## ekim68

'Ecological grief' grips scientists witnessing Great Barrier Reef's decline



> When Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral-reef system, was hit by record-breaking marine heat waves that bleached two-thirds of it in 2016 and 2017, many researchers were left in a state of shock.
> 
> Social scientist Michele Barnes witnessed this disaster first hand. She works at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Townsville, which is adjacent to the reef. Barnes decided to interview scientists and others working on the reef to investigate their response to this climate-change-driven catastrophe.


----------



## ekim68

Last day of the dinosaurs' reign captured in stunning detail



> This change in the rock marks one of the most catastrophic events in Earth's history, some 66 million years ago, when an epic asteroid slammed into the sea just offshore of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The impact triggered a nightmarish sequence of events that sent some 75 percent of plant and animal species spiraling to extinction-including all the nonavian dinosaurs.


----------



## ekim68

The last mammoths died on a remote island



> The last woolly mammoths lived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean; they died out 4,000 years ago within a very short time. An international research team from the Universities of Helsinki and Tübingen and the Russian Academy of Sciences has now reconstructed the scenario that could have led to the mammoths' extinction. The researchers believe a combination of isolated habitat and extreme weather events, and even the spread of prehistoric man may have sealed the ancient giants' fate. The study has been published in the latest edition of _Quaternary Science Reviews_.


----------



## ekim68

Half the World's Coral Reefs Already Have Been Killed by Climate Change



> The oceans have long been the biggest buffer for humankind's dangerous greenhouse-gas emissions. Around a quarter of all the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere since the 1980s-from driving cars, running factories and churning out electricity with fossil fuels-has ended up sunk into the waters. As the planet has warmed from mounting emissions, the oceans warmed first and fastest, absorbing 90% of that excess heat. A report released last month by the UN-based Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the foremost scientific authority on the subject, warned that damage to the oceans is accelerating and may be at the point of irreversibility.


----------



## ekim68

Ocean acidification can cause mass extinctions, fossils reveal



> Ocean acidification can cause the mass extinction of marine life, fossil evidence from 66m years ago has revealed.
> 
> A key impact of today's climate crisis is that seas are again getting more acidic, as they absorb carbon emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Scientists said the latest research is a warning that humanity is risking potential "ecological collapse" in the oceans, which produce half the oxygen we breathe.


----------



## ekim68

Use of neonicotinoids on rice paddies linked to fishery collapse in Japan



> A team of researchers with members affiliated with several institutions in Japan has found what they describe as compelling evidence of two fisheries collapsing due to use of neonicotinoid pesticides by nearby rice farmers. In their paper published in the journal _Science_, the team describes their study of fishery water quality data over two decades and what they learned from it. Olaf Jensen with Rutgers University has published a Perspective piece discussing the work by the team in the same journal issue.


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## ekim68

[URL='https://www.fastcompany.com/90428384/as-the-ice-disappears-climate-change-is-coming-for-the-emperor-penguin']As the ice disappears, climate change is coming for the emperor penguin[/URL]



> The concept of a canary in a coal mine-a sensitive species that provides an alert to danger-originated with British miners, who carried actual canaries underground through the mid-1980s to detect the presence of deadly carbon monoxide gas. Today another bird, the emperor penguin, is providing a similar warning about the planetary effects of burning fossil fuels.


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## ekim68

Vanishing ice puts reindeer herders at risk



> Deep in the Sayan Mountains of northern Mongolia, patches of ice rest year-round in the crooks between hills.
> 
> Locals in this high tundra call the perennial snowbanks munkh mus, or eternal ice. They're central to lives of the region's traditional reindeer herders, who depend on the snowy patches for clean drinking water and to cool down their hoofed charges in summer months.
> 
> Now, a new study led by archaeologist William Taylor suggests that this eternal ice, and the people and animals it supports, may be at risk because of soaring global temperatures.


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## ekim68

"Turbo-charged" coral to breathe new life into the Great Barrier Reef



> Recent severe bleaching events in the Great Barrier Reef have led to widespread death of the corals making up world's largest living structure, but scientists are coming up with some inventive ways to help repair the damage. Researchers at Australia's Southern Cross University are now preparing to put the latest into action, with millions of "turbo-charged" coral babies being readied to take root in the reef's most degraded areas.
> 
> Protective films that soften the harsh sunlight, recycling dead corals into structures to promote growth and deploying underwater robots during mass spawning events are just a few ways scientists are looking to conserve the Great Barrier Reef. These mass spawning events were discovered 38 years ago by Southern Cross University's Professor Peter Harrison, and occur with enough regularity for he and the team to continually experiment with ways to supercharge the natural processes at play.


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## ekim68

More on the Coral Reefs...


Scientists use loudspeakers to make dead coral reefs sound healthy, and fish flock to them



> The desperate search for ways to help the world's coral reefs rebound from the devastating effects of climate change has given rise to some radical solutions.
> 
> In the Caribbean, researchers are cultivating coral "nurseries" so they can reimplant fresh coral on degraded reefs. And in Hawaii, scientists are trying to specially breed corals to be more resilient against rising ocean temperatures.
> 
> On Friday, British and Australian researchers rolled out another unorthodox strategy that they say could help restoration efforts: broadcasting the sounds of healthy reefs in dying ones.


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## ekim68

A New Study About the Death of 1 Million Seabirds Should Scare the Crap Out of You



> One of North America's most abundant seabirds, murres can fly more than 60 miles per hour and dive up to 650 feet in depth to catch schooling fish. The bird is built like a "jet fighter," John Piatt, a research wildlife biologist at the US Geological Survey and the lead author on the study, tells _Mother Jones_. But to have all that explosive energy, the birds must find and consume a lot of food-about half their body mass per day. That high demand for energy is the murres' "Achilles heel," he says. Without food, murres can starve in as little as three days.
> 
> The birds' food sensitivity makes them a good indicator of ocean health.


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## ekim68

On board the Antarctic expedition that reveals dramatic penguin decline



> The number of chinstrap penguins in some colonies in Western Antarctica has fallen by as much as 77% since they were last surveyed in the 1970s, say scientists studying the impact of climate change on the remote region.


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## ekim68

Polar bears in Baffin Bay skinnier, having fewer cubs due to less sea ice



> Polar bears are spending more time on land than they did in the 1990s due to reduced sea ice, new University of Washington-led research shows. Bears in Baffin Bay are getting thinner and adult females are having fewer cubs than when sea ice was more available.


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## ekim68

Scientists say ocean life could rebound in 30 years - if we act now



> The glory of the world's oceans could be restored within a generation, according to a major new scientific review. It reports rebounding sea life, from humpback whales off Australia to elephant seals in the U.S. and green turtles in Japan.
> 
> Through rampant overfishing, pollution, and coastal destruction, humanity has inflicted severe damage on the oceans and its inhabitants for centuries. But conservation successes, while still isolated, demonstrate the remarkable resilience of the seas.


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## ekim68

Insect numbers down 25% since 1990, global study finds



> The biggest assessment of global insect abundances to date shows a worrying drop of almost 25% in the last 30 years, with accelerating declines in Europe that shocked scientists.
> 
> The analysis combined 166 long-term surveys from almost 1,700 sites and found that some species were bucking the overall downward trend. In particular, freshwater insects have been increasing by 11% each decade following action to clean up polluted rivers and lakes. However, this group represent only about 10% of insect species and do not pollinate crops.


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## ekim68

Feeding coral probiotics found to boost their chances of survival 



> Scientists are exploring many options when it comes to shoring up the wellbeing of coral reefs in the face of warming waters, and an international team of researchers is putting forward another possibility. Through experiments on stressed corals in the laboratory, the scientists were able to show how dosing them with helpful bacteria boosted their chances of survival, offering another tool they can turn to in large-scale efforts to restore Australia's Great Barrier Reef.


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## ekim68

As the climate changes, so will the places birds need.



> Audubon scientists took advantage of 140 million observations, recorded by birders and scientists, to describe where 604 North American bird species live today-an area known as their "range." They then used the latest climate models to project how each species's range will shift as climate change and other human impacts advance across the continent.
> 
> The results are clear: Birds will be forced to relocate to find favorable homes. *And they may not survive.*


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## 2twenty2

'Zombie cicadas' under the influence of a mind controlling fungus have returned to West Virginia
Bizarre lifestyle earns these insects the name 'zombie'
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/03/us/zombie-cicadas-west-virginia-fungus-scn-trnd/index.html


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## ekim68

Study finds high levels of toxic pollutants in stranded dolphins and whales



> This is the first study to date to publish a report examining concentrations in blubber tissues of stranded cetaceans of atrazine, an herbicide, DEP, (a phthalate ester found in plastics), NPE or nonylphenol ethoxylate commonly used in food packing, and triclosan, an antibacterial and antifungal agent present in some consumer products, including toothpaste, soaps, detergents and toys.


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## ekim68

World wildlife plummets more than two-thirds in 50 years: index



> Global animal, bird and fish populations have plummeted more than two-thirds in less than 50 years due to rampant over-consumption, experts said Thursday in a stark warning to save nature in order to save ourselves.


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## ekim68

Loss of sea otters accelerating the effects of climate change



> "We discovered that massive limestone reefs built by algae underpin the Aleutian Islands' kelp forest ecosystem," said Douglas Rasher, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the lead author of the study. "However, these long-lived reefs are now disappearing before our eyes, and we're looking at a collapse likely on the order of decades rather than centuries."


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## ekim68

"Artificial upwelling" could help save coral reefs 



> Coral bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by high water temperatures and other factors, causing them to expel the symbiotic algae living within them. Given that fact, scientists are now looking into saving reefs by pumping up cool water from the ocean's depths.


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## ekim68

Florida researchers achieve successful spawning of transplanted coral



> Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Researchers in South Florida showed this summer that transplanted corals can reproduce naturally on reefs, representing a significant advance in coral reef restoration.
> 
> The spawning that occurred Aug. 6 and 7 near Miami proved the success of coral transplanting, which is considered a vital method to save dying reefs around the world, researchers from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science said.


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## ekim68

Sustainable "living ark" aims to secure the future of corals



> The Living Coral Biobank is being created in collaboration with engineering experts Arup and Werner Sobek, and is slated for Port Douglas, North Queensland, Australia. The project is described as a "living ark" and was commissioned by the Great Barrier Reef Legacy, a non-profit organization set up to try and secure the long-term survival of corals from the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs worldwide. The idea is that it will store corals and keep them safe and ensure their biodiversity, a little like Norway's Global Seed Vault does for seeds.


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## ekim68

Here's More Proof Earth Is in Its 6th Mass Extinction



> Diverse animals across the globe are slipping away and dying as Earth enters its sixth mass extinction, a new study finds.
> 
> Over the last century, species of vertebrates are dying out up to 114 times faster than they would have without human activity, said the researchers, who used the most conservative estimates to assess extinction rates. That means the number of species that went extinct in the past 100 years would have taken 11,400 years to go extinct under natural extinction rates, the researchers said.


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## ekim68

Blue whales return to South Georgia island after 50 years



> After an almost complete absence for over half a century, Antarctic blue whales are returning in numbers to the waters surrounding South Georgia island in the south Atlantic. An international team led by Susannah Calderan of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) has collected 58 sightings of the giant cetaceans as well as acoustic soundings of their presence.


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## ekim68

Speeding up data collection to help save the Great Barrier Reef



> Reef corals have an annual reproduction event every November and December that has the potential to see healthy coral spread their larvae, with the help of the ocean's current, to parts of the reef that have been affected by bleaching.
> 
> The challenges faced by researchers are figuring out how to identify and map these healthy reefs, how to evaluate the way reefs can be protected, and how to monitor the dangers faced by corals. Due to the large geographical range of the Great Barrier Reef -- roughly the same size of Italy -- researchers have only collected data regularly from approximately 5-10% of the reef.


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## ekim68

Australia's Great Barrier Reef status lowered to "critical" and deteriorating



> The health status of Australia's Great Barrier Reef has officially declined from "significant concern" to "critical" for the first time, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced this week. It said climate change is now the biggest threat to natural World Heritage sites, including the world's largest and most spectacular coral reef.


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## ekim68

New Blue Whale Population Discovered After Scientists Hear Unknown Song



> As the group analyzed the novel tune, it became clear that it was sung by a previously undiscovered population of blue whales in the western Indian Ocean. As they continued to amass data, they found that the new population likely spends most of its time in the northwestern Indian Ocean.
> 
> The exciting discovery is a glimmer of hope for blue whales, which have been pushed to the brink of extinction and are currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In the 1800s and into the 1900s, the commercial whaling industry nearly wiped them out.


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## ekim68

Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US



> Thousands of migrating birds have inexplicably died in south-western US in what ornithologists have described as a national tragedy that is likely to be related to the climate crisis.
> 
> Flycatchers, swallows and warblers are among the species "falling out of the sky" as part of a mass die-off across New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and farther north into Nebraska, with growing concerns there could be hundreds of thousands dead already, said Martha Desmond, a professor in the biology department at New Mexico State University (NMSU).


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## ekim68

Computer algorithm spots endangered wildlife in satellite images 



> Satellites have offered scientists a powerful new tool when it comes to tracking endangered wildlife, with the movements of tagged animals able to be monitored with great precision. A new technology promises to expand the possibilities even further, with scientists demonstrating a new computer algorithm that can be used to track untagged animals in complex landscapes via satellite imagery for the first time.


* 
*


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## ekim68

California banned indiscriminate fishing nets.
Now these porpoises are on the rebound



> In California, decades of commercial sea bass and halibut fishing killed thousands of other coastal animals. Outraged by the deaths of sea otters and diving seabirds, voters in the state banned many of the nets from near-coastal waters starting in 1994.
> 
> Lower-profile marine mammals have also benefited. New research shows that getting rid of gill nets gave California's harbor porpoises - one of the smallest toothed whales - a chance to rebound.


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## ekim68

Shark and ray populations have plummeted by 71% in half a century 



> Scientists looking at shark and ray populations across the globe have published an alarming study depicting a rapid decline of these species over the past half century. This spells trouble not just for those animals in particular, but the ripple effect it would have on the ocean ecosystem as a whole, with the authors laying the blame mostly at the feet of unsustainable fishing practices.


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## ekim68

Newly discovered "nano-chameleon" is world's smallest known reptile 

*







*


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## ekim68

20 Amazing Animals Discovered in the Last 20 Years



> Twenty years ago, the first-ever issue of Mental Floss hit newsstands. Over those two decades, scores of creatures that were once unknown to mainstream science finally came to light. From purring monkeys to the "wandering leg sausage," here are 20 amazing animals the wider world has been introduced to in the last two decades.


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## JCooper121

ekim68 said:


> Computer algorithm spots endangered wildlife in satellite images


I have always emphasized the significance of satellites for monitoring wildlife. I suppose scientists need to devote more attention to it and equip all environmental satellites with high-resolution imagery, especially since even young space companies like https://dragonflyaerospace.com/ manufacture high-resolution optical imagery for microsatellites, CubeSats and smallsats. Why don't they cooperate with any satellite manufacturer and launch more environmental satellites? I know that all space companies are now focused on exploring other planets, but they shouldn't forget about Earth too.


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## ekim68

Which animals will survive climate change?



> Climate change is exacerbating problems like habitat loss and temperatures swings that have already pushed many animal species to the brink. But can scientists predict which animals will be able to adapt and survive? Using genome sequencing, researchers from McGill University show that some fish, like the threespine stickleback, can adapt very rapidly to extreme seasonal changes. Their findings could help scientists forecast the evolutionary future of these populations.


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## ekim68

8 Animals That Are No Longer Endangered



> In September 2016, after almost 50 years of managed breeding and conservation efforts, the giant panda was upgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable" on the IUCN red list. Now, there are between 1800 and 2050 giant pandas in the world, and the number is increasing.
> 
> It's not the first time a species has been dragged back from the brink. Here are eight other animals that have made a comeback-with help from conservation laws and dedicated scientists.


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## ekim68

Galapagos tortoise species returns from "extinction" after 115 years



> Scientists have discovered a species of Galapagos tortoise that hasn't been seen for 115 years, and was presumed extinct. DNA tests have confirmed that a specimen found in 2019 is indeed a long-lost Fernandina Giant tortoise.


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## valis

ekim68 said:


> Galapagos tortoise species returns from "extinction" after 115 years


That is awesome.....wasnt the last Lonesome George?


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## ekim68

Apparently not the same group name

Good stuff though..


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## ekim68

Mysterious extinction event wiped out 70 percent of Earth's sharks



> Scientists have discovered a hitherto unknown mass extinction event that decimated the global shark population some 19 million years ago. It is currently a mystery as to what happened _to_ the shark population, but the study authors say the event saw sharks almost entirely disappear from the open ocean in its wake.


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## ekim68

African great apes to suffer massive range loss in next 30 years



> A new study published in the journal _Diversity and Distributions_ predicts massive range declines of Africa's great apes -- gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos -- due to the impacts of climate change, land-use changes and human population growth.


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## ekim68

Coral breeding success in floating mesocosms pushes restoration towards large-scale implementation



> "The next ten years offer the last chance to change the trajectory of coral reefs from heading towards world-wide collapse to heading towards slow but steady recovery" (Rebuilding Coral Reefs, Knowlton, et al. 2021). Apart from reversing global threats―above all mitigating climate change―and reducing local stressors, restoration has become an essential tool for coral reef management. Or, plainly spoken, a tool to give these vital ecosystems a fighting chance to survive into the next century.


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## 2twenty2

Firm raises $15m to bring back woolly mammoth from extinction

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/13/firm-bring-back-woolly-mammoth-from-extinction


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## ekim68

A Woolly Mammoth wouldn't be my first choice of bringing back the past.


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## 2twenty2

U.S. declares 23 species, including ivory-billed woodpecker, extinct

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ivory-billed-woodpecker-23-species-declared-extinct-us/


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## 2twenty2

Protected Too Late: U.S. Officials Report More Than 20 Extinctions

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/28/climate/endangered-animals-extinct.html


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## ekim68

These whales are so decimated that a single birth was cheered by scientists



> Slalom the North Atlantic right whale, survivor of multiple deadly fishing net entanglements, gave birth. But can mother and calf survive dangerous, human-infested waters?


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## ekim68

Scientists find unexpected trove of life forms beneath Antarctic ice shelf 



> A team of researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany has discovered a whopping 77 seafloor-dwelling species beneath an Antarctica ice shelf* -* a hint that this mysterious realm may be far more biologically rich than scientists realized.
> 
> Little is known about the environment beneath Antarctica's floating ice shelves, the seaward extensions of the continent's glaciers that span 1.6 million square kilometers. It's a harsh, cold environment shrouded in continuous darkness, and previous studies of life beneath the ice have only documented a few dozen hardy life forms.


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## ekim68

Scientists step up hunt for 'Asian unicorn', one of world's rarest animals



> The saola is so elusive that no biologist has seen one in the wild. Now they are racing to find it, so they can save it


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## ekim68

Back from the Brink



> A Zambian park has reversed the national extinction of a precious and vulnerable species. Soon, it won't be alone.


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## ekim68

A fifth of world's reptile species deemed threatened with extinction



> WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - About a fifth of reptile species - from the Galapagos tortoises to the Komodo dragon of the Indonesian islands, from West Africa's rhinoceros viper to India's gharial - are threatened with extinction, researchers said on Wednesday in the first comprehensive global status assessment for reptiles.
> 
> The study examined 10,196 reptile species including turtles, crocodilians, lizards, snakes and the tuatara, the only surviving member of a lineage dating back more than 200 million years. They found that 21% of species are critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on the status of species. They also identified 31 species that already have gone extinct.


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## ekim68

After more than a century, California condors soar over Yurok tribal lands once again



> After being pushed to the brink of extinction, California condors have returned to a slice of Northern California habitat for the first time in 130 years. On Tuesday, four of the big birds flew the coop after being born in a captive-breeding program.


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## ekim68

Only 10 vaquita porpoises survive, but species may not be doomed, scientists say 



> The vaquita porpoise, the world's smallest marine mammal, is on the brink of extinction, with 10 or fewer still living in Mexico's Gulf of California, their sole habitat. But a genetic analysis by a team of UCLA biologists and colleagues has found that the critically endangered species remains relatively healthy and can potentially survive - if illegal "gillnet" fishing ceases promptly.


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## ekim68

Global heating risks most cataclysmic extinction of marine life in 250 million years



> New research warns pressures of rising heat and loss of oxygen reminiscent of 'great dying' that occurred about 250 million years ago.


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## ekim68

Scientists discover polar bears adapting to live largely on glacier slush



> Polar bears are highly dependent on sea ice as a platform to hunt their prey, and with record low concentrations continuing to be seen in the Arctic, these large carnivores face a real fight for survival. But scientists have uncovered new reason for optimism when it comes to their ability to adapt in the face of climate change, documenting a genetically distinct subpopulation of polar bears that instead survive on glacier slush for large parts of the year.


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## ekim68

California's trees are dying, and might not be coming back



> The State of California is banking on its forests to help reduce planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But that element of the state's climate-change solution arsenal may be in jeopardy, as new research from the University of California, Irvine reports that trees in California's mountain ranges and open spaces are dying from wildfires and other pressures-and fewer new trees are filling the void.


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## ekim68

Scientists find 30 potential new species at bottom of ocean



> Scientists have found more than 30 potentially new species living at the bottom of the sea.
> 
> Researchers from the UK's Natural History Museum used a remotely operated vehicle to collect specimens from the abyssal plains of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the central Pacific. Previously, creatures from this area had been studied only from photographs.


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## ekim68

Ships must slow down to save endangered whales, US gov't says



> Vessels off the East Coast of the United States must slow down more often to help save a vanishing species of whale from extinction, the federal government has said.
> 
> The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made the announcement on Friday via new proposed rules designed to prevent ships colliding with North Atlantic right whales.
> 
> Vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the two biggest threats to the giant animals, which number less than 340 and are falling in population.


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## ekim68

Scientists plan the resurrection of an animal that's been extinct since 1936



> Almost 100 years after its extinction, the Tasmanian tiger may live once again. Scientists want to resurrect the striped carnivorous marsupial, officially known as a thylacine, which used to roam the Australian bush.
> 
> The ambitious project will harness advances in genetics, ancient DNA retrieval and artificial reproduction to bring back the animal.


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## ekim68

Scientists make major breakthrough in race to save Caribbean coral



> Scientists at the Florida Aquarium have made a breakthrough in the race to save Caribbean coral: For the first time, marine biologists have successfully reproduced elkhorn coral, a critical species, using aquarium technology.
> 
> It's a historic step forward, and one they hope could help revitalize Caribbean ecosystems and could pay humans back by offering extra protection from the fury of hurricanes.


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## ekim68

Alaska snow crab season canceled as officials investigate disappearance of an estimated 1 billion crabs



> In a major blow to America's seafood industry, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has, for the first time in state history, canceled the winter snow crab season in the Bering Sea due to their falling numbers. While restaurant menus will suffer, scientists worry what the sudden population plunge means for the health of the Arctic ecosystem.


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## ekim68

Animal populations shrank an average of 69% over the last half-century, a report says



> Global animal populations are declining, and we've got limited time to try to fix it.
> 
> That's the upshot of a new report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London, which analyzed years of data on thousands of wildlife populations across the world and found a downward trend in the Earth's biodiversity.


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## ekim68

Earth's earliest mass extinction uncovered in fossil record



> Scientists believe that the Earth is currently in the midst of its sixth major extinction event, but a new study suggests that’s not the case – it may actually be the seventh. Scientists have found evidence of a previously unknown mass extinction event that struck half a billion years ago.


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## ekim68

The collapse of insects



> The most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble, with recent research suggesting insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate.


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