Animals

Madagascar Coup Threatens Bio-diversity “Hot Spot”

July 29, 2009

Isalo National Park, Madagascar (photo: Bernard Gagnon) 160 million years ago, what is now called Madagascar–the world’s fourth largest island–broke free from its parent continent (Africa), allowing evolution to do some of its most creative work. The Island, located just off the Southeast coast of Africa and roughly the size of California, is home to an amazing array of life-forms found no where else: bats (with suction cup “elbows”), the Silky Sifaka lemur (an ancient line of primate relatives), dozens…

Human Activity Driving Earth’s “Sixth Great Extinction Event”

July 29, 2009

According to research recently published in the journal Conservation Biology, Earth is now experiencing its “sixth great extinction event” with disease and human activity as the major driver, leaving a devastating toll on vulnerable species, particulary in the South Pacific and southern hemisphere.

Mauling of Baboon by “Fighting Dogs”, Reopens the Cape Peninsular Baboon Debate

July 28, 2009

Chacma Baboon photographed in the Kruger Park, South Africa. The difficulties stemming from the proximity of the troops of Cape Peninsular baboons and Cape Town suburbs is in the news again, in a really disturbing way. Previous posts looked at the possibility of residents paying an increased tax to allow the Cape Town municipality to manage baboons, that are causing problems in Cape Peninsular suburbs and at the somewhat lighter story on a baboon that fell through a roof into…

Visayan Spotted Deer: World’s Rarest Deer Spotted in Philippines

July 27, 2009

Good news for the Visayan Spotted Deer, Cervus alfredi, said to be the rarest deer in the world. Evidence of two groups of the rare deer was found on the Philippine Islands. A team of specialists from the Negros Interior Biodiversity Expedition (NIBE) found evidence of the deer at the North Negros Natural Park (NNNP) during the very first biological expedition at the park.

Officials in Kaziranga National Park Start Preparations to Protect Rhinos from Poachers During Annual Floods

July 26, 2009

Endangered Greater One-Horned Rhinos become extra vulnerable when the waters of the Brahmaputra River flood Kaziranga National Park. The annual deluge forces the rhinos to move toward higher ground near highways, where they are easily located and killed by poachers. This year, wildlife officials have already posted forest guards at vulnerable areas along Kaziranga’s border. Although the rainfall has been lighter than usual, nothing is being left to chance when it comes to protecting Greater One-Horned Rhinos and other inhabitants…

No Love for Animals — 0.1% of European Union Budget!

July 26, 2009

The European Union got strongly admonished this month by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) after the release of a report that is more than a decade late and comes to disheartening conclusions. The EU is giving only 0.1% of its budget to nature protection, with drastic consequences. Due to the miniscule investment in protecting wildlife, more than half of European habitats and species are under threat of extinction.

Frozen Tiger Found in Taxi

July 26, 2009

Earlier this month, Environmental Police in Vietnam found a frozen tiger and tiger bones in the back of a taxi cab. The tiger seems to have been a young one recently killed and the bones were of two adults, according to an expert at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR).

Study Suggests Global Warming Bad News for Bigfoot

July 25, 2009

Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Whatever you want to call the legendary North American biped, it is likely the elusive beast will lose a portion of its existing habitat in the coastal and lowland regions of the northwestern United States as the climate warms. The good news? Bigfoot will be gaining a bunch of new land in the Rockies and up into Canada. In a paper recently published in the Journal of Biogeography, biologist Jeff Lozier of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign…

Is Decline in India’s Vulture Population Linked to Spread of Rabies in Humans?

July 24, 2009

India’s ecosystem has been dramatically disrupted by the plummeting population of its critically endangered vultures: Stray dogs have now become one of the top scavengers, and they are reportedly spreading rabies to humans at an alarming rate. The new availability of extra food left behind by the dwindling number of vultures (from 40 million to just 60,000 vultures, due to poisoning) is a having a catastrophic effect on India’s ecosystem. It has led to a population explosion in stray dogs,…

India’s Vulture Population Has Plummeted from 40 Million to 60,000 – Poisoned by Drug Diclofenac

July 24, 2009

Three species of Gyps vulture are in danger of extinction – poisoned by the use of diclofenac in livestock. India, Nepal, and Pakistan have lost 95% of their vulture populations. As recently as the early 1980’s, there were approximately 40 million vultures in India, comprised of nine species. Now there are only 60,000 of these important scavengers left. Captive breeding efforts are in progress, the last hope of saving these birds from extinction. The alarming population decline was first observed…

14,000km Dragonfly Migration Discovered, Longest of Any Insect

July 22, 2009

A remarkable dragonfly migration stretching between 14,000 and 18,000 kilometers has been discovered which spans the Indian Ocean. The migration is by far the longest known insect migration, dwarfing the 7,000km journey of monarch butterflies. Millions of dragonflies make the epic migration every year, which spans from India to the Maldives, the Seychelles, Mozambique, Uganda and back again. Perhaps the only thing more amazing than the migration is that it has somehow dodged scientific discovery until now. “This just illustrates…

Massive Infestation of Beetles Threatens Mountain Pines in Western U.S.

July 22, 2009

A major infestation of the mountain pine beetle, a scourge stretching from New Mexico, in the U.S., to British Columbia, Canada, has been turning vast areas of formerly green pine forests to rust red, and slowly killing them. The beetle infestation has been growing “exponentially” since 2006-07, according to the Forest Service management team in Laramie, Wyoming, and has so far claimed millions of acres of pine forest in Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming. North of the border, British Columbia has…

Conservation Plan for Bunny Species Named After World’s Most Famous Playboy

July 21, 2009

Population genetics to aid in saving the critically endangered Florida Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit, Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, a subspecies named after Hugh Hefner. A subspecies of the Florida Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit, discovered in 1984, was named Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, after the world’s most famous playboy, in honor of his organization’s contribution to support field research. In 1990, the rabbits were declared endangered, and now Sylvilagus palustris hefneri is classified as Critically Endangered, with a population of less than 300.…

Protecting the Beluga Whales of Alaska’s Cook Inlet Watershed

July 21, 2009

Cook Inletkeeper, a community-based nonprofit, is ensuring the survival of critically endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whales as part of its mission to protect Alaska’s Cook Inlet watershed and the life it sustains. Founded in 1994 by a group of Alaskans who met for a workshop on environmental law, science and policy, Cook Inletkeeper combines advocacy, education, and science for a vibrant and healthy Cook Inlet watershed. Cook Inletkeeper has an impressive list of environmental accomplishments. It is interesting to note…