Another (sub) species, extinct

According to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, "the Western Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) has officially been declared extinct." (see IUCN news release).

The loss of a rhinoceros sub-species is a travesty, particularly as it was hunted to extinction.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a democratic membership union composed of over 1,000 members, 11,000 scientific experts in various thematic commissions with 1,000 staff, working together in more than 160 countries to help the world find pragmatic solutions to the most pressing environment and development challenges.

The Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities is a country member, along with nine state government agencies and 16 non-government organisations.

The United States Department of State Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are also country members.

Some species aren't worth saving according to scientists

A new tool has been developed by Australian scientists to enable prioritisation in the attempt to save species at risk of extinction. When these species fall below a population threshold, they may not be worth saving. Abstract from Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is arguably the most popular measure of relative species threat, but its threat categories can be ambiguous (eg “Endangered” versus “Vulnerable”) and subjective, have weak quantification, and do not convey the threat status of species in relation to a minimum viable population target. We propose a heuristic measure that describes a “species' ability to forestall extinction”, or the SAFE index. We compared the abilities of the SAFE index with those of another numerically explicit metric – percentage range loss – to predict IUCN threat categories using binary and ordinal logistic regression. Generalized linear models showed that the SAFE index was a better predictor of IUCN threat categories than was percentage range loss. We therefore advocate use of the SAFE index, possibly in conjunction with IUCN threat categories, because the former indicates the “distance from extinction” of a species, while implicitly incorporating population viability as a variable.

Media release from University of Adelaide

Scientists have new measure for species threat

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. Photo by Juliane Riedl. Full Image (175.46K)

Thursday, 7 April 2011

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).

The SAFE index builds on previous studies into the minimum population sizes needed by species to survive in the wild. It measures how close species are to their minimum viable population size.

"SAFE is a leap forward in how we measure relative threat risk among species," says co-author Professor Corey Bradshaw, Director of Ecological Modelling at the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute.

"The idea is fairly simple - it's the distance a population is (in terms of abundance) from its minimum viable population size. While we provide a formula for working this out, it's more than just a formula - we've shown that SAFE is the best predictor yet of the vulnerability of mammal species to extinction."

Professor Bradshaw says SAFE is designed to be an adjunct to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, not a replacement.

"Our index shows that not all Critically Endangered species are equal. A combined approach - using the IUCN Red List threat categories together with the SAFE index - is more informative than the IUCN categories alone, and provides a good method for gauging the relative 'safety' of a species from extinction," he says.

Of the 95 mammal species considered in the team's analysis, more than one in five are close to extinction, and more than half of them are at 'tipping points' that could take their populations to the point of no return.

"For example, our studies show that practitioners of conservation triage may want to prioritise resources on the Sumatran rhinoceros instead of the Javan rhinoceros. Both species are Critically Endangered, but the Sumatran rhino is more likely to be brought back from the brink of extinction based on its SAFE index," Professor Bradshaw says.

"Alternatively, 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."

The SAFE index is detailed in a new paper published this month in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Environment (http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/100177). It is co-authored by Reuben Clements (James Cook University), Professor Corey Bradshaw and Professor Barry Brook (The University of Adelaide) and Professor Bill Laurance (James Cook University).

Canadian Digital Journal (Kimberley Pollock) has a good well-sourced write-up. According to the SAFE index, the ten species most at risk of extinction are

1. Javan rhinoceros (Indonesia)
2. Kouprey (Cambodia)
3. African wild ass (Eritrea and Ethiopia)
4. Iberian lynx (Spain)
5. Northern hairy-nosed wombat (Australia)
6. Sumatran rhinoceros (Malaysia and Indonesia)
7. Ethiopian wolf (Ethiopia)
8. Addax (Sahara Desert)
9. Dibbler (Australia)
10. Riverine rabbit (South Africa)

Australia's ABC interviewed Professor Corey Bradshaw, focusing on the northern hairy-nosed wombat (article, radio interview transcript, audio).

While the SAFE index provides a rational approach, this is not always going to be the case. If tigers and pandas fell below the viable population for saving, there is no doubt that extra effort including cloning would be made to save them.  Today, species like the dodo or Tasmanian tiger would certainly attract considerable effort for saving.

Amazing Amazon's new discoveries

The 10th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is currently being held in Nagoya, Japan (18-29 October 2010).

To coincide with the event, WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature today launched Amazon Alive!: A Decade of Discoveries 1999-2009, which listed new species including 637 plants, 257 fish, 216 amphibians, 55 reptiles, 16 birds and 39 mammals.

See media release.

New species also included spiders, such as this very attractive one


Avicularia braunshauseni (photo by Karl Csaba for WWF)

The right to dry.

A battle is raging across the United States by people fighting for the right to dry their laundry naturally outside on clotheslines.



See Drying for Freedom (trailer of film above)

Tens of millions of individuals across Northern America are banned from outdoor line drying by the very communities they live in, forcing them to turn to the dryer. Homeowners who break the rules are fined, sued and even foreclosed on. This ban is not only infringing on civil rights, it's contributing to the environmental and energy crisis. The dryer is responsible for 6% of the average household's energy bill and it costs residential ratepayers in the US an estimated $5 billion annually.

The right to dry movement embodied by Project Laundry List was founded following a speech by former Australian Dr Helen Caldicott.

See also Chicago Tribune and BBC News Magazine.

The concept of not being allowed to dry clothes outdoors is unthinkable in Australia, where the rotary clothesline known as the Hills Hoist was invented.

Seeking a pambassador

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has announced the winners of its search for six Chengdu Pambassadors (or Panda Ambassadors), chosen from 12 finalists

1. 王郁文（台湾） 决赛总得分：176分 (No.1 Name: Wangyuwen (Taiwan) Votes: 176)
2. David Alqranti （法国）决赛总得分：171分(No.2 Name: David Alqranti (French) Votes: 171)
3. Ali Shakorian（瑞典）决赛总得分：169分 (No.3 Name: Ali Shakorian (Sweden) Votes: 169)
4. 黄西（中国） 决赛总得分：166分 (No.4 Name: Huang (China) Votes: 166)
5. Ashley Robertson （美国） 决赛总得分：164分 (No.5 Name: Ashley Robertson (American) Votes: 164)
6. Yumiko Kajiwara （日本）决赛总得分：162分 (No.6 Name: Yumiko Kajiwara (Japan) Votes: 162)

61,000 entries from 52 countries were received. The Six winners will spend a month in China at the Chengdu facility.

See SkyNews in the lead up to the selection.


ABC News (US)


What a dream job.

September is Save The Koala Month

From Australian Koala Foundation, media release

September is Save The Koala Month and this year the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is hoping to celebrate it with koala lovers from all over the world.

With wild koala numbers estimated to be less than 80,000 and possibly as low as 43, 000 the AKF is asking everybody to help raise awareness of the plight of our much loved, globally famous and rapidly disappearing national icon by taking an active role in Save the Koala Month.

“Our focus this year is an online campaign to minimize costs and our impact on the environment by encouraging everyone from all around the world to visit savethekoala.com to find out how they can help” said Ms Deborah Tabart OAM CEO of the Australian Koala Foundation.

“We have made it easy to donate online with the introduction of Pay Pal and to show our appreciation we are emailing people who make a donation over $30 a beautiful personalized thank you certificate featuring Hilda, one of our cutest foster koalas” said Ms Tabart

Businesses who want to help out can put a very cute “Donate Today” button on their website that directly links to the Save The Koala Month donation page.

“We are encouraging people to join our Facebook fan page Save the Australian Koala and for those who prefer face to face social networking and fundraising we want you to get creative…make cupcakes for work, hold a cuppa for koalas morning tea, a Sausage Sizzle, Garage Sale, Dress Casual for Koalas, swim, run, bike ride for the Koala.

“Every little bit helps us raise much need funds and awareness for the plight of the wild koala” Ms Tabart said.

Supporters can register any fundraising event with the AKF for free and will receive images to help them promote it. Remember whatever you can do will really help.

All Save the Koala Month activities are listed on the Australian Koala Foundation’s website www.savethekoala.com

See also television advertisement


The koala is also not a bear.

Giant salamanders

From National Geographic's channel on YouTube

Giant salamanders, some growing up to 5-feet in length, face a barrier of dams in Japan, built to control flooding. Now it's hoped a new system will help these giant amphibians get upstream past the dams to lay their eggs.

Amazing creatures and an innovative way to save them.

See also breeding program at Smithsonian's National Zoo (report by National Geographic).

Kit Kat has a break from orangutan killing palm oil

After a two month campaign by Greenpeace (UK) against the use of palm oil by Nestlé over concerns about deforestation and the effect on orangutans, the company has just announced its suspension of purchase from suppliers involved in deforestation

The supply chain of palm oil is very complex and there are no quick and easy solutions. We have conducted an in depth analysis of our supply chain in order to create transparency and detailed action plans. Read more about the complexity of the palm oil supply chain in the RSPO Supply Chain Systems Overview (pdf, 3.95MB)

As a first step, we have suspended all purchases from Sinar Mas, which has admitted to mistakes in the area of deforestation. We can also confirm that we have made arrangements with a number of suppliers, including Cargill, to suspend purchasing from Sinar Mas for delivery to our European factories.

The YouTube video was quite graphic



See Greenpeace's response following the announcement by Nestlé.

According to Australia's Heart Foundation, palm oil isn't that healthy.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil derived from the oil of the palm plant and does not contain any cholesterol. However, palm oil is one of the two tropical oils that the Heart Foundation recommends to avoid (the other is coconut oil). Palm oil contains 55% saturated fat, 8% polyunsaturated and 37% monounsaturated. While it contains no trans fat, it contains too much saturated fat and not enough unsaturated fat to be recommended by the Heart Foundation.

Unfortunately in Australia, palm oil is usually shown in ingredients lists as 'vegetable' oil.

Camel steak

Last year, CNBC anchor Erin Burnett reacted strongly on air to reports of Australia's plan to cull wild camels. As reported by ABC (Australia)

Erin Burnett, an anchor on American financial news channel CNBC, launched a verbal attack targeting Mr Rudd following the Federal Government's decision to spend $19 million culling feral camels in the outback.

"There is a serial killer in Australia and we are going to put a picture up so we can see who it is," a stern-faced Burnett said during a segment on CNBC on Tuesday.

A large photo of Mr Rudd was then shown.

"That would be the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd," Burnett said.

"OK, well, do you know what he is doing?

"He has launched air strikes - air strikes - against camels in the outback."

Burnett, with a stuffed toy camel sitting in front of her, broke away from her usual analysis of stock movements on Wall St to vent about the camel cull.

She raised the issue during a segment with CNBC's colourful financial guru Jim Cramer.

Burnett said there were one million camels living wild in Australia and the animals would be shot.

"They are slaughtering them?" Cramer, looking shocked, asked Burnett.

"They are slaughtering them," Burnett replied.

She also complained the meat and milk from the camels would be wasted.

"Apparently there is $1 billion of meat out there," Burnett said.

"Are they going to do anything with it?" Cramer asked.

"No. They're just slaughtering them," she said.

"That's genocide. Camelcide," Cramer commented.

Burnett then told Cramer she hoped Australians would see her segment.

"I hope they have this on in the morning in Australia," she said.

As the discussion came to a close the photo of Rudd re-appeared on the screen.

"There he is," Burnett said.

"That is the man who approved it."

Erin Burnett is well known for having a fascination for camels. At the time, it was hard to tell whether her statement was expressing an outrage that camels would be killed, or that she was concerned that the killing would be wasteful.

An American journal, The Atlantic Monthly, has now suggested that camels should be eaten.

Camels were first brought to Australia from the Canary Islands in the 1840s as beasts of burden. They carried goods across the harsh, Martian-red desert. As roads were built, they were gradually released into the wild. Now Australian camels make up the largest wild herd in the world, numbering about a million. With no natural predators, they are expected to double in population every decade.

Like most foreign species introduced into Australia’s delicate ecosystem, camels have wreaked havoc. They feed on roughly 80 percent of Australia’s plant species, and have pushed some to the brink of extinction. In their search for water, they soil Aboriginal drinking holes, destroy everything from fences to air conditioners, and cause more than $12 million worth of damage each year. In response, the Australian government plans to cull 349,000 of them, at a cost of $17 million.

Dann thinks this is a waste of potentially valuable meat. He concedes that camel is still a novelty in Australia, but he sees a lucrative market in the Middle East, where it’s widely accepted. If he wins government approval to export, he aims to up the number of animals he slaughters each week from 20 to 300. “It’s a good meat, low in cholesterol,” he said. “I would hate to see it go to the worms.”

The American interest in Australia's feral camels is interesting. I wonder if there is a market in the US for camel meat.

Miracle baby... elephant

Just three days ago, zookeepers at Sydney's Taronga Zoo were mourning the apparent death of a baby elephant (in utero).

Taronga staff were greatly saddened today when it was confirmed that the Zoo’s expected second Asian Elephant calf has not survived a difficult labour.

Taronga’s Director, Cameron Kerr, said: “Keepers and veterinarians became aware in the early hours that despite round-the-clock care, the calf has not survived the labour. They’re now focussing on the next steps to support the mother, Porntip.

“Although we all knew that first deliveries are successful in only 50 percent of elephant births, everyone at the Zoo was hoping that our second birth would be successful.”

“Even though they knew the risks, the elephant keepers and veterinarians have been very distressed by the outcome. Their first thoughts are now for Porntip as they work together to support her.”

Miraculously, yesterday the zoo announced the live birth of the elephant calf

“Advice from world elephant reproduction expert, Dr Thomas Hildebrandt of the Berlin Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Health is that such an outcome after a protracted labour has never been seen before. He said the birth will completely re-write the elephant birth text books.”

Dr Vogelnest said: “The early indications are that the calf survived the protracted labour in a coma. That unconscious state would explain the complete absence of any vital signs during all the checks and examinations we conducted during the labour and led us to believe the calf had not survived.”

Elephant Manager, Gary Miller, said: “When the keepers learned the calf had survived this morning, the looks of disbelief on our faces were quite a picture. We couldn’t believe that this could be true.”

More news from today has been encouraging

Taronga Zoo’s newborn male Asian Elephant calf continued to make progress overnight.

His dedicated keepers, who monitored the newborn throughout the night, were delighted that the calf has begun to suckle from his mother, Porntip, unassisted and moving around without help.

This is an encouraging sign after he survived a protracted labour before being delivered alive against the odds yesterday morning at 3.27 am.

You can keep track of the baby elephant's via the zoo's elephant blog.

Photos from Taronga Zoo by Bobby Jo Vial






The elephants at the zoo appear to be very well looked after. They probably have a better life than many of the domesticated elephants in Thailand, with many eking out a living with their mahouts, begging for food in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

95 per cent of elephants in Thailand are domesticated and privately 'owned'; considered to be livestock. There are reports that the elephant population in Thailand now numbers under 300. A hundred years ago, it was estimated to be around 100,000.

10 to watch in 2010

Self-explanatory press release from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) from a month ago

Tigers, Polar Bears and Blue Fin Tuna Among the Most Threatened Species in 2010, Says World Wildlife Fund

Iconic Animal Populations Being Decimated by Habitat Loss and Poaching: Climate Change Emerges As Clear Threat on WWF’S Annual Watch List

For Release: Dec 02, 2009

Kerry Zobor
kerry.zobor@wwfus.org
202-495-4509

WASHINGTON DC, December 2, 2009 – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today released its annual list of some of the most threatened species around the world, saying that the long-term survival of many animals is increasingly in doubt due to a host of threats, including climate change, and calling for a step up in efforts to save some of the world’s most threatened animals.

WWF’s list of “10 to Watch in 2010” includes such well-known and beloved species as tigers, polar bears, pandas, and rhinos, as well as lesser-known species such as bluefin tuna and mountain gorillas. WWF scientists say these, and many other species, are at greater risk than ever before because of habitat loss, poaching, and climate change-related threats. This year’s watch list includes five species directly impacted by climate change, as well as the monarch butterfly, the species at the center of an endangered biological phenomenon. Tigers are at the forefront of this year’s list, with the official Year of the Tiger slated to begin in February 2010.

“We have an urgent window of opportunity in which to step up and pull back some of the world’s most splendid animals from the brink of extinction,” says Dr. Sybille Klenzendorf, WWF’s Managing Director of Species Conservation. “We urge everyone who wants to live in a world with tigers, polar bears, and pandas to make it their New Year’s resolution to save these amazing and threatened species before it’s too late.”

WWF’s “Ten to Watch in 2010” list:

Tiger

Panthera tigris altaica Amur tiger Lying in the snow
© Kevin Schafer / WWF-Canon

New studies indicate that there may be as few as 3,200 tigers (Panthera tigris) left in the wild. Tigers occupy less than seven percent of their original range, which has decreased by 40 percent over the past ten years. Accelerating deforestation and rampant poaching could push some tiger populations to the same fate as its now-extinct Javan and Balinese relatives in other parts of Asia. Tigers are poached for their body parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, while skins are also highly prized. Additionally, sea level rise, due to climate change, threatens the mangrove habitat of a key tiger population in Bangladesh’s and India’s Sundarbans. The upcoming Year of the Tiger, 2010, will mark an important year for conservation efforts to save wild tigers, with WWF continuing to play a vital role in implementing bold new strategies to save this magnificent Asian big cat.

Polar Bear

Ursus maritimus Polar bear Hudson Bay, Canada
© Kevin Schafer / WWF-Canon

The Arctic’s polar bears (Ursus maritimus) have become the iconic symbol of early victims of climate-induced habitat loss. Designated a threatened species for protection by the Endangered Species Act in the U.S., polar bears will be vulnerable to extinction within the next century, if warming trends in the Arctic continue at the current pace. WWF is supporting field research to understand how climate change will affect polar bears and to develop adaptation strategies. WWF also works to protect critical polar bear habitat by working with governments and industry to reduce threats from shipping and oil and gas development in the region and with local communities to reduce human-bear conflict in areas where bears are already stranded on land for longer periods of time due to lack of ice.

Learn more about the impacts of climate change on polar bears

Pacific Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus divergens Pacific walrus Males at "haul-out" Round Island, Alaska, United States of America
© Kevin Schafer / WWF-Canon

The Arctic’s Bering and Chukchi Seas are home to the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), one of the latest victims of climate change. In September of this year, up to 200 dead walruses were spotted on the shore of the Chukchi Sea on Alaska’s northwest coast. These animals use floating ice for resting, birthing and nursing calves, and protection from predators. With Arctic ice melting, the Pacific walrus is experiencing habitat loss to the extent that in September 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that adding the walrus to the Endangered Species Act may be warranted.

Learn more about the impacts of climate change on walruses

Magellanic Penguin
Once threatened primarily by oil spills, Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), now face a larger threat as fish are displaced by warming ocean currents, forcing the birds to swim farther to find food. Last year hundreds of Magellanic penguins washed up on beaches around Rio de Janeiro, many emaciated or dead. Scientists have speculated that changes in ocean currents or temperatures, which may be related to climate change, could have been responsible for their movement more than a thousand miles north of their traditional nesting area in the southern tip of Argentina. Twelve out of the 17 penguin species are currently experiencing rapid population decline.

Learn more about the impacts of climate change on penguins

Leatherback Turtle
The largest marine turtle and one of the largest living reptiles, the leatherback turtle, (Dermochelys coriaceathe) has survived for more than a hundred million years, but is now facing extinction. Recent estimates of numbers show that this species is declining, particularly in the Pacific where as few as 2,300 adult females now remain, making the Pacific leatherback the world's most endangered marine turtle population. Atlantic turtle populations are more stable but scientists predict a decline due to the large numbers of adults being caught as bycatch and killed accidentally by fishing fleets. Additionally, rising sea levels and higher temperatures on Atlantic beaches pose a new threat to turtles and their offspring. Nest temperature strongly determines the sex of offspring, and a nest warming trend is reducing the number of male turtles. WWF aims to conserve leatherback turtle migratory pathways - by working with fisheries to decrease bycatch, by protecting critical nesting beaches, and by raising awareness so that local communities will protect turtles and their nests.

Bluefin Tuna
The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a large migratory fish found in the western and eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Bluefin tuna is the source of highest grade sushi. Bluefin tuna fisheries are near collapse and the species at serious risk of extinction if unsustainable fishing practices in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean are not stopped. A temporary ban on the global trade of bluefin tuna would allow the overexploited species to recover. WWF is encouraging restaurants, chefs, retailers, and consumers to stop serving, buying, selling, and eating endangered bluefin tuna until this amazing species shows signs of recovery.

Mountain Gorilla
Scientists consider mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) to be a critically endangered gorilla subspecies, with about 720 surviving in the wild. More than 200 live in the Virunga National Park, located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Rwanda and Uganda. War has been waged in areas around the park, with gorillas subject to related threats such as poaching and loss of habitat. Conservation efforts have led to an increase in the Virunga population by 14% in the last 12 years, while the mountain gorillas other home, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, has experienced population increases of 12% over the past decade. Despite this success, the mountain gorillas status remains fragile, and WWF is working to save the great ape’s forest habitat in the mountains of the heart of Africa.

Monarch Butterfly
Every year millions of delicate monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) migrate from North America to their winter habitat in Mexico. A well conserved and protected high-altitude pine and fir forest in Mexico is essential for the survival of the overwintering of monarchs, which has been recognized as an endangered biological phenomenon. The protection of its reproductive habitats in the United States and Canada is also crucial to saving this species migration, one of the most remarkable natural phenomena on the planet. World Wildlife Fund, in collaboration with the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, has designed an innovative conservation strategy to protect and restore the Monarch butterflies wintering habitat in Mexico, so butterflies are protected from extremes weather and other threats. WWF is also supporting local communities to establish trees nurseries that are reintroduced to the monarch butterfly reserve, creating at the same time new sources of income for the owners of the monarch forests.

Learn more about the impacts of climate change on monarch butterflies

Javan Rhinoceros
Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List (2009), the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is considered the most endangered large mammal in the world with only two populations known to exist in the wild, for a total number of less than 60 animals. Highly prized as a commodity in traditional Chinese medicine, Javan rhinos have also been brought to the verge of extinction by the conversion of forest habitat to farmland. WWF has been involved in protection and conservation of the Javan rhino since 1998, supporting forest rangers to undertake increased patrolling and protection activities, conducting surveys of the rhino population, raising awareness of the importance of the rhinos to local communities, and supporting park management. Last month, using highly trained sniffer dogs, WWF found traces of the extremely rare and endangered Vietnamese Javan Rhinoceros, of which no more than a dozen are thought to exist.

Giant Panda

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in a tree. Wolong Panda Reserve, Sichuan Province, China.
© Bernard De Wetter / WWF-Canon

An international symbol of conservation since WWF’s founding in 1961, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) which numbers less than 2500 in the wild, faces an uncertain future. Its forest habitat in the mountainous areas of southwest China has become fragmented, creating small and isolated populations. WWF has been active in giant panda conservation for nearly three decades, conducting field studies, working to protect habitats and, most recently, by providing assistance to the Chinese government in establishing a program to protect the panda and its habitat through the creation of reserves.

Learn more about the impacts of climate change on giant pandas

# # #

Note to Editors: Photos of all “10 to Watch in ‘2010” species are available. Please contact Kerry Zobor at 202-495-4509 or at kerry.zobor@wwfus.org. More information on all species featured is available at www.worldwildlife.org.

It is quite shocking that tiger numbers are so low. Just as shocking is that only one media outlet, The Guardian reported on this, although a little late on 3 January 2009.

Chook the lyrebird does construction

A couple of years ago on a BBC wildlife series by David Attenborough, there was footage of a lyrebird (in the wild) mimicking sounds of other birds.



At Adelaide Zoo, a lyrebird called Chook has actually picked up construction noise.



According to Adelaide Zoo

Our male, “Chook”, was born in 1979 and has been at Adelaide Zoo since 1991.

During winter lyrebirds sing and dance as part of an elaborate courtship display. About 80% of Chook’s song consists of expert mimicry. Here is list of some of the sounds Chook makes.

Bird sounds
Laughing Kookaburra
Regent honeyeater
Yellow tailed black cockatoo
Flock of rainbow lorikeets
Eastern whipbird
King Parrot
Marpie Lark
Australian Magpie
Noisy Miner
Red Wattlebird
Blackbird
Pied Currawong
Bush Stone-Curlew

Other sounds
Electric drill
Handsaw
“Hello Chook”
Chainsaw
Water drops
Truck reversing
Post-mix drink being poured
2 way radio chatter

Awesome, worth visiting Adelaide Zoo to see Chook, and the two new pandas (after they arrive).

I wonder if lyrebirds can recite complete Bach or Mozart pieces.

big backyard birds

Brush turkeys are native to Australia, but we aren't allowed to eat them. From ABC

Back from the bush: turkeys hit Sydney backyards
By Kathryn Stolarchuk for The World Today

Posted 8 July 2009

Here to stay: the indefatigable brush turkey. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin)

Brush turkeys have been invading suburban Sydney on a scale not seen since the ibis moved in many years ago.

The large, aggressive birds are playing havoc with gardens, frightening pets, eating their food and building huge mounds.

But the experts are warning they are here to stay; it is illegal to eat a protected native species and people should get used to them.

The brush turkey is a ground-dwelling bird about 70 centimetres long that lives exclusively in the Australasian region of the world.

Dr Ann Goeth is a senior threatened species officer with the Department of Environment and Climate Change and also one of the world's leading authorities on the local birds.

She believes the turkeys are moving into suburban areas of Sydney for a number of reasons, including the drought.

"They also find a lot of food in the kind of mulch and gardens that people provide," she said.

"A lot of people indirectly attract these birds as well by either providing compost heaps where the birds can feed from, they have bird feeders, which brush-turkeys really like as well, or they might leave their pet food out on the back porch, which brush turkeys really like to eat as well."

Gardener's nightmare

Geoff Ross, a wildlife management officer with New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife, says the birds are also making a mess of backyards.

"This species are megapodes, which means they build mounds," he said.

"So the males incubate the eggs laid by females in these large mounds of garden material that's effectively breaking down and providing heat and that incubates the eggs.

"We're seeing a lot more of these mounds around the inner-urban areas now - one reporting of an instance in Mosman.

"Mounds are being located in Epping, Lane Cove and places like that on the North Shore. So they are gradually moving into those urban interfaces."

Mr Ross says it is this building of the mounds and their propensity to destroy flower beds with their enthusiastic scratching that makes the turkeys the enemy of local gardeners.

"They'll scratch up a lot of backyards' garden material to build that mound, particularly with people who have spent a lot of resources in maintaining a natural urban bushland, then of course brush turkeys will avail themselves of that very natural area and start building mounds in that backyard," he said.

But Dr Anne Goeth reminds people that brush turkeys are a native species and protected by law.

"So you're not allowed to catch them. You're also not allowed to actually destroy these mounds when there is eggs in there because you would destroy the eggs and the chicks," she said.

No Christmas turkey

And she says you are definitely not allowed to put them on the barbie.

"I mean they're big birds, big turkeys and obviously it's easier to shoot one of those than buy something if you are hungry, but hopefully that's not happening anymore these days," she said.

"I've been told it's quite tough. I have never eaten them myself, of course."

Mr Ross recommends that instead people learn to be tolerant of their new neighbours.

"Now if you do have a mound you can seek National Parks' guidance on how to deal with that mound in your back garden," he said.

"If it's particularly impacting upon you or your family, we can offer things like we give you a permit that will allow you to cover the mound with a tarpaulin and so the male can't work the mound, or you can cover it with mesh.

"You can use sprinklers to divert the male's attention away from the mound. Things like that, particularly now that we're allowed to hose our gardens again."

He says Sydneysiders worried about the turkeys should follow the example of their Queensland counterparts.

"They are here to stay and it's one of being able to adapt to them being there and of course, this is nothing new for those people who live north of the border in Queensland," he said.

"Brush turkeys are an everyday occurrence in the backyards of all Brisbane residents and residents on the Gold Coast.

"So wherever you reside in those warmer coastal areas you get a few brush turkeys and again in Sydney they're just recapturing, if you like, those habitats they used to live in before."

I think it would be cool to have one in the backyard.

smarter than some humans

Orangutans are intelligent. From Associated Press (10 May 2009) and widely reported

Orangutan makes a run for it at Australian zoo

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — A zoo in Australia was evacuated Sunday after an "ingenious" 137-pound orangutan short-circuited an electric fence and hopped a wall surrounding her enclosure.

The ape, a 27-year-old female named Karta, jammed a stick into wires connected to the fence and then piled up debris to climb a concrete and glass wall at the Adelaide Zoo.

Zoo curator Peter Whitehead told reporters Karta sat on top of the fence for about 30 minutes before apparently changing her mind about the escape and climbing back into the enclosure.

"I think when she actually got out and realized where she was ... she's realized she shouldn't be there so then she's actually hung onto the wall and dropped back into the exhibit," Whitehead said.

Karta came within a few yards (meters) of visitors, who were the first to notice the animal's escape bid.

Whitehead said the animal was not aggressive, but the zoo was cleared as a precaution, and veterinarians stood by with tranquilizer guns in case of trouble.

"You're talking about an animal that's highly intelligent," Whitehead said. "We've had issues with her before in normal day-to-day operations where she tries to outsmart the keepers. She's an ingenious animal."

Officials at the zoo in the southern city of Adelaide would conduct a "thorough review" of the escape bid and it was likely some vegetation that could be used in a future try for freedom would be removed from Karta's enclosure.

Der Spiegel reports about Ujian at Heidelberg Zoo, who whistles

05/08/2009 12:48 PM
JUST PUT YOUR LIPS TOGETHER
Heidelberg Zoo's Whistling Orangutan Releases CD

An orangutan in Heidelberg Zoo has attracted attention after teaching himself to whistle. Now the 14-year-old ape has recorded his first CD.

Although somewhat underrated as a musical technique, a spot of whistling can often add a certain something to a song. Who can forget Otis Redding's poignant whistling on the soul classic "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" or the haunting whistle refrain on the fall-of-the-Wall rock anthem "Wind of Change" by Germany's Scorpions?

PHOTO GALLERY: GOING APE OVER UJIAN

• 
• 
• 

Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (9 Photos)

Now a whistling orangutan at Heidelberg Zoo in Germany is set to release his first CD. Entitled "Ich Bin Ujian" ("I Am Ujian"), the CD single by Ujian, a 14-year-old orangutan, will go on sale at the zoo in June. Proceeds will go toward the extension and renovation of the zoo's ape house.

The song, a jaunty pop-rock number with reggae elements, features Ujian's melodic whistling as a background element. The lyrics, sung by Tobias Kämmerer, follow a similarly self-aggrandizing stance as the classic "I Wan'na Be Like You" sung by the orangutan King Louie in the animated movie "The Jungle Book," with the chorus including the lines: "I am Ujian the orangutan, I am so cool, man, I'm a star."

Local musician Christian Wolf, who was one of the producers of the song, was passing Ujian's enclosure one day during a visit to the zoo with his son. He stopped in amazement in front of Ujian's cage when he heard the animal whistling.

He returned with a digital recording device. With the help of Bernd Kowalsky, who is responsible for apes at the zoo, they recorded five hours' worth of audio, from which they gathered enough of Ujian's whistling for the song.

Ujian apparently taught himself to whistle last summer. According to the newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Ujian was inspired to start whistling after a vegetable delivery man was late coming to his cage. Ujian let out an exasperated whistle in a bid to get him to hurry up. From simple notes, the gifted ape soon graduated to melodic phrases.

But Ujian is not only talented musically. Along with fellow Heidelberg Zoo orangutans Puan and Grisella, he paints and has produced a number of abstract works. The zoo has been holding an auction of their paintings to raise money, with Thursday marking the closing date for bids.

Orangutans are highly intelligent creatures and many zoos around the world have animals who paint or draw. However only a handful of orangutans have been known to whistle. Bonnie, an orangutan in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., recently attracted attention when she taught herself to whistle. Researchers believe she was trying to imitate the sounds of whistling zookeepers.

The song "Ich Bin Ujian" can be heard on the Stuttgarter Nachrichten Web site.

dgs -- with wire reports

Definitely smarter than some politicians.

name this shrimp

The Australian Marine Conservation Society is auctioning the naming rights (scientific name) for a newly discovered species of shrimp.



About the Shrimp
This newly described species is a mysterious little creature living in the cool dark depths of our South-west oceans. Despite living 400m below the surface, this shrimp species has a jewel-like appearance. Morphing from yellow to green, this spectacular shrimp is covered in scarlet spots and sports a toothed crest across the top of its body, which gives it the delightful appearance of having a mohawk. It is in the group or genus of shrimps known as Lebbeus, and is waiting for you to place your bid and choose a unique species name that will go down in scientific history.

Name the shrimp after yourself or perhaps a loved one. What a unique and amazing gift it would be!

About the Campaign
Proceeds from this auction will go towards protecting WA's globally significant oceans. The region (see map) is incredibly special, with over 80% of the marine species found nowhere else on the planet.

Less than 1% of our South-west oceans are protected in marine sanctuaries, where all life is safe from harm. AMCS is working with a coalition of conservation groups to establish large marine sanctuaries to protect WA's outstanding marine wildlife. Your bid will help us get there.

So far, the latest bid is AUD 3050 on eBay.

Now as for the common name, how about Horse Prawn?

the lion man

I wrote about Kevin Richardson back in July 2007.

Here is some recent vision from Associated Press


Kevin Richardson may be crazy, but the lions probably consider him to be a member of their pride.

kangaroo culling

Kangaroo culling has always been controversial. Without managing numbers in the absence of natural predators, even more starve to death - a slow and painful death. I know which is more cruel.

We should be eating roos instead of cows. They are not endangered.

Moving kangaroos elsewhere is just relocating the problem.

the point of daylight saving

Most of Australia is on daylight time at the moment. I prefer it, as there is more daylight at the end of the day to do things, especially for folks who work in offices every day. It is amazing what one can do in one hour of daylight.

I always thought that daylight saving was about saving energy. Matthew Kotchen and Laura Grant thought otherwise and wrote in the New York Times

November 20, 2008

Op-Ed Contributor

What’s the Point of Daylight Time?

By MATTHEW J. KOTCHEN and LAURA E. GRANT

Santa Barbara, Calif.

WHY do we — along with 75 other countries — alternate between standard time and daylight time? Although many people believe it has an agricultural provenance, daylight time has always been a policy meant to save energy. As Benjamin Franklin argued, if people moved up their summer schedules by an hour, they could live by “sunshine rather than candles” in the evenings.

Energy conservation was the motivation for daylight time during World Wars I and II and the oil embargo of the 1970s, and it remains so today — even though there has been little scientific evidence to suggest daylight time actually helps us cut back on electricity use.

Recently, however, we were able to conduct a study in Indiana, where daylight time was instituted statewide only in 2006. Before that year, daylight time was in effect in just a handful of counties. This change of policy offered a unique, natural experiment to measure the overall effect on residential electricity consumption. We could compare the amount of energy used by households in the late-adopting counties during the two years before they switched to daylight time with the amounts they used during the year afterward — while using counties that always practiced daylight time as a control group.

We found that daylight time caused a 1 percent overall increase in residential electricity use, though the effect varied from month to month. The greatest increase occurred in late summer and early fall, when electricity use rose by 2 percent to 4 percent.

Daylight time costs Indiana households an average of $3.29 a year in higher electricity bills, or about $9 million for the whole state. We also calculated the health and other social costs of increased pollution emissions at $1.7 million to $5.5 million per year.

What explains this unexpected result? While daylight time reduces demand for household lighting, it increases demand for heating in the early spring and late fall (in the mornings) and, even more important, for cooling on summer evenings. Benjamin Franklin was right about candles, in other words, but he did not consider air-conditioners.

In regions of the United States where demand for air-conditioning is greater than in Indiana, this spike in cooling costs is likely to be even greater. Arizona, one of the hottest states, may have it right; it does not practice daylight time.

Eliminating daylight time would thus accord with President-elect Barack Obama’s stated goals of conserving resources, saving money, promoting energy security and reducing climate change. At the very least, we should abandon the notion that we are saving energy while enjoying the extra hour of sunlight on hot summer evenings.

Matthew J. Kotchen is a professor of economics and Laura E. Grant is a doctoral student in environmental science and management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

A flaw with their argument is latitude and basing a study on just one state.

I prefer the morning to feel like the morning and not feel like the sun has been up for hours. Anyway, I like dawn/sunrise. It is the most peaceful part of the day. I'd rather see it at 6am than 5am.

***************
It was a cold and rainy day.

Okapi

Rare photos of the okapi taken in the wild has been widely reported in the media worldwide.



From the Zoological Society of London

First ever pictures of Africa’s 'unicorn'
Wednesday 10 September 2008

The okapi, an African animal so secretive it was once believed to be a mythical unicorn, has been caught on camera in the wild for the first time by ZSL.
A glimpse of the mysterious okapi © ZSL

Camera traps set up by ZSL and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have captured landmark pictures of the mysterious okapi in Virunga National Park - proving that the species is still surviving there despite over a decade of civil conflict.

Dr Noelle Kumpel, ZSL’s Bushmeat and Forests Conservation Programme Manager, said: 'To have captured the first ever photographs of such a charismatic creature is amazing, and particularly special for ZSL given that the species was originally described here over a century ago. Okapi are very shy and rare animals - which is why conventional surveys only tend to record droppings and other signs of their presence.'

The new ZSL-led survey has not only captured the first pictures of okapi roaming in the wild, but has also revealed the presence of a previously unknown population on the east side of the River.

Thierry Lusenge, a key member of ZSL’s DRC survey team, added: 'The photographs clearly show the stripes on their rear, which act like unique fingerprints. We have already identified three individuals, and further survey work will enable us to estimate population numbers and distribution in and around the Park, which is a critical first step in targeting conservation efforts.'

The exact status of this secretive species is unknown as access to the forests of DRC is limited by civil conflict and poor infrastructure, making survey work difficult. Okapi are only known to inhabit three protected areas, of which Virunga National Park is one.

However even Virunga’s newly-discovered and still largely unknown population is under threat from poaching. Okapi meat, reportedly from the Park, is now regularly on sale in the nearby town of Beni. The ZSL survey team has warned that if hunting continues at this rate, okapi could become extinct in the Park within a few years.

Together ZSL and ICCN plan to continue researching the species’ status in these little-known forests. ZSL scientists believe the okapi population in and around Virunga National Park needs urgent attention; they are currently looking for additional funds for a more comprehensive, community-based project to conserve this threatened population in the long-term.

video from National Geographic

Truly exciting.

**************
So glad the work week is over.

salmon or venison?

According to a study published in BMC Ecology, wolves prefer salmon to venison.  Also reported in New Scientist

Venison's fine, but wolves prefer salmon

• 00:01 02 September 2008
• NewScientist.com news service
• Gursharan Randhawa

Wolves are not quite the red-blooded hunters we thought they were. It appears they prefer to dine on a nice piece of salmon rather than deer.

Ecological studies into predator-prey relations have traditionally shown that wolves feed on hoofed animals like deer, elk and moose, particularly during the spring and summer. However, ecologists have recently noticed that the fanged animals can capture and eat salmon in the autumn when the fish swim upriver.

The suggestion has been that wolves fall back on salmon as an alternative food source when deer are scarce. But Chris Darimont and colleagues at University of Victoria and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, British Columbia, Canada, have shown that wolves actually prefer salmon, whether or not deer are on the menu.

Darimont and colleagues spent four years studying the feeding habits of eight packs of wolves in the Great Bear Rainforest region of British Columbia.

Seasonal snack

Spawning salmon are unavailable for most of the year. They leave rivers at the start of spring the size of a human finger and spend up to five years growing in the ocean. When they return to their native streams in the autumn, often the size of a five-year-old child, they offer a huge pulse of nutrients to predators that can harvest the creeks.

Salmon is rich in fat compared to deer, containing four times the amount of caloric energy per bite. Combined with the fact that they are predictable, spatially constrained in creeks and don't fight back like deer do, salmon is an ideal food resource.

Darimont and his team used genetic tests to analyse over 2000 droppings and 60 hair samples to determine their wolves' dietary habits.

"Hair is metabolically inert, so it records what that wolf was eating during that time of hair growth," explains Darimont.

The results show a seasonal shift in diet from deer in spring and summer to salmon in the autumn, even when deer is readily available – suggesting the availability of salmon is driving the change in feeding.

Easing exploitation

This means, says Darimont, if commercial salmon fishing continues at the rate it is now, the implications for wolves and other species could be disastrous.

Although wolves have deer as a fallback, other species like mink and grizzly bears rely heavily on salmon. The ability of female grizzlies to bear young is completely dependent on salmon availability, as is breeding and lactation in mink.

For these reasons, human exploitation of salmon must be scaled down, says Darimont. He supports the Canadian government's Wild Salmon Policy, which aims to put the needs of the ecosystem ahead of those of the fishing industry when managing salmon stocks.

Duh! Wolves are quite intelligent.  If it is easier to catch salmon than hunt dear, why wouldn't they?

****************

Today was cold, even though spring is in the air.