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Posts from the “SANCTUARY” Category

The American Icon, The Mustang: Why Is It Quickly Disappearing

Posted on April 7, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

Photo: Jaymi Heimbuch

Mustangs have been a part of the landscape of the United States for centuries. Ever since the first horses escaped from Spanish conquistadores, feral horses have returned to their wild roots, roaming in small family bands lead by stallions, mixing with various breeds of other escapees — including the appaloosas and paints of Native Americans, ranchers’ quarter horses and cow ponies, thoroughbreds, and draft horses that ditched their farms. The mustang has become an exceptionally hardy breed of horse, adapting easily to rough and arid conditions in the west, with isolated bands still showing their centuries-old ancestry though particular conformation and markings. And importantly, the mustang is a breed we equate with freedom, an untamed spirit, and the history of our country.
mustangs run through western scrub habitat
Photo: Jaymi Heimbuch
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is tasked to uphold the 1971 legislation written to protect these free-roaming horses, the Wild Free…

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Report Finds Unbeliable Waste in 9 Major Fisheries

Posted on April 6, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

By: John Platt

Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 08:44 AM
634
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A dolphin caught in a fishing net. (Photo: Oceana)

A shocking new report from the conservation organization Oceana reveals staggering levels of waste caused by U.S. fisheries. According to the report, up to 2 billion tons of fish and other species die needlessly every year. This adds up to 500 million seafood meals every year, while also killing astonishing numbers of dolphins, sea turtles, whales, sharks and other endangered species.
The report covers bycatch — the capture of “non-target fish and ocean wildlife” either by accidentally catching unwanted species or by catching too many fish.
“Anything can be bycatch,” Dominique Cano-Stocco, campaign director at Oceana, said in a news release. “Whether it’s the thousands of sea turtles that are caught to bring you shrimp or the millions of pounds of…

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Terrible Trade

Posted on April 6, 2014

Organikos's avatarOrganikos

Photo © Matt Reinbold Photo © Matt Reinbold

Thanks to Miles Becker for this summary of an article that touches on a theme we have highlighted in the past–sourced from Bush, E.R. et al. 2014. Global trade in exotic pets 2006-2012. Conservation Biology doi: 10.1111/cobi.12240— at Conservation Magazine‘s website:

Pet stores are filled with colorful critters originating from the wilds of other continents. All the cages and terrariums stay well stocked while many prized species decline in their native habitat. Does the global fascination with exotic pet species hasten their extinction?

One way to find out is to compare the list of traded species with a list of species in trouble. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) maintains records of reported legal exports from its 180 member countries. The conservation status of species are listed on the red list curated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources…

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Why is Lake Nakuru the new Poaching Hotspot?

Posted on April 6, 2014

Tisha Wardlow's avatarFight for Rhinos

Kenya  – Only 3 months into 2014, there have been 18 rhino poached in the country. Six of them have been killed in Lake Nakuru alone.

Lake Nakuru National Park has been a protected rhino sanctuary since 1986.  Rhinos from Solio Ranch, Nairobi National Park, Lewa Downs and South Africa were translocated to the area in an attempt to give them safety to roam and breed. There is a reinforced high power solar fence enclosing the area, as well as guards/rangers within the park.

white rhino in lake nakuru White rhino in Lake Nakuru

Why is Nakuru seeing an increase in rhino poaching?

nakuru park

According to KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service), poachers not only use sophisticated weaponry, they are now using silent poaching methods that are difficult for rangers on patrol to detect.

In parks such as Lake Nakuru, rising water levels have shrunken grazing land for rhinos forcing them to move to park periphery. This makes them an easy target…

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Small miracle

Posted on April 3, 2014

Amidst the greatest mass extinction of species since the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago, there is one smallish success

Channel island fox. (Photo: George HH Huey)

Channel island fox. (Photo: George HH Huey)

    The Island Fox which had vanished from all but six of the California Channel Islands off the coast of southern California, USA on which it lives, has staged a remarkable comeback. By the mid-1990s four of the fox subspecies were listed as Endangered under the U.S Endangered Species Act. Aggressive recovery actions such as captive breeding and reintroduction, vaccination against canine diseases, and relocating Golden eagles which prey on the fox, have brought all four subspecies back to pre-decline population levels with annual survival rates above 85%.

     

    The latest update to the IUCN red list added more than 1,000 species, to bring total assessments to 71,500 species, including all mammals, birds and amphibians. More than a third of the species are considered under threat. About half of known reptiles have been assessed and a third of fish, but only a fraction of invertebrates, plants and fungi.

    source: Damian Carrington.

     

Magic powder

Posted on April 2, 2014

Rhino horn, ground into powder, is in strong demand in Vietnam.

Rhino horn powder mixed in drink. (Photo: Justinmott.Photoshelter.com)

Rhino horn powder mixed in drink. (Photo: Justinmott.Photoshelter.com)

It is believed to be a cancer cure and an aphrodisiac for men. Businessmen buy it as a “tribute” to bribe their superiors and “lubricate” business affairs.

Grinding rhino horn to power. (Photo: Justinmott.Photoshelter.com)

Grinding rhino horn to power. (Photo: Justinmott.Photoshelter.com)

Openly advertised in the streets of downtown Hanoi it can be purchased at shops selling traditional medicines at prices approaching $70,000 per kg.

Vietnam. Ad for rhino horn grinding plates. (Photo: Justinmott.Photoshelter.com)

Vietnam. Ad for rhino horn grinding plates. (Photo: Justinmott.Photoshelter.com)

70 % of rhino horn specimens in Vietnam are fake.

Will they abide?

Posted on March 31, 2014

The United Nations’ highest court for resolving disputes between nations, the International Court of Justice, has ordered a temporary halt to Japanese whaling in the Antarctic in a lawsuit brought by Australia.

Three dead minke whales on the deck of the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru, in the Southern Ocean. (Photo: Sea Shepherd Australia)

Three dead minke whales on the deck of the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru in the Southern Ocean. (Photo: Sea Shepherd Australia)

    Japan has been claiming for years the right to kill unlimited numbers of whales in the Antarctic, arguing that its does so for scientific purposes. The finding by the ICJ’s 16-judge panel held that that the two peer-reviewed papers submitted by the Japanese since 2005 – based on results obtained from just nine killed whales – was basically a smokescreen that “was not proportionate to the number of animals killed.”

    “In light of the fact the [research program] has been going on since 2005, and has involved the killing of about 3,600 minke whales, the scientific output to date appears limited,” said presiding judge Tomka.

    The decision will not mean the end of whaling. Japan has another whaling program in the northern Pacific and Iceland and Norway, who rejected a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling imposed by the International Whaling Commission, continue the practice. Norway set a quota of 1,286 north Atlantic minke whales last year, saying stocks are plentiful.

    Iceland and Norway do not claim to be carrying out research, so the ICJ’s ruling has no immediate consequences for them.

    The ICJ’s ruling is final and there will be no appeal. Japan issued a statement that it would comply with the decision. Fingers crossed…

The Many Faces of Poaching

Posted on March 16, 2014

Tisha Wardlow's avatarFight for Rhinos

poacher arrested with bush meat Poacher arrested with bush meat.

The Poacher:

The poor man living in a hut with a pregnant wife and 3 skeletal children. One perhaps with a tear running down a sunken cheek, the wife begging the husband to find them enough for a meal. Finally, in exasperation the man reluctantly sets off on a dangerous, one-time mission to take part in killing an elephant or rhino. The few dollars will feed his hungry family for a week (if he makes it back alive).

Is this what you imagine when you think of a poacher?

Think again. Although  poverty is one aspect of poaching and can be a reason, it does not account for all of it. In fact, wealth is the driving force behind the most  destructive killings: mainly  our elephants and rhinos.

There are two types of poachers:

1) Subsistence Poachers – they target small game, have low technology…

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Japan To Half Its Tuna Catches In Northern Pacific

Posted on March 12, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

The Fisheries Agency has decided to increase protection for bluefin tuna amid international concerns about declining stocks, according to major media, including the Yomiuri Shimbun and the Mainichi Shimbun.

Studies have found stocks of bluefin tuna, prized by sushi lovers, have fallen dramatically, with juveniles forming the majority of specimens now being caught, pushing the species closer to extinction.

Last year, an international conference involving Japan agreed to cut each nation’s quota for juvenile bluefin tuna in 2014 by more than 15 percent from the 2002-2004 average, according to Kyodo News.

But Japan, the world’s biggest tuna consumer, has concluded bluefin tuna stocks will not sufficiently increase unless the quota is significantly reduced, the Yomiuri said.

The Japanese plan is aimed at encouraging other nations to adopt bigger cuts in their tuna catch quota, Kyodo said.

Explore further:     Pacific nations agree to cut bluefin tuna catches

Read more at:

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Animal Traitors Amongst Us: Sea Shepherd And Paul Watson Supports Bindi Irwin’s Engagement With SeaWorld :(((

Posted on March 9, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

http://www.seashepherd.org/commentary-and-editorials/2014/03/07/commentary-captain-paul-watson-on-bindi-irwin-and-seaworld-636?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
Paul Watson gutless !

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Killing of entire Alaska wolf pack upsets National Park Service…And Me!

Posted on March 9, 2014

Exposing the Big Game's avatarExposing the Big Game

Before admiring the “subsistence” lifestyle, think of wolves that the state of Alaska shoots from planes to provide “game” for their hunters…

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by Nick Provenza

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Fish and Game officials killed an Eastern Interior wolf pack last week, and the National Park Service — which had been studying the animals — is none too pleased.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that all 11 wolves in the Lost Creek pack near Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve were shot. That included the pack’s alpha pair, which had been fitted with tracking collars as part of an ongoing research project.

Doug Vincent-Lang, acting director for the Alaska Division of Wildlife Conservation, says the wolves were in an area adjacent to the preserve that has been targeted by the state for aerial predator control, which is part of an effort to boost moose and caribou numbers.

But Yukon-Charley Superintendent Greg Dudgeon…

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Palm Oil Plantations Allegedly Poison Seven Critically Endangered Sumatran Elephants

Posted on March 8, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

Wildlife officials suspect foul play in the deaths of seven Sumatran elephants on the outskirts of Tesso Nilo National Park. Officials stumbled on the corpses of one female elephant, five young males, and one male calf in mid-February. Although the males had their tusks hacked off, the officials suspect the elephant were poisoned in revenge for disturbing illegal palm oil plantations inside the park.
“There is an indication that they were poisoned,” Muhammad Zanir, head of the local wildlife agency, told the AFP. “Some people may consider the elephants a threat to their palm oil plantations and poison them.”
Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, with populations decimated by the massive deforestation that has transformed the Indonesian island over the last couple decades. In recent years, Sumatran elephants are also falling victim to mass-poisonings, allegedly undertaken by some palm…

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China Gov’t Ban On Shark-Fin Soup Is Not About Protecting Endangered Species

Posted on March 6, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

China bans shark-fin soup at state banquets

                            The ban is ostensibly about promoting frugality, not protecting endangered sharks, but environmentalists say it may still help erode the controversial dish’s popularity.
    Tue, Dec 10, 2013 at 12:24 PM

Photo: U.S. National Ocean Service

China has banned shark-fin soup from official government banquets and receptions, according to a report from the state-run Xinhua news agency, part of a crackdown on political extravagance that also covers bird’s-nest soup and other wild-animal products.
The Communist Party of China’s announcement doesn’t focus on the practice of shark finning, which kills an estimated 100 million sharks worldwide every year, and is framed more as an effort to limit the cost of publicly funded state banquets. Still, it fulfills a vow the government made in 2012 to phase out the controversial soup, brewed from fins sawed off…

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More Deaths At Surabaya Zoo

Posted on March 1, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

Surabaya. Within the span of just 11 hours on Wednesday, Surabaya Zoo lost two more animals, bringing to 11 the number of animal deaths this year at the facility dubbed by the international media the “zoo of death.”

Agus Supangkat, a spokesman for the zoo, confirmed on Wednesday that a female anoa — basically a miniature water buffalo — and a male dromedary camel were the latest animals to have died there. He said there was nothing unusual in the deaths, citing old age in the case of the anoa and a skin disease in the case of the camel.

“There are no physical bruises on the anoa’s body,” Agus said.

“We tried our best to save its life, especially considering how the anoa has been under the medical team’s watch.”

He said the anoa, named Happy, was on a list of 84 animals categorized in January as being ill…

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China Puts The ” Con” In Tiger Conservation And Terrible Animal Abuse In Chinese Tiger Farms

Posted on February 27, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

February 26, 2013

New report exposes the double standard which stimulates demand

LONDON: Despite signing up to global initiatives seeking to protect wild tigers and double their number by 2022, Government departments in China have quietly set about stimulating domestic markets for tiger skins and body parts.

As few as 3,500 tigers survive in the wild, yet more than 5,000 captive-bred tigers are held in Chinese ‘farms’ and ‘zoos’.

Investigations by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) have uncovered a legalised domestic trade in the skins of captive-bred tigers, sold as luxury home décor and stimulating the poaching of wild tigers and other Asian big cats as cheaper alternatives.

In addition, new evidence suggests a ‘secret’ Government notification on the use of the bones of captive-bred tigers is being used to justify the manufacture of ‘tonic’ wines.

Released today, the new EIA report Hidden in Plain Sight: China’s Clandestine Tiger…

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The Face of Elephant Poaching

Posted on February 23, 2014

Tisha Wardlow's avatarFight for Rhinos

Torn Ear R.I.P. Torn Ear

A beloved, venerable African elephant named Torn Ear was killed in Kenya on February 7 by poachers who shot him with poisoned arrows. Richard Bonham discovered Torn Ear’s fatal injury while observing him at a watering hole.

Bonham is the co-founder and the African operations director of the wildlife conservation organization, Big Life Foundation. He noticed that the elephant was walking with an irregular gait, and then he saw two wounds behind Torn Ear’s rib cage.

A veterinarian was summoned, and Torn Ear was darted with a tranquilizing drug. It was clear upon examination, Bonham said, that “the arrows had penetrated into the abdominal cavity, and peritonitis had set in, which meant that there was no hope for survival.” So Torn Ear was euthanized.

In a blog post the next day Bonham wrote:

“Yesterday we lost an iconic elephant, one of the few left on the continent…

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Chinese Construction Camps Eyed As Ivory Trade Bases In The Republic Of Congo

Posted on February 20, 2014

narhvalur's avatarAnn Novek( Luure)--With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors

Chinese construction camps eyed as ivory trade conduits in Republic of Congo

By Arwa Damon and Brent Swails, CNN
January 8, 2014 — Updated 1230 GMT (2030 HKT)

Watch this video

Rangers search for illegal ivory

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Anti-poaching leader is convinced Chinese construction camps are conduits for the ivory trade
  • The Congolese government vows to punish anyone found to be connected to poaching
  • A wildlife protection group works with Congolese authorities to find and shut down poachers

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo (CNN) — The Republic of Congo’s main north-south road runs right on the edge of Odzala-Kokoua National Park. For now, it remains nothing more than a narrow dirt track and Odzala, the country’s largest park, very much remains one of the world’s last isolated natural Edens.

But Mathieu Eckel, head of the park’s anti-poaching unit, knows that is quickly changing. For the past year, Eckel has been gathering evidence…

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