Did Palm Oil Plantation Workers Poison 14 Pygmy Elephants Found Dead In Borneo?

• A total of ten of the creatures have been discovered in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve, Borneo, over the past three weeks
• Conservation officials believe the endangered animals had been poisoned
• Estimated to be fewer than 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants in existence

“Please note graphic images are at the end of this long post; viewer discretion advised. A Video is also at the end of this post!”

Palm oil plantation workers were today blamed for the deaths of 14 pygmy elephants on the remote island of Borneo.

Wildlife rangers believe that the creatures could have eaten toxic substances laid to keep away ‘pests’ from the highly lucrative crop.

The animals live on land in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve which is very close to palm oil fields.

Thriving: The orphan pygmy elephant is being cared for at a wildlife reserve where it was taken after the death of its mother

A total of 14 pygmy elephants are now know to have died. Four adults were discovered yesterday in addition to ten bodies found earlier in the week.

Vets said that all the dead elephants had suffered severe bleeding and gastrointestinal ulcers, suggesting they had been poisoned.

Among the survivors is a three-month-old calf which was pictured pitifully trying to rouse his mother after she dropped down dead.

It is now being cared for at a wildlife park in Sabah where rangers have found it a home with other orphans.

Wildlife workers fear that more elephants could have been poisoned and are lying undiscovered in the remoter parts of Borneo.

Laurentius Ambu, Sabah’s director of wildlife, said: ‘We are very concerned that many more carcasses are going to turn up.

‘Because the elephants travel in herds they are going to be picking up the poisons together so we fear that there are still more dead that are going to be found.

‘Great loss’: A three-month-old elephant calf attempts to wake its mother; one of ten pygmy elephants found dead in Malaysia’s Sabah state

He said that rangers were scouring the island for areas where poison could have been laid.

‘My hunch is that there may be more (carcasses). I don’t think it’s an accident,’ he added, explaining that the area where the dead elephants were found is part of a 100,000-acre (40,469-hectare) piece of ‘commercial forest reserve’ land managed by state agency Sabah Foundation.

He said the area was slated to be used as a tree plantation for sustainable logging. So far, two palm oil plantations and a logging company operate in the area, he said.

Mr Ambu said far too many jungle areas in Sabah were being broken up by agricultural or logging activities, without corridors linking them to allow animals to pass through.

‘This shouldn’t be. The fragmentation of forests has disrupted the elephants’ traditional routes to look for food.

‘It is highly suspected that the poisoning is blatantly done or that it’s a well-planned programme.’

Attached: The baby elephant sticks close to the body of its mother, while a wildlife department official gives it a drink

Police are investigating the deaths and officials have declined to say whether there are any suspects.

Meanwhile, conservationists say they are deeply concerned about the effects the palm oil industry is having on the wildlife of Borneo.

A spokesman for the WWF said that the dead elephants were found in areas being converted for plantations, giving fresh urgency to activists’ warnings of rising conflict between man and wildlife as development accelerates.

‘The central forest landscape in Sabah needs to be protected totally from conversion,’ the group said in a statement.

‘Conversions result in fragmentation of the forests, which in turn results in loss of natural habitat for elephant herds, thus forcing them to find alternative food and space, putting humans and wildlife wildlife in direct conflict.’

‘Sad day’: A total of seven female and three male pygmy elephants have been found in the forest over the past three weeks

The first ten known deaths of the pygmy elephants were made public this week, capturing wide attention as only about 1,200 of the elephants exist worldwide.

Authorities released several photographs of the elephant carcasses, including a particularly poignant one of the three-month-old surviving calf trying to wake its dead mother.

Most of the pygmy elephants live in Sabah and grow to about 8 feet (245 centimetres) tall, a foot or two shorter than mainland Asian elephants.

Known for their babyish faces, large ears and long tails, Borneo pygmy elephants were found to be a distinct subspecies only in 2003, after DNA testing.

Sabah is one of the poorest states in Malaysia. Sabah Foundation was granted huge forest concessions, totalling about 14 percent of total land area in Sabah, by the state government to enable it to generate income to fund its aim of improving the lives of poor rural people.

The Sabah Foundation website said it had adopted sound forest management policies to ensure the areas are managed on a sustainable basis.

Tragic: The carcasses of the endangered animals were found in the forest over a period of three weeks

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2271230/Endangered-pygmy-elephants-killed-plantation-workers.html#ixzz2JhuUcjW4
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Pygmy Elephants Found Dead In Borneo

Published on 29 Jan 2013

Pygmy elephant calf desperately tries to wake up dead mother who was one of ten animals found poisoned 

A baby pygmy elephant tries in vain to rouse its mother, one of ten of the endangered creatures found dead in a Malaysian forest.

Experts believe the rare, baby-faced animals, whose bodies were found in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Sabah state, Borneo, had been poisoned.
Wildlife officials rescued this three-month-old elephant calf, which was found glued to its dead mother’s side in the jungle.

The seven female and three male elephants, which were all from the same family group, have been found over the past three weeks.

Sabah’s environmental minister Masidi Manjun said the cause of death appeared to be poisoning, but it was not yet clear whether the animals had been deliberately killed.

There are believed to be fewer than 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants in existence.
While some have been killed for their tusks in the area in recent years, there was no evidence to suggest the elephants had been poached.

Solomon Islands villagers kill 900 dolphins in conservation dispute

“WTF…this is just an appalling injustice; it’s a bloody tragedy to the sentient dolphins & setback for all those who try to protect them. Have people lost the use of their voices? Couldn’t they have sat down & discussed this issue like grown adults; before going off & slaughtering up to 900 innocent dolphins. I’m sickened by this barbaric act…which as always…comes down to money & greed!”

“Read more at the links below, watch a video & please also sign the petition!”

Islanders claim Berkely-based Earth Island Institute failed to fulfill deal to pay $400,000 to stop hunt.

Villagers in the Solomon Islands have slaughtered up to 900 dolphins in the course of a dispute with a conservation group, Earth Island Institute.

http://solomonstarnews.com/news/national/16985-villagers-slaughter-700-dolphins-in-retaliation

Accounts of the dispute vary. The islanders say the Berkeley-based conservation group failed to pay them, as agreed, for stopping the traditional hunt. Earth Island says the slaughter was the work of a “renegade group” trying to sabotage conservation work.

What is clear, however, is that a misunderstanding between the villagers and Earth Island has resulted in one of the worst cases of dolphin slaughter in the Solomon Islands for some time, and delivered a huge setback to conservation efforts in a world “hot spot” for the dolphin trade.

The Solomon Islands were notorious among conservationists as a source of live dolphins for sea aquariums in China and Dubai. A captive dolphin sells for up to $150,000.

“We are very very disappointed,” said David Phillips, who oversees international dolphin protection efforts for Earth Island. “This is a tragedy. It’s bad for dolphins. It’s bad for the community. It’s bad for the Solomon Islands as a nation to have this blot on the record.”

Earth Island had been working with islanders of Malaita for two years to try to stop the hunt. The islanders’ account, which was aired by Australian broadcasting, accused the conservation group of failing to live up to a deal to pay up to $400,000 to people in the village of Fanalei, to stop the dolphin hunt. The villagers said they received barely a third of the promised funds before the money dried up.

Atkin Fakaia, a community leader now living in the capital, Honiara, told Radio Australia the disillusioned Fanalei villagers had gone back to hunting when the money did not come in.

“The issue of them going back fishing for and killing dolphins was on the understanding that Earth Island had been reluctant to pay the agreed amount that was due to the community,” he said. “They were just disappointed and dissatisfied over the attitude of Earth Island.”

The Solomon Islands were notorious among conservationists as a source of live dolphins for sea aquariums in China and Dubai. Photograph: Robin Moore/NGS/Corbis

Phillips said the causes of the dispute were far more complicated – although he did not dispute the charge villagers in Fanalei had not seen the money they were expecting. Under the agreement, funds were supposed to be paid out as small grants for community projects in the village, and for income generating efforts. However, Phillips said villagers living in the capital had seized control of the funds, and had not distributed the money.

“The renegade group grabbed funds that were supposed to go to the community and that resulted in a lot of the discord,” he said. “In our view there are proper charges of corruption in what has happened in the community.”

Phillips said the conservation group was still working with two other villages on the island, and hoped to resolve the dispute with the people of Fanalei. Fakaia told Australia radio the dispute would now likely end up in court.

News Link:-http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/24/solomon-islands-villagers-kill-900-dolphins

Read part of the interview broadcast on Australian Radio;  Speakers: Lawrence Makili, The Director of the Earth Island Institute; Atkin Fakaia, Chairman of the Fanalei Honiara Association

Traditionally the animals are used to provide meat and income for the village, with the men also using the mammal’s teeth to pay a bride’s price.

For the past two years, that village, as well as other villages on Malaita have been parties to a Memorandum of Understanding with the Conservation group the Earth Island Institute, which provides funding to develop other income producing projects, in return for the villages not hunting dolphins.

But now that MOU appears to be have been scrapped.

FAKAIA: The issue of them going back fishing for and killing dolphins, was on the understanding that Earth Island has reluctant to pay the agreed amount that was due to the community and so they just felt as if they was just disappointed and dissatisfied over the attitude of Earth Island.

The Director of the Institute, Lawrence Makili has disputed the villager’s version of events leading up to the slaughter.

MAKILI: The communities use that as an excuse to have a reason for them to do what they were doing. Our institute has played their part by providing small grants to the communities for them to set up small income-generation projects. Within the two years term, we first gave out some money to the community which was 300-thousand dollars SPD, that is Solomon Island dollars , and during the distribution of the funds to the government to individual members of individual families.

The strategy that they set up in the community for the distribution of funds was not happy by other members of the community and we also went back to the community and had some sort of, discuss with them and they do agree that the funds should be channelled to the Fanalei people based in Honiara, in the city, but that second can’t say that we gave it to them is worth about 400-thousand SPD dollars, Solomon Island dollars, and that money never reached the community. It was sink in Honiara by their own community members that, who were given the trustee for them.

Listen to or read the full broadcast about the slaughter & the international outrage:–http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/asia-pacific/international-outrage-over-solomon-islands-dolphin-kill/1077808

Please sign this petition:-http://www.thepetitionsite.com/705/176/384/solomon-islands-villagers-kill-900-dolphins-in-conservation-dispute/

Dolphin Massacre in Solomon Islands 2009 (this shows how they are captured not slaughtered)

Uploaded on 23 Sep 2009

Dolphin Massacre in Solomon Islands

How N.Y. can stop elephant slaughter

These great beasts are being killed at an alarming rate. Here’s how to choke off the illegal ivory trade

This month has seen troubling headlines: A rising demand for elephant ivory in Asia and the introduction of global criminal networks into the illegal wildlife trade in Africa are pushing wild elephants ever closer to extinction. Eight out of 10 elephants today die as a result of poaching rather than from natural causes.

As the October cover story in National Geographic, “Blood Ivory” describes, more than 25,000 of these majestic, highly social, and intelligent animals are slaughtered annually — and thousands of those are being killed for use of their tusks in statuary and religious artifacts.

What do crimes in Africa and Asia have to do with the five boroughs? More than you might care to know.

This summer, a joint investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led to the arrest of two jewelers selling illegally-obtained ivory. In the heart of midtown’s diamond district, Vance’s staff seized a wide variety of decorative ivory with a staggering combined retail value of more than $2 million .

Under New York State law, selling ivory is legal — but dealers must have a permit, and that permit can only be obtained by those who follow strict federal regulations that require ivory either to be proven antique or to pre-date the listing of the species as endangered (1976 for Asia, 1978 for Africa).

The international community has its own strict regulations — a complete ban on the world trade in ivory that began in 1989.

For a long time, these prohibitions saved thousands of elephants from slaughter. But in recent years, a rising middle class in China and elsewhere in Asia has increased consumer demand for ivory.

And now the situation on the ground has slipped out of control: 2011 was the worst year for elephant deaths since the global ivory ban was first imposed.

The numbers are bad, but that cannot compare to the carnage one sees firsthand in elephant range countries.

Field staff of the Wildlife Conservation Society working in Africa and Asia have followed the expanding elephant carcass count with increased alarm. It is gruesome, shocking and infuriating. Full-grown elephants are brutally cut down. Juveniles and babies, too.

They’ve seen how roads into forests built for industries like logging and mining are providing poachers access to wildlife. They worry that, with more Asian companies and nationals moving into Africa, the situation could only get worse for these elephants, whose tusks are coveted for use in carvings, inlays and ornamental objects.

Obviously, better protection on the ground from Central Africa to the Far East is crucial.

But an equally critical key to saving elephants’ lives is drying up demand for products made out of their tusks in places like Hong Kong and Manhattan.

We must not only catch ivory traders and confiscate their contraband; we must prosecute and punish them.

In 2011, a 35-year-old Chinese national was apprehended by Republic of Congo officials as he attempted to board a flight for Beijing. He was carrying five tusks, 80 ivory chopsticks, three ivory carvings and several other ivory items.

The smuggler was eventually sentenced to four years in prison, sending a clear message that Congo will not tolerate the illegal killing of wildlife.

But these kinds of sentences are, regrettably, all too rare.

If we want our children and grandchildren to share the planet with elephants, we must make the world far more dangerous for the poachers who are driving them toward oblivion.

News Link:– http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/n-y-stop-elephant-slaughter-article-1.1160102

‘Game hunting necessary’ – OK guys I want Your comments on this, does hunting actually protect wildlife??

“WOAH…Ok guy’s COMMENTS ARE OPEN for this article…I want to hear what you have to say about WWF being a party to hunting etc. I heard before that WWF agree’s with hunting, which is why I stopped sending them money…but I can’t find anything that literally say’s they support hunting…What do YOU think about hunting; are they the true conservationist, is it necessary?? are we greenies out of touch with ourselves… or are hunters talking a load of crap?? 

LAST month The Morning Bulletin published an article about a Rockhampton resident shocked by one stall at the Hunting, Fishing and 4WD show.

World Wide Hunts offers a range of trips where one can hunt animals ranging from wild pigs to lions to elephants.

Upon returning from an African hunting safari, Greg Coyne felt compelled to share his thoughts. He said in two weeks of hunting in Zimbabwe he took only three animals, while bowhuntingfor trophy elephant. In the end he was outsmarted, but said for him hunting was more about the journey than the kill.

Greg Coyne shot this lion in Mozambique in 2008. He said the lion had killed and eaten a number of villagers as it had been injured by a snare and while injured, humans are easier game than other animals. “Although he’d almost fully recovered, it’s said that once a man-eater, always a man-eater,” Mr Coyne said.

A commercial fisherman in St Lawrence, Mr Coyne has been hunting and fishing since he was four, following his grandfather as he checked traps and snares in the bush.

He operates his fishing business off his 1214-hectare property where he has also been hosting both Australians and foreigners to hunt wild game for the last two years.

He has been to Africa on five separate hunting trips – “nowhere else in the world can you find such a diverse range of animals to admire and hunt at very reasonable rates,” he said.

“Hunters in Africa are also generally admired, respected and above all welcomed by almost everyone in the entire country.” “Probably because your white with loads of cash & guns!!!”

Greg Coyne shares his thoughts on hunting:

WELL, I’ve only just seen the article in the July 21 Weekend Bulletin titled ‘Hunting Stall Upsets Patron’ which happened at the recent fishing expo held in Rockhampton.

I’m a little late in responding to this as I have only recently returned from a hunting safari in Africa. I feel that as a hunter and a true conservationist it’s my duty to try to properly inform this fellow along with all others that may agree with him.

Now, if it wasn’t for hunters like myself there actually wouldn’t be any elephants or hippos or any other large game left in the world for that matter, period.

Because we actually put a value on an animal’s life, this is why conservation is working in a lot of areas.

If it wasn’t for some governments along with a large number of other folk with a vested interest in the hunting industry doing their very best to protect the large majority of species from the poaching activities that are running rife in the world, then most of our larger animals would had been extinct long ago.

It is mostly only from fees earned by governments and outfitters through hunting that allows anti-poaching operations to be carried out.

‘Greenies’, and most other so-called ‘wildlife conservation organisations’ mostly don’t know what they are on about and are by the majority not even in touch with themselves let alone nature.

They are not capable of taking care of our wildlife no matter how much money they throw at their so-called cause.

It’s only hunters and people like us with deep feelings and a good sense of well-being for the land and the animals that live here, that place any real value on this resource.

I do say “most other organisations” because, actually, unbeknown to most people in the big wide world, the largest conservation organisation in the world, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) actually works hand in hand with the Safari Club International (SCI) which is also the largest hunting organisation in the world.

Yes, that’s right, “hunting organisation”.

Together they have been directly responsible for saving a great number of our animal species from the very brink of extinction.

You won’t hear about this from anyone else in your community and most probably you will never ever hear it repeated again because this is very serious business and it is kept very low-key by parties concerned for fear that the WWF would lose vital funding from individuals that are willing to donate huge sums of money to the cause.

Although well-intended, these donors are more often than not uninformed and misguided and just wouldn’t be able to understand the complexity of the situation.

So WWF figures it best to just keep them in the dark.

What they don’t know can’t hurt them. You would have to travel to the farthest reaches of the world, perhaps to some remote hunting camp in deepest darkest Africa.

There you may be lucky enough to meet up with some WWF representative that is visiting the area to observe how some species was recovering under the watchful eye of “the hunters” the only true “wildlife warriors”.

Environmental and habitat management is probably the biggest major concern in any wildlife area.

Far too big an issue for myself to go much into here but folk may be interested to know that the Green movement has been successful in all but ending all forms of hunting in Botswana.

This breeds disaster either to all the animals in that country or perhaps to the land first, followed then by the wildlife.

Without proper management, if the population isn’t poached and slaughtered as recently seen in Zimbabwe, then the herds will breed up out of control and eventually denude the whole countryside.

This is already the case in large parts of Botswana because the country is currently carrying over 100,000 elephants where the carrying capacity in reality is less than one-third of this number.

Because of over grazing in areas, particularly along rivers, the bush has been almost totally denuded for up to 20 miles back from either side of both river banks.

I have been told by reliable sources that the countryside has the appearance of a lunar landscape.

This has already displaced many species especially those creatures that require thickly vegetated habitat as normally found alongside river banks.

Zimbabwe was once the number one hunting destination in the world, earning untold millions of dollars in revenue for its people.

However, since Mugabe gained power a little over a decade ago, the wildlife has been decimated.

The whole country has literally gone to ruin. I know because I was there a little over two weeks ago.

It’s now only a shell of its former self and even if it immediately came under proper management, it would take perhaps 30 years to return to what it once was.

However, sadly this is not likely to happen. On another note, all animals are not lovable furry things.

In India alone something like 50,000 natives get killed by various critters each year. Surprised? Well don’t be because it’s the reality.

Misguided folk see the African hippo, which is portrayed on TV as the lovable happy, jovial beast, as just that.

In reality the hippo alone attacks and kills hundreds of people each year in Africa.

Not to even mention what the other big six dangerous game animals over there kill.

Now, I’m not saying that because these beasts need to be slaughtered.

Quite the opposite in fact. They have the right to be where they are and they need to be protected the same as all other species, and the best way to protect any animal is to have regulated hunting

News Link:-http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2012/08/21/game-hunting-necessary-greg-coyne-africa/

ELEPHANT TROPHY HUNTING

Growing numbers of British hunters pay £15,000 or more to shoot an elephant.  Trophy hunting is easy to organise via the internet and elephants, lions, leopards and hippo can be legally shot in cold blood in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Tanzania.  The dead animal’s head is usually then stuffed, mounted and exported as a grotesque ‘trophy’.  Born Free believes trophy hunting may be contributing to species’ decline and fights to end this glorified ‘sport’.

News Link:–http://www.bornfree.org.uk/animals/african-elephants/projects/trophy-hunting/

The Truth About WWF

 The WWF Endorses the Killing of Wild Animals, Too!!!

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) gives special meaning to the word “conservation. .” The organization, founded in 1961 by a group of wealthy trophy hunters, apparently believes that conserving animals means keeping them around long enough for well-heeled “sportsmen” to blast them out of the woods, oceans, skies, plains of Africa, and jungles of Asia.. Past WWF chapter presidents include C..R.. “Pink” Gutermuth, who also served as president of the National Rifle Association, and trophy hunter Francis L.. Kellogg, who is legendary for his massive kills.. In its early days, the WWF even used fur auctions to raise funds…

Since then, the WWF has learned that most people are appalled by hunting and trapping, so today, the organization veils its true stance under phrases like “sustainable development, ” arguing that killing is acceptable under some circumstances. . When answering difficult questions about its policy on hunting, trapping, and whaling, the WWF is careful never to state outright that it approves of all these activities.. But don’t be fooled, the WWF’s intentions are all too clear and deadly!!

News Link:–http://www.animalliberationfront.com/AR_Orgs/TruthaboutWWF.htm

Related articles

• WWF drops Spain king as patron over hunting (mnn.com)
• WWF ousts Spanish King over hunting in Botswana (english.ruvr.ru)
• Elephant hunt costs king WWF role (bbc.co.uk)
• Spanish WWF Removes King Juan Carlos From Honorary Presidency Over Elephant Hunt (newstalkcleveland.com)
• Elephant hunt causes Spanish king to lose WWF role (radionz.co.nz)
• https://preciousjules1985.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/king-of-spain-faces-calls-to-abdicate-after-elephant-hunt/

First Baby Born at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary

Indonesia – The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is pleased to announce the birth of a bouncing baby malerhino born to Ratu, a twelve-year-old Sumatran rhino living at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia’s Way Kambas National Park.

 The birth helps ensure the future of one of the world’s most endangered species. There are fewer than 200 Sumatran rhinos living in Indonesia and Malaysia. This is the first birth of a Sumatran rhino in an Indonesian facility and the first birth in an Asian facility in 124 years.

At 12:40 am on Saturday, June 23rd, Ratu, one of the three adult female rhinos at Indonesia’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, gave birth to a 60-lb male calf.  Not only was this Ratu’s first baby, but it was the first Sumatran rhino ever born in captivity in Indonesia and only the fifth ever born in captivity worldwide.

The baby was born after a 16-month gestation period, which is about average for African and Asian rhino species.  Indonesian veterinarian, Dr. Dedi Candra, managed Ratu’s pregnancy on a daily basis, with help from Dr. Terri Roth of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, which has bred more Sumatran rhinos in captivity than any other institution.

This was the third pregnancy for Ratu, who miscarried her first two calves.

 Dr. Dedi Candra, head veterinarian and animal collections manager at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary has been monitoring Ratu’s pregnancy by weighing her weekly and conducting regular ultrasound exams, using methods developed by the Cincinnati Zoo, where the father, Andalas, was born in 2001.

To assist her in having a successful pregnancy, Ratu was prescribed a hormone supplement that was given orally every day. It was gradually withdrawn as the expected delivery date neared. Dr. Terri Roth, director of Cincinnati Zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife and the vice president for IRF’s Asia programs, provided the protocol and dosage. Andalas’s mother, who also experienced pregnancy complications prior to his birth in the Cincinnati Zoo, was given the same hormone.

The Sumatran rhino is seriously threatened by the continuing loss of its tropical forest habitat and hunting pressure from poachers, who kill rhinos for their valuable horns. The IRF operates Rhino Protection Units in two of the three remaining habitats to ensure that the wild population and its habitat are protected.  Every successful birth is critical for the survival of the species, which runs the risk of extinction by the end of this century

The baby’s father, Andalas, in fact, was born there in 2001.  After spending several years at the Los Angeles Zoo, Andalas was sent to Indonesia with hopes that he would breed Ratu and the other female rhinos in residence.

 The new baby was born in an enclosure (boma) constructed especially for this event, but he and his mother have access to a small forest garden as well.   Both remain under 24-hour video surveillance for health and safety reasons, and also have the benefit of visiting rhino specialists from Australia and the United States, who will remain at the sanctuary for the next few weeks.

Published on 25 Jun 2012 by IntlRhinoFoundation

http://www.rhinos-irf.org/

Ratu has handled the long pregnancy extremely well and is now proving to be an attentive, even-tempered mother.  Her keepers and veterinarians will keep a close eye on mother and baby in the months ahead, gathering critical information about maternal care and infant development, which is very sparse for this critically endangered species.

News Link:-https://www.rhinos.org/news-room/first-baby-born-at-the-sumatran-rhino-sanctuary

https://www.rhinos.org/latest-news/rare-sumatran-rhino-gives-birth-at-indonesian-sanctuary

Rare Gorillas Caught on Camera

 

Published on 9 May 2012 by NationalGeographic

May 9, 2012 — A group of elusive Cross River gorillas — including a chest-beating silverback — were recently captured by a camera trap in Cameroon.

© 2012 National Geographic
Video courtesy Wildlife Conservation Society

Defenders of Wildlife – America’s wolves need our help!

America‘s wolves need our help!

America’s wolves were nearly eradicated in the 20th century. Now, after a remarkable recovery in parts of the country, our wolves are once again in serious danger.

• Federal sharpshooters are preparing for aerial wolf killing in Northern Idaho.
• In Montana, the anti-wolf Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife are offering a $100 bounty per dead wolf.
• Wyoming is moving forward with a plan that would allow wolves to be shot on sight across much of the state, including in National Forests and in some of the best available gray wolf habitat in the state.
• Politicians in the Southwest are preventing the release of Mexican gray wolves into the wild – despite critically low wolf numbers that threaten a second extinction in the wild for these rare wolves.

“I am honoured to be able to share this beautiful video, from my dear friend & animal warrior Loise Du Toit.  Louise is a strong advocate for America’s wolves, along with other animals facing danger from climate & human intervention. So for those who want to help save Americas Wolves;…Louise has compiled a comprehensive list of addressee’s to send your letters or emails to!.  

Louise du Toit – CD albums @ http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/LouiseduToit

You can also download the Album  – ‘Ode to Magnificent’ -by Louise Du Toit-  From iTunes.

The song for HOWL ACROSS AMERICA was written by Louise du Toit as a contribution to the August 2011 events, organized by NIWA (Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance), Wolf Warriors, Howling For Justice and individual wolf advocates around the world, protesting against the killing of wolves. Music, lyrics, performance and recording by Louise du Toit in Greece, 2011. Video created and produced by Louise du Toit. The copyrights to the music and lyrics are reserved by the artist. The images in this video are not the property of the producer. This video was made as a contribution to the salvation of wolves, for nonprofit educational purposes, without any intention of commercial advantage or private financial gain. There is no intention of copyright infringement either.

Created by members of NIWA (Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance), Wolf Warriors, and Howling For Justice, HOWL ACROSS AMERICA is calling on all wolf advocates to speak up for the wolves in August 2011. Please join their page at the following link and add your voice of protest against the war on our precious wolves: 

http://www.facebook.com/HowlAcrossAmerica?ref=ts

List of contacts, courtesy of Louise :-All Contacts needed to write letters opposing wolf slaughter

Please sign all the petitions below:-

Petition:- Save the Lolo 75 Wolf

Save the Lolo 75

Federal sharpshooters are preparing to take to the skies of Northern Idaho in an ill-conceived attempt to kill as many as 75 wolves to artificially boost game populations.

The proposed plan is for Wildlife Services, a program under Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s supervision, to use helicopters and other aircraft to gun down wolves in the Lolo region near Clearwater National Forest — your public lands!

Conservation groups like Defenders have long sought to protect wolves from unscientific persecution, and we’re not about to give up on them now.

Petition:- Protect Wolves on National Forests

Protect Wolves on National Forests

Under a new plan proposed by the State of Wyoming, wolves in Bridger Teton and other National Forests in Wyoming could be shot on sight.

Denning wolves are at risk. Wolf pups are at risk. And the very mission of conserving wildlife on our National Forests is at risk.

Tell President Obama and Secretary Vilsack, who oversees the Forest Service, to draw a line in the sand and oppose the shoot-on-sight plan for wolves on Bridger Teton and other National Forests in Wyoming.

Petition:- Urge Western Governors to Prevent Wholesale Wolf Slaughter

Urge Western Governors to Prevent Wholesale Wolf Slaughter

Congress has eliminated Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. Now the fate of our wolves rests in the hands of state officials. And while states like Oregon and Washington are adopting progressive plans to welcome wolves into their states, the legislatures and some governors and officials in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Utah are taking a more extreme approach to wolf management.

As bad as things are, the situation could get worse. Some extremists are pushing for the elimination of all wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies.

Take action now. Urge Western governors to adopt sound, sensible wolf management plans that ensure a lasting future for our wolves

Please click on the following to sign:- Don’t Give Hunters the Right to Hunt on Federal Lands

Petition:- Thank Federal Officials for Saving Unimak Wolves

Thank Federal Officials for Saving Unimak Wolves

Many of Unimak Island‘s wolves could have faced certain death this spring.Fortunately, federal officials made the right decision — siding with science and avoiding an unjustified slaughter.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service‘s courageous decision is a big win for science-based wolf management — and opens the door to a greater understanding into the underlying causes of caribou decline on the island.

Take action now: Thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their decision to spare Unimak Island wolves. Alaska resident? 

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• Animals Petition: Stop the senseless killing of wolves in Idaho | Change.org (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)
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Southern Africa: Region Launches World’s Biggest Transfrontier Park

The world’s largest transfrontier park became a reality in March when the Kavango-Zambezi was launched by five southern African countries.

Environment ministers from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe launched the Kavango-Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) at a ceremony in Katima Mulilo, Namibia.

The historic launch followed signing of the treaty by the Heads of State and Government of the respective countries in August 2011.

Situated in the Okavango and Zambezi river basins where the borders of the five countries converge, the KAZA TFCA covers an area of about 444,000 square kilometers consisting of 36 national parks, game reserves, community conservancies and game management areas.

The conservation area boasts of numerous tourist attractions such as the Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe, San Rock paintings in Botswana, whitewater rafting and other water sports, and the absorbing wildlife population in the region.

This high concentration of attractions is expected to create an entirely new assortment of tourism opportunities in southern Africa, presenting new opportunities for socio-economic development in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), thus strengthening socio-economic development and integration.

The opportunities include the joint marketing of attractions, presenting prospective tourists with a wide range of opportunities and experiences.

Click to read more:- allAfrica.com

Hong Kong – Shark Fin Street – YouTube

Sea Shepherd Hong Kong captured this shocking footage on March 1st, 2012 in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong. Thousands of sharks were discovered drying on a sidewalk which is quite rare even for Hong Kong. This normally occurs behind closed doors and in secret locations.

via HK Shark Street.mov – YouTube.

UK Fisheries Minister Champions Shark

Thursday 15 March 2012

UK// As Europe debates the future of the EU ban on shark ‘finning’, the Shark Trust shows the UK Fisheries Minister the strength of public support from the Great British Public for closing the loopholes.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), every year millions of sharks are finned worldwide. Finning is the wasteful practice of removing shark fins on board fishing vessels and discarding the carcass at sea. The current EU regulation, adopted in 2003, bans finning but is too lenient to ensure that the practice is not continuing undetected and unpunished.

Shark fins are the key ingredient in a traditional and expensive Asian soup. The EU, particularly Spain, is one of the world’s largest suppliers of shark fins to Asia.

The European Commission has proposed ending special fishing permits, still granted by some member states, that allow fishermen to remove shark fins at sea and bring bodies and fins to port separately. The UK ceased provision of these permits in 2009, whereas Spain and Portugal continue to issue them, to their extensive long-line fleet. As expected, the Spanish industry is leading the opposition to the Commission’s proposed improvements in the finning ban which would require all sharks to be landed with their fins ‘naturally attached’.

Ali Hood, Director of Conservation for the Shark Trust said, “The Shark Trust strongly supports the Commission’s proposal for a fins naturally attached policy. The Trust is working closely with the UK Government, and members of the European Parliament and Council to secure a shark finning policy with no compromise or exceptions.”

Read more here:- http://www.sharktrust.org/content.asp?did=37875

Navy Pier shuts down royal white tigers « Tiger World News

TWN Note: For information about white tigers please visit:

http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2010/02/white-tigers-conserving-misery/

John Kass 9:52 p.m. CST, January 24, 2012

Navy Pier abruptly closed its popular “royal white tigers” — featuring Gita and her cubs — after I showed up Tuesday asking about an interesting fact:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is revoking the white tiger owner’s exhibition license for health and safety violations, including allegedly posing a danger to children.

The tiger show began Jan. 13 and was to run through Feb. 12. Navy Pier officials said they paid $27,000 to the company and had sold $16,500 in tickets so far.

According to court documents, the USDA found that Marcus Cook’s company ZooCats Inc. “willfully violated” the Animal Welfare Act. The USDA has been hunting Cook for years now, alleging a long history of infractions.

“There is evidence that ZooCats trainers did not handle the animals properly, at times, using physical abuse with a cattle prod to train, work or control an animal during an exhibition,” USDA spokesman Dave Sacks told us.

“They failed to provide a proper diet, treat animal illness and injury, and did not keep proper facilities. … The USDA has revoked ZooCats’ animal exhibition license,” Sacks said.

Officials also said the trainers let spectators at previous exhibitions get too close to the tigers — though not at Navy Pier.

All Navy Pier had to do was put Cook’s name into Google. But apparently no one did, and now nobody wants to own up to the white tiger idea. I figured it was some Chicago political appointee who missed Las Vegas and the old Siegfried & Roy tiger shows that came to a rather abrupt end in 2003, particularly for Roy.

Cook denied the USDA’s claims. He blamed USDA bureaucrats, particularly a higher-up, Sarah L. Conant. Cook claimed she’s an animal rights activist with a political agenda aimed at eliminating all traveling zoos, exhibitors and other such entertainments from the American landscape.

USDA officials would not make Conant available for comment, but added that the agency has no political agenda but merely follows the law.

“You’ve got some bureaucrats who want us gone,” Cook told me. “They’re activists with agendas working for the USDA. We treat the animals well. We don’t use cattle prods. We don’t put children in danger. But these animal rights types don’t want exhibitors around. You watch. Soon they’ll tell you that you shouldn’t have a dog because it’s unkind to ‘own’ one.”

My own opinion? Actually, I like the tigers. I like zoos, and I like smaller exhibitions like this one. But then, I’ve always been drawn to such things. I won’t abide cruelty. But like many of you, I’m fascinated by critters.

The impulse to protect beautiful wild things like tigers is important, but traveling zoos and exhibitions aren’t the reason tiger populations have dwindled to almost nothing in the wild. The loss of habitat is a reason. And killing tigers for their body parts — to satisfy the barbaric demands of alternative Asian medicine — is what marks them collectively for death.

via Navy Pier shuts down royal white tigers « Tiger World News.