Horror as hiker killed by grizzly bear after taking photos of animal for eight minutes in Alaska’s Denali National Park

 

• It is the first bear mauling fatality at Alaska’s Denali National Park
• Officials yet to release identity of lone hiker, whose backpack was discovered by a trio of fellow hikers on Friday
• Rangers spot lone bear scurrying away during search

A hiker in Alaska’s Denali National Park photographed a grizzly bear for at least eight minutes before the bear mauled and killed him in the first fatal attack in the park’s history, officials said Saturday.

Grim Discovery: Evidence of the attack was found Friday afternoon by a trio of hikers, who came upon a lone backpack lying near a park river

Investigators have recovered the camera and looked at the photographs, which show the bear grazing and not acting aggressively before the attack, Denali Park Superintendent Paul Anderson said.

A state trooper shot and killed the bear on Saturday, and investigators will examine its stomach contents and use other tests to confirm it’s the animal that killed the hiker. 

The hiker was backpacking alone along the Toklat River on Friday afternoon when he came within 50 yards of the bear, far closer than the quarter-mile of separation required by park rules, officials said.

‘They show the bear grazing in the willows, not acting aggressive in any form or manner during that period of time,’ Anderson said.

Investigators have identified the man but won’t release his name until they’ve notified his family. They said he’s a U.S. citizen but declined to release any other information about him.

Rangers were hoping to recover his remains later Saturday after ensuring the scene was safe. Several other bears have been seen in the area.

Officials learned of the attack after hikers stumbled upon an abandoned backpack along the river about three miles from a rest area on Friday afternoon. The hikers also spotted torn clothing and blood. They immediately hiked back and alerted staff park.

A Fateful Search: Park officials launched a rescue helicopter around 8 p.m. Friday, or about two-and-one-half hours after the hikers came upon the lone backpack

Rangers in a helicopter spotted a large male grizzly bear sitting on the hiker’s remains, which they called a “food cache” in the underbrush about 100 to 150 yards from the site of the attack on Friday.

There’s no indication that the man’s death was the result of anything other than a bear attack, investigators said, adding that it’s the first known fatal mauling in the park’s nearly century-long history.

‘ ‘Over the years, and especially since the 1970s, the park has worked very diligently to minimize the conflict between humans and wildlife in the park.’

A wallet was later found near the site of the attack with probable identification. However, officials are yet to name the unfortunate hiker, as they work to identify the next of kin

‘We have some of the most stringent human-wildlife conflict regulations in the National Park system, and I think those are largely responsible for the fact that there hasn’t been a fatal attack.’

Park officials said they don’t believe other registered backpackers are in the immediate area. That portion of the park is closed but other wilderness areas remain open, officials said.

Prior to receiving a permit to hike in the area, all backpackers in the park receive mandatory bear awareness training that teaches them to stay at least a quarter-mile away from bears, and to slowly back away if they find themselves any closer. Investigators confirmed that the hiker had received that training.

Denali is located 240 miles north of Anchorage, and is famously home to Mt. McKinley. It spans more than 6 million acres and is home to numerous wild animals, including bears, wolves, caribou and moose.

Too-Close-For-Comfort: It was later discovered that the hiker had violated the quarter-mile berth that hikers are mandated to give bears roaming the wilderness

 ‘(The photos) show the bear grazing in the willows, not acting aggressive in any form or manner during that period of time.’

The attack was discovered Friday around 5:30 p.m., when a trio of other hikers came upon a lone backpack lying along the Tolkat River about three miles from a rest area.

‘Upon further investigation, they saw evidence of a violent struggle, including torn clothing and blood,’ a Park Service spokesman told The Anchorage Daily News.

The backpackers alerted park officials, who launched a helicopter around 8 p.m., the Alaskan paper reported.

The helicopter-borne rangers discovered the backpack about 30 minutes later, but were forced to return empty-handed because of the coming nightfall.

News Link:-: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2193635/Denali-National-Park-Horror-hiker-killed-grizzly-bear-taking-photos-animal-minutes.html#ixzz25w2AnoFe

 

Experts urged to reduce animal deaths in floods

Guwahati: Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain Saturday said the government had asked experts to work out a mechanism to reduce animal deaths during floods. 

“Floods are a natural phenomenon. Every year, the (Kaziranga) national park gets flooded.

However, we have asked people involved with wildlife preservation and protection to see if we can workout a mechanism to reduce animal casualties,” the minister said.

Floods hit Kaziranga June 26 and almost the entire park was flooded. On June 29, the waters were flowing 1.44 metres above the danger level.

The park is still flooded but the waters are flowing below the danger mark, the minister said.

The national park lost 559 animals in floods this year including 14 one–horned rhinos, an elephant and many other species. A total of 475 Hog Deer also died.

“The park witnessed severe floods in 1988, 1998, 2004 and 2008. While we lost 1,203 animals in 1988, 652 died in 1998. This year, we have lost 559 animals,” Hussain said.

He appreciated the effort of the locals in rescuing wildlife.

Kaziranga, spread over 860 sq km, is a UNESCO world heritage site and famous for one-horned rhinos. According to the rhino census of April this year, the park has 2,290 one-horned rhinos.

News Link:-http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/experts-urged-to-reduce-animal-deaths-in-floods_786092.html

The Kenyan government is pushing to build a road through Nairobi National Park

“I have copied & pasted this directly from an email received by my fellow animal warrior, Jill who lives in South Africa”

Dear friends across Africa,

The Kenyan government is pushing to build a road through Nairobi National Park — putting the future of this unique wildlife sanctuary at risk. But the head of the Environment Authority can stop this disaster. Sign the petition now to give him to public mandate he needs to save the park, then forward this email to everyone:

The Kenyan government has just approved the construction of a road that slices through the unique Nairobi National Park. But massive public opposition can give the new head of the Environment Authority the backing he needs to stop this outrageous decision.

Nairobi National Park is an international gem — home to over 100 species of mammals and a sanctuary for the endangered black rhino. But the government’s plans to build a giant bypass through it would set a dangerous precedent, putting all national parks at risk of development. Kenyan biologist Paula Kahumbu is taking the government to court to try and stop the road, but despite the pressure, they are still pushing the Environment Authority to approve this park-killing plan.

If we now add a wave of public opposition, we can strengthen the hand of Environment Authority head Geoffrey Wahungu to defy the government and end the highway plan. Sign the petition now to call on Wahungu to save Nairobi National Park! When we reach 50,000 signatures, we’ll deliver the petition directly to Wahungu and the Kenyan government:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Save_Nairobi_National_Park/?vl

The national park is under enormous stress from a growing city, and conservationists say that this road project could set a precedent for further attempts to expand into the park– if opened to development, this sacred parkland would be worth millions. All the while, alternative routes that avoid the national park have been dismissed without serious investigation. The government says they’ll give the park replacement land, but none has yet been secured and a major road would disrupt the park’s precious ecosystem.

Just last year, public opposition helped defeat a plan to build a road through the heart of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The Kenyan government was strongly opposed to that project on environmental and tourism grounds — but are now applying a double standard.

The government is already under legal pressure, and a public outcry can be the final push that saves Nairobi National Park for good. Sign the petition now to save the park:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Save_Nairobi_National_Park/?vl

The Avaaz community is winning on issues just like this all around the world. Just last year, we joined with Indigenous people in Bolivia to stop a highway that would have sliced through the heart of the Amazon rainforest — and won. Together, we are changing how politics works around the world, and now we can do so again.

With hope,

Alex, Paul, Emily, Ricken, Marie and the whole Avaaz team

PS: This campaign was started by Avaaz member, Mike. You can create your own campaign in just 5 minutes here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bv14939

SOURCES:

NEMA threathens to Bypass project (The Star)
http://www.the-star.co.ke/national/national/78286-nema-threatens-to-stop-bypass-project

Kenya government taken to court by conservation fraternity (eTN)
http://www.eturbonews.com/29349/kenya-government-taken-court-conservation-fraternity

Kenya: Tanzania Cancels Road Building in Serengeti (AllAfrica.com)
http://allafrica.com/stories/201106300106.html

Support the Avaaz Community!
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Tiger Temple death accidental: Says Temple Vet

THAILAND

The veterinarian at the “Tiger Temple” – Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, in Kanchanaburi‘s Sai Yok district -said yesterday that the death of a tiger on May 26 resulted from a freak accident, but the temple treated its tigers well and cooperated with Thai authorities. The mysterious death of the tiger had led to fears animals at the temple were being mistreated.

Veterinarian Somchai Wisetmongkolchai said temple staff hung a tyre on a chain for tigers to play with, but next morning found the one-year-old female tiger dead with the chain around its neck. It had sustained serious neck wounds as it apparently tried to chew the chain off its neck.

Somchai checked and photographed the wounds, alerted the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department and submitted a report on the tiger’s death to the Conservation Area 3 Office (Ban Pong). Authorities came to inspect the death as per normal procedure, he said.

Insisting the tigers were well taken care of and that each tiger had a microchip implanted and registered with the department, he said a Mahidol University (Sai Yok) vet checked on the tigers on a regular basis. He had suggested the department stuff the tiger carcass for educational purposes, rather than burn it, he said.

Conservation Area 3 Office (Ban Pong) director Yutthachai Pattamasonthi said the department instructed his office to work with the Tiger Temple to examine the carcass for the cause of death at the Mahidol University (Sai Yok)’s livestock and wildlife hospital.

News Link:-http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120603-350247.html

“I’m not so sure I believe the tigers are micro-chipped,  nor am I sure regular vet checks are made! The following  is  just one of many videos, taken by Sybelle Foxcroft, an undercover investigator who exposed the abuse at the temple. ….so when I saw this particular news snippet, I thought what better time than to show one of the videos I’m talking about. Watch the other videos, see the homepage & Facebook page ‘Behind the cloak of Buddha’ which show’s the abuse is continuing today, then please sign the petition!”

 

Uploaded by CEE4LifeAustralia on 16 Nov 2010

Tiger Temple – A walk through the lives of the tigers from cubs to adults to the unethical tourism of the Tiger Temple. Please help save the lives of these tigers from suffering and abuse by joining http://www.cee4life.org and become a voice for these tigers. You can also join us on Facebook Cee4life where you will find various links to the petition and other information on the tigers of the temple and ethical travel. Refuse to be a part of this exploitation and abuse of these magnificent creatures or any other creature, sybelle xo Link to petition –http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/The-Wildlife-Trade-Tiger-Temple-Behind-the-C…

Home page:– http://www.cee4life.org/tigertemple.php

Facebook page:-https://www.facebook.com/BehindtheCloakBuddha

Petition :–http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/The-Wildlife-Trade-Tiger-Temple-Behind-the-Cloak-of-Buddha/

Agonising death of the King of the Jungle: Young lion doomed to starve after poacher’s snare got caught so tightly round his neck he couldn’t eat.

“This is so tragic, a beautiful beast, reduced to this, by the hands of humans, is both disgraceful & heartbreaking!. More must be done to protect the few wild carnivores left on this, human poached earth!”  I am presuming whoever took this photo didn’t have a tranquilizer or some other gun… if they had,  surely they would have used it! I hate to say it, but it would have been kinder to put the poor  animal to sleep, than leave it to die a slow, painful death”. 

It is a heartrending sight.

Wire snare caught so tightly around his neck he cannot eat, this young male lion is doomed to die a slow and agonising death.

Within a matter of days he will be lying in the African bush gasping his last breath.

Nor is he alone in his grim fate. The sight is increasingly common in parts of the continent when a growing number of lions have fallen victim to poaching.

Some wander by mistake into snares that are meant for other animals such as antelope which are hunted by poachers for bushmeat.

Desperately injured: The young male lion cub was spotted in Mikumi National Park in Tanzania with a poacher’s snare twisted cruelly round his neck
Doomed to die: The wire was twisted so tight that the lion was unable to eat

Others, whoever, are being deliberately poached for their body parts.

There is now a growing demand for lion claws and bones in parts of the Far East for use in traditional medicines.

The huge animals are hunted more and more as a substitute for tigers, whose body parts have traditionally been used for the Chinese medicine market.

Tigers are now so scarce in the wild that poachers have turned to a another target.

A sharp increase in the lion bone trade suggests that these are being swapped for tiger bones. Pelts and claws are also being used.

Dr Pieter Kat, from LionAid, said: ‘There has been a huge jump recently in the value of lion bones driven by the traditional medicine market, seeing as we have so few tigers.

‘Since tiger bones are now so difficult to obtain there has been a switch to lion bones.’

The final journey: The lion slopes off into the long grass of the park where he would soon die either of starvation or infection

In the 1990s, 1kg of lion bones were worth just $10, but now that has massively increased to $300 in 2010.

And its reflected in the figures that show the populations of lions are on a serious decline. There were an estimated 200,000 lions in Africa in the sixties. This has dropped massively now to just 23,000- 25,000

A source said: ‘Only a few weeks ago we saw this lion with a snare around its neck in Mikumi National Park in Tanzania.

‘The park rangers tried to track it with the intention of trying to remove the snare from around its neck, but by the time they arrived at the location, the lion had disappeared into the bush.

‘It wouldn’t have survived for many more days. Already the wound was gaping, open to infection and covered in flies.

‘And it was so tight around its neck that it would have found it impossible to eat. It would have either died from infection or starvation.’

Just several days before that, two lions were found dead in Mikumi National Park, in Northern Tanzania, with their claws removed.

Tanzanian National Park Authorities have anti-poaching patrols, but with 25 per cent of Tanzania’s land set aside for conservation purposes, the area is a large area to police.

There are projects such as the SANA Project in Tanzania, set up by the Saadani Safari Lodge, to allow poorer communities to develop whilst protecting the national park areas.

It is hoped that projects such as these will help protect and preserve the wildlife for the future.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147630/Lion-poachers-wire-neck-Tanzania.html#ixzz1vaqohNTM

BORN FREE – MARCH 2012 ILLEGAL IVORY TRADE NEWS ROUND-UP

Categories: Homepage News, Elephants Campaign News, CITES News

A monthly update on press coverage of the international illegal ivory trade. 

This month’s seizure figures represent at least 64 dead elephants, bringing the total since this time last year to at least 3,530…*

March – Africa
INTERPOL’s Operation Worthy, cracking down on illegal ivory traders is launched in 14 African countries and leads to a number of arrests and the confiscation of over 250kg of ivory as well as other wildlife products. Full report

4th March – Murtala Mohammed Int’l Airport, Lagos, Nigeria
A Chinese national is arrested in possession of ivory concealed in a teddy bear while attempting to leave the country. Full report 

9th March – Binga, Zimbabwe
The vehicle carrying a routine police patrol becomes stuck in mud, shortly after which another vehicle suffers the same fate nearby. Police become suspicious and search the second vehicle, finding 4 tusks and marijuana and arresting three occupants, one of which is Assistant Commissioner of the Zimbabwe Prison Services.  Full report 

19th-23rd March – Isiolo county, Kenya
Following a shoot-out with wildlife rangers in which 3 poachers are killed, 30kg of ivory and firearms are impounded. Full report

25th-28th March – Nr Boumba-Bek and Nki National Parks, Cameroon
Forest rangers from two national parks in southeast Cameroon descend on poachers, arresting 12 and seizing 14 tusks, 30kg of elephant meat and firearms.Full report

30th March – Guinea
Guinea sees its first ever arrests of wildlife traffickers, with 7 arrests and the seizure of 80kg of ivory and 10 leopard skins.

African elephant poaching news this month focusses on the Democratic Republic of Congo, with two world renowned National Parks being hit:

Following last month’s reports of a high level of elephant poaching in Virunga National Park, park officials announce the introduction of 5 trained sniffer dogs to the Park’s anti-poaching arsenal. The Park’s first canine assisted operation follows thediscovery of a poached elephant missing its tusks and involves 2 dogs tracking poachers over 7 km in two days. This results in armed conflict with suspected poachers and the recovery of firearms.

In a professionally organized poaching spree in Garumba National Park, 22 elephants including 4 calves in four groups are killed and their tusks removed.

* Customs authorities and police agencies can only do so much – seized tusks, carvings, chopsticks and jewellery represent a small percentage of all the illegal ivory in trade at any point in time. It has been estimated that in order to supply this total amount, 38,000 elephants – at least 8% of the entire African elephant population – are being killed annually.

European Outdoor Conservation Association – Cast Your Votes Now

Please support the fight against poaching with your vote in online competition!

Our first category to begin this year’s voting process. The Nature category is supported by National Geographic Germany and this will be the second year they have supported our on-line voting process. 6 projects are competing for your votes in this category.

Project of the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation for Chamois conservation in National Park Rila and Central Balkan National Park competes for the votes of the readers of the Internet website of European Outdoor Conservation Association

Please click here to cast your vote:-Click here to cast your vote on the most deserved Nature Category

Category’s looking for support are:-

• Black Rhinos in South Africa
•  Conservation of large carnivores, West Carpathians
• Protecting Fuertes Parrot, Colombia
• Protecting Ireland’s Peatland Bogs
• Red Panda Conservation, India
• Save the Balkan Chamois

The overall goal of the project is to significantly improve the protection of the Balkan Chamois by decreasing poaching, with the involvement of local communities, and in turn increase and enhance wildlife tourism in the parks.

Voting is as follows – Go to the web site, go to “Save Balkan Chamois”. Click on “Vote now” on the right side of the picture, then click to accept the terms and conditions of the competition and finally click on the button “Cast your vote”.

Please vote and support us! You are our only chance to do something against poaching of chamois in Bulgaria!

More about our project you can find on the web site of BBF: http://www.bbf.biodiversity.bg/indexdetail_art.php?id=652
Support Project of the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation for chamois conservation in National Park Rila and Central Balkan National Park, which is competing for the votes of readers of the Internet websites of European Outdoor Conservation Associationhttp://www.outdoorconservation.eu/project-voting -category.cfm? catid = 3 and the German edition of National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.de/die-welt-von-ng/die-sechs-eoca-projekte-2012 .

“Thank you”

Breaking News- Raid on WFFT continues – YouTube

Breaking News- Raid on WFFT continues – YouTube.

This information has been received directly from Sandi Thompson, the United States contact person  for the Wildlife friend Foundation Thailand.

February17TH, 2012  Petchaburi, Thailand. Today and for the past several days armed Thai officials have laid siege to two widely respected wildlife sanctuaries in Thailand.  The raids have impacted Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) and Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in an apparent attempt to silence the park’s Founders efforts to curtail poaching of elephants.

Both WFFT and ENP appear to have been targeted for speaking out on the recent elephant killings at Kaengkrachan National Park and Kuiburi National Park, and the involvement of Thai officials, politicians and wealthy businessmen.

According to WFFT Founder, Edwin Wiek the raids have occurred in response to his efforts to raise awareness about elephant poaching in Thailand, a practice that results in orphaned young elephants being sold to tourism facilities that offer elephant rides.

‘The situation is desperate’, says Mr. Wiek. ‘Armed Department of National Parks enforcement officers have forced their way onto our properties and have begun confiscating animals. They claim we don’t have necessary paperwork but this is a lie.’ Mr. Wiek continues. ‘I’m horrified that innocent animals are now paying the price for my commitment to preventing illegal poaching.  The DNP personnel are not properly trained or prepared to move or manage the animals we have in our facility and many are likely to be injured or killed as a result of these unjust actions. Further, the last time DNP confiscated animals they were never seen again.’

According to the DNP, the raids are being conducted as the result of an anonymous phone call, however they have failed to provide additional details about their plans for the animals or the specific reasons for the confiscation of the animals from the preserves.

Petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/urgent-plea-for-rescued-thai-wildlife/
Resource Site: http://www.wix.com/anoelle45/wffthelp
WFFT: http://www.wfft.org/

Continue reading on Examiner.com Endangered animals confiscated in Thailand after sanctuary founder speaks out – Los Angeles Dog Training | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/dog-training-in-los-angeles/endangered-animals-confiscated-thailand-after-sanctuary-founder-speaks-out#ixzz1odMrDJny

Elephant Killing | gorilla.cd

Image via Wikipedia

Elephant Killing | gorilla.cd. This makes me so FXXXXXG ANGRY

An elephant was killed during the night by poachers on the main road to Goma. He immediately went in with a section of rangers and launched an investigation. The elephant was shot eight time, and its head removed.  The poachers left with the Ivory.

It’s too earlly to give any information on the scene of the crime but unfortunately, for various reasons, we can’t even use the hounds to pursue the poachers.  It’s deeply disturbing and very worrying for the future of our small elephant populations.  We’ve taken measures to secure the area and will be stepping up a number of measures in that area and elsewhere.

Related articles

• Thais’ new taste in elephant meat risks extinction (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Thailand elephants now poached for their meat (msnbc.msn.com)
• Thai Elephants’ New Threat: Poachers After Their Meat (newser.com)