Conservationists are warning that a rare species of penguin could face extinction unless urgent action is taken to protect it.


African penguins which nest around the southern coastline of the continent are under threat from commercial fishing and oil spills.

In the past century the population of the birds has declined by 90%, leaving just 26,000 breeding pairs left in the wild.

If the current rate of decline continues the African penguin, also known as the jackass penguin because of its donkey-like bray, could be extinct by 2024.

In South Africa, researchers are closely monitoring every penguin colony to gather data to present to the government as part of a campaign for fishing exclusion zones.

On the remote Dyer Island, off the coast of Cape Town, Lauren Waller and her colleague Deon Geldenhuys spend each day measuring and weighing the penguin chicks.

Their condition reckoned to be a good indicator of the availability of fish around the island because they are totally dependent on their parents' ability to find food.

"We're finding more underweight chicks, and more chicks that have been abandoned," Lauren said.

Dyer Island - uninhabited by humans - is a protected site for sea birds. But the protection does not extend out to sea.

Fishing of sardines and other pelagic fish in the area is unrestricted which means that the penguins have to compete with the trawlers for food.

The researchers have attached small GPS devices to some of the adult birds to see how far they are travelling.


"We've found that the Dyer Island birds are swimming 40 kilometres to fish, and that is at the very limit of the distance they can travel when they have chicks," Lauren said.

Penguins mate for life and the breeding pairs take it in turns to find food while the other stays with the chicks.

The distances involved mean the adult penguins are increasingly vulnerable to seal attacks and oil spills out at sea, while their young go hungry back in the nest.

At the Southern African Foundation For The Conservation Of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) in Cape Town hundreds of injured and oiled penguins are rescued every year.


"Most of the time the oil spills aren't even reported, but every day we get penguins in here who are close to death because they have been covered in oil," said Venessa Strauss, the centre's CEO.

Saving the birds is labour-intensive. It takes four people to clean each bird, and they then have to be fed twice a day - by hand.

The penguins are eventually returned to the wild in the hope that they will help boost the falling numbers.

Climate change is exacerbating the problem, shifting the location of the fish and also making the penguins vulnerable to over-heating on the land.

Around the Western Cape researchers are experimenting with artificial nests made of fibre glass to try to keep the chicks out of the sun.

On Dyer Island the penguins have been quick to move into the burrow shaped structures, each pair closely guarding their new homes.

source (and photos): http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World- ... 9834?f=rss

Four Tibetans have been arrested by Nepalese police on charges of poaching and smuggling of endangered wildlife species.

The Tibetan nationals were arrested from Taplejung district in eastern Nepal, the National News Agency reported.

The police recovered from their possession a head and four legs of Nepal's national bird Lophophorus, 23 traps to kill deer and four sharp knives (khukri).

Meanwhile, the arrested Tibetans were brought to the District Police Office, Taplejung, where they will be charge-sheeted, police said.

source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Fou ... 705749.cms

NEW DELHI: India's Asiatic lions are the most vulnerable of all the big cats as they live in a single area in Gujarat, making them prone to
diseases as well as other threats, and yet calls for creating a second home by the scientific community have been repeatedly ignored, say experts.

The sprawling Gir National Park in western India is home to some 350 Asiatic lions, the last refuge for these cats. In the past, the lions had roamed in almost the entire Central Asia.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), a leading scientific organisation, recommended the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh for setting up a second home for the Gir lions.

But the Gujarat government rejected the proposal, saying it lacks scientific backing and security.

Experts believe Kuno in central India is part of the lion's historical home range.

Gujarat says if Madhya Pradesh cannot protect their tigers, how can they protect the lions.

Supreme Court lawyer Ritwick Dutta, who has taken up the case filed by the Biodiversity Conservation Trust of India, a Delhi-based NGO, in the apex court for transfer of the lions, said: "If the issue is not resolved, there would be a huge economic loss."

"The 24 villages that were inside the Kuno reserve have been resettled elsewhere to make room for the Gir lions and an estimated Rs.15 crore has been spent on the project," said Dutta.

However, with the recent admission by the Madhya Pradesh government that there are no tigers left in the Panna reserve, it might just assure the Gujarat government of its case.

But Faiyaz Khudsar, a wildlife biologist who heads the NGO and has worked in Kuno for the lion relocation programme, says, "Wild animals confined to a single area can spell death knell to their long-term survival, and this has been proved by science."

"Some years ago in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, at least 25 percent of the African lion population there was wiped out due to the canine distemper disease, (a fatal viral disease) and the rest of the lions fell sick. This shows how a single epidemic can wipe out the entire lion population in the park," said Khudsar.

The Serengeti Park, a Unesco World Heritage site, is spread across more than 14,000 sq km, whereas Gir has an area of just over 1,000 sq km. Despite the sprawling size of Serengeti, the African lions fell to the onslaught of the viral disease, he maintains.

Besides, inbreeding over a period of time can render a population confined to a single area genetically weak, as they don't get the chance to mate with stronger partners from other geographical areas, making them more prone to diseases, he said.

Gir lions are also threatened by poaching, man-animal conflict and accidents. Many lions have died recently after falling into the wells created to provide water for flora and fauna of the park.

"If Gujarat says that there is a security issue in Kuno, then why are the lions straying out of Gir. Some of the lions are even reaching Daman and Diu," said Khudsar.

"The only solution left is to create different populations in different areas. The geographical barriers might help the lions evolve stronger genes in the near future that would ensure their long-term survival," he explains.

Gujarat said its lion population has stabilised and shown healthy growth from just 177 in 1968 to about 350 at present.

In 1956, attempts to introduce Gir lions in Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh "failed due to scientific shortcomings" and there is no scientific basis to show that the present initiative would be a success, Gujarat said in an affidavit to the Supreme Court recently.

"This project shall be pioneering and hopefully trail blazing," it noted. But Khudsar claims science has made tremendous progress since the first attempt in the 1950s.

"Now we have the technology such as 'radio-collaring' to monitor the lions. Besides, there are many other advances animal science has made."

For now, the Supreme Court has referred the case to the Wildlife Board of India for its opinion. The next hearing in the case is on Aug 11.

source (and photos): http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Heal ... 688195.cms

A tiger census would be conducted in October this year by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) after a gap of two years amid fears of
declining population of the animal in the country.

The WII would employ latest gadgets like camera traps and ecological density methods to conduct the census to know the exact population of tigers and prepare their DNA profile, WII sources said.

"The pugmark method would not be used this time as certain discrepancies were found in the past," WII Dean V B Mathur said.

Significantly, WII is focusing on preparing DNA profile of tigers which would help authorities in curbing tiger poaching. Through this profile, scientists would be able to find out the exact place from where a particular tiger was killed by poachers, Mathur said.

The WII will take help of nearly 50,000 field and technical staff along with experts to conduct the census that would cover nearly 17 states though the main focus would be on the five major "source landscapes" where tigers are breeding.

These "source landscapes" are Corbett-Rajaji in Uttarakhand, Kanha-Page in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, Nagarhole-Mudumalai-Bandipore in Karnataka, Sunderban in West Bengal and Kaziranga in Assam.

source (and photos): http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Eart ... 636743.cms

A new documentary called "The end of the line is released
The End of the Line is an important documentary film about the devastating impact of overfishing in the world's oceans. First shown at the Sundance Film Festival, with any luck it could do for fishing what "An Inconvenient Truth" did for global warming.

The End of the Line is based on a book written by a former Telegraph newspaper journalist, Charles Clover. He then went on to spend two years working on the film; on a one-man crusade to save our fish. He spoke to top scientists, fishermen and enforcement officials. He travelled around the world, chasing down politicians and confronting high profile restaurateurs about their menus.

Why Overfishing is a Problem

Essentially, there are not enough fish in the sea any longer. This is because fish are a finite resource and we have been taking too many out of the ocean--at a much faster rate than they can ever reproduce. Ninety per cent of the ocean’s large fish have been fished out and global fishing fleets are 250 per cent larger than the oceans can sustainably support. And there is little or no regulation and lots of big business and big corruption. We've got trouble.

The film tells a complicated story in a straight forward and compelling way. Some of the images are stunning and others are frightening, as we see huge super trawlers "inhaling" fish.

The demise and subsequent moratorium on cod fishing in Newfoundland by 1992 was the first big example that fish stocks were not inexhaustible. By 2002 the decline worldwide was being recognised.


In addition to cod, other species have also collapsed. The blue fin tuna is almost extinct now because of our love of sushi. The film has a fascinating section about a former fisherman who has become a whistleblower. Roberto Mielgo is a very brave man who trails and reports boats destroying the blue fin tuna population. It's hard to believe that he can carry on with his mission in the face of the possible danger.

Fish forms a key part of the diet of 1.2 billion people in the world. Declining resources will threaten lives. West Africa, a poor country at best, used to have the richest stocks, now they have seen a massive decline.

It's a complicated issue. The film outlines the impact of the huge super trawlers and global companies travelling around the world to find more fish. Fish farming is discussed--farmed fish eat ground up fish meal. So more fish lost. The European Union's quota system is not quite perfect: they are setting quotas that are well over the acceptable limits for reviving fishing stocks.

Said one scientist: there is "still time to turn the course of history." People are getting a better understanding of the problem. It's becoming a more main stream issue gradually, as climate change has. Consumers are demanding better accountability and supermarkets are being forced to respond. Since the chain stores have the buying power, they can make or break a supplier with their demands. For example, Waitrose, the film's UK sponsor, has already launched responsible fishing policies to ensure that fish are bought from sustainable sources and caught using responsible methods. Governments are becoming more aware. Iceland is a model for sustainable fishing and has much to teach the world.

The film opens on World Oceans Day, June 8, so find a cinema nearby and learn about something that will change the way you think and eat. The End of the LIne

Official end of the line Website: http://endoftheline.com/

The above text comes from: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06 ... entary.php

It's hard to believe there are still places on Earth that haven't been fully explored. And yet this week brings news that conservation teams working in jungles in Bangladesh and Borneo have discovered previously unknown populations of two critically endangered species, the Irrawaddy dolphin and the Bornean orangutan.

In Bangladesh, the news is especially good, as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reports finding nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in the fresh waters surrounding the Sundarbans mangrove forest and in the nearby Bay of Bengal, areas where the WCS says little marine mammal research has previously been conducted. This discovery nearly doubles the estimates of the worldwide population for the rare dolphins, and represents the largest single population of the species. According to the WCS, known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins prior to this study numbered in the low hundreds or fewer. The species is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The WCS, headquartered in Bronx, N.Y., says it is currently working closely with Bangladesh's Ministry of Environment and Forests to establish a protected area for Irrawaddy dolphins in the mangrove forest. The group helped to establish a similar conservation area along the Ayeyarwady River in 2006.

But WCS says more funding will need to be raised from private and government sources to establish this protected area and to keep studying the dolphin and its habitat. It warns that the dolphins are threatened by fishing – they tend to get entangled in nets – and by declining freshwater supplies brought about by dams and climate change.

The news was announced yesterday at the First International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas in Maui, Hawaii; the study is set to be published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. A companion paper about declining freshwater supplies and the effect that will have on dolphins and similar cetacean species appears in the March/April issue of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystem.

Meanwhile, an expedition funded by The Nature Conservancy, headquartered in Arlington, Va., has reported finding a new population of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) deep in the heart of a two-million-acre forest in Borneo's East Kalimantan Province. The team found 219 orangutan nests in an area where orangutans were not previously believed to live. "It is quite likely that this area has a population of several hundred orangutans, possibly more than a thousand," Erik Meijaard, senior ecologist for The Nature Conservancy in Indonesia, writes in the organization's blog, Cool Green Science.

Orangutan populations on Borneo are currently estimated at fewer than 50,000 by the IUCN Red List. The Bornean orangutan's cousin, the even rarer Sumatran Orangutan (P. abelii), has an estimated population of just 7,300 animals.

If this new population proves to be as large as Meijaard believes, it would be a big boost for the critically endangered ape. The population's isolated location could also be of help, since orangutan habitats throughout Indonesia are being lost to the timber industry or palm-oil plantations.

Source: http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=rare-dolphin-and-orangutan-species-2009-04-01

Students funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) have rediscovered a snake species, described two new invertebrate species, and demonstrated that local people directly benefit from conservation management.

The findings resulted from a small grant-funded postgraduate research programme in the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Kenya and Tanzania. The results demonstrate that focused work by students can go a long way in contributing to knowledge for the conservation of biodiversity hotspots.

read more (source and photos): http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/ ... t_eba.html

With the advent of spring, animals will begin to awake from hibernation and to think of pleasant pastimes. Like mating, for instance. In the case of toads, this poses a problem. They need to reach certain specific ponds and pools to pursue their love life, and they have traditional routes for getting there. Unfortunately, modern life has interposed obstacles like roads – but, apparently, you can’t explain to a toad that it would be a good idea to go somewhere else. So the Toad Migration Group of The Hague is asking for volunteers to spend at least one evening a week for six weeks supervising toad crossing. Anyone interested can apply to www.haagse-dierenbescherming.nl or call 070-392 42 89.

source: http://www.thehagueonline.com/headlines ... s-the-road

The first camera-trap photographs of the critically endangered Northwest African, or Saharan cheetah, have been obtained in an experiment in Algeria.

The images were captured as part of a project run by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Office du Parc National de l'Ahaggar (OPNA).

The animal is known with certainty to range in six countries: Algeria, Togo, Niger, Mali, Benin, and Burkina Faso.

But the total population may be fewer than 250 mature individuals.

The pictures come from a systematic camera-trap survey across the central Sahara.

It managed to identify four different Saharan cheetahs using spot patterns unique to each animal.

"The Saharan cheetah is critically endangered, yet virtually nothing is known about the population, so this new evidence, and the ongoing research work, is hugely significant," said ZSL's Dr Sarah Durant.

Farid Belbachir, who is running the field survey, added: "This is an incredibly rare and elusive subspecies of cheetah and current population estimates, which stand at less than 250 mature individuals, are based on guesswork.

"This study is helping us to turn a corner in our understanding, providing us with information about population numbers, movement and ecology."

source (and photos): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7905986.stm

The brown and black bird was spotted by a member of the public as it strolled around Bamber Bridge, and was rescued by an RSPCA animal collection officer.

It was uninjured but considerably underweight, probably as a result of an inability to find enough food in the recent cold weather, the charity said.

Staff at Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre near Nantwich, Cheshire, fed the bittern up on a diet of sprats to a healthy weight and it is being released at RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve in Silverdale, Carnforth, on Friday.

The RSPCA animal collection officer who rescued the bird, Sonia Hulme, said: "This was a very special rescue for me as bitterns are so incredibly rare.

"When I came to collect it I was stunned by how beautiful it was – I have never come close to such a rare species before and to be involved in its rescue and rehabilitation was a dream come true."

Dr Andrew Kelly, manager of Stapeley Grange said that for species like the bittern, every individual counted.

He said it was not clear if the bittern was one of the breeding birds from Leighton Moss or one of the species' foreign visitors, which come to Britain to overwinter and escape colder weather on the continent.

Robin Horner, site manager at RSPB Leighton Moss, said: "The bittern is certainly one of the UK's rarest birds, and its wonderful that this one has been found and looked after to allow it to be released back into the wild."

The bittern, which lives in reedbed habitat, was once widespread across the UK, but stopped nesting in the UK in the 19th century after drainage of wetlands.

Bitterns recolonised the UK in 1911, when they were found breeding again in the Norfolk Broads, but were pushed towards extinction again in this country in the 1990s.

The species had its best breeding season for 130 years last year, measured by the number of "booming" males, whose distinctive mating call is a low-pitched, far-carrying "boom".

Some 75 booming males were recorded, mostly in the bird's stronghold of East Anglia, but also a handful scattered across other counties including Lancashire, Somerset and Yorkshire.

source (and photos): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildli ... -road.html

Sometime in February or March depending upon the temperature, the toads will awaken from their winter slumber. The Haagse Dierenbescherming (The Hague Animal Protection Society) each year is in need of volunteers to help these amphibians cross the city's streets so that they can safely reach the water to breed.

The group facilitating the annual paddentrek (toad migration) is looking for volunteers during a six-week period who can commit themselves to one evening in the week from sundown until about 23.00 hours to physically pick up the toads and set them down on the other side of the road.

Volunteers will be positioned at one of the seven toad migration locations: Laan van Poot, Machiel Vrijenhoeklaan, Dotterbloemlaan, Kwekerijweg, Kasteelvijver/Buurtweg (Wassenaar), Appelgaarde/Kastelenring (Leidschendam-Voorburg).

You can register via the website of the Haagse Dierenbescherming or by phoning tel: 070 – 392 4289.

More about toad migration
Each Spring, around the end of February, the paddentrek (toad migration) takes place in and around The Hague (and of course anywhere else where toads are living). After awakening from their winter sleep, the animals make their way to the water where they once lived as tadpoles (or polliwogs) years earlier. This water is the spot where they will mate and leave behind their string of eggs.

Once the temperatures start to warm the male toads first awaken and then the female toads. Given that the males are quite a bit smaller than the females, they warm up more quickly than the females. Although males usually wait for females at breeding sites, they will sometimes try to ambush them before they reach the water. Males clamber onto the backs of females and hold onto them tightly, the nuptial pads on their fingers providing extra grip.

Common toads spawn amongst waterweed. The female releases long strings of triple-stranded eggs, which the male on her back fertilises with sperm. About 600-4,000 eggs are laid. These strings become twisted and stretched around waterweed and vegetation so that the eggs settle into two strands. A few days later the adults leave the water. The tadpoles hatch within ten days and, despite being distasteful to most predators, the majority will not reach adulthood.

Environmental habitat
Did you know that a multitude of animals make their home in The Hague? Read more here about the natural habitats for animals, flora and fauna in the city's rivers, forests and dunes.

source (and photos): http://www.denhaag.com/default.asp?id=10277&ep=

A United Nations campaign to halt the slide towards extinction of one of human-kind’s closest relatives gained moment today with troupe of skaters in ape disguise taking to the rink at London’s Natural History Museum, highlighting the them ‘Gorillas on Thin Ice.’

The event is part of the launch of the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) international Year of the Gorilla (YoG) in the United Kingdom, a project aimed at raising awareness and boosting protection of the great ape and its habitat by increasing the livelihoods and incomes of local people from managing their conservation. Many experts warn that without urgent action gorillas will become extinct in the wild within the next few decades.

“The world is currently going through a sixth wave of extinctions, so it not just gorillas that are skating on thin ice - you could put a whole menagerie out there today on the Natural History Museum rink from Iberian Lynx and Cuban crocodile to the La Palma Giant Lizard and the Rameshwaram Parachute Spider,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.

“Thus in supporting the Year of the Gorilla countries, companies and citizens will not only be acting to save important high-profile species, but also a rich array of forest biodiversity upon which many people depend; biodiversity too that may hold the clue to breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals and improved crops to new kinds of smart materials and processes that will be urgently needed for a sustainable 21st century.”

Projects being drawn up by the UNEP Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) – all in need of government and corporate support – aim at boosting the prospects for the Cross River Gorilla which is Africa's rarest ape.

“Gorillas play a crucial role in maintaining the tropical rainforests in Africa, which are one of the key pillars of a world climate in balance,” CMS Executive Secretary Robert Hepworth said. “The future of these forests depends on gorillas who plant the seeds for the next generation of trees. The Year of the Gorilla is a unique opportunity to secure government, corporate and civil support for the survival of our closest relatives.”

Numbering less than 300 remaining individuals, the Cross River Gorilla prowls an area of 12,000 square kilometres along the Nigerian-Cameroon border. While most of the forest sites fall within the boundaries of Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries or Forest Reserves, affording them some level of protection, community-based protection is being promoted in the remaining sites. Therefore, a community Wildlife Sanctuary is currently being establishment in Nigeria and a gorilla guardian network is being implemented in Cameroon.

A broad-based outreach program envisages the development of local radio programs, thematic conservation films and a trans-boundary education campaign targeted at local hunters. These media will target major conservation challenges such as river poisoning, over-hunting, lack of understanding of wildlife laws and bush burning.

source (and photos): http://ionglobaltrends.blogspot.com/200 ... n-ape.html

A count of elephant dung revealed a surprisingly large endangered elephant population—more than 600—in Malaysia's biggest national park, researchers said Thursday.

The number of endangered Asian elephants had always been a mystery as researchers tried to visually count every one of the frequently shifting crowd in the dense jungle.

But the new method of counting dung piles came up with an estimate of 631 animals living in Taman Negara National Park, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National Parks said.

The survey showed Taman Negara to be "one of the great strongholds for Asian elephants in Southeast Asia," said Melvin Gumal, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's conservation programs in Malaysia.

The protected rain forest jungle, known simply as the "Green Heart" by Malaysians, spans about 4,343 square kilometers (1,676 square miles)—roughly the size of Utah's Great Salt Lake.

The space is crucial. Asian elephants are endangered due to habitat loss and poaching; between 30,000 and 50,000 may remain in 13 Asian countries, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

"The surveys reveal the importance of Taman Negara in protecting wildlife especially those species that need large home ranges," Abdul Rasid Samsudin, the director general of Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks, said in a statement.

Before the new count, researchers thought the Taman Negara elephant population was substantial, Gumal said. But the old counting method was a problem.

"It is hard to estimate the number of elephants by just looking at them because the rain forest is very lush. The elephants will find you faster than you see them," Gumal said.

Counting dung piles has become an internationally recognized technique and has been endorsed by U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, Gumal said.

The dung piles in Taman Negara were counted in 2006 and 2007.

source (and photos): http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ ... ck_check=1

Butterflies, bats and some birds could become extinct in many parts of Britain if we have a third consecutive wet summer, experts warned yesterday.


The record wet summer of 2007 was followed by another deluge in 2008, devastating the peak of the breeding seasons for two years running. Among the species hit were butterflies including garden favourites such as small tortoiseshell and small blue, crickets and grasshoppers.

Birds whose numbers have been hit include familiar garden visitors such as blue and great tits and greenfinches.

National Trust Nature Conservation Advisor Matthew Oates said: “If we get three wet summers on the trot we will get local extinctions of some species.

“We are already seeing this at the parish level and it could perhaps get to the county level.

“Three consecutive bad summers will exacerbate this trend. We seem to be going through a time of great change. We are getting more frequent extreme adverse weather which is what climate change modelling predicts.

“Our wildlife and our countryside need a good summer in 2009.”

His findings were backed by the British Trust for Ornithology which said that blue tit numbers have hit a new low in its Garden BirdWatch scheme in which thousands of volunteers record bird sightings in their garden.

It said: “The Garden BirdWatch rates for blue tits for the last three years are the lowest we have seen since the project started.”

Among the losers from the wet summers identified by the National Trust are butterflies such as grizzled, small and large skippers, green hairstreak, adonis blue and clouded yellow.

Bees, which are already suffering from various viruses which have slashed their numbers, and wasps have also been hit.

source (and photos): http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/773 ... iny-summer

Australia's iconic koala will become extinct in some areas of the country if the federal government does not take urgent action, conservationists have warned.


A group of Australian scientists will meet with government officials in Canberra on Friday in a bid to hammer out a national koala conservation strategy to keep key populations of the animals from dying out.

Less than 100,000 koalas are left in the country, compared to millions before they were heavily hunted for fur in the 1920s, said Deborah Tabart from the Australian Koala Foundation.

"The population of koalas in southeast Queensland has decreased from 10,000 to less than 4,000 in a decade," Tabart said.

The population in the southeast Queensland area known as the Koala Coast has fallen by at least 26 percent to 4,611 animals since a 1996-1999 survey as development encroached on their natural habitats, she said.

"We know that there are even less now, in the order of 3,800," Tabart said.

Kat Miller of the World Wildlife Fund also warned that koalas could be on their way to extinction along with several other Australian species.

"There are more than 1,700 federally-listed threatened populations of animals in Australia. There is an extinction crisis in Australia. The koala may well be the next one to go downhill."

The Australian Koala Foundation is urging Environment Minister Peter Garrett to declare the southeast Queensland koala population as critically endangered under law in a bid to protect their habitats from further developments.

"This is the most important thing Minister Garrett and his department can do right now to show he is serious about saving the koala," said Tabart.

"These declines just cannot continue if we still want to see our beautiful icon here."

Climate change has also played in the decline as it altered the nutritional make-up of their staple food, gumtree leaves, Tabart said.

Post mortems of around 700 koalas in southeast Queensland have found that most were "wasted" when they died.

"The impact of climate change on the nutritional value of eucalyptus leaves has been proven to affect koalas," she said.

Garrett has said he had charged Australia's Threatened Species Scientific Committee with assessing the risk to the koala but warned that he needed to await the committee's report before he could act.

"This is a clear indication of how seriously the Australian government is considering reports from the Australian Koala Foundation and others on diminishing koala numbers in some regions," the minister said.

source (and photos): http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081211/sc ... 1211084825

Changchun, China – The discovery of Amur tiger tracks in Changbaishan in north-eastern China has given conservationists hope for a species that is rarely seen in that area.

A walker in the region spotted the tracks and recorded them on his mobile phone. A century ago such a sight would have been fairly common, with hundreds of Amur tigers,on the prowl. It is thought that now only about 20 remain in the area.

“Tiger tracks found in this area show that the tigers are moving deeper into China from the Sino-Russian border,” said Fan Zhiyong, director of WWF-China’s Species Programme. “Therefore, it is of critical importance that tiger conservation occurs in the whole Changbaishan area.”

There are just over 500 Amur tigers in the wild and it is listed as critically endangered on IUCN’s red list of endangered species. The main threats to Amur tigers in north-eastern China are habitat degradation, poaching, fragmentation of tiger habitats and a small prey population to feed from.

WWF and its partners have been focusing their efforts to save the Amur tiger on a number of fronts: helping ungulate populations such as wild boar and roe deer – which are the tiger’s main prey – to recover by helping communities find alternative livelihood options; stopping poaching by helping local authorities carry out anti-poaching activities; and increasing and connecting protected tiger habitats so tigers can safely move from one area to another.

Thanks to vigorous anti-poaching and other conservation efforts on the Russian side, the tiger population there has become stable over the last decade and is beginning to increase. As such, should the feeding population in Changbaishan be restored and protected in an effectively managed tiger habitat, then those tigers across the border may come to occupy the area.

Conservationists in the Changbaishan area are very eager for this to occur, and the fact that tiger tracks have now been found in the Wangqing Forestry Bureau twice in the last two years is an encouraging sign.

“Although Wangqing Forestry Bureau is a timber management unit, it attaches great importance to wildlife conservation,” said Liang Jixiang, head of the Forest Management Department of Wangqing Forestry Bureau. “We are calling for support and help from interested parties and experts at home and abroad to help find ways to make Wangqing a home for tigers.”

WWF’s Changchun Programme Office has recently developed the Hungchun-Wangqing-Dongning Tiger Conservation Planning tool enable greater coordination of activities across the region and to help maintain these fragile populations of Amur tiger.

“WWF is working with the Chinese government and other partners to achieve the restoration and recovery of tigers to north-east China – the one remaining place in all of China where the recovery of this majestic species is a real possibility,” said Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of WWF-International’s Species Programme.

source: http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroo ... sID=150681

Scientists have been analysing samples taken from the world’s rarest big cat.

Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Biology and Soils (IBS) captured a female Far Eastern leopard, nicknamed “Alyona”, in Primorsky Krai , a narrow region of Russia bordered by China and North Korea, last week.

This subspecies has adapted to the cold Russian environment with its long pelt hair, measuring up to 7cm long in winter and has longer legs than the leopards found in humid Africa or south-east Asia. The rosette pattern on its fur is more widely spaced with thicker borders.

“This project has been ongoing for just over two years, and scientific work to capture Amur tigers and Far Eastern leopards in this part of Primorsky Krai has always been distinguished by the participation of world-class specialists and use of the best equipment and methodologies,” said Sergei Zubtsov, the head of Inspection Tiger, a Russian federal agency within the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Surviving along the Sino-Russian border, it is estimated that the population of this critically endangered species is between 25 and 40, among which there are approximately 10–15 females left.

Alyona was in good healthy physical condition, between eight to ten years of age and weighing 85lbs (39kg). After taking some blood samples and an electrocardiogram, she was released unharmed.

Both of these tests will reveal to scientists genetic information about the level of inbreeding within this tiny population and any symptoms of disease.

Previous captures of three leopards, two males and one female, in 2006 and 2007 have shown heart murmurs; a possible cause of genetic disorders from inbreeding.

Using camera-trapping and snow-tracking surveys, results indicate that over the past 30 years, population numbers have been stable, but with a high turnover rate.

Alexey Kostyria, PhD, IBS senior scientist and WCS-IBS project manager said, “We are excited by the capture, and are hopeful that ongoing analysis of biomedical information will confirm that this individual is in good health.”

“This research is critical for conservation of the Far Eastern leopard, as it will help us to determine the risks posed by inbreeding and what we can do to mitigate them.”

To increase genetic diversity, scientists are considering translocating foreign leopards to try to increase the gene pool.

One successful case occurred with Florida panthers, whereby animals from Texas were merged into the population to increase the remaining numbers. Originally at a low of ten, Florida panthers now number approximately 100.

Over the last century, Amur leopards have been hunted by poachers for their pelts and medicinal qualities and had their habitat destroyed by logging.

Their prey, Sika deer, wild board and hares are also hunted by locals. Forest produce are also a much needed source of income in southwest Primorye.

Local farmers who burn their fields to promote better growth of vegetation, often cannot control the fires, resulting in them spreading to the nearby forests, destroying the habitat.

source (and photos): http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/science-tec ... -6840.html

DR Congo's rare mountain gorillas have become the latest victim of the current fighting in the east of the country.

Rangers who protect the gorillas have fled increased fighting in the region and are now living in makeshift camps with their families. The conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in the DR Congo's North Kivu province, home to Virunga Park, Africa's oldest national park.

Virunga's Gorilla Sector has been in the hands of rebel General Laurent Nkunda's fighters since September 2007 and the Rumangabo park headquarters, from which conservation operations were run, fell to a rebel assault in October this year.

See the video report here.

source : http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoI ... Channel=74

Brush-tailed rock wallabies have been reintroduced into Victoria's Grampians National Park in a bid to save the critically endangered species from extinction in the state.

The Victorian government hopes the 10 captive-bred animals will create a second Victorian wild population in addition to a small colony of 20 marsupials that exists in remote East Gippsland.

Environment Minister Gavin Jennings said the move is a milestone in the effort to secure the future survival of the species.

"The Brumby government is taking action now to protect and enhance Victoria's biodiversity and this is an example of what can be done to help reverse the decline of our native wildlife," Mr Jennings said.

He said the decline of the brush-tailed rock wallaby was largely due to historical hunting for the fur trade, habitat clearing and predation from the red fox.

The trial program will be considered successful if the wallabies breed in the wild and the species is secured in the park.

source (and photos): http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=664587

· Effect of overfishing could be greater still, say experts
· Porbeagle, spiny dogfish and common skate at risk

More than a quarter of sharks and rays in the north-east Atlantic face extinction through the effects of overfishing, with 7% classed as critically endangered, conservationists have warned.

The Red List published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature states that 26% of these species are at risk of being wiped out and a fifth are now regarded as "near threatened".

The true number of fish under threat may be considerably larger, the report by the IUCN's shark specialist group cautions, because scientists have too little information on 27% of them to determine the health of their populations.

Many of the animals at risk are slow-breeding fish that have few young and reach sexual maturity late in life, a fact that makes them especially vulnerable to the fisheries' activities.

The spiny dogfish (rock salmon) and porbeagle shark, both caught for their meat, are critically endangered. They are among a handful of species under EU fishing restrictions, though these quotas are well above the zero-catch levels proposed by scientists at the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (Ices).

Angel sharks and common skates are also critically endangered in the north-east Atlantic, according to the report. The realisation is prompting Ices scientists to call for greater restrictions on fisheries which either deliberately catch the fish or land them as bycatch.

The basking shark, the world's second largest fish, is listed as vulnerable.

The report was released ahead of European commission recommendations for tighter controls on fishing, including zero-catches for porbeagle sharks and spiny dogfish. The advice is also for a ban on fishing vessels keeping aboard common skates, undulate rays, white skates and angel sharks, which should be returned safely to the water wherever possible.

Fisheries ministers are due to discuss the new restrictions at a meeting next month. If the quotas are cut in line with the proposals, fisheries would lose permission to catch 600 tonnes of porbeagles and 2,600 tonnes of spiny dogfish.

Sonja Fordham, policy director at the Shark Alliance and co-author of the report, said: "The north Atlantic is one of the most overfished regions in the world and yet only four species of sharks and rays are protected. This is a clear consequence of overfishing, whether these species are targeted or taken as bycatch."

Another species listed as critically endangered is the deepwater gulper shark, sought for its rich liver oil, which is used by the cosmetics industry. In 2005 Ices urged the EU to ban deepwater shark fishing, but current quotas will allow more than 800 tonnes to be taken next year.

The IUCN finds that the percentage of sharks and rays in the north-east Atlantic region classified as threatened is higher than the figure for the species globally - which is given to be 18%. It says the decline in numbers is due to the activities of fishing nations such as Spain, Portugal, France and Britain.

Two species of guitarfish, whose fins are among the most highly sought after for use in shark fin soup in Asian markets, are classified as endangered in the north-east Atlantic. There are no limits on catches of them in European waters.

Scientists working for the IUCN said that it could already be too late to save two types of sawfish, both of which were critically endangered.

Claudine Gibson, former programme officer for the IUCN shark specialist group and lead author of the report, said: "North-east Atlantic populations of these vulnerable species are in serious trouble, more so than in many other parts of the world.

"Most sharks and rays are exceptionally vulnerable to overfishing because of their tendency to grow slowly, mature late, and produce few young. Those at greatest risk of extinction in the north-east Atlantic include heavily-fished large sharks and rays ... as well as commercially valuable deepwater sharks and spiny dogfish."

The EU is also looking to protect a string of other species, including cod and haddock, in proposals that reduce quotas by up to a quarter next year.

"We have made real progress in fisheries management over the last six years and we are starting to see positive results, such as the recovery in certain stocks under long-term management plans," said the EU fisheries commissioner, Joe Borg. "But this good news remains the exception, not the rule. There has been so much overfishing over many years that the balance of the marine ecosystems on which our fisheries depend is seriously disturbed."

Marine conservationists urged tighter curbs. "Such action is immediately possible and absolutely necessary to change the course toward extinction of these remarkable ocean animals," said Fordham.

source (and photos): http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ed-species

Wolfes reduced by 50 % in Norway.
Preliminary figures show that the wolf stock in Norway is reduced by 50 %. There was no breeding in 2007.
Illegal hunting is evidently one of the reasons for this tragedy. But we have to remember that the Government in Norway has given permission to kill 27 species from year 2000 till today says chairman of Committee of Our Predators in Norway, Birger Westergren.

There is no doubt that illegal hunting is the main reason of the reduced numbers of wolfes in Norway. If the Government had taken the responsibility and followed up the enactment of law, the stock would have reached the number of species that is set for living in Norway, says Westergren.

source: http://www.fvr.no/
photo: http://www.nina.no

The whooping cranes are back. Each year, some of these birds - the largest and rarest of North American cranes - make a stop in central Kansas, at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, near Great Bend, or at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, about 30 miles south of Cheyenne Bottoms.

Currently, officials at both sites are reporting the presence of whoopers. Cheyenne Bottoms staff reported eight birds on November 4, and an undetermined number of birds has been reported at Quivira, as well as another small group several miles south.

As a result, Cheyenne Bottoms has closed the hunting of sandhill cranes and white geese on the area's firing line until further notice. Quivira has suspended all hunting on the national refuge until further notice.


An estimated 266 whoopers - the largest wild flock of endangered whooping cranes - will migrate from Wood Buffalo National Park in the Canadian Northwest Territories to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf Coast of Texas this fall.

This migration route takes them directly through the center of the Central Flyway, offering Kansas wildlife watchers an opportunity to see one of the rarest birds in the world.

Officials with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks say they and their colleagues with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will monitor the birds' movements and lift hunting restrictions once they are certain the cranes have moved south.

Tom Stehn, whooping crane coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, reported in September that 2008 was an excellent production year for whooping cranes in Canada.

There were 41 fledged chicks from a record 66 nests that Stehn says "should equate into a substantial population increase in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock in the 2008-09 winter."

However, he warns, threats to the flock, including water and land development in Texas, wind farm construction in the migration corridor, and tar sands waste ponds in Canada all increased in 2008.

The tallest bird in North America, the whooping crane was once on the brink of extinction. It is making a steady recovery due to intensive management efforts in Canada and the United States.

As of September 2008, the total population of wild whooping cranes numbered 387, with cranes in captivity numbering 152, bringing the total population to 539.

In December 2004, wildlife experts said 468 whooping cranes existed in the wild and in captivity.

The species was reduced to 16 individuals in 1941, according to the Cornell University Ornithology Lab. Captive breeding established a captive population and efforts have been made to establish additional wild populations in Florida and Wisconsin; neither of which is yet self-sustaining.

The species is probably safe from imminent extinction, but threats remain, Cornell says.

While their habitat is protected, it is limited, leaving the birds vulnerable to catastrophic weather events or contaminant spills. Development near wintering sites is also a concern.

The Aransas range in Texas is protected as is the whoopers' last breeding area in Wood Buffalo National Park. But, Aransas abuts an intercoastal waterway with heavy commercial barge traffic. Wildlife biologists want to establish new populations to ensure the species could not be wiped out by an oil spill there.

Collisions with power lines have killed or injured at least 19 whooping cranes since 1956. Two whooping cranes were shot to death by hunters in Kansas in November 2004, mistaken for sandhill cranes, a game species.

Whooping crane recovery efforts involve many agencies and organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in the United States and in Canada. Efforts include habitat management, captive breeding, and leading birds along migration routes with ultralight aircraft.

Crane experts agree that continued intensive management of habitat, captive breeding and reintroduction programs, and population monitoring is essential to the recovery of the species.

source (and photos): http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2008 ... 06-093.asp

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed the decree which will put into effect a long-sought protected area that will house half of all remaining Far-Eastern leopards.



The leopards, the only species in the world able to survive long cold periods, are on the brink of extinction with only about thirty surviving members.

Continuing threats include habitat loss from logging, forest fires and unregulated tourism. Poaching remains a severe problem and the small population raises concerns of inbreeding as a further threat.
The new reserve will join two small protected areas into one, called Leopardovy Zakaznik (Leopard nature sanctuary), and will be managed by the Ministry of Nature Resources of Russia. According to the decree, the ministry will also manage neighbouring Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve.

Before the decree, all three protected areas had been managed by different state agencies whose differing mandates meant that a unified Leopard conservation strategy was not in place. The transfer of jurisdiction to a single authoritiy will allow for a single strategy that places the restoration of the leopard population at the heart of its operations in the area.

WWF proposed this change as early as 1999, in its Strategy for conservation of the Far Eastern leopard in Russia. “We are happy that finally, after all these years, the government has addressed this issue”, says WWF-Russia CEO Igor Chestin. “We hope that the Ministry will immediately start improving management of the protected area to ensure effective leopard conservation. WWF is ready to provide help and advice to the new sanctuary”.

To ensure Far-Eastern leopard protection, WWF created anti-poaching groups in the region. WWF also cooperates with Chinese conservation agencies to create a trans-border system of protected areas that sought to save the leopards habitat from industrial pollution. Education programs to inform locals of the threats facing this extremely rare cat species were set up, while customs agents were trained to track poachers who illegally sell leopard parts to China.

In 2007, WWF built a visit centre for the future protected area, which now will finally be given to the Leopardovy zakaznik, and will hope to create revenue that can go towards making the sanctuary commercially viable.

source (and photos): http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroo ... sID=149221

The white lion release at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa has been heralded a success. Over the past few decades these lions have been isolated to breeding programs and circuses, and there have been only a few reported sightings of these rare big cats in their natural environment. Due to this it has been widely assumed that the recessive gene in wild lions that causes the colouring is bordering extinction. The Sanbona projects success means that white lions are now free ranging and self sustaining in the wild.





source (photos): http://www.sanbona.com/properties/news_ ... .asp?ID=28

The world's largest population of vulnerable Irrawaddy dolphins -- famed as aquarium attractions -- has been found in Bangladesh's waters, according to a five-year wildlife study.

Irrawaddy dolphin in the Mekhong river in Cambodia

Until now, it was believed the small light-grey mammal was threatened and the International Union of Conservation of Nature had put five of its Southeast Asian populations on its list of critically endangered animals.

But the study, launched in 2003 by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and the Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project, has counted 5,832 Irrawaddy dolphins along Bangladesh's coast and estuaries.

"It's by far the biggest population of Irrawaddy dolphins in the world," said project director Brian Smith of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

"It's very good news for all of us," he said.

The researchers surveyed the waters along Bangladesh's 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) of coastline, said Rubayat Mansur, who led the research team.

"We're absolutely thrilled to make such an important discovery... We don't know any other place where these dolphins are found in such large numbers," he told AFP.

In other areas where the dolphins are known to converge, such as the Mekong delta, populations have been estimated at less than 100.

"It's great news if the researchers have in fact found such a huge number of Irrawaddy dolphins off the Bangladesh coast," said Switzerland-based Liz McLellan of environmental group WWF.

"We'll look into the study because we know only a very small population of Irrawaddy dolphins now live in Southeast Asia," she told AFP.

Although its name is derived from Myanmar's biggest river, the two-metre (six-foot) long Irrawaddy dolphin is mainly an oceanic mammal that favours coastal waters and estuaries.

They are found in small, geographically isolated populations from Australia to India to the Philippines.

One of the main threats to their survival is drowning in fishing nets, says the WWF. They are also fished for their oil and meat.

The dolphins' ability to live in both salt water and fresh water makes them popular with dolphin shows, where fresh water tanks are cheaper to maintain.

Mansur said many of the dolphins had been found in the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans which straddles Bangladesh and India. The forest is also home to 400 Ganges sweet-water dolphins which also are on the endangered list.

Despite the welcome discovery of the larger than expected number of Irrawaddy dolphins off Bangladesh, Smith of the Wildlife Conservation Society said their long-term future was far from secure.

"During the study, we have seen that because of fishing with long nets, accidental deaths of dolphins along Bangladesh coast and estuary rivers is common," Smith said

"They get entangled in the fishing nets and die," Smith said.

And Mansur said the construction of new dams along Bangladesh's coastal rivers to stop flooding, pollution and habitat was also cause for concern.

The researchers urged the government to take immediate steps to create small networks of protected zones in order to prevent the Irrawaddy dolphin following the Yangtze river dolphin down the path of extinction.

source (and photos): http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081011/wl ... ifedolphin