Indonesia's orangutans struggle to survive

Palm oil companies are suspected of killing the endangered animals to preserve their plantations.

Indonesia is home to about 90 per cent of the world’s wild orangutan population, and was once covered by lush rain forests.

But the endangered animals are quickly losing their natural habitat since more forests are being converted into palm oil plantations.

The country has become the world's largest producer of palm oil in just a few years.

In the island of Borneo at least four palm oil company employees are suspected of killing the endangered animals.

Orangutan experts say the increasing conflict between the animals and companies operating in the forest can only be solved if the government is more serious about conservation.

Around 75 per cent of the remaining orangutan population is currently being trapped in plantations.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from East Kalimantan. Source

Russia's Siberian tigers 'face extinction'

A sub-species of tiger faces extinction by 2022 unless decisive action is taken, environmental group WWF warns.

Worldwide tiger populations have plummeted from 100,000 a century ago to less than 7,000 today.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, tigers could be extinct in the wild within a decade.

The Siberian or Amur Tiger is one of the rarest in the world, with only around 500 left in the wild in Russia. But poaching, disease, and habitat loss from intensive logging and development continues to threaten populations.

Antigua and Barbuda Fishermen’s Corporation Gerald Price Reacts to Possible Shark Attack - 26th Dec 2011

Officer and past president of the Antigua and Barbuda Fishermen’s Corporation Gerald Price said news of a shark attack during an early morning swim at Fort James beach is unusual in Antigua.

Veron Edwards senior said although he is still feeling some pain, he is "coming on" gradually since the incident earlier this week.

“It happens so quickly I can’t even explain," Edwards said. "But all I know I felt this thing, then I realised what had happened. All I can say is, thank God I’m still alive."

He is still receiving treatment at the hospital, but was expected to be released by weekend.

Reports indicate that Edwards was taking a swim at Fort James when he felt a tug at his right hand. He reacted quickly, then realised he had been bitten on the hand and wrist.

This has raised concern among early morning beachgoers, as many use the beach during the early morning hours to do swimming and other exercises to start the day. The wounds are said to be serious and required stitches.

Price noted, "I don’t want to scare people away from our beaches at this time, but if we are certain that there was a shark, we have to watch and be careful." Read More

Bird flu virus tied to New England seal deaths - 23rd Dec 2011

An influenza virus similar to one found in wild birds but never before seen in seals has been linked to the recent spate of harbor seal deaths off northern New England, scientists said Tuesday.

Since Sept. 1, 162 seals have been found dead from northern Massachusetts to Maine.

The die-off struck young seals and was most intense in September and October, when deaths were about three to four times the normal number, said Charles Innes, the New England Aquarium's health director. The death rate has since slowed to normal levels.

Tests on five of the dead animals - all from New Hampshire - showed they suffered a bacterial pneumonia caused by the influenza virus subtype, H3N8. Tests are continuing to determine what role the virus played in the broader seal die-off, researchers said.

Besides birds, a separate group of H3N8 hits horses and dogs, but those animals generally recover.

Scientists said the virus appears to have low risk for transmission to humans. But Catherine Brown, State Public Health Veterinarian in Massachusetts, said when influenza jumps between species, it's important to try to learn why.

"Every time that happens, the more we can learn about what causes that to happen, the more we can actually work to prevent it from happening and protect human health as well as animal health," she said.

Other influenza viruses have been linked to at least three previous seal die-offs in New England since 1979. Read More

Four tonnes of dead fish in three days, teams rush to pond near Ahmedabad, India - 24th Dec 2011

The fisheries, forest and health departments of Ahmedabad district swung into action on Friday after receiving reports of fish dying en masse in a pond near Kerala, a village located 38 km from Ahmedabad. According to sarpanch of the village, at least four tonnes of fish has died over the last three days.

Teams from these departments visited the pond, collected samples and asked villagers not to consume dead fish or draw water from the reservoir.

“We noticed some dead fish, small and some weighing up to five kg, washed ashore on Wednesday night. The next morning, there were piles of them and it continued on Thursday and Friday,” sarpanch Subhas Thakar told The Indian Express.

The natural pond is right at the foot of the village with a population of around 7,000 and is spread over five acres. It is 30-feet deep at some points and fresh water remains round the year. Its banks are lined by a rice mill, a bearing factory and farms, the sarpanch said, adding fishing is not allowed there. “We informed authorities after problem seemed to grow serious on Thursday,” Thakor said. Source

Three of the world's rarest turtles wash up on Britain's beaches - 23rd Dec 2011

Three of the rarest turtles in the world have been washed up on Britain’s beaches.

Conservationists say they were dragged thousands of miles by the massive currents which caused storms in Scotland earlier this month.

Two young Kemp’s ridleys and one green turtle were blasted off course from their normal base in the warm waters off the coast of Florida and the Caribbean and died of the cold.

But the Marine Conservation Society has warned more are likely to be discovered over Christmas and the New Year and urged the public not to throw them back into the water.

As it was revealed winter weather caused the turtles to wash up, forecasters said today that Britain will bask in one of the warmest Christmas Day since 1896 and nowhere will see snow. Read More

Note: Just 11 days ago One of these rare Turtles washed up in the Netherlands for the 2nd Time. - Article >>>>>>>>

Officials unsure of cause of Thousands of birds to drop dead in Davis County - 22nd Dec 2011

CLEARFIELD, Utah—

Wildlife officials and Clearfield city officials are investigating the mysterious death of thousands of starlings in Davis County. State wildlife officials are warning residents to stay away from the dead birds.

Earlier this week, Clearfield city officials cleaned up hundreds of birds from the city park and are now looking at number of potential causes of the mass death, including poisoning.

"Initially there was speculation as to what had caused these birds to die. The reality is we just don't know what caused their deaths," said Phil Douglas, Conservation Outreach Manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "There's a variety of things that do happen to wild animals and and many of them have adaptations for surviving these types of things, but sometimes something happens where they just can't survive."

The DWR says they've sent some of the birds to a toxicology lab to be tested. It could be several weeks before they find out the cause of the deaths.

The Dunkley family believes a dead bird made their dog sick. They say they found their dog Chewy with a dead bird in its mouth. Their vet told them she couldn't tell what had caused his illness.

"Vomiting all over the place and just retching real bad," said LeRoy Dunkley. "I don't know who's poisoning the birds or for what reason but if that's why this little dog got sick. He was sick, bad."

Chewy is expected to make a full recovery.

The DWR encourages residents to contact them if they have any issues with their pets or any other wildlife that may have been affected by the dead starlings. Source

Hong Kong finds 2nd dead bird in week with Deadly H5N1 bird flu - 23rd Dec 2011

Hong Kong authorities say a second dead bird in a week has tested positive for a dangerous strain of bird flu, raising health concerns in the city.

The agricultural department said Friday that lab tests confirmed an Oriental magpie robin found dead on Dec. 17 was infected with H5N1 avian influenza.

On Wednesday, workers slaughtered more than 19,000 birds at a Hong Kong market and banned the import and sale of live poultry for three weeks after a chicken carcass tested positive for H5N1.

H5N1 occasionally infects people who have close contact with infected poultry, particularly in parts of Asia. Globally, 331 people have died from bird flu since it was first detected in 2003.

The Oriental magpie robin is commonly found in Hong Kong. Source

40,000 hairy crabs released in Yangtze

THE city government yesterday freed 40,000 hairy crabs into the mouth of Yangtze River near the Qingcaosha Reservoir, the first step in a five-year campaign to repair the ecosystem to improve the water quality in the reservoir that provides tap water for millions of residents.

The hairy crabs will help establish a complete food chain in the river to help more fish and other aquatic animals survive in the river, Zhuang Ping, deputy director of the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, told Shanghai Daily yesterday.

The released crabs, about half female and half male, will eat plankton while some of their offspring will become food for meat-eating fish higher in the food chain, said Zhuang, who is leading the water-improvement program.

"The better ecosystem the water has, the better its water quality will be," he said.

With a capacity of 438 million cubic meters, the reservoir is providing tap water to about 10 million local residents.

The government yesterday launched the restoration project with a total investment of 33.5 million yuan.

Some other fish, including Chinese sturgeons, perch and saury, that are rare in the area now will be put into the river in the future, he said. Read More

H5N1 Bird Flu Appears in Hong Kong

Caribou reindeer in Danger as herd loses 24,000 in a year - 22nd Dec 2011

They're as much a part of Christmas as Santa.

But now conservationists have warned Rudolph’s reindeer friends are under threat, as the world’s largest herd has gone into decline – and could be wiped out within a few years.

More than 90 per cent of the George River population, which roams northern Canada, has vanished in the past two decades. Numbers have fallen by 24,000 in the last year alone.

Experts say the reason for the drop is not clear, but large engineering projects such as road-building and an iron mine may have separated the reindeer from their calving grounds.

In 1992, there were between 800,000 and 900,000 animals in the herd, but today there are just 50,000, according to the latest figures obtained by charity Survival International. Last year there were 74,000.

Jonathan Mazower of the charity said: ‘We just don’t know why it is happening, the local people believe it is the large industrial projects, or it could be a lack of the food they forage on, moss and lichen, but it has been so dramatic.’ Read More

Dozens of dead crows in Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, New Mexico; cause unknown - 21st Dec 2011

Piles of dead crows, possibly hundreds of them, have been found at Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park.

Members of the Mesilla Valley Audubon Society reported Tuesday the stack of dead birds discovered during their annual "Christmas Bird Count."

The birds were found dead in the park's river and along the west side of the river.

Birdwatcher Ken Stinnett said most of the birds found dead were American crows, although he said he also saw a Chihuahuan raven and Brewer's blackbird.

It is unclear why the birds died but agricultural extension agent Jeff Anderson said the birds might have been killed by a slow-acting, water-soluble avicide called DRC-1339 that was applied recently in Vado and Anthony, N.M.

The USDA later picked up the carcasses to perform necropsies. Source

Deaths of Ringed Seals in Alaska an Unusual Mortality Event - 20th Dec 2011

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today declared the recent deaths of ringed seals in the Arctic and Bering Strait regions of Alaska an unusual mortality event, triggering a focused, expert investigation into the cause of these deaths.

Since mid-July, more than 60 dead and 75 diseased seals, most of them ringed seals, have been reported in Alaska, with reports continuing to come in.

During their fall survey, scientists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also identified diseased and dead walruses at the annual mass haul-out at Point Lay.

A decision by the Service on making an an unusual mortality declaration for Pacific walrus in Alaska is pending.

Seals and walruses suffering from this disease have skin sores, usually on the hind flippers or face, and patchy hair loss. Some of the diseased animals have exhibited labored breathing and appear lethargic and do not flee from humans as they usually do.

Scientists have not yet identified a single cause for this disease, though tests indicate a virus is not the cause. Read More

Dead butanding (Whale Shark) found in Cavite, Ternate - 21st Dec 2011

TERNATE, Cavite ­- A dead buntanding (whale shark) was found on the shore of a barangay (village) in this town, police said yesterday.

It was the first time that a lifeless butanding was discovered on the shore of Cavite. Officials are wondering why the lone rare species went to the Ternate coastal area.

Butanding (Rhincodin Typus) is a slow-moving filter-feeding animal which is considered as the world’s largest fish. The species are usually found in the waters of Donsol, Sorsogon, and some countries with tropical climate.

Butandings, an endangered species, are quite gentle and does not pose danger to human beings. Despite its enormous size, they are playful just like the dolphins.

In a report to Senior Superintendent John C. Bulalacao, Cavite Police Provincial Office (PPO) director, Inspector Joie Sanares Saulog, Ternate Mu nicipal Police Station officer-incharge (OIC), said that the butanding, measuring more or less 23 feet, was found by fishermen at Sitio Aplaya in Barangay San Juan I at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

Officials have yet to release a report as to the cause of the butanding’s death and where it came from.

Agririculturist Elizabeth Nazareno said that the butanding would be buried near the shore where she was found. (Anthony Giron) Source

Dead beached whale at North Side Beach, Cayman Islands - 21st Dec 2011

A pygmy sperm whale has washed up on a North Side beach overnight.

The dead, 14-feet long whale was discovered in the morning hours of Wednesday, 21 December, on the beach at Northern Lights condos near Old Man Bay.

Department of Environment conservation officer Carl Edwards arrived at the scene at 6.20am and by mid-morning, he and others were trying to figure out how to get the whale off the beach.

“The seas are too rough to get a boat in there,” he said. “Ideally, I’d like to drag it back out to sea and put it back into the food chain and let the fish feed on it,” he said.

One of the options facing those tasked with removing the whale’s body before it starts decomposing and smelling is to drag it off the beach by truck to another site, cut it up and drop the body parts back into the ocean. Read More

Hong Kong culls thousands of chickens after bird flu discovered - 21st Dec 2011

The Hong Kong government said Wednesday that more than 17,000 chickens were being culled at a poultry market after a chicken carcass tested positive for avian flu.

The territory's Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation declared the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market an infected place, the government said in a statement.

Local farmers will be prevented from sending chickens to the market for 21 days.

The government said that it was working to trace the origin of the chicken, which was infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, but that it did not know at this point whether it was from a local farm or imported. Source

Sick joyrider mows down and kills 15 pregnant sheep in barbaric 4x4 rampage, Wrotham Hill, Kent, England - 20th Dec 2011

This is the scene of carnage left in the wake of a sick joyrider who deliberately ploughed his 4x4 into a flock of heavily-pregnant sheep.

Devastated farmer Chris Sargent, 29, found the mangled bodies of 15 ewes lying dead or dying in his field in Wrotham Hill, Kent.

The farmer today said he believes his animals were targeted by twisted thrill-seekers playing a game to hit as many of the livestock as possible.

A number of ewes were left with missing limbs after they were hit with such force the car’s bumper fell off.

Mr Sargent, who had a flock of 80 sheep before the attack, said the killing of 15 ewes and up to 25 unborn lambs was 'utterly barbaric'.

He said: 'What sort of a person can deliberately mow down a flock of sheep in the middle of the night? It’s utterly barbaric. Total cruelty.

'They have been out here for some time. It is not just a two-minute attack.'

A stunned walker discovered the carnage at 9am on Monday and called the police. Read More

Camila de Moura Beat her Dog to death in front of her Daughter... Neighbour Films and puts it online after Police refuse to Prosecute - 20th Dec 2011

WARNING VERY GRAPHIC UPSETTING CONTENT

A Brazilian nurse who was caught on camera repeatedly attacking a dog, which later died of its injuries, has gone into hiding after the video was published on YouTube.

The disturbing video of Camila de Moura abusing the Yorkshire Terrier in front of her 18-month-old daughter was taken by a neighbour living in the same apartment block in Formosa, Brazil.

She originally handed it over to the local police, but posted it online after becoming frustrated that the authorities had not arrested de Moura and were not going to pursue the case. Read More

WARNING VERY GRAPHIC UPSETTING CONTENT

Oil from spill fouls Brazilian beach

Oil from a small leak in Brazilian waters -- the second in less than two months -- has reached the shores of Rio de Janeiro state, environmental authorities said.

The oil was discovered on Bonfim Beach during a flyover Sunday, according to the state environmental secretariat. The oil is believed to be from a Japanese-operated oil platform that leaked 63 barrels on Friday in the picturesque waters around Ilha Grande and Angra dos Reis, the agency said.

In early November, some 3,000 barrels of oil spilled into the ocean at a deep-water well drilled by U.S. oil giant Chevron.

In response to the spill, Brazilian federal prosecutors filed a suit last week against Chevron and oil rig operator Transocean Ltd. for about $11 billion. The civil suit also seeks to halt the companies¹ operations in Brazil.

In the case of this second spill, authorities said they would initially levy a $5.4 million fine on Modec, the rig operator.

The accidents, though small, are getting high-profile treatment as Brazil begins to develop more deep-water sites in extreme depths off the coast of the state of Rio. Read More

Bird flu death sparks caution in Hong Kong - 20th Dec 2011

An intensive surveillance system is in place for all poultry farms, poultry markets, pet bird shops in Hong Kong following the death of a wild bird infected with H5N1, the OIE has reported.

The H5N1 infected wild bird was detected in the framework of the ongoing surveillance program on wild birds and no spread of disease is evident.

A local school was closed after it emerged that an employee had found and handled the dead bird and developed flu-like symptoms. However a health department spokesman announced that medical tests had cleared her of bird flu. The secondary school will remain closed for an unspecified time for disinfection and while the department traces people who may have had contact with the bird.

The OIE Animal Health Information Department has noted that this outbreak does not change the HPAI free status of Hong Kong and should not affect trade of poultry and their products since the bird involved in this outbreak does not fall within the OIE definition of poultry. Source