For years and years parents have taken their children to zoos to see exotic animals, animals that they don’t get to see everyday. They want to see lions and tigers and bears. Oh my! High on the the list of animals to be seen are elephants, nature’s gentle giants. These cute, (hardly) cuddly animals are the largest of the land mammals. But all of that could change. Elephants could be removed from zoos forever if In Defense of Animals (IDA) [...]
Apparently, the pine wood snake has a very distinctive schlong: no one who entered our “Name that Schlong” contest confused it with the penis of, say, a blesbok or a dragonfly, or any of the other “members” of the Grand Gallery of Penises. Well done, schlong-namers!
Now, on to the important stuff…
We have a winner!
For most of our existence, we humans have seen ourselves as superior to animals, as “above” the “lower” creatures. Rene Descartes, for example, in the 17th century argued that animals were mere “machines” incapable even of true feeling, let alone “higher” thinking. Cultures throughout antiquity sacrificed animals by the thousands to their gods, so that their value was in the ends they served rather than in their independent lives.
On the other side, there are some traditions of vegetarianism in our history. Examples include the Pythagoreans in Greece, Hindu yogis, Jains and Buddhists, among others. And other societies (such as the Native Americans) ate and used animals but with a reverence and gratefulness for the lives that they were taking. Overall, though, the predominant notion in the human noggin is one of superiority.
But then Darwin knocked us down a notch…at least some of us. Evolution and the descent of humanity from primates still left wiggle room for us to see ourselves as “thinking, rational animals,” and therefore still better than the lesser beasts. Around that same time, though, something started to shift in the cultural mindset. A cultivated, conscious concern for the welfare of animals began in the late 19th century in England and then spread. (For example, the SPCA has its origins from this era, not to mention the idea of a “vegetarian society.” Ethics entered into the discussion of how humans relate to, and treat, animals. There was a recognition that, however higher or lower we might be, we had some responsibility for animals.
By Levi Novey •
May 29, 2009
Last year one of the most critically endangered birds in the world, the Northern Bald Ibis, nested in Spain for the 1st time in 500 years. Terrific news has now arrived that a pair is nesting again in the same location this year.
The current worldwide population of wild Northern Bald Ibises is thought to be around 510 in total, with around 500 of these individuals living in Morocco. In the last century the population of Northern Bald Ibises has declined by approximately 98% because of hunting, habitat loss, and pesticides. Its once great range is now small.
What’s most encouraging about the ibises in Spain’s Natural Park of Brena is that they were born in captivity, and are the first pair to successfully nest in the wild– an indication that captive breeding programs might work for this species. An estimated 1,000 ibises are currently living in captivity.
By Gavin Hudson •
May 9, 2009
Recently, we published famed conservationist Dr. Ian Player’s story of his 60 year long struggle to save St. Lucia Lake in South Africa. In 1970, the lake had become so salty it was killing the crocodiles. Dr. Player and his colleagues found themselves wrestling 1,000 Lb crocodiles and airlifting the animals by helicopter to a safer home. Here, with excerpts from Dr. Player’s story, are the photos of that rescue. Read Dr. Player’s full story at WILD.
“In April 1970 there was a headline that St Lucia would be dead in a few months. This led to a furious Chairman of the Parks Board, Mr. Wood, making a statement in which, inter-alia, he said that he, ‘did not accept the Lake would soon be dead.’ But the Northern section was already dead, with more crocodiles dying daily, and the stench of death was overpowering. Newspaper articles appeared almost daily about the lake and the salinity, and letters were written to the press urging more practical solutions.”
Researchers at Arizona State Univerity and the University of New Mexico have named a Venezuelan diving beetle Agaporomorphus colberti in honor of the humorist.
One of the outstanding features of the species is the genitalia of the males. “This new species is similar to members of a clade within the genus exemplified by A. knischi…and unique in having similar, extremely complicated male genitalia…”
A recent study documented the discovery of 100-200 new amphibian species in Madagascar.
One of the researchers, Dr. Miguel Vences, stated: “People think that we know which plant and animal species live on this planet. But the century of discoveries has only just begun – the majority of life forms on Earth is still awaiting scientific recognition.”
By Becky Striepe •
April 27, 2009
I have to admit here that I have often joked about wanting a pet otter. Raising a baby otter is little different in real life, though. According to H.A.W.K.E.’s website:
It takes over a year to raise and care for a baby otter and thousands of dollars in food. They have to stay inside in a incubator and kept warm and given a special otter formula milk when they are this small.
All of that care gets expensive! Combine that with rising food and gas prices, and H.A.W.K.E. is in desperate need of support! If you want to help H.A.W.K.E. take care of Patty and the other critters they’ve rescued there are a few things you can do to help:
