More than 70,000 square miles of habitat has been proposed for critically endangered leatherback turtles in U.S. waters off California, Oregon, and Washington.
Endangered species protection finally advances in favor of leatherback turtles: The National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a proposal today for 70,000 square miles of critical habitat in the waters off the U.S. Pacific Coast.
Starting on Christmas, yesterday, two sea turtles that are being tracked by scientists as they swim around the world’s oceans can also be tracked online by common, interested folks.
The turtles, named Noelle and Darwinia, are both females and are leatherback turtles that nest in Gabon in Western Central Africa. As the University of Exeter states, “The research team has fitted each turtle with a small satellite tracking device, which enables the scientists to monitor their precise movements and observe where and how deep they dive.”
So far, the turtles have swum a combined 800 miles (since the tracking started on December 7th).
A recent study points out that 95% of illegal African rhino killings since 2006 have occurred in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
A sobering report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission, African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups, and TRAFFIC says that Africa’s rhino poaching crisis is far from over - and warns that the continued involvement of Chinese and Vietnamese nationals in rhinoceros-related crimes must be addressed by law enforcement in both Africa and Asia.
A comprehensive survey to gather genetic data about the last Javan rhino population in Vietnam kicks off in November 2009.
WWF announced today that a comprehensive survey of Cat Tien’s Javan rhino population will begin next month and continue until April 2010. The purpose of the study is to gather urgently needed genetic data in order to develop a local conservation management strategy for these critically endangered mammals.
It is estimated that there no more than five individuals of this rare Javan rhino subspecies (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) still surviving in Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park.
A donation of three tons of grapes has been converted, via wine, into funds for the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) project to save endangered dolphins endemic to New Zealand.
A Hector’s Dolphin showing the characteristic round dorsal fin.
The Wine
It started with Gemma McGrath who had moved from a job on Whale Watch boats to a barmaid in the small Otago village of Bannockburn which is about as far away from the sea as one can get in New Zealand.
This post consists of a few lines and a link to what’s happened since some of my recent posts where there has been significant action. Each item is identified and linked by the date and title of the original post.
Three more Giant Sable Antelopes, have been sighted in Angola. This brings to six the number of this rare species, which was feared to have become extinct, that have been sited in the last few weeks.
Malaysian authorities rescued nearly 100 pangolins from a poacher who was planning to sell the endangered animals for meat and “medicine.”
A raid on a house in northern Kedah by officials from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks yielded 98 pangolins and three kilograms of pangolin scales. The Straits Times reported that the self-employed man in his 40’s was arrested, and faces up to 23 years in jail and a fine, if convicted of the five different illegal possession charges.
Farmers illegally using poison to kill suspected livestock predators are causing Namibia’s vulnerable vulture populations to decline.
As a consequence of farmers continuing to illegally use poison for livestock management, several lappet-faced vultures (Torgos tracheliotos) recently died from consuming the carcass of a poisoned jackal.
Tragically, this news comes shortly after the Vultures Namibia’s fundraiser gala raised N$8 000 for lappet-faced vulture conservation in Namib Naukluft Park. Lappet-faced vultures are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are Africa’s largest vulture species - with a wingspan of up to 2.8 meters.
A female pangolin was rescued after straying into an urbanized area of coastal Neelankarai and making her way into a garden.
Unfortunately, the rapid development of the Neelankarai area is crowding into the surrounding wildlife habitat, and has required the recent rescue of many small animals by forest department officials. However, this was the first time a pangolin had been rescued from someone’s home, according the the Times of India.
The pangolin apparently climbed up a compound wall in order to get into the home’s garden. Officials from the animal rescue and rehabilitation center in Velachery were called, and were surprised to find the pangolin in such a populated area. One of the wildlife officers told TOI that there is a population of pangolins at nearby Guindy National Park.
The pangolin was taken to the animal rescue center and is to be released, presumably at Guindy National Park.
A recent study hopes its findings are enough to safeguard a small population of Ganges River Dolphins from Oil India Ltd.’s recent proposal to deploy seismic exploration activities along the bed of the Brahmaputra River.
The Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) has a tenuous population at best - with possibly just 2,000 overall.
Although a proposal by Oil India Ltd. prospect for oil along the bed of the Brahmaputra threatens to decimate this species even further, an extensive report submitted by Dr. Abdul Wakid to the IUCN hopes to establish protected areas for the Ganges River Dolphins in the Brahmaputra river system - before it’s too late.
… a recent proposal by Oil India Ltd. to initiate seismic exploration (using explosives and airguns) along the bed of the Brahmaputra River to prospect for oil has potentially disastrous implications for Ganges River dolphins.
