|
"C-paper"Winter 2003-2004 Previous C-paper Subsequent C-paper Home |
|
Cows, not coyotes, threaten America's antelope. The decline in pronghorn antelopes at Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon was reversed after cattle were excluded from the refuge proving that the previously maligned coyotes were not responsible for the decline. The only time the healthy pronghorns, who have been clocked at speeds over 60 mph , are vulnerable to coyote predation is the two week period during which all the young are born. There is a limit to how many fawns the coyotes can eat during this two week period so that most of the fawns survive. Killing coyotes, as had been proposed many times, would have stimulated more breeding and upset the natural balance in this predator/prey relationship. Destruction of native vegetation by cows appears to be the reason for the former decline in the antelope population. - Friends of Animals Action Line Winter 2003-2004. Sea turtles: Progress in Nicaragua, Regression in Mexico. Leatherbacks in real trouble. Poaching of a critically important population of endangered hawksbill sea turtles along the coast of Nicaragua has dropped by more than 79 percent, thanks to a program developed by the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society that enlists support from local communities, fishing groups, and government agencies. The practice of illegally removing turtle eggs from nests dropped from nearly 100 percent on several islands known as the Pearl Cays, to approximately 21 percent during 2002. Failure to enforce the 1990 turtle protection law in Mexico, however, has resulted in a lucrative smuggling operation in sea turtle flesh, eggs and skin for cowboy boots that threatens both the turtles and their human defenders. Hundreds of olive ridley turtles have been killed on southern Mexican beaches. Meanwhile, Pacific leatherbacks are suffering an annual death rate of 30%. Their numbers have decreased by 97% in the past 22 years. Extinction is likely within 10 years. Conservation International lays the blame on fishing practices and egg poaching. Mountain gorilla population has increased. Wildlife authorities in Rwanda, Uganda and Congo report that the number of gorillas inhabiting the Virunga Mountains has increased by 56 individuals since 1989, a rise of 17%. This is a remarkable achievement in view of local wars. Success is attributed to making the area a showcase for eco-tourism. Dian Fossey, the researcher who was murdered, probably by the poachers she fought, must be smiling in heaven. Future Fisherman's Foundation is buying its way into school curriculum. It is making $200,000 available for grants of up to $5,000 for schools that teach sport fishing as part of their recreational curriculum. Next, grants for courses in killing terrestrial wildlife? Groups challenge USFWS and USDA plan to slaughter double crested cormorants. Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, Defenders of Wildlife, Fund for Animals, Humane Society of the United States and individual bird protectors have filed suit in federal court to reverse Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture's decision to exempt double crested cormorants from the protection of migratory bird protection statutes and promote killing tens of thousands of them in 24 states where sport fishers complain the birds are depleting fish stocks and 13 states where fish farmers complain of raids on their stock. The government's decision also allows, for the first time, killing of cormorants at the birds' winter nesting sites by shooting, gassing, and breaking their necks, as well as destroying their nests and eggs. Read more at: http://fund.org/library/documentViewer.asp?ID=1324&table=documents Alaskan wolves being killed by aerial gunners. As of mid-February, 63 wolves had been shot by aerial gunners, often after an exhausting chase. The plan is to kill 80% (140) of the wolves in the state's Nelchina Basin. The purpose: to provide more moose for hunters to kill. As there is already a healthy moose population, this action can only destroy the existing ecological balance. Alaskans have twice voted against aerial killing of wolves. http://www.care2.com/go/z/117 Alpha male of one of the Denali packs legally snared by a trapper. The wolf had strayed outside a buffer zone which biologists had argued was too small. Only 2 of the 12 member pack have been seen since according to wolf expert Gordon Haber. Montana wolf population down from 108 last year to 97 in latest survey and from 11 breeding pairs to 4, a good reason for retaining endangered status. Wyoming stands by its management plan to kill wolves on sight regardless of federal protection. Ontario (Canada) wolves gain protection. Minister of Natural Resources, John Snobelen has announced a 2 1/2 year moratorium on shooting or trapping wolves in 39 townships surrounding Algonquin Provincial Park. Would be dove killers in Michigan were disappointed when Senate canceled hearing on bill that would have permitted hunting season. Farmed salmon eat more fish flesh than they produce. Three to five pounds of edible fish are used to produce one pound of farm salmon. Furthermore, farmed salmon typically have at least 10 times more cancer-causing persistent organic pollutants like mercury and PCBs than their wild counterparts. Crowded rearing pens are in turn a source of additional pollution. Yellowstone Buffalo, harassed, captured within park boundaries and sent to slaughter. "Yellowstone used to be a wildlife sanctuary. Under the watch of Superintendent Suzanne Lewis it has been transformed into a buffalo slaughter facility set up to do the bidding of Montana's livestock industry," according to Dan Brister, Project Coordinator of the Buffalo Field Campaign. To date 163 buffalo have been captured in a trap within the park. Of the first 89 captured, 53 were turned over to state Department of Livestock to be sent to slaughter. The fate of the rest is unknown at press time. This is done at the behest of cattlemen who claim that buffalo might transmit brucellosis to domestic cattle, which has never happened. They are unable to explain while male animals, who do not get the disease are sent to slaughter with females, some of whom are infected, some not. The disease is not fatal, but causes cows to abort their calves. buffalo@wildrockies.org Tibetan antelopes closer to protection under ESA. The Animal Welfare Institute reports that, after a delay of four years, the Department of the Interior has proposed the Tibetan antelope (a.k.a. chiru) be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Another victim of losing territory to domestic animal grazing and other human development, this antelope has suffered a population decline in recent years of more than 85%. The biggest threat to their survival lies in poaching to secure their shatoosh (extremely fine hair), which is woven into luxurious shawls and sold on the black market. This has been forbidden under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, but has not been illegal in the U.S. unless it could be proved the material was smuggled. ESA listing will make it illegal to sell shatoosh in the U.S. period. Alaskan sea otters granted "threatened" status. After "dramatic and mysterious declines in recent years," the southwest Alaska population of sea otters will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act according to the L.A. Times, Feb. 6, 2004. Scientists maintain that Alaska's southwest ocean ecosystem has "collapsed" in the last decade and "a variety of once abundant sea mammals has nearly disappeared," Sea otter numbers in the Aleutian Islands have dropped by two-thirds. China announces cloning of Siberian ibex, a threatened mountain-goat-like animal that lives in the mountains of Central Asia. This feat has renewed controversy over whether cloning can help reconstitute endangered species. China is making efforts "to rescue endangered and threatened species - such as the giant panda and the rare freshwater white-flag dolphin - through cloning, forestalling the threat of extinction, despite arguments from some experts that the high costs of cloning would be better spent on protecting animals in their native habitats." Groups seek protection for Gunnison's prairie dog. A diverse "coalition of scientists, realtors, home builders, private landowners, religious organizations, retired military, conservationists, animal protection groups and concerned citizens" has petitioned for ESA protection to be extended to Gunnison's prairie dog. One of five species of North American prairie dogs, Gunnison's are found in the "Four Corners" area of NM, AZ, CO, and UT and are the only species still unprotected or on the candidate list. The petition contends that they have "declined by more than 90% across their range due to poisoning and shooting, sylvatic plague and habitat destruction." Prescription drug blamed for vulture population decline. Diflonac, often prescribed to relive pain in human arthritis sufferers, is also used to treat domestic animals. It causes kidney failure in vultures who eat the bodies of dead animals who have been treated with it. Three species are described as being on the brink of extinction.
Endangered Florida panthers under new threat. Bonita Springs, FL has approved an agreement to annex 1,300 acres of designated Florida panther habitat to accommodate developers of 4,700 housing units and several golf courses. The annexation would release the land from county environmental restrictions and endanger wood storks as well as panthers The Fund for Animals quantifies decline in number of hunters. By checking wildlife agency data, they found the number of hunters over the age of 16 had declined from 14 million in 1991 to 13 million in 2001. The ten states with the biggest drops were Rhode Island with a 59.1% decline followed by Massachusetts (38.9%), California (38.6%), Delaware (38.5%), Illinois (31%), Iowa (26%), North Carolina (25.9%), Connecticut (21.1%), Ohio (20.3%) and New Mexico (19.3%). Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is sending the Farley Mowat to the Galapagos to resupply the Sirenian and assist the Equadorian government in protecting the islands from illegal commercial exploitation which threatens this unique habitat and its non-human residents. The timing of maintenance repairs has prevented sending a ship to the infamous Canadian sea slaughter this year, but the organization will ferry in observers by helicopter to document the proceedings. The International Primate Protection League has exposed Ibadan Zoo's illegal gorilla trading. In spite of harboring only one aging female gorilla, Nigeria's Ibadan Zoo has been certifying numerous wildcaught infant gorillas as born in captivity so they could be sold to other zoos. Baby gorillas are caught by killing their mothers and have a very low survival rate. Previous C-paper |