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January 16, 1999
8 BABY ELEPHANTS TO WIND UP IN ZOOS
Despite a decision to place all 30 baby elephants taken from the wild in the custody of the South African SPCA, and despite several airlines responsibly refusing to ship them, and despite worldwide pleas and demonstrations, a wildlife dealer was permitted to encase 8 babies in crates and subject them to a long stressful waiting periods and truck and air transport to Germany, some still to be taken from there to Switzerland. All were supposed to have been introduced to wild areas.
These babies were captured to reduce the elephant population in Botswana. There is growing conflict between human and elephant populations as the number of both keep increasing. Humans take over forest habitat causing the elephants to forage on the crops they plant in place of the forest. Hundreds of people have been trampled and killed while trying to shoo the elephants away from their fields. Birth control using PZP, which is effective in a wide variety of animals, does not work in elephants. This is a problem for which there is no ready solution as long as both populations keep increasing and elephant habitat keeps decreasing.
January 16, 1999
ONTARIO ELIMINATES SPRING BEAR HUNT
The Province of Ontario, Canada, has eliminated its spring bear-hunting season on the grounds that accidentally killing sows leaves cubs too young to fend for themselves to slowly starve to death. Hunters are accusing the government of caving in to animal rights demands and have launched a massive response. Emails supporting this decision can be sent to the Department of Natural Resources nricmn@epo.gov.on.ca
and Premier Mike Harris ontpc@onlta.olas.org
October 17, 1998
WTO MAKES ALLOWANCES FOR SEA TURTLES
The World Trade Organization revised a decision that would have forced the US to accept shrimp from countries that do not require the use of TEDS (turtle excluding devices that provide an escape hatch for sea turtles caught up in shrimp nets). On October 12 the WTO had ruled the US embargo against shrimp from India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand was in violation of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT). (January 1999: Decision being challenged.)
Two days later, the WTO committee backed off in favor of the turtles, ruling in response to a US appeal that exceptions are allowable for "conservation measures so long as they were not a disguised form of protectionism and did not discriminate unfairly between countries". It criticized the US, however, for not negotiating special agreements to protect turtles as it had with countries in the Americas.
The US responded by saying it will work harder to work out turtle pro-tection agreements with other countries and would limit its embargo to shrimps caught by specific fleets rather than embargoing whole countries.
Because most of the shrimps from these countries are farmed, the effects of this decision on sea turtle populations will be less wide-spread than it might appear, but WTO recognition that the principle of free trade can be modified to protect endangered species is extremely important.
The US is now pushing for a decision to force countries of the European Union to accept its meat from hormone-treated cows.
Source: The Economist, October 17, 1998 p. 88
ORCAS ARE PREYING ON SEA OTTERS off the west coast of Alaska because of a decline in the seal and sea lion populations which are their normal prey. Because of their smaller size it takes a lot more sea otters to meet the nutritional needs of the orcas, a.k.a. killer whales but really the largest dolphin species rather than a whale. The decline in the otter population is resulting in an increase in the sea urchin population and consequently a reduction in size of the the kelp beds which provide habitat for the otters and many species of fish. Otters eat sea urchins. Without the otters, whose populations have declined as much as 90% in some places, the sea urchins proliferate and denude the kelp beds, which have also declined by 90% in some areas. Sea urchin populations, on the other hand, have increased as much as 10 times.
The reason for the decline in seal and sea lion populations, which began in the late 1980's, is not clear but the likeliest explanation is that human fishers removed so many fish that the pinnepeds were unable to find enough fish to sustain them through the winters. Pollock were plentiful but this species lacks the oil needed by warm-blooded animals to survive in the colder waters of winter.
October 1, 1998 This measure was defeated by vigorous opposition
OHIO VOTERS HAVE CHANCE TO STOP MOURNING DOVE SHOOTING by voting in favor of Issue #1 on the November 1998 ballot. The heavily-financed shooting contingent is advertising as if passage of Issue #1 would bring an end to all hunting, animal farms, vivisection, meat-eating etc. whereas the issue concerns only the shooting of mourning doves. Lacking the funds to pay for competing ads, the best course of action seems to be a flood of letters to the editors.
October 1, 1998
TOKLAT WOLVES SURVIVAL PRECARIOUS An Action alert from The Alaska Wildlife Alliance states that "Wolf hunting season has begun inside and outside Denali National Park and Preserve. Trapping and snaring starts November 1 with no legal limit on the number of park wolves, including pups, that individuals may kill." The Toklat pack, down from 12 to 2 individuals last year due to hunting and trapping has given birth to 4 cubs, but it is doubtful the pack can survive without protection. This pack has been studied since the 1930's and contributed greatly to our knowledge of wolves. In 1980, i.e.18 years ago, Congress noted that the state lands frequented by these wolves "...should eventually be made a part of the park." Write/ call/ fax:
Governor Tony Knowles, State Capitol PO Box 110001
Juneau AK 99811 USA Tel 907-465-3500 Fax 907-465-3532
email <governor@gov.state.ak.us>
Stephen Martin, Denali Park Superintendent PO Box 9
Denali AK 99755 USA Tel: 907-683-2294 fax: 907-683-9612.
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