Massive Animal Relocation On In Meru National Park, Kenya

Meru National Park in Kenya was once famous for its magnificent wildlife and visitors thronged there. But incessant poaching has reduced the park to a mere shadow of its past. Efforts are now on to bring back past glory by translocation. Animals will be taken from better-stocked reserves in Naivasha, Nakuru and Laikipia and Translocated to Meru in a massive operation. Kenyan Widlife authorities have started moving about 2,000 animals. On top of the list are Zebras, Impalas, Hartebeests and Beisa Oryx.

Rare Mountain Gorillas Shot Dead in Congo

Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is one of the last bastions of highly endangered Mountain Gorillas had a shocker yesterday. In a gruesome incident one silverback male and three female mountain gorillas have been shot dead. Total world population is around 700. Of these 1/5th is inside Virunga National Park. Congolese wildlife authorities are stepping up patrols.

Vietnam – New Hope For Endangered Monkey

Hope abounds for one of the world’s most endangered monkey. The Tree-Dwelling Grey-Shanked Doucs of Vietnam is one of the world's 25 most endangered primates. Surveys by WWF and Conservation International have recorded at least 116 of the species in central Vietnam infusing new hope about its survival. Until this discovery only one other population with more than 100 animals was known.

US - Shipping Lanes Changed To Save Whales

Shipping lanes have been changed to save Whales in Boston. Boston is a busy port with vessels coming in laden with oil or liquid natural gas as the prime cargo. The large vessels will travel roughly6.5 km north of their old path to avoid parts of the only whale sanctuary in the United States, Hitting whales is a recurrent feature here. Two whales have been hit in the last six weeks. The new lanes reduce the chance of whales being hit by vessels by up to 80 percent,

Pipedreams? Interbasin transfers and water shortages

A new WWF report titled Pipedreams? Interbasin transfers and water shortages shows that water transfers between rivers damage the natural environment, interrupting flows between rivers compromising their ability to provide food and water. It also involves cost overruns, insufficient transparency, irreversible damage to rivers, lack of stakeholder consultation, displacement of communities, planned benefits falling short, and a lack of exploration of alternative sustainable options. Less than 40 per cent of the world’s rivers over 1,000km long remain free flowing WWF advocates a commitment to healthy rivers and wetlands as the first step to water conservation, complemented by other methods as sustainable as possible and only if necessary. The reports conclude that Basin transfers must be the last resort after all other sustainable approaches have been explored.

Albino Mountain Goat Sighted

The Italian Wildlife Rangers have finally manged to take photos of the elusive Albino Mountain Goat(capra ibex). in the the Les Laures valley in the northwestern Val d'Aosta region. Hikers had been reporting seeing a white animal at higher elevations for months.This is the only case of Albinism ever documented.among the capra ibex.

Europe – Brown Bears Facing Extinction

Brown Bears are facing extinction in European Alps. Environmentalists assess only 38 animals in the entire Alps, and Germany does not have even one. The small size makes them critically endangered. Unless efforts at conservation move on a war footing the days of the Brown Bears are numbered.

Algeria - Threat To Wetland

Environmentalists are worried about the imminent threat to ecologically significant El Kala coastal park of marshes and forests in Algeria. The proposed 1,200 km road intended to link Algeria to Tunisia and Morocco poses the threat. The alignment passes through the park. The park is home of, fox, lynx, tortoise wildcat and many species of predator birds. The park contains one site that Algeria has undertaken to protect under the 1971 Ramsar Convention. When the park was formed under the Algerian laws the government had made a firm commitment to protect the area from environmental damage. Environmentalists worldwide are crying foul.

CITES Support For Coral

In an effort to augment conservation initiatives for Red, pink and other coral species in the genus Corallium, delegates attending a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES ) at The Hague have adopted a US proposal to list the genus in Appendix II of the convention. Appendix II allows trade in a species under strict conditions. Red and pink corals are found throughout the world’s tropical and temperate seas and are used mainly for the manufacture of jewellery. Corallium populations off parts of the Italian, French and Spanish coasts are no longer commercially viable, while in the Western Pacific they have been depleted alarmingly.

Good News – Japan’s Bid To Reopen Trade In Whale Products Rebuffed.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has refused the request by Japan to reopen trade in whale products. CITES delegates meeting in The Hague from June 3 to 15 have rejected Japan's proposal by an overwhelming majority. Conservation groups worldwide have hailed the decision.

US – A Thriving Market For Illegal Ivory

Care for the Wild International, which surveyed thousands of retail outlets in 14 cities in US last year and this year has come out with shocking details. US is indeed a thriving market for worked ivory next only to Hong Kong. The findings were presented at The Hague meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), The poaching of elephants have reached unprecedented levels in Africa.

Hope For Threatened Eels

There is fresh hope for the threatened Eels in Europe. EU governments have reached an agreement imposing strict limits on catching eels to prevent the species from becoming extinct. The agreement stipulates to reserve a percentage of catch to restock Europe's rivers. Till now the stumbling block was restocking percentage, which prevented exporting much of the juvenile eel catch called glass eels to Asian markets, where it fetches fabulous prices. The spawning of Eels in European waters is still a mystery.

Virgin To Fund Elephant Corridor In Kenya

Chairman of the Virgin, Richard Branson has promised aid for construction of a corridor that will allow about 2,000 elephants follow their natural migratory path north of Mount Kenya. Small farms that have come up in innumerable numbers around Mount Kenya, has cut off centuries-old migratory routes threatening lives, damaging crops and antagonizing people. Mr. Branson made his offer on the occasion of the launch of London Nairobi flight of Virgin Atlantic

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Spain Abandons Motorway Plan To Save Lynx

Heeding to the views of environmentalists, Spain has decided to abandon a motorway plan linking the ancient capital of Toledo with the southern city of Cordoba, passing through Sierra Morena mountains,.the last refuge of the endangered Iberian Lynx.250 to 350 Iberian lynxes remain in the world, all of them in Spain.

EU Imports Threatens Widlife

EU happens to be the world's biggest importer of wildlife. This has been highlighted in a report by TRAFFIC titled Opportunity or threat: The role of the European Union in the global wildlife trade.The legal trade of wildlife products into the EU was worth an estimated €93 billion in 2005. Between 2003 and 2004, EU enforcement authorities made over 7,000 seizures of shipments without legal permits, totaling over 3.5 million specimens listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).Conservationists fear that under the guise of legal imports several attempts at smuggling also happens. Conservationists are demanding that EU should provide external assistance to countries where wildlife products originate and ensure that their trade is sustainable. A carefully drafted policy can bring in benefits on sustainable basis.For example, the EU imports 95 per cent of vicuña wool, providing significant income for 700,000 people in impoverished Andean communities.

Hi Guys I am back on the net

Hi Guys,
Due to some personal constraints I have not been able to update for some time now.I have got several emails from regular readers. I will try to update regularly now.

Beaver Sighted In Bronx River After A Gap Of 200Years

Scientists of the Wildlife Conservation Society have photographed a Beaver in Bronx River. This is exciting news because Beavers have not been sighted in New York for more than 200 years. This is the result of care taken to clean up the mess in Bronx River. It was US Rep. Jose Serrano of the Bronx who spearheaded the whole operation. Scientists of the Wildlife Conservation Society have named the beaver Jose in Serrano's honor.

Chimpanzees Fashion Spears

The journal current biology has some astonishing information about Chimpanzees. Researchers Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani from the center of evolutionary studies, Cambridge, UK, reports that Chimpanzees in Senegal were observed making and using wooden spears to hunt other primates. The chimps adopted four to five steps to fashion the spear. They also trimmed the edge of fashioned spear. Females’ particularly adolescent females were seen to pick up this habit more frequently. Young chimps pick up the habit easily from their mothers. The adult males were lax in this respect. The authors say that this finding also support the theory that females may have played a significant role in the evolution of use of tool in early humans.

First Colossal Squid Landed In New Zealand

The first intact adult colossal squid (Masonychoteuthis hamiltonii) has been landed in New Zealand. New Zealand fishermen landed the fish while they were trying to fish Patagonian tooth fish in deep Antarctic waters. The species was first identified in 1935. It took 2 hours to haul in the 250 kg squid.

UK - Rare Fish Saved From Extinction

Gwyniad, (Coregonus pennantii), a fish akin to herring has been saved from the jaws of extinction. The fish dates back to the ice age. The fish native only to one lake in Gwynedd was facing extinction due to poor water quality, and lack of oxygen. A small fish called Ruffe introduced in the lake, which ate the eggs and young fish of Gwyniad, compounded the danger. Now fertilized eggs have been successfully relocated to Llyn Arenig as part of a two-year project. The fish is expected to thrive in the new environment. The relocation project is a joint effort of Countyside Council for Wales and Snowdonis National Park authority.