Musk Oxen Keep Dying at University of Alaska Research Station

This is kind of weird. Maybe nothing's wrong, but a review of the animal care program is being initiated.

Read the full story at Fairbanks Daily News-Miner....

The death toll for musk oxen at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Large Animal Research Station rose to nine after a school veterinarian euthanized two older bulls that never recovered from a suspected trace mineral deficiency that caused the deaths of seven other animals in September and October.

The seven musk oxen that died or were euthanized from mid-September to mid-October demonstrated similar symptoms, which Blake believes were the result of a mineral deficiency. All the animals were underweight and lacking in cobalt, copper and selenium, all of which are integral to the animals’ metabolism.

The deaths of nine of the school’s 36 musk oxen represent the biggest die-off since the herd was established at LARS in 1979.

....The die-off prompted UAF to hire a private consultant from the Lower 48 to do a full review of the school’s animal care program.

“We’re going to cover all our animal facilities, the whole program top down,” Blake said.

Tales of Wildlife Smuggling

Weird stuff found at Anchorage airport.

Good News About Blue Whales

Looks like blue whales may be coming back to Alaska. Here's hoping Sarah Palin leaves them alone.

From the Associated Press:

Blue whales are returning to Alaska in search of food and could be re-establishing an old migration route several decades after they were nearly wiped out by commercial whalers, scientists say.

The endangered whales, possibly the largest animals ever to live on Earth, have yet to recover from the worldwide slaughter that eliminated 99 percent of their number, according to the American Cetacean Society. The hunting peaked in 1931 with more than 29,000 animals killed in one season.

The animals used to cruise from Mexico and Southern California to Alaska, but they had mostly vanished from Alaskan waters.

Palin Now Going After Endangered Whales

First wolves, then polar bears, now beluga whales. And those are just the endangered animals (remember the turkey being ground up during her tv interview?)

At issue is the population of {the Cook Inlet beluga) whales, which were put under the protections of the Marine Mammal Protection Act eight years ago, which scientists argue hasn't sped their recovery:

Palin begs to differ. Her administration argues that that the belugas are faring just fine under the protections in place, and the population is even beginning to show signs of recovering. For this reason, the state of Alaska contends that additional regulation is unnecessary. "The State of Alaska has worked cooperatively with the federal government to protect and conserve beluga whales in Cook Inlet," Palin said last week. "This listing decision didn't take those efforts into account as required by law."


At the heart of Palin's objections are concerns that additional safeguards will interfere with oil and gas development, among other lucrative projects. "I am especially concerned that an unnecessary federal listing and designation of critical habitat would do serious long-term damage to the vibrant economy of the Cook Inlet area," Palin said in 2007.

Why Palin?

The following is not necessarily representative of ALL of Critter News. Just me.

Why has John McCain chosen Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as a running mate? This may not seem like an animal issue, but it is. For me, I've been deluged for months by Defenders of Wildlife material about Alaska's heartless treatment of wolves. Treatment headed by this woman's administration.

Now, she's a Vice-Presidential candidate. Yikes! If McCain gets elected, then I can see the future of the Endangered Species Act, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Agriculture, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, etc. A big F-U to animals.... worthy of George W. Bush himself.

But why Palin? She is the former mayor of a town with about 7,000 people (I grew up in a town of about 3,300 people. It's ballooned to 5,000 now. There's not much difference between that and 7,000. In other words, there ain't too much happening in a town of that size! I know!) She's been governor of Alaska for about two years, a world of its own with about half a million people, half of which may be subsistence hunters for all I know. Again, a woman who has been not been challenged with issues surrounding the lower 48 states. A small-town mayor running a small-town state.

She is so not qualified. So, why Palin?

She's a woman and she comes from oil. Her husband is in the oil business and she can advocate the gutting of ANWR.

Oh, and she's a cute woman and she'll appeal to the Hillary voters.

I didn't vote for Hillary, but I'm a feminist. Generally, feminists don't lean towards cute ex-beauty queens. They like Janet Reno and Madeline Albright types. Not much to look at, but a hell of a brain.

I hope that the scrutiny of Palin will do something about Alaska's unfair and cruel treatment of wolves. A couple of urban colleagues had this honest reaction when I filled them in. "Man, that's COLD!"

It is cold. And brutal. And unnecessary.

Let's hope Sarah doesn't make it to the White House. Let's hope McCain is just crazy...and not crazy like a fox.

Palin Supports Brutal Method of Killing Wolves

I understand there may be some instances where predator control is necessary. I'm not an absolutist on this point. Doing it from low flying aircraft, however, is just barbaric. The wolves suffer needlessly because hunters simply wound them more often then not firing from an airplane. This is what Palin has pushed for.

Here is a video from Defenders of Wildlife that shows the method (it's under 3 minutes).



Here is more video from Current on the subject (this one is a full 10 minutes), but explains how this is mainly for the benefit of trophy hunters, not subsistence hunters that Palin claims it is for. It's worth watching.

Stop Alaska's Aerial Hunting of Wolves

I hate the fact that Alaska gets a female governor who is hellbent on supporting the brutal aerial hunting of wolves. Where is her compassion?

Defenders of Wildlife are tireless crusaders on behalf of wolves. Here's a link to their page where you can email support of the PAW Act.

Rep. George Miller (CA) has introduced the Protect America's Wildlife (PAW) Act, legislation to close a federal loophole and curb Alaska's brutal aerial hunting program -- and prevent programs like it from spreading to places like the Greater Yellowstone region. But he needs your support to win passage of this wolf-saving measure.

Visit here and sign.

Start Paying Attention to the Arctic

Supposedly, there's a hell of a lot of oil and gas in the Arctic and everyone's salivating over it. The US might even ratify the Law of the Sea treaty to get a fair shot at the prizes up north.

Animal rights and environmental advocates need to pay attention to this. Look who lives in the Arctic: polar bear - caribou - musk ox - wolf - wolverine - arctic fox - ermine - lemming - arctic hare - arctic ground squirrel - birds - whales - harp seal - walrus.

Here's a great article giving an overview of the politics. Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski is pushing for treaty ratification. Always watch out when Alaska is in support of something.

Pressure Increases to Add Polar Bears to Endangered Species List

Now that the US government is about to start selling oil and gas rights in the Chukchi Sea in Alaska, activists are trying to get the polar bear listed as an endangered species. If they are an endangered species, then authorities would need to go through US Fish and Wildlife for approval to drill in an individual's habitat.

The Bush Administration is offering to list it as "threatened." According to activists, this would allow for loopholes and exemptions.

But the Bushies are playing for time.

The US Fish and Wildlife Services last month announced it was putting off a decision on listing the polar bear as a threatened species until after the sell-off of oil and gas drilling rights in Alaska.

"They are trying to wait it out, get the lease-sale through and then make the decision," said {IFAW's Brandon} Frazier.

"That way, they could list the lease-sale as an exemption," he added.

Photo by PlagueX1.

Bush People Say Oil and Polar Bears DO Mix

Yeah, and cigarettes are actually GOOD for you....

US officials defended plans for oil drilling in the Chukchi Sea off northwestern Alaska, telling lawmakers that it would not harm polar bears, already threatened by global warming.

Randall Luthi, director of the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service, which sells oil drilling rights, told Congress Thursday that the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act provides adequate safeguards to polar bears from oil exploration accidents such as oil spills.

In addition, he said, contracts with oil companies include measures to minimize the impact such activities can have on the polar bear population.....

A US government expert on polar bears said that the melting of sea ice due to global warming would cause a two-thirds drop in the world polar bear population by 2050, and named the Chukchi Sea as one of the most threatened polar bear habitats.

Photo by reso438k.