Orphaned Baby Bear Possible Endangered by Early Release into Wild

Canadian authorities want to release an orphaned baby bear into the wild at 6 months when mother bears usually push their children out at 18 months. Animal right groups are very angry and fear the baby might die by itself.

I can't blame the activists. This decision makes little sense to me.

BLM Admits Horse Roundups Have Involved Mistreatment

An internal review by the US Bureau of Land Management admits that the roundup of wild horses has involved some mistreatment, but they refuse to admit the treatment was inhumane.

Excerpted from USA Today....

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's internal review of a wild horse roundup in Nevada found some mustangs were whipped in the face, kicked in the head, dragged by a rope around the neck, and repeatedly shocked with electrical prods, but the agency concluded none of the mistreatment rose to the level of being inhumane.

The Bureau of Land Management's internal review of a wild horse roundup in Nevada in Sept., found some mustangs were kicked in the head, dragged by a rope around the neck and repeatedly shocked with electrical prods, but the agency concluded none of the mistreatment rose to the level of inhumane.

BLM Director Bob Abbey did, however, determine additional training is needed for the workers and contractors involved. Abbey, the former BLM state director for Nevada, said the roundup this summer near the Utah line was done correctly for the most part. But he said the review cited some incidents of inappropriate practices, including helicopters jeopardizing the health and safety of horses by following too closely or chasing small bands or individual animals for too long.

"Aggressive and rough handling of wild horses is not acceptable, and we are actively taking steps to ensure that such behavior is not repeated," Abbey said in a statement announcing a number of procedures intended to improve and further review the BLM's standard operating procedures for roundups.

Animals Managing to Survive in Afghanistan

Apparently, wildlife in Afghanistan is managing to survive despite the horrors of war and violence. The stupid video won't embed, so here's the link to the web page. It's from Time Magazine.

Pale Male Has New Chicks

I've been following Pale Male (the red-tailed hawk that lives in Central Park) since over 5 years ago when his nest was destroyed by ritzy apartment dwellers and it created a major international outcry. The nest was rebuilt, but Pale Male and his mate Lola never had another successful nesting.

Sadly, Lola disappeared a while ago, but Pale Male has a new mate named Lima. And they have had a successful nesting.

Here is his website with photos updated daily.

Here's a video of the chicks' feeding. Cute!

Suit Filed Against the Minerals Management Service

Good!

From Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine...

The Southern Environmental Law Center and Defenders of Wildlife filed suit challenging the Minerals Management Service’s (MMS) complicity in the Gulf oil disaster and continued lax oversight of oil drilling operations, including its failure to require a thorough examination of spill risks from exploratory drilling operations like the Deepwater.

Animal Release in Asia

Here's an interesting perspective on the practice of some religious groups' (such as Buddhist monks') practice of purchasing birds from pet stores and then releasing them. This writer contends that the birds are not suited to the wild and actually end up starving or being eaten by cats. Also, the practice of purchase and release creates a market for the capture of these birds in the first place.

The compassionate act is therefore not so compassionate after all, despite the intentions.

Portugal Pursued by EU for Poor Environmental Policies

Oh, it's no surprise that the Portuguese are allowing rampant development for tourism. But I'm glad the EU is calling them on it.

From the Portugal News...

The European Commission said on Wednesday it is pursuing legal action against Portugal for breaching nature protection legislation. The Commission said it is sending Portugal a final warning over an inadequate impact assessment for a tourist resort development in the south of the country which falls under the Natura 2000 programme.

...The case concerns the Montinho da Ribeira resort at Algoceira in the Alentejo region. The resort falls within a site protected by the Habitats Directive and in the vicinity of a Special Area of Conservation for wild birds (Costa Sudoeste sites).

The resort includes 322 villas, 40 apartments and a hotel. It also foresees two golf courses, road infrastructure, a water treatment station and a waste water treatment plant. Four other resorts are also planned nearby.

And Obama STILL Wants Offshore Oil Driling?

What a mess.

And it looks like BP has some answering to do.

By the way, this mess is threatening the Breton National Wildlife Refuge at crucial breeding time.

India Takes More Steps to Protect Tigers

But is it enough? From the Press Association...

India is to amend its wildlife crime laws to protect the country's tigers, a government minister said.

Environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh said that speeding up justice as well as hefty fines are needed to strengthen the Wildlife Protection Act.

He added that the forest ministry, state governments and a separate authority on the management of tiger reserves had agreed to work together to ensure conservation of the endangered animal.

Nearly 80,000 to 100,000 families inhabiting core areas of tiger reserves will be relocated and given £12,500 each as part of the measures.

The minister said that nearly six million hectares of land will be brought under green cover within the next six years, since funds to create more forests had recently been released.

This will increase the habitat area for tigers, who prefer to live and hunt in thick vegetation.

Australian Fireman Honored by Animal Rights Activists

The fireman who saved Sam the Koala is now an international Youtube star. And getting recognition he deserves for his kindness.

...Mr Tree, 44, has been rewarded for his compassion by rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) which gave him its Hero to Animals Award.

'The compassion that David Tree showed in caring for Sam is an inspiration to others throughout the community and beyond,' said Peta Director Jason Baker.

I also agree with PETA that the guy they've arrested for starting the fire should face animal cruelty charges. He is the responsible for the deaths of possibly millions of animals.

If there is a hell, there should be a special place in it for this guy.

Peta called on authorities to add cruelty to animals to the arson charge laid against a 39-year-old man on Friday in connection with a bushfire in rural Victoria state that killed 21 people.

'The defendant faces 21 counts of murder, and Peta also wants to see him charged with cruelty to animals (as) it has been reported that over a million native animals may have been killed in the fires in Victoria, including kangaroos, koalas, possums, lizards and birds,' Peta said in a statement.

'This tragedy has shown the best and worst in people,' Mr Baker said. 'Because scores of animals weren't as lucky as Sam, Peta is strongly urging the prosecutor to pursue cruelty-to-animals charges.'

Many Animals Dying in Australian Wildfires

We sometimes overlook a story even when it's right under our noses. Not only did we not think about the impact of the Australian wildfires on wildlife, but we didn't see the AP story on our very own sidebar.

We are losers.

The story says millions of animals may have died.

The official human death toll stood at 181 from the weekend's deadly fires and authorities said it would exceed 200. While the scope of the wildlife devastation was still unclear, it was likely to be enormous, {Jon Rowdon, president of the rescue group Wildlife Victoria} said.

"There's no doubt across that scale of landscape and given the intensity of the fires, millions of animals would have been killed," he said.

Hundreds of burned, stressed and dehydrated animals — including kangaroos, koalas, lizards and birds — have already arrived at shelters across the scorched region. Rescuers have doled out antibiotics, pain relievers and fluids to the critters in a bid to keep them comfortable, but some of the severely injured were euthanized to spare any more suffering.

"We've got a wallaby joey at the moment that has crispy fried ears because he stuck his head out of his mum's pouch and lost all his whiskers and cooked up his nose," Rowdon said. "They're the ones your hearts really go out to."

Injured Deer Finds Clinic

Lucky deer! She was treated and then released.

Workers at an Ohio pet shop are used to worried pet owners bringing their animals in to be treated in the store's clinic. But an unaccompanied visit Saturday by a deer to the PetSmart in Rossfield was a first for the store.

Manager Trudi Urie says the wounded doe was hanging out behind the store and then ran through an open door into a stockroom.

Staff members made sure the animal couldn't enter the shop area and called police and a veterinarian.

Situation Critical for Zimbabwe Wildlife

War and chaos is bad for everyone, human and non-human.

In Zimbabwe, activists claim impoverished Zimbabweans are killing elephants and eating them. Out-of-control poaching is apparently wiping out all sort of wildlife, including hippos.

Kenya's Political Troubles Have an Effect on Wildlife

The recent troubles with the Kenyan presidential election have brought problems related to Kenyan wildlife, but not in the way that you might think. Tourists have been scared off, which in turn effects revenue for conservation projects.

Conservation projects to protect Kenya's rich wildlife, from its rhinos to whale sharks, are at risk if the country fails to attract tourists back after a post-election crisis, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Kenya relies on its game parks to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. But, the sector has been badly damaged by a wave of cancellations following ethnic clashes triggered by President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election in December.

The violence that killed more than 1,000 people prompted European tour operators to cancel chartered flights to the east African country, dealing a heavy blow to its tourism industry -- the leading foreign exchange earner in Kenya.

Funding for conservation projects has shrunk as a result of of the slump in tourist numbers, conservation officials say.

It's a Hard Luck Life for Chinese Wildlife

Here's an interesting commentary by Keith Winsten, Executive Director of Brevard Zoo/East Coast Zoological Society of Florida. He recently led a workshop at the Beijing Zoo and writes about his perception of the Chinese view of animals.

...the Chinese seemed to have a much greater respect for landscape elements such as trees and rocks than Americans, but by our standards, showed little regard or empathy for wildlife.

...Animals are simply perceived as existing to meet our needs, either for satisfying hunger or for amusement. And unfortunately, this attitude is subconsciously reinforced by the staff at the (Beijing) zoo, which meticulously cares for the human landscape but seems to ignore the aesthetics of the animal exhibits.

Luckily, this denigrating attitude toward animals is neither a universally Eastern way of thinking (consider the Jains in India who shuffle their feet so they won't hurt an insect) nor part of most societies (many traditional hunting groups worship their prey animals). But it is clearly a problem in China. And these days, whatever happens in China can have a ripple effect around the world.


Photo by Alex and Jerry.