Tucker is a very special type of sniffer dog, his area of specialty being whale poop. He is helping scientists uncover why a population of killer whales are in decline on the northwest coast of the US. Once Tucker has found the faeces, the hormone levels are examined to investigate whether the whales are stressed, and to indicate the availability of food to the whales. These factors could be the key to the cause of their decreasing numbers.
Having a black Labrador use his keen nose to sniff out the faeces and collecting samples on the boat is a lot easier than catching a whale and taking records. It is also a lot less invasive to the whales, and prevents causing stress to animals who are becoming at risk.
And what is in it for Tucker once he has found a delectable sample? His favourite ball on a rope.
Check out the audio slideshow on the BBC website.
21 October, 2010
19 October, 2010
Wallaby Dies After Being Given Ecstasy and Drink at Party
Reports of a wallaby dying at a birthday disco after being given alcohol and ecstasy have arisen in Dublin. Animal welfare campaigners have complained after the wallaby was let loose among a crowd 150 people strong. A video shown on Facebook caused the outcry, and police are looking at CCTV footage.
The stress of the flashing lights and noise, not to mention the narcotics would have caused the marsupial a great deal of stress, and if the reports are accurate, it is no surprise that the animal died.
The owner of a nearby circus, the Australian Super Circus Sydney, Alexander Scholl denies that the wallaby in question is one of the two that he has performing in the show. He mentions that he would never allow them to be near a disco and noisy music, let’s hope the music and lights are turned down when it is the wallabies turn to perform the circus tricks.
The body of the wallaby has since disappeared, even if this was a hoax, it highlights the need for control of ‘exotic’ animals as pets; currently it is possible to buy wallabies, zebras and emus in Ireland. A similar story to this one echo the demand for meerkats as pets in the UK after the television show, ‘Meerkat Manor’ has led to more people wanting exotic animals as pets. They were soon abandoned after people realised they are not as cute as they appear.
The stress of the flashing lights and noise, not to mention the narcotics would have caused the marsupial a great deal of stress, and if the reports are accurate, it is no surprise that the animal died.
The owner of a nearby circus, the Australian Super Circus Sydney, Alexander Scholl denies that the wallaby in question is one of the two that he has performing in the show. He mentions that he would never allow them to be near a disco and noisy music, let’s hope the music and lights are turned down when it is the wallabies turn to perform the circus tricks.
The body of the wallaby has since disappeared, even if this was a hoax, it highlights the need for control of ‘exotic’ animals as pets; currently it is possible to buy wallabies, zebras and emus in Ireland. A similar story to this one echo the demand for meerkats as pets in the UK after the television show, ‘Meerkat Manor’ has led to more people wanting exotic animals as pets. They were soon abandoned after people realised they are not as cute as they appear.
18 October, 2010
Speeding Train Kills Seven Elephants in India
A tragedy occurred in northern district of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, in eastern India on Wednesday. Seven elephants were killed while trying to protect two calves that had become stuck on the tracks. As the adults crowded round the calves the train hit them, killing 5 and fatally injuring two more, which died on Thursday. The calves were among the dead.
After the incident, the surviving members of the herd were seen crowding round the tracks, watching over the bodies of the dead. The mourning behaviour of elephants is widely known, and this incident once again shows that elephants are not merely just dumb animals.
It is thought that the train involved in the collision was travelling at 65km/h, which is twice the legal speed limit. There have been around 20 elephant deaths this year alone by train collisions.
Due to human encroachment on jungles and forests, an elephant’s natural home, human/elephant incidences are becoming more and more common. Man’s relationship with the elephant has turbulent, and this sad story just highlights who the losers are.
One of the Seven Elephants Killed by a Speeding Train. Source: AFP
After the incident, the surviving members of the herd were seen crowding round the tracks, watching over the bodies of the dead. The mourning behaviour of elephants is widely known, and this incident once again shows that elephants are not merely just dumb animals.
It is thought that the train involved in the collision was travelling at 65km/h, which is twice the legal speed limit. There have been around 20 elephant deaths this year alone by train collisions.
Due to human encroachment on jungles and forests, an elephant’s natural home, human/elephant incidences are becoming more and more common. Man’s relationship with the elephant has turbulent, and this sad story just highlights who the losers are.
11 October, 2010
Punishments for Wildlife Crimes Are Not Acting as Successful Deterrents.
Wildlife smuggling sentences are barely a slap on the hand, and do not do enough to deter smugglers from offending again. In the past few months, two repeat offenders have been in the news, caught again for smuggling prohibited animals.
First, the infamous Anson Wong, otherwise known as ‘The Lizard King,’ who’s name became known from the book, of the same name, detailing his dealings in endangered animal smuggling, mainly reptiles, by Bryan Christy. Wong was caught in Kuala Lumpur, smuggling 95 boa constrictors, a mata mata tortoise and two rhinoceros vipers inside a suitcase, they were heading for Jakarta. The reason that Wong was caught? Not the high-tech scanners that would have picked up the shapes of the animals in the case, nor was Wong stopped for acting suspiciously (one can assume as a seasoned smuggler, Wong has lost any nervousness in illegal activities), it was the suitcase bursting open, and the contents being revealed.
Wong is well known in the world of anti-wildlife smuggling groups and wildlife departments all over the world. Even the 71 month sentence meted out to him by Federal US courts were not enough to persuade Wong that a life of smuggling wildlife is not worthwhile.
So what did the Malaysian courts decide would be a worthy punishment to act as a deterrent? 6 months in jail, and a RM 190, 000 fine. Ideally, he would have received the maximum sentence of 7 years and a 1 million RM fine. Thankfully though, both he and his wife, Cheah Bing Shee, have had their wildlife trading licence revoked. Perhilitan have removed the animals in Wong’s private ‘zoo’’, including two tigers, a crocodile and a variety of other animals, and taken them to Penang National Park.
Given the extortionate prices the endangered boa constrictors from Madagascar would have fetched if they had reached their intended destination, the black market, the RM190, 000 fine (RM2, 000 for each snake) would barely have made a dent in the dealers pockets. The illegal wildlife trade is a lucrative business, and recent figures indicate that US$30 billion in black money has been generated annually by smugglers working in the South East Asian area poaching and transporting endangered animals.
Another smuggler not learning his lesson the first time round, was caught in Bangkok airport trying to get 1,140 live Indian Star Tortoises and a Gavial crocodile to the Chatuchak market, a market popular with tourists, but notorious for the animal section, infamous for supplying protected animals in cramped cages.
The 44 year old man had been previously arrested in 2008 for attempting to smuggle 778 Indian Star Tortoises.
The authorities should make it clear to traders that smuggling protected wildlife is a serious crime, and should hand out sentences strong enough to not only stop the trader from re offending, but act as a deterrent to potential future traders.
Let’s hope that those traders exposed in the recent raid in Kantaban will be given a suitable punishment.
First, the infamous Anson Wong, otherwise known as ‘The Lizard King,’ who’s name became known from the book, of the same name, detailing his dealings in endangered animal smuggling, mainly reptiles, by Bryan Christy. Wong was caught in Kuala Lumpur, smuggling 95 boa constrictors, a mata mata tortoise and two rhinoceros vipers inside a suitcase, they were heading for Jakarta. The reason that Wong was caught? Not the high-tech scanners that would have picked up the shapes of the animals in the case, nor was Wong stopped for acting suspiciously (one can assume as a seasoned smuggler, Wong has lost any nervousness in illegal activities), it was the suitcase bursting open, and the contents being revealed.
Wong is well known in the world of anti-wildlife smuggling groups and wildlife departments all over the world. Even the 71 month sentence meted out to him by Federal US courts were not enough to persuade Wong that a life of smuggling wildlife is not worthwhile.
So what did the Malaysian courts decide would be a worthy punishment to act as a deterrent? 6 months in jail, and a RM 190, 000 fine. Ideally, he would have received the maximum sentence of 7 years and a 1 million RM fine. Thankfully though, both he and his wife, Cheah Bing Shee, have had their wildlife trading licence revoked. Perhilitan have removed the animals in Wong’s private ‘zoo’’, including two tigers, a crocodile and a variety of other animals, and taken them to Penang National Park.
Given the extortionate prices the endangered boa constrictors from Madagascar would have fetched if they had reached their intended destination, the black market, the RM190, 000 fine (RM2, 000 for each snake) would barely have made a dent in the dealers pockets. The illegal wildlife trade is a lucrative business, and recent figures indicate that US$30 billion in black money has been generated annually by smugglers working in the South East Asian area poaching and transporting endangered animals.
Another smuggler not learning his lesson the first time round, was caught in Bangkok airport trying to get 1,140 live Indian Star Tortoises and a Gavial crocodile to the Chatuchak market, a market popular with tourists, but notorious for the animal section, infamous for supplying protected animals in cramped cages.
The 44 year old man had been previously arrested in 2008 for attempting to smuggle 778 Indian Star Tortoises.
The authorities should make it clear to traders that smuggling protected wildlife is a serious crime, and should hand out sentences strong enough to not only stop the trader from re offending, but act as a deterrent to potential future traders.
Let’s hope that those traders exposed in the recent raid in Kantaban will be given a suitable punishment.
28 September, 2010
Primates Exploited All Over the World
In the news this week, three cases of primate abuse, all for different reasons, all in different countries, and all for the amusement, or benefit of the public.
First, over in Japan, a monkey has been seen to cling desperately to a young boar as he runs around Fukuchiyama Zoo in Kyoto, wild eyed and scared while onlookers scream and laugh. Both animals are clearly too young to be away from their parents and a responsible zoo would have procedures in place to ensure that young animals, such as these, are given the chance to grow up and behave naturally.
The Boar and Monkey at a Japanese Zoo.
Meanwhile, in China, a travesty of a ‘wedding’ was conducted in Hefei, in east China's Anhui province, with two chimpanzees as the ‘bride’ and ‘groom.’ Reports say the four year old male, Yangyang, was brought over from Guinea. This is particularly worrying as chimpanzees are listed under appendix 1 in CITES, meaning that all trade is prohibited, except for reasons not being commercial, such as scientific research. Chimpanzees are endangered, and dressing them up in garish clothes and parading them around in a ‘mock’ wedding ceremony is not an effective way to teach people that apes need protection. Indeed, it is fiascos like this that encourage people to view them as things for our entertainment.
Finally, to protect tourists and athletes during the Commonwealth Games, India has deployed an ‘army’ of 10 langurs to scare away the Indian bonnet monkeys, which have a reputation of attacking humans. There are better ways to deter monkeys from the public, and using wild animals is not an ideal, let alone ethical method to use. With the large numbers of people expected to arrive at the Commonwealth Games, and the sheer noise they will make, the langurs themselves are at risk of becoming scared, and potentially becoming a liability.
A Novel Way to Deter Monkeys from Harassing Tourists.
Let’s hope that the new species of gibbon found in Asia will not be subjected to the same treatment as these unfortunate primates, and instead, are granted full protection, which is enforced.
First, over in Japan, a monkey has been seen to cling desperately to a young boar as he runs around Fukuchiyama Zoo in Kyoto, wild eyed and scared while onlookers scream and laugh. Both animals are clearly too young to be away from their parents and a responsible zoo would have procedures in place to ensure that young animals, such as these, are given the chance to grow up and behave naturally.
The Boar and Monkey at a Japanese Zoo.
Meanwhile, in China, a travesty of a ‘wedding’ was conducted in Hefei, in east China's Anhui province, with two chimpanzees as the ‘bride’ and ‘groom.’ Reports say the four year old male, Yangyang, was brought over from Guinea. This is particularly worrying as chimpanzees are listed under appendix 1 in CITES, meaning that all trade is prohibited, except for reasons not being commercial, such as scientific research. Chimpanzees are endangered, and dressing them up in garish clothes and parading them around in a ‘mock’ wedding ceremony is not an effective way to teach people that apes need protection. Indeed, it is fiascos like this that encourage people to view them as things for our entertainment.
Finally, to protect tourists and athletes during the Commonwealth Games, India has deployed an ‘army’ of 10 langurs to scare away the Indian bonnet monkeys, which have a reputation of attacking humans. There are better ways to deter monkeys from the public, and using wild animals is not an ideal, let alone ethical method to use. With the large numbers of people expected to arrive at the Commonwealth Games, and the sheer noise they will make, the langurs themselves are at risk of becoming scared, and potentially becoming a liability.
A Novel Way to Deter Monkeys from Harassing Tourists.
Let’s hope that the new species of gibbon found in Asia will not be subjected to the same treatment as these unfortunate primates, and instead, are granted full protection, which is enforced.
20 September, 2010
Clinton Goes Vegan (Almost) for Health
Explaining how Chelsea had asked him to slim down for her wedding day, Clinton has declared that he is ‘pretty much a vegan, only eating fish occasionally.’ He says that he is trying to stay healthy so that he can stay alive and fit for any grandchildren he may have.
Clinton explains his vegan diet.
He also talks about Dr. Esselstyn's diet, how several hundred people, since 1986, have eaten only a plant based diet, and the remarkable results that have ensued, how the calcium deposits around their heart have broken down, significantly reducing the risk of heart disease.
Vegan diets are becoming more and more popular, not just for those with animal welfare in the mind, but also with health too. A vegan diet is a greener diet, not just for your body, but also for the world. If President Clinton can do it, why shouldn’t we too?
Clinton explains his vegan diet.
He also talks about Dr. Esselstyn's diet, how several hundred people, since 1986, have eaten only a plant based diet, and the remarkable results that have ensued, how the calcium deposits around their heart have broken down, significantly reducing the risk of heart disease.
Vegan diets are becoming more and more popular, not just for those with animal welfare in the mind, but also with health too. A vegan diet is a greener diet, not just for your body, but also for the world. If President Clinton can do it, why shouldn’t we too?
19 September, 2010
South Korea Considers Banning Vile Bear Bile Farms
Great news from WSPA and Green Korea United (GKU), it looks hopeful that South Korea will put an end to bear bile farming, aiming to have a policy in place by the end of 2010, provided it can secure enough support from the relevant authorities.
The South Korean government should be applauded for taking this huge step forward, as South Korea is one of a handful of countries that still farm bears for bile, using horrific and gruesome methods to house the bears before they are slaughtered to extract the bile. This age old method is still in place despite many other herbal alternatives.
Throughout Asia, around 12,000 bears are housed in tiny cages, resting on bars for their entire life. Naturally, the bears are showing signs of psychological distress; bar biting, rocking and head banging. To extract the bile, which is thought to cure a range of diseases, the bears, depending on the country are either:
1. Raised in a cage until a certain age, and then killed and the gall bladder removed.
2. An ultrasound machine is used to locate the gall bladder and a syringe is inserted in the area, and the bile removed.
3. An open wound leading to the gall bladder is created and a catheter is inserted to let the bile drip out. In order to maintain this method, the wound needs to be reopened several times a day.
The conditions of the bear farms actually means that instead of working as a medicine, bear bile can actually cause harm to those who take it, due to the unhygienic conditions the bears are kept in, and the methods used to extract it.
WSPA reports that there are 1,400 bears currently being farmed in South Korean bear farms, where, unlike most other bear bile farming countries, in South Korea it is illegal to extract the bile while the bears are alive, instead the bears are kept in cramped cages until they reach ten years and are then slaughtered and the bile extracted.
If the South Korean government does push ahead for a ban, then it will provide hope, not only for the bears housed in the farms, but for all those who are working in the exhausting field of ending bear bile farming. The government actually informally asked WSPA and GKU to investigate feasible methods to phase out farming in the country, a positive and progressive sign.
Not only is bear bile consumed in the countries with farms, but the bile and the gall bladders are illegally imported to countries all over the world, including Singapore.
If you use traditional medicines, please ensure that your practitioner does not use any endangered animals in their products, including tiger parts or bear bile. If you live in a country that does not farm the animals, then they would have been imported, which is illegal and against CITES. If you do live in a country that farms, ask for herbal alternatives. Once the buying stops, the killing stops.
The South Korean government should be applauded for taking this huge step forward, as South Korea is one of a handful of countries that still farm bears for bile, using horrific and gruesome methods to house the bears before they are slaughtered to extract the bile. This age old method is still in place despite many other herbal alternatives.
Throughout Asia, around 12,000 bears are housed in tiny cages, resting on bars for their entire life. Naturally, the bears are showing signs of psychological distress; bar biting, rocking and head banging. To extract the bile, which is thought to cure a range of diseases, the bears, depending on the country are either:
1. Raised in a cage until a certain age, and then killed and the gall bladder removed.
An Entire Bear Gall Bladder. Source: www.acres.org.sg
2. An ultrasound machine is used to locate the gall bladder and a syringe is inserted in the area, and the bile removed.
Bear with 'Modern' method of extracting bile. Source: Animals Asia
3. An open wound leading to the gall bladder is created and a catheter is inserted to let the bile drip out. In order to maintain this method, the wound needs to be reopened several times a day.
Catheter Used to Extract Bile. Source: www.all-creature.org
The conditions of the bear farms actually means that instead of working as a medicine, bear bile can actually cause harm to those who take it, due to the unhygienic conditions the bears are kept in, and the methods used to extract it.
WSPA reports that there are 1,400 bears currently being farmed in South Korean bear farms, where, unlike most other bear bile farming countries, in South Korea it is illegal to extract the bile while the bears are alive, instead the bears are kept in cramped cages until they reach ten years and are then slaughtered and the bile extracted.
If the South Korean government does push ahead for a ban, then it will provide hope, not only for the bears housed in the farms, but for all those who are working in the exhausting field of ending bear bile farming. The government actually informally asked WSPA and GKU to investigate feasible methods to phase out farming in the country, a positive and progressive sign.
Not only is bear bile consumed in the countries with farms, but the bile and the gall bladders are illegally imported to countries all over the world, including Singapore.
If you use traditional medicines, please ensure that your practitioner does not use any endangered animals in their products, including tiger parts or bear bile. If you live in a country that does not farm the animals, then they would have been imported, which is illegal and against CITES. If you do live in a country that farms, ask for herbal alternatives. Once the buying stops, the killing stops.
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