Friday

Campaign to stop Norway's political plan of killing all their wolves

 Norway has always had an image as a broadminded, liberal and green nation. However Norway's current political class does not live up to this idyllic image. Norway just recently met with the Swedish government during which Norway expressed their desire to lay claim to some of the wolves which live on the border between the two nations.

Wolves in Norway are very popular with the public. Surveys suggest that close to 80% of the public (both urban and rural areas) want to keep them at current or higher numbers. But the political party does not support or agree with this. And their meeting with the Swedish government upon taking a closer look, fully represented their agenda against the wolves.

If Norway can classify the wolves on the Swedish border as Norwegian, even though most of them are from Sweden, it can go ahead with the extermination of wolves elsewhere in the country. It can claim that, due to the newly nationalized border population, it is still meeting its international obligations to maintain the species.

There are currently just 25 wolves in the country and the hunting quota for this winter is 12. A wolf population of these low numbers will eventually die out due to inbreeding. But the agenda behind the Norwegian plan to designate the Swedish border wolves as Norwegian would allow them to speed up the extermination of the wolves currently living in Norway. This is because the politicians can then argue that the animals in the wolf zone no longer need to be protected due to a greater number of wolves designated as Norwegian.

The real reason behind wanting to exterminate all the wolves is because the Norwegian Centre party currently holds the environment brief in the ruling coalition and they actively depend on the votes of sheep farmers and hunters. Every year around 2 million sheep are released into forests and mountains of Norway unattended by shepherd or dogs. Around 1,500 of them are estimated to be killed by wolves. Although the farmers are richly compensated for these killings, they would rather not have to deal with the wolves at all.

Norway and Sweden did not reach an agreement at their meeting because the Swedes want more time to further look into and discuss the issues at hand. Please take a minute sign and share the petition below to stop the Norwegians from exterminating all their wolves.



A Beautiful Video of Wolves and Lynxes in Norway!

The Brazilian government has given the go-ahead for a railway project that severely endangers Earth’s most threatened tribe. (Video)

 Mining giant Vale announced it has obtained an installation license for its doubling of the Carajás railway, which transports iron ore from its notorious huge mine to the Atlantic Ocean.

The Great Carajás industrial project opened up this eastern part of Amazonia to development and exposed the Awá to invaders who have massacred whole families in the last three decades, and who continue to destroy much of their forest.

The new license allows the company to start constructing a second railway line, to allow trains to run simultaneously in both directions, and increase capacity.

The Awá have warned that the expansion project will increase noise levels coming from the railway, scare away the game on which they rely for hunting, and result in more invasions.

One Awá man said, ‘We don’t accept the expansion of the train line which passes right in front of our territory. It is really bad! It makes a lot of noise! The hunters can’t find any game; the animals are scared off’.

Vale has not properly consulted the Awá about the plans, as required by Brazilian and international law.

Survival is calling on the company to respect the Awá’s land rights, rather than putting their lives in jeopardy.


Earlier this year, a judge halted the project, stating that Vale’s social and environmental impact studies were ‘insufficient’, and that the expansion could cause ‘extremely serious environmental degradation’. His ruling was soon overturned.

Last month, the railway was paralyzed by the Awá and hundreds more Indians protesting for their land rights to be upheld, and earlier this month some Awá made an unprecedented trip to Brasilia, to call for their forest to be protected.
Source

Lioness Steals Camera From Photographer Ed Hetherington; It Becomes Cat's New Chew Toy

Wildlife photographers are expected to get as close to the action as possible without putting themselves -- or the wildlife -- in danger.

As for endangering their equipment? Well, that's another matter entirely.

Just ask Ed Hetherington, a self-described "family photographer" from Atlanta who decided to take a break from snapping wedding pictures to photograph wildlife in Zimbabwe instead.

Using a remote control and a small stand, Hetherington set up one of his cameras alongside a dead buffalo, then waited for a lioness he'd seen nearby to return for her meal.

"My intent was for this to be a less intrusive way of photographing the lion (vs. us being nearby with the vehicle)," he explained in an email to The Huffington Post. " felt that the lion wouldn't pay attention to the camera..."

His guide couldn't have been more wrong.

The lioness stole his camera and turned it into a very expensive chew toy. Thankfully he had another camera, which he used to capture the theft from afar.

Hetherington may have gotten some great photos before the camera was destroyed, but, he notes, "for the sake of the lions, I would never do this again."

A similar incident happened just last year when a female lion at Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve in South Africa sneaked up and stole a video camera. The camera revealed incredible footage after a painstaking search to recover it.

Both incidents may have ended well, but on a more serious note, the lion is listed as a vulnerable species. Officials estimate global lion populations have decreased by 30 percent in the last two decades alone, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Source

These images captured by photographer Ed Hetherington





VIDEO

$1.8 billion oil pipeline from North Dakota to Oklahoma canceled

 TULSA, Okla. — A proposed $1.8 billion oil pipeline from North Dakota to Oklahoma has been called off because the company behind the deal couldn’t rally enough commitments to transport its oil.

Tulsa-based Oneok Partners LP announced Tuesday that the Bakken Crude Express Pipeline, which was to stretch from Stanley, N.D., to Cushing, Okla., won’t be built. Construction was expected to begin in 2013.

Oneok said the outlook for crude oil supply is robust but it could not get enough producers to promise long-term use of the 1,300-mile pipeline.

The company said it still has up to $4.8 billion of announced natural gas and natural gas liquids projects under way and many of them are in the Bakken Formation in Montana and North Dakota.

Oneok said the pipeline would have moved 200,000 barrels of oil out of the Williston Basin in the Bakken Formation.
Source

Trucks drive north on Highway 85 south of Williston, N.D. Infrastructure challenges in western North Dakota could limit the number of oil and gas drilling rigs. 

Pipeline Project Cancelled

Puppy Room At Dalhousie: University Brings In Dogs For Stress Therapy

A Canadian university is trying a new tactic to help relieve students from exam-time stress: puppies.

Dalhousie University is filling a room on campus with puppies from Dec. 4 through Dec. 6 for students to visit and play with the animals between exams.

The puppy room will be open for two hours on the first two days and for five hours on the third day. The dogs will be provided by Therapeutic Paws of Canada, a non-profit organization that trains animals to help people with therapeutic or practical needs.

Dalhousie's student union posted an ad for the puppy room on its Facebook page and within 24 hours, it was shared nearly 2,000 times.

Hundreds of students expressed their excitement over the puppy room on the Facebook posting.

'My major paper is due at 4 PM on the 4th... I will beeline it to the Puppy Room,' wrote Dal student Jimmy Tennant.

Abby Bryant wrote, 'AWESOME!' and Athea Costello wrote: 'This is the best idea ever!!'


Michelle Pressé said she was already feeling the effects of the animal therapy.

'Thank you, thank you, thank you!' she wrote. 'I'm so excited, I already feel less stressed now.' Added Bethan Ingraham: 'Nothing brings stressed out university students together like the promise of puppy cuddles!'

Alumni grumbled over the fact that the puppy room wasn't offered when they attended Dal (this is the first time the school is offering it) and students from other schools expressed their jealousy.


'I think it should be open to Alumni. Granted we already wrote the exams, but I could argue we are still stressed,' wrote Lola Doucet.

Some dog owners offered up their own pets for the cuddle sessions, but the student union said only trained therapy dogs were allowed to participate.

Dogs have been helping students de-stress at a number of U.S. schools, as well.


From Kent State University in Ohio to Macalester College in Minnesota, more and more pooches are around campus during exams to help students relax, according to the Associated Press.

'We had a student who came in and a staff person commented they had never seen that student smile,' Richelle Reid, a law librarian who started Emory's pet therapy program, told the AP. 'It has had positive effects, helping them to just have a moment to clear their minds and not have to think about studies, not have to think about books.'

Pups are in counseling centers for students to visit regularly or faculty and staff bring their pets to lift spirits.

Pet-friendly dorms also are popping up where students can bring their dogs or cats from home. and at Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School, students can 'rent' pets for some alone time.
Source


VIDEO Therapy dogs

Thursday

Escaped Baby Zebra Terrorizes Staten Island (Video)

Many people do not like zoos for wild animals because they behind bars and do not have the freedom that they should. But zoos are usually highly regulated and many have redesigned the animals living space in as natural a setting as possible. Petting zoos on the other hand are not highly regulated and many of the wild animals suffer immensely being kept in small cages and under poor conditions. The animals are exposed more to the gawking humans and the safety of these petting zoos have not always been in the best interest for both animals and the public.

Recently, in Staten Island, New York, at a petting zoo owned by Giovanni Schirripa, a four month old Zebra named Paparazzi, and a 14-year-old pony named Casper made a break for it apparently sick of their petting zoo home. The escape was the first by the baby zebra, but it is Casper the pony's third attempt. 'Razzi' the baby zebra follows Casper everywhere which is to be expected.

It was actually the fault of owner, Giovanni Schirripa, who left the gate open after feeding them Wednesday morning. Casper, followed by Razzi, took off running down Victory Boulevard in Staten Island. The escape was witnessed by Zachary Osher who when looking out the window of his store, saw two hoofed animals trotting by. According to Mr. Osher, "They ran past me, and then they made a loop around the parking lot. I thought they were circus animals. They came around and they were galloping. The pony was in the lead, and the zebra was behind.”

Like any quick-thinking citizen, Mr. Osher grabbed his iPhone and ran out shouting. The unlikely pair dodged traffic on the busy street and soon exited the street, pursued by men in dark suits carrying lassos, according to Mr. Osher. The police, were quickly on the case. By 10 a.m., they had apprehended the animals a couple of blocks south of Mr. Osher’s store and returned them to Mr. Schirripa’s menagerie at Victory Boulevard and Travis Avenue.

After being returned, Razzi and Casper were back in their pen which is a fenced area behind the two-story house that Mr. Schirripa shares with his parents. Razzi and Casper stay in a barn that looks like it was once a single-car garage. Mr. Schirripa said he planned to move Razzi, the zebra to another property, in Phillipsburg, N.J., where he keeps several horses, after Christmas. He admits that taking care of Razzi is harder than he ever expected.


Razzi might have to move sooner than that because only zoos or petting zoos are allowed to keep zebras in New York City, according to the Health Department. While Mr. Schirripa said he had a permit for the zoo for a local Octoberfest exhibit, a health department spokeswoman, Chanel Caraway, said, “The Health Department has no record of a permit for a petting zoo at Mr. Schirripa’s address. Health inspectors are investigating and will make sure appropriate measures are taken once the circumstances are fully evaluated.”

VIDEO

Today, November 28, the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs honored the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse club.

Here is the statement issued by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on its Facebook page.

Today we honor the Iroquois Nationals, the first Native American lacrosse team to compete internationally in a professional sport.

The team was created in 1983 and is represented by the six Nations of the Iroquois (Oneida, Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca, Tuscarora and Cayuga).

The Iroquois people are known for creating the sport of lacrosse itself and it is central to their social, spiritual and cultural heritage. In 1990 the Iroquois Nationals were admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation and have been competing in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship since it first began in 2003.

The games, held every four years, have given the team the opportunity to travel around the world to compete against nations including Australia and Canada. They have competed in all three of the games medaling in each.

Most recently they took silver in the 2011 Prague games. They have also qualified to play in the World Lacrosse Championship since 1998, taking fourth each time. In 2012 they traveled to Finland for the World Championship and came in third, despite beating England and the USA.

In 2006 the Iroquois Nationals partnered with Nike who is sponsoring programs to promote wellness-and-fitness activities in Native American communities throughout the region, as well as provide lacrosse equipment and sportswear for the team.

The Iroquois Nationals program has had a significant impact on Native youth throughout the country as their triumphs have provided an international showcase of indigenous talent and culture.(Source)

For more information on the Nationals, click here.

To view the Iroquois Nationals defeat team USA in the 2012 World Lacrosse Championship:

VIDEO Remembering History - Iroquois Nationals Win Over Team USA

After three years of living in the carport of his family's empty home, an abandoned Chow Chow mix has a new home.

Named Chen, the loyal dog was left to fend for himself, but he refused to leave the place he knew as home.

For three years the dog scrounged for garbage to survive. Sometimes people tried to drive him off with rocks or chase him away. Finally, word got to Lise Renstrom of Chap's Chow Rescue.

When she learned of Chen's predicament she came to help.

"He absolutely would not leave that house," said Lise. "In the middle of the day he would go run and get scraps of food.

There was a Kroger and he would pull scraps out of the trash. He was waiting and waiting for his people to come home."

Lisa slowly gained Chen's trust with food and a gentle voice and was able to get hold of him one day.

Posting his information up on the Internet, a man hundreds of miles away in Ohio responded.


Ben Rupp had recently lost his 13-year-old beloved Chow mix Goldie. When he saw Chen's photo and read his story he knew he had to adopt him.

Soon after, he booked a private plane and Chen was on his way to his new life. Although sad to see Chen go, Lise was happy knowing Chen had a new home.

"He deserves all the happiness" said Lise. (SOURCE)


VIDEO


Wednesday

Full Moon Darkened By Lunar Eclipse On Wednesday Morning [WATCH LIVE]

 The moon will be fully covered by the Earth's shadow at 9:15 a.m. EST this morning during a a minor lunar eclipse. That will be approximately a half hour before the moon reaches its fullest phase of November at 9:46 a.m. EST.

Want to glimpse a view of what is called the penumbral lunar eclipse? By clicking here you can access Space.com's amazing webcast as the November full moon passes into the edges of the earth's shadow. When gazing at the moon, observers will see a faint shadow around the moon's surface.

Though this penumbral lunar eclipse won't be as extreme as a total lunar eclipse, the changes in color around the moon are still rare.

Residents in East Asia, Australia, Hawaii and Alaska will be able to see the entire trajectory of the lunar eclipse. Everywhere else, online browsers can see the amazing effect via the Slooh Space Camera.

The eclipse will begin at 7:15 a.m. EST as the moon surpasses the outer edges of Earth's shadow, or penumbra. The effect is expected to be hazy and gradual. So it will only be perceptible after more than half of the moon has passed into the penumbra.

Scientists expect 92 percent of the moon's diameter to be immersed in the penumbra at about 9:30 a.m. EST, more than two hours after the eclipse starts.

November has been an active time for moon- and sun-gazers. A huge sun eruption was captured on video and camera by NASA in mid-November, showing consecutive solar storms that resulted in what is called a solar prominence.

The eruptions followed three other flare-ups on Nov. 12, 13 and 14. The sun is now in an active phase of an 11-year solar weather cycle. The cycle, known as Solar Cycle 24, will likely peak in 2013.

The event coincides with the full moon of November 2012. Stargazers in the Eastern U.S. and Canada will miss the lunar show, but the online Slooh Space Camera will be providing live views of the penumbral lunar eclipse beginning with a preview at 7 p.m. EST tonight (000 Nov. 28 GMT) of November full moon from an observatory in the Canary Islands, off Africa's western coast.(SOURCE)

Image Credit & Copyright: Itahisa N. González 


Space Camera

VIDEO the penumbral lunar eclipse is still considered rare

Tuesday

Arctic fox: Perfectly adapted to frigid environment, but what's next?

The Arctic fox is a highly adaptable little creature. It's keen sense of hearing and it's thick coat which changes color depending on the season has served it well. In winter it has no problem existing in weather as cold as -58F. It is thriving in most places except Finland where it has never recovered from unrelentless hunting.

But there is one question looming over it's continued survival now and that is how will it adapt to the warming climate change in the northern environments that it calls home. Since all things are connected, a major food source of the Arctic fox is the lemming which is highly sensitive to climate change. The decline in lemmings has already effected the snowy owl in Greenland where they have now declined 98 percent after the area's lemming population collapsed.

Even though Arctic foxes are generalist eaters and will consume whatever they can find, the lack of lemmings has also had "noticeable effects on their reproductive performance" in that area. Previous research has shown that lemming populations tend to crash every three to five years, followed by a crash in Arctic fox populations. Under normal environmental conditions both species can usually recover but climate change is a different challenge altogether.

Increased competition by the Red fox has played a big part in the Arctic fox's habitat. With the warmer weather, the Red foxes are increasingly moving north into areas where they did not live before, including Finland, Russia, etc. They eat the same prey as the Arctic fox and they are both bigger and more aggressive than Arctic foxes. Red foxes have been known to attack their Arctic cousins. Even though the Red foxes do not kill the Arctic foxes, the Arctic fox mothers have been observed abandoning their young after a Red fox attack.

Another change from the warming temperatures is that the tundra habitat could turn into boreal forests which would make it harder for the Arctic fox to find food since trees provide new places for prey to live and hide. This could provide a significant challenge to the Arctic fox in being able to secure enough food for itself and it's family.

Finally there is the link to the Polar bear. If polar bear populations decline as expected due to climate change, the foxes could lose a main source of their food since they tend to scavenge on the remains of kills left behind by polar bears.


Only time will tell how these beautiful little creatures will adapt to climate change. It will be a hard challenge as with many other animals. Luckily, Arctic foxes are also prodigious breeders, sometimes producing as many as 25 cubs per litter. They mature quickly and reach breeding age in less than a year. If they can find enough food, hopefully they will be one of the more fortunate species to survive.

VIDEO

Diver Rescues Pregnant Whale Shark

A giant pregnant creature of the ocean was in distress after being entangled in a two-inch thick rope.

It's a rare species known as a whale shark, the largest fish in existence.

The rope must have been there for quite some time, because it cut deeply into her flesh. Barnacles actually began growing on it.

Fortunately, a fearless scuba diver was there to come to the whale shark's assistance. He used a dive knife to cut right through the rope.

The drama took place 250 miles off the coast of Mexico.

The sea beast seemed to know instinctively that the diver was there to help. Remarkably, she remained calm even as the rope was every-so-gently unwrapped around her.

Whale sharks have been around for 60 million years, but now there may be as few as 30,000 left in the wild.

The divers were on a vacation when they came across the stricken whale shark. After the rescue mission deemed a success, you can bet that was one appreciative expecting mom.(Source)


VIDEO Saving Wildlife, Whale Shark Caught In Rope Saved By Divers

Monday

Save the Spirit Bear Coast! A Tar Sands Pipeline and Oil Tanker Traffic Now Endanger Some of the World's Very Last Spirit Bears.

The Spirit Bear with it's cream colored coat lives in a primeval wilderness that once stretched from Canada to California. This beautiful land is filled with towering thousand-year-old trees and salmon-filled rivers. The coastal waters surrounding this land are home to orcas, humpbacks, fin whales and Steller sea lions.

The Native people who live here have also depended on this rich ecosystem for their way of life for thousands of years. If the Northern Gateway pipeline is built it would bring tar sands oil and supertankers into this unspoiled paradise. An oil spill could destroy the Spirit Bear Coast in a matter of days and would prove to be catastrophic for all those who live there.

Please take a minute to sign the petition below to tell British Columbia's Premier, Christy Clark, that the environmental risks outweigh the benefits of this pipeline, and to take a definitive stand against this disastrous project.

The Spirit Bear ~

The Kermode bear (Ursus americanus kermodei, pron. kerr-MO-dee), also known as a "Spirit Bear" (particularly to the Native tribes of British Columbia), is a subspecies of the American Black Bear living in the central and north coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is noted for about 1/10 of their population having white or cream-coloured coats. This color morph is due to recessive alleles common in the population. They are not albinos and not any more related to polar bears or the "blonde" brown bears of Alaska's "ABC Islands" than other members of their species.

National Geographic estimates the Spirit Bear population at 400-1000 individuals, saying that "the Spirit Bear may owe its survival to the protective traditions of the First Nations, who never hunted the animals or spoke of them to fur trappers".

Because of their spirit-like appearance, "Spirit Bears" hold a prominent place in the oral stories of the Canadian First Nations and American Indians of the area. Scientists have found that black bears are not as effective at catching fish as white bears, as the white bears are less visible from the perspective of the fish. While at night the two colors of bears have similar success rates at catching fish, such as salmon, during the day the white bears are 30% more effective.

The Kermode bear was named after Francis Kermode, former director of the Royal B.C. Museum, who researched the subspecies and a colleague of William Hornaday, the zoologist who described it. Source ~ Wikipedia


Call on Premier Clark to Block the Northern Gateway Tar Sands Pipeline


VIDEO Big Oil Threatens the Spirit Bear Coast

Camel escapes circus and runs amok in busy Los Angeles suburb

Pedestrians in Glendale, California were startled to find a camel roaming alongside them on one of the busy streets in the major Los Angeles suburb.

The camel, named Abdullah, is a member of the Ramos Brothers Circus, which had just set up shop in the area. It appears that having just arrived she hadn’t become familiar with her surroundings and took off after being startled by a dropped wrench.

The mischievous creature made it out more than a block, with circus crew furiously chasing after her, before being lured back home. Eyewitness accounts described what sounded like a comical and somewhat ludicrous series of events.

‘Literally, there were 10 people running after this camel,’ Diana Madison told KABC-TV in Los Angeles. ‘It was craziness on the street, I heard kids yelling and screaming.’

Video footage shows the camel running alongside a gas station and a semi-truck, as her handler sprints after her. At one point it looked as if she were heading into oncoming traffic, but was then redirected.

Eventually, Abdullah ended her mad dash after her handler managed to calm her down with a carrot. In the end, no one was hurt and the camel returned safely, ready for that evening's show.


Douglas Ramos, co-owner of the circus, had a good laugh about the whole event.

'People were surprised,' he said. 'It's not every day you see a camel running through the gas station.'

'You know, we do this every day,' he added. 'This time I guess she just wanted to go shopping or something, I don't know. Black Friday deals.'
Source
VIDEO

Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified ingredients anywhere within the country for the next ten years

In a massive blow to multinational agribiz corporations such as Monsanto, Bayer, and Dow, Peru has officially passed a law banning genetically modified ingredients anywhere within the country for a full decade before coming up for another review.

Peru’s Plenary Session of the Congress made the decision 3 years after the decree was written despite previous governmental pushes for GM legalization due largely to the pressure from farmers that together form the Parque de la Papa in Cusco, a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities.

They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the native species of Peru, such as the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the famous species of Peruvian potatoes. Anibal Huerta, President of Peru’s Agrarian Commission, said the ban was needed to prevent the ”danger that can arise from the use of biotechnology.”

While the ban will curb the planting and importation of GMOs in the country, a test conducted by the Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users (ASPEC) at the time of the ban’s implementation found that 77 percent of supermarket products tested contained GM contaminants.

”Research by ASPEC confirms something that Peruvians knew all along: GM foods are on the shelves of our markets and wineries, and consumers buy them and take them into their homes to eat without knowing it. Nobody tells us, no one says anything, which involves a clear violation of our right to information,” Cáceres told Gestión. GMOs are so prevalent in the Americas that it is virtually impossible to truly and completely block them, whether through pollination or being sneaked in as processed foods.

“There is an increasing consensus among consumers that they want safe, local, organic fresh food and that they want the environment and wildlife to be protected,” wrote Walter Pengue from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, in a recent statement concerning GMOs in South America. “South American countries must proceed with a broader evaluation of their original agricultural policies and practices using the precautionary principle.”

Note: This decree was signed into effect on April 15th 2011


Most vulnerable of the world’s big cats, cheetahs are also one of its shrewdest survivors. 
Photos - Video

This week, National Geographic magazine published extraordinary new images of wild Asiatic cheetahs in Iran. Shown cresting a barren, mountainous ridge devoid of green, Iran’s cheetahs could not be any more distant–geographically and ecologically–from their African counterparts pictured in the same article navigating tourist traffic-jams on Kenyan grasslands. And unlike Kenya’s spectacularly photogenic cheetahs, Iranian cats are virtually invisible.

Intensely shy, scattered like grains of sand over Iran’s vast central plateau, and hovering on the edge of extinction, they are essentially impossible to see.

That National Geographic was able to photograph these rarest of cheetahs is testament to 11 years of conservation work by the Iranian Department of Environment. In 2001, with support from the United Nations Development Programme, the DoE initiated a comprehensive long-term program to pull the cheetah back from the extinction cliff.

The ambitious “Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project” (CACP) designated five landscapes as specially protected cheetah reserves and provided the resources to make them safe havens–dozens of dedicated cheetah guards, new vehicles, motorbikes and other materiel. Alongside the necessity of vigorous protection, the CACP mounted a nationwide campaign to draw attention to the cheetah’s plight. Back then, most Iranians had no idea they were the custodians of the last Asiatic cheetahs on earth. By the time of my(Luke Hunter) first visit to Iran in 2004, that had already changed.

When buying supplies in a roadside store in a tiny, remote desert town, I (Luke Hunter) saw a CACP poster pinned behind the counter showing Marita, then the only Asiatic cheetah in captivity (Marita died in 2003: Koshki, shown on page 115 of the magazine, is one of two captive Asiatic cheetahs in the world today). The ancient shopkeeper proudly told me his village was in the heart of yuz palang country and that only Iran has the cheetahs; he was correct on both counts.


The surveys corroborate what Iranian biologists have long suspected: There are fewer than 100 Asiatic cheetahs left on Earth.

The CACP also initiated the first scientific surveys of cheetahs. Assisted by the Wildlife Conservation Society and later my organization Panthera (both groups still cooperate with the Department of Environment in conserving the cheetah), the CACP began camera-trapping. Camera-traps–remote triggered cameras that silently capture images of anything passing by–were unknown in Iran prior to the CACP. Today, the project has completed 24 massive surveys logging almost 34,000 camera-trap nights (10 individual camera-traps running for one night equals 10 trap-nights).


From the original five core areas known to harbor cheetahs, they have been confirmed from a further 10 sites in the country. Evidence of residency and breeding including terrific pictures of young cubs, is now confirmed from 10 of the 15. Incredibly, even though this herculean effort has produced tens of thousands of images of wildlife, cheetahs have been photographed on fewer than 400 occasions in more than a decade. The surveys corroborate what Iranian biologists have long suspected–there are fewer than 100 Asiatic cheetahs left on Earth.

Formidable Challenge

It was these incredibly long odds that faced Geographic photographer Frans Lanting when he hit the ground in April 2011. I accompanied Frans on this first expedition to help find promising sites for his high-end version of the camera-trap–digital SLRs linked to multiple flashes and inch-wide sensor beams positioned with blow-torch precision to trigger the shot. Everything hinged on being able to anticipate where the cheetahs would move.


 It was a formidable challenge given the arid enormity of their desert habitat where identifying cheetah-friendly locations felt like looking for pennies on a sandy beach. Not only that, Iranian cheetahs live at the lowest density recorded anywhere for the species, one to two cats per 1,000 square kilometers; the same-size area on East African plains can hold 100 cheetahs. So, even if we found a site with promise–a freshwater spring, scent-marking tree or natural trail–it might be months before a cheetah happened along.

Fortunately for us, the expedition had more expertise than my semi-educated guesses. From their years of surveying, the CACP scientists as well as biologists from the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation and the Iranian Cheetah Society had built up a very detailed picture of how cheetahs move through the forbidding landscape. Iranian field knowledge was the reason the mission had any chance at all.

Guided by their know-how, our desert trip became a whirlwind “greatest hits” tour of good cheetah sites, the best of which Frans was able to select for his cameras. Combining exquisite Iranian field knowledge with Frans’ technical wizardry and perfect composition, the resulting images are a spectacular first.

Iranian field knowledge was the reason the mission had any chance at all.

My hope is that National Geographic’s wonderful photographs bring the predicament of this critically endangered cat to a new audience who, like most Iranians a decade ago, had never heard of the cheetah’s existence in the country.

I also hope the photos celebrate the dedication of the Iranian Department of Environment, the CACP staff and Iran’s energetic NGO community to conserving the cheetahs. Here in the West, we are rarely given such a positive glimpse into Iran without the over-heated rhetoric of politics. As the only country on Earth that has managed to keep this remarkable cat alive, Iran deserves to be congratulated.

Rescued as a cub from the hands of a poacher, five-year-old Koshki grew up in a reserve in northeast Iran. He’s one of only two Asiatic cheetahs living in captivity. A thick tuft of fur on his shoulders, needed for bitter winters on the high steppes of central Iran, sets him apart from African cheetahs.

SOURCE: Narrated by Luke Hunter For National Geographic

VIDEO Cheetahs on the Edge--Director's Cut
Cheetahs on the Edge--Director's Cut from Gregory Wilson on Vimeo.

Army strengthens ties with Native American tribes

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 15, 2012) -- As Soldiers and all Americans celebrate Native American Heritage Month, the Army has consulted with leaders of federally recognized tribes to provide new policy for Army-tribal relations.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh signed a new policy for the Army, setting that work into motion. The "American Indian and Alaska Native Policy" was signed Oct. 24. The Army's intent, according to the policy is to "build stable and enduring government-to-government relations with federally recognized tribes in a manner that sustains the Army mission and minimizes effects on protected tribal resources."

It continues: "The Army will communicate with federally recognized tribes on a government-to-government basis in recognition of their sovereignty."

"The policy establishes Army-wide guidance for Soldiers at all levels, as well as Army civilians, on communicating with and understanding the concerns of tribes, including their rights, lands and resources," said Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy & Environment.

Hammack, whose office has been working with McHugh to draft and implement the policy, is scheduled to speak in a policy-signing ceremony at the Pentagon, Nov. 28, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Guests will include Les Lobaugh, a Navajo attorney, whose work included drafting the Endangered Species Act, followed by the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, which in turn led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Also attending and performing will be Joanne Shenandoah, Ph.D., an Iroquois vocalist and Grammy Award winner.

The Secretary of the Army has now established the Department of the Army's first-ever formal policy specifically addressing Army interaction with federally recognized Indian tribes, according to David Guldenzopf, Ph.D., Hammack's director for Environmental Quality and Native American Policy. "The next step is to prepare official Army guidance for the policy that will provide installations operational details on how to execute the policy."

Native American Heritage Month -Richard Greybull performs the Veterans Dance, a dance that Native Americans use to honor their veterans, at the Fort Rucker, Ala., Native American Heritage Month kickoff event Nov. 2, 2012, at the post exchange.


Guldenzopf said talks with tribal leaders will occur to establish specifics for the guidance and it will be published by November 2013.

This is very significant, he said, because the Army has almost 15 million acres of land on which there are a number of Native-American Heritage Sites with archaeological as well as sacred significance. Medicine Bluff, located on Fort Sill, Okla., is one example.

A number of federal laws already require the Army to consult with tribes and provide them with access to sites, he said. "What was lacking before was an overarching policy that institutionalizes these policy principles."

He added, "The Army wants to be good stewards of these sites, as well as with the rest of the environment."
SOURCE

Native American Heritage Month -In Arlington, Va., Jason Warwick with the Piscataway Indian Nation Singers and Dancers, dances at a performance for Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall's National Native American Heritage Month celebration in the Community Center, Nov. 7, 2012.

RAJA AMPAT, Indonesia —They’ve been described by one scientist as “pandas of the ocean.”

“They’re such an iconic species, beloved by divers,” said Andrea Marshall, director of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, who came up with the description during an interview with NBC News. “They’re just amazing.”

Unlikely as it might seem, the panda and the manta ray have a lot in common.

Just as scientists still haven’t been able to confirm the number of pandas in the wild, they also have no idea how many manta rays exist.

“Globally we don’t know how many manta rays there are,” said Guy Stevens, director of the U.K.-based Manta Trust, whose research is largely based around manta populations in the Maldives.

But -- again, like the panda -- scientists think it’s a small population.

“If they’re lucky, (manta rays) have two pups (over several years). That’s a very low reproductive rate, especially compared to your average fish,” said Dr. Heidi Dewar, a biologist at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, part of NOAA.

Anecdotal evidence suggests mantas are under threat, and China may be a major reason for it.

Manta rays are vulnerable on two fronts: as bycatch — getting caught in industrial fishing nets targeting different types of tuna — and, increasingly, because of traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM.


Manta rays are harvested for their gill rakers, which allow the fish to filter food from water. Some Chinese believe they have healing properties or are good at cleaning out toxins. One Chinese-language website claims gill rakers enhance the immune system, promote blood circulation and aid in the treatment of cancer, skin disease and infertility.

“It’s just cartilage,” said Dewar, echoing skepticism expressed by many scientists.

Medicinal fad?

Conservationists say manta rays aren’t even considered “traditional” medicine and argue no reference to the animal can be found in TCM books dating back a century. But with rising incomes that enable Chinese consumers to readily adopt medicinal fads, the impact on manta rays has accelerated over the past 10 to 15 years.


“A lot of it is completely unrecorded,” said Stevens, who worked on a project founded by Shark Savers and WildAid to document the scope of gill-raker harvesting.

Researchers looked at the location, value and species involved. “It does seem the majority of all of those gills that are being traded are ending up in China,” Stevens said.

The conclusion, published in a report called Manta Ray of Hope, found that roughly 3,400 manta rays and 94,000 mobulas (related to the manta ray family) are caught each year, but the numbers reflect only reported catches. “Unreported and subsistence fisheries will mean true landings are much higher,” the report said.

Visits to random TCM shops in Beijing and Shanghai turned up no gill rakers. In fact, a veteran pharmacist at Tongrentang, a long-established purveyor of traditional Chinese and herbal medicines, said she had never heard of manta rays being used this way.


But the Manta Ray of Hope report estimates a mature ocean manta could yield up to 15 pounds of dried gills that can bring in as much as $230 a pound in a market in China.

Marshall said she has noticed an uptick in manta fishing. “I’ve been (in Mozambique) in the last decade … and we’ve seen an 87 percent decline in the population because of the fishing.”

Unlike many shippers, Chinese merchants who transport cheap products from the mainland for export to Africa “want to fill [their unloaded cargo vessels] with resources wherever they go. In Africa, they fill it up with wood, fish or shark’s fin,” she said. “They’ll go out to the local fisheries along the coastline and scout for these products.”

The scientist has spoken to members of local communities, who say the Chinese offer “new nets, new lines, new hooks. (The Chinese traders) say to them, ‘If you get the sharks or the mantas or the turtles, you get all the meat. You can keep all the meat. You just sell us the things you don’t normally eat.'”


Protecting a ‘threatened’ species 

Mantas were listed last year as “threatened” under the international Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has classified the manta ray as “vulnerable” to extinction.

Chinese scientists have also weighed in.

“In the last two years, we have conducted evaluations of the manta ray and submitted a recommendation to the government to list it as a protected species,” said Professor Wang Yanmin from Shandong University’s Marine College.

“There is no regulation for protecting the manta ray so sales of mantas are not illegal,” said Feng Yongfeng, founder of Green Beagle, a group that promotes environmental protection.

Groups like Manta Trust are focusing on getting manta rays listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). But scientists have their work cut out for them.


“It’s very difficult to get listed on CITES. They ask for a lot of detail that is difficult to pin down,” said Marshall. “Maybe in the terrestrial world, biologists can provide those kinds of details. When you’re talking about the megafauna [or large marine species] world, it’s very difficult.”

Marshall – who discovered a second type of manta ray in 2008 and is in the process of identifying a third -- acknowledges little is known about them.

Manta births a mystery 

Vexing questions include the manta’s life span, details of their reproductive ecology and migratory patterns.

“I could wrap my life up in 20 minutes if I could talk to them,” she joked. “It has been driving me insane for the last ten years because I haven’t been able to figure out where they give birth. It’s 2012 and nobody has ever seen a manta give birth in the wild.”

And research is painstaking. For one, concentrations of the animal tend to be around far-flung islands. Stevens of Manta Trust cited the costs of tracking mantas and the difficulty in locating and knowing how to study them.


With technological improvements, however, scientists are gaining some ground. Satellite tags are one way to help the research. “What do they do when we can’t observe them? I’d love to follow an animal to find out how they spend their time,” said Stevens. “The tagging gives you small glimpses of them.”

Two dive instructors at the Misool Eco Resort and Conservation Center in Raja Ampat have uncovered a revenue stream to offset research costs: tourism.

“One manta ray can raise $1 million (U.S. dollars) in tourism income over its lifetime,” said Rebecca Pilkington-Vincett, citing a figure contained in the Manta Ray of Hope report.

With the blessing of the resort, Pilkington-Vincett and Calvin Beale launched a research project off the surrounding reefs.

Last season, the duo raised $32,000 from donations by recreational divers who accompanied them on dives to gather DNA samples and tag the mantas.

With the money, they have bought three satellite tags and collected numerous DNA samples. They are sending off the data to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for analysis by a graduate student.

With online databases such as the Manta Research Project, where some of Pilkington-Vincett and Beale’s data are logged, or the Manta Matcher, developed by Marshall and operating much “like the FBI fingerprint online database,” research on the manta ray has become rooted in a global exchange among scientists and amateurs alike.

Until its secrets are fully revealed, the manta’s mystique seems guaranteed.

“I think it’s fascinating,” said Dewar of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, “that there is such a large and amazing creature that has so many mysteries attached to it.”

Additional research by Le Li, Johanna Armstrong and Yanzhou Liu.
SOURCE

VIDEO Manta rays are abundant in the waters around Raja Ampat, eastern Indonesia.
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Sunday

“I dance to give thanks to Great Grandfather for giving us wonderful things–songs and dances, animals, birds, creatures, and insects; trees and plants and all human beings,” says Fabian Fontenelle, a powwow dancer of Zuni descent.

They hit upon the idea of photographing an American Indian, a descendant of the first people to call the state of Washington home. This led them to a powwow at a rural school–and a decades-long passion that has taken the Marras to powwows across North America.

In their latest book, “Faces From the Land: Twenty Years of Powwow Tradition” (Harry N. Abrams, Inc; $30; April 2009), Ben and Linda Marra have assembled scores of vibrant portraits of dancers in ethnic costumes old and new, each one accompanied by a personal narrative. The common theme in both pictures and words is palpable pride in a sacred heritage that thrives.

“Sometimes when I dance, I feel they are watching me,” says Alden Pompana, Jr., Many Eagle Feathers Boy, of his grandparents. The Dakota Sioux dancer was initiated at the age of five into powwows by his father and grandfather.

“We had no idea what to expect at a powwow,” Ben and Linda write in their book. “The stunning color and detail of the elaborate dance regalia amazed us–particularly when we learned that the designs, bustles and beadwork were usually created by the dancers and family members.”


Photo by Ben Marra
 
Photo by Ben Marra

“I am Niimiipuu, the people also known as Nez Perce,” says Angel McFarland-Sobotta. “As a University of Washington graduate I now coordinate the Nez Perce language program.”

“On the Great Plains our major musical road is traditionally expressed by a community ceremony called a powwow,” writes George P. Horse Capture in the foreword of “Faces From the Land.”

Photo by Ben Marra

The senior counselor to the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. adds that it is said that the original Narragansett word for powwow meant “medicine man.” Since then it has undergone many intepretations and means much more than today.

“To more deeply understand the dance one must understand the culture,” he writes. “Long ago there was no formal police department to protect society. Protection had to be provided by the Indian societies themselves. So the tribes developed a warrior class, whose main duties were to protect the tribe.

“When successful they were honored by their communities, reenacting their exploits accompanied by society songs while bedecked in special attire.

Photo by Ben Marra

“This spiritual ceremony quickly spread from the Omaha tribe to the Sioux and beyond, and evolved into the powwow.”

Although Ben Marra shoots action-oriented dance scenes, the couple considers these portraits their signature work. Both the dancing photos and the portraits are published in annual calendars which help raise powwow awareness and raise funds for Native American youth groups.

As the Marras toured the powwow circuit they became aware of “this country’s appalling treatment of American Indians,” they write. “The shameful events of Wounded Knee, the Battle of the Big Hole, the Sand Creek Massacre, and the Long Walk of the Navajos, to name merely a few.”


Yet at powwows, the Marras note, “despite history’s deplorable treatment of Indians, we observed American flag motifs incorporated into dance regalia and watched as the Native spectactors respectfully stood during Grand Entry while soldiers and veterans were honored for their service in the U.S. military.”

I have learned pride, generosity, humility, and respect from my people,” says Travis Bear Ike, of the Umonhon and Ho-Chunk people in Omaha. “These and other ways are the things that I carry when I dance in the Sacred Circle.”


Nothing compares with the impact of being a part of the Grand Entry of a powwow,” writes George P. Horse Capture in the foreword of “Faces From the Land.” Tracing the resurgence of Indian culture in North America and the return of Native American pride, he says: “This book is a good reason to celebrate the changing times.”


“The outfit I wear was given to me by my father,” says Ardell Scalplock, a Siksika powwow dancer. “My dad and I traveled to many powwows and he always taught me to have a kind word for everyone we meet. I’ve tried my best to make my dad proud, and I hope his legacy will always be carried on through me and my children.” 
 SOURCE


Photo by Ben Marra

What It’s Like to Visit the Last Untouched Gray Whale Sanctuary on Earth 

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to visit Laguna San Ignacio in Baja, Mexico. This is the only lagoon of its kind left in the world — where mother gray whales travel thousands of miles from Alaska each year, encountering many risks along the way, to give birth to their babies without human disturbance.

From the moment our boat left the shore on our first day in this magical place, I could see immediately how safe the whales felt in the tranquil waters of the lagoon. We were told that, unlike many other animal species, the mothers and babies love to be touched—and they did! Several times they came right up to our boat and we were able to reach out and pet them. It was absolutely incredible.

If you can believe it, not long ago, the future of this extraordinary refuge was in jeopardy. In 2000, NRDC stopped Mitsubishi from building a saltworks plant that would have turned the shores of the lagoon into an industrial wasteland. But still today, the lagoon is perennially threatened by schemes for industrialization and development that would destroy the whale’s home.

NRDC is working with local and international partners to permanently protect 500,000 acres around the lagoon to ensure that it will be kept pristine for the gray whales. To date, we’ve protected 150,000 key acres on the west side of the lagoon and gained protections for another 109,000 acres of federal lands on the eastern side. And just recently, the Mexican government has granted special protection to an additional 199,000 acres of land surrounding the lagoon.

One way you can help this holiday season is to give the whale lovers in your life the Whale Nursery gift from NRDC’s Green Gifts Collection. Your gift will help save an acre of this untouched sanctuary in honor of a loved one.

This lagoon is a unique place. We need to help save it — for ourselves and for the whales.
Source


VIDEO Pierce Brosnan on Behalf of the Gray Whale Nursery

Bald Eagle rescued from animal trap

 Long-time hunter Jim Ransom and a friend were out scouting deer on Thanksgiving afternoon when they came across a rare sight.

“My buddy and I both grabbed our cell phones to get a picture of it,” Ransom said. “Yeah, you don't see them all the time.”

It was majestic: a bald eagle in the brush along Interstate 93.

“But we ended up having to help it,” Ransom said.

The bird was in trouble. It had stopped to feast on a beaver carcass when its talon got caught in a trap. The trap was legally set by another local hunter, most likely to catch coyotes or foxes, and chances are, the eagle hadn't been in it very long.

“When they were walking, they might have disturbed the eagle,” said New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officer Chris Brison. “The eagle might have ended up going into this particular foothold trap, which is not designed to hold birds at all.”

Ransom and his friend called Salem Police. Sergeant Mike Wagner arrived, and together, the men covered the eagle in a blanket, released its talon from the trap, and before they could check to see if it was injured, “it just flew off and it circled and [it was] gone,” Ransom said.


“I had a good feeling that he was going to be fine,” Wagner said. “Especially when I saw him fly away.”

Bald eagles are a federally-protected threatened species and our national bird. Of all days to rescue one, “this is certainly a Thanksgiving I will never forget,” Wagner said. “I will remember this one for a long time to come.”

Ransom doesn’t think he’ll ever see anything like it again: “I doubt I'll ever touch one again. It was awesome, for sure.”
SOURCE
VIDEO


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