All eyes are on the southern US states, most of all, on Texas. A powerful winter storm has brought everything to a standstill this week, leaving millions without power, and has claimed the lives of at least 21 people in the area. But this dark and frigid time is also a time of bravery and compassion.

Texans are bringing their pets, farm animals, and wild animals inside their homes to protect them from the icy cold and to keep them warm. They're also rushing to save sea turtles. If this isn’t proof that our true humanity shines through in the toughest times, I don’t know what is.

Near Houston, more than a dozen dogs were rescued from the freezing cold, with the remains of at least one found in the snow. Shelters in Austin and the Texas Panhandle pleaded with the public for generators and scrambled to defrost wells. At a primate sanctuary in San Antonio, monkeys, lemurs and at least one chimpanzee froze to death after electricity went out at the 70-acre facility.

“I never, ever thought my office would turn into a morgue, but it has,” Brooke Chavez, the director of Primarily Primates, told the San Antonio Express-News. “We won’t truly know how many animals have died until the temperatures rise and the snow starts to melt.”

The same is true of conditions on South Padre Island, where conservationists told The Post it often takes days for them to determine how many turtles have been able to survive as the reptiles slowly regain warmth.

Sanjuana Zavala, a spokeswoman for Sea Turtle, Inc., said green sea turtles live year-round in the Laguna Madre, a salty lagoon sandwiched between the mainland and barrier islands on Texas’s Gulf Coast.

The turtles, sometimes called the “lawn mowers of the ocean,” thrive off the area’s thick, underwater vegetation and keep the ecosystem balanced. But when water temperatures drop below about 50 degrees Fahrenheit — a rarity in South Padre Island — the chill can cause them to become “cold stunned.”

A turtle’s heart rate lowers, its flippers become paralyzed and its body will float comatose above the water, sometimes washing ashore, Zavala said. This state of hypothermic shock can put them at risk of predators, boats and even drowning.

In a normal year, volunteers with Sea Turtle, Inc. might rescue anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred cold-stunned turtles, warming them inside the group’s rescue center. Yet before the weekend was up, they already appeared to be filling up their own space to the brim.

“We knew this was not a regular cold stun,” she said, “and we knew we had to do something.”

The turtle rescue put out a call for help, and soon, much of the island was involved in an all-hands-on-deck effort to transport turtles to an overflow facility at the South Padre Island Convention Centre, where generators and good insulation could keep the animals warm.

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My mom is retired, & she spends her winters volunteering at a sea turtle rescue center in south Texas. The cold snap is stunning the local turtles & they’re doing a lot of rescues. She sent me this photo today of the back of her Subaru. It’s *literally* turtles all the way down. pic.twitter.com/xaDRNjLDoQ

— Lara (@lara_hand) February 15, 2021

Mink farming will also be outlawed the French environment minister announced

France's environment minister has announced a gradual ban on using wild animals in traveling circuses, on keeping dolphins and killer whales in captivity in marine parks and on raising mink on fur farms.

Barbara Pompili, France's minister of ecological transition, said in a news conference Tuesday that bears, tigers, lions, elephants and other wild animals won't be allowed any more in travelling circuses "in the coming years. " In addition, starting immediately, France's three marine parks won't be able to bring in nor breed dolphins and killer whales any more, she said.

 "It is time to open a new era in our relationship with these (wild) animals," she said, arguing that animal welfare is a priority. Ms Pompili said the measures will also bring an end to mink farming, where animals are raised for their fur, within the next five years.

The ban does not apply to wild animals in other permanent shows and in zoos. Ms Pompili did not set any precise date for the ban in travelling circuses, saying the process should start "as soon as possible." She promised solutions will be found for each animal "on a case-by-case basis.

" The French government will implement an 8 million-euro ($9.2 million) package to help people working in circuses and marine parks find other jobs. "That transition will be spread over several years, because it will change the lives of many people," she said.
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The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has released some of the best images of animals in funny poses submitted for this year’s competition.

The annual contest highlighting hilarious photos of animals in the wild, now in its sixth year, is free to enter and aims to raise awareness about wildlife conservation.

For amateur and professional photographers, the contest — open for entries until June 30 — selects an overall winner and finalists for different categories from thousands of candid photos of animals in the wild.

They appear to be caught in comic, compromising situations, or making dramatic or silly faces when a photographer, at the right place, at the right time, was able to capture the humorous moment.

Every year, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards highlight the funniest photos of animals taken in the wild. Talented photographers from around the world manage to capture moments where animals seem to be experiencing very human emotions or dilemmas.

Founders Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks started the contest to raise awareness about wildlife conservation. They hope the pictures encourage people to shop responsibly, be mindful of their water use, and speak out about environmental issues — in addition to making people laugh.

Wildlife in the Yosemite National Park appears to be thriving and surviving while folks stay in their homes during California's shelter-in-place order.

The Facebook page for the national park posted a heartwarming video showing bears, deer and other wild animals out and about.

The park said in their post: 'April kicked off with one last snowstorm, and since then spring has really been taking off!

'Waterfalls are picking up, the Merced River is flowing faster, meadows are green and full of birdsong, and animals are active, taking advantage of all the new food sources that are starting to appear.

Yosemite Park shared that they were even seeing a blooming of dogwood flowers, but noted that 'most are still just starting to bud.'

The just over four minutes video shows deer grazing in the grass and a bear dart across a deserted road. Another clip in the video shows a bear enjoying an empty campsite.


Squirrels frolic among a fallen log as even more deer enjoy the unusually calm environment.

Even wildcats make an appearance on the deserted campsite, snooping around a tree.

The weather remained clear and beautiful throughout the entire footage.


Yosemite, whose striking features like Half-Dome draws about 4 million visitors a year, closed indefinitely on March 19 at the request of local health officials to all people except park employees, concessionaires and residents with homes inside the park's boundaries.

As more countries ask their human populations to stay at home to limit the spread of coronavirus, wild animals have been spotted exploring the empty streets of some of the world's largest urban areas.

Film footage of a civet cat roaming the deserted streets of Kozhikode in the Indian State of Kerala went viral on social media, while a puma turned up in the centre of the Chilean capital Santiago, a city which is under curfew.

"This is the habitat they once had and that we've taken away from them," said Marcelo Giagnoni, the head of Chile's agricultural and livestock service.

Recent lockdown of many countries like Italy, France, Germany, China and India provided a chance to Mother Nature to revive and replenish itself from human destruction. Pollution levels are lowering and flora and fauna is flourishing.

Not only the lockdown helped the wildlife to come out in human habitation, but it also registered an impact on the air quality. Many cities in the country have reported an improvement in the air quality which usually remains poor in the normal due to heavy vehicular traffic and pollution.

Wildlife is reclaiming back its space from us due to absconding humans from cities to prevent the transmission of respiratory infection through social contact.


Here are some examples of animals taking over cities amidst mandatory Coronavirus lockdown:

Now it’s turn of the Malabar large spotted civet on the road👍🏻Critically endangered with fewer than 250 matured individuals. Endemic to western ghats, not seen since 1990 surfaced at Kozhikode( sometimes known by its anglicised version, Calicut) during present lockdown. pic.twitter.com/aDvsx9QEGC

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) March 26, 2020

Nilgaai or Blue Bull was spotted on the once busy roads of Noida, outside a famous shopping mall. This took locals on Twitter by surprise as it was a rare scene to enjoy.

This is from Sector 38 Noida. The Nilgai( Blue Bull) must be thanking the Pandemic. pic.twitter.com/aAy7x5C0Gc

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) March 27, 2020

Realizan operativo para capturar #puma suelto que se avistó en las calles de Providencia y Ñuñoa.
Revisa la nota completa https://t.co/vn3RdAbgeF pic.twitter.com/m2mxOhsDOY

— La Tercera Video (@LaTerceraTV) March 24, 2020

A group of Kashmiri mountain goats has been roaming the seaside town of Llandudno during the #coronavirus lockdown.

Get the latest here: https://t.co/fVrUg3WZ60 pic.twitter.com/pJCOnyCchj

— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 1, 2020

The Chinese wildlife trade is mired in long-held beliefs about the benefits of eating exotic and often endangered animals for good health. But the reality stands in stark contrast.

The markets in China where live wild animals, including endangered species like pangolins, are bought and sold have often acted as petri dishes for the germination and spread of deadly diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the deadly bird flu, with each outbreak claiming hundreds of human victims.

Now, once again, China’s wildlife markets have spawned another global public health crisis with the deadly coronavirus, a pneumonia-like illness that has so far claimed nearly 80 human lives and sickened at least 2,700 more, providing more evidence than ever why the country needs to shut down its wildlife markets for good.

The threat has spread to several other nations outside China, including the United States, where five cases of the illness have been confirmed.

Reports coming out of China describe a nation in panic, its people angry over the government’s failure to act decisively to address the public health dimensions of the crisis. But it has also generated criticisms of the nation’s guarded efforts to end the wildlife trade despite the many deadly precedents of past scares.

“Chinese society is boiling with anger at wildlife policy failures,” says Humane Society International’s China policy specialist, Peter Li. “Social media is full of posts condemning the refusal to shut down the wildlife markets. This is the worst Chinese New Year in China’s recent history.”


Nearly two weeks after the world heard of this new coronavirus, China took a decisive step by announcing a temporary ban on all wildlife markets, as well as wildlife transport and online wildlife trade, in the interests of its citizens’ health and safety, and in the interests of safeguarding public health worldwide. According to the Washington Post, in a commentary published Friday, state China Central Television condemned the consumption of wild animals and called the new coronavirus a “game meat virus.” It also took to task those “who love to eat, poach, and trade wild animals.”

But censure and temporary bans are not enough; China needs to act firmly to end all wildlife markets for good, in the interests of its citizens’ health and safety, and in the interests of safeguarding public health worldwide. Part of this involves educating people about the dangers of consuming wild animals.


China needs to act firmly to end all wildlife markets for good, in the interests of its citizens’ health and safety, and in the interests of safeguarding public health worldwide.

The virus is said to have originated at the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market in the city of Wuhan, where vendors were selling animals, including live cats and dogs, turtles, snakes, rats, hedgehogs and marmots. Menus and signboards posted online also listed foxes, wolf cubs, monkeys and masked palm civets, among other animals. These wildlife markets are filthy, crowded places where animals are displayed alive in small cages. Once purchased, they are often slaughtered on site, creating not just a human health hazard but also an animal welfare nightmare.


Many of the animals traded and killed at the markets are threatened with extinction. In fact, global wildlife experts say trade in live wild animals is one of the biggest threats to the survival of several species. And while China may be in the news right now, such trade is not limited to one country—it happens globally, and even right here, in the United States, where diseases like salmonellosis, food poisoning caused by bacteria, have spread to humans from pet reptiles.


The last time China made an effort to close down its wildlife markets was after the SARS outbreak some 17 years ago in 2003, although that effort ceased about six months later. HSI is supportive of the Chinese government making the wildlife trade ban a permanent policy. China has shown great resolve in recent years in ending the unnecessary exploitation of wildlife, most notably by cracking down on the ivory trade. We hope that this latest outbreak, and the havoc it has caused, will inspire the government to act just as decisively to end the country’s wildlife markets. For the people of China, and the world, an ounce of prevention, in this case, would certainly be worth much more than a pound of cure.
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Wildlife poachers in Kenya will face the death penalty, the country’s tourism and wildlife minister has reportedly announced.

Najib Balala warned the tough new measure would be fast-tracked into law.

Existing deterrents against killing wild animals in the east African nation are insufficient, Mr Balala said, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.

So in an effort to conserve Kenya’s wildlife populations, poachers will reportedly face capital punishment once the new law is passed. Kenya is home to a wide variety of treasured species in national parks and reserves, including lions, black rhinos, ostriches, hippos, buffalos, giraffe and zebra.

Last year in the country 69 elephants – out of a population of 34,000 - and nine rhinos – from a population of under 1,000 - were killed.

“We have in place the Wildlife Conservation Act that was enacted in 2013 and which fetches offenders a life sentence or a fine of US$200,000,” Mr Balala reportedly said. “However, this has not been deterrence enough to curb poaching, hence the proposed stiffer sentence."


The move could put Kenya in conflict with the UN, which opposes the death penalty for all crimes worldwide.

UN General Assembly resolutions have called for a phasing-out of capital punishment, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights advocates its universal abolition. Kenya’s tourism chiefs say poaching has been on a downward trend largely thanks to enhanced wildlife law-enforcement efforts and investment in conservation.

“These efforts led to an 85 per cent reduction in rhino poaching and a 78 per cent reduction in elephant poaching, respectively, in 2017 compared to when poaching was at its peak in 2013 and 2012 respectively,” the ministry said.

Nevertheless, earlier this month two black rhinos and a calf were poached at Meru national park.


And the losses are still extremely high, virtually cancelling out the overall population’s growth rate, according to the Save the Rhino organisation. The charity points out many other African nations also suffer high rates of poaching.

The report of plans for capital punishment prompted sharply diverging reactions, with some social-media users applauding Kenya and calling it “fantastic news”, and others insisting it should never happen.

Some said authorities should go after kingpin traffickers rather than the “smallest animals in the criminal food chain”.

For years, many people angry at high levels of poaching, linked with lucrative organised crime, have called for the death sentence as a deterrent.

Gangs sell elephant tusks for ivory in the far East, where it is turned into trinkets; rhino horn is believed by some wealthy buyers there to serve as a medicine – even though it is made of keratin, the same substance as human fingernails, so has no health-giving properties.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, reposted the Xinhua report, saying “#SeriousAboutWildlifeCrime”.

Richard Vigne, head of Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy that was home to Sudan, the world’s last male northern rhino which was put down in March, said the animal would be remembered for ever as a signal to the world. While Kenya was a global leader in conservation, there arestill many species across the planet that faced a similar plight, he said.

Crocodiles are thought to have eaten a South African hunter after human remains were found inside two animals.

Scott van Zyl disappeared last week after he went on a hunting safari in Zimbabwe. Accompanied by a pack of dogs and a Zimbabwean tracker, the professional hunter who organises trips for foreign clients is thought to have been eaten by crocodiles on the bank of the Limpopo River.

It is believed Mr van Zyl and his tracker left their truck and walked in different directions into the bush. The dogs later returned to the camp without Mr van Zyl, whose belongings were found inside the vehicle. Rescue teams were sent to search for the hunter and helicopters, trackers and divers all scoured the region.

His tracks were later spotted leading to the banks of the river and his backpack was located nearby. Sakkie Louwrens, a member of one of the search teams, said police suspected two Nile crocodiles may have eaten Mr Van Zyl.

“We found what could possibly be human remains in them,” he told The Telegraph. Forensic experts are currently testing whether the remains belong to Mr van Zyl.

The SS Pro Safaris website, owned by Mr van Zyl, states the company "has conducted numerous safaris" throughout Southern Africa. These include "elephants in Botswana to the smallest blue duiker in KwaZulu Natal".


It goes on to list buffalo, rhino, lions, leopards and antelopes as targets for hunts. There have been previous incidents in southern Zimbabwe of people being killed by crocodiles.
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The Irish government is to ban the use of wild animals in circuses from next year, with a new regulation that will come into effect on 1 January 2018.

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said the ban reflected a "commitment to animal welfare". "The use of wild animals for entertainment purposes in circuses can no longer be permitted," he said.

"This is the general view of the public at large and a position I am happy to endorse."

A statement from his department said the minister acknowledged that circus owners and operators may have "regrets" about the ban.

But it added that the ability of a travelling circus to "provide fully for all the needs of animals such as camels or tigers is no longer a tenable proposition". 'Outdated and abnormal'

The ban has been welcomed by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA), which had collected more than 27,600 signatures in support for a change in the law.


"Travelling circuses cannot and will never be able provide a suitable environment for wild animals such as elephants, tigers and lions which have complex physical and psychological welfare needs," said the ISPCA's chief executive, Dr Andrew Kelly.

"Coercing wild animals into doing tricks, which are actually abnormal behaviours for these animals, for human entertainment is outdated and it is right that it is being consigned to the history books where it belongs."


The Scottish government is in the process of introducing similar legislation, which if passed, will be the first of its kind in the UK. The Association of Circus Proprietors warned MSPs that the proposed law could "eventually close your zoos".

However, the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Bill passed its first stage through parliament last month. In 2014, Northern Ireland's then Agriculture Minister, Sinn Féin Michelle O'Neill, told the Stormont Assembly that there were no circuses based north of the Irish border, but there were some that travelled from "the 26 counties".

"It is important that we work together to agree a protocol, and have a clear protocol in place," Mrs O'Neill said at the time. On Thursday, the Irish minister said he was allowing "a modest lead in period" to allow circus staff for make alternative arrangements for their existing wild animals.


"While the retirement of the small numbers of wild animals in Irish circuses might seem like a loss. I am confident that this move will do more to secure the future of the circus community.

"Coming in line with modern welfare standards will mean that greater numbers of the public will be more comfortable with going to the circus."

The regulation was signed by Mr Creed on Thursday, under the provisions of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. The 2013 act was a major piece of legislation that replaced laws spanning more then a century, including the pre-partition 1911 Protection of Animals Act.
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Wildlife Services suspended for at least six years its practice of gunning down coyotes from helicopters and airplanes, and using traps to kill creatures in wilderness areas in 16 Northern California counties.

The U.S. government will suspend the use of so-called cyanide bombs to kill wild animals on public lands in Colorado as well as plans to kill dozens of mountain lions and black bears there, federal officials and conservationists said on Monday.

The legal agreement was struck between Wildlife Services, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture charged with killing so-called nuisance animals like coyotes, and conservation groups.

The deal was the second of its kind in less than a week and came as controversy mounted about the agency's use of M-44s, which critics term "cyanide bombs." The spring-loaded devices emit sodium cyanide and are blamed for accidentally killing pet dogs in Idaho, Wyoming and elsewhere.

Colleen Adkins, attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said on Monday the aim of lawsuits filed by activists in western U.S. states against Wildlife Services was "to combat cruel treatment of wildlife."

A spokeswoman for Wildlife Services did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.


The Colorado agreement stems from a lawsuit filed in April in U.S. District Court in Denver by the Center for Biological Diversity and others. The groups alleged Wildlife Services violated federal law by failing to fully assess the potential impact of the killing of cougars and bears in Colorado on other native wildlife like protected Canada lynx.

Federal officials also had planned to shoot as many as 45 mountain lions and 75 bears in western Colorado over three years in a move to fight the decline of mule deer favored by hunters.

Under terms of the Colorado deal, Wildlife Services will assess the likely consequences of its predator-control activities on other wildlife and the environment by August 2018 and suspend the use of M-44s on public lands in the state, court documents showed.


Federal officials will also suspend plans to kill cougars or bears there to boost deer numbers, according to court documents.

Last Wednesday, a U.S. judge approved a settlement between Wildlife Services and environmental activists tied to a lawsuit they filed in California that similarly alleged the U.S. agency had failed to conduct a thorough environmental analysis of its killing of wild animals in Northern California.


Under that accord, Wildlife Services suspended for at least six years its practice of gunning down coyotes from helicopters and airplanes, and using traps to kill creatures in wilderness areas in 16 Northern California counties.
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We often see photographs of wildlife or of photographers taking pictures of wildlife. But what about wildlife photographers? That is, animals taking pictures?

 It's unusual for animals to use tools, although these critters certainly seem to want to. We all know that chimps and other primates sometimes use tools, but did you know that octopuses also use them? And that crows are so smart, that they understand how to displace water?

These adorable photos capture the unexpected encounters between photographers and their subjects. Some animals seem to want to help out; others get behind the camera themselves.(Source)

Shooting Wildlife (With a Camera): The more time you spend with your subjects, the more likely your images will be intimate and revealing. You know them better, and it will show.

Wild animals are going to do what they’re going to do. Unfortunately, you can’t ask them to look this way, do something cute, or stand where the light is better. You have to be there, and ready, when they decide to look cute or do something interesting.