CONSERVACIÓN DE BIODIVERSIDAD

LINK: https://www.ft.com/content/08c03ade-1667-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385

Source: Financial Times

Author: Clive Cookson

Behind the scenes at London Zoo’s Tiger Territory, Asim is being trained. “Asim down!” says senior keeper Laura Garrett — and the seven-year-old Sumatran tiger lies on the floor. “Asim up!” makes him stand, “Asim sit!” crouch and “Asim board!” lie on a platform where vets can monitor his health. The tiger

Asim’s behaviour and physiology are studied for clues that could help conservation efforts to save wild Sumatran tigers, fewer than 400 of which survive in Indonesia. His stay at ZSL London Zoo — showcase of the Zoological Society of London, the FT’s seasonal appeal partner — had a catastrophic start. Asim arrived in January from Denmark through a European breeding exchange programme that aims to increase the genetic diversity of animals threatened with extinction in the wild. Then, in a sad exception to European zoos’ generally excellent mating of big cats, Asim killed his intended partner Melati in a fight after their introduction in February.  Looking back at the tragedy, Malcolm Fitzpatrick, senior curator of mammals, said: “Every precaution was taken when Asim and Melati were introduced. The animal team saw all the positive signs that indicated the introduction would be successful — cautious greetings, chuffing and sniffing. But nature is unpredictable. There is always an inherent risk with any big cat introduction.”

Link:  https://www.ammpa.org/news/allegations-animal-rights-group-s-report-dolphin

LINK https://taz.de/Klimawandel-und-Biodiversitaet/!5626458/?goMobile2=1570752000000

Even if we save the climate by 2050, we could still be pretty alone: That’s too late for thousands of animal and plant species.

Hooray, it’s the year 2050 and the climate is saved! Who would have considered this possible three decades ago? That it could actually be possible to contain global warming at 1.5 degrees!

So, everything went all right again? Unfortunately, no. Because for thousands of animal and plant species every help came too late. They are extinct. Where once the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian coast was swarming and sparkling for over 2,300 kilometers as one of the largest hotspots of biodiversity, white limestone skeletons are now standing over long stretches, over which a few starving starfish are crawling.

No surprise: Already in 2019, it was clear that even if the 1.5-degree target was reached, 70 to 90 percent of coral reefs would die, accompanied by the loss of thousands of species.

But it is not only climate change, the activities of humanity as a whole, that have triggered the long feared greatest mass extinction since the end of the dinosaurs. Where once there were species-rich rainforests, today only soybeans grow or nothing grows because erosion has washed away the thin layer of fertile tropical soil. Where once there were wilderness or diverse cultural landscapes, today there are settlements and industrial areas.

Last chance: Zoo

Even in the protected areas, which are already far too small in terms of numbers and surface area, masses of species have disappeared forever: poached like rhinos, elephants and turtles, or like frogs and salamanders dying of a worldwide spreading fungal infection.

In 2050, humanity would have had an answer to many of these problems: population growth has come to a standstill, industrial agriculture has been cut back, meat consumption has been reduced, the amphibian killer mushroom has been defeated, extensive new protected areas have been created and devastated areas have been renatured.

The only thing is that the species that still lived there in 2019 simply no longer exist. Once extinct, they are gone forever. The most beautiful restored biotope is of no use there.

Already in 2019, the situation for global biodiversity was clear and as well scientifically verified as man-made climate change. The World Biodiversity Council IPBES had unmistakably pointed out the imminent catastrophe: An estimated one million species were on the verge of extinction, not at some point, but in the coming decades.

Link: https://taz.de/Klimawandel-und-Biodiversitaet/!5626458/?goMobile2=1570752000000 

By: TAZ | 

Apart from the fact that in the year of Trump and Bolsonaro the world was far from saving the world – even if everything had been done immediately and without further delay to protect threatened species in their habitats, it would have been too late for many of them.

Yet, back then the biotopes were damaged too much, too fragmented the remaining habitats, too weak and poor in individuals the surviving populations, too polluted the oceans, too widespread free-range cats and introduced bio invaders.

When only about 50 Java rhinos trotted through the jungle, it had long been clear that they had no chance in the wild. The same applied to the last 10 Vaquita pig whales, the last 15 Chilean Loa frogs, the last four Yangtze giant soft tortoises … The only way to preserve these species would have been to breed them under human care.

Link: https://behindthethrills.com/2019/07/clearing-the-water-on-marine-mammal-sanctuaries/ 

By Marilee Menard

In 2016, the National Aquarium in Baltimore (NAIB) announced plans to build a “sanctuary” for its dolphins by 2020.  NAIB has yet to select a location.  It has reportedly rejected over 50 sites because the animals’ safety could be jeopardized by storms and/or algae blooms.  Infectious disease is another issue; marine mammals in human care are protected from illnesses to which they could be exposed in the wild.

The Sea Life Trust announced in 2018 that it would create the world’s first “sanctuary” for two beluga whales in partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation.  The animals were recently transported to the new facility in Iceland from Changfeng Ocean World in Shanghai, China.  The Trust was founded by Merlin Entertainments’ Sea Life Centres, a chain of attractions that includes Ocean World, and a donation from Merlin.

Calling these facilities “sanctuaries” is a misnomer. 

Link: https://www.americanhumane.org/virgin-holidays-decision-on-marine-mammal-visits-is-misguided-and-wrong/

The following media statement can be attributed to Paul Boyle, Ph.D., National Director, American Humane Certified™:

“Virgin Holidays’ decision to no longer sell tickets to facilities with dolphins, whales, and porpoises is misguided and wrong. Marine mammals can live humanely in human care when following established animal welfare measures that help ensure proper treatment.”“American Humane, the country’s first, national humane group and the world’s largest certifier of animal welfare and well-being, conducted independent reviews of SeaWorld and Discovery Cove, both of which passed our rigorous certification assessment audits. Virgin is wrong on this issue and apparently made its decision absent any science or real expertise. Virgin’s ethically driven customers should be disappointed that the company’s decision will negatively impact conservation efforts and hinder efforts to educate and inspire thousands of children about the importance of marine mammal protection, environmentalism and conservation.”

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/lost-polar-bear-taken-to-siberian-zoo-to-be-treated-0

A famished polar bear picked up last week after it wandered lost into a northern Russian city hundreds of kilometres from its Arctic habitat has been taken to a zoo in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk for treatment.

The two-year-old female polar bear had appeared, starving and exhausted, in the northern nickel-producing city of Norilsk last Sunday.

It became ill and almost died after scavenging for food in a rubbish heap and urgently needed treatment, oil company Rosneft, which works in the region, said in a statement on Friday.

The firm said it had taken part in the operation to transport the bear from Norilsk to Krasnoyarsk.

"The bear is receiving all necessary treatment and healthy food," it said.

Climate change has been damaging polar bears' sea-ice habitats, and forced them to scavenge more for food on land, bringing them into contact with people and inhabited areas.

He said the bear's eyes were watery and that evidently it could not see well.

Mr Krashevsky said it was unclear what would be done with the polar bear as it looked too weak to be taken back to its natural habitat.

Link: http://awesomeocean.com/top-stories/four-reasons-condemning-seaworld-really-bad-idea/

 By Erin McKinney | Image Credit: miami.cbslocal.com

Keyboard warriors and animal activists alike have been jumping on the SeaWorld bandwagon for a while now and attempting to convert ordinary people to support their cause with as little validated, balanced information as possible.

In some cases, this has been successful, especially when said activists conceal their true radical agenda within the guise of “progressive animal welfare.”

However, as we see through the actions of PETA in the case of Maya or the Blackfish crew’s misguided support of sea pens, the agenda drives much deeper then simply “free the orcas.”

You’re actually supporting hate campaigns on a whole lot of other good stuff, without even knowing it.

Here’s what you’re effectively condemning if you’re one of the many misguided souls who thinks “SeaWorld should close:”

Link: https://phys.org/news/2019-04-zoos-aquariums-species.html

by Species360.org

The Species Knowledge Index maps what we know for 32,411 known species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians - in this case, with an eightfold gain after adding data from the Zoological Information Management System curated by 1200 zoos and aquariums worldwide. Credit: Species360 Conservation Science Alliance

Despite volumes of data currently available on mankind, it is surprising how little we know about other species. A paper published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) confirms that critical information, such as fertility and survival rates, is missing from global data for more than 98 percent of known species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

It's a gap with far-reaching implications for conservationists seeking to blunt the impact of the Earth's sixth mass extinction event. Scientists working worldwide on behalf of IUCN Red List, IUCN Species Survival Commission, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), TRAFFIC, Monitor, and others, require demographic data to assess species populations and intervene where needed.

"It seems inconceivable. Yet scientists tasked with saving species often have to power through with best-guess assumptions that we hope approximate reality," said lead researcher and Species360 Conservation Science Alliance director Dalia A. Conde.

 Source: https://vtlphotography.com/2019/04/10/morgan-ula/ 

Orca Morgan, a well-known name that has regularly appeared on the website of VTL Photography. In 2014, 2015, and 2016 we visited Morgan in Loro Parque to see how she was doing. In recent years there has been much commotion around the killer whale, and there still is. In the meantime a lot has changed for Morgan, she has grown a lot bigger and she is the mother of little Ula. Halfway through January, reports came out in which activists claimed that little Ula was possibly seriously ill. So it’s time for a new update!

At the end of February we traveled specifically to Tenerife to visit Loro Parque. After all the reporting about Morgan and Ula we wanted to see how the animals were doing. To know exactly how mother and calf are doing, we had a conversation with Dr. Javier Almunia, director of the Loro Parque Foundation. In this blog we will talk extensively about Morgan and Ula and we will share some details we discussed with Dr. Javier Almunia! For all our international followers we have translated the blog into English.