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Los Angeles Times...
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Tejon Ranch to pay fine for killing mountain lions
Tejon Ranch is north of Los Angeles, California
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The corporation, which illegally killed at least 11 cats to keep them away from game wanted by high-paying trophy hunters, must pay $136,500, according to a settlement with the state fish and game agency.
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PHOTO:
Whistleblower Bron Sanders with a dead mountain lion; he said he witnessed 20 mountain lions killed without authorization between 2004 and late 2010.
(Rob Gayer / July 29, 2005)
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By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
February 11, 2012
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The Tejon Ranch has agreed to pay $136,500 in fines and restitution for illegally killing at least 11 mountain lions to prevent them from competing for game with high-paying trophy hunters, the Kern County district attorney's office announced Friday.
The settlement capped a 10-month investigation by the California Department of Fish and Game into claims made by a former Tejon Ranch Corp. hunting guide who said he was fired after he complained about the illegal killing of the wild predators.
In a lawsuit filed in May, whistle-blower Bron Sanders said ranch managers were angry about a 1990 law that made hunting mountain lions without a special permit illegal in California. He said managers blamed mountain lions for killing deer, elk, wild pigs and other animals on the 270,000-acre ranch, the largest chunk of privately owned wilderness remaining in Southern California. Hunting generates up to $2 million a year in revenue for the company, with hunters paying up to $20,000 to shoot elk.
Sanders, whose lawsuit was recently settled, said he witnessed 20 mountain lions killed without authorization between 2004 and late 2010 on the historic ranch about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.
As a result of their investigation, state wildlife authorities determined that mountain lions were, in fact, unlawfully killed by Tejon ranch employees, and that Sanders was personally involved in the unlawful killing of at least 11 of them, according to a complaint for civil penalties filed by Kern County prosecutors.
Kern County Deputy Dist. Atty. John Mitchell said in an interview that criminal charges were not filed against individuals in the case because such violations would be misdemeanors and subject to a one-year statute of limitations.
However, since state law provides district attorneys with the jurisdiction to bring civil charges against businesses, the case was filed and settled under provisions of California's Unfair Business Act, which provides for penalties, recovery of costs to investigating agencies and restitution to the public. "The company was ultimately responsible," Mitchell said.
Tejon Ranch agreed to pay $100,000 in penalties, $21,500 to the fish and game department to cover the costs of its investigation, and $15,000 in restitution, which will be directed to Kern County Animal Control, Mitchell said.
Tejon Ranch officials initially called Sanders' allegations "ridiculous and untrue."
In a prepared statement Friday, Tejon Ranch spokesman Barry Zoeller said the company "wants to express its deep regret that such incidents took place on ranch property and the company is doing everything within its power to ensure that something like this never happens again."
Zoeller also said the killings "occurred without the knowledge and/or consent of Tejon Ranch's senior officers."
Tejon Ranch has temporarily suspended its hunting operations with the cooperation of state and federal wildlife authorities. The suspension will remain in force until the company completes an evaluation of the operations.
The company plans to build several urban centers, including more than 26,000 homes as well as hotels, condominiums and golf courses, at the western and southwestern edge of the ranch. A coalition of environmental groups agreed not to oppose the development under terms of a plan to conserve 90% of the untrammeled tableau of oak forests and ridgelines considered crucial to the endangered California condor.
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Tejon Ranch to pay fine for killing mountain lions... more
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Toronto National Post...
This week’s raccoon attack lays bare cultural gap
Getty Images
Getty Images
Then there's Toronto, where attacking raccoons that are destroying your backyard garden gets you handcuffed and escorted by authorities to the police station, where you'll be charged, and perhaps even publicly shamed, before being released.
Jessica Hume Jun 4, 2011 – 3:43 PM ET
In the Arab world, cats are considered vermin, dogs only get attention when they’re put into rings to fight each other to the death, and where animal cruelty laws exist at all, they are taken about as seriously as jaywalking rules are here.
Then there’s Toronto, where attacking raccoons that are destroying your backyard garden gets you handcuffed and escorted by authorities to the police station, where you’ll be charged, and perhaps even publicly shamed, before being released.
Such is the cultural gap that exists where treatment of animals is concerned, and 53-year-old Dong Nguyen, arrested and charged with animal cruelty after beating several baby raccoons in his backyard Wednesday, finds himself in the middle of a debate that is increasingly bitter.
Within hours of his arrest, a neighbour and her husband swung into action, printing flyers on which a photo of Mr. Nguyen was shown, identifying him as an “animal torturer” and calling for his expulsion from their west-end neighbourhood.
“This is barbaric cruelty, which has no place in our society or in this neighbourhood,” said Nanette Lang. “His release so quickly speaks to our lack of animal justice here; animals aren’t valued.”
Two other neighbours of Mr. Nguyen reacted quickly to his arrest as well, albeit with different motivation. Jack Fava and Zabar Moursalien hit the streets Thursday night to rally support for a demonstration they have organized for Saturday, in defence of Mr. Nguyen and in opposition to what they see as the city’s inertia in combating the “raccoon problem.”
“I do not support violence against animals in any way,” Mr. Moursalien said. “But the way this gentleman was treated -the handcuffs -it was like he killed a child. There were five to six police cruisers here [Wednesday]. I couldn’t believe it.”
Mr. Fava said his canvassing efforts revealed most neighbours sympathized with Mr. Nguyen, not the animals, who are plentiful in the area, nest in attics, get into residents’ garbage and destroy lawns and gardens.
Friends and family of Mr. Nguyen told the National Post Wednesday his actions were misrepresented, claiming he was simply shooing the beasts away with a broom. They offered no insight into how two raccoons died and another suffered a fractured right paw.
Thuy Nguyen, a settlement worker at the Vietnamese Women’s Association of Toronto who is not related to the man arrested Wednesday, used cultural relativism as one possible explanation for the accused’s approach to the raccoons earlier this week.
“Wildlife is not respected in Vietnam; people kill them, hunt them, sometimes even eat them,” she said. “Obviously, we don’t have raccoons in Vietnam, but if someone there was beating a wild animal, this would not be a big issue. No.”
Treatment of animals is one area that tends to highlight cultural differences, and while cruelty and abusive behaviour are not specific to any one culture, ethnicity or sex, Randall Lockwood, senior vice-president of Forensic Science and Anti-Cruelty Projects at the American SPCA, says it is important for cities with high levels of immigration to educate newcomers on local laws and customs.
“You have to be familiar with the laws of the culture where you live,” he said, adding that there is potential for very real concern when the cultural norms of foreigners conflict with those of their countries of residency.
“Animals are used in religious sacrifice in some Afro-Caribbean cultures. In California, there are very active outreach programs in the Vietnamese and Korean communities as to how animals are treated in our culture. We have concerns over the attitude toward dogs on some Native reservations.”
One country that exemplifies divergent attitudes toward animals is the United Arab Emirates, where the handful of shelters are run primarily by British and U.S. expatriates, who are generally shocked to learn the local attitudes toward animals and casual view of animal abuse.
It was the UAE’s expats whose efforts led to the country’s first animal welfare law being introduced in 2008.
One Dubai organization, Feline Friends, routinely saw cats that had been skinned, burned and thrown out of cars or apartment windows.
“There is a mentality that animals are dirty, they have diseases, and so they’re treated like vermin,” Robyn Crowley of Feline Friends told The National newspaper.
The repercussions of Mr. Nguyen’s actions will become clear over the next months as he makes his way through the courts.
But regardless of whether raccoons are seen as cute and cuddly or diseased vermin, the animals are protected under our wildlife and animal cruelty laws that, though they vary widely among cities and countries, are generally guided by morality, Dr. Lockwood said.
As for bludgeoning raccoons, he doesn’t see much grey area there.Toronto National Post...
This week’s raccoon attack lays bare cultural gap... more
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Alleged UAE animal smuggler flees Thailand
By Andy Sambidge
Tuesday, 31 May 2011 9:46 PM
Photo: The baby sun bear found in a suitcase at Bangkok Airport. (Freeland Foundation)
A man from the UAE who was arrested as he attempted to smuggle suitcases filled of endangered baby animals out of Thailand has escaped from the country, it was reported on Tuesday.
Noor Mahmood was detained on May 13 by undercover officers at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport with the animals which included four leopard cubs, a Malayan sun bear, a baby marmoset and a baby red-cheeked gibbon, according to wildlife campaign group Freeland Foundation.
Mahmood was charged with smuggling endangered species out of the kingdom and released on a 200,000 baht ($6,600) bail, but he left Bangkok on a May 23 flight to the UAE, immigration police told news agency AFP.
Freeland called for Thai and UAE collaboration to continue with the case.
"Thai police did a great undercover operation to nab Mr Mahmood just as he was about to board his first class flight to Dubai," the group's director Steven Galster told AFP. "But since he was caught red handed and charged, we want to know why he is not being prosecuted?"
The case prompted animal welfare charities to urge the UAE to do more to clamp down on the illegal smuggling of endangered and exotic animals into the country.
“Not enough is being done to prevent this trade,” Galster told Arabian Business.
Ashley Fruno, a senior campaigner of PETA for Asia-Pacific, said tougher deterrents were needed to outweigh the easy money available to contraband traders.
Thailand is a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking, but authorities finding so many live mammals is unusual. Typical hauls are of rare tortoises, snakes and lizards.Alleged UAE animal smuggler flees Thailand
By Andy Sambidge
Tuesday,... more
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"Lucky" was found 16 miles inland where poachers had left her to die.
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Plastic is strangling our oceans and the life therein. Take a look at this brief but powerful video that chronicles how our "lifestyles" are killing marine life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McrJc5w5mhkPlastic is strangling our oceans and the life therein. Take a look at this brief but... more
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Photo: For four decades Iain Douglas-Hamilton has been an advocate for elephants, the endangered giants of Africa. Save the Elephants cofounder Iain Douglas-Hamilton has been named the 2010 recipient of the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. Four decades ago, he pioneered the first in-depth scientific study of elephant social behavior, which revealed their matriarchal society.
The Indianapolis Prize
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The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com
Save the Elephants cofounder Iain Douglas-Hamilton has been named the 2010 recipient of the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. Four decades ago, he pioneered the first in-depth scientific study of elephant social behavior, which revealed their matriarchal society.
(The Indianapolis Prize)
By Yvonne Zipp, / Correspondent
November 1, 2010 at 9:38 am EDT
When Iain Douglas-Hamilton first started studying elephants in Africa, he had to invent ways of tracking the giant mammals. Over the course of 40-some years in the field, the zoologist learned how to fly airplanes and use radio collars and other high-tech means to follow their movements.
He also learned how to get out of the way – fast. "I learned how to climb trees very quickly," says Dr. Douglas-Hamilton, winner of the 2010 Indianapolis Prize, the largest prize ($100,000) given for animal conservation in the world.
As cofounder of the nonprofit group Save the Elephants, he also has learned to be an activist, author, and politician.
When Douglas-Hamilton left Tanzania, in East Africa, in 1970 to study at Oxford University in Britain, he left behind "an elephants' paradise," he recalls.
But when he returned in 1972, the country's national parks looked more like a war zone. Douglas-Hamilton often found more dead elephants than live ones.
"Never in all our wildest dreams did the small group of scientists who worked in Tanzania's national parks [in the 1960s] imagine that men armed with automatic weapons would one day stride through the national parks. It was just not in our thinking," he says of the heavily armed poachers who had moved in.
The soft-spoken conservationist now lives in Kenya with his wife, Oria, who co-founded Save the Elephants. Together they have written two books, "Battle for the Elephants" and "Among the Elephants."
During the height of the ivory poaching, Douglas-Hamilton rode in small planes wearing one flak jacket and sitting on another as he helped park rangers in Uganda bring back elephants from the brink of extinction. He's been repeatedly shot at and has survived plane crashes, droughts, floods, malaria, and once, being squashed by a rhinoceros.
He campaigned for years for a worldwide ban on ivory sales, which finally took effect in 1989.
His long-term commitment to saving elephants across Africa impressed the prize jury, says Michael Crowther, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo, which administers the prize. Douglas-Hamilton pioneered the first scientific study of elephant social behavior, Mr. Crowther says.
Among his discoveries: Elephants have a matriarchal society and travel in families.
"He has been creative, committed, and consistent," Crowther says. "And he's been courageous – politically courageous and physically courageous."
"He shows bravery ... [and his work is so important," says Laurie Marker, a finalist for the Indianapolis Prize who founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund, based in Namibia. When CCF expanded into Kenya, it began working with Save the Elephants in Samburu National Reserve, in Kenya's Great Rift Valley.
Douglas-Hamilton has given practical assistance to CCF, from making introductions to sharing researchers and resources, Dr. Marker says.
Despite the ivory poaching ban, the future of African elephants is far from secure. Douglas-Hamilton describes the conditions in the Congo, for example, as "catastrophic" – and not just for elephants.
In 2009, he worked to save a rare herd of desert elephants in Mali from the worst drought in more than a decade.
There have been other successes, particularly in East and Southern Africa, whose elephant populations have rebounded since the ivory ban. At this year's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species meeting in Doha, Qatar, conservationists, including Douglas-Hamilton, defeated an effort by the governments of Tanzania and Zambia to downgrade the status of their elephants so that they could sell off their stockpiles of ivory.
"If there's to be a future for elephants, there has to be an accommodation about how they're going to live in juxtaposition with people," says Douglas-Hamilton, who considers the rapid expansion of human populations one of the largest challenges facing all wildlife. "This is where science and research comes in. It has to be linked to community development."
Elephants "need space," he says, including protected corridors so that they can travel from one protected area to another. (Such corridors would also benefit other large mammals, such as zebras, wild dogs, lions, and giraffes.)
Douglas-Hamilton has proposed the idea of a mobile national park, where the protected land would follow elephants as they travel. No country has yet adopted it.
"I know we're dealing with poor people who have immediate needs," he says. "But we have to escape from the tyranny of poverty in order to have the luxury of long-term planning. If we don't, the poverty is not going to get any better and the environment is going to deteriorate."
He's also thrilled that young African-born conservationists now are joining the effort to save the continent's elephants.
Even after decades of research, Douglas-Hamilton still enjoys the company of these gentle giants, the largest of land mammals.
"I love to sit with them and be with them," he says. "I have the greatest joy just to be with elephants at peace."Photo: For four decades Iain Douglas-Hamilton has been an advocate for elephants, the... more
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By Tom Foreman, CNN
June 23, 2010 10:43 a.m. EDT
Fairhope, Alabama (CNN) -- Mark Castlow and Jimbo Meador have a solution for saving the oil-covered birds in the Gulf of Mexico. However, they also have a problem.
I saw the solution firsthand during a quick ride through a Gulf inlet, near Meador's home of Fairhope, Alabama, about a 20-minute drive outside Mobile.
The two co-owners of Florida-based Dragonfly Boatworks have been working at a breakneck pace for weeks to modify the design of their shallow draft fishing boats, turning them into mobile triage units for pelicans, seagulls, and pretty much any kind of critter caught in the catastrophe.
Their concern on the 65th day of the underwater gusher is deep rooted. Castlow, who says he has "salt water in his blood," grew up surfing off Miami and the Keys. Meador, a former shrimper, was raised along Alabama's Gulf shores.
They're keenly aware that each day adds to the death toll of birds and other animals dying in pockets of oil that invade their natural habitat.
"We have to do everything we can to take care of them," said Meador, who said he has a serious interest in the "birding world." "We want to do try to do what's right to help them because they can't help themselves."
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Unlike more traditional boats, which have deep keels that bog down when they push into shallow marshlands, the custom Dragonfly boats can operate in less than a foot of water.
Their broad hulls create very little wake that might further alarm wildlife; and they've even been painted a light green color to blend better with their surroundings.
On board, Castlow and Meador have added a whole set of tools to help wildlife rescuers: a large, skid-proof worktable for crews to handle animals, an adjustable shade canopy which can be easily lowered to slip beneath bayou tree branches, fine mist nozzles to cool the scorching summer temperatures for workers and critters. The oil won't hamper the boat's engines, thanks to a special cleaning solution.
The men consulted wildlife biologists and other scientists as they rushed to make the improvements, and they've found big donors, like Florida musician Jimmy Buffett, who are willing to help them make the boats available to rescuers free of charge.
The vessels will be outfitted with wireless Internet access, and plans are in the works to team up with Google Earth to enable anyone to track the boats online in real time. Onboard Web cameras donated by a group in Houston, Texas, will allow classrooms or anyone else to watch rescuers in action.
So far, Buffett has funded construction of one prototype boat, according to the duo. The plan is to produce a new boat every seven days from here on out. After the cleanup, the animal rescue groups will be allowed to keep the boats for use in research projects.
No one will make money off of the deal, but the animals could benefit immensely, including brown pelicans, a species native to the eastern Gulf which has fallen victim to the oil. Brown pelicans spent almost 40 years on the endangered species list until last year.
Salvaging just a few of the birds is so vital to the survival of the species, said Lee Hollingsworth, a wildlife adviser with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Wales. "Something has got to be done, and of course, it's worth saving the bird."
Every day adds to the death toll of the region's birds and other animals. According to a June 22 report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, rescue officials have collected 1,746 birds along the coastline from Louisiana to Florida. Of those, 749 were alive and "visibly oiled." Another 997 were found dead, and 265 of those were visibly oiled. Birds that were found alive and then euthanized numbered 143. The report states BP's Deepwater Horizon spill is not responsible for all dead birds.
Although the vessels have been praised by wildlife experts, including marine biologists at the University of Southern Mississippi, Castlow and Meador say they've run into dead ends trying to get their boats into the hands of animal rescuers.
They've called federal authorities and BP too, but they say no one seems able to willing to tell them how and when the boats might be put to work.
Castlow and Meador call their support network the DEA, the Dragonfly Environmental Army, which is made up of those who have extended a helping hand, which include suppliers, donors and volunteers. They're hoping the combined forces of their group can break through the bureaucracy and get their boats in the hands of animal rescuers.
It is frustrating to both men, but they say they've been so encouraged by wildlife experts who have universally praised their innovation, that they're pressing on, convinced that no less than the lives of thousands of birds are at stake, and the future of their beloved Gulf too.
"And we're going to get all of these people, and we are going to break that ceiling," said Castlow. "And we will go through it -- because it's our livelihood."
CNN's Katie Ross and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this reportBy Tom Foreman, CNN
June 23, 2010 10:43 a.m. EDT
Fairhope, Alabama (CNN) -- Mark... more
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To see the various graphs, try clicking on this link. However, if it doesn't work, go to: gallup.com , and look for Poll Number 140762
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June 16, 2010
Many Americans Say Gulf Beaches, Wildlife Will Never Recover
Nearly all agree that full recovery will take 10 years or more
by Lydia Saad
PRINCETON, NJ -- From what they have seen of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill rolling onto America's shores, nearly half of Americans (49%) believe that at least some of the affected beaches will never recover. Even more, 59%, believe normal levels for some animal species will never be restored.
Predicted Timeline for Full Recovery of Gulf Shore Beaches, Wildlife (Including Fish and Birds)
More generally, Americans foresee a very long road to recovery for both the U.S. beaches and wildlife affected by the BP oil spill. The vast majority believe it will be a decade or more, if at all, before either aspect of the Gulf environment is back to normal; few think a full recovery will happen within four years.
Separately, Americans broadly agree that the oil spill will negatively affect the U.S. economy and the U.S. consumer. Roughly four in five believe the overall U.S. economy will be hurt, that gas prices will go up, and that food prices will increase.
Possible Economic Effects of Gulf Oil Spill
Women More Pessimistic Than Men About Undoing Oil Damage
The most striking subgroup differences in views about the oil spill's impact are by gender, with women much more pessimistic than men. (Gallup has previously found women to be more concerned than men about environmental matters.)
Sixty percent of women, compared with 37% of men, believe some Gulf beaches will never recover -- a 23 percentage-point gap. Additionally, there is a 13-point gap between men's and women's perceptions of whether the affected wildlife will fully recover.
Predicted Timeline for Recovery of Beaches Predicted Timeline for Recovery of Wildlife
Women are also more likely than men to believe that gas prices will increase (83% vs. 74%), and that the U.S. economy in general will be hurt (88% vs. 78%).
Bottom Line
In his remarks when visiting the Gulf shoreline this week, as well as in his Oval Office address Tuesday night, President Obama has stressed the need for a long-term commitment to the oil spill cleanup. Americans may be getting impatient with BP and the federal government for not doing enough to cap the gushing oil rig and contain the leaked oil, but it appears they are resigned to a lengthy process to restore the beaches and wildlife, with perhaps limited success.
Survey Methods
Results for this USA Today/Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted June 11-13, 2010, with a random sample of 1,014 adults, aged 18 and older, living in the continental U.S., selected using random-digit-dial sampling.
For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones (for respondents with a landline telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell phone-only). Each sample includes a minimum quota of 150 cell phone-only respondents and 850 landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas among landline respondents for gender within region. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.
Samples are weighted by gender, age, race, education, region, and phone lines. Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2009 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older non-institutionalized population living in continental U.S. telephone households. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting and sample design.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.___
To see the various graphs, try clicking on this link. However, if it... more
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An oil spill that threatened to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez disaster spread out of control with a faint sheen washing ashore along the Gulf Coast Thursday night as fishermen rushed to scoop up shrimp and crews spread floating barriers around marshes.
The spill was bigger than imagined – five times more than first estimated – and closer. Faint fingers of oily sheen were reaching the Mississippi River delta, lapping the Louisiana shoreline in long, thin lines.
"It is of grave concern," David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press. "I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling."
The oil slick could become the nation's worst environmental disaster in decades, threatening hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife along the Gulf Coast, one of the world's richest seafood grounds, teeming with shrimp, oysters and other marine life. Thicker oil was in waters south and east of the Mississippi delta about five miles offshore.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/29/louisiana-oil-spill-gets_n_556444.htmlAn oil spill that threatened to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez disaster spread out of... more
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PHOTO: Forecast location of the spill at 1800 CDT on Saturday 5/1/2010. The red color shows where oil will reach the shore. The Chandeleur Islands and Louisiana marshes will be affected.
This web site provides a place for people to volunteer to assist in cleanup operations related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Organizations working on the cleanup may register here to be connected with volunteers. OilSpillVolunteers.com will link volunteers with cleanup organizations; we will not be directing volunteer activities.
BP, Transocean, Homeland Security, USCG, NOAA, EPA, Department of the Interior - We need to hear from you. We have 2000 people eager to be trained and eager to jump into action when the oil comes ashore. How do they get training? What can they do to help with the cleanup? Help us.
Volunteers - Please register using this form http://www.oilspillvolunteers.com/register.php . Provide complete as much of the form as possible and indicate whether your contact information can be shared directly with cleanup organizations. Please do not use email to provide your volunteer information.
Caution: Do not attempt oil cleanup work without training and the required safety equipment. The oil waste is a toxic material and can pose a threat. This OSHA http://www.oilspillvolunteers.com/docs/OSHA_HAZWOPER_Oil.pdf handbook for oil spill cleanup will explain.
Cleanup Organizations Needing Volunteers - Please send email to don@OilSpillVolunteers.com describing your needs and activities.
***Please route all individual volunteer offers to the registration form here on the web.
We are receiving a large number of emails and calls and it's much simpler and more reliable to keep track of volunteers in the database linked to the form. We'd hate to misplace an email and lose contact with you.
If you've signed up and had a question - Please be patient, we'll be in touch as soon as possible.
For media information, please contact Melanie Allen - mailto:sglmma@cableone.net
Please pardon the rough format of this site; there's too much to do to worry about making it pretty. We'll soon be adding:
Mailing list information
List of cleanup organizations
Phone numbers to report oiled wildlife
Spill location and movement forecast
* Suggestions and assistance are welcomed.PHOTO: Forecast location of the spill at 1800 CDT on Saturday 5/1/2010. The red color... more
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South Africans battle baboons in city streets
April 26, 2010 10:45 a.m. EDT
Cape Town, South Africa (CNN) -- As natural habitats disappear in South Africa, baboons and humans are increasingly coming into close contact, and conflict.
In South Africa's Cape Peninsula there has been a large-scale transformation of wild baboons' natural habitat into land for housing, industry and agriculture, according to the University of Cape Town Baboon Research Unit.
The result is that wild baboons are surrounded by humans, which the researchers say is causing human-baboon conflict to escalate.
But the problem isn't confined only to the Cape, as baboons are increasingly venturing into towns and villages across southern Africa in search of food, often leaving a trail of damage in their wake.
In the farming village of Barrydale, a four-hour drive from Cape Town, baboons are a growing problem. While some local farmers say they want to shoot baboons found in the village, others favor a more sustainable solution.
Jenny Trethowan, of advocacy group Baboon Matters, is known as the "Baboon Lady" back in Cape Town. She has spent her career trying to protect the primates in the Cape Peninsula, of which there are more than 400.
In Barrydale, she sees an opportunity to tackle the problem before it gets out of hand.
"What is so exciting about the Barrydale scenario is the fact that they are being extremely proactive," Trethowan told CNN.
"In many of the other areas it's been a long time, where baboons have become habituated and trained. Now in Barrydale they are saying 'let's stop this behavior quickly before it gets started,' and that's enormously exciting for me."
Trethowan has pinned her hopes on implementing a baboon-monitoring program in the village. At the Joshua Baboon Rehabilitation Project, just outside Barrydale, Baboon Matters is training locals to be baboon monitors.
The monitors are tasked with patrolling Barrydale and herding baboons away from homes and farms.
"If we can get the monitoring program going quickly before the baboons are habituated I believe we stand a good chance of success here," said Trethowan.
Nola Frazier runs the Joshua Baboon Rehabilitation Project and supports the village's monitoring program. "I don't think the baboon problem is going to go away," Frazier told CNN. "It's a learning curve. It's something that's happening here; it's happening all over South Africa."
An existing monitoring program on the Cape is yielding benefits. Statistics from the Baboon Research Unit show human-induced injuries to baboons are at their lowest for five years. Deaths are also down, and the baboon population is up, which means encounters with humans are more likely.
They do cause incredible damage, and the ideal thing would be for them to be on the mountain and not in the village.
When she's not helping to run monitoring programs, Trethowan takes tourists on walks around the Cape Peninsula to see baboons in what she hopes will be their natural habitat.
But despite the monitors' best efforts, the baboons sometimes stray from their natural environment. The smell of cooking, and windows left open, are practically an invitation to hungry baboons, whose food raids can result in damage to property.
"When I take people to walk, I never describe baboons as something they are not," said Trethowan. "They do cause incredible damage, and the ideal thing would be for them to be on the mountain and not in the village.
"The monitors can struggle without a doubt. What's frustrating to me is to see the residents make little effort to help the monitors. If they were working with the monitors more, the monitors would be more efficient."
When it comes to taking on one of the continent's most opportunistic animals, researchers and advocates say there are no easy answers.
"Baboons are definitely incredibly opportunistic and incredibly adaptable, so from a management point of view it makes it incredibly difficult," said Trethowan. But she said it's these same characteristics that drew her into a life of advocacy for baboons.
"It is hugely amazing to watch how these baboons will adapt to a situation and will seize an opportunity and work with whatever they've got," she told CNN.
"I think we've got a lot to learn from them, in hopes of showing more people the positives in an animal so often labeled a problem."
Robyn Curnow and Mark Tutton contributed to this report
http://www.wildlife-pictures-online.com/image-files/baboon-baby_vf-2947_blog.jpgSouth Africans battle baboons in city streets
April 26, 2010 10:45 a.m. EDT
Cape... more
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But firearms must be allowed by state where park is located
updated 5:47 p.m. PT, Fri., Feb. 19, 2010
WASHINGTON - Loaded guns will be allowed in Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and other national parks under a new law that takes effect Monday.
The law lets licensed gun owners bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by state law. It comes over the objections of gun-control advocates who fear it will lead to increased violence in national parks.
The national parks law takes effect in a climate that favors advocates of gun rights. The debate shifted dramatically in 2008, when the Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in Washington, D.C., and declared that individuals have a constitutional right to possess firearms for self-defense and other purposes.
Gun owners have rushed in record numbers to get concealed weapons permits, saying they worry President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress may impose stricter gun laws. The National Rifle Association lobbied hard to allow guns in parks and has spent millions to challenge its opponents.
Now gun-control advocates are on the defensive, seeking to preserve some gun restrictions in the face of aggressive assertions of gun rights.
As of Monday, guns will be allowed in all but about 20 of the park service’s 392 locations, including some of its most iconic parks: Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain National Park. Guns will not be allowed in visitor centers or rangers’ offices, because firearms are banned in federal buildings, but they could be carried into private lodges or concession stands, depending on state laws.
'A paranoid society'
Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said national parks are now among the safest places in America, but that could change under the new law. Current rules severely restrict guns in the national parks, generally requiring them to be locked or stored.
“It really is sad that we’ve become such a paranoid society that people want to take guns pretty much everywhere — including national parks,” he said Friday.
“When you are at a campfire and people are getting loud and boisterous next to you, you used to have to worry about them quieting down. Now you have to worry about when they will start shooting,” Helmke said.
Bill Wade, president of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, called the new law a sad chapter in the history of the park system.
“People go to national parks to get away from things that they face in their everyday living, where they live and work. Now I think that social dynamic is really going to change,” he said.
Bryan Faehner, associate director of the National Parks Conservation Association, said the law would place an unfair burden on park service employees, who will have to wade though a variety of state and local laws to determine whether visitors are breaking the law.
Officials said visitors who want to bring a gun to a national park need to understand and comply with state gun laws. More than 30 national parks span more than one state, so visitors need to know where they are in those parks and which state law applies, the park service said.
Supporter: Concerns overblown
A spokesman for the National Rifle Association scoffed at the idea that parks would become more dangerous, saying people have been assaulted and even murdered in national parks.
“This common-sense measure will enhance the self-defense rights of law-abiding Americans and also ensure uniformity of firearm laws within a state,” said Chris W. Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist.
The National Park Service said there were 3,760 reported major crimes, including five homicides and 37 rapes, in 2008, the most recent year for which data was available. The agency does not note which crimes involve firearms. Crime is down across the system’s parks, according to park service spokesman David Barna.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who led congressional efforts to change the law, said concerns about increased violence were overblown.
“I don’t expect anything major to come from this other than to restore the Second Amendment rights taken away by bureaucrats,” Coburn said
The park service has prepared for months for the new law. “We will administer this law as we do all others — fairly and consistently,” National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said in a statement.
National parks hosted about 275 million visitors in 2008, the agency said.But firearms must be allowed by state where park is located
updated 5:47 p.m. PT,... more
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Positive conservation from the Malayan government. Can they actually do it?
Malaysia aims to double its wild tiger population
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia has launched an ambitious plan to double its wild tiger population within 12 years by protecting jungle corridors where poachers prey on the endangered big cats, activists said Monday.
The National Tiger Action Plan aims to have 1,000 Malayan tigers roaming in the wild by 2020, said Sara Sukor, a spokeswoman for Malaysia's chapter of the World Wildlife Fund, one of several conservation groups that helped the government create the plan.
Authorities estimate Malaysia's wild tiger population has fallen from 3,000 to 500 in the last half-century, largely due to illegal hunting and the human encroachment and destruction of the tigers' natural jungle habitat. Tiger meat is exported, served at exotic restaurants and used in traditional Chinese medicine — all illegal acts under Malaysian law.
Malayan tigers have been protected by wildlife laws since the early 1970s, but the National Tiger Action Plan is the government's first concerted effort to reverse the population decline instead of merely slowing it, according to the plan that was launched this month.
Government officials and conservationists will restore and manage key jungle corridors that connect tiger habitats, providing the animals with a wider territory and mitigating the impact of infrastructure such as roads, railways and oil pipelines.
Under the plan, the government has also vowed to better enforce its wildlife laws, remove tigers from areas where they might come into conflict with humans and boost scientific research in tiger protection, said the WWF's Sukor.
"We are optimistic the plan will succeed with cooperation among all the agencies involved," Sukor said. "We want to show that we are serious about wildlife protection."
Conservationists have long urged the government to step up wildlife protection, particularly by increasing penalties against poachers and smugglers of endangered species. Such offenses are typically punished by small fines without prison sentences.
Malaysia's tropical forests are home to a wide range of threatened animals, including orangutans, Borneo sun bears, Sumatran rhinoceroses and pygmy elephants.Positive conservation from the Malayan government. Can they actually do it?... more
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September 5, 2008
Contact: Carli Segelson
(727) 896-8626
Photos available at: http://research.myfwc.com/gallery/view_category.asp?catid=1289&subcatid=2309
Video available at: http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=17014
FWC: "LET SEA TURTLES RIDE OUT IKE"
People attempting to save sea turtles eggs and hatchlings may cause more harm than good, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) advises. Although storms can have a negative effect on sea turtle nests and hatchlings, these animals have evolved to have nesting strategies that enable them to survive natural events such as hurricanes. No storm season is a total loss to sea turtles, even in years when Florida has sustained direct hits.
Digging into marked or unmarked turtle nests in an effort to help may cause severe damage to the eggs. Sea turtle eggs are resilient, and if undisturbed, may still hatch despite waves washing over them. Disturbing sea turtle nests is a violation of both state and federal laws.
The FWC urges beachgoers to contact the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) if they encounter a nest eroding into the ocean or a hatchling that is not actively crawling or appears sick or injured. Sick or injured turtles may need rehabilitation before returning to the wild.
Hatchlings moving toward the surf should be allowed to continue their trek without interference. These young turtles have the ability to swim through large waves.
Authorization from the FWC is required before transporting sea turtle eggs or hatchlings.
For more information about sea turtles, visit http://research.myfwc.com/.
September 5, 2008
Contact: Carli Segelson
(727) 896-8626
Photos available... more
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