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1 in 4 mammals at risk of extinction, scientists say - CNN.com
"We estimate that one in four species is threatened with extinction and that the population of one in two is declining," the researchers said in a report to be published Friday in the journal Science. The findings were being released Monday at the IUCN meeting in Barcelona, Spain.
"I think the bottom line is, what kind of a world do you want to leave for your children," Andrew Smith, a professor in the Arizona State University School of Life Sciences, said in a telephone interview.
"How impoverished we would be if we lost 25 percent of the world's mammals," said Smith, one of more than 100 co-authors of the report. "We estimate that one in four species is threatened with extinction and that the population of one in two is declining," the... more -
Bears Getting Bolder in New Jersey
Black bears in New Jersey are getting bolder as they search for food before hibernating for the winter. As of Sept. 20, the state had recorded 2,155 bear complaints. That's up 84 percent from the same period a year go. Black bears in New Jersey are getting bolder as they search for food before hibernating for the winter. As of Sept. 20, the state had ... more
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Black bear breaks into Subway sandwich shop
A two-year-old black bear let himself into a sandwich shop to smell the ingredients; the whole bizarre incident was captured on CCTV.
Rebecca Branton, an employee, is seen making a run for the bathroom, as the bear wanders around the Subway restaurant in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada. At one point the bear is seen getting up on its hind legs and resting its front paws on the window, before eventually coming around behind the counter to sniff at the ingredients.
Police arrived quickly, but by that point the bear had left the restaurant. According to one report it was put down by conservation officers a short time later. A two-year-old black bear let himself into a sandwich shop to smell the ingredients; the whole bizarre incident was captured on CCTV. ... more -
Polar bears at risk increasing with offshore oil
PLEASE TAKE ACTION!
GreenpeaceOffshore Oil = Increased Risk for Polar Bears
Polar bears are hanging on for dear life. They are faced with a rapidly shrinking arctic environment due to global warming. And now the Senate is poised to drive another nail in polar bears' coffins by voting for more drilling off of America's shores.
More oil drilling will do nothing to lower gas prices. It will, however, increase global warming pollution and put the polar bear on an even faster track towards extinction. To solve our dead-end dependence on fossil fuels we need legislation that immediately ends the massive tax breaks for Big Oil; doubles the average fuel efficiency of existing cars to at least 50 miles per gallon; substantially invests in public transportation so people have more and better choices; and provides robust incentives for renewable energy investments to transition us to a clean energy future.
Tell your Senator today! A vote to protect our coastal waters from more drilling is a vote the polar bears desperately need right now.
Please follow the link below to sign a pre-written letter or you can personlize & edit the letter.
http://members.greenpeace.org/action/start.php?action_i... PLEASE TAKE ACTION! GreenpeaceOffshore Oil = Increased Risk for Polar Bears ... more -
Romanian hunters now allowed to shoot urban bears | AP | 09/26/2008
Romanian hunters now allowed to shoot urban bears
The Associated Press
BUCHAREST, Romania - Romanian authorities have decided to let hunters shoot bears that are increasingly moving into urban areas to find food.
Some of the animals have become tame, allowing tourists to take close-up photographs. But a few months ago a bear killed a man in the city of Brasov.
Environment Minister Attila Korodi said Thursday that he authorized hunting associations to shoot the bears in areas frequented by tourists in Brasov and the Prahova valley.
Authorities say they are monitoring some 800 bears in the Brasov area, 100 more than last year.
Romania is home to 60 percent of the bears in the European Union. Romanian hunters now allowed to shoot urban bears The Associated Press ... more -
$2,225 REWARD for Hunters Who 'Immorally' Killed Bears: VIDEO
In a town where bears are everywhere from decorations at the corner bar...to real life next-door-neighbors, bear county is an understatement.
So when news spread that two bears may have been unethically killed near the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary near Orr, area hunters down the road could barely stomach it.
"It's not right," said Robert Gross, visiting from St. Paul.
"You abide by the rules," said his brother Mark. "This is one out of a million that something like this would happen."
The first dead bear was found Saturday, shot once and left untouched. The second was found a day later, skinned with his head and paws cut off.
"There's hunters and then there are what we call the poachers, these guys are the worst of the worst," said Dennis Udovich, President of Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary.
But what bothers staff even more is that the bears were killed so close to sanctuary grounds--making them believe the hunters waited for bears to leave the protected land, so they could legally shoot them on public land.
"The bears are real relaxed in this area, so it's not a challenge," said Udovich.
"All you have to do is sit on the travel corridor and pick and chose which bear you want," said Klari Lea, Vice President of Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary. "It's a highway and that's unfair and it's not ethical."
Unethical? Perhaps. But illegal? Not quite. The DNR is investigating for possible wanton waste charges.
"It's slob hunting, definitely slob hunting," said Mark Gross. His brother agrees.
"If you are going to kill something you should probably plan on eating it," said Robert Gross.
Now perhaps the most talked about hunt...is for the responsible hunters themselves.
"We want to get these slime balls," said Udovich. "I mean they are given all good hunters a bad name."
There is a $2,225 reward for information on the suspects. If you have any information, a tipline has been set up at 1-800-652-9093.
VIDEO:
http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S591589.shtml?cat=1... In a town where bears are everywhere from decorations at the corner bar...to real life next-door-neighbors, bear county is an understa... more -
Shocking New Bearskins Video
Bears Are Still Slaughtered for the Royal 'Headgear'
Ms Widdecombe and PETA are calling on the Ministry of Defence and HRH Queen Elizabeth to end the use of bear fur for The Queen's Guards' caps.
The Ministry of Defence has spent more than £321,000 on bearskin caps in the past five years alone.
More than 200 MPs signed a recent Early Day Motion calling on the government to switch to a modern and humane synthetic fabric.
Celebrities including Sir Roger Moore, Mary McCartney and Sadie Frost have also called on the government to "go faux".
Please take a moment to contact Secretary of State, Des Browne today; tell your friends and family and urge them to do the same for the sake of the bears!
Instead of financially supporting the shameful slaughter of black bears, Great Britain should set a compassionate example by switching to a humane and progressive alternative and committing to stopping the needless killing.
PLEASE SAVE THE BEARS! Sign the petition in support of bears today!
Petition:
http://www.unbearablecruelty.co.uk/petition.asp
Main Webpage:
http://www.unbearablecruelty.com
VIDEO:
http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/ukawbearvideo?qp_sou... Bears Are Still Slaughtered for the Royal 'Headgear' ... more -
Knut's keeper found dead
Thomas Dörflein, the 44-year-old keeper who reared famous Berlin polar bear Knut, has been found dead in his apartment.
The man who acted as the tiny bear's surrogate parent when he was rejected by his own mother became something of a star in his own right as the world was gripped by Knut-mania last year. Last October the bearded, long-haired zookeeper was even awarded Berlin's Medal of Merit in honor of his round-the-clock care of Knut.
A police spokeswoman said that there is no evidence of any foul play and gave no further details, apart from stating that the investigation was ongoing. According to the German news agency DPA, Dörflein had been seriously ill for some time.
Dörflein is survived by his partner, two grown-up children and a six-year-old son. Thomas Dörflein, the 44-year-old keeper who reared famous Berlin polar bear Knut, has been found dead in his apartment. ... more -
Cow chases bear from her apple tree near Boulder
Cows chasing Bears? hmm...
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PALIN COLD BLOODED KILLER | Free Speech TV Community: Participatory Media
For the last eight years our environmental issues have been ignored. This video is further proof that electing the Republicans again will surely bring us more of the same. If you are as appalled and disgusted by seeing this as I was let Washington know. For the last eight years our environmental issues have been ignored. This video is further proof that electing the Republicans again w... more
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Palin's barbaric record on killing America's 'protected' wildl...
We’re getting the word out to voters about Governor Sarah Palin’s barbaric record on killing America’s wildlife, especially her active promotion of the brutal aerial hunting of wolves and bears.
As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has proposed paying a $150 bounty for the foreleg of each dead wolf. The aerial hunting program she champions has already killed nearly 800 wolves. She’s opposed efforts to save America’s polar bears from extinction. She’s fought against efforts to save some of the world’s most endangered beluga whales.
At nearly every opportunity, Governor Palin has sided with Big Oil, mining companies, wealthy trophy hunters and other entrenched special interests in support of policies that would greatly harm the wild animals we treasure.
Warning: This television ad -- like the governor’s support for this brutal practice -- is disturbing. We’re getting the word out to voters about Governor Sarah Palin’s barbaric record on killing America’s wildlife, especially her active... more -
Cuddly Karl Lagerfeld -- ONLY €1,000 each!
Got an extra €1,000 in your pocket?? -- The "Karl Lagerfield Bear" made his debut Friday at Berlin Department store Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) on Friday. The bears are a modest €1,000 euro a pop -- only 2,500 of the 40 centimeter cuddly toys are to be produced. Will this make them this season's must have item? Got an extra €1,000 in your pocket?? -- The "Karl Lagerfield Bear" made his debut Friday at Berlin Department store Kaufhaus... more
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Defenders of Wildlife Endorses Obama-Biden: Release of 1st TV Ad on Palin's E...
For TV ad Defenders Action Fund's 2008 endorsement: www.defendersactionfund.org
McCain-Palin campaign studiously avoids most environmental issues and offers energy proposals based largely on Big Oil's wish list, the Obama-Biden campaign is offering solid positions in nearly every environmental area, including forward-looking energy solutions.
Defenders Action Fund underscored its endorsement by launching a new TV ad about Palin's environmental record, focusing on her support for the aerial hunting of wolves, a cruel practice she actively champions in Alaska. The program licenses private citizens to fly airplanes and shoot wolves from the air or chase them to exhaustion before landing and shooting them point blank. The gunners then sell the pelts of the animals they kill for profit. The program also targets grizzly and black bears, which are chased by air and then shot on the ground. The ad, which will air in presidential swing states, shows a new and extreme side to the Governor, which has yet to be fully explored in the media.
"Sarah Palin not only condones the aerial hunting of wolves and bears, she actively promotes it," continued Schlickeisen. "She has even gone so far as to propose a bounty of $150 for every severed left foreleg of a wolf the hunters can produce. Her promotion of this ghastly and unscientific program - which she pursues while simultaneously suing the federal government to eliminate protections for the imperiled polar bear - offers voters a glimpse of her values and character that is quite different from the picture carefully crafted by the McCain-Palin campaign's professional speechwriters. It should also provide voters with a good idea of what a McCain-Palin administration's approach to stewardship of our nation's natural resources would be like. Americans deserve to know about this real side of Sarah Palin before they make up their minds about her.
"Put simply, if voters care at all about the environment, about protecting our air, land, water and wildlife for future generations, then they should look past the misleading rhetoric of the McCain-Palin campaign and support Obama-Biden," concluded Schlickeisen. For TV ad Defenders Action Fund's 2008 endorsement: www.defendersactionfund.org ... more -
Sarah Palin Champions Barbaric Aerial Hunting of Wolves and Bears
She's pro life...but only if you're human.
There is no overpopulation of wolves and bears in Alaska. Sarah Palin's support for this program is to eliminate the wolves' competition with elk hunters. What she forgets is that hunters go for prize elk and moose, wolves go for the weak and sick. Aerial hunting is a cruel and unfair practice. Add this to that the fact that even though it's illegal, she encouraged Fish and Game rangers to kill 14 wolf pups in their dens with no consquences. She's pro life...but only if you're human. ... more -
Sarah Palin supports shooting wolves and bears from airplanes
Alaska Governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a strong promoter of the aerial hunting of wolves and bears, a practice that has been condemned by conservationists, scientists and many hunters alike. It involves shooting wolves and bears from the air or chasing them to exhaustion and then landing and shooting them point blank. The animals, shot with a shotgun, usually die a painful death. The hunters involved in the program keep and sell the animals' pelts.
"Sarah Palin's anti-conservation position is so extreme that she condones shooting wolves and bears from airplanes or using airplanes to chase them to exhaustion and then shoot them point blank. Most Americans find this practice barbaric, but it's routine in Alaska under Palin's leadership," said Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund president Rodger Schlickeisen.
Advocating That A Bounty Be Paid For A Wolf's Left Foreleg?
Sarah Palin has supported aerial hunting since taking office despite the fact that the National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, the American Society of Mammalogists, and more than 120 other scientists have called for a halt to the program, citing its lack of scientific justification and despite opposition from many hunters who see it as violating the sportsmen's ethic of fair chase. Palin in 2007 even proposed offering a bounty of $150 per wolf, as long as the hunter provided the wolf's foreleg as proof of the kill. And just earlier this year, she introduced legislation to expand the program and derail a scheduled August 2008 citizens' vote on the issue. The bounty was determined to violate the state's constitution and her legislation failed.
"Sarah Palin's positions against America's wildlife could put her to the right of even the Bush administration," said Schlickeisen. "She is a promoter of one of our nation's most ugly and cruel wildlife hunting programs and Americans deserve to know her views on such matters before they vote."
Sarah Palin and the Environment
Governor Sarah Palin has an extreme anti-conservation record on issues ranging from global warming, energy and drilling to wildlife and habitat protection.
Aerial hunting of wolves and bears
Governor Palin is an active promoter of Alaska's aerial hunting program whereby wolves and bears are shot from the air or chased by airplanes to the point of exhaustion before the pilot lands the plane and a gunner shoots the animals point blank.
• Palin offered a $150 bounty for wolves to entice hunters to kill more wolves in certain parts of the state, with hunters having to present a wolf's foreleg to collect the bounty.
• She actively opposed a ballot measure campaign seeking to end the aerial hunting of wolves by private hunters and approved a $400,000 state-funded campaign aimed at swaying people's votes on the issue.
• She also introduced legislation to make it easier to kill wolves and bears and which would have also removed the aerial hunting initiative from the ballot and block the ability of citizens to vote on the issue.
• The Board of Game, which she appoints, has approved the killing of black bear sows with cubs as part of the program and expanded the aerial control programs.
• The media is currently looking into reports that state officials implementing one of the aerial wolf killing programs illegally killed five-week old wolf pups just outside their dens.
Continued. Alaska Governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a strong promoter of the aerial hunting of wolves and bears, a practi... more -
The heartbreaking picture of the polar bears with 400 miles to swim to the nearest...
Struggling against the waves, this polar bear faces almost certain death after becoming lost at sea in the Arctic.
It is one of a group of nine to have plunged into the ocean after the ice float they lived on melted.
The bears were spotted miles from their normal hunting ground by U.S. government oil survey scientists flying over Alaska's Chukchi Sea.
They said the creatures' homing instinct has sent them north towards the edge of the polar cap instead of 60 miles south towards the nearest land.
However, because of global warming, the ice cap has melted so much that it is around 400 miles away - too far for the bears to reach.
Although one group of polar bears is known to have swum 100 miles, they arrived at their destination exhausted, with several drowning along the way.
Animal charity, the World Wide Fund for Nature, said it was considering asking the U.S. government to send a ship, like a modern Noah’s Ark, to rescue some of the bears.
Yesterday, researchers also warned they feared the annual ice-melt has passed its 'tipping point', where not enough freezes each winter to make up for the previous summer's melt.
Senior scientist Dr Mark Serreze said: ‘The summer melting used to slow down by the beginning of September.
'We thought it was slowing this year, but it’s suddenly sped up instead.'
Professor Richard Steiner, of the University of Alaska, said: 'Polar bears need sea ice, sea ice is decaying, and the bears are in very serious trouble.'
Experts with WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature, fear the bears can’t make it.
Polar bears are strong swimmers but would not be able to make it that far.
In May, the US Department of the Interior listed polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because the Arctic ice they hunt on is melting so quickly.
Margaret Williams, Director of WWF’s Alaska office, said: ‘The Arctic is a vast ocean and to find nine bears swimming in one area is extremely worrying because it means that dozens more are probably in the same predicament.’
Her colleague, WWF polar bear biologist Geoff York, said: ‘As climate change continues to dramatically disrupt the Arctic, polar bears and their cubs are being forced to swim longer distances to find food and habitat.’
The Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast is home to one of two populations of Alaska polar bears. Struggling against the waves, this polar bear faces almost certain death after becoming lost at sea in the Arctic. ... more -
Puppy scares away family of bears
Three bears were no match for a 15-pound cockapoo in New Jersey.
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Is 'rogue' grizzly on loose in Anchorage?
For the second time in six weeks, an Anchorage resident has been mauled by a grizzly bear in Far North Bicentennial Park.
The woman, who has yet to be identified, was reported to be jogging along Campbell Creek around 6 p.m. Friday evening when she was attacked by a sow with two cubs.
What is believed to be the same bear has been involved in a variety of aggressive confrontations with people since June. Rick Sinnott, the area's wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, believes it was this bear that chased a mountain biker down the Rover's Run trail earlier this summer and came within inches of sinking its teeth into a University of Alaska Anchorage cross-country runner on the Spencer Loop Trail in late July. For the second time in six weeks, an Anchorage resident has been mauled by a grizzly bear in Far North Bicentennial Park. ... more -
Woman Fatally Shot By Bear Hunter
SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. -- A woman was fatally shot by a bear hunter on Sauk Mountain, said Chief Deputy Will Reichardt of the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.
Family identified the victim as 54-year-old Pamela Almli. Almli was hiking with a friend around 10:30 a.m. Saturday when a group of hunters were also in the mountain.
Investigators said one of the hunters, a 14-year-old boy from Concrete, spotted what he thought was a bear and fired a round, fatally wounding Almli.
Deputies said a preliminary investigation indicates that Almli was stopped on the trail putting something into her backpack when the hunter mistook her for a bear.
Family and friends of Almli said she loved the outdoors and spent a lot of her free time hiking.
"We find comfort in the fact that she did died doing what she loved to do (and) that it was quick. We know she wasn't in pain. We know she didn't have any fear. That's comforting to us, but there is a hole in the family," said Teresa Smith, Almli’s sister-in-law.
The victim's family said it has compassion for the young hunter and his family, but at the same time it's having a hard time understanding how this could have happened.
"It's a tragedy. He made a grave mistake that has affected many lives," Smith said.
Almli was from the small town of Oso near Arlington and had become great friends with many of her neighbors over the years. Some of them are still trying to make sense of her death and the strange circumstances surrounding it.
"You look into a scope you know what you are firing at -- and really and truly that's all I got to say," said Almli’s neighbor, Freda Slack.
The incident happened along Highway 20 west of Rockport. Reichardt said it’s legal to hunt bear in that area and it’s also a popular hiking area. It's unclear how the mountain is marked in terms of hunting season signs and hiking trails.
The hunter was accompanied by at least one other person, police said.
Police said no one is currently in custody, and they continue to interview the hunter.
The following information is from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Hunter Education:
Washington State law requires all individuals born after Jan. 1, 1972, to show proof of basic hunter education training before purchasing a hunting license, said the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Classes are offered year-round and there is no minimum age required to enroll in hunter education, but instructors may require a parent or guardian to attend all classes if students are under 12 years of age.
Non-resident hunters must also provide evidence that they have completed hunter education training before purchasing a hunting license.
In 2007, the Washington State Legislature approved a measure that allows a one-year, once-in-a-lifetime deferral of hunter education training. The deferral option is available to individuals who are accompanied by an experienced hunter who has held a Washington hunting license for the previous three years. SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. -- A woman was fatally shot by a bear hunter on Sauk Mountain, said Chief Deputy Will Reichardt of the Skagit Cou... more
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