By including two percent fish oil in the diet of cattle, the amount of methane released by the animals can be reduced, experiments in Ireland have demonstrated.
"The fish oil affects the methane-producing bacteria in the rumen part of the cow's gut, leading to reduced emissions," says Lorraine Lillis, one of the University College Dublin researchers, in a news release issued today by the Society for General Microbiology. "Understanding which microbial species are particularly influenced by changes in diet and relating them to methane production could bring about a more targeted approach to reducing methane emissions in animals."
More than a third of all methane emissions, around 900 billion tonnes every year, are produced by methanogen bacteria that live in the digestive systems of ruminants such as cattle, sheep and goats, according to the release. "By volume, methane is 20 times more powerful at trapping solar energy than carbon dioxide, making it a potent greenhouse gas."
Approximately half of Irish agricultural methane emissions result from farm animals. There have been suggestions that, to help combat global warming, a cap be placed on the number of animals in animal production due to their methane production, the release added. "But with a reduction in methane levels through diet this may not be as necessary."
Other benefits to animals of omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils have been well documented: helping the heart and circulatory system, and improving meat quality.
Eleven groups that fund and help manage conservation of Madagascar's remaining wilderness heritage issued a joint statement at the weekend, deploring the invasion by armed looters of national parks and forests, illegal timber extraction, illegal mining, and intensified smuggling of endangered species.
The groups came together after numerous reports that Madagascar's conservation areas were being plundered by bandits and organized criminal syndicates taking advantage of the lawlessness and paralysis of government in the wake of a coup d'etat and ongoing political turmoil throughout the African island country. A week ago the Marojejy National Park in the northern region of Madgascar closed for tourism after gangs entered the sanctuary to cut down precious rosewood trees.
NGS photo of tree lizards in Madagascar by Albert Moldvay
"These deplorable acts will only further impoverish the country and deprive future generations of the Malagasy people from their unique natural heritage," the groups said.
"This situation once again compromises the efforts that have been achieved up until now to help local communities to preserve their resources from individuals attempting to plunder the national heritage for their own short term benefits.
"We hereby call upon the competent authorities and all Malagasy citizens to urgently take action to stop and punish such acts so that natural resources are no longer held hostage to political crises and post-cyclone emergencies."
Read the full text of the conservation groups' statement below these pictures illustrating some of Madgascar's biodiversity.
NGS photo of chameleon by Luis Marden
NGS photo of baobab trees by Albert Moldvay
Communiqué
The trees must not hide the forest: the loss of Malagasy Heritage
During the last 20 years, Madagascar has undertaken significant and exemplary efforts to stop environmental degradation, effectively manage natural resources and preserve its unique biodiversity in the pursuit of sustainable development.
Beyond their inherent value, these natural riches--which are a source of national pride--also guarantee the benefits and services that are essential to the daily lives of the rural majority of the population, providing them among other things with water, food and energy. These natural resources also guarantee the development of the agriculture, fisheries and tourism sectors.
We, non-governmental organizations working to conserve these natural resources for the long term well being of local communities, hereby express our deep concern at the current devastation occurring to the country's natural resources:
Open and organized plundering, sometimes using firearms, of precious wood from several natural forests, including national parks such as Marojejy and Masoala, which have been declared World Heritage Sites. Intensified smuggling of wild species, especially reptiles such as tortoises, to the national and international markets.
Proliferation, due to the current impunity, of destructive practices such as illegal mining and slash-and-burn agriculture within protected areas and environmentally sensitive areas.
These deplorable acts will only further impoverish the country and deprive future generations of the Malagasy people from their unique natural heritage.
This situation once again compromises the efforts that have been achieved up until now to help local communities to preserve their resources from individuals attempting to plunder the national heritage for their own short term benefits.
NGS photo of mouse lemur by Mark Thiessen
We hereby call upon the competent authorities and all Malagasy citizens to urgently take action to stop and punish such acts so that natural resources are no longer held hostage to political crises and post-cyclone emergencies.
Through this appeal, we confirm our commitment to work for the biodiversity of Madagascar and for the well-being of the local communities, who are the stewards of this natural heritage. We invite each citizen to recognize that the sustainability of the development of the country depends upon its natural resources and we call on every individual to take responsibility.
Antananarivo, March 27, 2009
World Wide Fund for Nature--Madagascar and the Western Indian Ocean Conservation International--Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands Wildlife Conservation Society--Madagascar Missouri Botanical Garden Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments The Peregrine Fund Fanamby Madagascar Fauna Group Man And The Environment Plant Resources of Tropical Africa
"I dance to give thanks to Great Grandfather for giving us wonderful things--songs and dances, animals, birds, creatures, and insects; trees and plants and all human beings," says Fabian Fontenelle, a powwow dancer of Omaha and Zuni descent.
Photo by Ben Marra
Ben Marra, a Seattle commercial photographer, and his then new bride, Linda, attended their first powwow in 1988. Ben had been commissioned by a printing company to make a photograph to showcase the color quality of the company's latest printing capabilities.
They hit upon the idea of photographing an American Indian, a descendant of the first people to call the state of Washington home. This led them to a powwow at a rural school--and a decades-long passion that has taken the Marras to powwows across North America.
In their latest book, "Faces From the Land: Twenty Years of Powwow Tradition" (Harry N. Abrams, Inc; $30; April 2009), Ben and Linda Marra have assembled scores of vibrant portraits of dancers in ethnic costumes old and new, each one accompanied by a personal narrative. The common theme in both pictures and words is palpable pride in a sacred heritage that thrives.
"Sometimes when I dance, I feel they are watching me," says Alden Pompana, Jr., Many Eagle Feathers Boy, of his grandparents. The Dakota Sioux dancer was initiated at the age of five into powwows by his father and grandfather.
This opinion piece was sent to the media by WWF and the South African civil rights leader/Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It is published in full as a public service on the occasion of Earth Hour 2009.
By Archbishop Desmond Tutu & James Leape, Director General, WWF International
This coming Saturday, hundreds of millions of people around the world will join together in what's being described as a vote for the planet. From New York to Beijing, from Cape Town to Paris, citizens will turn their lights off for sixty minutes to demand action on climate change.
Earth Hour is a unique opportunity for us all to send a message to the world's leaders that 2009 is the year for a global deal to tackle global warming.
We are used to seeing climate change discussed in both environmental and economic terms. The impacts on the planet are all too obvious -- melting polar ice caps, drought and rising sea levels have become the depressing staple of our daily news for several years.
The trio, born November last year, was only recently allowed outdoors for public viewing, the zoo said in the caption accompanying this picture. "They will be tussling (or sleeping) in the exhibit from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays."
The four-month-old balls of tumbling fur showed their distinct personalities within their first weeks of life, the statement added.
"Damai, a female whose name means peace in Indonesian, was the first to open her eyes and has an upside-down V above her nose and three separate markings above her right eye. Harimau Kayu, a male whose Indonesian name translates to tiger woods, is the noisiest and has a marking like a check mark ( v ) above his right eye. Kucing, a male whose name means cat in Indonesian, was the first to explore outside the den box. Now in their fourth month, Kucing is rivaling Harimau in noise production!"
The cubs were born to Delta, a 10-year-old female. Utan, an 18-year-old male, is their father. This is the second time the pair has bred successfully. In 2006 they produced three cubs that now live at the Topeka Zoo.
The Sumatran tiger is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Only between 300 and 400 Sumatran tigers are left in the wild on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, mostly in national parks, San Diego Zoo said. There are only 350 in managed care.
The primary threats to the Sumatran tiger are poaching, habitat destruction and elimination of prey.
Bronx Zoo Gorilla Gets Brain Scan
Dr. Stephanie B. James holds Fubo's breathing tube steady as he is transported to the Bobby Murcer Mobile MRI Unit.
Dozens of wildlife veterinarians, zookeepers, and medical personnel from several institutions were on hand to administer a scan of the brain of Fubo, a 42-year-old silverback gorilla living in New York's Bronx Zoo.
Fubo recently suffered a seizure, prompting WCS health and curatorial staff to seek out a neurological diagnosis, the Wildlife Consewrvation Society (WCS) said in a statement. WCS manages the zoo.
Fubo is one of two adult males, or silverbacks, living in the Bronx Zoo's Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit, which houses one of the largest breeding groups of western lowland gorillas in North America (more than 20 individuals).
The Brain Tumor Foundation responded to WCS's request for assistance with Fubo by sending its mobile MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) facility and staff to the Bronx Zoo's campus, free of charge, WCS said.
"The gorilla was sedated for the two-hour procedure, placed into the MRI's magnetic tube for the scans (a snug fit for a patient with gorilla-sized shoulders), and returned to the Congo Gorilla Forest as planned."
Daniel Jusza (foreground), Operations Manager for the Bobby Murcer Mobile MRI Unit, examines Fubo's MRI scan with Technologist Daniel Genovese (middle) and WCS Veterinarian Dr. Jason Berg.
Wildlife Conservation Society photo by Julie Larsen Maher
The scans were interpreted by staff of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and reviewed with WCS's Global Health Program staff. The findings indicated that Fubo's condition was caused by a lesion in the left temporal lobe of his brain. The specific cause of the problem has not yet been determined.
"Veterinary staff has concluded that Fubo's condition is not treatable with surgery, so they will continue to treat the gorilla with medication in an effort to control his seizures and other clinical signs," WCS said.
"Thanks to the generosity of The Brain Tumor Foundation, we were able to perform an MRI of Fubo's brain and this gave us insights into the possible cause of his illness. The ability to use their mobile MRI unit allowed us to perform this procedure right here at the Bronx Zoo," said Dr. Paul P. Calle, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Zoological Health Program and a participant in the MRI procedure.
"These images have given us a better understanding of the possible causes of Fubo's problem and have helped to guide his care. It was a great opportunity to enlist the most progressive technology for the diagnosis of people with similar problems to our close relative the endangered gorilla. The procedure contributes to the knowledge of veterinary healthcare of gorillas and other primates which will help WCS's health care programs and those of all facilities that house and care for gorillas."
WCS veterinary staff and technicians from the Brain Tumor Foundation and other groups perform an MRI of a gorilla.
Wildlife Conservation Society photo by Julie Larsen Maher
The Brain Tumor Foundation's Mobile Unit recently embarked on the "Road to Early Detection," a national campaign that promotes the early detection of brain tumors. The Unit travels New York City and its five boroughs offering free brain scans to everyone, especially those who do not have medical services available to them. The Unit is named after Bobby Murcer, the professional baseball player and broadcaster who was an advocate for The Brain Tumor Foundation's "Road to Early Detection" campaign. Murcer succumbed to a brain tumor in July of 2008.
"We were pleased to help the Wildlife Conservation Society in the diagnosis of Fubo's condition. Our message of early detection extends to all New Yorkers. We need to build awareness about the importance of early detection in the battle against brain tumors," said Patrick Kelly, founder and president of The Brain Tumor Foundation. "If found early, most brain tumors can be removed before symptoms become apparent. The only way to do this is with an MRI brain scan. Our goal is to make MRI brain scans as routine as examinations for breast, colon, and prostate cancer."
An MRI is a frequently used technique for imaging structures within the human body. The method is more effective at imaging organs and soft tissue than the CT scan (computed tomography) and is often used in neurological scans.
The Brain Tumor Foundation raises awareness among medical professionals and the public about the need for the early detection of brain tumors while continuing to offer support groups, medical referrals, peer matching programs such as Phone-a-Friend, and events including our annual conference, Brain Tumor Awareness Day.
Watch this National Geographic video of two lowland gorillas in the wild facing off in a test of strength:
Photo of turtle souvenir by Adrian Reuter/TRAFFIC North America
Critically endangered hawksbill turtles are no longer being sold as tourist souvenirs in the Dominican Republic after a powerful government campaign cracked down on shops illegally trading such items, TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, said today.
More than 99 percent of these souvenirs have been withdrawn or confiscated, TRAFFIC reported in a news release.
A 2006 survey carried out by TRAFFIC found more than 23,000 items made from hawksbill turtles for sale. A February revisit of the same locations revealed a dramatic reduction with only 135 shell items, the release said.
"The success has been achieved thanks to a widespread government-led action launched in November 2008. The Dominican Republic has encouraged the trade of alternative products such as cow horn or bone to present an alternative to shops trading with these turtles," TRAFFIC said.
"We warmly congratulate the Government of the Dominican Republic on their decisive action that has virtually eliminated the blatant illegal souvenir trade in hawksbill turtle shells," said Adrian Reuter, TRAFFIC's Representative in Mexico.
WWF video
"This sets an important conservation example for the region, showing that there are solutions that benefit wildlife and people, especially local communities that rely on tourism.
Hawksbills are one of three marine turtle species that nest on beaches in the Dominican Republic. "Over the last century, millions have been killed for the tortoiseshell markets of Europe, the United States and Asia. Today they are preyed upon by poachers mainly for their shells, which are made into souvenirs and sold to tourists, millions of whom visit the country, mostly from North America and Europe," the news release said.
Hawksbills are classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered and facing an extremely high risk of global extinction. They are listed in Appendix I of CITES(the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) along with other marine turtles, which prohibits their international trade.
Photo of turtle souvenir by Adrian Reuter/TRAFFIC North America
"With marine turtles around the world being threatened with extinction, we need to maximize every effort to save these species, not least because they are worth infinitely more alive as tourist attractions than dead," said Carlos Drews, WWF's regional coordinator for marine turtle conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
"The good news from the Dominican Republic is that it demonstrates to fellow nations that a real difference can be made to reduce illegal trade."
Photo of turtle souvenir by Adrian Reuter/TRAFFIC North America
There are an estimated 8,000 nesting female hawksbill turtles that inhabit the coastal waters of a 180 countries around the world, according to TRAFFIC. The survival of the species is threatened by illegal tortoiseshell trade, egg collection, slaughter for meat and recently, climate change.
TRAFFIC is a joint program of IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and WWF, the global conservation organization.
"Staff has been on pregnancy watch of the two-and-a-half year-old clouded leopard 'Jao Chu' (JOW-chew) for five days. She gave birth to the litter early Tuesday morning," said a zoo news release.
This is Jao Chu's first litter. She and the cubs' father, two-and-a-half year-old "Hannibal," were born in Thailand in a collaborative research program with the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand. The pairing of Jao Chu and Hannibal and the resultant offspring infuses precious genes into the captive population of clouded leopards.
The cubs' sex will not be known until the first veterinary exam, the zoo said. They are being hand raised by zoo staff to increase their chances of survival.
"Due to deforestation and hunting, clouded leopards are vulnerable to extinction. National Zoo scientist Dr. JoGayle Howard and colleagues are aggressively working toward saving this species from decline," the statement added.
Smithsonian's National Zoo photo by Lisa Ware
The Zoo has been working with clouded leopards at the Conservation & Research Center since 1978, with the goal of creating a genetically diverse population. In the past 30 years, more than 70 clouded leopards have been born at the Zoo's research facility in Virginia, with the last litter born in 1993.
Breeding clouded leopards in captivity has been a challenge, primarily due to male aggression, decreased breeding activity between paired animals, and high cub mortality, the zoo said.
The species survival plan oversees clouded leopard populations in zoos worldwide, and makes breeding recommendations for potential pairs based on the genetics of each cat.
(Watch a National Geographic video about this breeding progam below.)
Smithsonian's National Zoo photo by Lisa Ware
To date, the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium has produced 32 surviving cubs. The National Zoo's program at the Front Royal facility is the only one of its kind combining breeding with scientific research.
"For example, scientists still do not know why male clouded leopards attack their possible mates," the zoo said. "but several graduate students at the National Zoo are studying the males' behavior -- one student plans to test anti-anxiety drugs used in humans and domestic cats in an attempt to suppress male aggression."
Clouded leopard breeding video by National Geographic
Howard and colleagues have learned how to reduce the risk of fatal attacks by hand-rearing cubs for socialization and also introducing males to their mates when they are six months old, allowing the pair to grow up together. "Hannibal and Jao Chu, the only compatible pair of clouded leopards at CRC, are proof that these techniques work," the zoo said in its statement.
Little is known about clouded leopards. They are cats native to Southeast Asia and parts of China in a habitat that ranges from dense tropical evergreen forests to drier forests if there is suitable prey.
They are the smallest of the big cats, weighing 30 to 50 pounds and measuring about five feet long. Their short legs, large paws, and long tail (accounts for half their length) help them balance on small branches, and their flexible ankles allow them to run down trees headfirst.
Maize was domesticated from its wild grass ancestor more than 8,700 years ago, according to biological evidence uncovered by researchers in Mexico's Central Balsas River Valley.
This is the earliest dated evidence -- by 1,200 years -- for the presence and use of domesticated maize.
Photo of silky sifakas in Marojejy National Park by Jeff Gibbs/courtesy Erik Patel
Looters are invading Madagascar's protected wildlife sanctuaries, harvesting trees and threatening critically endangered lemurs and other species, conservationists said today.
Marojejy National Park in the northern part of the African island country has been closed to tourism. Rangers are abandoning their posts in other parks, according to reports.
The trouble is linked to turmoil that culminated in a coup d'etat that ousted President Marc Ravalomanana last week. Looters have taken advantage of government paralysis and lawlessness in some parts of the country. Some protected conservation areas are being invaded by organized criminals intent on cutting down valuable rosewood trees and extracting other protected resources, according to conservationists in Madagascar.
The closure of Marojejy National Park was "deemed necessary by park management due to the lawlessness that has descended over the ... region during this time of political unrest in Madagascar, and the resultant looting and destruction which is currently occurring within the park," according to a notice posted on the park's Web site.
Satellite image courtesy NASA
"In particular, gangs of armed men (led primarily by foreign profiteers in conjunction with the rich local mafia) are plundering the rainforests of Marojejy for the extremely valuable rosewood that grows there," the notice continues.
The crisis in Marojejy has serious implications on several fronts, states the notice on the park's Web site.
"First, of course, is the extremely detrimental impact it is having on the park's unique flora and fauna. While old-growth rosewood trees may be the primary objective of the armed gangs, such destructive, unregulated use of the forest will certainly have an adverse effect on everything else in the park.
"Most worrisome is the well-being of the highly endangered silky sifaka, a lemur found only in the rainforests of Marojejy and the surrounding area."
"But the crisis is also having a devastating effect outside the boundaries of the park itself. With armed militia descending on local villages and death threats being issued, people live in fear; communities are divided, and families are pitted one against the other. Many local people who depend on tourism -- guides, porters, shopkeepers, hotel and restaurant personnel - -now live in limbo.
"With no other means of support, some turn to the lucrative rosewood trade," the notice said.
Erik Patel is a PhD candidate at Cornell University who has been studying the silky sifaka since 2001 and has recently published the first article about illegal precious wood logging in Madagascar. (See a quote from his paper in the side bar below.)
"Illegal logging of precious wood has emerged as one of the most severe threats to Madagascar's dwindling northeastern rainforests," Patel said in an email.
Rosewood logged illegally in Marojejy National Park in 2005
Photo courtesy Erik Patel
Cornell University PhD Candidate Erik Patel has been studying the silky sifaka since 2001.
Photo of silky sifaka by Andrew Ritchie. Photo of Patel by Abigail Derby/courtesy Erik Patel
The video clip above features Erik Patel and his work in Marojejy National Park. It is from "Angels of the Forest, " a documentary film by Sharon Pieczenik chronicling the science and conservation efforts surrounding the silky sifaka.
Over the past few years, thousands of logs, worth millions of dollars, have been confiscated at ports of Vohémar, Antalaha, and Toamasina, Patel said. "Most of this critically endangered rosewood and ebony is known to have come from Marojejy National Park and Masoala National Park."
In the face of rich, armed, and politically connected criminals (believed to have ties to elements in China), the parks simply lack the resources to stop this, he added.
"The impacts of such selective logging include violating local taboos as well as ecological consequences such as increased likehood of fire, invasive species, impaired habitat, and loss in genetic diversity."
Patel said that a key cause of the logging now being seen was the recent (January, 2009) termination of the law prohibiting export of rosewood and ebony from Madagascar.
The laws prohibiting such exportation must be reinstated as soon as possible," he said. "It is unprecedented for a national park in Madagacar to be closed to tourism because of illegal logging!"
Patricia Wright and Mireya Mayor, conservationists who have done extensive research on lemurs in the wild, spoke to me at length about the crisis in Madagascar. Both had heard from their contacts in Madagascar that rangers were abandoning their posts in a number of parks because of concerns about personal safety.
"I'm gutted and at a loss to describe how bad this situation is," said Mayor, a primatologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer who has done field work in Marojejy. (Watch the video about her work below.) "Thirty years of successful conservation initiatives is now at risk of being totally destroyed," she said in the interview.
Mireya Mayor working with both the silky sifaka in Marojejy and Perrier's sifaka in Analamera.
National Geographic Video
Loggers who invaded the parks to extract rosewood would destroy habitat, set up camps, and eat the wildlife, including the lemurs, Mayor predicted. "The lemurs will not be able to withstand this."
"This crisis has had a compelling effect on me personally because of the immediate threat to Perrier's sifaka and the silky sifaka," Mayor said.
Mayor did groundbreaking research on these two critically endangered primates, leading the first expeditions to capture, collar and study some of the animals in remote areas of Madagascar a decade ago. Her work was showcased on National Geographic Television. The work was used to elevate the silky sifaka and Perrier's sifaka from subspecies of lemur to full species. "I feel personally vested in this 'war,'" she said.
"I have worked extensively in the northern forests and with those villagers whose kindness and generosity got me through many an expedition and whose lives are now being threatened. I am anxious about them too," Mayor said.
Photo of silky sifakas by Jeff Gibbs/courtesy Erik Patel
Posts Abandoned
Patricia Wright said she had received reports that rangers were abandoning their posts in a number of other parks because of fears for their safety.
"What's happening in the north is very worrying, because that is the home of two of the most endangered primates in the world, the silky sifaka and the Perrier's sifaka," she said.
Wright, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and former member of National Geographic's Committee for Research and Exploration, said she had been on the phone to her contacts in the region yesterday and was told that heavy rain had been falling in the far north of the country for days, making the roads nearly impassable. That could be a good thing because it could inhibit timber exploitation, she said.
The trouble appeared to be confined for the moment to parks in Madagascar's northern areas, Wright said. However, she was concerned that it could spread if the country's political situation was not quickly resolved.
Both Wright and Mayor were at a loss about what could be done to alleviate the crisis in the short term. "One thing we can do is create awareness about this," Mayor said.
Wright said she was trying to contact foundations and agencies that sponsor conservation in Madagascar. "A big worry is that funding dries up for conservation because of the coup. That will leave the national parks without resources and completely exposed to exploitation."
Both Mayor and Wright are also concerned about the long-term future of conservation in Madagascar.
Patricia Wright (left) and Mireya Mayor photo courtesy Mireya Mayor
Former President Ravalomanana had committed the Madagascar government to increasing protected areas on the island and had demonstrated a willingness to work with conservationists. "Now, we don't know what's going to happen," Mayor said.
Erik Patel sent the photos below -- "three of our best Marojejy National park landscape photos" -- which I am adding to show readers the majestic beauty of the habitat, closed temporarily to tourism.
Below the photos are links for additional information and related National Geographic News stories about Marojejy, lemurs, Madagascar, and more.
The three photos above are by Inaki Relanzon/courtesy Erik Patel
Photo taken March 19, 2009, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo
The grizzly bear Montana, one of two at the San Diego Zoo, in his enclosure Thursday.
As part of "Zoo Discovery Days: Bear Bonanza," a mock campsite was set up in the grizzly enclosure, according to a zoo news release. "Montana and his brother, Scout, demonstrated what can happen when campers aren't careful with their food. Hint: the grizzlies don't let little things like cooler lids keep them from fresh fish!"
"Bear Bonanza" is a four-day event that runs that through Sunday and highlights the zoo's six species of bears. Today, March 21, the polar bear enclosure was to be filled with tons of snow so visitors could watch as the bears dig, roll and play.
The event also features special presentations by zookeepers, veterinarians, and researchers to teach guests about the work the zoo is doing with its bears.
Spring is in the air -- it's the vernal equinox today. That means it's also time to start considering the gardening season.
If you've never contemplated gardening, now is the time to try it. Do your bit for the planet by greening your patch.
It's a great way to grow local food (following the example of First Lady Michelle Obama, who is starting an organic vegetable garden on the grounds of the White House), landscape your surroundings for aesthetic appeal and tranquility, and provide refuge for many small animals, from earthworms and friendly bugs to birds and toads.
Gardening is also therapeutic: Researchers at Kansas State University determined that gardening could offer enough moderate physical activity to keep older adults in shape.
I have written previously about the rewards of attracting butterflies, bees, birds and other animals to our backyard.
So it was with appreciation that I received from FSB Associates for review "The All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening," a bible for gardeners crammed with 2,500 photos and illustrations of over 700 plants.
This classic Reader's Digest book has been a best-seller for decades -- but now it is 100 percent organic and in full color, the cover informs us. (See side bar below for examples and benefits of organic gardening.)
Finding water is usually the work of women and girls, according to Joke Muylwijk, executive director of the Gender Water Alliance, a network of more than a thousand people around the globe dedicated to equitable access to water resources and decision-making.
"There are some women who spend their whole lives looking for water," Muylwijk said.
Gary White is executive director of WaterPartners, a nonprofit that aims to provide safe water and sanitation in developing countries.
According to White, 200 million hours are spent every day walking to collect water. "It is a huge opportunity cost for women who could be working paying jobs, or children who could be in school," he added.
Muylwijk and White said women are generally absent in water decisions, but should play a critical role.
For example, Muylwijk said, the opening ceremony of the 5th World Water Forum was conducted by men only and out of 19 members on the forum steering committee there are no women.
At least in the developing world, women are generally more invested in water resources, and are more likely to carry an improvement project through to completion, White said.
Fadia Daibes, an independent consultant working on water resource management and policy in East Jerusalem, tells National Geographic more about the role, or lack of a role, women play in delicate Israeli-Palestinian water negotiations.
Video interview by Tasha Eichenseher
Meena Bilgi calls herself a gender advocate.
Based in Gujarat, India, Bilgi is employed by governments, nonprofits, and development agencies to advise on how and why to include women in water, agriculture, and health projects.
She said it may take years for men in rural communities, where she works, to accept women in official decision-making or managerial roles.
"Mainstreaming gender is a gradual process," she said.
But, according to Bilgi, many development projects in India fail because they don't include women, who are usually more familiar with the available natural resources because they are often the ones in the fields, grazing cattle in the forests, and fetching water.
Bilgi tells National Geographic more about her work and progress she and her colleagues have made.
Tasha Eichenseher's attendance at the 5th World Water Forum is sponsored by Media21 -- a Switzerland-based journalism foundation that brings reporters and producers from around the globe to work together on coverage of major issues such as human rights, climate change, and health.
A third of the 800 bird species in the United States are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats, according to a study released today by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
The first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States also highlights examples, including many species of waterfowl, where habitat restoration and conservation have reversed previous declines, "offering hope that it is not too late to take action to save declining populations," according to a news statement accompanying the release of the report to the media.
NGS illustration of bald eagle and osprey by Walter A. Weber
"Just as they were when Rachel Carson published 'Silent Spring' nearly 50 years ago, birds today are a bellwether of the health of land, water and ecosystems," Salazar said. "From shorebirds in New England to warblers in Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population trends that should set off environmental alarm bells. We must work together now to ensure we never hear the deafening silence in our forests, fields and backyards that Rachel Carson warned us about."
The report, State of the Birds, synthesizes data from three long-running bird censuses conducted by thousands of citizen scientists and professional biologists, the news statement said.
Grebes, ducks, and an avocet share a North Dakota pond.
NGS illustration by Walter A. Weber
"In particular, it calls attention to the crisis in Hawaii, where more birds are in danger of extinction than anywhere else in the United States. In addition, the report indicates a 40 percent decline in grassland birds over the past 40 years, a 30 percent decline in birds of arid-lands, and high concern for many coastal shorebirds. Furthermore, 39 percent of species dependent on U.S. oceans have declined."
However, the report also reveals convincing evidence that birds can respond quickly and positively to conservation action, the statement added. "The data show dramatic increases in many wetland birds such as pelicans, herons, egrets, osprey, and ducks, a testament to numerous cooperative conservation partnerships that have resulted in protection, enhancement and management of more than 30 million wetland acres."
Wetlands Conservation "Paid Huge Dividends"
"These results emphasize that investment in wetlands conservation has paid huge dividends," said Kenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Now we need to invest similarly in other neglected habitats where birds are undergoing the steepest declines."
"Habitats such as those in Hawaii are on the verge of losing entire suites of unique bird species," said Dr. David Pashley, American Bird Conservancy's Vice President for Conservation Programs. "In addition to habitat loss, birds also face many other man-made threats such as pesticides, predation by cats, and collisions with windows, towers and buildings. By solving these challenges we can preserve a growing economic engine - the popular pastime of birdwatching that involves millions of Americans - and improve our quality of life."
"While some bird species are holding their own, many once common species are declining sharply in population. Habitat availability and quality is the key to healthy, thriving bird populations," said Dave Mehlman of The Nature Conservancy.
Surveys conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey, including the annual Breeding Bird Survey, combined with data gathered through volunteer citizen science program such as the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count, show once abundant birds such as the northern bobwhite and marbled murrelet are declining significantly, the news statement said. "The possibility of extinction also remains a cold reality for many endangered birds."
NGS illustration of wild turkey by Walter A. Weber
Citizen Science
"Citizen science plays a critical role in monitoring and understanding the threats to these birds and their habitats, and only citizen involvement can help address them," said National Audubon Society's Bird Conservation Director, Greg Butcher. "Conservation action can only make a real difference when concerned people support the kind of vital habitat restoration and protection measures this report explores."
Birds are beautiful, as well as economically important and a priceless part of America's natural heritage, the news statement continued. "Birds are also highly sensitive to environmental pollution and climate change, making them critical indicators of the health of the environment on which we all depend."
The United States is home to a tremendous diversity of native birds, with more than 800 species inhabiting terrestrial, coastal, and ocean habitats, including Hawaii. Among these species, 67 are Federally-listed as endangered or threatened. In addition, more than 184 species are designated as species of conservation concern due to a small distribution, high-level of threats, or declining populations.
NGS illustration of fly-catchers by Walter A. Weber
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated creation of the new report as part of the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative, which includes partners from American Bird Conservancy, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Klamath Bird Observatory, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Loss and degradation of habitat from deforestation and agricultural runoff, unsustainable levels of water extraction, and the introduction of alien invasive species are serious threats to southern Africa's freshwater fish, birds, plants, and other species, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) reported today.
The majority of threatened species are found in South Africa, largely reflecting the greater levels of development activity here when compared to other countries in the region, IUCN said in a report released at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey.
"Around 7 percent of all species assessed are regionally threatened according to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria," the report says.
Basket fishing in Zambia photo by Denis Tweddle/SAIAB
"This level of threat may appear low relative to other taxonomic groups but, following comparison with similar studies in other parts of the world, the level of threat is predicted to increase dramatically unless the ecological requirements of freshwater species are given much greater consideration in future development planning, in particular for development of water resources such as for improved water supply, irrigation and provision of hydro-electric power."
Tanzania Brewer Drafted into Water Efficiency Effort
To brew just one 250 ml glass of beer it takes 75 liters of water, according to the Water Footprint Network. Water is primarily used for growing barley, but the brewing process itself also uses the resource.
Despite re-occurring drought in Tanzania, Safari and Kilimanjaro Premium Lagers may be sold at the local watering hole for some time to come.
Based in the capital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Breweries Limited was worried about the region's water supply. The company brought together citizens, environmentalists, and government agencies who are now working on large-scale infrastructure and efficiency projects to secure the city's supply into the long-term future.
Tanzania Breweries, and its parent company SABMiller, were recognized in a report on corporate action the World Wildlife Fund-United Kingdom released yesterday at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul.
SABMiller, along with MillerCoors and dozens of other big businesses--not all breweries--helped to develop the United Nations CEO Water Mandate, a voluntary initiative to become more water efficient.
The Dar es Salaam region is subject to drought and crop failure, and is expected to become even more vulnerable as climate change intensifies.
The government isn't doing it's job to secure a water source, said report author Stuart Orr.
African Countries Come Together to Manage Groundwater
The Iullemenden Aquifer sprawls 193,000 square miles (500,000 square kilometers)--about the size of California--below Mali, Niger, and Nigeria in Northwestern Africa.
The aquifer is a primary source of drinking water for the region, but depends on rainfall for recharge and has been exploited to a point that could spur serious conflict.
It is estimated that withdrawals have increased from 50 million cubic meters in 1970 to 180 million cubic meters in 2004, mostly due to a population increase of 9 million in the region over that same period of time.
NGS photo of Tazole Well, Niger, by James L. Stanfield
The area has been labeled one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change as drought--which has persisted since 1970---is expected to get worse.
Recognizing the situation was potentially explosive, government agencies in all three countries got together to form the Sahara and Sahel Observatory to assess the situation and work on an agreement to manage the aquifer.
The U.N. has highlighted the project as a model for other possible conflict areas.
Aquatic Species at Risk in Southern Africa
The World Conservation Union (IUCN)--one of the definitive sources on endangered and threatened species--announced today at the World Water Forum that many southern African freshwater fish, crabs, dragonflies and aquatic plants risk extinction.
The biggest threat to survival: development.
Out of 1,279 freshwater species in southern Africa, 94 are threatened--78 of these are found in South Africa.
"Here at the World Water Forum the trend is to think about water supply in terms of irrigation, hydropower and drinking water," said William Darwall, Manager of IUCN's Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, in a statement. "People tend to forget about the species that live in the water but we can no longer afford to do this."
IUCN goes on to explain that many of these species are an important source of food.
Schools in Kenya Secure Clean Water, a Better Learning Environment
Much of Nyanza Province in Kenya is drought-prone. Women and children end up walking four miles (six kilometers), or three hours, a day to haul water. Nearly 90 percent of the province's schools do not have a clean source, according to the nonprofit Global Water Challenge, based in Washington, D.C.
In the last three years teachers from 285 schools in Nyanza have learned how to treat water with a chlorine solution. In addition, they have installed hand-washing stations.
The Sustaining and Scaling School Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SWASH) program is a five-year funding effort by U.S. businesses, government agencies, and advocacy organizations and foundations to bring proper hygiene, and ideally better health and therefore better education to classrooms. (It is hard to concentrate when you're sick.)
Tasha Eichenseher's attendance at the 5th World Water Forum is sponsored by Media21 -- a Switzerland-based journalism foundation that brings reporters and producers from around the globe to work together on coverage of major issues such as human rights, climate change, and health.
Wild chimpanzees using tools to raid bee nests have been observed in many parts of Africa. Now observations of chimpanzees in the Congo Basin indicate that they may have developed sophisticated technical solutions to gather honey that differ from those of apes in other regions.
Dave Morgan, of the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, and Crickette Sanz, of the department of primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany, monitored 40 episodes of tool use in honey-gathering by chimpanzees in the Goualougo Triangle, Republic of Congo, between 2002 and 2006.
"Pounding [hammering with a sturdy club] was the most common and successful strategy to open beehives," they noted in their research paper. (Watch the video below.)
Video captures courtesy Morgan and Sanz
Chimpanzees at this site, in the southern portion of Congo's Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, used several tools in a single tool-using episode and could also use a single tool for many different purposes. "They exhibited flexibility in responses toward progress in opening a hive and hierarchical structuring of tool sequences," Morgan and Sanz wrote.
The results supported suggestions of regional tool-using traditions in honey-gathering, which could be shaped by variation in bee ecology across the chimpanzee range, they added.
Bees have developed effective means of protecting their hives that most often involve the fortification and concealment of their nests. Different bee species show particular nesting habits, but there is also variation in nest building within species.
Some bees build nests in tree hollows or other preexisting cavities. Others may find lodging underground, in the forest canopy, or within the nests of other insects such as ants or termites.
Certain bees also restrict or close the nest entrance when an intruder is detected.
Another form of nest defense is to pursue or sting the intruder. Bees also have alarm pheromones that mark the raider so as to direct one another to the threat, the scientists said.
"The task of the honey-gathering chimpanzee is to overcome the defensive strategies of the bees themselves, breach the protective structure of the hive, and extract the honey and larvae."
The different defense strategies of the bees could require honey raiders to apply different combinations of tactics.
Wildlife Conservation Society conservationist Angela Yang holds a rare-white rumped vulture, one of two birds that survived a poisoning incident in Cambodia's Stung Treng province.
Photo by Allan Michaud/Courtesy WCS
A small victory in a region where vultures of several species in Asia have become endangered was the saving of this critically endangered white-rumped vulture that nearly died from eating a poisoned animal carcass.
"Vulture populations across Asia have plummeted," said Hugo Rainey, WCS Technical Advisor to the Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project. "Every bird that we can save is important not only for vulture species, but for the ecosystems that rely on these birds as critical scavengers."
Seven Vultures Died
Researchers responded to the poisoning incident in the Stung Treng province of Cambodia, where vultures were feeding on a dead buffalo, the statement said. "Seven of the white-rumped vultures died, and local officials from the Forestry Administration and Ministry of Environment sent two sick birds---an adult and a juvenile---to WCS personnel in Phnom Penh for veterinary care. The birds were then sent to ACCB for rehabilitation. The use of poison for hunting and fishing is not unusual in the region."
The adult vulture recovered quickly and the two organizations prepared for its release by tagging both wings and banding one leg, enabling researchers to identify the bird at a distance. Once released, the adult flew into a nearby tree and was later seen feeding on a cattle carcass with other vultures.
WCS veterinarian Priscilla Joyner (right) and bird bander Helen Ward (left) examine one of the white-rumped vultures.
Photo by Allan Michaud/Courtesy WCS
"All of our observations indicate that this vulture has made a complete recovery and hopefully will help perpetuate the species," said WCS veterinarian Priscilla Joyner.
The juvenile bird continues to be cared for by rehabilitators.
Cambodia has become one of the last strongholds for many vulture species in Asia, including the white-rumped vulture, the New York-based WCS said.
In 2004, the Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project was established by a consortium of governmental agencies and NGOs in order to save vultures from extinction in the country. Members of the project include WCS, Birdlife International, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, WWF, ACCB and the Cambodian Government including the Ministries of Environment (MoE) and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Forestry Administration (FA).
Vulture Restaurants
Vultures in Cambodia are monitored regularly at "vulture restaurants" which have been set up across Cambodia, WCS said. "Each month food is provided at the restaurants and this supports conservation of vulture populations directly as well as allowing WCS to count the birds visiting the restaurants."
Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project Manager Pech Bunnat said: "Counting birds at restaurants allows us to assess if vulture populations are healthy. We count birds each month as well as holding a national census each year and protecting vulture nests. This is why the Cambodia vulture population is now increasing."
In Southeast Asia, the causes of vulture decline are a decrease in food availability, the loss of nesting sites, and the use of poison for fishing and hunting, according to WCS.
"Yet in South Asia, the principle reason for the decline of vultures is the drug diclofenac, which was widely used as an anti-inflammatory agent for cattle in South Asia in the 1990s and is still used in some parts of the region. Vultures that feed on cattle carcasses also ingest the drug, which causes renal failure and death in the affected birds. As a result of the drug's widespread use, the populations of many vulture species have declined by more than 95 percent on the Indian subcontinent, precipitating an ecological crisis."
Populations elsewhere in Asia are so low that several species of vulture may go extinct unless vultures in Cambodia are saved, WCS added. (Read the National Geographic News story Many Asian Vultures Close to Extinction, Survey Finds.)
With a range stretching from Pakistan to Vietnam, the white-rumped vulture was once considered one of the most abundant large birds of prey in the world. As a result of its precipitous population decline, the bird has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN's Red List since 2000 along with three other vulture species.
The rehabilitated white-rumped vulture adult (in the foreground with white wing tags) returns to the wild.
Istanbul, Turkey -- Rose George, British author of the 2008 book "The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters," tells National Geographic Digital Media Science Editor Tasha Eichenseher why people should care about the 2.5 billion people around the globe who do not have access to a safe, clean place to do their business.
George--pixie-ish, and passionate--is a former editor at Benetton's Colors magazine, where she once worked on an art book showcasing feces. Now, whether consulting for the Gates Foundation or writing op-eds for the New York Times, she is the go-to girl for all issues related to the toilet.
She explains that the lack of sanitation facilities--sophisticated or primitive--in developing countries is "a fundamental health crisis."
Nearly 20 percent of those without facilities practice open defecation, according to Clarissa Brocklehurst, chief of water, sanitation and hygiene at UNICEF, who spoke during a panel discussion at the 5th World Water Forum yesterday. In India alone, there are approximately 665 million people who have no other options.
This is undignified and dangerous, especially for women, who risk rape and snakebite, George says. The resulting water pollution and fecal contamination also carry an enormous health risk, particularly for children, George adds.
"It is scandalous that in 2009 [the diarrhea death toll] is like four jumbo jets of children crashing every day. Human waste is a fabulous weapon of mass destruction."
Brocklehurst called the lack of adequate sanitation for more than a third of the Earth's population "one of the biggest scandals in the last 50 years."
Tasha Eichenseher's attendance at the 5th World Water Forum is sponsored by Media21 -- a Switzerland-based journalism foundation that brings reporters and producers from around the globe to work together on coverage of major issues such as human rights, climate change, and health.
Mandara, a 26-year-old female western lowland gorilla and her two-month old daughter, enjoyed the St. Patrick Day festivities. Mandara is eating a lime and honeydew melon kabob that she found in her goodie bag. The public can vote to name the baby gorilla on the Zoo's Web site.
Smithsonian's National Zoo photo by Mehgan Murphy
The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., arranged a Saint Patrick's Day celebration today for the zoo's gorillas and orangutans with an "all-green" party at the Great Ape House.
In keeping with a "green" theme, all the food served at the party to the gorillas and orangutans was green, the Zoo said. Foods included green fruitsicles, lime and honeydew melon kabobs, green jello, broccoli forage, and shamrock wall paintings made of rice cereal.
"Additionally, the keepers painted St. Patrick's Day decorations on brown paper bags that were filled with hay and goodies," the Zoo said in a statement.
The animals obviously would not have any concept of St Patrick's Day--something they have in common with perhaps most of the human primates walking around in green and drinking green beer on this day. But a lot can be said for the imagination of the National Zoo's animal keepers for making their jobs and the lives of the animals they look after as enriched and fun as possible.
Seven western lowland gorillas live in one group at the National Zoo's Great Ape House, including their newest resident, a female baby gorilla born on January 10, 2009. Four Sumatran-Bornean hybrid orangutans and two Bornean orangutans live in a separate exhibit at the Great Ape House.
Iris, a 21-year-old Sumatran-Bornean hybrid orangutan, relaxes next to the green waterfall and pool on St. Patrick's Day at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
More than 20,000 people from at least 175 countries are buzzing around Istanbul this week talking about water.
The freshwater that forms Earth's rivers, lakes, aquifer, glaciers, and wetlands --- the same water that fills our glasses and toilet bowls -- connects every one of the planet's 6.5 billion citizens and myriad aquatic species.
Water is embedded in every unit of energy we use, meal we eat, and piece of clothing we wear.
It is essential for life, yet, according to the United Nations, there are nearly 1 billion people without access to a safe, clean source, and 2.5 billion without access to adequate sanitation. [Read the National Geographic News story: Lack of Toilets Harming Health of Billions, UN Report Says.]
Policy makers, economists, scientists, engineers, development agencies, business leaders, and environmental organizations have convened in Turkey for the 5th World Water Forum to find a way to avoid water bankruptcy and achieve global water security.
They face an enormous challenge. According to a report the U.N. released yesterday, the future looks bleak.
Population growth, the financial crisis, and poverty coupled with climate change put a wrench in plans to provide basic water service, according to the report, which looked at water management in 25 countries.
African countries are in the worst shape. In Sudan, where rainfall has decreased over the last several years, nearly 55 percent of all freshwater is used for agriculture, and water use for crops is expected to double by 2025.
Asia and island countries in the Pacific are home to almost 60 percent of the world population, but only 36 percent of the planet's freshwater.
In the decades before 2000, China had an average of about 66 billion cubic meters of renewable water resources. Today, because of pollution and other factors, the country has less than an estimated 49 billion cubic meters while demand has steadily risen.
In Europe, climate change may cause sea level rise that floods two-thirds of the Netherlands -- where 96 percent of the population lives below sea level. And Istanbul itself faces significantly diminished groundwater due to saltwater intrusion from rising seas and unsustainable extraction.
"Inaction is no longer an option, and stepping out of the single sector 'water box' is necessary to properly address mounting problems," according to the report, referring to how water decisions have traditionally not been linked to other critical issues such as finance.
But buried in the halls of the conference center -- part of which is a renovated factory that once provided fez hats and clothing for the Ottoman army -- there are success stories that can rise above the gloom and doom scenarios.
The U.N. report highlights a handful: irrigation efficiency improvements in Tunisia; decreased water use in Estonia; and legal rights to a minimum quantity of drinking water in Argentina.
Stay tuned for more.
Tasha Eichenseher's attendance at the 5th World Water Forum is sponsored by Media21 -- a Switzerland-based journalism foundation that brings reporters and producers from around the globe to work together on coverage of major issues such as human rights, climate change, and health.
Making a public debut at San Diego Zoo today were these two sun bear cubs, Pagi and Palu.
The 5-month-old twins are only the third Bornean sun bear litter to be born in North America, all of which have occurred at the San Diego Zoo, the zoo said in a caption accompanying this photo. Zoo researchers are studying reproductive biology and maternal care of the sun bear.
Visitors to the San Diego Zoo can learn more about these cubs during Zoo Discovery Days: Bear Bonanza March 19-22. The four-day event showcases the six species of bears at the Zoo: brown bear, giant panda, polar bear, sun bear, sloth bear and Andean bear.
The smallest member of the bear family (they grow to only about half the size of an American black bear), the reclusive sun bear's native habitat is the dense lowland forests of Southeast Asia. They take their name from the golden bib-shape patch on their chest, which legend says represents the rising sun.
The sun bear has been classified as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), meaning the species faces a "high risk of extinction in the wild." The two major threats to the species are habitat loss and commercial hunting, IUCN says.
Photo taken March 16, 2009, by Tammy Spratt, San Diego Zoo.
Elephants may be falling to the guns of poachers in central Africa, but in the U.S. a survivor of an elephant culling program in southern Africa gave birth to a male calf on Friday at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park.
"The unnamed calf bolsters the population of African elephants at the Wild Animal Park to 12," the zoo said in a caption released with this photo.The mother, Umngani, and calf, in the photo above, will be slowly introduced to the rest of the zoo's herd over the next several days.
"Keepers and researchers are monitoring the pair to ensure Umngani properly cares for the newborn and to gather important information about calf development."
Rescued by the Wild Animal Park in August 2003, Umngani and six other adult elephants were to be culled in the Kingdom of Swaziland's Big Game Parks because of elephant overpopulation, the zoo said. "A lack of space and long periods of drought created unsuitable habitat for a large elephant population in the small southern African country."
Photo taken March 13, 2009, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park.
This photo of a buffalo herd in Zakouma National Park was used to determine that there are exactly 794 animals in the herd. Photo mosaics made by Mike Fay and his team of conservationists allow them to make an accurate assessment of the types and numbers of animals in the sanctuary.
Photo courtesy Mike Fay
On the final day of an aerial survey of Zakouma National Park in Chad, central Africa, a team of conservationists led by J. Michael Fay spotted and photographed several herds of elephants. The animals will be carefully counted on photographs taken by the team and follow-up flights will be made for clarifications.
Texas-size Zakouma park is on the frontline of central Africa's ivory wars. Once a haven for hundreds of thousands of elephants, the reserve has been the target of rampant poaching that has reduced the elephant population to fewer than a thousand animals. Elephants could vanish from the park within the next two to three years if poaching continues at current levels, National Geographic News reported three months ago.
Fay, a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Explorer-in-Residence for National Geographic, made headlines in 2006 -- the last year the park's elephants were counted officially -- when he found evidence of entire herds of elephants slaughtered by poachers armed with automatic weapons just outside Zakouma's boundaries.
Once the final number of the current survey is in, Fay will share his thoughts about the status of Zakouma's embattled elephants. "I have been at this battle for almost 30 years and this is the last stand," he writes in this blog entry.
Zakouma Survey 2009
By J. Michael Fay
Day 5: March 8, 2009
The bronchitis is still with me, but I kind of feel like my body is winning at this point
We have been seeing millions of quelea birds along the river near camp here going to their roosts in the evening -- amazing site.
Today is the final day of the survey. We were going to try find and then decipher that big herd of elephants [seen on the previous day] before we embarked on our survey lines.
NGS photo of Zakouma elephants in 2007 by Michael Nichols
We got to about 3 km north of the airstrip and we could already see a few small herds milling around the waterhole just to the east of the road, so in the block that we surveyed yesterday.
One herd of 20 was headed south and another bigger group north.
On the west side of the road was the vast majority of the group.
We flew over one group that was probably a total of about 150 individuals. We took photos.
We took a few long loops to the east of the road down to Rigueik to see if there were elephants headed south. We saw none so we assumed that the vast majority of elephants were in the block to be surveyed today and broke to start transects on the south end of the block.
I believed that we would capture the entire herd on the transects.
To the south of the block we started to record large numbers of giraffe, some good sized herds of buffalo and the normal mix of antelopes, warthogs, ostrich and the ubiquitous elephant carcasses. It seemed that for all species except for elephants we were doing quite well.
NGS photo of Zakouma elephants in 2007 by Michael Nichols
We started hitting elephants about half way up in the block. They were north of where we had seen them in the morning and on the move. This was a herd of about 80 or so.
There would be more further to the north.
Two transects later we hit another group of 80 or so.
And some transects north of that we hit the big group.
There were small groups huddled under about 10 acacia trees in a row. We estimated the number at some hundreds.
It seems with elephants you always overestimate a bit and with buffalo you underestimate.
NGS photo of elephants in Zakouma in 2007 by Michael Nichols
We positioned ourselves along the line of elephants and shot three mosaics of pictures that we could stitch together and count them very accurately. It looked like there were over 300.
We hit a few more large herds of buffalo, giving us another 1,000 or so to add to the total. They were hard to photograph, kind of hidden below a canopy of forest. Their exact numbers would be hard to count in the photos.
It will be a few days before we know what the total elephant number is, but I think we are looking at just over 600 total.
We plan on doing some follow-up complete counts, counting only elephants. So stay tuned -- we will have a good number in the next 4 or 5 days.
Then I will give you my thoughts on these results. I am remaining a counter here, [showing] no emotion, but believe me there is a lot. I have been at this battle for almost 30 years and this is the last stand.
NGS photo of elephant carcass and vultures in 2007 by Michael Nichols
"It was 'officially' born on July 4, 2008, and in an embryonic state crawled back into its mother's pouch to continue developing," the Zoo said in a news statement. And then there was another celebration, "when the joey was mature enough to brave being outside in the real world to explore and test its climbing abilities."
Tree kangaroos are found only in the rain forests of Australia, West Papua, and Papua New Guinea. The Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is endemic to the Huon Peninsula on the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea.
The species is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2004 Red List as endangered.
The Bronx Zoo's adult tree kangaroo diet consists of browse, kale, and root vegetables, while the joey's diet is provided by mom with some "tasting" of solid foods, the zoo said.
The Smithsonian's National Zoo announced the birth of a giant anteater, born two days ago, March 12, in an indoor enclosure. This is only the second giant anteater to be born in the history of the zoo.
"National Zoo animal care staff and veterinarians have been closely monitoring mother Maripi (ma-RIP-ee) for the past six months, performing weekly ultrasounds and other diagnostics," the Zoo said in a news statement. "Staff expected Maripi to give birth in mid to late March based on the typical gestation period of giant anteaters."
National Zoo staff has yet to determine the baby's gender or weight -- and may not for some time, the statement added. "Maripi is showing excellent maternal instinct in caring for her baby and is very patient as the baby nurses and negotiates various techniques of climbing onto mother's back. Staff will make every effort to not disturb the animals, allowing time for mother and baby to bond."
The baby's father, Dante -- who is separated from mother and baby -- plays no part in the rearing of offspring, the Zoo said. This is the second offspring of Maripi and Dante. In summer 2007, Maripi gave birth to a female, Aurora, who now resides at the Zoo Parc de Beauval in France.
Mother and baby will remain off exhibit until further notice.
"Giant anteaters live in grassland savannahs, swamps, humid forests and wetlands, and their habitat spans most of Latin America -- from Belize to Argentina," the Zoo said.
"Anteaters use their keen sense of smell to detect termite mounds and anthills and tear them open with strong claws. They then gather their prey using a two-foot-long tongue covered with very sticky saliva. Their tongues help them collect insects--they can eat up to 30,000 ants a day."
Maripi and Dante have lived at the National Zoo since 2006 and are on loan from the Nashville Zoo.
One of the male elephants hanging around the Zakouma base camp
Photo courtesy J. Michael Fay
On the second to last day in an aerial survey of Zakouma National Park's elephant population, conservationist J. Michael Fay finds a large herd and several smaller groups. "What great relief," Fay writes in this fourth entry of his blog from the field. The first three days of the survey yielded only elephant carcasses.
Texas-size Zakouma park in Chad is on the frontline of central Africa's ivory wars. Once a haven for hundreds of thousands of elephants, the reserve has been the scene of rampant poaching that has reduced the elephant population to fewer than a thousand animals. Elephants could vanish from the park within the next two to three years if poaching continues at current levels, National Geographic News reported three months ago.
Fay, a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Explorer-in-Residence for National Geographic, made headlines in 2006 -- the last year the park's elephants were counted officially -- when he found evidence of entire herds of elephants slaughtered by poachers armed with automatic weapons just outside Zakouma's boundaries.
Zakouma Survey 2009
By J. Michael Fay
Day 4: March 7, 2009
I coughed through the night. I have found two remedies -- one is to sit up in bed -- that calms the cough. I have also made my own cough syrup a combination of Johnny Walker, local honey, local lemon and mint tea. Swig down enough of that and at least you can sleep.
The plane was full of gas and the windows washed and we were airborne again at 5:45 a.m., all systems are working perfectly.
This new laser altimeter we have is awesome, tells you exactly how high above the ground you are, so we keep a tight 3D path on our transect lines.
Today is the day we enter the core of where elephant observations have been made on previous dry season counts.
The first calls from the back of the plane were of warthog, waterbuck, buffalo, and old elephant carcasses. As the morning hours progressed we got a large elephant herd about every hour or so and a wide variety of wildlife -- and the omnipresent old bones of elephants scattered across the land.
We were documenting our third large herd of buffalo. These guys were deep in a riverine forest that makes them real hard to count -- maybe 500, maybe 800. You can't get good pictures of them either.
Another circle revealed a small herd huddled under an anogeissus tree.
We counted 28 elephants. They were quite close to the tourist camp Tinga. Darren said this group had been hanging out close to the camp for some time, it was undoubtedly them.
Lots of times when elephants are under pressure they tend to concentrate where friendly humans are. This is why we find the largest males in the park hanging around the Zakouma Camp. With fewer elephants there is less competition for food so a small herd can afford to stay in one place.
Elephants at a waterhole in Zakouma in 2007
NGS photo by Michael Nichols
In 2006 at about the same time there were a few hundred elephants that would come to the waterhole past the bridge in Tinga every day. This put heavy pressure on the vegetation there.
We flew on, transect after transect, no elephants.
We were picking up good numbers of giraffe, which was good because it seemed we were shy on these guys.
Right on the eastern border of the park we spotted four herds of camels,three of 100 and another of about 450.
We also picked up several nomad camps perched just outside the park. There were also plantations of sorghum out in the seasonally flooded plain to the east of the park.
Nomads in the Zakouma National Park area in 2007.
NGS photo by Michael Nichols
As we reached the largest pan in the park, Rigueik, we could see a large herd of buffalo. They were right in the middle of the grassy plain, perfect for a photo and an exact count. This is one of the largest herds of buffalo in the park, maybe 800 strong.
To know the buffalo were doing well made us feel good.
In the afternoon we continued north. We kept accumulating more giraffes, lots of herds of ten and more. The antelope numbers were also climbing respectably so we were confident we would either show stable or increasing populations for all species, except elephants.
We were on our last two very short transects for the day. It was starting to get dark, the sun had already set and we were flying over the guard post Goz Djerat at the northeast main entrance to the park.
Bechir spotted a group of 20 elephants about 500 meters from the camp.
These guys had also been spotted by several people around Goz Djerat.
Then we saw more elephants and, across the road, outside the block, more.
We circled, taking in wider and wider swaths, and under the trees we were seeing groups of 20-50 elephants scattered across the land.
What great relief, with one day of survey left we have found a large herd. How many we couldn't know and it was too dark to count. We would have to figure it out tomorrow.
The fear was that they would travel a long distance in the night or worse disperse in all directions making the count very difficult.
In a special event coinciding with the observance of women through International Women's Day (March 8), the International Colloquium on Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security 2009 was an historic event for women in Liberia, Africa, and around the world.
The colloquium, hosted by two female presidents, Africa's first, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Finland's Tarja Halonen, brought together hundreds of women, including heads of state, executives, NGOs, community leaders, and local participants to provide women with the platform, voice, skills, and guidance needed to play a more significant and constructive role in all aspects of society.
In addition to establishing the Angie Brooks Centre to be built in Liberia, which will support the implementation of the colloquium's goals like gender-based violence, education and economic security, the conference addressed issues on all aspects of women's empowerment in Monrovia, Liberia, in the post-conflict country's first major conference since 1979.
I returned to Liberia for the first time in 19 years since 1990 -- after having left right after the 14-year civil war broke out -- to volunteer for the colloquium.
Arriving in Monrovia two weeks prior to the colloquium to assist the Office of the Secretariat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I hit the ground running, working with the event planner, Maya Padmore, along with dozens of volunteers who were committed to showing the world that Liberia was on the way to returning to the land of tourism and development opportunities.
These women, young and old, black and white, came from as far as the interior of the country and from across oceans to lend their time and expertise to the Government of Liberia to make the event a success. The Liberian people put on their best traditional outfits, displayed the hospitality that they are well known for, and welcomed the world with open arms in the spirit of solidarity.
A haven for hundreds of thousands of elephants only a few decades ago, Zakouma National Park in Chad in northern central Africa is now on the frontline of the continent's ivory wars. Poaching in recent years may have reduced the number of elephants in the reserve to fewer than a thousand.
Elephants could vanish from the park within the next two to three years if poaching continues at current levels, National Geographic News reported three months ago.
Conservationist J. Michael Fay, a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Explorer-in-Residence for National Geographic, is in Zakouma this week to survey the park from the air. He and others are hoping to get an accurate picture of the status of the park's surviving elephants.
Fay (in the photo above, on the right) made headlines in 2006 -- the last year the park's elephants were counted officially -- when he found evidence of entire herds of elephants slaughtered by poachers armed with automatic weapons just outside Zakouma's boundaries.
Zakouma Survey 2009
By J. Michael Fay
Day 3: March 6, 2009
My cold feels like it is transitioning to something more closely related to bronchitis. As soon as I put my head down to sleep I start a whooping cough. Glad I am just flying the plane and not counting or writing down data.
We were off the ground on schedule, windows washed, observers in place.
We began block 3 on the southeastern end of the park. The Gara Plain forms the eastern limit of the park. Normally there are thousands of cattle and nomads here, but they were invited to leave some weeks ago because of the frequency of incursions into the park. So we decided to push the transects out into the plain a bit because Darren has been seeing topi and ostrich out there.
NGS photo of Gara Plain after the rains by Michael Nichols
We flew over Kieke Village where there is a guard outpost on the southeast side of the park. There were sorghum fields right up to the border with the park. Almost immediately we spotted a herd of 18 giraffe. There was a time when giraffe tails fetched a high price here. They were given to brides as part of the dowry, but that practice has started to wane and the number of giraffe in Zakouma is definitely going up.
Counts of hartebeest, giraffe, water buck and warthogs started to mount.
We came close to the first of a series of large open water pans that we would traverse today, and there was our first large herd of buffalo. We estimated 200, but we circled to take photos because invariably people underestimate the number of buffalo in a herd. We circled low and got a complete shot of the entire herd.
Later we [will] compile all the photos from the various waypoints of all elephant and buffalo herds and hand count them on the computer screen. We usually find that the buffalo are about 20 percent underestimated and that elephants are just about correct.
We carried on for four more hours this morning. It is hotter than yesterday. We accumulated hundreds of hartebeest, roan, ostrich, giraffe, old elephant carcasses, waterbuck, and a second herd of buffalo of over 400. But no elephants.
We passed into the zone where in 2006 still we found many groups of elephants. There were none.
As we got further to the north on the east side of the park we ran into a herd of 400 camels. They were outside the park boundary but only by a few hundred meters. There were a large number of nomadic camps, cows, sheep and goats.
The number of elephant carcasses from years past continued to accumulate.
NGS photo of Rigueik Plain waterhole by Michael Nichols
Total for the day: 0 elephants, 203 old elephant carcasses. We do not find them all by any means. Some burn, some are hidden by the grass.
We can only hope we have a large package of elephants to the north of us.
Elephant carcasses found in Zakouma National Park in 2007.
Conservationist J. Michael Fay continues blogging from Zakouma National Park, Chad, where he and assistants are conducting an aerial survey of the sanctuary's elephants.
Fay, a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Explorer-in-Residence for National Geographic, is trying to count the Zakouma elephants after recent estimates indicated that fewer than a thousand remain in the park. Zakouma is on the frontline of Africa's ivory wars, where conservation groups and the Chadian government are fighting daily to save some of the last surviving elephants in central Africa.
The elephants could vanish from the park within the next two to three years if poaching continues at current levels, National Geographic News reported three months ago.
While on assignment for National Geographic magazine in August 2006, Fay made headlines when he revealed evidence of entire herds of elephants slaughtered by poachers armed with automatic weapons just outside Zakouma. The Texas-size park was a sanctuary for as many as 300,000 elephants in the 1970s.
Zakouma Survey 2009
By J. Michael Fay
Day 2: March 5, 2009
My cold is worse, but we were up again at 4:30 and in the air by 5:45.
The air is clear now; the dust storm has completely subsided.
The day's flying began to complete the southwestern block. We still had to fly the granite mountain and the village of Bon located in that part of the park.
NGS photo by Michael Nichols
This village [seen in the photo made a few years ago, above] was inside the park at inception and was not forced to move out. It is populated by Goula people who during the great slave raids from the north of the 18th and 19th centuries sought refuge in granite mountains spread from northern Central African Republic to this part of Chad.
This is a village that lives a very traditional existence with sorghum fields, a small amount of small livestock and a bit of fishing.
The wind was blowing hard from the east, and as we approached the hills there was that kind of turbulence where you feel like if you turn the plane too quickly it might just flip over. The village is at the base of the mountain on the east side and the sorghum fields cover and area to the east extending out about 15 kilometers [10 miles].
While outside the park you find very little wildlife around villages, here we were finding good numbers of kudu, giraffe, roan, hartebeest, and ostrich interspersed in the fields, despite the aridity of this zone now in the height of the dry season.
We proceeded to the second block, just to the east, that covers most of the center of the park.
NGS photo of elephants in Zakouma National Park in 2007 by Michael Nichols.
As we entered the block the calls started coming from the back of the plane: Elephant carcass old 3, roan 5, elephant carcass old 7, elephant carcass old 2, warthog 3, elephant carcass old 1, warthog 4, elephant carcass old 3, warthog 1, elephant carcass old 3, elephant carcass old 4 -- and it continued like that for the next many transects.
At one point 40 observations in a row were of elephant carcasses totaling 80 individuals that would have fallen mostly between 2007 and 2008, probably right at the beginnings of the rains when the elephants traditionally venture into this part of the park.
As we proceeded north there was fewer carcasses and more wildlife mostly hartebeest, warthogs and roan.
We finished the day with the total number of elephants counted still at 0 and so far no large herds of buffalo.
My head felt like hell and it was a hot one. Tomorrow we enter block three where we should find elephants.
A recent elephant carcass that the team discovered from the air on calibration flights before the survey.
Photo by Mike Fay
J. Michael Fay, a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Explorer-in-Residence for National Geographic, is back in Chad, Africa, to survey the elephant population in Zakouma National Park. The park is on the frontline of Africa's ivory wars, where conservation groups and the Chadian government are fighting daily to save some of the last surviving central African elephants.
Zakouma elephants could vanish within the next two to three years if poaching continues at current levels, according to recent population surveys, National Geographic News reported three months ago.
While on assignment for National Geographic magazine in August 2006, Fay made headlines when he revealed evidence of entire herds of elephants slaughtered by poachers armed with automatic weapons just outside Zakouma. The Texas-size park was a sanctuary for as many as 300,000 elephants in the 1970s. The most recent aerial surveys suggest fewer than 1,000 elephants remain.
Now Fay is back in the air over Zakouma to assess the situation.
Zakouma Survey 2009
By J. Michael Fay
Day 1: March 4, 2009
I woke up to the roaring of lions around 3:30 a.m. I could hear five different prides announcing their presence; the lion density here in Zakouma is high. It was already hot and I was coming down with a cold, not good conditions for the 30-some hours of flying we were to do to complete this survey over the next five days.
I peeled myself out of bed at 4:30. Only a few doves were cooing. Our plan was to get in the air at dawn every day of the survey, fly for 4 hours in the morning, until it got too unbearably hot and the animals were firmly hidden in the shade. Then we would try to fit in at least 2 hours in the PM to keep the time as short as possible.
The risk is that elephants will traverse from a non-surveyed to a surveyed area in the night and you miss them, or vise versa.
The team consisted of me, Darren Potgieter, Nicolas Taloua and Bechir Djimet. I was going to pilot since I hadn't flown in a couple of years and wanted to have some fun. Darren, the guy who actually works here in Zakouma for WCS [Wildlife Conservation Society] piloting our plane, would be the front-seat observer, collecting waypoints and observations. Nicholas and Bechir work for the anti-poaching unit here and often fly with Darren. They were the back-seat observers.
We don't know what this year's survey is going to show. What we do know is that Zakouma's elephant herd, the last great central African savanna population, has been getting hammered by poachers since 2006. A sample survey in 2008 and overflights using a WCS aircraft over the past several months seem to confirm our worst fears. The elephant population has been cut from 3,885 in 2005 to under 1,000 individuals.
Elephants drink at the last remaining water hole during dry season in Zakouma.
NGS photo by Michael Nichols
This survey is to give us the first definitive proof of that grim fact or perhaps worse. More importantly, it is going to show us how intense poaching was this dry season.
Using funds from private donors, WCS and NGS were able to provide full-time aerial support for antipoaching efforts, starting in May 2008.
Since that time Darren had only found 18 poached carcasses in the park. If poaching intensity was like it had been to reduce the population from 3,885 to under 1,000 we should find many more fresh carcasses than that. So this year's count sadly will be just as much about the dead elephants we find as live ones.
We were in the air by 5:45 and headed for the west of the park. This is the more arid part of the park and not a place where we expected to find elephants in the dry season. We started at the north and flew transects east-west separated by 600 meters.
The vestiges of a dust storm that completely obscured visibility only a few days before was still in the air. My throat was dry, the sun shone a dull orange cast in slight haze.
Conservationist Mike Fay in Zakouma National Park
NGS photo by Michael Nichols
The north of the park is bordered by the Korum River. In 2006 there were a lot of cattle herders using wells here to stage incursions into the park. Darren said that those wells were filled in and it looked like that cattle problem was solved.
As we flew our transects data started to accumulate via shouts from the back seats: warthog 4 left, roan 2 right, oribi 2 left. As the array of parallel lines accumulated on our GPS display a story of the wildlife and human presence in this vast western part of the park emerged.
Little Evidence of New Poaching
To the north we picked up a decent number of duikers, oribis and warthogs, and a few roan antelope.
As we progressed to the south, we found more and more roan, and giraffe, ostrich and grand koudou [greater kudu] near the rock outcrops in the south.
It seemed that wildlife numbers had increased in this arid part of the park since 2006. There was little evidence of any new elephant poaching from the wet season.
All in all conditions had improved here because the cattle problem was solved, the village in the southwest had not expanded their sorghum culture beyond previous limits, wildlife is increasing, and there is little sign of increased elephant poaching in this part of the park.
We didn't expect to see elephants today, and we didn't.
For maps, photos and data from the 2006 survey please go to National Geographic magazine's Ivory Wars.
A group of giraffes running across Zakouma a few years ago.
A six-month-old western lowland gorilla at the San Diego Zoo holds onto the back of 14-year-old Ndjia in the Gorilla Tropics exhibit, today.
This marked his first time on exhibit with his family, the Zoo said in a statement. "The young gorilla, named Frank, is the fifth member of the Zoo's gorilla troop lead by a silverback named Paul Donn. The other members of the troop are Frank's mother, 12-year-old Azizi and a 13-year-old female, Imani. Gorillas are peaceful, family-oriented animals and all of the members of the troop take responsibility for caring and raising Frank."
The new gorilla weighs more than 13 pounds, but zookeepers expect that he'll grow to be more than 400 pounds. His father, Paul Donn, weighs 450 pounds.
Gorillas usually grow to full size by the time they are 15 years old. They are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
This year has been declared the Year of the Gorilla by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, United Nations Environmental Programme and other organizations working toward conserving the gorilla population.
The San Diego Zoo is home to 13 western lowland gorillas.
Photo taken March 6, 2009, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo.
Meet one of the more amazing offspring at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo World of Reptiles exhibit -- a critically endangered Panamanian golden frog toadlet.
The baby frog's skin is not the golden color of the adult, but rather green and black to match the moss growing around its Montane stream habitat, WCS said in a statement released with the photos. "This color variance provides the advantage of camouflage for youngsters. The golden color change comes about as the toadlet matures into a juvenile."
Breeding occurs during the dry season when the stream water flows at a slower rate, WCS added. "This species must have flowing water, however, for mating to take place. Interestingly, Panamanian golden frogs communicate with hand gestures -- much like sign language."
Adult females are about 4 to 5 inches, a bit larger than the males.
The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society operates both the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium. The charity also funds conservation programs around the world.
WCS photo by Julie Larsen Maher
Panama's golden frog is a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Now researchers are fighting to save the rare amphibian from a naturally occurring -- and deadly -- fungus.
Watch this video about the Panamanian golden frog:
Video by Wild Chronicles, from National Geographic Mission Programs
The first wild jaguar to be captured and fitted with a radio-collar in the United States -- and the only wild jaguar known to be living in the U.S. -- was euthanized in Phoenix, Arizona last night, Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity said today. (Read the National Geographic News story.)
"The jaguar, 'Macho B,' was accidentally captured in an Arizona Game and Fish Department trap on February 18 and was recaptured and euthanized Monday after he was found to be suffering from kidney failure," Suckling said in an email message.
"This is a terrible setback for the fragile population of northern jaguars that once ranged from the Bay Area of California to the Appalachian Mountains and now are so rare that only four have been photographed in the U.S. since 1996," he added.
National Geographic News reported last week that Macho B was the first jaguar in more than a century to have been caught and collared in the U.S.
"The Arizona Game and Fish Department spotted the 118-pound (54-kilogram) male during a research study of mountain lion and black bear habitat," Christine Dell'Amore reported. "It was later confirmed to be Macho B, an animal that has been photographed since 1996 and could be between 14 to 16 years old--making it the oldest jaguar ever collared."
It is unclear whether the stress from the repeated captures and sedation caused the weak kidney to fail, Suckling said in his email today. The Center for Biological Diversity is keeping a close eye on the post-mortem investigation to determine what caused the jaguar's death, he added.
Photo courtesy Arizona Game and Fish Department
Michael Robinson, the conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the death of Macho B was a major setback for the jaguar, particularly given that the new border wall between Mexico and the U.S. was making it much harder for jaguars to reoccupy their ancestral homes in the southern United States.
"Macho's legacy should be action to develop a science-based recovery plan and protection of the areas they call home to ensure their survival," Robinson said in a statement on the Center's Web site.
The Tucson, Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity will be in federal district court in Tucson on March 23 in its lawsuit against a Bush-era U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refusal to develop a recovery plan and designate critical habitat for the jaguar.
A recovery plan would lay out the information needed for jaguar recovery, the least intrusive means of getting that data, and the means by which the population of jaguars would be increased and secured.
"We support research to understand the jaguar's ecology, including capturing animals when necessary," Robinson said. "But it does entail risk, and with the Bush administration's refusal to develop a recovery plan and protect critical habitat for the jaguar, it is unclear how the information will be used to benefit the jaguar."
"An overarching recovery plan would serve as a roadmap for a time when jaguars are far more resilient to the loss of a single animal than they are today."
The Smithsonian's National Zoo now has a baby black and rufous giant elephant-shrew -- also known as a sengi, the Zoo announced.
"Keepers at the Small Mammal House did not know it had been born until they saw three elephant-shrews in the exhibit instead of two," the Zoo says on its Web site. The birth was planned as part of a captive breeding program, but the keepers had not been aware that it happened because baby elephant-shrews typically remain buried deep in their nest for the first several weeks of life. It is estimated that the baby was born in late January.
Elephant-shrews are neither elephants nor shrews, but belong to their own group of ancient mammals, the Zoo said. "They are distantly related to aardvarks, the order of mammals that includes manatees and dugongs, hyraxes, and elephants. Native to eastern Kenya and Tanzania, the black and rufous giant elephant-shrew is listed as vulnerable to extinction."
Watch a video of the baby and an interview with Zoo biologist Ashton Shaffer:
Photo and video courtesy Smithsonian's National Zoo
As head of National Geographic's daily online news service, David Braun has a front-row seat on developments in the fields of science, nature, and cultures. This blog will give you David's unique perspective on the news, including access to some of the interesting stories that don't make it onto the news site, behind-the-scenes details about life in the National Geographic newsroom, and David's insights into what's changing in our world, why, and what we can do about it. Read More About This Blog Visit News.NationalGeographic.com
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Texas-size Zakouma park is on the frontline of central Africa's 
Today is the day we enter the core of where elephant observations have been made on previous dry season counts. 
The number of elephant carcasses from years past continued to accumulate. 
We proceeded to the second block, just to the east, that covers most of the center of the park. 
