Terri Irwin's fight against Japanese Whaling
Posted on Dec. 27, 2007 at 1:07 PM in Animal Conservation NewsI did not know what to post about today so I was going to post about the city I live in but after much debate I decided it would be best not to give out to much info on where I live, so I erased it. Now I'm a back to square one. But after going onto Yahoo News I saw a story about me hero Steve Irwin's wife, Terri Irwin, and her plan to launch a campaign to stop the Japanese whaling industry which is a very cruel business.
-What is whaling?-
Japanese whaling- Japanese whalers kill and catch (not catch and kill) thousands of whale each season, some from the Southern Pacific Minke whale group, but it also consists of Japanese Dolphins,and also some bottle nose dolphins of the Pacific. They have also been on the attack against the Humpback whales of the Antartic waters.
-Why whaling?-
The source of why their is a whaling industry is for ancient medicinal purposes, food, oil, and " scientific research". Although I have no problem with them using the whale meat for food. Most of it gets thrown back into the ocean in which it then pollutes the surrounding water. I do not wear lipstick anymore because I learned that lipstick is made from whale blubber. First off, I think that it is disgusting putting whale blubber on your lips. Second, many species of whale are now on the brink of extiction because of this particular "beauty" product.
Now don't get me wrong, I said early that I do not mind them if they are used for food purposes only. But it has been proven that whale meat consists of high levels of environmental toxins of mercury, dixion, PCB, the highest levels of EDC (Endocrine Disrupting Compounds). These toxins are particularly dangerous for pregnant women and growing children, which calls into question the practice of providing whale meat lunches for school children.
-So what the big deal about whaling?-
Japan has been under fire for defying international protests and sending its whaling fleet into Antarctic waters to hunt around 1,000 whales, ostensibly for "scientific" purposes, exploiting a loophole in a 1986 moratorium on whaling. But they have been founded out that they are not conducting scientific research but they are illegally killing for commercial trade. And they are also killing whales the promised they would not kill. For example, whaling has put the Gray whale in the 'Now extinct' file of the IWC. Among other whales that are now in the 'Critically endangered' file, which include the Beluga whale, and the Bowhead whale.
-What is Terri Irwin, the late 'Crocodile Hunter's' wife, doing to help?-
The Irwin family is launching a campaign to show Japanese whaling industry that scientific research can be conducted without the killing of thousands of whales in one season. Terri said the campaign would be launched in 2008, after she bought a whale watching company after Steve's death. "We can actually learn what the Japanese are learning with lethal with us using non-lethal research.", she told a local TV station.
However, the Japanese bowed slightly to pressure last week by abandoning plans to kill around 50 humpbacks, which form the backbone of Australia and New Zelands lucrative whale watching industry. "Whales are such an integral part to the ocean and hunting is such a cruel and awful thing," she said.
"It needs to be something that is in our ancient past, not something that we continue to do." 
I forgot to mention that I received the Steve and Me book by Terri Irwin.
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-Julia
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Yangtze River Dolphin (The Baiji) -Animal News
Posted on Aug. 7, 2007 at 9:02 AM in Animal Conservation NewsActually,here is this week's "animal News"
I am very sad to report that we have driven a species of Dolphin to complete extinction. The Yangtze RIver dolphin of China was one of the most rare endangeredand threatened species of cetacean-whale,dolphin,or porpoise. Back in 1999,scientists conducted some searches and found about 13 Baiji's living among the river system,compared to about 400 back in 1981. The last confirmed glimpse of the species was a photo taken back in 2002,and even some unverified sighting's as recent as 2006.
Yet after intense searching over the past 6 weeks scientists have no evidence -physical or audio -to prove that the species still exsists. This is one of the first creatures of the water over 200 lbs that went extinct because of humans in over 50 years since the disappearance of the Caribbean Monk seal. The species was probably driven to extinction by harmful fishing practices that were not even devised to harm the dolphins, such as the use of gill nets, rolling hooks or electrical stunning.
Even if any baiji exist that scientists did not find, the continued deterioration of the Yangtze region's ecosystem—home to roughly 10 percent of the world's human population—means the species has no hope of even short-term survival as a viable population, the researchers added. There is one more species in the river system,the Yangtze finless porpoise,and scientist believe the only chance of survival for this species is probably they need to be brought into captivity.
Here is a picture of what used to be the Yangtze River Dolphin.
Julia
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Animal News
Posted on Aug. 6, 2007 at 6:14 PM in Animal Conservation NewsAnimal News for July 31st - August 6th
India's tigers in crisis. Less than half estimated to be left. Only about 1,300 to 1,500 are left in the wild area's of India. That is less than conservationist's expected. It is based on a new counting method and contradicts the previous figure of 3,642 reported by the 2001 and 2002 census. India is believed to have around half the world's surviving tigers. But their numbers have fallen drastically due to poaching to meet a demand for skins as well as bones and other body parts for use in traditional Chinese medicines. According to a recent report in Bioscience journal, Asia's largest predator is on a "catastrophic" path to extinction as numbers continue to decline because of increased poaching, habitat destruction and poor conservation efforts by governments. "ZERO TOLERANCE FOR POACHER'S" needs to be enforced,don't ya think?
A giant panda gave birth to a cub at the San Diego Zoo Friday. It is the fourth of mother Panda, Bai Yun, meaning is White Cloud. She was put on 24-hour watch after officials detected a fetus and fetal heartbeat through ultrasound images July 18. The cub's gender was not immediately known. The panda showed signs of labor early Friday, getting restless and frequently shifting position in a private den, Swaisgood said. When the cub finally came, Bai Yun quickly scooped it up and clutched it to her breast. The cub hardly cried at all — evidence of its mother's deftness. "Usually the mother will bobble the cub or her paw will slip and the cub will cry until it's repositioned," Swaisgood said. "But (Bai Yun) was keeping that cub so content it didn't cry at all. It made a few squawks and that was it." The newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter, or one-thousandth the size of its mother, Swaisgood said. Only about 1,600 giant pandas remain in the wild, and fewer than 180 live in captivity.
A peace officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals happened across a moving pillowcase on a beach Saturday on which someone had written: "Live Gator — Please find him a home," officials said. The off-duty officer for the Suffolk County organization had been taking a walk on Long Island's Overlook beach, according to the group. The officer called in a response team to rescue the 30-inch-long animal. SPCA officials are asking for donations to help them care for the alligator until it can be taken to a sanctuary. They are also seeking information on who might have dumped the gator.
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Shocking News
Posted on Jul. 28, 2007 at 3:05 PM in Animal Conservation NewsI was very disturbed to read a story today about Mountain Gorilla's in Africa's Congo region. Four endangered gorilla's were found slaughtered,among them are now two orphaned infants who have been taken to a refuge to now be raised by humans. (They cannot survive on their own). It seems that the only reason they were killed was for the sake of killing them. The killings are signficant because the world wide population of mountain gorillas only numbers around 700. Why the babies were not killed makes no sense to me,but maybe there is a soft spot in the heart of a poacher? I don't know,I am not one of them. I am very saddened by the death of the mother's of these orphans because despite what people say gorilla's are one of the smartest creatures on earth. Study's have shown that baby gorilla's can be emotionally scarred because of witnessing something like the slaughter of their mother. Most likely, these orphan's will now be raised at a refuge and when the time is right will be released back into the wild.
The story didn't say anything about the orphans other than finding them. I am just guessing on what will probably happen to them.
Here is a website with more information on this story and the Virunga National Park. Wildlife Direct . I will be adding this to my list of links of animal conservation. Unfortunately I cannot help in donating (since I don't have a credit card).but I can help spread the word to those who CAN donate.
-Julia
"Will you help me?"
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Animal News for June 11th-18th
Posted on Jun. 18, 2007 at 10:42 AM in Animal Conservation News
Here's the animal news for the week!
This is my favorite story of the week. I was so excited to read it. This is what I want to help do when I am older,is protect the endangered species and help boost the population. Especially of Tigers. I am so excited about this story!! Eighty-four Siberian Tiger cubs have been born in captivity in northeast China since March this year,in a chance to boost survival rates. It is expected that 13 other pregnant Siberian Tiger's will give birth to 20 to 30 more tiger cubs before October this year. This special place is the Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Centre in Northeast China. It was established in 1986 and holds 750 Siberian Tigers and the officials plan to release 620 of those tigers back into the wild in the future. The Siberian Tiger is one of the top ten most endangered species of animal in the world,with only about 400 living in the wild, 20 in northeast China and the rest in Russian far east
A rare species of turtle has hatched at the Tennesse aquarium,one of only three places in the US that display the endangered species. A Beal's four-eyed turtle,named for it's two white spots on the back of it's head that look like a pair of eyes, hatched from a cluster of three eggs. The turtle weighed 0.21 ounces and was 1.52 inches long when it hatched June 9. There are only 18 known Beal's eye turtles living in the US and Europe. Experts say the turtles numbers will not increase due to their low reproductive rate. The were once very common in Southern China,but due to traditional medicine trade the number's have declined along with four other species of turtle's in that area of the world.
China has uncovered the skeletal remains of a gigantic, surprisingly bird-like dinosaur, which has been classed as a new species. Eight meters (26 ft) long and standing at twice the height of a man at the shoulder, the fossil of the feathered but flightless Gigantoraptor erlianensis was found in the Erlian basin in Inner Mongolia. "It had no teeth and had a beak. Its forelimbs were very long and we believe it had feathers," Xu Xing at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleonanthropology said in a telephone interview. The scientists had originally thought they had found tyrannosaur bones, as they were so large."It was a very surprising discovery, not at all what we expected," Xu said later at a news conference in Beijing. "So we spent a lot of time investigating the fossils which is why it took us so long to announce the results. We think it's the largest feathered animal ever to have been discovered," he said." It had both herbivorous features -- a small head and long neck -- but also carnivorous ones -- sharp claws for tearing meat -- and could likely run fast on its long, powerful legs", the professor said. Its site of discovery, near Erenhot on the Chinese-Mongolian border, is known for fossils and calls itself "dinosaur town."
-Julia
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