Officials say they have seized nearly 3000 rare animals in one of the biggest wildlife trafficking busts in Thailand this year.
Among the animals are some protected by international conventions on endangered species.
The illegal wildlife trade is said to be rife in Thailand and generates billions of dollars worldwide.
Karishma Vaswani reports.
video here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14921009
Showing posts with label rare animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rare animals. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Mass starvation of dugongs and turtles on Great Barrier Reef
A sudden mass starvation of turtles and dugongs, a rare sea mammal, off the coast of Queensland has prompted warnings of a long-term natural disaster in the normally sheltered waters just inshore of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
By Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney
By Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney
Along hundreds of miles of beaches and on the shore of small islands, the rotting carcasses of green turtles and dugongs have are being washed ashore in alarming numbers - victims, scientists believe, of the after effects of the cyclone and floods that have afflicted this part of Australia in the past year.
Now naturalists fear that up to 1,500 dugongs – a species of sea cows – and 6,000 turtles along the Reef are likely to die in the coming months because their main food source, sea grass, which grows on the ocean floor, was largely wiped out by the floods and cyclone.
In some places the plants were ripped from the seabed by currents created by the storms and in others they were inundated under silt and soil washed out from the land by the torrential rains.
Beachgoers have reported stumbling across groups of turtles in shallow waters near Townsville – only to discover they were dead or dying.
"This is a long-term environmental disaster," said Dr Ellen Ariel, a turtle expert at James Cook University.
"It is not like an oil spill where you can clean the water and move on. It is such a large stretch of coastline... We have had mass strandings of turtles. The turtles are sick and starving and can't go on any longer. They don't have anywhere to go."
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says it expects more dugongs to die than in any previous event.
Marine experts have expressed growing concerns about the future of the Reef's dugongs, which are regarded as a vulnerable species. The herbivorous creatures, related to the Florida manatee and believed to be the source of the mermaid myth, helped the Great Barrier Reef gain its listing as a World Heritage area in 1981.
But their number around the southern parts of the Reef, which attracts the largest number of tourist, has declined by an estimated 95 per cent over the past 50 years. Some 5,500 live in the main section of the Reef, and here growing numbers of carcasses have been washing up on to coastal golf courses and island beaches.
Clive Last, who works as a groundsman on a privately-owned island near the town of Gladstone, was making his way back to the shoreline on his boat last month when he spotted a "black bulge" on the rocks of a small island, Witt Island. He made his way to the pontoon and discovered the marooned body of a seven-foot dugong, with much of its skin peeled away.
"I could see straight away there was something there that shouldn't be there," he told the Sunday Telegraph.
"I thought, not another one. It was a big grey and white dead mass, but it was intact. There was no sign of trauma or cuts or bruising. Something is going wrong. I've lived here for 50 years but I have never seen deaths in such numbers."
Mark Read, a protected species expert at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, said turtles and dugongs were the "lawnmowers of the sea" and their losses could have a damaging impact on the overall marine ecology.
"We are looking at the highest ever record for stranded dugongs and the same for turtles," he told The Sunday Telegraph.
"Turtles and dugongs play a key role in maintaining healthy seagrass beds. We have concerns about the likely effect from a marked decline of turtles and dugongs. We don't know what the consequences are."
One of the world's experts on dugongs, Prof Helene Marsh, from James Cook University, said she was concerned about the dugong's future in the southern section of the Reef. "It is unprecedented that such a huge area of coast was affected. In this case, because the floods and cyclone were so huge and the damage so widespread - and it followed a wet year last year - we are wondering whether these animals have anywhere else to go."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8753630/Mass-starvation-of-dugongs-and-turtles-on-Great-Barrier-Reef.html
"It is not like an oil spill where you can clean the water and move on. It is such a large stretch of coastline... We have had mass strandings of turtles. The turtles are sick and starving and can't go on any longer. They don't have anywhere to go."
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says it expects more dugongs to die than in any previous event.
Marine experts have expressed growing concerns about the future of the Reef's dugongs, which are regarded as a vulnerable species. The herbivorous creatures, related to the Florida manatee and believed to be the source of the mermaid myth, helped the Great Barrier Reef gain its listing as a World Heritage area in 1981.
But their number around the southern parts of the Reef, which attracts the largest number of tourist, has declined by an estimated 95 per cent over the past 50 years. Some 5,500 live in the main section of the Reef, and here growing numbers of carcasses have been washing up on to coastal golf courses and island beaches.
Clive Last, who works as a groundsman on a privately-owned island near the town of Gladstone, was making his way back to the shoreline on his boat last month when he spotted a "black bulge" on the rocks of a small island, Witt Island. He made his way to the pontoon and discovered the marooned body of a seven-foot dugong, with much of its skin peeled away.
"I could see straight away there was something there that shouldn't be there," he told the Sunday Telegraph.
"I thought, not another one. It was a big grey and white dead mass, but it was intact. There was no sign of trauma or cuts or bruising. Something is going wrong. I've lived here for 50 years but I have never seen deaths in such numbers."
Mark Read, a protected species expert at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, said turtles and dugongs were the "lawnmowers of the sea" and their losses could have a damaging impact on the overall marine ecology.
"We are looking at the highest ever record for stranded dugongs and the same for turtles," he told The Sunday Telegraph.
"Turtles and dugongs play a key role in maintaining healthy seagrass beds. We have concerns about the likely effect from a marked decline of turtles and dugongs. We don't know what the consequences are."
One of the world's experts on dugongs, Prof Helene Marsh, from James Cook University, said she was concerned about the dugong's future in the southern section of the Reef. "It is unprecedented that such a huge area of coast was affected. In this case, because the floods and cyclone were so huge and the damage so widespread - and it followed a wet year last year - we are wondering whether these animals have anywhere else to go."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8753630/Mass-starvation-of-dugongs-and-turtles-on-Great-Barrier-Reef.html
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Rare tigress kills mate in US zoo
Officials at a zoo in the US where a rare Malayan tiger was killed by his mate have said there were no warning signs of violence.
Steve Marshal, director of El Paso Zoo in Texas, said three-year-old Seri and six-year-old Wzui seemed to have bonded during their two-and-a-half months together and had even mated.
He said the animals were seen playing and being affectionate with one another just hours before Seri bit down on Wzui's neck and choked him to death.
Minnesota Zoo conservation director Tara Harris said tigers sometimes fight but very rarely kill one another. She said it is even rarer that a female would kill a male.
Mr Marshal said the zoo hopes to find another suitable mate for Seri soon.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Twenty rare Siamese crocodiles hatch in zoo
One of the world's rarest crocodiles is clawing its way back from extinction in the wild, with the hatching of 20 eggs in Laos.
The eggs of the Siamese crocodiles were found floating on a bed of reeds in a lake in southern Laos in June, and were brought to the zoo for protection.
Katherine Smith reports.
Footage of crocodiles in incubator courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society. See video here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14681662
The eggs of the Siamese crocodiles were found floating on a bed of reeds in a lake in southern Laos in June, and were brought to the zoo for protection.
Katherine Smith reports.
Footage of crocodiles in incubator courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society. See video here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14681662
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Scottish wildcat and cub captured in photo and on film
A Scottish wildcat and her cub - among the rarest animals on earth - have been caught on camera.
The animals were just yards from the home of a crofter near Cornhill, a village near Banff in Aberdeenshire. He and his wife are keeping their identities and location secret because the wildcat is a protected species.
The crofter said: "We have had astonishing sightings in recent days, even seeing them playing at one point.
"We are in no doubt that they are wildcats. The kitten is about the size of an adult domestic cat, and you would not want the mother sitting on your lap.
"I think if you were confronted by it, you would turn around and walk the other way.
"To see a mother and kitten together is extremely rare. We believe there may be other kittens nearby, and she has been teaching this young one to hunt.
"We have watched the mother hunting and killing big rabbits and taking them into a nearby overgrown area, and we have also seen what we think is the father on his own.
"We have sighted large cats at this time of year from our house for the past four years. Initially we thought we were seeing a wild big cat, but these are most definitely wildcats. There is even a possibility that a big cat and a wildcat could have bred."
The mother and kitten were photographed about 100 yards from the Cornhill couple's house, and they also managed to get video footage.
"I have borrowed a hide so that I can get closer, in the hope that I can take even sharper pictures," added the crofter.
"Photographs of them are very rare."
The Scottish wildcat is the UK's last large mammal predator. Although it my look similar to a domestic cat, there are a number of key differences that make the Scottish wildcat stand out.
They are about 50% larger than a regular domestic cat, have thick striped coats and wider jaws and a thick ringed tail.
They are extremely powerful and fast, capable of reaching 30mph, but there are so few of them left that they are regarded as one of the UK's most endangered species.
The Cairngorm Wildcat Project has been set up to safeguard the surviving wildcat population. It is headed up by Dr David Hetherington, who has been sent pictures of the animals photographed near Cornhill.
He said: "It is difficult to say from the angle and clarity of the pictures whether they are definitely wildcats. I would need to see their coat markings in more detail.
"We are getting reports of wildcats in agricultural landscapes in Aberdeenshire, indicating that they are moving into areas where they are not normally found.
"It would be very exciting if these Cornhill animals were wildcats, but they may also be hybrids between wildcats and domestic or feral cats.
"Hybrids are a real threat to the future of the pure Scottish wildcat, apart from their limited numbers, and that is why we are keen that people living in rural areas get their farm and domestic cats neutered, to prevent any cross-breeding."
It is thought that there could be fewer than 400 wildcats remaining in the Highlands, making them rarer than Bengal tigers. Experts fear they are on the brink of extinction.
If the Cornhill sighting is verified, it would back up reports that the cats are extending out to agricultural areas of Aberdeenshire from their more common habitat around the Cairngorms.
See video:
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/north/263249-scottish-wildcat-and-cub-captured-in-photo/
The crofter said: "We have had astonishing sightings in recent days, even seeing them playing at one point.
"We are in no doubt that they are wildcats. The kitten is about the size of an adult domestic cat, and you would not want the mother sitting on your lap.
"I think if you were confronted by it, you would turn around and walk the other way.
"To see a mother and kitten together is extremely rare. We believe there may be other kittens nearby, and she has been teaching this young one to hunt.
"We have watched the mother hunting and killing big rabbits and taking them into a nearby overgrown area, and we have also seen what we think is the father on his own.
"We have sighted large cats at this time of year from our house for the past four years. Initially we thought we were seeing a wild big cat, but these are most definitely wildcats. There is even a possibility that a big cat and a wildcat could have bred."
The mother and kitten were photographed about 100 yards from the Cornhill couple's house, and they also managed to get video footage.
"I have borrowed a hide so that I can get closer, in the hope that I can take even sharper pictures," added the crofter.
"Photographs of them are very rare."
The Scottish wildcat is the UK's last large mammal predator. Although it my look similar to a domestic cat, there are a number of key differences that make the Scottish wildcat stand out.
They are about 50% larger than a regular domestic cat, have thick striped coats and wider jaws and a thick ringed tail.
They are extremely powerful and fast, capable of reaching 30mph, but there are so few of them left that they are regarded as one of the UK's most endangered species.
The Cairngorm Wildcat Project has been set up to safeguard the surviving wildcat population. It is headed up by Dr David Hetherington, who has been sent pictures of the animals photographed near Cornhill.
He said: "It is difficult to say from the angle and clarity of the pictures whether they are definitely wildcats. I would need to see their coat markings in more detail.
"We are getting reports of wildcats in agricultural landscapes in Aberdeenshire, indicating that they are moving into areas where they are not normally found.
"It would be very exciting if these Cornhill animals were wildcats, but they may also be hybrids between wildcats and domestic or feral cats.
"Hybrids are a real threat to the future of the pure Scottish wildcat, apart from their limited numbers, and that is why we are keen that people living in rural areas get their farm and domestic cats neutered, to prevent any cross-breeding."
It is thought that there could be fewer than 400 wildcats remaining in the Highlands, making them rarer than Bengal tigers. Experts fear they are on the brink of extinction.
If the Cornhill sighting is verified, it would back up reports that the cats are extending out to agricultural areas of Aberdeenshire from their more common habitat around the Cairngorms.
See video:
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/north/263249-scottish-wildcat-and-cub-captured-in-photo/
Saturday, May 28, 2011
They didn't croak after all! World's rarest toads found in area less than half the size of a football pitch
 |
| Under threat: The toad's home is a biodiversity hotspot threatened by deforestation and climate change |
Last updated at 3:49 PM on 24th May 2011
The world's rarest toad has been found by scientists living in an area of just 300 square metres in the wild.
Living in a section of a forest reserve less than half the size of a football pitch in Tanzania, East Africa, the discovery that the population of Wendy's forest toad is still in existence has delighted zoologists who thought the species was dying out.
The toads are thought to be hyper-endemic - found in one very small area and nowhere else in the world.
Scientists from a project run by the the Whiteley Wildlife Conservation Trust - based at Paignton Zoo, Devon - and the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group have been carrying out a rapid ecological assessment of key sites along the Uzungwa Scarp forest reserve - a biodiversity hotspot threatened by deforestation and climate change.
Hamidu Seki, the project's team leader, found several critically endangered Wendy's forest toads while walking throughout the area. The species is thought to live in a range no bigger than 300 square metres in the Uzungwa mountains.
Mike Bungard, Paignton Zoo's curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates, said: 'This is not a newly-discovered population but it is fantastic to find evidence that they are still here.
'This project is already paying off. These species are thought to be hyper-endemic, which means they are found in one very small area and nowhere else in the world.
'Sadly, there is no sign of the Poynton's forest toad in the area where it was seen ten years ago, though we are still searching.
'Small populations in small areas are so vulnerable to disease or disaster.'
Mike and Andy Bowkett, overseas conservation officer for the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, spent a month working in Tanzania before Christmas.
Andy, who returns to Tanzania in June, said: 'There are species recorded in one spot in the world. 'That may be because no-one has bothered to look again, or they have become extinct.
'It is very strange for multiple species - our three target species - to be observed many times over the years in the same spot but never anywhere else.
'Having said that, we still need to find out for sure whether they are hyper-endemic, or whether they are found elsewhere.'
The target species are Nectophrynoides wendyae - Wendy's forest toad - and Nectophrynoides poyntoni - Poynton's forest toad (both listed as Critically Endangered) and Hyperolius kihangensis, the Kihanga reed frog, which is classed as Endangered.
Mike Bungard added: 'This project is already providing new information on which we can base our long-term conservation efforts.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1390244/Worlds-rarest-toad-area-half-size-football-pitch-Tanzania.html
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Rare ocelot sighted in Southern Arizona
An ocelot, one of the rarest big cats on this side of the world, wandered near a home in Southern Arizona's Huachuca Mountains Tuesday and sought temporary refuge in a tree to avoid a barking dog.
The cat was unhurt, the Arizona Game and Fish Department reported, and finally climbed down from the tree after a state wildlife officer had it photographed and recorded the sighting. (The photo above is the actual ocelot, taken by photographer Tony Battiste..)
Ocelots are small- to medium-sized cats, with dark spots and a long, curling tail that helps them climb trees. They have been protected by the federal Endangered Species Act since 1982, but they live mainly in the lowlands of Mexico and Central and South America.
Tuesday's sighting is significant because ocelots are almost never seen in Arizona. An ocelot was killed by a car near Globe last April, but questions arose about whether it was a cat kept captive by someone in the area.
The Sky Island Alliance reported photographing an ocelot in 2009, but wildlife officials could not verify the details of the cat in the picture.
A man was working in his yard in the Huachuca Mountains on Tuesday when he saw his dog barking at what appeared to be a big cat, game and fish officials said. The cat climbed a tree and, at that point, the man got a closer look. He called the Game and Fish department.
The game and fish officer inspected the cat as closely as he could and confirmed it was an ocelot. The officer saw no injuries and no evidence that the dog and ocelot had interacted, the agency said. The officer took pictures, collected scat samples and then cleared the area until the ocelot could climb down and leave.
State and federal wildlife officials will study the pictures and the location to determine whether the ocelot lives in the wild or escaped captivity.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/ShaunMcKinnon/118106
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Vow to help preserve rare vole
ACTION is being taken to help preserve the rare water vole in Llanelli.
The Carmarthenshire Biodiversity Partnership is to undertake environmental enhancement works at Delta Lake, where the creature has been spotted.
Biodiversity officer Isabel Macho said: "The council, grant funded by the Countryside Council for Wales, is working with the Environment Agency to enhance the habitat around Delta Lake for wildlife, including the rare water vole, signs of which were found there this year.
"The water vole has a stronghold in the Llanelli area, one of 16 key sites for the animal in the UK.
"This work will provide a great opportunity to improve the habitat here for water voles as well as other species, such as Reed Bunting and Cetti's Warbler. It will also give the western bank of the lake some structure and improved aesthetic appeal."
The plan is to install pre- planted reed mats along the bank this winter. It means the shore will be fenced off for a while to allow the mats to establish and machinery will be on site for a couple of days.
Ms Macho said: "Currently the banks are very bare and have limited benefit for wildlife and have little visual appeal."
The work fits in with the council's obligations under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to "have regard" for diversity in all its actions.
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Vow-help-preserve-rare-vole/article-2961653-detail/article.html
The Carmarthenshire Biodiversity Partnership is to undertake environmental enhancement works at Delta Lake, where the creature has been spotted.
Biodiversity officer Isabel Macho said: "The council, grant funded by the Countryside Council for Wales, is working with the Environment Agency to enhance the habitat around Delta Lake for wildlife, including the rare water vole, signs of which were found there this year.
"The water vole has a stronghold in the Llanelli area, one of 16 key sites for the animal in the UK.
"This work will provide a great opportunity to improve the habitat here for water voles as well as other species, such as Reed Bunting and Cetti's Warbler. It will also give the western bank of the lake some structure and improved aesthetic appeal."
The plan is to install pre- planted reed mats along the bank this winter. It means the shore will be fenced off for a while to allow the mats to establish and machinery will be on site for a couple of days.
Ms Macho said: "Currently the banks are very bare and have limited benefit for wildlife and have little visual appeal."
The work fits in with the council's obligations under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to "have regard" for diversity in all its actions.
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Vow-help-preserve-rare-vole/article-2961653-detail/article.html
Vow to help preserve rare vole
ACTION is being taken to help preserve the rare water vole in Llanelli.
The Carmarthenshire Biodiversity Partnership is to undertake environmental enhancement works at Delta Lake, where the creature has been spotted.
Biodiversity officer Isabel Macho said: "The council, grant funded by the Countryside Council for Wales, is working with the Environment Agency to enhance the habitat around Delta Lake for wildlife, including the rare water vole, signs of which were found there this year.
"The water vole has a stronghold in the Llanelli area, one of 16 key sites for the animal in the UK.
"This work will provide a great opportunity to improve the habitat here for water voles as well as other species, such as Reed Bunting and Cetti's Warbler. It will also give the western bank of the lake some structure and improved aesthetic appeal."
The plan is to install pre- planted reed mats along the bank this winter. It means the shore will be fenced off for a while to allow the mats to establish and machinery will be on site for a couple of days.
Ms Macho said: "Currently the banks are very bare and have limited benefit for wildlife and have little visual appeal."
The work fits in with the council's obligations under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to "have regard" for diversity in all its actions.
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Vow-help-preserve-rare-vole/article-2961653-detail/article.html
The Carmarthenshire Biodiversity Partnership is to undertake environmental enhancement works at Delta Lake, where the creature has been spotted.
Biodiversity officer Isabel Macho said: "The council, grant funded by the Countryside Council for Wales, is working with the Environment Agency to enhance the habitat around Delta Lake for wildlife, including the rare water vole, signs of which were found there this year.
"The water vole has a stronghold in the Llanelli area, one of 16 key sites for the animal in the UK.
"This work will provide a great opportunity to improve the habitat here for water voles as well as other species, such as Reed Bunting and Cetti's Warbler. It will also give the western bank of the lake some structure and improved aesthetic appeal."
The plan is to install pre- planted reed mats along the bank this winter. It means the shore will be fenced off for a while to allow the mats to establish and machinery will be on site for a couple of days.
Ms Macho said: "Currently the banks are very bare and have limited benefit for wildlife and have little visual appeal."
The work fits in with the council's obligations under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to "have regard" for diversity in all its actions.
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Vow-help-preserve-rare-vole/article-2961653-detail/article.html
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