Canada bans capture and breeding of dolphins, whales

JUNE 11, 2019

Canada's parliament on Monday approved a bill banning the capture and breeding of cetaceans such as whales and dolphins in a move hailed by animal rights activists.

The bill, first proposed in 2015 and now awaiting symbolic royal approval, will not apply retroactively, meaning captive marine mammals can stay confined.

And it will contain exceptions for marine mammals who require rehabilitation following an injury, or in other cases authorized by authorities.

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Mexico takes ‘unprecedented’ action to save vaquita

by Mongabay.com on 15 October 2017

A team of marine mammal experts have begun a search for the last vaquitas (Phocoena sinus) in a last-ditch effort to capture the remaining 30 porpoises until they’re no longer threatened by gillnets.

VaquitaCPR seeks to house the vaquita in sea pens and includes plans for long-term care and breeding.

Though seen as ‘risky’ and ‘bold,’ many conservation organizations agree that finding the animals before it’s too late is the only option.

A team of marine mammal experts is searching for the last vaquitas (Phocoena sinus) in the Gulf of California. They’ve gathered in northern Mexico, at the invitation of the government of Mexico, to make a last-ditch effort to capture and keep the remaining 30 porpoises safe until they’re no longer threatened by the gillnets that have decimated their numbers in recent years.

“We are watching this precious native species disappear before our eyes,” said Rafael Pacchiano, Mexico’s minister of the environment and natural resources, in a January 2017 statement from the National Marine Mammal Foundation (NMMF). “This critical rescue effort is a priority for the Mexican government and we are dedicated to providing the necessary resources in order to give the plan its best chance of success.”

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Notorious Nepalese rhino poacher caught after two years on the run

A notorious Nepalese poacher, Rajkumar Praja, who is alleged to have been implicated in the deaths of 19 rhinos over a six-year period, has been tracked down and caught, reports WWF.

Two years ago Praja fled from Nepal as the police closed in on the criminal gang of which he was the ringleader.

At that time, the Nepal Police, with the support of the Nepalese Army and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, arrested more than a dozen members of his criminal gang operating in the world famous Chitwan National Park, but Praja eluded capture.

He became the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice – or international arrest warrant – and was finally found in Malaysia in January and extradited to Nepal this week.

He now faces a lengthy jail sentence of 15 years, handed down in absentia, for rhino poaching and trafficking in rhino horns.

Praja’s arrest is another cause for celebration in a country that is leading the way in the fight against wildlife crime.

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Kenya rejects proposal to capture and exploit whale sharks

Kenya's whale sharks - Born free and staying free!

September 2013. Plans to create an artificial marine enclosure off the southern coast of Kenya and stock it with wild-caught specimens of the world's largest fish - the whale shark - as a tourism attraction have been comprehensively rejected by the government of Kenya.

The judgement delivered by the National Environmental Management Authority of Kenya cited in their determination that the proposed project:

Denied whale sharks their right to exist in their natural habitat 

Did not adequately engage with local communities 

Did not recognise that whale shark tourism can be promoted in the wild without capturing these animals 

Would have been in contravention of Kenya's 1962 Animal Cruelty Act

The Born Free Foundation and others presented their concerns at a Public Hearing held in Kenya in February 2013 and called for the proposal by Volker Bassen of Seaquarium Ltd to be rejected. Their sentiments were echoed by many people who wrote from all over the world to key Kenyan decision-makers expressing their dismay.

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Roaming tiger captured in Northern India

Another tiger captured from human settlement in Uttar Pradesh

June 2012. A young male sub-adult tiger that had been roaming out of forests in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has been tranquilised by a team from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Forest Department. A second tiger was recently caught by the Forest Department assisted by WTI and released in Dudhwa National Park.

The tiger has reportedly been roaming outside of the park since February. On June 1, WTI team was authorised to capture the animal by the Forest Department to prevent any conflict with the local population. The tiger had been killing poultry and small livestock, and even tied dogs. No humans were killed though an injury did result from accidental encounter.

"The tiger was first sighted in February by local people," said Dr Anil Kumar Singh, Regional Head, WTI. "It was tranquilised this afternoon at 3:00 pm by our veterinarian Dr Shahnaz Amin who was in the field along with our biologist Devendra Singh."

"Being covered in dense ipomea shrub, tracking and capture was quite a difficult exercise in the capture site. We had placed bait and covered the area with nets. When the tiger was found having taken the bait, the team entered into the bush in elephants and a tractor. The tiger was cornered and tranquilised," added Dr Kumar.

The tiger will be released in Pilibhit Forest Reserve, near the border with Nepal.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/Pilibhit-tiger.html#cr