India conducts first official survey of Ganges dolphins

Conservation programme aims to protect the endangered species and restore biodiversity of the polluted river, reports The Straits Times

Nirmala Ganapathy for The Straits Times, part of the Climate Publishers Network

Tuesday 28 July 2015 11.22 BST

The conservation of dolphins in India’s holiest, but most polluted waterway, is under the spotlight as the country conducts its first official count of the freshwater species.

An estimated 450 volunteers, government experts and conservationists will take part in the exercise, which spans the states of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, in November and December.

“This is the first time a unified survey will be done for an aquatic animal. It has been done for elephants and tigers but this is more complicated,” Dr Sandeep Behera, consultant at the government’s National Mission for Clean Ganga, told The Sunday Times. “We are doing the survey in winter, when water levels drop and we can capture numbers in small isolated pockets and get a good idea of the population.”

The government also hopes to gauge the health of the river in the process. “This time we have taken aquatic biodiversity as an indicator of how pollution is affecting the Ganges,” said Dr Behera.

Continued ...

Florida Panther sightings survey

Panther sightings reported throughout Florida

August 2013. The public has reported hundreds of sightings of Florida panthers to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). As of August 2013, the public had submitted 790 sightings.

Mistaken identity

Only 12 percent of the reports included a photograph and could be evaluated by Commission biologists. Of those with photos, the majority were confirmed as panthers. Other animals identified by FWC biologists were bobcats, foxes, coyotes, dogs, house cats and even a monkey. Most often the reported animal or tracks belonged to a bobcat, when it was not a panther. The verified panther reports were largely confined to southwest Florida, the well-documented breeding range for panthers in the state. There also were several verified sightings in south central Florida.

"The public's willingness to share what they have seen or collected on game cameras is incredibly helpful and shows us where panthers presumably are roaming in Florida," said Darrell Land, who heads the FWC's panther team. "We thank everyone using the Report Florida Panther Sightings website and encourage others to participate in this citizen-science venture."

"As the population of this endangered species grows, the FWC expects more Florida panthers to be seen in areas of the state where they have not lived for decades," Land said. "To properly plan and manage for the expansion of the panther's range in Florida, information about where the panthers are is vital."

Continued

West coast whales, dolphins and sharks to be surveyed

Whales, dolphins and porpoises are to be photographed and their calls recorded during a new survey of marine life off Scotland's west coast.

Scientists and volunteers will gather the data between May and September.

The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) project will also seek to record behaviour and numbers of basking sharks.

The survey work will be carried out over seven to 10 days from the charity's yacht, Silurian.

HWDT said 24 species of cetaceans - whales, dolphins and porpoises - can be found off Scotland's west coast, including species designated as national and international conservation priorities.

The survey will involve photographing dorsal fins for use in identifying individual animals and to improve understanding of species' movements and interactions.

Photo identification work has already catalogued 125 minke whales, some of which HWDT believe stay in Hebridean seas all year round.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22198502

150 beavers found living in Scotland 'unofficially'

Landowners encouraged to report beaver issues

December 2012. A study, run by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), has confirmed that approximately 146 beavers are presently living in the wild in rivers in Tayside. Surveys from May and July 2012, along with long-term observations, found that there are about 40 groups of beavers and seven dams in the Tay catchment. The beavers were found in the Tayside rivers and lochs stretching from Kinloch Rannoch, Kenmore and beyond Crieff in the west, to Forfar, Perth and Bridge of Earn in the East.

The researchers also spoke to farmers, fishermen and ghillies in the area. In response to their concerns about dam building, the report recommends measures such as installing devices to control water flow at problem beaver dams, protecting large and valuable trees next to rivers, and protecting lodges from being washed away to keep beaver construction activities to a minimum.

Official beaver study - Vast cost

The Scottish government issued a license to release a few beavers in Knapdale as part of a trial beaver introduction, at great expense. The cost has reached some £2 million, which seemd rediculous at the time. Now that they have revealed taht there is already a large, and thriving beaver population in Tayside, it makes the £2 million look even more wasteful.

Land use issues

The Tayside Beaver Study Group is encouraging landowners to contact them if they have any issues with beavers on their land.

David Bale, Chair of the Tayside Beaver Study Group, said: "This report is an important starting point for the Tayside Beaver Study Group. For the first time, we have a clear picture of how many beavers there are and how far they have spread. As the beavers are in an area with both farming and fishing, this is a good chance to see how beavers may affect land use.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tayside-beavers.html

Dartford and Gravesend families encouraged to get involved in autumn survey

A WILDLIFE charity is encouraging families in Dartford and Gravesend to make the most of autumn and get involved in their latest survey.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) launched its Changes through Autumn survey last month.

It encourages families to record the types of fungi and wildlife they see in parks and gardens near their home.

Participants then enter their results on the RSPB website where they will be collated to provide the charity with an insight into how wildlife responds to the change in season.

RSPB south-east spokeswoman Samantha Stokes said: “Getting children inspired by nature at an early age is really important if we want them to care about the environment and conservation in the future.

“The more children and families that take part in Wildsquare, the clearer the picture we can get of our autumn wildlife.” Visit rspb.org.uk/wildsquare before October 31.

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/9956538.Dartford_and_Gravesend_families_encouraged_to_get_involved_in_autumn_survey/

Wildlife Market Surveys in Jakarta Done by Turtle Conservancy in June – via Herp Digest

for photos - http://news.turtleconservancy.org/2012/07/wildlife-trade/

Trade of wildlife is quite extensive in Asia. Last month a Turtle Conservancy Team met Chris Shepherd of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia to conduct surveys of the wildlife markets in Jakarta, Indonesia. Our primary goal – to document Ploughshare Tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora) being sold – was unfortunately successfully met.

The wildlife markets in Jakarta are not for the faint of heart, and we documented many species of turtles and tortoises along with countless species of birds and mammals. The birds are known as the “Cut Flowers” of the wildlife trade. Many of these animals sold as “pets” will not survive a month in captivity. It was a sobering experience.

In  no specific order, the chelonian species documented during this four day survey include:

Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea)

Central American Mud Turtle (Kinosternon angustipons)

Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata)

Mexican Mud Turtle (Kinosternon integrum)

Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora)

Burmese Flap-shell Turtle (Lissemys scutata)

Painted Terrapin (Batagur borneoensis)

Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)

African Spurred Tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata)

Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)

Parker’s Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina parkeri)

Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri)

Siebenrock’s Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina siebenrocki)

Mekong Snail-eating Turtle (Malayemys subtrijuga)

Red Foot Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)

Asian Brown Tortoise (Manouria emys emys)

Mata Mata Turtle (Chelus fimbriatus)

Yellow Pond Turtle (Mauremys mutica)

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Reeve’s Turtle (Mauremys reevesii)

Southern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta dorsalis)

Tricarinate Hill Turtle (Melanochelys tricarinata)

Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata)

Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle (Ocadia sinensis)

Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta)

Malayan Giant Turtle (Orlitia borneensis)

North American Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)

Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)

Southeast Asian Box Turtle (Cuora amboinensis)

African Mud Turtle (Pelusios subniger)

Asian Leaf Turtle (Cyclemys dentata)

Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtle (Podocnemis unifilis)

New Guinea Snapping Turtle (Elseya novaeguineae)

Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis)

Australian Red-bellied Short-necked Turtle (Emydura subglobosa)

Central American Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemmys pulcharrima manni)

Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans)

Black Marsh Turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis)

Indian Spotted Turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii)

Mexican Musk Turtle (Staurotypus triporcatus)

Common Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica)

North American Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)

Yellow-headed Temple Turtle (Heosemys annandalii)

Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis)

Spiny Turtle (Heosemys spinosa)

Red-eared Slider Turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Forest Hinge-back Tortoise (Kinixys erosa)

Yellow-bellied Slider Turtle (Trachemys scripta scripta)

Home’s Hinge-back Tortoise (Kinixys homeana)

Annual GB mammal roadkill survey

Public asked to keep an eye on Britain's animal kingdom

July 2012. In the 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, mammal populations in Britain have undergone many changes. While some, such as rabbits and foxes have grown in numbers over the decades, other iconic native species such as the red squirrel and hedgehogs have suffered a dramatic decline. Mammals on Roads, an annual survey run by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), allows motorists, especially families travelling together by car, to record sightings of any mammals, dead or alive, that they spot from their vehicle, contributing towards the charity's efforts to monitor the changing state of Britain's mammals.

Help with the survey

Wildlife enthusiasts can complete the survey via a printed pack or by downloading the Trust's free Mammals on Roads app onto their iPhone. The app makes it easier to take part in the survey on the move: the location of sightings and the routes of participants' journeys are recorded using the inbuilt GPS of iPhones. The information captured is then sent to the Mammals on Roads database and analyzed by wildlife experts at PTES. Journeys that are repeated along the same route year on year especially provide important scientific data on changing populations.  

1 million mammals killed on UK roads every year
PTES Surveys Officer David Wembridge says: "It is a sad fact that around one million mammals are killed on UK roads each year. However, roadkill provides wildlife experts with clues about the state of wild animal populations, as the proportion of dead animals relates to the number of those alive in the wild. Since the launch of Mammals on Roads in 2001, volunteers have surveyed over three-quarters of a million kilometres of road along the length and breadth of Britain. We hope that with the availability of the iPhone app in addition to the paper-based survey, even more people will take part and help us by surveying the country's immense road network for signs of wildlife. In the last sixty years, our mammal populations have undergone huge changes, underlying the need for monitoring to in conservation."

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/roadkill-survey-2-12.html#cr