Greenpeace monitoring of tuna and shark fishing off Mozambique

Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior ends two weeks of joint fisheries surveillance with Mozambique government

September 2012. The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior has ended its two week cooperation with the Mozambican Ministry of Fisheries. The Rainbow Warrior had been patrolling Mozambique's waters and facilitating inspections of foreign fishing vessels that mainly target high-value tuna and endangered sharks in Mozambique's waters. Due to limited resources, vast areas of Mozambique's waters are not closely monitored, creating an opportunity for illegal and unreported fishing.

"Currently fishing fleets are plundering the Indian Ocean of tuna, sharks and other ocean life. Vessels which repeatedly fail to comply with the rules must be stopped. Our oceans and the billions of people dependent on them for food and jobs need proper control and enforcement of fishing regulations," said Paloma Colmenarejo, Greenpeace International campaigner on board the Rainbow Warrior.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/mozambique-tuna.html

Two baby orphan Grauer’s gorillas confiscated in DRC

Baby Gorilla Trafficking Escalates in Civil War-Affected Eastern Congo 
September 2012. The Congolese Wildlife Authorities (ICCN) are increasingly concerned about the survival of Grauer's gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following the rescue of two poached infant gorillas in separate incidents in September. Civil war and illegal resource extraction by armed militias in the areas where Grauer's gorillas live has made it extremely difficult for ICCN and other conservation groups to monitor and protect this endangered species. 

Civil war
Emmanuel de Merode, the Director for Virunga National Park said, "Civil War represents a breakdown in the rule of law, and this appears to have provoked a surge in the illegal trade in endangered species across Congo's eastern forests. Baby gorilla trafficking is terribly damaging for endangered gorilla populations because many members of the gorilla's family will probably have been killed to obtain the infant." 

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/grauers-gorilla-orphans.html

In Search of the Flower that Blooms Every 3,000 Years

The myth that has grown up around the plant called the Youtan Poluo or Udumbara has clung on almost as stubbornly as the nonexistent roots with which the plant itself clings on. Said to bloom only once every 3,000 years, this occasion is supposed to mark the arrival of a future king. Let’s see how much truth there is in this fairytale.

The tiny white flowers on filigree stems are actually not much to look at and could easily be overlooked. Honestly, would you look twice if you found something like this growing in your house? Good that Mr. Ding, a farmer of China’s northeastern Liaoning province, was more observant and curious when he was cleaning the steel pipes in his garden.

Read more at http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/in-search-of-the-flower-that-blooms-every-3000-years/12623#uRkjJpJFygW77Zd9.99

Crocodile escapes from hold cage mid-air on Australian flight

The worker discovered the reptile, which was not fully grown, after it escaped from its cage during the flight from Brisbane to Melbourne.

However, the croc was quickly returned to its in-flight accommodation without causing any damage, aside from a raised heart rate for the baggage handler.

A spokesperson for Qantas told the AFP that 'the animal was quickly and safely secured when the aircraft arrived in Melbourne'.

Qantas said in a statement that the cargo company responsible, Australian air Express, is looking into how it managed to break free from its cage.

'The investigation is focusing on whether it had been loaded appropriately on delivery to Australian air Express,' the company said.

This isn't the first time a dangerous animal has caused aviation-based problems.

In India recently, Air Force pilots called for a squadron of snake charmers after two MiG-21 fighter jets were grounded by the reptiles.

An official report explained one instance where mechanics had to dismantle a jet after the pilot fled upon spotting a snake in the cockpit.

Pilots have rejected one plan which would have seen each air base given a hotline to local snake charmers, saying 'it is not enough'.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/913051-crocodile-escapes-from-hold-cage-mid-air-on-australian-flight#ixzz27Vc07qOx

Badgers and bovine tuberculosis (bTB)

The Wildlife Trusts are very conscious of the hardship that bovine TB (bTB) causes in the farming community and the need to find the right mechanisms to control the disease. However, we believe that a badger cull is not the answer. Biosecurity and vaccination should be at the centre of efforts to tackle this disease rather than a badger cull.

Tackling the disease should therefore include the following measures:

• Biosecurity: All possible measures should be pursued to prevent disease transmission on-farm.
• Badger vaccination: Support landowners to use the injectable BadgerBCG vaccine. We also urge Defra to continue development of an oral badger vaccine.
• Cattle vaccine: Complete development of a cattle vaccine and secure change to EU regulation to permit its commercial deployment.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/badgers-and-bovineTB