Rare Chinese white dolphin gets DNA bank

A Hong Kong conservation group said Saturday it has set up a DNA bank for the rare Chinese white dolphin, also known as the pink dolphin, in a bid to save the mammals facing a sharp population decline.

There are about 2,500 Chinese white dolphins in the Pearl River Delta region, the body of water between Macau and Hong Kong, with the majority of the mammals in Chinese waters and the rest in Hong Kong.

But experts say their number has dropped significantly in the past few years due to overfishing, an increase in maritime traffic, water pollution, habitat loss and coastal development.

In a bid to save the dwindling population, the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong said it had joined hands with a Chinese university to set up a DNA bank, which will also spearhead a genetic research project.

"We hope to offer the scientific community a standardised genetic analysis platform to assess the sustainability of Chinese white dolphin populations," Judy Chen, the foundation chairwoman said in a statement.

"The collected data will provide important reference to governments in the region for developing critical strategies of Chinese white dolphin conservation," she added.

The biological samples of these dolphins will be sent to the DNA bank to investigate the environmental impacts on the mammal, the statement said.

The Chinese white dolphins, a sub-species of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, are unique for their pink skin. They are listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The mammal was the official mascot at the handover ceremony when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, while dolphin watching is a favourite tourist attraction in Hong Kong.

Its population in Hong Kong has dropped from an estimated 158 in 2003 to only 75 in 2010, according to the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society.

http://news.yahoo.com/rare-chinese-white-dolphin-gets-dna-bank-110435551.html

Managed grazing in Tulare County helps Valley lizard (Via Herp Digest)

Managed grazing in Tulare County helps Valley lizard
By Mark Grossi - The Fresno Bee, 12/10/11

They're an ecological odd couple: cows and blunt-nosed leopard lizards. And their relationship just keeps getting better.

The pairing is playing out at Pixley National Wildlife Refuge in southern Tulare County, where heavy rainfall last winter made grasses grow thicker this year.

Normally that would make life miserable for the endangered lizard. The swift little creature gets hung up in thick grasses and becomes an easy target for predators.

But ranchers buy grazing leases from federal officials and bring cows to the refuge. In short order, the hungry cows munch that grass problem away.

"These grasses are not native to the San Joaquin Valley," said biology professor David Germano of the California State University, Bakersfield. "The little critters aren't adapted to the grasses, so grazing is very important in years after big rainfall."

Blunt-nosed leopard lizards are getting help in their natural habitat in the Pixley Wildlife Refuge by cows grazing off thick grasses, making it easier for the lizards to dodge predators. But some biologists and environmentalists say that cattle grazing damages streams and causes erosion.

It's a successful but unlikely marriage of farming and nature. Along with cities, road building and row crops, uncontrolled cattle grazing was among the reasons the lizard almost went extinct in the Valley.
But managed grazing -- fencing cows in areas and moving them after they eat a lot of the grass -- has become a tool of choice for helping endangered animals and even plants in the southern and western parts of the Valley.

The animals and plants evolved in a desert setting over thousands of years, and they need room to live.
Thick grasslands have developed over many decades since European settlers came to the Valley, bringing crops and vegetation with them, scientists say.

Scientists and land managers in the Valley have realized grazing cows would be a useful line of defense against grassland overgrowth.

"We may still have some of these plants and animals only because the land is being grazed by cattle," said Bryan Cypher, a Bakersfield-based ecologist who works for the Endangered Species Recovery Program at California State University, Stanislaus. "It's the best option we have for dealing with nonnative grasses."

But it's not a popular approach with all biologists and environmentalists, who say that cattle grazing damages streams and causes erosion that harms endangered species. Such uncontrolled grazing has proven to be destructive in California meadows and wetlands.

There is a stigma attached to cattle grazing, especially in the pristine meadows of the Sierra Nevada.
The Valley these days is hardly pristine, Cypher says. In the region's arid southern and western areas, wetlands are limited. Grazing does not create a lot of problems here if cows are properly managed, scientists say.

Grazing clearly works at the Pixley refuge, according to surveys done by the Endangered Species Recovery Program. The latest survey in August concluded the lizard population is "robust."
Federal officials at Pixley refuge said they lease about 5,000 refuge acres to cattle ranchers between November and April each year.

Nick Stanley, deputy project leader, said the grazing creates conditions that help not only the blunt-nosed leopard lizard but also two other protected species, the Tipton kangaroo rat and the San Joaquin kit fox.

Grazing is much better than other options for thinning the grass, which would include burning, pesticides or mowing.

Burning would create too much smoke in the Valley's polluted air. Paying for pesticides or mowing makes little financial sense compared to grazing leases, which create a small income stream for the federal government.

The modest monthly fees are usually several dollars per animal.

Grazing also helps revive vegetation that had been declining as grassland conditions spread over the past century.

Said Stanley, "We're finding that grazing helps the native bunch grasses, like iodine bush and coyote bush."

Sierra Leone creates new national park twice the size of the Isle of Wight

Locks up nearly 14 million tonnes of carbon
December 2011: It may be the world's seventh poorest country, but Sierra Leone is making great steps to help conserve its internationally important tropical forests.

It is creating the Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP), locking up an estimated 13.6 million tonnes of carbon and protecting one of West Africa's most threatened and wildlife-rich habitats.

The RSPB has been involved with Gola Forest since 1990, which is home to hundreds of bird species, chimpanzees and the world's most important population of pygmy hippo.

'This is a bold and progressive move'Tim Stowe, the RSPB's international director, said: ‘The contribution that Sierra Leone is making is bold and progressive. In a far-sighted act, this developing West African country - which is on the front line of climate change - has decided to help the world by locking up a vast carbon store as well as protecting its unique and globally-important wildlife. We hope that other nations value this contribution and build upon it.'

If Gola Forest were razed to the ground, the release of carbon would be equal to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by nearly 14 million cars in a year.

First initiated in 1989, a partnership agreement between the Forestry Division of the Government of Sierra Leone, the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone and the RSPB was reached in 1990 to develop a new management plan, maintain the forest boundaries and to run an environmental education programme. These partners have worked under the banner of the Gola Forest Programme since then, and the work at Gola is an important component of the RSPB's wide tropical forests programme.

Has lived under threat of logging and miningThe Gola Rainforest National Park covers over 71,000 hectares (just under twice the size of the Isle of Wight ) and has long been threatened by commercial logging and small-scale mining. The long-term governance of natural resources was long argued to be at the heart of the decade-long civil conflict that raged in the 1990s. The creation of the national park should subdue ongoing threats from logging and mining.

Gola forest is a global biodiversity hotspot and recent surveys have revealed 327 species of bird, including eight facing global extinction, such as the Gola malimbe, a striking black and yellow, starling-sized relative of sparrows. The unique biodiversity value of Gola can be measured in other ways too, as it also holds 518 butterfly species - approximately half of the total of Sierra Leone - including three which are new to science.

An estimated 300 chimpanzees, significant populations of monkeys and 44 larger mammal species, such as duikers - small antelopes - live in the forest, as well as the secretive pygmy hippo, which is only found in this part of Africa and is in danger of extinction.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/gola-reserve.html

Wildlife laundering through breeding farms threatens wild populations

Wild populations threatened by illegal trade through snake farmsNovember 2011. Wildlife breeding farms have been promoted in some quarters as an aid to biodiversity conservation by alleviating the pressure of harvest on wild populations. There is, however, growing concern that many breeding farms are being used to launder illegally caught wildlife.


Surveys of wildlife traders in the Indonesian provinces of Maluku, West Papua and Papua were conducted between August 2009 and April 2011 to assess the trade of the green python (Morelia viridis), the species currently exported in the largest numbers from Indonesia and declared as captive-bred.

4,227 illegally collected pythons
In total, 4227 illegally collected wild green pythons were recorded during surveys and high levels of harvest were found to have depleted and skewed the demographics of some island populations. Snakes were traced from their point of capture to breeding farms in Jakarta where they are to be exported for the pet trade, confirming the reports of wildlife laundering.

80% green python exports are illegal
Extrapolation of monthly collection estimates provided by traders revealed that at least 5337 green pythons are collected each year, suggesting that at least 80% of the green pythons exported from Indonesia annually are illegally wild-caught.

The results of examination of 139 eggshells from five python species suggest that reptilian eggshells may be used as proof of provenance for each individual reptile exported. This method, in addition to the evidence that breeding farms play a significant role in the illegal exploitation of wildlife, allows conservation managers to begin to adequately monitor, regulate and determine the role of breeding farms in the conservation of wild populations.

The full paper, written by Jessica A. Lyons & Daniel J.D. Natusch, appeared in the journal Biological Conservation

Read the full paper here


http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/green-python.html

100,000 turtles sacrificed in ritual slaughter to celebrate Hindu festival (Via Herp Digest)

100,000 turtles sacrificed in ritual slaughter to celebrate Hindu festival
by Daily Mail Reporter, 10/27/11

You must see the pictures that go with this article go to
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2054278/100-000-turtles-sacrificed-ritual-slaughter-celebrate-Hindu-festival.html#ixzz1c67wbOqs
A Hindu festival that celebrates light has been shrouded in darkness following the sacrificial slaughter of up to 100,000 turtles.

Shown in these horrifying images, critically endangered species including the northern river terrapin and the black soft-shell turtle, are sacrificed in the name of religion.

The ancient ritual takes place during the celebration of Kali Puja, which started in Bengal yesterday.
Held once a year, and corresponding with the festival Diwali, sacrifices are made to Kali, the Hindu goddess of power.

During Kali Puja, market streets are teeming with devotees who purchase and consume thousands of turtles.

One of the species found on Dhaka's markets is the northern river terrapin.

On paper it is offered the same level of protection as a tiger.

Another targeted species is the black soft-shell, which has only recently been officially been found in the wild and it has a single population in a pond in the region of Chittagong.

Even though many of the turtles are critically endangered and feature on Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, the slaughter is often overlooked by authorities.

The act has enraged conservation groups in India and abroad.

"Since the killing of turtles was made illegal, this mass slaughter has been carried out in the name of 'religion'," said Dr Rashid of Centre for Advanced Research in Natural Resources & Management (CARINAM) in Bangladesh.

'It's because of this that the authorities turn a blind eye - they are too scared of causing social unrest."
At Dhaka's Tanti Market, the turtles are butchered and their meat, limbs and organs are then sold to customers.

The meat sells for between $10 - $60 per kilo (£6-£37), depending on the species.
Followers believe that by eating the turtle, they will take on its strength and longevity.
During festival, the majority of Bangladesh's Hindu population consume turtle meat.

Businessman Sunil Kumar Bala commented: "We have been eating turtles during Kali Puja for a long time. It is a tradition that we will maintain even if the government tries to stop us."
The turtle trade offers a source of income to up to 30,000 people.

Hari, the longest serving trader of turtles in Dhaka's markets, estimates he has been responsible for killing around 20,000 tons of turtles.

"If this this trade stops, many people's livelihoods will suffer," he said.

"I have been doing this for the last 40 years, if you stop this now, what will I do?"

Turtle conservationists, however, are up in arms.

"The Kali Puja turtle market is a wildlife travesty of the worst kind," said Rick Hudson of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) in Fort Worth, US.

"The brutality with which turtles are slaughtered is gruesome, shocking and an abomination of nature."

Once the market concludes, the shells are cleaned, scraped of meat and then dried.

The dried shell has multiple uses. It is processed and fed to fish and chicken.

The pharmaceutical industry uses it to make the containers of capsules for antibiotics and other drugs.

However, the majority of dried shell is shipped to south east Asia where it is used in traditional medicine. It is believed that consuming turtle shell increases virility.

As night fell in Dhaka yesterday, the ceremonies began. During sacrifices to Kali, goats were beheaded and turtles impaled upside down on poles.

As they tried to escape, their head and legs were chopped off.

Turtles have been on earth for over 220 million years, even surviving K-T boundary that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Now they are amongst the world's most endangered animals; around half of their 300+ species are threatened with extinction.

"Turtles are being collected, traded, and eaten or otherwise used, in overwhelming numbers.

"They are used for food, pets, traditional medicine-eggs, juveniles, adults, body parts-all are exploited indiscriminately, with little regard for sustainability. On top of the targeted onslaught, their habitats are being increasingly fragmented, destroyed, developed, and polluted," from "Turtles in Trouble" by the Turtle Conservation Coalition.

Over recent years Bangladesh has become a hot spot for the illegal turtle smuggling trade.

Animals are smuggled in from neighbouring nations and then re-exported due to Bangladesh's porous border security.

The current outlook for many of the species is grim.

"This situation is completely unsustainable. Unless the trade for turtles stops and a slaughter in the name of religion is regulated, a number of species will be lost forever," said Dr. Rashid.

Grazing Zebras Versus Cattle: Not So Black and White

ScienceDaily (Sep. 22, 2011) — African ranchers often prefer to keep wild grazers like zebra off the grass that fattens their cattle. But a new study by UC Davis and Kenyan researchers shows that grazing by wild animals doesn't always harm -- and can sometimes benefit -- cattle. The results are published Sept. 23 in the journal Science.

"Although savanna rangelands worldwide are managed on the premise that cattle and wildlife compete for food, there is little scientific information to support this assumption," said Wilfred Odadi, a researcher at the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya.

"Our findings provide further evidence that biodiversity conservation and economic development can be simultaneously achieved in human-occupied savanna landscapes," he said.

Truman Young, a professor of plant sciences at UC Davis and senior author of the study, said the interaction between cattle and wildlife is more complicated than has been appreciated.

"When we look at the effect of wildlife on cattle, we find that they sometimes do suppress weight gain by cattle, but also sometimes enhance it," Young said.

"Generally the decision has been to exclude wild animals, but we're saying that things are not that simple," he said.

The researchers enclosed 10-acre plots of savanna rangeland inside fences to exclude wild animals (principally zebra). Then they weighed the cattle grazing inside and outside the fences to measure how much weight they put on at different times of the year.

The research team found that during the dry season, cattle that grazed with wild animals had reduced weight gain -- the bottom line for ranchers. But in the wet season, cattle actually put on more weight when they grazed alongside wildlife.

The explanation is that during the wet season, grass can grow long and become rank, inaccessible and poor in nutritional value.

"When the grass grows very fast and is at risk of becoming rank, having zebras is beneficial," Young said. "They are more than willing to knock back the rank grass."

That means higher-quality, fresher grass for the cattle.

It's not yet clear whether there is a net benefit over a whole year or series of years, Young said, because conditions can vary considerably from year to year. Ranchers are beginning to explore additional ways to control rank grass, such as controlled burns.

The other coauthors of the study are Moses Karachi, Egerton University, Kenya and Shaukat Abdulrazak, National Council for Science and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya. The work was funded by the Smithsonian Institution, the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation, the African Elephant Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the International Foundation for Science.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922141900.htm