TSA Opens New Turtle and Tortoise Facilities in Myanmar – via Herp Digest

by Rick Hudson December 13, 2012

It’s official!! Myanmar’s first turtle and tortoise rescue facility was dedicated on December 6, at the Zeepin Forest Reserve, Ban Bwe Tree Nursery, about 17 miles east of May Myo, in Shan State. TSA President Rick Hudson handed over the keys to the new Turtle Rescue Center (TRC) to U Myint Sein of the Forestry Department saying “It is our sincere hope that this facility will offer new hope to thousands of turtles and tortoises confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade.” The TRC is located along the Lashio Road which leads to China, and is a major trade route for illegally harvested wildlife coming out of Mandalay heading for the border. Lashio was originally selected as the site for the TRC but plans changed due to logistical concerns and moved to a forestry station outside of May Myo, locally known as Pwin Oo Lwin. Aside from being more accessible (just an hour drive from Mandalay), the climate here is moderate and more conducive to animal rescue. The TRC was designed in May 2012 by a TSA team consisting of Cris Hagen (Director of Animal Management), Bill Holmstrom (Board Member), Shailendra Singh (Director TSA India), Kalyar Platt (Director TSA Myanmar) and Rick Hudson.

The central unit of the TRC is an 800 square foot open-air building designed for treating and handling large numbers of chelonians. Tubs and sinks are built in to the counter tops, equipped with hoses and shower heads, and there is room for holding plastic tubs and tanks with turtles. The water supply is spring fed to a holding cistern, and then pumped to an elevated tank, and gravity fed to the facility. Just outside the treatment facility are 10 fenced enclosures, each 25 x 20 ft, with shade and secure retreats for terrestrial turtles and tortoises. For the time being, aquatic turtles will be managed in large plastic tubs until funds can be found for permanent pools. Confiscations will be managed by Forestry Department staff stationed at the site, some of who were trained in chelonian husbandry at the recent star tortoise workshop at Lawkanandar Wildlife Sanctuary. The TSA / Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) turtle team will provide management, oversight and logistical support. Local veterinary support will be provided by veterinarians from the zoos in Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw, both of which are trained in the care and handling of turtle confiscations. The TSA plans to conduct training workshops at the TRC on chelonian husbandry and veterinary care in the future, and our ultimate goal is that the TRC will become the central base of operations for the TSA / WCS turtle conservation team.

Once fully operational, the new TRC will likely see a lot of activity. We predict the number of turtle confiscations will increase now that the Forestry Department has a place to bring the shipments. The TRC will greatly improve the process for handling these trade seizures; in the past, animals were temporarily held in warehouses or whatever space was available, and then taken out and released en masse without regard for habitat suitability. With the TRC, animals will be allowed to stabilize and be treated for dehydration and whatever injuries they may have, and given time to recover while decisions are made for their placement or release. Some key species, Arakan Forest Turtles (Heosemys depressa) for example, will be incorporated into existing Assurance Colonies; most however will be released into semi-natural areas or protected areas. The WCS – TSA team is actively surveying potential sites where confiscated chelonians can be repatriated.

The Center also supports an Assurance Colony facility for Burmese Mountain Tortoises (Manouria e. phayrei). Located in a wooded section of the park the facility, across the stream from the TRC, is a 4800 square foot facility, divided into six units, each with a pool. Approximately 24 adult tortoises will be housed here, moved from the Yadanobon Zoo in Mandalay soon. These were part of a confiscation of 76 tortoises in 2007 that the TSA handled; facilities to house these animals are still under construction.

Elsewhere in Myanmar, new assurance colony facilities were completed for both Arakan Forest Turtles and Burmese Mountain Tortoises. Located at the headquarters of the Yoma Elephant Range Sanctuary at Gwa, the Rakhine Turtle and Tortoise Center(RTTC) more than doubles the space for H. depressa, and includes a new 9000 sqft enclosure for Manouria e. phayrei. Thirteen H. depressa are currently maintained here but that number is expected to grow as confiscations are handled at the TRC. Over thirty M. e. phayrei will call the new facility home after being moved over from Mandalay. Both species are expected to reproduce well here as the location is much closer to their natural range.

The TSA wishes to acknowledge the donors for the TRC, in particular Pat Koval / WWF Canada, Detroit Zoological Institute, Natural Encounters Conservation Fund and the Taipei Forestry Bureau. The RTTC was supported by the British Chelonia Group who, over the past five years, have invested generously in chelonian facilities in Myanmar. We also want to recognize the contractor on the TRC, U The in Htut, whose professionalism and pride in his work is evident in this facility. Finally, we are grateful for the continuing assistance of U Thant Myint and the WCS Myanmar Program staff for their on-going support of these projects.

Army worms invade Zambian maize fields

24 December 2012 Last updated at 17:45

There are fears that Zambia's maize harvest could be decimated by an invasion of army worms, so named because they eat most vegetation in their way.

Maize is a staple crop in Zambia and any threat to the harvest could push the country towards food insecurity.

BBC Africa's Mutuna Chanda reports from Lusaka.

For more African news from the BBC, download the Africa Today podcast.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20838877

Ice Seals Get Endangered Species Protection

Six groups of seals threatened by shrinking sea ice are gaining new protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced late last week.

NOAA will list as threatened two distinct bearded seal populations — one in the Beringia region, which includes Alaska, and one in the Okhotsk region of Russia's far east — and three subspecies of ringed seals (Arctic, Okhotsk and Baltic). Another ringed seal subspecies found only in Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia will be listed as endangered. A fifth subspecies of ringed seal, the Saimaa in Finland, is already listed as endangered under the ESA.

Forecasts predict that sea ice will be substantially reduced within this century, and there is potential for the spring and summer ice edge to retreat to deep waters of the Arctic Ocean basin. Bearded seals live on sea ice during critical months for breeding, whelping, nursing and molting. Ringed seals also use sea ice for molting and they build snow caves on top of sea ice to shield their pups from freezing temperatures and predators.

Read more:  http://www.livescience.com/25802-ice-seals-get-endangered-species-protection.html

Judge says golf can stay at Sharp Park (Territory of California red-legged frogs and San Francisco garter snakes) – via Herp Digest

SFGATE, Jill Tucker December 7, 2012

Snakes, frogs and fairways can coexist at Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica, a federal judge ruled this week.

The decision settles a 4-year-old feud between environmentalists looking out for endangered California red-legged frogs and San Francisco garter snakes and golfers hoping to preserve the historic 18 holes with ocean views.

Known as the poor man's Pebble Beach, the 80-year-old Sharp Park is owned by San Francisco, and the course is operated by the city's Recreation and Park Department.

It is also home to those frogs and snakes.

Environmental organizations including the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wild Equity Institute sued the city in March 2011, alleging course maintenance and golf carts were putting the animals in harm's way.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston dismissed the case Thursday following a ruling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that determined that golf wouldn't jeopardize the endangered animals.

Plaintiffs' attorneys were not immediately available for comment.

The city will be subject to mandatory restrictions on pesticides, golf cart use, water pumping and other practices to limit the impact on the frogs and snakes.

The city plans to reconfigure the park, including moving some holes, improving drainage and linking two ponds that serve as red-legged frog habitat.

"This is a commonsense result," said Chris Carr of the Morrison & Foerster law office, which represented the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, in a statement. "And it should lead to a period of cooperation in which San Francisco and San Mateo County can work together to restore habitat for the species, while preserving historic and popular public recreation."

Bumblebees Do Best Where There Is Less Pavement and More Floral Diversity

Dec. 24, 2012 — Landscapes with large amounts of paved roads and impervious construction have lower numbers of ground-nesting bumblebees, which are important native pollinators, a study from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley shows.

The study suggests that management strategies that reduce the local use of pavement and increase natural habitat within the landscape could improve nesting opportunities for wild bees and help protect food supplies around the word.

The study also suggests that increasing the number of species-rich flowering patches in suburban and urban gardens, farms and restored habitats could provide pathways for bees to forage and improve pollination services over larger areas.

The findings have major implications for global pollinator conservation on a rapidly urbanizing planet.

"We are potentially in a pollinator crisis," said Shalene Jha, lead author and assistant professor of biology at The University of Texas at Austin. "Honey bees are declining precipitously, and wild bees have also been exhibiting population declines across the globe. Native bees provide critical pollination services for fruit, nut, fiber and forage crops. Understanding how bees move around the landscape can help us both preserve biodiversity and improve crop yields."

Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121226080902.htm