Pandas could be wiped out just as conservationists think they are recovering, warns study

The 'panda survival crisis' remains serious, scientists say, despite the animals' recent reclassification as 'vulnerable' rather than 'endangered'

Ian Johnston Environment Correspondent 

Giant pandas could be wiped out despite conservation efforts being hailed as a success, according to a new study.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently decided the bear was no longer officially “endangered” but was merely “vulnerable” to extinction.

This still means the animal faces as “high risk of extinction in the wild” – rather than the previous “very high” chance – but the new research suggested its true plight was perhaps being underestimated.

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Protected wildlife allegedly killed on Peak District shooting estate

 Police investigate after animal rights group films badgers allegedly being caught in snares and shot on the Moscar estate

Hunt Investigation Team’s film footage on the Moscar estate, a grouse-shooting estate in the Peak District.

Josh Halliday  North of England correspondent

Tuesday 11 July 2017 13.29 BSTLast modified on Tuesday 11 July 2017 22.00 BST

Police are investigating allegations that protected wildlife was killed on a shooting estate owned by the Duke and Duchess of Rutland.

Footage filmed by an animal rights group allegedly showed badgers caught in snares and shot this year.

The Hunt Investigation Team (HIT) , which filmed the footage, said it was part of “horrific wildlife persecution” on the Moscar estate, a grouse shooting estate in the Peak District.

It is a criminal offence to injure, kill or ill-treat badgers under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in England and Wales.

The Moscar estate, near Bamford in Derbyshire, is owned by the 11th Duke of Rutland, David Manners, and Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland.

The pair, worth a reported £140m, also own the 6,000-hectare (15,000-acre) Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, a stronghold established at the Norman conquest that has appeared in films including The Da Vinci Code and The Young Victoria.

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Rutland said in a statement: “They were not aware of any alleged illegal activities being carried out on the land. They are horrified by these allegations and will investigate them fully.”

HIT said an estimated 400 wire snares were set across the estate alongside a variety of traps to catch mammals and birds.

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Mysterious Sea Creatures Surface in 'Big Pacific'

By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | July 11, 2017 03:17pm ET

It holds about half of Earth's liquid water, covers approximately 64 million square miles (166 million square kilometers) and extends deeper than any other body of water on the planet. The Pacific Ocean is familiar and mysterious at the same time, with much of its watery domain still unexplored by humans and many of its inhabitants yet to be discovered.

But a new five-part television series is offering a glimpse of this hidden world. From tiny, glowing squids to enormous whales, the creatures that call the Pacific Ocean their home take center stage in "Big Pacific," produced by NHNZ, the natural history unit of New Zealand media company Television New Zealand, and presented on PBS in the United States.

Arresting moments from the program are captured in the book "Big Pacific" (Princeton University Press, 2017), a photographic and written companion to the five-part series.

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Reptile skin grown in lab could help save endangered turtles – via Herp Digest

Max Carol

Science / Endangered Species, Tree Hugger June 29, 2017

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a majestic creature that can be found in tropical waters around the world. Unfortunately, the commercial harvest of these turtles and of their eggs has forced the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify the species as endangered. Pollution, loss of nesting habitats, bycatch, and disease also pose enormous threats to the survival of green sea turtles.

One of the most severe diseases to affect green turtles is fibropapillomatosis (FP), which causes cauliflower-shaped tumors to form on the turtles’ eyes, mouths, and skin. FP is often fatal as it harms turtles’ immune systems and can lead to additional infections and even internal tumors. The disease especially affects turtles in Brazil, Hawaii, and Florida. From 1980 to 2005, over one fifth of dead and debilitated green turtles found in Florida had FP tumors.

Fortunately, an international group of scientists has made a breakthrough in FP research. According to a new U.S. Geological Survey study, the group of scientists successfully engineered green sea turtle skin in a laboratory, allowing them to grow a virus called chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) that causes tumors in sea turtles and is associated with FP. The new study marks the first time in history that researchers successfully grew the skin of a non-mammal in a laboratory.

“Fibropapillomatosis is the most common infectious disease affecting endangered green turtles,” explained Thierry Work, the lead author of the study. “Our findings provide a significant advancement in studying FP, and may eventually help scientists better understand other herpes virus-induced tumor diseases, including those of humans.”

The researchers built a detailed, three-dimensional replica of a turtle's skin using cells from tumors as well as from healthy skin, allowing them to grow ChHV5 and to observe how the virus develops in green sea turtles. Prior to the study, scientists had been unable to grow ChHV5 in the lab, hindering their understanding of how the virus causes tumors. Now, with the help of the engineered turtle skin, researchers have a better understanding of how ChHV5 affects turtles, which could lead to better treatments for turtles affected by FP. Furthermore, with the newfound ability to replicate reptile skin, other scientists studying viruses in reptiles may see advancements in their research.

“Examining viruses within the complex three-dimensional structure of engineered skin is exciting,” Work said. “Virus replication in such a system is likely much closer to reality than traditional laboratory techniques. This method could be a powerful tool for answering broader questions about virus-induced tumors in reptiles and herpes virus replication in general.”

Hot dogs: Is climate change impacting populations of African wild dogs?

July 19, 2017

Climate change may be harming the future of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) by impacting the survival rates of pups, according to one of the first studies on how shifting temperatures are impacting tropical species.

Led by scientists from ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, the study highlights how African wild dogs - already classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List - raise fewer pups at high temperatures.

Three concurrent studies, undertaken by ZSL, the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, and the African Wildlife Conservation Fund, monitored a total of 73 wild dog packs at sites in Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe, over a combined 42 years of study.

Tracking with high-tech collars showed that wild dog packs spent less time hunting on hot days. When packs tried to raise pups in hot weather, more of the pups died, potentially because they received less food from individuals returning from hunts.

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