The brother of Cecil the Lion has died in the Zimbabwean safari park where his sibling was controversially shot by a trophy hunter last year.
The "severely decayed" carcass of Jericho the lion was discovered at about 5pm on Saturday.
The animal apparently died of natural causes in the country's Hwange National Park.
The lion's body was said to have been discovered by Hwange Lion Research researcher Jane Hunt during a routine monitoring of the park's collared lions.
The animal had been tracked for the past six months, according Hwange Park’s Caroline Washaya-Moyo.
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Cecil the Lion before he was killed by American dentist Walter Palmer last year
Ms Washaya-Moyo told the website an investigation would look into the death, the the Daily Mail reported.
"Although Ms Hunt and her team did not see any sign of the cat being shot or snared, the fact that he had such a high profile following the death of Cecil - and perhaps would be coveted by hunters - prompted them to order an investigation into his death," she told the website.
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"Samples were taken from the carcass, which was severely decayed and sent for testing.
The death comes after Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer avoided prosecution over the illegal shooting of Cecil last June in the park.
In July, Palmer was showing no signs he had suffered from the international outrage over the shooting as he climbs into his new £91,000 Porsche.
Walter Palmer, left, and one of his many lion trophies
Reuters
Walter Palmer, the US dentist who killed Cecil the Lion
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Cecil the lion killer Walter Palmer living the high __life one year on from beast's tragic death
The dentist, who avoided prosecution over the illegal death, was seen at his practice driving his new Cayenne Turbo.
Instead of opting to keep a low profile the 56-year-old was seen swanning around in his car without a care in the world.
“Walter kept his head down knowing there would be backlash but he knew it would blow over,” said an insider.
The answer to mosquito-borne illnesses? Perhaps even more mosquitoes.
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According to a report from Phys.Org, Brazil scientists are working on unleashing around a million genetically modified mosquitoes to try and wipe out their cousins that are carrying and spreading tropical diseases across the country.
British firm Oxitec, which developed the new breed mosquitoes, will acclimate with the ordinary species including Aedes aegypti, which brings with it different diseases that have plagued Brazil, such as Zika, dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya.
The method of these factory-bred species is simple. They are expected to mate with females of regular mosquitoes, then promptly die. The resulting spawn will carry with it a genetic flaw that will have them die quickly as well. It's a straightforward way that has the public hoping for a drop in occurrences of the disease along with the drop in mosquito population.
For the first wave, 10 million of these factory-bred mosquitoes are going to be released every week in the city of Piracicaba.
Oxitec president Hadyn Parry calls their Piracicaba factory the "first and biggest" factory for genetically modified mosquitoes, equipped to produce 60 million mutants every week. The company counts the city as their first and only Brazilian client, but they're already in the process of discussing their technology with other municipalities and states.
"This is the only place where we have a factory like this," Parry explained. "We can use this as a hub for Brazil."
After all, their success could only encourage other cities to seek out their help. Oxitec's five field tests between 2011 and 2014 saw the Aedes aegypti population drop an impressive 90 percent after the release of their mutant mosquitoes.
However, the company does not have a sales permit from health authorities of Brazil's Anvisa yet. It might also be important to note that there have been no epidemiological studies that confirm the decrease in mosquito-related diseases with Oxitec's mosquitoes.
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There is great upside in managing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, but there is also controversy in these type of developments, according to a previous report from Nature World News. Many scientists urge colleagues to exercise extreme caution in meddling with natural phenomenon.
There are 46,000 spider species in the world, and around 22 million distinct venom compounds, now collectively termed as "venome." Through the lens of molecular biology, the spider venom is now being understood and explored for possible pharmaceutical drugs and anti-venoms that can be formulated from it.
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A group of scientists, led by Greta Binford of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon and Dr. Jessica Garb of the University of Massachusetts, has wittingly brought spider venom into a higher level. With the dangers posed by exploring this strand of knowledge, Binford and Garb's team continuously slices down the protein composition of the different spider venoms in the world to understand why some are deadly while the rest are less harmful.
"For some reason, I tend to gravitate to these really dangerous spiders like the black widow," Dr. Garb said in a press release. "But they are amazing. With their shiny black body adorned with the red hourglass, they're actually quite elegant." Rather than get goosebumps, Binford was also curious about spider's capabilities. "I grew up on a farm in Indiana and had the luxury of exploring and turning over rocks and being curious," Binford explained. "Any feeling of being engrossed out by spiders were rapidly replaced by my feelings of awe for how amazing and diverse these creatures are."
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Garb presented a paper last year regarding their analysis on the black widow, a venomous spider species. Their paper was featured in Science Daily, highlighting that the venom is actually accompanied by other chemicals that help the venom to effectively be delivered to body parts of its victims, making it really lethal. They gave emphasis on the capacity of the venom to disrupt functions of the nervous system and its communication process, which is the same characteristics focused on by neuroscientists and not spider biologists.
With their continuous efforts in understanding the building blocks of the spider venom, the team was eyed to further develop spider venom evolution and analysis. And with the interesting capabilities of spider venom to alter brain functions, it may as well help in further developing neuroscience breakthroughs.
Paleontologists finally have the key to filling in the gaps in sea cow evolution: the fossil of an ancient manatee in a slab of pavement on a Spanish street. The fossil was found in the stone slabs that had been laid down over two decades ago in the town of Girona in northern Spain. Phys.Org reported that a local geologist had submitted a picture of the suspected fossil to Paleourbana, an online database of urban fossils worldwide, attracting the attention of paleontologists worldwide.
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In a research presented at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Dr. Manja Voss and Dr. Oliver Hampe of the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin revealed that the complex shapes in the stone slabs were slices of the backbone and skull of an ancient marine mammal. Judging by the dimensions of the skull and teeth, they discovered that it was a sirenian or sea cow. This organism was part of a group of large herbivorous marine mammals that we know today by the living manatee and dugong.
Dr. Voss and Dr. Hampe, in coordination with the mayoralty of Girona and local geologists, had removed the 50-by-30-centimeter paving stones for further study. The paleontologists had a cross-sectional view of the sea cow's skull since the rock had been cut to form the paving stones. To get a better view of what was inside the stones, Dr. Voss and Dr. Hampe brought the stone slabs to the Clinica Girona for a CT scan. Next on their agenda is to use the CT scans to digitally construct the skull slices of the fossil. This will allow them to ascertain the animals' age when it died and its potential relationship to other sea cow fossils.
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The discovery of the "Girona sea cow" has led Dr. Voss and Dr. Hampe to believe that it is most likely representative of the Prototherium, a genus of extinct sea cows from Spain and Italy. There is much to still discover since the stones that were quarried were 40 million years old. Dr. Voss explained, "Hence the find represents one of the oldest sea cows in Europe, making it a unique opportunity to enhance our knowledge on the evolution and diversity of this marine mammal group that arose about 50 million years ago."
Great white sharks may be most commonly associated with South Africa, Guadalupe Island, and Cape Cod, but a surfer from the Pacific Northwest ran afoul of one of the predators off the Oregon coast earlier this month, and he is now recounting his harrowing brush with one of the ocean’s most imposing inhabitants.
Joseph Tanner was resting on his surfboard on October 10, according to the CBC, when he was pulled underwater by something that grabbed his right leg. Instantly, Tanner knew he was being attacked by a shark, leading him to wonder whether he would survive the unexpected and dramatic experience.
“Rise” – A male great white shark makes a near vertical ascent toward the surface off of M… https://t.co/XAg4NVbMdW pic.twitter.com/80bYURJpCX
— George T. Probst (@GeorgeProbst) October 28, 2016
Submerged by the white shark, Tanner recalled that he should strike out at the animal, hitting it in either the nose or the eye. Unable to reach either, however, the 29-year-old surfer resorted to attacking the shark’s gills, desperately trying to get the predator to release him, as Oregon Live recounts.
“I opened my eyes and there were gills in front of me. I can’t reach the nose and I can’t reach the eyeballs, so I just started hitting the gills.”
— Gareth Jennings (@GarethJennings3) October 28, 2016
Tanner’s efforts proved successful, and the shark released him. Screaming a warning to his friends, who were just 12 meters away in the surf, he began frantically making his way to shore, all the while terrified that the predator was following him, and the blood that freely flowed from his injured leg.
For five minutes, Tanner struggled to make his way to shore, an ordeal that took him across 180 meters of open water, constantly possessed of the fear that the shark would return.
“I just paddled my __life away. That was probably the scariest moment, trying to get back to the shore and leaving a trail of blood.”
Guests yesterday face to face with a Great White Shark! #portlincoln #sharkdiving #gopro pic.twitter.com/O6e140ajP7
— Calypso Star Charter (@sharkcagediving) October 21, 2016
In the last 35 meters, Tanner was able to catch a wave that carried him to shore. Unable to lift his arms, he rolled off his board in six inches of water and immediately found himself surrounded by people. As a critical care nurse at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital’s intensive care unit, Tanner quickly began directing his would-be rescuers, instructing them to make a tourniquet from a shirt. When that proved ineffective, he told them to take the leash from his surfboard to replace it.
As beachgoers waited for help to arrive, Tanner directed them to call an ambulance and provided his blood type in order to streamline the process. He instructed his rescuers to cut off his wetsuit, as he believed paramedics would need to start an IV upon their arrival. His surfboard was used by those same rescuers as a bodyboard, as six of them carried Tanner from the water to the parking lot above the beach where he came ashore. Even though shock set in, Tanner was able to instruct the paramedics to airlift him to Legacy Emmanuel, where he is well acquainted with the trauma staff.
Despite the fact that he required three surgeries, the shark missed Tanner’s most vital organs. Even he did not get a good look at the shark that attacked him, but after examining the bite mark on his leg, doctors were able to determine that it was most likely a great white that was responsible for the incident.
Great White Shark by Vitaliy Sokol pic.twitter.com/2FeOQbnIRW
— Best Of Pict (@BestOfPict) October 20, 2016
Advocating for surfers to know their blood type, Tanner also noted that thick wetsuits can make all the difference in a shark attack. Wearing one of the thickest suits on the market during is recent ordeal, Tanner pointed to that as a factor that may have allowed him to survive his unexpected run-in with one of Oregon’s great white sharks.
Lifeguards in Australia are turning to technology to protect beachgoers from the threat of unwanted shark encounters, deploying well-equipped drones as a deterrent against the oceanic predators.
This weekend, New South Wales’ Cudgen Classic became the first non-trial event to be safeguarded by the Little Ripper Group, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin. A nine-hour junior surf lifesaving event held at Kingscliff, the Cudgen Classic was watched over by no fewer than 12 separate drone flights.
Drones to watch over Cottesloe swimmers amid shark fears https://t.co/8B2du0oDtc #perthnews #wanews pic.twitter.com/YPksiJff8e
— WAtoday (@WAtoday) October 25, 2016
The drone operations were supplemented by lifeguards patrolling on the water, yet the devices are uniquely equipped to safeguard against unwanted shark encounters. The drones stream real-time video back to lifeguards, making them an invaluable eye-in-the-sky resource, yet they are also designed to be particularly effective at interacting with wayward sharks.
Valued at $25,000 each, the drones are fitted with a loudspeaker, sirens, SOS lights, and a flotation device with a shark shield. As the Inquisitr has previously reported, this electronic shield is specifically designed to deter sharks, and has proven effective at mitigating the attentions of even the largest members of the species. Utilized by surfers and kayakers, sharks shields have been able to turn away even inquisitive great whites by interfering with their natural senses.
Actus Mer/Sea News: Via @SeaSaver – Shark attacks: Blimps and drones may be better than nets and hooks – @ABCNews https://t.co/0wwmWmCSVs pic.twitter.com/sIknon8Plf
— Jerome OLLIER (@JeromeOLLIER) October 21, 2016
Michael Crawley, the Cudgen Headland SLSC director of surf lifesaving, noted that drones are a natural next step in equipping lifeguards. Three shark attacks have transpired in the last month along the North Coast, leading to the implementation of a number of mitigation strategies. As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, the Baird government has announced that it will deploy 100 “smart” drumlines, while simultaneously introducing legislation that would allow the installation of mesh nets off the coast.
Another great use for Drones – monitoring shark activity for safer coastlines! Read more: https://t.co/ydlJraO0Y6 (via @guardian) pic.twitter.com/UQQ4X3g4Dz
— Skypro Productions (@Skypro_films) October 12, 2016
Each of these strategies have proven to be controversial in their own way, with protests against the installation of nets taking place in Ballina earlier this month. Opponents point to the potential for negative environmental impacts, as dolphins and other marine animals can be harmed by nets or drumlines. Supporters note that “smart” technologies lessen these risks, placing researchers and lifeguards in an active management role.
Traditional drumlines and nets ensnare sharks and other marine __life indiscriminately. Smart technologies, however, have been developed to specifically address the risks inherent in these systems. When a shark is hooked by a smart drumline, for example, lifeguards receive an SMS alert, allowing them to save and relocate the animal before the experience proves fatal. So-called “clever buoys,” which are currently being tested off Port Stephens, use sonar to identify sharks as they swim by. Researchers hope that if testing proves successful, these buoys can be utilized to create barriers which will help safeguard beachgoers.
#Drones to monitor shark activity off Western Australia coastline https://t.co/D1c1gmCDFa #drone pic.twitter.com/TcPnOsMIwo
— SkeletonsInMyCloset (@NibiruGuru) October 10, 2016
More than $7 million has been set aside for trials of shark spotting drones, part of a comprehensive $16 million management plan implemented by the New South Wales government. As much as $3.5 million has been allocated for helicopter surveillance, even though studies have shown that its usefulness at mitigating shark interactions is limited. The NSW DPI, for instance, reported that their helicopter surveys enjoyed only a 17 percent success rate when they attempted to identify shark decoys placed just a scant 2.5 meters underwater.
In 2015, New South Wales conducted a trial for shark-spotting drones, alongside the installation of smart drumlines. The state’s strategy for mitigating shark interactions is set to play out over five years, and includes the release of an app, SharkSmart, which allows users to receive shark alerts in near-real time, much like a similar initiative deployed in Cape Cod by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
The first films aimed at dogs and cats stressed out by the loud bangs on bonfire night have been produced.
Starring Doctor Who and Broadchurch actor David Tennant the calming videos are pretty surreal to humans but have been scientifically developed to help relax pets upset at the noise.
Mr Tennant plays the role of the narrator in separate films for cats and dogs .
The movie for dogs features shots of sleepy canines and picturesque landscapes, while the dream-like film for cats features rustling leaves and fish swimming in water through the view of a window frame.
With Bonfire Night reportedly being the most stressful time of year for Britain's cats and canines, MORE TH>N Pet Insurance has created the films to make the evening a little more bearable.
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David Tennant's latest role is a bit unusual
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The movies are playfully titled "Woofering Heights", based on the classic 1847 novel Wuthering Heights by English author Emily Bronte, and "Peer Window", playing homage to the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window.
MORE TH>N worked with animal behaviourist Karen Wild and vet Robert White-Adams to ensure the films used scientific techniques to relax the animals.
Both movies contain content that is designed to at first capture and arouse the attention of a cat or a dog before gradually inducing feelings of relaxation and sleep.
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The films are scientifically designed for animals
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Peer Window is set entirely within a window frame to reflect a cat's habitual behaviour of staring out of windows for approximately five hours a day.
Similarly, Woofering Heights employs key scientific prompts by incorporating slowly moving pastoral scenery, a cast of sedentary dogs and the relaxing lilt of Tennant delivering an Emily Bronte-inspired narration full of words and phrases known to calm canines.
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Hopefully the films will keep your pets calm
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The film was shot entirely in a dog's colour spectrum of blues and yellows - heightening the viewing experience for them.
MORE TH>N recommends playing the movies to cats and dogs a number of times in the days leading up to November 5, allowing them to become familiar with the content and learn by association.
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The creators say should show your animals the films several times a day beforehand
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Pet behavioural expert Karen Wild said: "Noise phobia in cats and dogs can lead to distress, injury and long-term behavioural problems, so it's important for pet owners that they do as much as they can to help calm and relax their animals.
"These films may seem strange to humans, but it's important to realise that cats and dogs do not perceive the world in the same way we do and will respond to completely different audio and visual stimuli.
"Hopefully these films can have a positive effect on cats and dogs that suffer from noise phobia."
Vanderbilt scientists have developed a probe that causes brain cells to glow in the dark. The key ingredient in this research? A bioluminescent species of shrimp.
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Carl Johnson, Stevenson professor of Biological Sciences, spearheaded the research that was published in the journal Nature Communications on October 27, 2016. "For a long time, neuroscientists relied on electrical techniques for recording the activity of neurons," Johnson stated. "These are very good at monitoring individual neurons but are limited to small numbers of neurons. The new wave is to use optical techniques to record the activity of hundreds of neurons at the same time."
Johnson and his team theorized that combining luminescence with optogenetics, a new biological technique that uses light to control cells in living tissue, would result in a revolutionary tool to monitor brain activity. The sensor is a genetically modified form of luciferase from the selected shrimp species. It's the same enzyme that other organisms use to generate light. Utilizing cultured neurons, the researchers found that the luminescent shrimp luciferase reacted visibly when exposed to calcium ions, glowing in the dark when stimulated by brief flashes of visible light.
Fluorescence, which was used in optical recording, heats up living tissue and disrupts certain biological processes. "There is an inherent conflict between fluorescent techniques and optogenetics. The light required to produce the fluorescence interferes with the light required to control the cells," enthused Johnson. "Luminescence, on the other hand, works in the dark!"
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"We've shown that the approach works," Johnson said. "Now we have to determine how sensitive it is. We have some indications that it is sensitive enough to detect the firing of individual neurons, but we have to run more tests to determine if it actually has this capability."
The planet has been losing a vast number of animals in the last few decades. To be more specific, 58 percent of the global vertebrates population has perished between 1970 and 2012, according to the recently released Living Planet Report 2016.
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The report was produced by the World __wildlife Fund (WWF) and tracked more than 14,000 vertebrate populations of more than 3,700 species, finding that creatures who live in lakes, rivers and other freshwater habitats have experienced the biggest drop in numbers losing 81 percent of their populations.
Furthermore, the Living Planet Report predicts that if the trend continues, the world could lose two-thirds of its animal population by 2020.
"This research delivers a wake-up call that for decades we've treated our planet as if it's disposable," WWF president and CEO Carter Roberts said in a press release from WWF. "We created this problem. The good news is that we can fix it. It requires updating our approach to food, energy, transportation, and how we live our lives. We share the same planet. We rely on it for our survival. So we are all responsible for its protection."
The report revealed that habitat loss and degradation, which is driven by an increasing demand for food and energy. The top cause of destruction of habitats and overexploitation of __wildlife have been shown to be global food production.
After all, agriculture takes up about one-third of the planet's land area, pushing animals out of their habitats. Food production also accounts for 70 percent of the world's freshwater use, which is important to note especially in the dramatic decline of freshwater animals.
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Living Planet Report 2016 is the 11th edition of the WWF publication. It also includes research from the Global Footprint Network and the Zoological Society of London.
A pigeon that was nursed back to health by a kind-hearted family after it fell out of a tree in their garden now seems to think it's one of their PETS.
The bird, named Charlie, comes when he is called, has breakfast with the family and even likes to be stroked like a dog or cat.
Tim Green, 58, discovered the injured bird with his son Lewis, 18, when they found it squawking for help in August.
Tanker driver Tim said: "I was in the garden with Lewis and we could just hear a faint sound like a tweeting or squawking.
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SWNS
Charlie just after he fell out of the tree
"We followed the sound and under our tree we saw this tiny pigeon. It'd obviously fallen out of the nest and hurt its wing. We picked it up and put it in a shoe box."
Mr Green's wife Rachael, 47, nursed the pigeon back to health, feeding the injured chick crumbs and water.
Incredibly, Charlie recovered after a few weeks. But instead of flying away he nested down in the family's home in Lower Broadheath, Worcstershire.
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SWNS
Instead of flying away once he recovered, Charlie nested down in the family home
Mrs Green, a child minder, said: "I'm sure he will fly off one day but at the moment it's like having another pet.
"He will eat pigeon seed put out for him but still loves to be syringe fed.
"He stays out at night now but only recently as he was in a big rabbit cage in our playroom and came in on his own - he would just fly in to the playroom and walk into the kitchen at dusk.
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Meet Daniel, the emotional support duck who travels with his owner in a nappy and tiny webbed shoes
SWNS
The bird eats pigeon seed but still loves to be syringe fed
"At about 8am to 8.30am he will fly to the decking outside the kitchen window for breakfast and will even come in if the window is open or I will go outside and call him and he flies onto my head.
"After he has eaten breakfast, Charlie likes to potter around the garden and enjoys taking a shower under the outside tap if it is dripping and we feed him four or five times a day.
"If he flies off into nearby trees he will come back within five minutes if I call him.
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Charlie the pigeon now answers when Rachael calls him and likes to be stroked
"He loves to be stroked and to perch on the fire guard in the playroom especially if it's raining, he isn't scared of the dogs or rabbits.
"Other people think it's fantastic that he survived and how tame he is.
"I look after children and they will shout 'Charlie's here' if they see him."
An alarming new report from leading experts predicts over two-thirds of the world’s wildlife will be gone in less than four years. Late last week, the World Wildlife Fund published its 2016 Living Planet Report that warned the substantial decline in animal populations would continue unless significant action is taken immediately.
In the past 40 years, the numbers of fish, mammals, birds, and reptiles worldwide have declined nearly 58 percent. If this statistic is correct, wildlife around the world is disappearing at a rate of two percent per year.
“This is definitely human impact, we’re in the sixth mass extinction. There’s only been five before this and we’re definitely in the sixth,” said WWF conservation scientist Martin Taylor. “It’s because we’re using so much of the planet and we’re destroying so much of (these animals’) habitat.”
With natural habitats shrinking worldwide, WWF ‘Living Planet Report’ estimates nearly two-thirds of wildlife will be gone by 2020. [Image by Warren Little/Getty Images]
In addition to habitat loss, the WWF Living Planet Report blames abuse of natural resources, pollution, and climate change for the decline in wildlife population. Invasive species also contributed to the demise of wildlife in certain regions. The report used data collected from 14,152 populations of 3,706 species of animals, mainly fish, mammals, and birds.
Some areas were hit harder than others. Lakes, rivers, and wetlands have seen nearly 81 percent of animal species disappear since 1970. That is roughly four percent per year. While these freshwater areas only cover about 0.01 percent of the Earth’s surface, nearly one-tenth of all wildlife make their homes in this environment.
According to the report, elephants may be at a greater risk than any other species of wildlife. In less than 10 years, their numbers have dropped 20 percent. On the brink of extinction, sharks and rays have declined considerably as well due to overfishing.
The decline in wildlife populations not only has a negative impact on the variety of __life on Earth, but also threatens the existence of humans. Taylor notes that something must be done now to keep the planet from dying.
“Governments (need) to take action to halt the slow death of the planet because it isn’t just affecting wild species it’s affecting us too. This is a threat to our future as a species, what we’re doing to the planet. We only have one planet if we screw it up then we’re gone.”
To prevent this imminent extinction from happening, governments worldwide must stop polluting and destroying fragile animal habitats.
“There’s a lot people can do even if they’re not wealthy or living in wealthy countries, such as using renewable energy, looking for certified sustainable products and most particularly talking to your members of parliament…saying you want strong environmental laws,” Taylor said.
Many conservationists found the WWF paper “misleading.” Stuart Pimm is the Doris Duke Chair of Conservation Ecology at Duke University. He thinks the 58 percent decline in wildlife populations just doesn’t make sense.
“It mixes what’s going on in the ocean with what’s going on in the land. It mixes studies of bird populations in Europe with mammal populations in Africa. It has very few data points in South America.”
Anthony Barnosky with Stanford University points out that the report says 66 percent of individual animals would be gone, not 66 percent of species. However, he does note that if this negative trend stays on pace, “extinction of lots of species is inevitable.”
As the human race expands, more resources are taken away from wildlife, which may someday lead to mass extinctions. [Image by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images]
The human population has now outgrown the planet, according to the WWF report. It now takes the equivalent of nearly two Earths to accommodate the needs of the human race. Analyzing the amount of resources needed by humans in a specific area, the report noted the largest “ecological footprints” belonged to richer nations like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
To slow the decline of worldwide wildlife, the 2016 WWF Living Planet Report suggests overhauling the food system to correctly balance the needs of the human race with the planet’s capacity. While changes like this may be “really, really hard” for governments and people to implement, the report’s authors warn it must be done before the planet decides enough is enough.
Scientists in Australia plan to institute a trial of shark-detecting sonar technology off Port Stephens, analyzing a great white shark nursery in hopes that they can help mitigate a recent spate of attacks taking place along the North Coast.
The independent trial, which is taking place this week according to the Sydney Morning Herald, will test “clever buoys,” a type of sonar technology that can potentially detect sharks as they approach populated beaches. Researchers plan to assess whether the technology is reliable enough to be used to safeguard the public, as other methods, like Eco-barriers that were installed at Ballina and Lennox Heads, have failed due to adverse conditions.
Third shark attack in a month prompts controversial move in Australia; video https://t.co/vBxFGSkS0M pic.twitter.com/88NeFBNi2l
— GrindTV (@GrindTV) October 24, 2016
Marine biologist William Gladstone, of the University of Technology, Sydney, designed the trial. He explained that cameras would be submerged to observe the clever buoys while they operated, allowing researchers to determine whether or not the technology correctly identified sharks swimming by. The trial will take place over six weeks, though the cameras will have to be replaced every day, as they have a battery __life of only five hours.
Drones To Monitor Shark Activities In Australia via /r/RobotWatch @RobotWatchMike … https://t.co/PQNpzyHtUi pic.twitter.com/zv4sVkXnc1
— Robot Watch (@Robot_Watch_) October 11, 2016
The area off Port Stephens was chosen specifically, as it is a recognized great white shark nursery, according to Professor Gladstone. Aerial surveys have confirmed that the region is an aggregation site for white sharks, making it an optimal spot for testing the clever buoys.
The technology has been trialed before, at Bondi Beach last summer. Professor Gladstone noted that trial was “promising.” Another trial will take place soon at Sydney Aquarium, with an aim to determine whether or not the clever buoys can differentiate between separate shark species. While great white have attacked humans in the region, other species can pose a threat as well, including bull sharks, tiger sharks and bronze whalers. Some other shark species, like grey nurse sharks, pose no threat at all to beachgoers, so it is critical that the buoys are able to correctly assess the animals that pass them by.
Why has Ballina become the new ‘shark attack capital’ of Australia?https://t.co/8onLtD9O7Y pic.twitter.com/Y0v5obVOsk
— AustraliaPlusPacific (@apluspacific) October 5, 2016
Using sonar, the clever buoys detect sharks as they swim past. They then alert lifeguards with an SMS message, revealing the shark’s presence. The technology is similar to so-called “smart” drumlines, which have been utilized to hook great white sharks off New South Wales, as the Inquisitr has previously noted. In contrast to traditional drumlines, which are most often fatal deterrents, smart drumlines alert researchers when a shark is hooked, allowing them to save the animal and relocate it.
Australia steps up controversial anti-shark measures despite marine __life concerns https://t.co/fFEsT1WwMy pic.twitter.com/dFN1XHShgl
— Marine Biology (@MarineBiologyRR) October 2, 2016
Professor Gladstone observed that should the trial prove successful, clever buoys could one day provide an effective barrier protecting beaches from inquisitive and wayward sharks.
“If it works effectively and reliably, you could deploy a number of them to cover the beach entrance with a sonar beam. The message would go back to the lifeguards if a shark enters, and they would decide what to do.”
Three shark attacks have taken place along the North Coast in the past month, as the Guardian notes. The Baird government has responded to these incidents, along with the resultant public concern, by advocating for the installation of 100 smart drumlines. Legislation has also been introduced to allow the placement of mesh nets, yet these methods remain controversial due to the potential dangers they present for other forms of marine life. Protests against the strategy took place earlier this month in Ballina, but the local council endorsed a mesh net trial to guard against sharks on Thursday.
Pedals the Bear has been killed, with the beloved New Jersey bear famous for walking on two legs falling victim to what some say was a vengeful hunter.
The black bear had gained fame first in the northern New Jersey community and then across the country for its almost cartoon-like manner, walking upright in what the New York Times described as a “Hanna-Barbera cartoon come to life.”
For the past two years, residents of Rockaway Township have been sharing videos of the bear walking through backyards, with its injured front paws pulled close to its chest, the report noted. But now Pedals the Bear is dead, falling victim to a hunter during a five-day hunting season that for the first time in nearly 50 years allowed hunters to use bow and arrow.
"Pedals," the bear filmed walking on hind legs around NJ neighborhoods, possibly killed by hunter this week https://t.co/mcpC4yBCor pic.twitter.com/qjAKOcm13k
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) October 15, 2016
News of Pedals’ death was shared through a Facebook page dedicated to the beloved animal, along with a claim that the hunter who killed Pedals had been making plans to kill the animal.
“PEDALS IS DEAD. The hunter who has wanted him dead for nearly 3 years had the satisfaction of putting an arrow through him, bragging at the station. The very place where they weighed him, examined his legs, confirmed it was “the bi-pedal”. Where there were two biologists on hand taking many many pictures. PEDALS IS DEAD.”
Pedals the bear had gone viral in the years after first being discovered, with videos of the animal walking upright spreading across social media. There were even a number of attempts to save Pedals, including a petition asking local wildlife officials to capture the animal and bring him to a wildlife sanctuary where he could live out his days in safety.
“The people of NJ and now the world have been following Pedals’ story and trying to get him help when finally his ship came in,” the petition noted. “The Orphaned Wildlife Center of Otisville NY has been helping bears for over 50 years. They are prepared to build Pedals a suitable environment- including adaptations to this environment to enable him to function easier – to take him in and provide him assistance.”
More than 300,000 people signed the petition.
There was also a separate GoFundMe campaign to help pay to have Pedals the Bear relocated. It pulled in more than $20,000, topping the goal of $15,000, but ultimately the efforts to capture the bear did not come to fruition.
While many people around the New Jersey community had been reacting with genuine anguish at the death of the beloved animal, across the internet it was becoming something of a joke, the New York Times noted.
“The internet does not like it when a famous animal is killed (think of Cecil the Lion or of Harambe, the Cincinnati zoo gorilla turned into an unstoppablememe). The apparent death of Pedals at the hands of hunter was also met with the by now predictable online outrage. Gothamist reported that the bear had been ‘assassinated.’“
In the hours after the news of the bear’s death hit the internet, many people shared pictures and videos along with the hashtag #RIPPedals.
Pedals the bear who walks around on two feet got murdered in cold blood https://t.co/bjzUt5rpNU pic.twitter.com/qE1puakhVP
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 15, 2016
Pedals the Bear that Walked on Two Legs Reportedly Assassinated
Residents in the New Jersey suburbs had still been following Pedals the Bear in recent months, with a handful of sightings over the summer. Some noted that he was seen knocking down trash cans in residential backyards, with a few residents even sharing pictures.
It was not immediately clear where Pedals the Bear was killed or the exact day. It was believed that he was shot and killed sometime last week.
Despite the widespread reports that Pedals the Bear had been killed, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection noted on Saturday that there was no way to verify the bear’s death, as it had not been previously tagged and had no DNA sample taken.
[Featured Image by Pedals the Injured Bipedal Bear/Facebook]
Brave Kayleigh Rooney has conquered her terrors after she was savaged by a pal’s pet – and become a dog groomer.
A nine-stone Japanese akita sank its fangs into Kayleigh’s cheeks and shook her like a rag doll.
She needed 270 stitches and two years of treatment.
Yet Kayleigh’s love of dogs has beaten all her fears.
Now, seven years later, she has a shih tzu called Sid and has started a pooch pampering firm. Kayleigh, 22, told The Sunday People she still vividly recalls when the akita, called Chunk, suddenly turned on her after she knelt to pat him.
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Kayleigh Rooney's injuries
She said: “The thing last I remember was seeing Chunk’s huge jaws attacking me and thinking there was nothing I could do to stop him.”
The force of the attack knocked her out. When she regained consciousness, the dog was biting her cheek and shaking her head from side to side.
She said: “I was terrified. I knew I couldn’t pull against his force or he’d rip my face off entirely. After what seemed like an eternity, he released me and I fell to the floor, blood gushing from my face.”
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Kayleigh was rushed to hospital to be stitched up – with her nose hanging off, her top lip chewed apart and a gaping hole in her cheek.
She said: “I felt like I’d been eaten alive. It was as if I’d stepped off a horror film set.”
Cruel school bullies nicknamed her The Joker from Batman because of her scarred smile. She was 17 before her regular hospital trips ended.
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But determined not to let the attack destroy her life, courageous Kayleigh, from Liverpool, studied animal handling.
She said: “I have the best job in the world. My proudest moment was the first day I worked with an akita. I was a little nervous but he was a gentle giant. Thankfully my scars have faded and I have moved on.”
Chunk was not put down and his owners were not prosecuted as the attack was on their property. Kayleigh added: “I’d never blame the dog but I hope he doesn’t lash out again.”
Be it pregnant women, women of child-bearing age, or those who are planning to get pregnant, all are very cautious in taking vacations and out-of-the-country holidays because of the Zika virus scare. In Canada, a large portion of the locals has canceled their trips just to be safe from the virus.
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The Zika virus was originally identified as a mosquito-borne flavivirus in monkeys. The first cases were recorded in Uganda, where the virus was also identified in humans. If infected by the virus, the person usually feels joint and muscle pains, headaches, and skin rash. These are complemented by fever and conjunctivitis, which were normally observed to last for a maximum of 7 days.
Read here: Zika Virus Fact Sheet from WHO
Once detected to have Zika, it eventually affects the developing fetus inside the womb of a pregnant woman or may pose the same threat to those who are planning to have a baby. Their offspring may suffer from a neurological disorder called Guillaim-Barre syndrome or may have smaller heads termed as microcephaly.
With these terrifying effects of the virus, Canadian travelers have been reconsidering their trips, especially if their destinations were reported to have Zika cases. According to Dave Davidson, Barrhaven Travel executive vice-president, his customers had their trips postponed or changed because of the Zika virus. He has even cited a group who planned to have their wedding in Miami and ended up switching back to their original plan of holding it in Jamaica because of a reported Zika outbreak.
In a survey done by Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada, it was found that out of the total population of travelers planning to get pregnant, 35 percent said that they have changed or even canceled their trips upon hearing Zika cases in their chosen destination.
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To cover for these conditions, many airlines have now provided additional insurance for their passengers, which includes rerouting, rescheduling, or even refunding of tickets to pregnant women who have previously booked their tickets before the destination was declared to have Zika cases.
Canadians have been victims of the travel-related Zika infections, therefore making them more concerned about their health over their long-planned trips. More than 2,000 pregnant women in the U.S. and its territories have been reported to have Zika, which adds up to the worry of Canadians, especially for their usual trips down south.
Shocking video from China shows a dog being boiled alive at a busy public market, and the viral footage is now drawing a strong international backlash.
The video shows a horrific scene in which a greyhound was carried to a boiling cauldron of water and then lowered in on a stick as people in the crowd cheered and laughed. As the Mirror noted, the video shows the desperate dog howling in pain and desperately trying to escape the boiling water.
The video of the dog being boiled alive quickly went viral, drawing international media attention and condemnation from animal rights activists. Michele Brown, a leader in the fight for animal rights, told the Mirror that the video circulating this week is a particularly disturbing example of the cruelty that takes place in Asian markets.
“This animal died the worst death imaginable,” she said. “You can see raw fear in the dog’s eyes as its carried towards the boiling water. As they drop the dog into the water it screams for help, skin burning and blistering. It flails around so much, two strong men have to hold on to the lid.”
“The young boy is an innocent child and he appears to be repulsed by what he saw.”
China has been a hotbed of abuse to dogs, the Mirror report noted, with many of the slaughtered animals coming from the U.K. as former pets and racing dogs. Rita James, an activist in England, said there is a pipeline taking greyhounds from racing circles in Ireland to the Far East, where they are killed and sold as food.
The video of the dog being boiled alive reportedly came from Shijiazhuang, a city of 2 million people in the nation’s Hebei Province. Some of the dogs killed there are raised in cages on industrial farms while others were stolen pets sold on the black market.
Dog meat is considered a delicacy in China, and traders deliberately kill them in the most painful ways possible so the animals die filled with adrenaline, the Mirror noted.
There are also efforts in the United States to stop the flow of dogs to markets in Asian nations. In Austin, Texas, a group called Addicus’ Legacy Dog Rescue is trying to bring attention to the practice, which often has dogs being jammed into cages in trucks and transported from Thailand to China. There are sometimes more than 1,600 dogs in a single truck, the Dallas Morning News reported, and many of them die of suffocation before reaching their destination.
Amy Stanton, director of Addicus’ Legacy Dog Rescue, said there are tens of thousands of dogs killed in the same way in Asian markets each year.
“We’re not making judgment calls about whether or not they’re eating the dog meat,” Stanton said. “The issue is the torture and violence that goes into the process.”
Dog meat has been a traditional food in China for centuries, but it has become much more popular in the last three decades, the Mirror noted. The outrage over the video of the dog being boiled alive has also been seen with a number of other graphic videos of this dog meat trade in action.
One of the most controversial aspects is China’s Yulin festival, a 10-day annual event that takes place in a rural region of the country. During the festival, more than 10,000 dogs and cats are slaughtered for their meat, leading animal rights activists to call for the festival to be banned. Chinese government officials have been slow to move on these requests, however, noting that the festival is privately organized and run.
Animal rights activist saves dogs from Yulin festival https://t.co/39wIEi264A
— Debbie Novak (@novak_debbie) August 16, 2016
Stop Yulin Festival SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION NOW! https://t.co/V9Suau1Pyu
— SOSVOX En (@sosvox_en) September 7, 2016
Video of the dog being boiled alive can be seen here, but be warned that it contains some very graphic images.
Summer may be nearing its end, but a recent series of sightings have proven that great white sharks are still present along the northern reaches of both the United States’ coastlines, and are unlikely to move south until cooling waters drive them away.
The West Coast’s most recent white shark sighting took place in Morro Bay, where charter captain Michael Brink encountered one of the predators on Thursday morning. While filming a dead dolphin he had stumbled upon, just south of Morro Rock, Brink was startled by the approach of a mature great white, which he estimated to be between 18 and 20 feet long, according to San Luis Obispo’s Tribune.
A great white shark showing off their gills. Because sharks don’t have gill covers, water … https://t.co/3HjuZlqh7f pic.twitter.com/9mz5mY7zWF
— ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) August 30, 2016
After inspecting Brink’s boat, the great white began rubbing against the side of the vessel, ignoring the dead dolphin nearby. Brink, 38, at first pulled his GoPro out of the water as the shark approached, only submerging it again when the massive fish began to move away. Luckily, he was able to film the shark, passing that clip on to both the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment in an effort to confirm that the animal was indeed a white shark. Both institutions were able to verify that fact, with Professor Barbara Block of the Stanford Woods Institute noting that the shark is likely one already known to researchers.
Atlantic White #Shark Conservancy launches Sharktivity app this morninghttps://t.co/dc1hodJfmK@capecodtimes pic.twitter.com/jn8vv7CzEc
— Doug Fraser (@dougfrasercct) July 1, 2016
On the East Coast, much of the local white shark activity has been limited to Cape Cod, which has become a summer hotspot for the species in recent years. On Friday morning, three of the animals were spotted between Nauset Public Beach and Callanan’s Pass in Orleans, according to Mass Live. While there are no lifeguards stationed at Nauset Beach after Labor Day who could formally close the shore due to the presence of a shark, the sightings were nevertheless reported to the public through a smartphone app that debuted earlier this summer, Sharktivity.
As the Inquisitr has previously noted, Sharktivity is a product of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, in concert with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, local officials, and the Cape Cod National Seashore. The app allows both the conservancy’s research team as well as the general public to report and upload their own white shark sightings, which are then assessed by experts for veracity before they are released as an alert. Sharktivity has been credited with keeping at least one family out of the water at a remote beach when a great white was spotted nearby, and is a unique tool in the hands of off-season beachgoers, who may not be able to rely on lifeguards for timely shark warnings.
#Sharktivity app will be ready for download by July 1 says Atlantic White #Shark Conservancy. @capecodtimes pic.twitter.com/JKi6VcEGsx
— Doug Fraser (@dougfrasercct) June 30, 2016
The white sharks have been no strangers to Cape Cod this year, and have been photographed repeatedly preying upon the local seal population. Race Point Beach was closed no fewer than three times this summer due to the presence of great whites, while the conservancy’s team have worked diligently to catalog the animals on twice weekly research voyages. Environmental non-profit Ocearch, meanwhile, was able to identify a great white breeding ground this summer in an area off Long Island known as the New York Bight, the first of its kind in the Northern Atlantic.
Researchers think they’ve found a great white shark nursery off the coast of Long Island https://t.co/r1HMwZR2Ew pic.twitter.com/TGbLdETebG
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) August 30, 2016
While the number of white sharks off the coast may be daunting, statistics show that attacks on humans remain exceedingly rare, both in the region and worldwide. Though the conservancy identified over 140 individual great white sharks off Cape Cod last summer, there have been only two attacks in Massachusetts since 2000, neither of which resulted in a fatality.
[Photo by Elias Levy – Own Work via Flickr | Cropped and Resized | CC BY 2.0]
Common swifts (a.k.a. Apus apus) have been renowned for ages as graceful, indefatigable birds that glide through the air and travel for what seems to be an eternity without touching land. But just how long do these birds stay airborne as they make their migratory journey to western and central Africa? According to a new study from Sweden, the birds can go for as long as a record-setting 10 months without them ever touching down on the ground.
Lead author Anders Hedenstrom of Lund University in Sweden told the Washington Post that the common swifts’ achievement is the “most extreme example” of continuous flight that he and his team know of. The team of researchers observed a total of 13 swifts over a period of two years, outfitting the birds with tiny backpacks loaded with light sensors and accelerometers.
According to the Post, the light sensors were used for geolocation, and took note of sunrise and sunset times. The accelerometers, on the other hand, were used to track the speed of the swifts’ forward flight and how their wings had beat, allowing Hedenstrom’s team to have an idea of the distance and speed of their travel, and how long they spent on the ground, if applicable.
The swifts are the best… https://t.co/pnwXsc4gQJ #Apusapus
— David Hawkins (@paganhead) October 13, 2016
When the numbers were crunched and the data analyzed, the researchers concluded that common swifts spend almost all of their time migrating airborne – 99.5 percent, to be exact. In those 10 months traveling from northern Europe to central Africa and back, they only touch down for one or two hours at a time, then return to the air to continue their long flight.
It may seem that the common swifts’ nonstop flight does have some rest breaks in between, with emphasis on some. But Hedenstrom noted that three of the 13 birds did not take any sort of break, going 10,000 miles back and forth while airborne. The researchers added that this is an unprecedented observation, as even the frigate bird spends only mere weeks in the air before resting.
This isn’t the first time swifts have been associated with impressive feats of nonstop flight. According to National Geographic, a 2013 study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute was able to track three alpine swifts and determine that they may have flown for 200 straight days as they migrated from Switzerland to Africa, then traveled back home. Alpine swifts are larger than their common swift counterparts, with wingspans measuring up to 22 inches.
So what do these birds do while spending all that time in the sky? Fellow Lund researcher Susanne Akesson, who is married to Hedenstrom, explained the swifts’ airborne activities to National Geographic.
“They feed in the air, they mate in the air, they get nest material in the air … They can land on nest boxes, branches, or houses, but they can’t really land on the ground.”
One may also wonder if these swifts actually get to sleep while flying nonstop for close to a year. Though it remains a speculative theory at the moment, Hedenstrom noted that the swifts fly upwards at dawn and dusk and may take quick naps while they drift down from those impressive heights.
#CommonSwift made world record of flying for 10 months without once touching land. https://t.co/L4H3jQM2Jc pic.twitter.com/XfQhOIKMjN
— Pramod Patil (@savegib) October 28, 2016
Fascinating as they are for their endurance in the air, Hedenstrom also told the Washington Post that common swifts are a peculiarity in the animal kingdom in another way. Despite their extraordinary nonstop flight record and their diminutive size, they live surprisingly long. The birds have an average lifespan of five years, but could live as long as 20 years, which is impressive considering their rather small (15-inch) wingspan.
“Flight is very energetically costly,” Hedenstrom explained. “To lead a __life in the fast lane, so to speak, that would be associated with low survival. But (common) swifts are actually the opposite: They live for very long __life spans for birds of their size.”
[Featured Image by Pau Artigas | Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and Resized | CC BY-SA 2.0]
Pacific Northwest marine biologists had some grim news on Friday, as at least one more orca death was confirmed in the Puget Sound area in Washington state, further gutting a killer whale population that is edging toward historically low levels.
According to the Seattle Times, a mother whale codenamed J28 had gradually become sicker over the past several months, before vanishing from her “J-Pod” family group on or around October 19. She was about 24-years-old at the time, an age normally considered ideal for breeding, and was instantly recognizable due to a nick on her dorsal fin. Her carcass has yet to be spotted by whale watchers, but the orca may have died in the Strait of Juan de Fuca sometime last week.
'It's a sad day:' Researchers claim #PugetSound #orcas are starving and dying | KOMO Newshttps://t.co/tr7i0u66BF #salmon #dams #SalishSea
— Kaskadia (@kaskadia) October 29, 2016
An obituary for J28 written by Center for Whale Research director Ken Balcomb was published by the West Seattle Blog, and details the specifics of what may have led to her death.
“J28 was noted to be losing body condition in January 2016, presumably from birthing complications, and by July was clearly emaciated. If her carcass is ever found an examination of her ovaries may reveal how many ovulations/pregnancies she actually had, as well as her proximate cause of death (probably septicemia).”
The Seattle Times report quoted Orca Network spokesman Howard Garrett, who believes the death of J28 may have also led to the death of her 10-month-old calf, codenamed J53. He said that the calf was still in the nursing stage, and that his 7-year-old sister, J46, went through a “heroic effort” to save him and their mother.
Garrett also observed nicks and scratches on J53’s skin, which had most probably been a result of his sister and aunt trying to keep him on the surface by using their mouths to hold on to him. He believes J53 may have already been in a state of malnourishment, as the calf’s mother may not have had enough milk to feed him with “for quite a while.”
Balcomb’s documentation of the mother orca’s death included some passages on the steps J46 took to care for her relatives.
“(J53’s) sister, J46, had been catching and offering salmon to her mother and little brother for several months while mom was ill, but that was simply not enough nutrition provided to three whales by one little female no matter how hard she tried.”
All in all, there are only about 80 orcas following the death of J28 and the uncertain fate of J53. Balcomb says that’s close to the lowest population counts in decades, which is a big concern considering the lack of population growth in the two decades preceding the current decline.
Southern resident killer whales can be found in Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and in the vicinity of the San Juan Islands, the Seattle Times wrote. The animals were classified as an endangered species in 2005, as a result of a sharp downtick in population count from about 100 whales in the late-1990s to approximately 80 in 2001. Despite a mild increase in killer whale count in the years that followed, their numbers were back down to about 80 as of 2014.
The Obama administration steps up on cleaning up Puget Sound | https://t.co/LVv4n4XCtB #PugetSound #SRKW #orcas #salmon pic.twitter.com/kDbAJTgo0k
— Marine Connection (@MC_org) October 19, 2016
Following that decline, nine calves were born between December 2014 and January 2016, with J53 being among the more recent births. But that positive development was negated by seven deaths, including three calves (J53 presumably included), and four adults, with J28 being the latest casualty.
In a report from KOMO News, Balcomb said that that certain measures need to be taken in order to prevent further orca deaths and to ensure existing populations receive enough food. And that may be facilitated by breaching four dams on the Lower Snake River in order to allow enough salmon availability for the surviving killer whales.
[Featured Image by NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center/AP Images]
An orphaned baby orangutan has been rescued by Indonesian authorities after a year tethered to a wall by his neck in an squalid alleyway between two houses.
Mingky was captured by hunters last year while wandering alone in remote woodland.
Gifted to a friend of the tropical poacher who caught him, the poor primate spent a long, miserable year bound in chains, brought out only occasionally to entertain children.
The tragic orangutan was found hugging himself to sleep when animal welfare workers finally brought his ordeal to an end earlier this month.
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Panut Hadisiswoyo, from the Orangutan Information Centre in Indonesia, said: "The man who was holding Mingky captive said he wanted him to be chained in his premises as entertainment for his family.
"He'd feed him bits of fruit and sometimes rice. But it was no __life for Mingky.
"Through our intelligence network, we discovered the orangutan illegally held in a house in a rural area near Blang Pidie city, Aceh Barat Daya.
"He was chained to a wall between two houses and we estimated that he was around three years old."
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Mingky's suffering could have gone on forever if the group hadn't found him
Following months of neglect, Mingky was "terrified" of being touched and would become aggressive when approached by animal welfare staff.
With the help of local police, the orphaned ape had to be tranquilised to remove him safely.
Although the capture of wild orangutans is illegal in Indonesia, the man holding Mingky captive was not prosecuted. As the primate was given to him as a gift, the man said he hadn't broken the law.
Mingky will be released back into the wild once he has regained his strength in the Orangutan Information Centre's sanctuary.
SWNS
"The orangutan would have been suffering forever but luckily our team discovered him," said Panut.
"He is now in safe hands. Our team is a lifeline for many orangutans in Sumatra.
"It is extremely important that our team is able to continue to be in the field monitoring conflict situations and/or isolated forest patches containing orangutans, so that these smaller but still vital populations are not lost.
"There is no prosecution for the owner as the police believed that the owner received the orangutan from his friend and thus he was willing to surrender the orangutan."
A 100-year-old tortoise has been credited as the savior of his species. The centenarian reptile single-handedly managed to sire more than 800 offspring.
A sex-crazed giant tortoise from the Galapagos Islands is being applauded for saving his entire subspecies with his insatiable libido. The tortoise, believed to be at least 100-years-old, has fathered an estimated 800 offspring and appears in no mood to slow down or stop despite his advanced age.
The Galapagos giant tortoise is named Diego and belongs to the Chelonoidis hoodensis subspecies. The extremely endangered species is found only on Espanola in the Galapagos Islands. The urgency to save the species from certain extinction is evident from the fact that about 50 years ago, there were only two males and a dozen females.
Sexploits of Diego the Tortoise save Galapagos species https://t.co/drMXxwXbUi pic.twitter.com/6io1QYe5sA
— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 14, 2016
From a scientific perspective it was certain that the species won’t survive the next few decades. Researchers term such low numbers as “unsustainable population.” It essentially means the species will go extinct even if the females do procreate. This is because the decline is relatively faster than newer generations can continue to bear offspring. Moreover, the natural predators often kill the newborns, thus severely restricting population growth.
In the case of Chelonoidis hoodensis, the tortoises were spread too far apart to mate on a regular basis. Long distance relations do not work in this species and hence scientists were extremely worried about them. Everybody was certain the species would be soon be lost forever.
Diego the Tortoise’s sexploits have helped save his species from extinction https://t.co/PSjjGWyChn pic.twitter.com/4axMuGYo1t
— Yahoo Philippines (@YahooPH) September 14, 2016
However, Diego proved everyone wrong and surprised the entire scientific community by mating with amazing alacrity. Supported by Diego’s unwavering stamina to impregnate the six females in his enclosure consistently, a breeding program has ensured the tortoise bounced back. So far, Diego has officially sired 800 offspring, and the new generations have further procreated. Once critically endangered, the Galapagos giant tortoise now number in the thousands, said Washington Tapia, a tortoise specialist at Galapagos National Park.
“He’s a very sexually active male reproducer. He’s contributed enormously to repopulating the island.”
Just how virile is Diego? Genetic testing of the tortoises roaming Espanola has indicated Diego is the father to at least 40 percent of the population. In essence, the whole species owes its survival to this one sexually active tortoise. He is the dominant male of the three tasked with repopulating the island. The females often submit meekly, thereby allowing him to impregnate them with relative impunity, despite his advanced age. He shares his enclosure with six females and they too are accredited for saving the species.
Espanola is one of the oldest in the Galapagos Islands. The Pacific archipelago became famous through the studies and chronicles of the father of evolutionary science Charles Darwin. The islands feature one of the biggest bio-diversities in the entire world. Unfortunately, majority of the islands are steadily losing endangered species, despite being protected under federal laws.
For a ripe age of 100, Diego is surprisingly agile. He was found at the San Diego Zoo was named after it. After Diego was confirmed to belong to the critically endangered subspecies, conservation efforts through an international campaign began. The project involved finding more members of the rare tortoises. Speaking about Diego’s origin, Tapia said the following.
“We don’t know exactly how or when he arrived in the United States. He must have been taken from Espanola sometime between 1900 and 1959 by a scientific expedition.”
Diego was swiftly transferred to Galapagos in 1976 and put in the captive breeding program. To date, the program has successfully released about 2,000 tortoises on the island. Though the species isn’t critically endangered anymore, it is still threatened. Originally, the islands had 15 species of tortoise, but three have gone extinct, while others remain endangered.
