Six Australian birds declared extinct, although some could have been saved

By John Platt Jan 6, 2011 11:20 AM Six Australian birds that have not been seen in decades have been declared extinct by a team of scientists assessing the health of the country’s bird species. In most cases they could have been saved, says team leader Stephen Garnett, professor of tropical knowledge at Charles Darwin […]

Video: Japan tuna sale sets price record

By Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo 5 January 2011 A tuna has sold at auction for a record 32.49m yen in Tokyo, nearly $400,000 (£257,320). The fish was a blue fin, a variety prized for making the finest sushi. It was bought by a joint Japanese and Chinese bid. The first auction in January at […]

Pakistan floods, fighting destroy wildlife

By Sajjad Tarakzai (AFP)31 December 2010 KUND, Pakistan — Disaster struck out of nowhere. The flash floods were so sudden that wardens at one of Pakistan’s most famed parks could do nothing to save their animals. Leopards, deer and bears all drowned as the murky waters quickly engulfed them. Kund park, a tourist spot located […]

Arctic’s vanishing sea ice presents polar bear with a new danger – grizzlies

Fears for future of gene pool as interbreeding between vulnerable species driven together by global warming gathers pace By Steve Connor, Science EditorThursday, 16 December 2010 The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic is encouraging the formation of hybrids between related species which could accelerate the decline of some of the region’s most […]

Dramatic decline in sea ice imperils Western Hudson Bay polar bears – Bears went without eating this year for 3 weeks longer than usual

By Aislinn Maestas12-07-2010 The polar bears of Western Hudson Bay went without eating this year for approximately 3 weeks longer than usual. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the combined early summer break-up of sea ice and delayed winter freeze-up foreshadows what is likely to be a fast-approaching and grim future for these polar bears. […]

The polar bear’s last stand

A final refuge of Arctic summer sea ice may be the last outpost for polar bears.     By Jessica Marshall    Thu Dec 16, 2010 04:05 PM ET As sea ice disappears, a refuge of suitable habitat for polar bears and ringed seals — key polar bear prey — may persist in northeastern Canada and northern […]

Endangered rhinos slaughtered in Zimbabwe sanctuary as China footprint grows in Africa

At least six rhinos have reportedly been killed at the Nyamaneche Game Sanctuary in Zimbabwe. According to local sources, the killing occurred in an area close to Chinese chrome mining operations. The [Zimbabwe Conservation] task force’s chairman Johnny Rodrigues said he believed a Chinese firm was mining chrome in this ecologically pristine area. The three […]

Bluefin tuna gets scant relief at fisheries meet

By Staff WritersNov 27, 2010 Paris (AFP) – Fishing nations opted Saturday to leave catch limits for eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna virtually unchanged despite concerns that the species is perilously close to collapse. Annual quotas for the sushi mainstay will be trimmed from 13,500 tonnes this year to 12,900 tonnes in 2011, the 48-member International […]

Sharks used as tuna lures

The Daily TelegraphNovember 24, 2010 12:00AM COMMERCIAL tuna fishermen have been accused of using whale sharks as giant lures to increase their catch. Whale sharks naturally attract schools of fish and Greenpeace has accused the industry of setting their nets around the gentle giants after it obtained photos showing a juvenile whale shark being hoisted […]

More than a million Atlantic sharks killed yearly

By Marlowe Hood 21 November 2010 (AFP) PARIS — At least 1.3 million sharks, many listed as endangered, were harvested from the Atlantic in 2008 by industrial-scale fisheries unhampered by catch or size limits, according to a tally released Monday. The actual figure may be several fold higher due to under-reporting, said the study, released […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial