Lion populations plummet in Uganda parks

www.mongabay.comAugust 19, 2010 Lion populations across Uganda’s park system have declined 40 percent in less than a decade, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). “Conserving Uganda’s last remaining lions is a global responsibility,” WCS Senior Carnivore researcher Tutilo Mudumba said in a statement. “If we outlive this iconic African species, we will have to […]

Russian forest fires pose major threat to bats

Bonn (Germany), 18 August 2010 – The catastrophic wildfires that have swept across Russia this summer have killed at least 50 people and could cost the country’s economy an estimated US$15 billion. But among the hidden victims of the fires are small, nocturnal animals that are fast losing their habitats. Russia’s bat population – which […]

Sea otter numbers take a turn for the worse

By Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff WriterMonday, August 16, 2010 (08-16) 12:22 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — The California sea otter – which fought back from near extinction after a century or so of wholesale slaughter – appears to again be hitting the skids, and nobody can figure out the reason. It is the second consecutive year […]

Niger poachers target rare West African Giraffe

By Staff WritersNiamey (AFP) Aug 16, 2010 Poachers in Niger killed two baby West African Giraffes, the first attack on the endangered species in the country for 20 years, an environment official said on Monday. “In less than a month, we have recorded two giraffe deaths linked to poaching,” Colonel Malam Issa, who heads Niger’s […]

Increase in ‘warm water’ dolphins

BBC15 August 2010 Warmer seas could be responsible for a change in the type of dolphins spotted off the coast of the North East of England, a survey has suggested. The Northeast Cetacean Project found an increase in sightings of common, bottlenose and Risso’s dolphins – species associated with warmer waters. There have also been […]

Another symbol of the Arctic’s complex ecosystem finds itself on thin ice

By LAUREN MORELLO of ClimateWireAugust 10, 2010 For generations, Yupik and Inupiat hunters have depended on the Pacific walrus. They ate the walrus’ meat and whittled its bones into tools. Walrus skin covered their boats, and walrus intestines, stitched into raincoats, covered their backs. Today, the walrus is still an important part of the subsistence […]

Crabs provide evidence oil tainting Gulf food web

By JOHN FLESHER, AP Environmental Writer Mon Aug 9, 5:33 am ET BARATARIA, La. – To assess how heavy a blow the BP oil spill has dealt the Gulf of Mexico, researchers are closely watching a staple of the seafood industry and primary indicator of the ecosystem’s health: the blue crab. Weeks ago, before engineers […]

Fungus on track to extinguish bats in Northeast US — ‘Quickly becoming a continental-scale problem’

By ANDREW C. REVKINAugust 5, 2010, 4:50 pm A research team organized by Thomas Kunz of Boston University has concluded in a new paper that a common, beneficial bat species is likely to be completely wiped out across much of the Northeastern United States within 20 years due to a spreading fungal infection. The basics […]

Polar bears exposed to chemical cocktail from melting ice

By Mark TamhanePosted Fri Aug 6, 2010 6:03pm AEST Polar bears, the icon of the Arctic, are under threat from the twin challenges of climate change and chemicals that are not breaking down in the region’s cold waters. Research published in the journal Science of The Total Environment shows the retreat of sea-ice in the […]

With some sea-lion populations in swift decline, feds call for closing Aleutian fisheries

The population of Steller’s sea lions is declining so rapidly in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands that the Obama administration is calling for the emergency closure of commercial mackerel and cod fishing there. The fishing industry, largely based in Seattle, is alarmed and worried such measures could eventually lead to restrictions on parts of the $1 billion-a-year […]

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