Sumatran orangutan beaten to death, reports conservation group

Jakarta, 2 July 2013 (AFP) – Indonesian villagers have beaten a Sumatran orangutan to death, an animal protection group said Tuesday, the latest case of one of the critically-endangered primates being killed by humans. The adult female died Thursday after being rescued from a village in Aceh province with numerous injuries by the Sumatran Orangutan […]

President Obama launches initiative to curb wildlife trafficking – ‘Poaching operations have expanded beyond small-scale, opportunistic actions to coordinated slaughter commissioned by armed and organized criminal syndicates’

By Suzanne Goldenberg US environment correspondent 1 July 2013 (The Guardian) – Barack Obama launched a new initiative against wildlife trafficking on Monday, using his executive authority to take action against an illegal trade that is fuelling rebel wars and now threatens the survival of elephants and rhinoceroses. The initiative, announced as the president visited […]

Poachers are elusive catch in New York City waters – ‘You go to any market, and there’s people selling fish, anytime, that’s illegal’

By J. DAVID GOODMAN and SARAH MASLIN NIR3 July 2013 (The New York Times) – It sounds like something out of a James Bond movie: Lookouts. Scuba gear. Secret caches, hidden under floating docks. Horseshoe crabs. Horseshoe crabs? The crabs are among the incredible riches of Jamaica Bay, New York City’s wildest expanse of water, […]

Japan to ignore fishing ban on endangered sharks – ‘We use more sharks than anyone else in the world!’

By Gary Stokes, Director, Sea Shepherd Hong Kong18 June 2013 (SeaShepherd.org) – Recently Japan announced that despite the decision to protect five shark species at the CITES CoP16 meeting held in Bangkok this past March, it is entering a “reservation” (i.e., it will be ignoring the ruling) as it does not recognize the United Nations […]

Australia whaling case against Japan worth the gamble

By Andrew Darby, Hobart correspondent for Fairfax Media25 June 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) – When Australia first went to court against Japan over whaling, it was against clear warnings from anti-whaling allies. The US commissioner at the International Whaling Commission, Monica Medina, called it a ”bet the whales” case – an uncertain gamble on whales’ […]

Illegal wildlife trade flourishes in Sumatra – Critically endangered orangutans sell for $200 – ‘It’s a zoo, but you can buy’

By Birchard Kellogg10 June 2013 (mongabay.com) – In a chilly rain on Sunday, in a town just a few kilometers beyond the edge of a protected Sumatran rainforest, a young orangutan sat perched on a piece of plywood and grabbed the metal wires of his tiny cage. He has sat in that cage for six […]

Japan spring whale slaughter kills record low 34 – Whales eating young eels instead of mature, signaling ecosystem collapse

TOKYO, 6 June 2013 (AFP) – Japanese whalers hunting the mammals in the northwestern Pacific caught a record-low 34 minke whales this spring, the fisheries agency said Thursday, blaming bad weather. The whaling, conducted in the name of “scientific research,” took place from April 18 to June 3 and netted 17 male and 17 female […]

Elephant ‘tramples to death suspected poacher’

By Emily Miller 12 May 2013 (Telegraph) – The bloodied remains of Solomon Manjoro were found by rangers after what was thought to be a botched poaching trip at the protected Charara safari area inside a national park. Zimbabwe’s Sunday Mail reported that the local man was charged by the elephant after he entered the […]

Graph of the Day: Biomass decline of tuna species, 1960s-2008

ICCAT time series of the biomass of tuna species under management of ICCAT. Line denotes establishment of ICCAT (1969). Species assessed comprise the “major tuna” that ICCAT manages. Data: a) from ICCAT (2008a), b) ICCAT (2008b), c-e) ICCAT (2008c), f) ICCAT (2008d), g-h) ICCAT (2008e). Graphic: Sarika Cullis-Suzuki High Seas, High Risk: A Global Evaluation […]

Video: Hundreds of dead animals wash up on Chile beach, killed by illegal blast fishing

[More info on that horrible blast-fishing incident in Chile.] 17 May 2013 (Reuters) – Residents in Chile discover around 600 dead animals washed up on the shore in Punta Choros, on the country’s northern coast. Officials fear the deaths were caused by blast fishing, explosions used by fishermen to rid the water of sea lions […]

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