September 28th, 2009
A new WWF report celebrates the recent discovery of 163 new species in 2008 in the Greater Mekong region of South-east Asia – including a bird-eating fanged frog, a leopard-patterned gecko (pictured above) and a bird that would rather walk than fly. But the report wans that many may soon face extinction because of climate change. WWF The discoveries include 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and one bird species in the region that spreads over Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and southern China.
The establishment of new reserves in China and Vietnam could save two of the world’s rarest primates, the cao vit gibbon and the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey. Just 110 cao vit gibbons and about 200 Tonkin snub nosed monkeys are thought to survive in the wild. The new sanctuary for the gibbons, the 6,500-hectare Bangliang Nature Reserve in China’s Guangxi Province, runs adjacent to Vietnam’s Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Area, and more than quadruples the amount of protected forest for the gibbon. The cao vit gibbon currently lives mainly on the Vietnamese side of the border but it now can expand into China.
Video of cao vit gibbons:
The other protected area, in Khau Ca forest in northern Vietnam, is home to 90 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys. The new 2,000-hectare reserve also supports a relatively pristine sub-tropical forest with a wide range of other wildlife. The wildlife charity Fauna and Flora International ( above photo), which works for wildlife protection in developing countries, was instrumental in establishing the new reserves.
In the early 15th century China, briefly, set out to explore the world. Emperor Yongle sponsored a series of seven naval expeditions to impose imperial control over trade, and impress foreign peoples in the Indian Ocean basin. These expeditions were commanded by admiral in the Imperial Chinese navy, Zheng He. On one expedition, Zheng acquired a giraffe in the kingdom of Bengal, which had been a gift from an East African ruler. The giraffe was sent to the Chinese court, where it was welcomed as a unicorn, an extremely aupiscious gift. He also arranged with the Indian court for another giraffe to be sent from Aficia (Somalia).
A pair of giraffes in Beijing in 1415 was well worth the cost of the expedition. In China they thought the giraffe (despite its having one horn too many) was a unicorn (ch’i-lin), whose arrival, according to Confucian tradition, meant that a sage of the utmost wisdom and benevolence was in their presence. Zheng meanwhile sailed to the East African nation of Somalia, where he obtained lions, leopards, ostriches, zebras, and other animals, which were viewed with amazement in China. Execellent article here
The African unicorn inspired a number of court poems and paintings. The above work was painted by Shen Du (1357-1434), who was a poet, painter, calligrapher, and a favorite of the Yongle emperor. The Chinese called the giraffe a qilin (ch’i-lin), an auspicious mythical animal. Shen Du also composed the following poem about the giraffe:
In the corner of the western seas, in the stagnant waters of a great morass,
Truly was produced a qilin (ch’i-lin), whose shape was as high as fifteen feet.
With the body of a deer and the tail of an ox, and a fleshy, boneless horn,
With luminous spots like a red cloud or purple mist.
Its hoofs do not tread on living beings and in its wanderings it carefully selects its ground.
It walks in stately fashion and in its every motion it observes a rhythm,
Its harmonious voice sounds like a bell or a musical tube.
Gentle is this animal, that has in antiquity been seen but once,
The manifestation of its divine spirit rises up to heaven’s abode. Here
I love the way the poem describes the giraffe’s gait
Its hoofs do not tread on living beings and in its wanderings it carefully selects its ground.
It walks in stately fashion and in its every motion it observes a rhythm,
The growing prosperous middle class of Vietnam’s taste for exotic and local bushmeat is threatening species. Among the animals most seriously at risk for what is called “forest food” are the rhino, the white-handed gibbon and the civet. Independent
Tiger deaths continue at an alarming rate. Statistics collated from different parts of India show that
in the first six months of the year, at least 66 tigers died. Of these, 23 died due to poaching. The list includes seizures of skins, bones, claws, skeletons, canines and paws by police and wildlife authorities during this period. The remaining 43 died of a variety of reasons such as infighting, old age, tiger-human conflict, accidents and disease, according to statistics provided by Wildlife Protection Society of India. Times of India
Police are searching for the culprits behind the beheading and skinning of a rare Siberian tiger at a zoo in central China, state media reported Sunday. Sun media
August 11th, 2009
The steppes of Mongolia may be transformed into a desert thanks to overgrazing by goats, driven by the west’s love of cashmere. The Times On the same issue, the World Bank states “Mongolian herds will be at greater risk of severe weather conditions if growing livestock populations and deteriorating pastureland is not reversed.” (Mongolia’s pasture quality in worrying decline).
See also Mongolian-Manchurian grassland (World Wildlife Fund)
350 new species have been found in the Eastern Himalayas in the last 10 years according to a new report (Where Worlds Collide) by WWF, highlighting the need to protect further this still huge but ever shrinking wilderness. New species are being discovered at a rate of 35 a year including the miniature muntjac (Muntiacus putaoensis), also known as the leaf deer, the smallest species of deer in the world, and the Arunachal macaque (Macaca munzala above photo by Anindya Sinha) – the first monkey to be found since 1903. Threats to the Eastern Himalayas, divided between Nepal, Bhutan and parts of China, India, Bangladesh and Burma, include illegal logging, demand for land, poaching, pollution and climate change.
Mark Wright of the WWF notes:
“In the Eastern Himalayas we have a region of extraordinary beauty and with some of the most biologically rich areas on the planet. Ironically, it is also one of the regions most at risk from climate change, as evidenced by the rapid retreat of the glaciers, and only time will tell how well species will be able to adapt – if at all.”
Researchers have found that Pandas have been pushed closer to extinction by the effects of last year’s Sichuan earthquake. The quake, which killed 69,000 people and left 4.3m homeless, also devastated the panda’s ecosystems.
Weihua Xu, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, found that more than 23% of the pandas’ habitat in the area he studied had been destroyed, with much of the rest fragmented or damaged.
“We estimate that above 60% of the wild giant panda population was affected … by the earthquake,” said Xu.“The giant panda population inhabiting this region could already be as low as 35 individuals. This extra isolation increases their risk of extinction in the wild, due in part to a higher likelihood of inbreeding,” he said.
Diane Walkington, head of species at WWF, said the organisation was working with the Chinese government to reduce the damage. “About 80% of the pandas’ habitat was affected to varying degrees. In three key nature reserves around 35% of the vegetation was destroyed,” she said.
Sichuan Earthquake Destroyed Nearly A Quarter Of Panda Habitat Near Quake’s Epicenter (Science Daily) “It is probable that habitat fragmentation has separated the giant panda population inhabiting this region, which could be as low as 35 individuals,” says Xu. “This kind of isolation increases their risk of extinction in the wild, due in part to a higher likelihood of inbreeding.”
July 22nd, 2009
The World Bank says experimenting with tiger farming is too risky and could drive wild tigers further toward extinction. “Extinction is irreversible, so prudence and precaution suggest that the risks of legalized farming are too great a gamble for the world to take,” said World Bank Director Keshav Varma.
The tiger trade is prohibited internationally and banned in all countries where it is present, including China which has historically been the largest market for tiger products. But, owners of privately run tiger farms and rich business people in China have been pressuring the Chinese government to permit legal trade in tiger parts inside China by lifting the domestic tiger trade ban, introduced in 1993. WWF
July 17th, 2009
Despite the emphasis on rapid economic development in support of improved living standards for its people, China has established more than 2,000 Protected Areas since 1956. But in such a vast country, many sites important to bird conservation are not yet protected. But now the country is protecting more areas (Birdwatch)
Falkland Islands wolf mystery solved November 2, 2009
The origin of the strange Falkland Islands wolf (Dusicyon australis), which was hunted to extinction in the late 19th century, may finally have been solved – 175 years after Charles Darwin wondered about the nature of this curious fox-like creature. A DNA study has revealed that the animal did not, as thought, arrive to the islands as the pets of Pre-Colombian natives, but rather travelled there long before humans had populated the Americas. More here
More from Wikipedia on the Falkland Islands wolf
Tsavo lions only ate 35 people November 2, 2009
New research claims to show that the infamous Tsavo lions only ate 35 people and not 135 as previously believed. The lions have become famous as the worst man eaters in history as they terrorized a railroad camp in Kenya for nine months in 1898. Now an examination of the lion’s stomachs has revealed they were less prolific. More here
Wikipedia on the Tsavo man-eaters
Parahawking in Nepal October 30, 2009
With breathtaking views of the Himalayas, you can soar alongside Egyptian Vultures and Black Kites who will approach to take food out of your hand. They are specially trained rescue birds who can’t be returned to the wild. Among them is Kevin the young Egyptian Vulture, famous for his scrapes with Steppe Eagles. The ultimate aim of the venture is to draw attention to the serious decline of Asian vultures, being poisoned to extinction by vet-prescribed drug Diclofenac. Visit www.parahawking.com for more information, as well as www.himalayanraptorrescue.org
A good year for budgerigars October 29, 2009
This year breeding conditions have been exceptionally good for budgerigars in Queensland, Australia. Heavy rain and river flooding revived the land, providing plenty of grass seeds for the birds to feast on. When all the available trees with the best nesting sites had been taken, budgerigars were laying their eggs on the ground. And now local people are marvelling at the unprecedented size of the flocks, turning the sky green.
Reptile smuggler given away by tarantula October 27, 2009
Customs officials first suspected the 22-year old Norwegian, who’d just stepped off a ferry from Denmark, when they spotted a tarantula scuttling inside his bag. They then noticed “his whole body was in constant motion”. The wriggling movement was due to the 14 baby royal pythons tucked away in socks strapped to the man’s torso. That wasn’t all: when the officials made him drop his trousers they found 10 cans taped to his legs, each containing an albino leopard gecko. As Norway bans the import of reptiles, including unendangered species like these, he has been fined 12,500 Norwegian crowns (£1,800).
Magpie mourning October 21, 2009 Dr Bekoff of the University of Colorado, an animal behaviour researcher, claims that magpies feel grief and even hold funeral-type gatherings for their dead and lay grass “wreaths” beside their bodies.
“One magpie approached the corpse, gently pecked at it, just as an elephant would nose the carcase of another elephant, and stepped back. Another magpie did the same thing. Next, one of the magpies flew off, brought back some grass and laid it by the corpse. Another magpie did the same. Then all four stood vigil for a few seconds and one by one flew off”.
It seems that similar behaviour has been observed among other magpies and crows.
More here
With a leg span of 12 cm and a body of 4 cm, the newly discovered Nephila komaci is the biggest orb spider in the world.It spins webs of up to 1 metre in diameter. The species has pronounced sexual size dimorphism, with particularly tiny males.Female spiders are thought to be larger in order to produce more young. The small size of the males might help them avoid being eaten by the females before mating. The Nephilia komaci is restricted to parts of Africa and Madagascar. BBC
Lions being killed for Chinese medicine October 20, 2009 As wild tiger populations fall, poachers are turning to lions to feed the insatiable Chinese appetite for ‘potions’ made from big cat bones. Most at risk is the Asiatic lion found today only in the Gir Forest of India. Africa Conservation
With breathtaking views of the Himalayas, you can soar alongside Egyptian Vultures and Black Kites who will approach to take food out of your hand. They are specially trained rescue birds who can't be returned to the wild. Among them is Kevin the young Egyptian Vulture, famous for his scrapes with Steppe Eagles. The ultimate aim of the venture is to draw attention to the serious decline of Asian vultures, being poisoned to extinction by vet-prescribed drug Diclofenac. Visit www.parahawking.com for more information, as well as www.himalayanraptorrescue.org
Voluntourism is still one of the major buzzwords when it comes to holidays, but according to Acacia Africa, a softer version where charitable pursuits are juxtaposed with adventure is winning out with today’s travellers. The tour operator’s new 9-day Cheetah & Kruger Combination Voluntour is the perfect example.
Heath Ashcroft, Marketing Director of Acacia Africa, comments: “A growing number of travellers are looking to give something back to the host country they are visiting, hence our decision to launch a dedicated voluntour section late last year. However, adventurers still want to experience the destination as a whole, whether that’s enjoying the traditional African safari, participating in village visits or travelling off the beaten track on a overland journey.”
A “hands on” experience, Acacia Africa’s new itinerary includes opportunities to be directly involved in the care and rehabilitation of animals at the “Race Against Extinction Project; volunteers working in close proximity with the brown hyena, suni antelope, wild dog, cheetah, and a wide variety of vulture species. Adventurers can also enjoy Big Five safaris in the Kruger National Park, two days of game viewing completing the tour.
An established venture, the project, which is set in the foothills of the beautiful Magaliesberg Mountains, is one of the oldest conservation volunteer schemes for the African cheetah and has been in operation for 37 years.
£1,085pp (based on two sharing) + local payment from £94pp. The price includes all tour highlights, transport, accommodation, park fees, sleeping mat, road tolls and taxes, meals as indicated, camping and cooking equipment and services of driver and tour leader. Excludes, visas, travel insurance, flights, departure taxes, airport transfers, tips, sleeping bag and items of a personal nature. Accommodation is based in single, twin, triple and quad rooms with shared bathroom facilities (5-nights), twin share rondavels at a private lodge (one-night) and pre-erected two person dome tents (two-nights).
Departures Monday, Wednesday & Saturday year round..
One of the best ways of experiencing the Finnish Arctic is by going what they call a husky safari. This holiday offers a stay 230kms north of the Arctic Circle, in a "wilderness" hotel combining Scandinavian style accommodation with a great range of activities designed to take you to the very heart of Lapland's winter wilderness.
Typical day
The huskies will pull your sled through the beautiful winter scenery close to the Pallas-Ounas National Park in Western Lapland. You will pass through forests, across hills and over frozen lakes and rivers covering up to 40km per day. Only the "swish" of the sled's runners breaking through the snow will disturb the perfect silence and you very quickly realise that you have well and truly left behind the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
These 7-11 trips around Alaska look extremely exciting. Watch as a 40-ton humpback whale launches itself out of the ocean in Frederick Sound; see brown bears fishing for salmon in a rushing river; float among icebergs as a part of a glacier tumbles into the sea. Read more here
This self-drive tour around Namibia is just the sort of thing I'd love to do. The tour takes you to Etosha and Damaraland, and allows you to meet Himba people and San Bushman living traditional lifestyles. You start at Okunjima – home to the AfriCat Foundation – where amongst others you will be able to track radio collared leopards and see the feeding of the resident cheetahs. In Damaraland you will be guided through the dry river beds to encounter the uniquely adapted desert elephants. Read lots more here
Sri Lanka is possibly the best place to see blue whales and sperm whales in the world (see here for a good trip report and related issues). Increased sightings of both blue whales and sperm whales off the southern coast of the island have now opened up a window of opportunity for whale watching tourism in the island's Deep South. More here
A high concentration of blue whales and sperm whales have been spotted in the seas off Dondra Head along the deep south coast of Sri Lanka, during the months of January to April. Some of the blue whales off Dondra Head could be resident whales while others could be migratory ones crossing over to the Arabian Sea from the Bay of Bengal.
Fancy following in the footsteps of Stephen Fry and visiting the places he went to in Last Chance to See? Balesworldwide.com has recently launched a series of tours which will take you to try and see the same endangered animals such as the ring-tailed lemur in Madagascar and a trip to Brazil to spot manatees.
Fascinating holiday in the Piatra Craiului Mountains of central Romania, one of the wildest corners of the Carpathian Mountains. The holiday is based around the ideas that for centuries the locals have existed in harmony with a rich variety of rare wildlife, including Europe's highest concentration of bears, wolves and lynx. You'll spend your time walking through spectacular canyons, virgin forests and Saxon villages. You'll stay in a guesthouse owned by a local family, providing a good standard of accommodation and delicious food. There is a visit to the Beaver Reintroduction Programme and the former research centre for the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project, which is home to two hand-raised wolves, Poiana and Crai. I see from the very positive comments of people who have done this, that bears are sometimes seen.
A new WWF report celebrates the recent discovery of 163 new species in 2008 in the Greater Mekong region of South-east Asia – including a bird-eating fanged frog, a leopard-patterned gecko (pictured above) and a bird that would rather walk than fly. But the report wans that many may soon face extinction because of climate change. WWF The discoveries include 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and one bird species in the region that spreads over Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and southern China.
With breathtaking views of the Himalayas, you can soar alongside Egyptian Vultures and Black Kites who will approach to take food out of your hand. They are specially trained rescue birds who can’t be returned to the wild. Among them is Kevin the young Egyptian Vulture, famous for his scrapes with Steppe Eagles. The ultimate aim of the venture is to draw attention to the serious decline of Asian vultures, being poisoned to extinction by vet-prescribed drug Diclofenac. Visit 
This year breeding conditions have been exceptionally good for budgerigars in Queensland, Australia. Heavy rain and river flooding revived the land, providing plenty of grass seeds for the birds to feast on. When all the available trees with the best nesting sites had been taken, budgerigars were laying their eggs on the ground. And now local people are marvelling at the unprecedented size of the flocks, turning the sky green. 
Customs officials first suspected the 22-year old Norwegian, who’d just stepped off a ferry from Denmark, when they spotted a tarantula scuttling inside his bag. They then noticed “his whole body was in constant motion”. The wriggling movement was due to the 14 baby royal pythons tucked away in socks strapped to the man’s torso. That wasn’t all: when the officials made him drop his trousers they found 10 cans taped to his legs, each containing an albino leopard gecko. As Norway bans the import of reptiles, including unendangered species like these, he has been fined 12,500 Norwegian crowns (£1,800). 
