MetaFilter posts tagged with poaching

Subspecies Extinction Alert

Scientist — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:47:03 -0800

DNA analysis has confirmed the death, by poaching, of the last Javan rhino in Vietnam. This marks the official extinction of the Vietnamese subspecies of Javan rhinoceros. The entire species is now represented by just 35 individuals from the Indonesian subspecies, all of whom reside in Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia.

World Rhinoceros Day!

ChuraChura — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 09:16:03 -0800

"In March 2012, following the brutal attack of three rhinos by poachers seeking horn, Dr. William Fowlds, the wildlife veterinarian treating the rhinos, contacted WitmerLab for insight into the anatomical structure of the horn, skull, and nasal cavity of rhinos. The poachers had used machetes to hack off the horns, leaving deep wounds in the face and exposing the delicate mucous membranes of the paranasal air sinuses and nasal cavity." The result of this partnership was the Visible Interactive Rhino. For more rhinoceros anatomy, check out photos from a rhinoceros dissection from What's in John's Freezer? (previously). September 22 is World Rhino Day, a day devoted to rhinoceros conservation and ending poaching of rhinoceros for their horns, falsely believed to have medicinal value.

Tragedy at Epulu

MimeticHaHa — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:05:51 -0800

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a UN World Heritage Site, is home to approximately 5,000 of the estimated 30,000 okapi remaining in the wild. Last week, it was also home to a tragedy. The Refuge encompasses one-fifth of the Ituri Rainforest, a pristine, "Pleistocene" environment that, in addition to the eponymous okapi, "also provides refuge to the largest population of forest elephants still present in eastern DRC, estimated at 7,500 individuals, and it is important for the conservation of other forest species such as the bongo, the dwarf antelope, the water chevratain, the forest buffalo and the giant forest hog. It is also documented as one of the most important protected areas in Africa for the conservation of birds, with the presence of numerous emblematic species such as the Congo Peafowl, as well as numerous endemic species in eastern DRC." It may be difficult to reach, "but you can arrange to go hunting with the Mbuti pygmies through the ICCN, the Congolese wildlife authority, at the Okapi Reserve Capture and Breeding station. You can also arrange trips to walk through the rain forest with a guide and visit the Okapis at the station." Last Sunday, Mai Mai rebels -- previously blamed for attacks on aid convoys and gorilla hostage-taking -- made Epulu Station, headquarters of the Refuge and center of the community, their latest target. The Station was devastated.

"The sale of this next lot will be contingent on a satisfactory resolution of a court proceeding dealing with this matter."

brundlefly — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:15:53 -0800

On May 20th, the fossil remains of a Tarbosaurus (aka, Tyrannosaurus bataar) were sold for $1,052,500. The auction was carried out despite objections from the President of Mongolia and a court order. The problem? The remains may have been poached.

Agony and Ivory

homunculus — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 12:34:19 -0800

Agony and Ivory. "Highly emotional and completely guileless, elephants mourn their dead—and across Africa, they are grieving daily as demand from China’s 'suddenly wealthy' has driven the price of ivory to $700 a pound or more. With tens of thousands of elephants being slaughtered each year for their tusks, raising the specter of an 'extinction vortex,' Alex Shoumatoff travels from Kenya to Seattle to Guangzhou, China, to expose those who are guilty in the massacre—and recognize those who are determined to stop it."

The Elephant After Death

ChuraChura — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:18:57 -0800

Ever wondered what happens to an elephant's body after it dies in the wild? Now you know. The British TV station Channel Four teamed up with researchers in Tsavo National Park, Kenya to film exactly what happens to the 6 million calories contained in an elephant's body after it dies. The documentary is available online for the next 28 days, though not to users in the US (I'm not sure what countries it is available in - presumably around the UK). The male elephant used in the project was injured by poachers and euthanized by veterinarians. The Kenya Wildlife Services report an increase in the elephant population in several national parks, though there have been recent increases in poaching and a rising demand for ivory. CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, maintains several special programs to monitor elephants and the ivory trade across African range states.

Did American conservationists in Africa go too far?

jckll — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:36:33 -0800

A fascinating piece by Jeffrey Goldberg in the New Yorker investigates the anti-poaching activities of Mark and Delia Owens in Zambia's North Luangwa National Park. Goldberg's essay focuses on the uncertain circumstances surrounding the killing of an alleged poacher by an unidentified member of Mark Owens' team of park scouts that was broadcast on national television in 1996. In the broadcast, Owens tells [Meredith] Vieira, “I love life in general so much that to be brought to the point of having to extinguish human life to protect wildlife is a tremendous conflict and contradiction. But give me another solution. It’s why we still have elephants here.” [Owens] later wrote, “I was not speaking of Zambia in particular, but of Africa in general. . . . I merely stated that I regretted that humans were sometimes killed in defense of wildlife; not to imply that I was doing it, or Zambia’s game scouts were doing it.” But in another exchange Vieira asks him specifically about his work with the scouts of North Luangwa, who Owens says would not tell him if they had killed poachers. “You’re the one who’s helped the scouts reach the point where they’re capable to go in there,” she says. Owens replies, “Well, that’s true, but I’ve laid that question to rest for myself. I say, I’m not the one pulling the trigger.”

Where the wild things are/are not.

mightshould — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:03:39 -0800

Poaching – not pears, not birds, but plants. In the feed-me-Seymour vein of green and growing things, these are the plants that eat things – too bad they aren’t able to defend themselves from people and habitat loss. But wait! There’s help on the way. A notice calling for people to volunteer to replant poached Venus Fly Traps grabs your attention. Seems there are folks who are in charge of looking after the little creatures and their habitat: “Plants are a challenge because they don’t have big brown eyes and fur,” said Tom Chisdock, when discussing public perception of the plant’s protected status. When a species is being threatened not only because of habitat loss but also because it’s easy pickings, and when the fine is $35 per event (not per plant) it’s pretty hard to deter the poachers. For legitimate resale, the plants are cultivated in greenhouses; however they aren’t fond of captivity and are difficult for the home grower to keep alive. And, what if the folks collecting the plants are semi-official? Alert advocates help. A conversation on a carnivorous plant message board went all out in identifying a situation where an aquarium was collect/poach/harvesting the plants. A discussion ensued and the response was an open letter reply by the director of Husbandry: “When we have ventured into the field, our practices have been consistent with ICPS policy regarding collection.” Yeah, they do it, but it’s OK because they are doing it within guidelines.

Bloody Diamonds

Araucaria — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:50:47 -0800

The Hope Diamond glows red when exposed to ultraviolet light. In itself, this is an interesting way to determine the provenance of a particular gem. But when the same story is reported by the Associated Press, it acquires an interesting subtext: natural diamonds are "real", while man-made diamonds are "artificial". The AP reporter has absorbed a half-century of diamond cartel marketing campaigns. What makes a laboratory-produced gem less valuable than a natural gem? Artificial rubies, emeralds and sapphires have been around for years, and Moissanite (gem-quality silicon carbide) has many of the same desirable qualities as diamonds — with even higher refraction. Large high-quality artificial yellow diamonds have been available at relatively low cost for half a decade. So why does the popular image of a diamond persist as sentimental, desirable and valuable? How do the undesirable side-effects of the diamond trade differ from the undesirable side-effects of the demand for elephant ivory? Discuss.

Four endangered gorillas found shot dead

james_cpi — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:21:22 -0800

Four endangered gorillas were found shot dead in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a conservation group announced today. For all the evil bastards that do this, there are many, many more good people fighting the good fight to help keep gorillas healthy. One, even has a blog.

MS Steals GamerDad's name, popping children's balloons next on To Do list

dejah420 — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 22:41:37 -0800

GamerDad, a site which has been around since 2003 (and is a registered trademark), has been a source of amusement and reviews for parents who play games, and parents who want to know what their kids are playing. Microsoft decided that they liked the name so much, they would steal it. But at least they had the courtesy to admit they knew about GamerDad before they stole the name.

Follow the Rhinos

oissubke — Thu, 19 Aug 2004 20:07:06 -0800

Follow the Rhinos Weblog tracking two white Rhinos as they travel next month to the Phoenix Zoo. Nice looking site (via CSS Vault). In related news, poachers have killed about half of the world's population of wild white rhinos in the last year (more here).