42.

Canadian Government sets hunt quota of 400,000 seals

Wildlife Extra News March 24, 2012 The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) says that by setting a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 400,000 harp seals for the 2012 seal hunt, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) not only ignores the lack of market for seal products, but demonstrates a continued unwillingness to protect marine resources and live up to Canada's international obligations for fisheries management. "By setting the TAC at 400,000 harp seals, Canada's Fisheries Minister is rejecting his own department's scientific advice and throwing any pretence of a management plan out the window," said Sheryl Fink, Director of IFAW's Seal Program. "Sealers know that there is no market demand for this many dead seals. Setting such a high quota is a slap in the face to Canadian government scientists and an insult to sealers." According to the DFO Management Plan seal TACs are supposed to account for new information on the status of the population, changing environmental conditions, and changes in kill levels in the Arctic, Canada and Greenland. Harp population decreasing - Threatened by poor ice conditions Departmental scientists recently warned that the harp seal population is decreasing, the productivity of the herd is in sharp decline, poor ice conditions are increasing in frequency, and that the unregulated Greenland hunt will have a major impact on this population in the future. A recent harp seal status report authored by DFO scientists notes that "the maximum harvest that would respect the management plan is 300,000 animals". "In light of the conservation concerns expressed by scientists, and given the current market realities, it is difficult to comprehend how the Minister can legitimately justify setting such a high catch limit," continued Fink. "Canada is being heavily criticized for failing its international responsibilities when it comes to fisheries management. Well, now the world can see that even where management plans are in place, they are simply ignored," said Fink. Markets for seal products are disappearingThe major markets for seal products are closed and IFAW believes it is only a matter of time before the commercial seal hunt ends. The economic value of the Atlantic seal hunt has dropped dramatically in the last five years, with only 225 sealers taking part in the 2011hunt, which had a landed value of little more than 636,000. Most recently, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan joined the European Union, the United States and Mexico in implementing restrictions on seal products. "The commercial seal hunt is dying. The question now is whether the Government of Canada will do the right thing by helping sealers out of the industry, or will they continue to raise false hopes by setting high quotas and pretending that this industry has a future when it clearly it does not," said Fink. IFAW is calling on the federal government to end the commercial seal hunt and to invest in alternatives for sealers and their communities, rather than continuing to waste taxpayer dollars to prop up a dying and economically unviable industry.

Comment: The DFO and government of Canada really need to pull up their pants and start meeting international responsibilities when it comes to the environment and fisheries. The DFO have driven Salmon, Cod, and many other precious marine resources to near demise. When will they learn? This shows that the government has no will to listen to scientists, nor do they likely care. Money, money, money

43. Wildlife survey aims to debunk some modern urban myths Wildlife Extra News March 25, 2012
Are we a nation of animal lovers or do we live in fear of the wildlife on our city streets? City dwellers might consider that the proper place for wildlife is in the countryside, yet the boundaries between town and country are blurred - and in fact our city spaces provide an increasingly important haven for wildlife species, according to nearly a decade of detailed fieldwork and analysis by wildlife charity People's Trist for Endangered Species and its army of volunteers. Yet despite this body of evidence, recent media coverage paints a misleading picture of human-animal conflict and the evils' of certain urban visitors, leading us to believe that we face a growing threat from wildlife invading our city streets. M Most dangerous animals in the UK? - Dogs & cats As the CEO of PTES Jill Nelson expands:" Giant foxes are apparently mugging' people of their groceries in dark alleyways. Grey squirrels are eating all the birds' eggs and rats are apparently jumping at our throats. Foxes will take food where they can scavenge, it's true, but are easily shooed away and there's no scientific evidence they are getting bigger. Squirrels (grey and red) do occasionally eat eggs and fledglings, but not that many. And rats jump to escape not to attack. Contrast this with over 5,000 annual hospital admissions resulting from people being attacked by dogs. Or the annual toll of about 50 million birds killed by domestic cats". L Living with mammals survey So as it launches its 10th annual: Living with Mammals survey, the charity wants to set the record straight about some common misconceptions about mammals in the urban environment. So why not test your knowledge of the true facts behind some common urban mammal myths? So why not take part in the PTES Living with Mammals survey this year and record your observations of mammals and their tell-tale signs in urban areas. Taking place through April, May and June each year, volunteers are required to spend some time observing a chosen site each week, for eight or more weeks throughout the survey period. This year the survey period runs from 28 March to 26 June 2012.

U Urban biodiversity In calling for volunteers to get involved, PTES Surveys Officer David Wembridge explains: "The data from Living with Mammals continues to demonstrate that urban sites provide important habitats for encouraging greater biodiversity. Considering gardens make up between a third and a half of the green space in urban areas, their significance for wildlife and biodiversity is clear. People with access to gardens can take simple steps to help support urban mammals, as well as birds and insects, by providing a range of easy, low maintenance microhabitats such as compost heaps, log piles and ponds which will support invertebrates, and offer nesting and hibernation sites."

Comment: Follow the link below for some cool myths debunked. I think this is great, and gives the public a positive outlook on having animals join is in the urban environment. At the same time, I hope people make urban environments more accommodating. Its great to have wildlife around, but not when they get knocked out like bowling pins on residential roads. http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/urban-wildlife-2012.html#cr

44. Wolves diet study reveals farmers can sleep easy

Wildlife Extra News March 19, 2012 Original Journal Article Wagner C et al. 2012. Wolf (Canis lupus) feeding habits during the first eight years of its occurrence in Germany. Mammalian Biology. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2011.12.004 Study of feeding habits of German wolves reveals they eat wilds animals - Not livestock Scientists at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Grlitz, Germany, have been investigating the feeding habits of wolves in the last eight years since their reappearance in Germany. The results are reassuring: The proportion of livestock on the menu lies at less than one per cent. Wolves had been extinct in Germany for a long time, but now they are slowly returning to some of their former range. However not everyone is happy at the return of this wild animal. The feeding habits of Canis lupus are the subject of many legends and fables: Wolves that tear sheep apart, eat household pets and even attack people - the return of the predators to Germany has sparked conflict amongst its inhabitants, conservationists, hunters and farmers. Detailed sudy of wolf scat "The dietary habits of wolves has been the greatest point of contention with their return to Germany and it induced us to examine in closer detail the feeding habits of the wolves that migrated to Lusatia over ten years ago", explains Hermann Ansorge, head of the Zoology Department at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in

Grlitz. "We took a look at what was on the menu for the wolves and how this has changed since the appearance of wolves in East Germany."For this purpose the scientists collected over 3000 samples of wolf scat and tested them for undigested evidence of the animals' prey, such as hair, bones, hooves or teeth. Less than 1% of prey is livestock Using this information, supplemented by the findings of the remains of prey, it was possible for the Grlitz zoologists to determine the nutritional intake of the carnivores in detail. Wild ungulates accounted for over 96% of the wolves' prey, according to the investigation. The majority of these were roe deer (55.3%), followed by red deer (20.8%) and wild boar (17.7%). A small proportion of the prey was accounted for by the hare, at almost 3 percent. Ansorge said "Less than one percent of the prey analysed was of livestock origins. As long as sheep and other livestock are well protected and there is a sufficient supply of wild animals, the wolves will not risk confrontation with electric fences and guardian dogs." The Grlitz zoologists investigated not only what the wolves are eating nowadays, but also how their feeding habits have changed over the years. Highly adaptable - Canadian wolves like SalmonWolves are highly adaptable in terms of their dietary intake. For example, it is known from Canada that the wolf packs there feast on salmon in the autumn time. Polish wolves prefer Red deer "We were interested to find out how, why and how quickly the dietary composition of the wolf has changed in Saxony" explains Ansorge. The wolves in the German region of Lusatia came to Germany from Poland. In Poland, the wolf packs lived primarily on red deer, in contrast to the German wolves. During the early years of the study, the proportion of red deer eaten was considerably higher, whilst the ratio of roe deer was accordingly lower than in the subsequent five years. "We asked ourselves why the wolves changed their behaviour or whether the initial conditions had changed", the Grlitz zoologist continues. In comparison to the Polish forests, those in the German region of Lusatia tend to be smaller and crossed by paths and fields. They offer the perfect expansive living space for roe deer and wild boar, whilst red deer tend to retreat to the more spacious wooded areas. Roe deer are therefore a simple and frequent prey from the wolves' perspective. The shift in eating patterns therefore resulted from the change in the environmental conditions. The wolves quickly adapted - they required less than two generations to become used to the new conditions of the landscape in East Germany. Legal protection for wolves in 1990 Since the legal protection of wolves was introduced in 1990, it has taken more than ten years for the wolves in Germany to make themselves at home and bear pups on the Muskau Heath (a military training area). At the present time, nine wolf packs live in Lusatia with around 34 young."The potential for conflict between man and wolf is very low" Ansorge sums up the results of the study. "There really is nothing standing in the way of the wolf returning."

Comment: Im glad theyve done quantitative analysis to debunk the

myth. Its worth repeating in other localities to calm citizens down.

45. Elephant population halved in Cameroon killing spree

International Fund for Animal Welfare March 23, 2012 At least 50 per cent of the elephant population of Cameroons Bouba Ndjida National Park is dead. They have been killed in a bloody poaching spree by horseback bandits whose deadly mission has continued virtually unhindered for eight weeks thanks to the tardy response of government and wildlife authorities. Alarm bells rang in early January warning of the presence of the poachers, and were simply ignored. Only international pressure and damning criticism of the lack of action by Cameroon authorities finally forced a response and it came too late, says Cline Sissler Bienvenu, Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare in France (IFAW www.ifaw.org) and in charge of projects in Francophone Africa. To date more than 300 elephant carcasses have been found and poachers have claimed a tally of 650 elephants a plausible figure given that large areas of Bouba Ndjida in the north of Cameroon, remain unexplored. Population estimates for the park give the elephant population 1,000 individuals, meaning a total death toll of 50 per cent is likely. Poachers have been indiscriminate in targeting elephants of all ages and sexes and the resulting impact on the long term viability of the remaining elephants is likely to be dramatic it could take dozens of years for herds to recover, if at all, says Sissler-Bienvenu. Earlier this month a visit by IFAW and international media prompted a worldwide outcry shaming the Government of Cameroon into action. Around 600 soldiers, helicopters and surveillance planes have since been sent into action to try and halt the elephant slaughter. The elephant slaughter is the work of poachers from Sudan and Chad who, riding on horseback and with camels to carry their booty, have taken advantage of the dry season to launch their killing spree. Heavily armed with military issue automatic and semi-automatic weapons, the poachers have been working in groups of about 50, are well co-ordinated and familiar with the terrain of Bouba Ndjida. They have told local villagers of their plans to collect as much ivory as they can until the end of March. Sissler-Bienvenu said the response by the Cameroon government had come too late to slow or stop the poachers activities. Having completed their business in Bouba Ndjida some poachers have been seen heading to the North, raising fears of incursions into Waza National park and Benoue National Park, a UNESCO designated bio-sphere reserve, she said. In response to the crisis, Bouba Ndjidas park warden, the regional representative of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, and the Governor of the Northern Province have

been fired and replaced. Earlier this week a ministerial meeting was called to review the tragedy and held rethink anti-poaching efforts in Cameroon. The European Union has also called on authorities in Cameroon, Chad, and the CAR to take emergency measures to protect elephants. During their meeting with Cameroonian authorities in Yaound in early March, the IFAW team and authorities identified several ways that IFAW could help improve the operational capability of rangers deployed in Cameroons protected areas and particularly within Bouba Ndjida National Park. As a result of the memorandum of understanding signed between IFAW and the Chadian authorities to support antipoaching efforts in Sena Oura National Park, a park that borders Bouba Ndjida and could have been used as the poachers rear base, the number of eco-guards needs to be increased and anti-poaching training must be conducted jointly on both sides of the border. The Cameroonian authorities follow-up on IFAWs proposals and on those of local stakeholders will reveal the extent of their determination to shut down poaching networks that are undermining the countrys national security, said Sissler-Bienvenu

Comment: 50% of elephants killed by bandits on horses with guns? This sounds too ridiculous to be true. Cant believe authorities let it go on for this long. This just sets an example to other poachers that the authorities dont care, and encourages more of this brutality. The whole ecosystem is screwed up now because of their negligence.