Daily Quick Read - September 16, 2019

Trophy Hunting OK With Trump

The Trump boys love murdering wild animals, so it’s hardly a surprise that the Trump administration is willing to provide cover for other wildlife killers to bring their trophies home.  I wonder if Carl shot the lion from a hidden blind or waited until his helpers herded the poor animal into range of his rifle?  

The documents show that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a permit in May for hunter, Carl Atkinson, to bring home the lion trophy which was taken from a game preserve in July or August, according to Courthouse News. The hunter's attorney, John Jackson III, is a member of the Interior Department's own International Wildlife Conservation Council, which Ryan Zinke created as Secretary of the Interior to highlight the "economic benefits that result from US citizens traveling to foreign nations to engage in hunting," as CNN reported.

"This is tragic news for lion conservation, and it suggests that the Trump administration may soon open the floodgates to trophy imports from Tanzania," said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. "Tanzania is a lion stronghold, but it's been criticized by scientists for corruption and inadequate wildlife protections. Opening the U.S. market to these imports doesn't bode well for the lion kings of Tanzania."

Magpies Don’t Mess Around

For several weeks each year in eastern Australia, magpies ferociously defend their territory after their chicks fledge. They also seem to remember people and attack the same individuals year after year.  The annual magpie defense of their breeding territory was made more serious this year when a 76 year old man died of injuries sustained when he crashed his bicycle during a magpie attack.

…from September to November each year in eastern Australia it is magpie madness time and few people, even children, are safe. During nesting, you barely see the black-and-white flash as the magpie turns into a flying missile, swooping down on unsuspecting humans and delivering painful and often dangerous pecks.

A Brisbane newspaper once reported that at one school a fierce magpie had cut the faces of more than a hundred children. Throngs of screaming parents at the school gate were trying to get their terrified children to run quickly across the open spaces to the main building, where a doctor was waiting to provide first aid.

Nick Cilento is familiar with the Brisbane situation and has often been victimised by magpies himself. He decided to investigate their attacks for his honours thesis at Griffith University and spent six months before, during and after an entire magpie breeding season observing their attacks on other humans. He also assisted a team undertaking a survey about magpie attacks that involved 5,000 respondents – the results showed that 96% of men and 75% of women had been victims at some time in their lives.

SQUIRREL!!!!

Lacking internet access squirrels use the “public information” broadcast by other animals to determine if it’s time to find shelter or if it’s a good time to go searching for food.

Researchers have found that a squirrel becomes incredibly vigilant when it hears the shriek of a red-tailed hawk, but it will relax and resume its food-seeking behavior more quickly if the predator's call is immediately followed by the easygoing tweets of unconcerned birds.

The findings, described in the journal PLOS One, add to a growing body of research that animals take advantage of all available "public information" when trying to assess threats in their environment.

"Lots of animals listen in on the alarm calls of other species," says Keith Tarvin, a behavioral ecologist at Oberlin College in Ohio. "This has been found in a variety of squirrels — ground squirrels, tree squirrels. It's been found in monkeys. It's been found even in lizards."

Tipping Point?

Are we approaching the tipping point where public opinion and business engagement will drive meaningful government action to address the climate crisis?  There are glimmers of hope.

Patagonia, the ever-ethically-minded outdoor gear company, has just announced it will be closing its doors on Friday, September 20 to join in the youth climate strikes. CEO Rose Marcario minces no words in her explanation on LinkedIn:

"For decades, many corporations have single-mindedly pursued profits at the expense of everything else — employees, communities and the air, land and water we all share. Now we face a dangerously hot and fast-changing climate that is exacerbating natural disasters, causing food and water shortages, and speeding us toward the biggest economic catastrophe in history. The plain truth is that capitalism needs to evolve if humanity is going to survive."

She says it's a good sign that chief executives of many major corporations, including Amazon, General Motors, and JP Morgan Chase, have acknowledged the need for greater environmental accountability, but words mean little if not supported by actions. Marcario calls on other CEOs to practice what they preach by "making investments in renewable energy sources, protecting our lands and water, and transitioning to a regenerative, organic system of agriculture."

Maybe Not

This poll has some very good news regarding the public perception of the climate crisis.  There is broad public agreement that action is necessary and many people are making individual decisions to reduce their carbon footprint.  But, when it comes to financial sacrifice, the majority of Americans are more than willing to tax the rich and corporations, but unwilling to pay higher energy or gas taxes to fund the transition necessary to stop global warming.

Few U.S. adults are willing to make personal sacrifices in the form of higher gas or electricity taxes in order to address climate change. Fewer than four in ten adults (37%) think that reducing the negative effects of global warming and climate change will require major sacrifices from ordinary Americans, while a plurality (48%) think it will require minor sacrifices and 14% say it won’t require much sacrifice at all…

…But when it comes to taxes that are likely to hit consumers’ pocketbooks, support is much lower. About half (51%) oppose a $2 monthly tax on U.S. residential electric bills, and seven in ten (71%) are opposed to such a tax at the $10 a month level. Similarly, majorities oppose increasing the federal gasoline tax by 10 cents or 25 cents per gallon (64% and 74%, respectively). There are partisan divisions, but even majorities of Democrats oppose a $10 monthly electricity tax (60%) and a 25-cent per gallon gasoline tax (63%).