Let’s Steal Some Orcas, Dolphins and Penguins

Let’s Steal Some Orcas, Dolphins and Penguins

When the Blackfish yahoos did irreparable damage to Sea World, they did a victory lab or two.  Guess what?  The Chinese are stripping ocean wildlife wherever they can find it, whether they have to violate sovereign national waters or not.  Where’s the Blackfish posse now?

Update on possible captures of dolphins from Namibian waters - this is the ship that would be involved in holding the animals

Thank you to everyone who has so far supported our campaign to stop the capture of dolphins from Namibian waters for the Asia aquarium trade. This planned capture would not to be limited to dolphins but would also include African penguins and seals as well as whales migrating along the African coast. Dr Moses Maurihungirire, the ministry’s permanent secretary recently confirmed that his office has been inundated with emails and that Bernhard Esau , the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources will announce his final decision in two weeks upon his return.

There are concerns that even in the event that the ministry denies the application, the ship’s operators may still proceed and illegally capture animals. In view of these concerns the Ministry has instructed fisheries inspectors to monitor the vessel closely. Watching wildlife such as dolphins in their natural habitat attracts millions of visitors globally per year and we have urged Namibia to embrace and promote responsible wildlife watching rather than consider the capture of wild stocks from their coastal waters for export.

Small Victory - One Species at a Time

It’s a small victory and hardly assured, but the yellow-legged frog is making a comeback in Yosemite National Park.  Between human’s introduction of non-native predators and disease, this little frog was nearing extinction, now it has a chance.

A native California frog once on the brink of extinction is making an encouraging comeback in Yosemite National Park, raising hopes for amphibians like it worldwide that are dying off at an alarming rate, researchers said Monday.

Yosemite National Park called the rebound a rare success story in the world of endangered species, and one that made them hopeful the yellow-legged frog would eventually come off the endangered list.

“A lot of people think that species linger on this list in perpetuity and we very rarely see species coming off the list,” says Rob Grasso, the park’s aquatic ecologist.

So Proud of This Beauty I Destroyed

To say that trophy hunting is controversial is a big understatement.  It is often a last resort for conservancies that view it with disdain, but see the financial benefits as necessary to their work.  The two conservation views – complete ban or strictly controlled hunting – are at odds with a more painful third reality.  Nearly 12% of trophy animals exported across borders are from endangered species.  That is only the “trophies” for which a documented accounting has been compiled. 

Around 1.7m animal “trophies” have been exported across borders by hunters in the last decade, with at least 200,000 of them endangered species, according to a new report.

Don't they look lifelike?

 US hunters are by far the largest killers of trophy animals, including half of all the 11,000 lions shot in the last decade, the report found. The issue came to global attention in July 2015, after a US dentist paid more than $50,000 to kill a lion called Cecil, who was being tracked by conservation scientists.

The trophy-hunting industry is driven by demand and, sadly, demand for animal trophies is prevalent worldwide,” said Philip Mansbridge, director of Ifaw UK. “Even in the face of extinction, imperilled species are still being hunted every day in order to serve as the centrepiece of someone’s decor. It is unconscionable in this modern day where species are under so many threats to survive.”

We should be able to preserve wildlife without demanding blood sacrifices.