Ripple effect

Hello world,
In 200, Miss Waldrin's Colobus monkey went extinct. Scientists fear that the death of this species is the start of a mass primate die out in Africa. The problem is that many of these monkey species live on not-well protected reservations. The rangers are not trained enough, and are not equipped to deal with armed poachers. Some of them may even be bribed. This particular species could have been saved but no one paid it any attention. We need to look at the animal world mor than ever, there are too many species at stake.
Here's the link;
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001107065908.htm

Poisoned Eagles

Hello world,
It's 1998, and a graduate student has just solved the problem of what could be killing off the eagles near Duncan, British Colombia. DDT was of course the first on the culprit list, but blood tests soon ruled that out. The problem was, most of the chicks were dying off, especially in the area around the Crofton pulp and paper mill. This has been known to happen when dioxins, a biproduct of the papermaking process, get into the water. The reason that eagles were dying in such great numbers around the Crofton plant was unknown until Chris Gill studied the local eagles extensively. He realized that what was happening was that the dioxins were getting concentrated in a local bay. The Crofton factory has agreed to drop their dioxin pollution, and we can only hope that it's enought to save the eagles. These animals have had a particularly hard time of it, and it would be very embarrasing for us to let them go extinct.
Here's the link;
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/06/980608053821.htm

Ladybugs to the Rescue!

Hello world,
The Galapagos, as everyone knows, has lots of biodiversity. But because of the invasic species brought by tourism, this precious diversity has been in decline. One of the invasive species is the cottony cushion scale, which draws sap out of plants. In 2009 Mark Hoddle and his colleagues released the natural enemy of the scale onto the Galapogos, the ladybug. They went back recently to see the results. Nearly 99 percent of the invasive bug species has been eliminated from the island. There was the concern that the ladybugs would eat some of the endangered bugs of the islands, but this does not seem to be the case. I think this is a good thing, but warrants a closer look. Ladybugs could eat some of the local species into extinction.
Here's the link;
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100422164635.htm
Bye!

Not boiling over?

Hello world,
Not suprisingly, caribou numbers are suffering because of global warming. What is suprising is that the reason they're dying isn't the heat itself. It's its effect on the weather. Caribou migrate for food, and global warming is making their grass grow too early. This means that all the prime food is gone before the calves can eat it. Also, the rain is drowning the lichens that the reindeer rely on in winter. This is awful, and something needs to be done about it soon. The local people rely on the animals for food, so our want to save them isn't just a want, it's a need.Every one has seen the disaster flick where global warming causes a freak thunderstorm and kills everyone. Between this article and the thunderstorm outside, I feel like building a boat in my basement.
Here's the link;
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611111008.htm

Clone the Sheep!

Hello world,
A sheep has been cloned! Back in 2001, a cloned sheep by the name of Dolly was cloned. It was a member of the European mouflon species that live on Sardinia, Corsica and Cyprus. The sheep's DNA came from the body of an ewe that was found dead at a wildlife rescue centre in Sardinia. Dolly is the first successfully cloned member of her species, let alone endangered ones. Several other attempts have been made, but they have all ended in failure. This experiment points to the possibility of being able to reinstitute a species if they're completely wiped out, if the DNA is collected in time. This sounds like a good plan to me, but it should be a last resort. Hopefully, we'll be able to keep some species from completely dieing out this way.
Here's the link;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1573309.stm

Drain the Lake!

Hello World,
In 2009, a project done by WWF was started to decrease the water level in Thorthormi glacial lake. The volume of water has increased over the past several years, due to global warming. It's increased so much, that the local towns and ecosystem were in danger of being flooded. This would ruin the economy of Bhutan, not to mention kill off tons of the snow leapords that live there. A team went up the mountain to the lake and rerouted some of the drainage canals. At first, they could only release one meter's worth of water because of the weather, but they plan to get rid of 5 more by 2012. Anything to save the snow leapords.
Here's the link;
http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2009/WWFPresitem14549.html
Bye!

Lion Murder!

Hello world,
Several lions in southern Kenya have died recently, supposedly poisoned by a pesticide called Furudan. The locals are getting more and more frustrated with the large predators as the recent drought wears on. The lions are eating the livestock, and this infuriates the farmers. The poisoning occured at the Olgulului Group ranch, which runs a compensation program for the locals. The pesticide used, Furudan, is not sold anymore in Kenya, but dealers have profitted off it anyway. Many conservationists are pressing for it to be banned, but the government maintains that it can control the spread of the deadly purple capsules. I think this is awful, and between the drought and the death of many cattle, a riot could ensue. Tensions are certainly high enough.
Here's the link;
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100412-lions-poisoned-furadan-kenya/

Dolphin Baby boom

Hello world,
The number of dolphins around the Misissippi Sound have increased in the past few years. Lance Miller of the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research attributes this to Hurricane Katrina. He believes that the decrease in fishing boats led to a spike in the food source and allowed more calves to be born than usually. Also, boat traffic kills lots of dolphins every year, so that also helps there be lots of calving mothers. Unfortunately since lots of calves died in the Hurricane, this maybe just a small spike to make up for lost time. Either way, it's nice to see the dolphin population on the rise.
Here's the link;
http://news.discovery.com/animals/dolphin-births-hurricane-katrina.html

Disease in New York

Hello world,
Bushmeat is a regular problem in New York, but recently, an uptick in simian foamy virus has indicated an increase in bushmeat smuggling. It comes from chimpanzees, great apes, and bats. Supposedly, their meat is a delicacy. It's also a comfort food for immigrants and their families. Officals are worried that the smuggling spike will cause an AIDs style epidemic, even though flovirus and flavivirus have not been found. I think that to eat this stuff is stupid, considering the health risks and the fact that it's illegal. I hope it doesn't turn into a epidemic.
Here's the link;
http://news.discovery.com/animals/bushmeat-diseases-entering-new-york.html

FERRETS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

Hello world,
Crisis has struck the Canary Islands. The ferrets are used by the locals to hunt rabbits. Some have escaped and are running amok on the island. The worry is that they will kill off some of the native species. The laurel pigeon and the Eurasian woodcock are in particular danger, since they breed on the ground. The lizard Gallotia galloti palmae is also in trouble. The Enviromental Ministry of the Island Council of La Palma has recommended that all ferrets be used with a muzzle and that the public be warned about the dangers of these mustelids. This is yet another sad case of an invasive species running amok. The officals should get the information out about these animals. If nothing is done, the islands will be completely overrun.
Here's the link;
http://news.discovery.com/animals/wild-ferrets-are-spreading-on-island.html
Bye!

Time to upgrade the barometer

Hello world,
Several leaders in conservation have called for an increase in knowledge about the natural world. They advocate for more species to be researched for the Red list, to make it a true barometer of life. The writers believe that the number of species out there exceeds our knowledge by as much as 8 million. Right now, they wish to expand the list to about 160,000 species, which would cost about 60 million dollars. Unfortunately, the process would take about 20 years. I think this is too little, too slow. Humans need to act fast if we want to save the world. Biodiversity is something we simply cannot live without.
Here's the link;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8609020.stm
There you go.

Lizards. BIG lizards.

Hello world,
A new species of moniter lizard has been found in the Philipines. It's been named the Sierra Madre Forest Lizard, and has been decided to be a keystone species. They, much like bees, spread the seeds of trees by eating their fruit. The discoverers do not think it is venomous, since it is vegetarian (except for the occasional snail). Not many people have known about this lizard until now, except for the local tribes. These people use the lizards as their main source of protein. Hopefully its not under the threat of extinction. I wonder why they haven't been discovered till now.
Here's the link;
http://news.discovery.com/animals/giant-monitor-lizard.html

Swifts are not so swift to update nesting

Hello world,
In the UK, 80% of Swift nests are found in homes from before 1920's. A lot of homes are being remodeled, and consequently, their homes are disappearing. Many surveys are being held to figure out exactly where their nests are. People in Britain are being taught how to make replacement nests as the old ones are destroyed. Hopefully, the people of england will be able to hear the call of the swift for many years to come. I think it is sad that these old houses are being remodeled, and that one of the few things stopping the renovators are bird nest instead of the owners.
Here's the link;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8569267.stm

Fin soup will become hard to find

Hello world,
Hammerhead sharks are often hunted for their fins, for shark fin soup. They are being over hunted, and will die out if action is not taken soon. Matt Rand is trying to prevent this. His organization, the Global Shark Conservation Pew Enviromentalist Group is trying to get them listed at CITIES. The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species has saved other animals from extinction and will hopefully do the same by outlawing the trade of shark fins. They will have a hard time doing so, for sharkfin soup is popular, and no one likes sharks. I hope that the CITIES attendees can get over the shark prejudice and save these animals.
Here's the link;
http://news.discovery.com/videos/animals-can-cites-save-hammerhead-sharks.html

NOOO! Not the tigers!

Hello world,
China, as we know, has problems controlling the illegal tiger part trade. I would suspect that the zoo in Harbin, China has been dealing in these, considering how many of these big cats were found dead. Apparently, they died of malnutrition and illness. The employees say that the reason that they starved was (at least partially) the zoo had to, for a short while, feed them chicken. They say that they changed the diet back, but then why did nearly 40 big cats die? The zoo says the animals were put on cheaper diets since they get no money from the government, which explains why the cats were buried in a big pit as opposed to being incinerated. I think China needs to shape up. These were endangered animals, and this was neglect. I hope PETA just murders them in the media.
Here's the link;
http://news.discovery.com/animals/mass-grave-zoo.html
Bye!