Mammals in the News
Some interesting articles about conservation this week, starting with Tom Friedman’s report on the IUCN’s Decennial “World Parks Congress”. “In too many places we have the vampires in charge of the bloodbanks”….
Hunting has also been in the headlines with work looking at some of its negative effects,
‘Guns kill trees too’: – A new paper confirms what ecologists have long feared: hunting birds and mammals drastically raises the risk of extinction for tropical trees, while Hunting Has Changed Wolves’ Mating Habits, Body Chemistry. And a new Environmental Investigation Agency report on the Ivory trade in Tanzania and the involvement of government officials was a depressing read,
Better news for some mammals include a rediscovery of Spectacled Hare Wallabies near Broome, Western Australia,
while Wolves have returned to Arizona where a Gray wolf traveled 450 miles to Grand Canyon.And also to Denmark after a 200 year absence, though so far its just male wolves.
And heading north from Denmark, a couple of Norwegians had an exciting encounter with Humpback Whales.
And finally a Pygmy Sperm Whale stranded in North Wales, close to where I grew up, while bats in Panama appreciate much the same music that I did while living in North Wales!
cheers
Jon
3 Comments
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Ry
Hi Jon,
I will have to keep informing you of what I see as I see you have added about the hare wallaby in Broome.
This is a nice story. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/population-of-worlds-rarest-marsupial-more-than-triples-in-wa-20141202-11ya52.html
And one thats not so great but some interesting science. I went to a really interesting talk (Adrian Wayne from Parks & Wildlife) on the current poor status of the Woylie – it was the poster child of the conservation movement in 2000 with 100,000 odd but numbers have crashed approx 90%. They have been doing really interesting research – thoughts are the populations grew while they were controlling foxes, then cats got a clawhold with all the extra food around and that has really impacted the population when they got going. http://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/about-us/science-and-research/animal-conservation-research/262-woylie-conservation-and-research
http://www.nrm.wa.gov.au/media/41472/sdis007a_1_.pdf
cheers Ry
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Jon Hall
Thanks Ry – that is great new about the Gilbert’s Potoroos. Its a special mammal for me – I was on my way to check the trap for that species with Tony Friend at 2People’s Bay when I found out my mum had died. And yes we caught one (or more). But sorry to hear about Woylies… they were everywhere when I first went to Perup and Dryandra in 2000. These trophic feral cascades highlight how complicated fauna conservation is in Australia… fewer dingos helps foxes, fewer foxes helps cats …. makes me despair for Australian mammals! Very interesting. Thanks
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Mike Richardson
Unfortunately it wasn’t a happy ending for the Pygmy Sperm Whale as it was later found dead.