Sandhill cranes, beautiful birds that mate for life, return to Wisconsin this month after wintering in Florida. Their summer home might not be safe for much longer.
Hunters want state lawmakers to add sandhill cranes to Wisconsin’s list of game animals. The last time it was open season on sandhill cranes a century ago, humans drove the birds nearly to extinction in the eastern half of the United States. Let’s not make the same mistake again.
Too much hunting and destruction of habitat in the 18th and 19th centuries almost wiped out sandhill cranes. By 1936, only about a dozen breeding pairs were left in Wisconsin. The bird had died off in Iowa, Indiana, Ohio and some other states.
Decades of conservation work followed, and sandhill cranes rebounded. Today, more than 90,000 live east…
Cage-free chickens walk in a fenced pasture at an organic farm near Waukon, Iowa, on Oct. 21, 2015. A lethal type of bird flu has bombarded poultry farms across the country recently, but there doesn’t appear to be any major risk for humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Why it matters:Thebird fluis a major virus that’s running through the bird population in the U.S. Any indication of bird-to-human transmission could lead to sickness and death.
Circulation of the global ocean. Credit: NASA via Wikimedia Commons
University of Sydney scientists have used the geological record of the deep sea to discover that past global warming has sped up deep ocean circulation. This is one of the missing links for predicting how future climate change may affect heat and carbon capture by the oceans.
University of Sydney scientists have used the geological record of the deep sea to discover that past global warming has sped up deepoceancirculation.
This is one of the missing links for predicting how future climate change may affect heat andcarbon captureby the oceans: more vigorous ocean currents make it easier for carbon and heat to be “mixed in.”
“So far, the ocean has absorbed a quarter of anthropogenic CO2and over 90 percent of the associated excess heat,” said the study’s lead…
A Humane WorldKitty Block’s Blog By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson March 24, 2022Our undercover investigation revealed a thriving market of hippo parts and products available in stores throughout the United States and on websites, including carved tusks; ivory-handled knives; purses, belts and boots made of hippo skin. Here, a hippo skull is auctioned off. The HSUSWith their barrel shape, huge teeth and jaws that can open to almost 180 degrees, hippos are characteristically unique and one of the world’s most recognizable animals. Hippos are also a keystone species:As “ecosystem engineers,” their behavior helps shape and maintain landscapes and habitats and promote biodiversity. Their presence is indispensable to the African lake and river areas they inhabit.Yet these magnificent animals face a high risk of extinction and are disappearing from the wild. Habitat loss due to human activity, climate change and drought threaten hippos’ survival, and these threats are further exacerbated by poaching and the ivory trade. Our recent undercover investigation reveals the current—and growing—interest in hippos and their parts from both traders and trophy hunters.During the past decade, collectors in 60 countries imported over 75,000 hippo parts and products (equivalent to nearly 13,500 individual animals). Collectors in the United States were responsible for bringing in more hippo parts and products—including thousands of teeth, trophies, skins and more—than their counterparts in any other country.The U.S. also has the unfortunate distinction of harboring the most trophy hunters. They travel thousands of miles overseas and pay thousands of dollars to shoot and kill hippos in the water, likely while the animals are resting. Many hunters leave the hippos’ corpses behind and return home with just 12 teeth as their “trophies.” (The teeth often end up mounted and displayed, either on a wooden plaque or in a replica hippo shoulder mount.)This selfish slaughter must stop. That’s why we’re calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list hippos under the Endangered Species Act and help protect them from this cruel and ecologically reckless trade. Doing so would significantly restrict the U.S. import and sales of hippo items—a vital, urgent step toward enhanced protection of hippos in the wild.One item for sale at the Safari Club International convention in 2019 included a table made with a hippo skull intended to serve as “home décor.”Our undercover investigation revealed a thriving market of hippo parts and products available in stores throughout the United States and on websites, including carved tusks; ivory-handled knives; purses, belts and boots made of hippo skin; and a table made with a hippo skull intended to serve as “home décor.”Some of the items we found in the United States may have been illegally acquired or traded due to the lack of effective law enforcement. Our comprehensive analysis revealed that a very large and biologically significant amount of hippo poaching, trafficking and illegal trade continues today. We estimate that in just four short years (2016 to 2020), over 6,750 hippos were illegally killed, but this number is likely a fraction of the true total—given the very nature of the trade, we can’t know for sure.In our undercover investigation, sellers were vague and unclear about how their products were obtained. Some of the items were offered for sale at Safari Club International’s conventions in Nevada, a state that generally prohibits selling or purchasing products made from hippos. Our investigation revealed sellers suggesting that buyers skirt Nevada state law by ordering online and having items shipped to their homes.As the largest consumer market for hippo parts and products, the United States must act swiftly to save these iconic mammals. No current U.S. or international law adequately protects hippos from these threats to their survival, but together, we can end our nation’s role in exacerbating the dangers this vulnerable species already faces—all while bringing awareness to one of the most well-recognized and celebrated icons of African biodiversity.Please join us in urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect hippos by listing them under the Endangered Species Act.Sara Amundson is president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund.The post Our undercover investigation reveals why hippos desperately need federal protections under the Endangered Species Act appeared first on A Humane World.Related StoriesOur undercover investigation reveals why hippos desperately need federal protections under the Endangered Species ActOur undercover investigation reveals why hippos desperately need federal protections under the Endangered Species Act – EnclosureBlack bears get a spring reprieve in some states
“We would like to remind you that eagles are commonly feeding alongside the highways this time of year,” the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office stated Friday via social media. “We ask that you please use caution and remember that eagles need extra time and space to gain flight.”
The adult bald eagle carcass was discovered next to a highway in St. Germain and turned over to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. (Image posted below.)
The Vilas County Sheriff’s Office noted that the American bald eagle – the country’s national bird since 1872 – “represents freedom in our nation and is highly revered and considered sacred within the Native American culture.”
The agency added: “Our intention of posting this picture is not to disrespect what the bald eagle represents or means to anyone, rather bring attention to this very important issue in the Northwoods.”
Bald eagles are found throughout the U.S., mostly near waterways and coasts. They’re known for their regal appearance and colossal size, with wingspans measuring nearly seven feet.
The raptors prey mostly on fish, but are opportunistic and also prey on mammals and will eat carrion from roads.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the oldest recorded bald eagle in the wild “was at least 38 years old when it was hit and killed by a car in New York in 2015.”
Amonth has passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. More than 3.6 million people have fled the country and nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed,according to the United Nations, as intense fighting continues to shred city landscapes and casualties on both sides mount.
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What are Russians being told about the war?
The United States and its European allies have responded with military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, along withunprecedented economic sanctions on Russia and its oligarchs. U.S. officials said Thursday that the Russian economy has shrunk in half since the start of the war. Now, U.S. President Joe Biden is pushing to inflict further economic pain by calling for Russia to be booted from the G-20 and its November heads of state summit in Indonesia.
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday the prospect of Russia using nuclear weapons was “increasingly real”, welcoming a visit by the U.S. ambassador to Hiroshima, the first city to suffer a nuclear attack.
Japan, the only country attacked by atomic weapons, has regularly spoken out against nuclear armaments. Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, visited the city’s peace memorial and museum on Saturday with envoy Rahm Emanuel.
“When the possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia is increasingly real, I believe Ambassador Emanuel’s visit to Hiroshima and his experience of seeing the nuclear reality will become a strong message to the international society,” Kishida told public broadcaster NHK.
“I believe our visit was meaningful.”
Related video: China’s Premier Li calls Ukrainian situation ‘worrying’ (NBC News)
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Putin reportedly suspects betrayal from within his…
Officials trying to find the whale so that gear can be removed
Carla Wilsonabout 10 hours ago
A buoy was seen next to the whale’s body and a thick line was wrapped around the animal. Photo: Mark Sawyer
A grey whale has been spotted in Clayoquot Sound tangled in fishing gear.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada officials, including researchers, are looking for the whale, along with the whale-watching industry and other boaters, all hoping to save the big animal from drowning.
A buoy has been seen next to the whale’s body and a thick line was wrapped around the animal, DFO marine mammal co-ordinator Paul Cottrell said Friday.
“We are not sure if it goes through the mouth or how it is attached,” said Cottrell, who headed to Tofino on Friday with a team trained in removing gear from whales.
Anyone who sees the whale is asked to call the 24-7 marine mammal incident hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
If the whale remains tangled in the gear, it could be a death sentence for the animal, Cottrell said.
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“The problem with the animal towing that gear round is if it runs into more gear, it is going to hook up with that gear and so on.
“It becomes a vicious cycle and it’ll be a lot of drag. It can catch on the bottom and anchor the animal and potentially drown it.”
The whale was first spotted on Thursday afternoon in the Clayoquot Sound area but could not be found when boaters went out later.
At this time of year, there are many grey whales foraging off B.C.’s coast. Some, about 300 to 400, are part of a local population, while thousands of others are moving from Mexico to the Bering Sea and north to the Chukchi Sea.
Migrating whales will often forage in shallow waters on their way north.
It’s not known which population this whale belongs to.
The high number of grey whales in the area makes it more difficult to find the one tangled in fishing gear, Cottrell said.
When removing gear from whales, rescuers remain in a boat, using long aluminum or carbon fibre poles with cutting devices at the end. Drones are used to evaluate where the gear is and how best to remove it.
Rescuers do not get in the water because it is too dangerous if such a massive animal moved.
Gear-removal is often successful, said Cottrell. He said he’s been involved with 60 to 70 cases.
On Thursday, he was at Delta Port on the Lower Mainland to remove gear from a Stellar sea lion that had climbed onto a big mooring buoy.
Another grey whale tangled in fishing year was seen a week and a half ago in the harbour at Prince Rupert. It hasn’t been seen since, but Cottrell has notified Alaskan officials.
When whales are found in this situation, Cottrell said the goal is to attach satellite tags to the animal so it can be tracked.
Global climate advocates on Friday panned as “misguided and dangerous” the Biden administration’s newly announced effort to ramp up U.S. gas shipments to European Union countries as they look to reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
Under the new initiative, according to a White House fact sheet, the U.S. will help the E.U. secure an additional 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2022 “with expected increases going forward” — a set-up likely to benefit U.S. gas exporters.
The Wall Street Journalreported Friday that “the U.S. aims to ship 50 billion cubic meters of LNG to Europe annually through at least 2030… making up for about a third of the gas the E.U. receives from Russia.”
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“The E.U. imported a record 22 billion cubic meters of LNG from the U.S. last year,” the Journal noted. New gas projects are set to come online in 2025.
While the Biden administration vowed to “undertake efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of all new LNG infrastructure and associated pipelines,” climate campaigners warned that the planned construction of new import facilities in Europe flies in the face of both U.S. and E.U. vows to slash planet-warming carbon emissions.
“Europe already has enough capacity to import the amount of gas the U.S. intends to supply, and building new import terminals would mean locking in fossil gas imports for years to come, long after the E.U. needs to quit this climate-wrecking fuel for good,” Murray Worthy, the gas campaign leader at Global Witness, said in a statement.
“Doubling down on gas is not the solution, whether it comes from Russia or the U.S.,” Worthy continued. “This announcement does not and must not be used to justify more fossil fuel projects in the U.S. New gas export terminals would take too long to build to help Europe now, would lead to huge climate-wrecking emissions and only help the fossil fuel industry.”
“Instead of lining the pockets of American fracking companies,” he added, “Europe should focus its energy investments on lasting solutions such as improving building insulation, heat pumps, and renewable energy sources. More investment and reliance on fossil fuels is music to the ears of despots and warmongers all over the world who recognize this is an energy system that benefits them. If Europe truly wants to get off Russian gas, the only real option it has is phasing out gas altogether.”
In response to Russia’s deadly assault on Ukraine — now in its second month with no end in sight — the E.U. is looking to slash Russian gas imports by two-thirds this year and completely end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
Before the Ukraine invasion, Europe got roughly 40% of its gas supply and 27% of its oil imports from Russia, an arrangement that led E.U. members — Germany in particular — to resist sanctions targeting the Russian fossil fuel industry.
“We aim to reduce this dependence on Russian fossil fuels and get rid of it,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said Friday.
But Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, warned in a statement Friday that simply switching gas suppliers “won’t solve Europe’s current crisis” — and will surely make the climate emergency worse.
“Pushing new toxic export facilities and decades more methane gas is a death sentence for those on the frontlines of the climate emergency,” Siegel said of the U.S. role in the new initiative. “President Biden must lead the world with a rapid buildout of renewable energy — not feed the fossil fuel beast that’s responsible for both petro-dictators and the climate crisis.”
“Approving more export terminals, pipelines, and fossil fuel production,” Siegel added, “only throws fuel on the fire of our burning world.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Joe Biden arrive for a G7 leaders meeting during a NATO summit at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on March 24, 2022.
