Penn State researchers discovered Masai giraffe populations divided by East Africa’s Great Rift Valley haven’t interbred for centuries. This, along with significant inbreeding and a 50% decline over 30 years, suggests they are more endangered than previously thought. Distinct but coordinated conservation efforts for each population are recommended.
Giraffe populations separated by Great Rift Valley in eastern Africa are genetically distinct, suggesting that conservation efforts should be considered separately for each population.
Giraffes in eastern Africa may be even more endangered than previously thought. A new study led by researchers at Penn State reveals that populations of Masai giraffes separated geographically by the Great Rift Valley have not interbred — or exchanged genetic material — in more than a thousand years, and in some cases hundreds…
A call of “shot fired” that led to the deployment of a tactical police team turned out to be a simple accident involving a trio of gopher hunters in Weyburn on Monday, police say.
According to the Weyburn Police Service (WPS), the call was received from a local hotel on June 12.
A guest in the hotel was nearly hit by a bullet that was fired through the wall from the room next door, police say.
WPS had the hotel evacuated and the Joint Tactical Police Team (JTST) made up of Weyburn and Estevan police were brought in.
A man in his 40s has been seriously injured after he was accidentally shot at a golf club outside of Dublin on Monday.
Gardaí (Irish police) believe he may have been mistaken for an animal by a person out hunting in the area.
The shooting happened in Corrstown Golf Club, Kilsallaghan, at about 23:00 local time.
The victim, who was shot in his upper body, was taken to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and is being treated in the intensive care unit.
His injuries are understood to be non-life threatening.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports that a number of men were out hunting in the area while a separate group, wearing wetsuits, were searching for golf balls near a lake.
It is understood that one of the hunters saw movement in the dark, mistook the…
A brown bear mauled a hunter Saturday night east of Sterling, injuring the man before he shot and killed the animal, Alaska State Troopers said.
Sterling resident Nicholas Abraham, 34, was hunting for rabbits north of the Sterling Highway at Mile 73.5 a little after 8 p.m. Saturday when he came across a brown bear sow with cubs, troopers said in an onlinereport.
“Abraham became aware of the sow when he was about 15 feet from her,” troopers spokesman Justin Freeman said. “She was on him immediately after he became aware of her.”
Abraham shot the sow with a .44 handgun, according to troopers’ report.
He was able to drive himself to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, Freeman said.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers investigated the site of the bear mauling Sunday, Freeman said, and they did not see…
Airplanes are pictured at tarmac in Munich Airport Franz-Joseph-Strauss International on September 15, 2022 in Erding, Germany.
If you’re a frequent flyer who has experienced increasingly shaky flights, it’s not just your imagination. Turbulence has increased in the last few decades.
A study released this Junein the journalGeophysical Research Lettersfound that not only has turbulence increased, reported instances of severe turbulence have gone up more than 50% in about 40 years. And the culprit is warmer air due to climate change.
[1/2]The Houston Ship Channel and adjacent refineries, part of the Port of Houston, are seen in Houston, Texas, U.S., May 5, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Summary
75 of biggest have now committed to reaching net-zero
Most do not cover or are not transparent on Scope 3 emissions
LONDON, June 11 (Reuters) – The number of fossil fuel companies setting net-zero emissions targets has risen sharply over the past year, but most fail to address key concerns, making them “largely meaningless”, a report showed on Monday.
Some 75 of the world’s largest 112 fossil fuel companies have now committed to reachingnet-zero- the point at which greenhouse gas emissions are negated by deep cuts in output elsewhere and methods to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Conservationists intend to sue US Fish and Wildlife for failing to protect Florida’s manatees
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If Florida had an animal mascot, manatees would definitely be at the top of that list, but we are losing these gentle giants at an alarming rate.
You may remember when the sea cows were downgraded from an endangered species to threatened years ago, but now protection groups are rallying together and threatening serious action if something isn’t done to save the manatee.
One of the most beautiful sea animals you can come across in Florida is this gentle giant.
Known to be elusive with no predators except the byproduct of human activity, manatee numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate.
“Over 2,000 deaths since 2020, which is a huge increase and extremely concerning, and mostly tied to unchecked pollution and water quality,” Amanda Prieto, of Miami Waterkeeper, said.
That accounts for 20 percent of the West Indian manatee population, which is now down to just 8,000-10,000 in Florida waters.
Prieto is part of a group of conservationists intending to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to protect the sea cows under the Endangered Species Act.
“We feel strongly that in 2017 they down-listed the Florida manatee from endangered to threatened a little prematurely — they didn’t consider an unusual mortality event, which unfortunately is exactly what happened,” Prieto said.
If you’ve lived in Florida for any amount of time, you are used to those wake zones and speed limits to protect the manatees from boats and propeller strikes. But the new problem, the new killer, and the biggest issue is the pollution in our waters, which leaves these majestic mammals that feed for 6-8 hours a day, in peril due to a loss of sea grass.
Starvation occurs as human pollution destroys their limited food source.
“The tragedy in the Indian River Lagoon, where hundreds of manatees have died of starvation, is a symptom of a larger water quality problem. It will take a long time to undo the harm that got us to this point,” said Elise Bennett from the Center for Biological Diversity.
“This is really a tipping point and that we need to make some drastic changes to make improvements,” Prieto said.
Improved water quality, sea grass restoration, conservation of critical habitat and the protected status of being back on the endangered species list will all help to save our beloved manatees.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must respond by early July or else litigation will begin.
But no matter what happens with the lawsuit, the federal agency must decide this November on what the status will be for the manatee going forward.
Smoke from more than 430 active wildfires in Canada spread south last week and led to the worst pollution the New York and Washington regions have ever experienced. More than75 million peoplein the eastern US were under air quality alerts as wildfire smoke shrouded major cities. Some flights were grounded, events were canceled, and millions of people breathed unhealthy air.
Much of the smoke has dissipated, but people still have questions. Do we need to be concerned about air quality? What are the short-term effects of wildfire smoke inhalation? Are there long-term consequences? And how can people prepare for future wildfires, which, according to theUN Environment Program,will be even more frequent and more severe going forward?
Ukrainian forces have proved highly adept at masking their strategic aims with feints, disinformation and by shuffling troops from one area to another, keeping Russian military planners guessing as to their next move.
Having promised to begin their counteroffensive in the summer, Kyiv’s forces are now stepping up attacks, and with some success.
The two visitors were seen approaching and touching the calf in the Elk Ranch Flats area in Wyoming on June 4, Grand Teton officials said in a news release Thursday.
The incident is currently under investigation and park rangers are asking visitors who were in the area for additional information.
“Interference by people can cause wildlife to reject their offspring,” park officials said in the news release. “In this case, fortunately, the calf was successfully reunited with its herd, but often these interactions result in euthanizing the animal.”
Park officials said visitors are required to stay at least 25 yards away from all wildlife and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. Approaching wild animals can affect their well-being and their survival, park officials said.
“Use binoculars, a spotting scope or a telephoto lens for a good view,” park officials said. “Do not tease, touch, frighten or intentionally disturb wildlife.”
It is illegal to feed any wildlife including birds, squirrels, bears and foxes, park officials said. If fed, animals could become unhealthy, bite visitors, expose visitors to rabies or need to be killed.
The City of Weyburn sign can be seen in this file photo. (David Prisciak/CTV News)
Exposing the Big Game 