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Crossing The Tundra With Russia's Reindeer Herders (http://www.buzzfeed.com/j... http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 3 ] -

"We sit quietly while the reindeer nibble on wet grass and look at us from the white edges of their glossy black eyes. Leaning against a mound of dirt, Kiryak waits for them to settle. He’s wearing wading boots and a paisley-printed scarf around his head. A walking stick is propped up next to him. A rifle is across his lap. Kiryak’s reindeer aren’t examples of the fictional subspecies named R.t. saintnicolas magicalus by Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game, nor will they ever appear for families to watch on ReindeerCam. Instead, they are semi-domesticated creatures tended for slaughter. They have sweet, skittish temperaments and, eventually, savory meat. Any magic around them is commonplace: the gorgeousness of their grazing grounds, their deep history, and the way they make their keepers wonder about what is coming next." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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Taiwanese team first to band near-mythical bird - Taipei Times (http://www.taipeitimes.co... http://www.taipeitimes.co... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 3 ] -

"Taiwanese research team banded a juvenile Chinese crested tern (Thalasseus bernsteini) in July, hoping to track its migration and learn more about the “mythical” bird that roosts in three groups of islands off the southeastern coast of China from May to August, a Forestry Bureau official said. It was the first-ever successful banding of a Chinese crested tern, Forestry Bureau conservation official Hsia Jung-sheng (夏榮生) said. The rare species nests in Taiwan’s Matsu (馬祖), as well as Jiushan and Wuzhishan islands off China’s Zhejiang Province from May to August and locals consider it a summer migratory bird. The population of the bird was estimated at less than 50 in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List in 2000 and it is categorized as critically endangered, Hsia said." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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It seems like it should be a candidate for a geolocator or transmitter study. - John B. - [ 1 ] -

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Study: Northern Rockies wolf hunting ‘not sustainable’ | Summit County Citizens Voice (http://summitcountyvoice.... https://summitvoice.files... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 4 ] -

"The international research team said those politically driven policies do not always align with basic scientific data, which can undermine conservation efforts. For example, theresearchers concluded that the current harvest levels for the recently de-listed population of gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains of the United States have led to decreased survival and reproduction, smaller packs, social disruption and a reversal from population growth to decline.The research team includes scientists with decades of experience studying wolves, lions, African wild dogs, tigers, dingoes and sharks. They reported their findings in the Dec. 18 issue of the journal Science. “While regulated carnivore hunting can potentially minimize human-wildlife conflict and provide revenue for conservation, it can also drive population declines of threatened species,” said marine predator expert Neil Hammerschlag, of the UM Rosenstiel School and UM Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. “Well-regulated hunting of predators needs to be guided by strong science and consider both the costs and benefits for conservation.”" - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

Halil to Plant Love, History, Nature, Halil's feed
The Cathedral Fig Tree in Famagusta - In front of the main entrance to the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (St Nicholas Cathedral) is a very old tree of huge size as seen in the picture. It throws magnificent shade over the courtyard, very necessary in those hot days of summer when visitors are streaming into the cathedral. According to the botanists, the tree was planted here when the cathedral was built in 1220 A.D. making it 700 years old. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/n...

1 decade ago - Comment - Hide - - [ 3 ] -

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I Photograph Beautiful Friesian Horses All Year Long | Bored Panda (http://www.boredpanda.com... http://static.boredpanda.... http://static.boredpanda.... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 4 ] -

"I enjoy taking photographs of the Friesian year round in all weather. Winter, however, is my favorite time of year largely due to the high contrast which makes for a more dramatic image. It can be a bit of a nightmare at times as any photographer knows from an exposure perspective; white snow/black horse." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

Halil to British and Irish Residents, Nature, Halil's feed
779 raptors killed illegally in Scotland during last 20 years says new report - A detailed 20 year review of the illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland, published by RSPB Scotland, confirms that 779 protected raptors were illegally killed between 1994 and 2014. http://www.wildlifeextra....

1 decade ago - Comment - Hide - - - [ 3 ]

In total, 468 birds of prey were poisoned, 173 were shot and 76 were caught in illegal traps. There were also seven attempted shootings. The figures include 104 red kites, 37 golden eagles, 30 hen harriers, 16 goshawks and 10 white-tailed eagles. - Halil - -

3 other comments...

Grouse hunting is a nasty business. - John B. - -

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Rare Siberian crane spotted in Taipei not new to Taiwan - Taipei Times (http://www.taipeitimes.co... http://www.taipeitimes.co... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 4 ] -

"A rare Siberian crane that was spotted and captured near a Taipei MRT station early yesterday has turned out to be the same one that has been living at a wetland in New Taipei City for the past year. The bird was taken to the city’s Animal Protection Office after it apparently lost its way and landed near the Songshan MRT Station, media reports said. At first the bird, also known as the Siberian white crane or snow crane, was thought to be the second to have landed in the nation in recent years. However, the office said that, on closer inspection, it discovered that the white crane was the same one found last year in a wetland in New Taipei City’s Jinshan District (金山), where it has temporarily resided for more than a year." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

"The Siberian crane is an endangered species, with only a few thousand left in the world. The bird is to be sent back to its home in New Taipei City, where it has been looked after by a local farmer with help from bird lovers and animal rights groups." - JustDuckie - -

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Texas family wakes up to raccoon on bathroom sink | abc7ny.com (http://abc7ny.com/news/fa... http://cdn.abclocal.go.co... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 3 ] -

"Trisha Wilhelm says her family woke up to dogs barking at around 4am. When she and her husband went to investigate, they found a raccoon lying on the bathroom sink. Trisha says the raccoon must have gotten into through the doggie door and gone for the dog food, which is in the room next to the bathroom." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

NOPE. - JustDuckie - -

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Wayward pelican visits spoonbill habitat - Taipei Times (http://www.taipeitimes.co... http://www.taipeitimes.co... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 8 ] -

"“In the past few days there have been multiple sightings of a single pelican from the north to the south. To the best of our knowledge, it is the same bird,” Wild Bird Society member Chen Shang-ching (陳尚欽) said. “Dalmatian pelicans are mainly found around the marshes and wetlands of southeast Europe and China and any that are seen in Taiwan are considered a vagrant bird,” he added. A vagrant in ornithology refers to a migratory bird that appears outside of its normal habitat range and could be considered lost." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

3 other comments...

I'm guessing they'll leave it alone then. Taiwan doesn't like returning things to China. ;-P - JustDuckie - [ 2 ] -

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First Puppies Born by in vitro fertilization -- ScienceDaily (http://www.sciencedaily.c... http://images.sciencedail... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 1 ] -

"The findings have wide implications for wildlife conservation because, Travis said, "We can freeze and bank sperm, and use it for artificial insemination. We can also freeze oocytes, but in the absence of in vitro fertilization, we couldn't use them. Now we can use this technique to conserve the genetics of endangered species." In vitro fertilization allows conservationists to store semen and eggs and bring their genes back into the gene pool in captive populations. In addition to endangered species, this can also be used to preserve rare breeds of show and working dogs." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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California releases draft wolf management plan | Summit County Citizens Voice (http://summitcountyvoice.... https://summitvoice.files... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 4 ] -

"Specifically Weiss said the group is concerned that the state could seek to remove protections and allow killing of wolves after the population reaches the low threshold of just 50 to 75 animals — a number that might not be biologically sustainable in the long run. The plan proposes a phased adaptive management approach, where after establishment of five wolf packs the state will consider more aggressive management to respond to conflicts. After establishment of nine packs, consisting of just 50 to 75 wolves, the state will seek to remove endangered species protections. The plan fails to explain why such a small, fragile population should have protections removed, simply citing other states that adopted similar approaches." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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An alligator fought a python on a golf course in Florida | For The Win (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2... https://usatftw.files.wor... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - -

"Reptile-on-reptile fights are terrifying, just ask the good people of Singapore. Well, get scared again, because we had another one over the weekend at a golf course in Florida between an alligator take on a python. Unfortunately video of the incident doesn’t exist, but judging by this photo of the scene, the alligator looked like to be in the better shape of the two." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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Dining with Alligators | Messy Nessy Chic (http://www.messynessychic... http://static.messynessyc... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 6 ] -

"The strangest thing about this terrible tourist attraction, is that I couldn’t find a single newspaper clipping or record of an incident involving a visitor being bitten by a crocodile. For almost half a century, more than 1,000 exotic gators were the snap-happy neighbours of a tight-knit community in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles. A major tourist attraction from 1907 to 1953, Alligator Farm amassed a small fortune for its owners, Francis Earnest, a one-time mining camp cook, and his partner “Alligator” Joe Campbell. This is a real photograph of some young ladies dining in a pond of swarming alligators at feeding time." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

"The farm offered such attractions as watching the alligators being fed with live chickens, perform tricks and wrestle with humans. And as you can see, you could ride a saddled alligator around the park. The gift shop hawked a wide selection of products made with alligator skin, including shoes, luggage and wallets. For the residents of Lincoln Park during the alligator farm’s heyday, it wasn’t just the nocturnal bellowing of the reptiles that became a nuisance. When rain flooded the nearby reservoir, which it frequently did, the water overflowed into the farm giving the alligators the chance to make repeated forays into neighbourhood canals, backyards and occasionally swimming pools." - JustDuckie - -

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National Geographic's Photo Of The Day: Something's Fishy - Socks On An Octopus (http://socksonanoctopus.c... http://cdn.socksonanoctop... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 7 ] -

"Researcher Ian McAllister used an underwater housing to get this intimate portrait of a wolf wading through the intertidal zone on the British Columbia coast in Canada. This wolf took a break from eating herring roe to investigate the photographer’s half-submerged camera." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

1 other comments...

Hahaha yeah, the website name is weird. - JustDuckie - [ 1 ] -

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Standoff in Boulder, Colo.: Prairie dogs hold Buddhist college at bay - LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/na... http://www.trbimg.com/img... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

"For years, Naropa has battled some 150 persistent prairie dogs over 2.5 acres of prime real estate on its Nalanda campus. One side wants to build more classrooms, the other more tunnels. The struggle is especially poignant in this famously liberal college town, where Buddhists and prairie dogs occupy exalted positions within the local ecosystem. Naropa complains that incessant burrowing has turned a verdant lawn — where Buddhist nuns once batted volleyballs — into a burgeoning moonscape. "We bought this land in 2004 to expand on and the first prairie dogs showed up two years later," Rigler said. Killing them seemed out of character for a university dedicated to Buddhist precepts of compassion and a motto of "First do no harm." So they did nothing." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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3 Foxes Decided To Live In My Backyard During Winter | Bored Panda (http://www.boredpanda.com... http://static.boredpanda.... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 8 ] -

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The place where wolves could soon return - BBC News (http://www.bbc.com/news/m... http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/n... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 5 ] -

"With the return of the beaver, the success of the wild cat, a growing call for the return of the lynx, as well as an EU directive obliging governments to consider the reintroduction of extinct species, could it be time for the wolf's return? David Attenborough thinks so. Yet 250 years since their eradication, the animal is still capable of inciting powerful feelings. I wanted to see how those who would live among them would feel about having them back, and for three weeks I followed moors and bogs and ancient footpaths, passing the site where the last wolf in Scotland was killed, and the glen where some hope that the first wolf could come back." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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Cyclists embark on box turtle tour - Taipei Times (http://www.taipeitimes.co... http://www.taipeitimes.co... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

"A group of animal rights advocates are to embark today on a 10-day nationwide bicycle tour to promote public awareness of the yellow-margined box turtle, whose numbers have rapidly declined because of poaching." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

"Wu Sheng-hai (吳聲海), a biology professor at the university, said that the yellow-margined box turtle is generally found in low-altitude forests in subtropical regions and is the box turtle native to Taiwan. However, its population has decreased to one-fifth of its number a decade ago because of poaching. Growing demand from China for the turtle, which is used in traditional medicine, has given rise to rampant poaching and smuggling, Wu said. To date, authorities have seized more than 10,000 yellow-margined box turtles from smugglers, Wu said, adding that the number of confiscated yellow pond turtles, another protected species, has exceeded 5,800." - JustDuckie - -

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Wisconsin refutes hoax that lawn ornaments counted in state deer tally | Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/ar... http://s1.reutersmedia.ne... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

"Wisconsin wildlife officials have taken to social media to refute a hoax letter that suggested they had mistakenly added deer lawn ornaments to the last two annual statewide deer tallies. The state's Department of Natural Resources said on Facebook that several residents recently received a letter telling them to remove concrete deer ornaments from their yards by Nov. 1 so they are not counted again this year. "This letter is a fake. It was not crafted, nor distributed by (the Department of Natural Resources)," the post on Tuesday said. " - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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Family smashes toilet after snake refuses to vacate premises - KCTV5 (http://www.kctv5.com/stor... http://kctv.images.worldn... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - -

"Garcia picked up the phone and sought help from friends. They rushed to help out, but the snake wasn't willing to be coaxed out. He actually slithered back into the pipes. Finally they decided to lift the toilet up and carry it outside. They smashed the plumbing with a hammer and retrieved the snake." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

"Garcia moved into her residence a week ago. Neighbors told KCTV5 that the people who lived in the residence previously had owned snakes. " - JustDuckie - -

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We Hung Out with Wolves in the Florida Panhandle | VICE | United States (http://www.vice.com/read/... https://vice-images.vice.... *:*&output-quality=)

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

"A stone's throw north and inland from the bong-and-airbrush wonderland of Panama City Beach lays Seacrest Wolf Preserve in rural Chipley, Florida. There, married wildlife advocates Wayne and Cynthia Watkins run the roughly 20-acre preservation homing over four packs of pure wolves with names like Princess Moonstar, Spirit Prince, and Legacy along with a host of other wild animals. But unlike many other conservation efforts, the Watkins invite visitors to come face-to-fucking-face with these creatures they often call "wolf ambassadors." " - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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I Discovered My Inner Wolf At Wolf Mountain, California | Bored Panda (http://www.boredpanda.com... http://static.boredpanda.... http://static.boredpanda.... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 3 ] -

"After working at zoos across the globe I realized I needed to target my affinity with animals toward those truly in need that have found themselves in captivity for whatever reason, including zoo closures, retiring animals from Hollywood and entertainment use, or rescued animals from mistreatment, and black market pet trade. Now I bounce between California and Sydney, Australia helping do all I can with my money and productions to gain the large sums needed to support and run these beautiful facilities that take in individuals in need and show them love and care no matter where they’ve come from. Tonya Littlewolf and her pack are looking to move to a larger facility in Colorado now where the wolves can run in open snow fields. They’re willing to join the breeding programs helping to repopulate the wild. So far they had immense success and are slowly being replicated in Australia with our Dingos. More info: clickfor.wolfmountain.com" - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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Polite Sarasota raccoon has become a viral sensation (http://wfla.com/2015/09/2... https://i.kinja-img.com/g... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 8 ] -

"A furry, annoying neighbor has now become a viral sensation. ‘Rocksy the raccoon’, visits a Sarasota woman every day politely asking for food in the only way it knows how- by knocking incessantly on her glass door. And now nearly two million people have watched. Susie Chinn says it started happening nine months ago. A raccoon would come by and eat the food Chinn left for her cats. But one day Chinn heard a knocking sound. When she walked toward her back room, she saw the raccoon had grabbed a rock and used it to knock on the door. The animal has been doing it every day since and Chinn has named her ‘Rocksy.’ Chinn said, “She’ll do it for hours. She’ll sit there for 2 or 3 hours, and I don’t give her a dang thing, she’ll just sit there.”" - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

1 other comments...

I can't think of anything more terrifying than Florida raccoons. - JustDuckie - -

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Do Wild Dogs Sleep as Much as Your Pets? - The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/20... http://static01.nyt.com/i... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 2 ] -

"A half-century-long study of wolves and their interaction with their prey on Isle Royale, a wilderness island in Lake Superior, found that in winter the wolves would feed for hours on a fresh kill, then sprawl out or curl up in the snow and rest or sleep about 30 percent of the time. “Wolves have plenty of reason to rest,” the study’s researchers wrote. “When wolves are active, they are really active. On a daily basis, wolves burn about 70 percent more calories compared to typical animals of similar size.” The researchers note that while hunting, wolves may burn calories at 10 to 20 times the rate they do while resting. “When food is plentiful, wolves spend a substantial amount of time simply resting, because they can,” the study said. “When food is scarce, wolves spend much time resting because they need to.” Wolves may eat only once every five to 10 days, the researchers said, losing as much as 8 to 10 percent of body weight, but regaining all the lost weight in just two days of eating and resting." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

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Wolf’s Return to California Stirs Debate - WSJ (http://www.wsj.com/articl... http://s.wsj.net/public/r... )

1 decade ago from Bookmarklet - Comment - Hide - - [ 1 ] -

"The return of wolves to their former haunts across the West has reached California, where a pack of wolves was spotted for the first time in decades last month, pitting conservationists against ranchers who worry the predators will prey on livestock. Still images of seven gray wolves—two adults and five frolicking pups—were captured in August on a trail camera in Siskiyou County near the Oregon border. The discovery of the pack took place four years after a single radio-collared wolf was detected crossing into California, for the first known time since the animal last existed in the Golden State in 1924. The arrival came as California wildlife officials were still trying to complete a wolf-management plan. Now, state officials are racing to get guidelines in place before conflicts arise, as they have in other Western states, with ranchers trying to defend their herds from predatory attacks, and with hunters who fear the animals will kill too many elk and deer. Since the gray wolf in California is listed as endangered under both federal and state law, ranchers can’t kill or harass them, unless permitted by regulation." - JustDuckie from Bookmarklet - -

Nature

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