SURVEILLED

— many residents take pride in this piece of their natural heritage, and there has been ample interest in a citizen science program where private citizens are trained to help monitor trail cameras and document the presence of the species.  scientists are now determining whether the development of a “payment for ecosystem services” program would further engage citizens and private landowners and promote jaguar conservation in the u.s. borderlands region read article : conserving arizona’s resident jaguars

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VOYAGE OF EXPLORATION

— according to al jazeera, the wolf volcano, sitting on the northern tip of isabela island (the largest in the archipelago) erupted last monday at approximately 1:30 am local time for the first time in 33 years, having last been active in the 80s and now endangering the galapagos islands animals read article : volcano erupts after 33 years, are endangered species threatened? 

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IT LOOKS WEIRD, IT SMELLS STRANGE, BUT THEY LOVE IT

— all around the world, feeding animals in captivity takes a particular kind of chef, and budget. each year, for instance, animals at the st. louis zoo in missouri consume about 5 tons of carrots, 7.5 tons of bananas, 85 tons of herbivore pellets, 22,000 adult mice and 1.6 million mealworms. and instead of relying on outside suppliers for the 293 tons of hay it uses each year, the smithsonian national zoo, in washington, d.c., has taken to growing its own.” read article : how to feed a numbat

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A MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED WAY

— “this isn’t just doom and gloom. we still have time. extinctions can take a long time. there are processes that could be important in mediating these effects, for example evolution, but we really need to very quickly start to understand these risks in a much more sophisticated way.” read article : one-in-six of worlds species faces extinction

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US MILITARY PRESENCE IN OKINAWA

— in 1493, christopher columbus reported seeing “mermaids” off the coast of haiti, but noted that they were “not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look like men.” the explorer’s diary entry is now thought to have described the manatee read article : sirens of the sea: can ancient myths protect the original mermaid from extinction?

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TO LEARN ABOUT BIRDS —USE BIRDS

— some of the most majestic birds of america fly at the height of huge turbine blades on windmills, so anything that can be done to save some lives is important read article : learning how to prevent bird-turbine collisions

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MOUNTAIN GORILLA BENEFITS FROM INBREEDING

“scientists have discovered inbreeding has actually benefitted mountain gorillas by removing many harmful genetic variations. They are also genetically adapted to living in small populations.” Read more here: BBC article  

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BISTATE SAGE GROUSE NOT LISTED

“Environmentalists and conservationists have long called for greater protection for sage-grouse habitats in Western states…Energy companies, meanwhile, have warned that a designation would effectively rope off Western lands to future oil and gas development.” read more: Bistate Sage Grouse Utah wildlife managers see reason to hope

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FUNDING EQUALITY

— “exact dollar figures are tough to compile for any conservation effort, because of the many wildlife agencies, governments and private donors involved” read article : ‘uncharismatic’ endangered species and the fight for funding equality

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LOLA YA BONOBO

— primatologists have discovered that bonobos largely solve conflict through peaceful means, including sex, rather than violence and war, as chimps often do. still, the two great apes, are united in the same threats: habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade” read article : new group hopes to raise global profile of the bonobo http://www.lolayabonobo.org

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