The Lost Emperor: A Colony of Penguins Disappears

Source: Wynne Parry, LiveScience A small colony of emperor penguins on an island off the West Antarctic Peninsula is gone, and the most likely culprit is loss of sea ice caused by warming. Although it has been predicted that penguins could suffer greatly because of global warming, this is the first time the disappearance of a colony has been documented. The researchers, however, caution that their study is hampered by a lack of long-term information on emperor penguins, both at... Read More

Japan Suspends Annual Whale Hunt

Source: Frank Zeller, AFP Japanese whalers have suspended their Antarctic hunt, citing harassment by environmentalists, and are considering ending their annual mission early, a fisheries agency official said on Wednesday. Activists from the US-based militant environmental group the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have pursued the Japanese fleet for months to stop its harpoon ships from killing the giant sea mammals. Read More  Read More

Shell Shock: 25 Turtle Species in Terrible Trouble

Source: LiveScience Turtles are among the most endangered vertebrates on Earth: roughly half of the world’s 300 species are threatened with extinction. A new report profiles the 25 most vulnerable. Turtle and tortoise populations have been decimated by illegal hunting— for both food and the pet trade — and habitat loss, and many species will go extinct in the next decade unless drastic conservation measures are taken, according to the new report, issued by a coalition... Read More

Loss of Arctic Ice Imperils Polar Bear Births

Source: LiveScience Loss of Arctic sea ice is linked to a decrease in polar bear birth rates in Canada’s Hudson Bay, according to new research. If the trend continues, the polar bears in the region could be facing a population crisis. In fact, if climate change continues unabated, the researchers say, polar bear populationsacross the entire Arctic will be in serious trouble. Read More  Read More

Whole Foods Implements New Animal-Welfare Rating System

Source: Brian Garr, Statesman Whole Foods Market Inc. is implementing a new animal welfare rating system for its meats and other livestock products that officials say will help improve the lives of farm animals. The five-step rating system, enacted in coordination with the nonprofit Global Animal Partnership, uses a tiered system starting at step 1 (animals aren’t kept in cages, crates or crowded) to the highest tier, where animals spend their entire lives on the same farm.... Read More

Rehberg Sets the Stage for U.S. Wolf Eradication

Source: Defenders of Wildlife Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg introduced two bills yesterday that would strip federal protections for gray wolves across the country. Together, these bills would allow states to eliminate all wolves in the Northern Rockies, Great Lakes and Southwest, including the 42 Mexican wolves struggling for survival in New Mexico and Arizona. If passed, this legislation would be the first to exempt a single species from the Endangered Species Act, setting a dangerous... Read More

95% of Liberia’s Elephants Killed by Poachers

Source: Abednego Davis, Daily Observer Mr. Patrick Omondi, senior assistant director, Kenya Wildlife Service, has disclosed that the illegal trade in ivory is completely washing off species, especially elephants in Liberia. Mr. Omondi said, through such illegal trade, 19,000 of the country’s 20,000 elephants had been traded since the 1980s. According to him, only 1,000 elephants remained in Liberia. “Though, Liberia opposes trade in ivory, but, the trade is still being... Read More

Oil giant plans new platform near feeding ground of critically endangered whale

Source: ENN Sakhalin Energy Investment Company – part owned by Shell – has announced plans to build a major oil platform near crucial feeding habitat of the Western North Pacific gray whale population. Only around 130 whales of the critically endangered Western population exist today, and their primary feeding habitat – off Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East – is already besieged by multiple oil and gas exploration and development projects. Read More  Read More

Atlantic leatherbacks at risk from fisheries

Source: Tamera Jones, Planet Earth Online Scientists have used satellites to track the world’s largest nesting population of leatherback turtles across the South Atlantic for the first time. Their results reveal the routes the critically endangered creatures take make them more vulnerable to commercial fishing in the South Atlantic than previously thought. Read More  Read More

The science is in: save the whales, save the planet

Source: Reese Halter, Sydney Morning Herald Last year, Iceland and Norway killed 688 whales while Japan, under the guise of “scientific research”, slaughtered 1000 whales. In the 20th century humans killed 1.5 million whales around the globe. But reports from the past couple of months indicate that in order to save the Earth whales must be protected. Whales are helping researchers determine atmospheric science, Arctic oceanography, the extent of global warming, marine... Read More