Wildlife Conservation and Information - Natural Living

Want to help save animals like this?

Wildlife Works works to save baby seals.

About one million seals, most of them mere pups, are in grave danger. The Canadian government has set a three-year quota that allows hunters to shoot or club to death almost one million seals. Wildlife Works has teamed up with The Humane Society's ProtectSeals.org to raise awareness of this issue, as well as funds, to help put an end to this slaughter.

Mysterious beasts may lurk in the darkest depths of the ocean.

Some very strange sounds have been emanating from the sea. Researchers have nicknamed the noises picked up by undersea microphones "Bloop". While it bears the varying frequency hallmark of marine animals, it is far more powerful than the calls made by any creature known on Earth.

Full story...

Roots of Compassion

RootsOfCompassion.org has put together a great website to act as an information network for people who want to make a difference for animals. A difference in their living and in compassion for all beings. A step out of society's preconditioned standards closer to a more peaceful and self-sustaining world and future.

While there are plenty of websites promoting the vegan lifestyle, they wanted to combine this with human and animal rights as well as social change. All these issues are interconnected, so (they feel) we should try to see the worlds problems as a whole in order to find solutions.

www.rootsofcompassion.org

Japan is "Researching" Whales to Death
By Andy Summa

The recent announcement that a Japanese research whaling fleet in the North Pacific killed 159 whales has sparked protests around the world.

The announcement of the kills comes less than two weeks after the International Whaling Commission meeting in which the Japanese "research" whale kill was roundly criticized, and a resolution was passed urging Japan to refrain from such hunts.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) has called upon member governments of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to react to the announcement by Japan that their whaling fleet in the North Pacific killed 159 whales, almost double the number taken in last year's so-called scientific hunt.

The Japanese factory whaling vessel, the Nissei-Maru, returned to port after two months in the North Pacific, carrying on-board the carcasses of minke whales, Bryde's whales, sperm whales, and even an endangered sei whale, mistakenly killed when it was mis-identified by the whalers as a Bryde's whale.

"The IWC has gone on record to state that the data collected by the Japanese whaling fleet is 'not essential' to any mangement of whaling, nor is the data gathered 'sufficient to justify the killing of these whales for research purposes'," said Kate O'Connell of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. "Japan's decision to escalate its whale kills is absolutely unacceptable in terms of science, and as an act of political bad faith. WDCS asks that governments party to the IWC make their disapproval known in the most vocal and stringent terms. In particular, WDCS calls on President Bush of the United States to revisit the possibility of applying economic sanctions against Japan, under the terms of the Pelly Amendment."

For further information, contact Mark Simmonds at marks@wdcs.org (UK); Niki Entrup at entrup@wdcs.org (Germany); or O'Connell at kayo@home.com (US).

Also see www.wdcs.org

Endangered Species:

The Ocelot

Weight: At 18-25 lbs, it is one of the smallest wildcats.

Habitat: Ocelots mostly range in South America, but can be found in semi-deserts of Arizona, the marshes, mangrove forests, shrublands, and along riverbanks of Texas and Mexico. They prefer dense, thorny, low brush such as spiny hackberry, lotebush, and blackbrush.

Age: 16-20

Diet: Ocelots prey on rodents, rabbits and songbirds. They do not kill livestock, so many rangers and farmers consider them an asset.

Endangered: In 1972

Find more information:

Send a free animal e-card! We have hundreds from which to choose.

AnimalsVoice.com

is an incredible resource for finding all kinds of animal rights groups. They have over 10,000 organizations listed in their directory. For more information visit their website.

Learn the truth about exotic birds and why their proper care is so critical...

New Marine Sanctuary Created!
By Andy Summa

Florida officials recently secured the largest no-fishing sanctuary in the United States, a 191-square mile area that is rich in coral and marine life.

The Tortugas Ecological Reserve is just west of the Florida Keys. The underwater refuge is 70 miles west of Key West and more than 140 miles from mainland Florida. The region includes the Dry Tortugas National Park and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

By unanimous voice vote, the seven-member state panel that included Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his Cabinet, approved the natural reserve in April. Environmentalists say the reserve will prove critical to protecting the region�s delicate coral reefs, and spawning areas for a host of fish and marine life that thrive in the Gulf Stream.

The measure is a result of a decade-long effort by fishermen, environmentalists and scientists to protect the spawning grounds of the Dry Tortugas. Groups endorsing the reserve included the Center for Marine Conservation, World Wildlife Fund, the Nature Conservancy and Marathon Guides Association.

Kathryn Fuller, president of the World Wildlife Fund, said the reserve was being created after years of debate and negotiations between environmentalists, recreational anglers and commercial fishers.

�We are so pleased by Florida's decision," Fuller said. �The Tortugas Reserve will not only protect an irreplaceable, high-biodiversity coral reef ecosystem; it will also help replenish depleted fisheries throughout the Keys and beyond, benefiting fishermen, too.�

Snorkeling and scuba diving will be allowed with a permit, but taking of fish or other marine life will be prohibited, as will anchoring of vessels. It also restricts vessel discharges and regulates mooring buoys.

Andy Summa is a freelance writer in Sugar Land, Texas.

EarthVoice.org is the global environmental arm of the Humane Society of the United States. They work with others to protect animals and ecosystems, foster sustainable development, and instill earth ethics.

Animal Resources

Check out Hugs for Homeless Animals, it's a great organization with a wonderful website. Among many other things, you can find an animal shelter almost anywhere in the world or post a notice for a lost or found pet.

Yikes!

Don't release your exotic pet fish into local waters! You may think it's helping them, but they probably won't survive, and you may be wreaking havoc on the local ecosystems. For more information check out the Non indigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Website.

Wildlife Lovers

If you love wildlife, and are interested in attracting more animals to your property for watching, feeding or
photographing them, drop by Windstar.org for great ideas.

Imperiled Primates

As the number of people surpasses 6 billion, and the planet suffers from the effects of our extreme overpopulation, the very survival of other primate species is threatened due to habitat loss and human predation. continued...

Animal and Wildlife Conservation Information