A US Government plan to lift protections for grizzly bears in and
around Yellowstone National Park has been slammed by environmentalists
and Indian tribes.
Much of the discontent has focused on the
prospect of grizzlies in the region becoming open to trophy hunting
under state management plans put in place once federal safeguards are
removed under the Endangered Species Act.
The US Fish and
Wildlife Service formally proposed in March that grizzlies in the
Yellowstone area - spanning parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho - be
removed from the list of threatened species, citing data showing their
numbers have rebounded to healthy levels.
The Solomon Islands are fast disappearing. Photo / iStock
They are the tiny islands that have literally disappeared.
Five islands in the Pacific Ocean existed as late as 2014; fast forward two years and they are nowhere to be seen.
A
further six reef islands are also facing the same fate, in a disturbing
warning to the world's scientists and other low-lying nations.
An
alarming new study, published in Environmental Research Letters,reveals
rising sea levels and coastal erosion are to blame for the predicament.
Scientists warn the findings could provide valuable insights for future research.
"At
least 11 islands across the northern Solomon Islands have either
totally disappeared over recent decades or are currently experiencing
severe erosion," the study confirms.
Thai wildlife officials load a tiger into a
cage on a truck after they removed it from an enclosure at the Wat Pha
Luang Ta Bua Tiger Temple. Photo / Getty
Wildlife officials in Thailand on Monday began removing some of the
137 tigers held at a Buddhist temple following accusations that the
monks were involved in illegal breeding and trafficking of the animals.
The
director of Thailand's Wildlife Conservation Office, Teunjai
Noochdumrong, said three tigers were tranquilised and transported
yesterday in an operation involving about 1000 state personnel that is
expected to continue for a week.
The animals will be taken to three government animal refuges elsewhere in Thailand. The monks have resisted previous attempts to
remove the tigers from the temple, a popular destination for tourists.
Photo / Getty The temple, a popular money-earning tourist attraction in
the western province of Kanchanaburi, has been criticised by animal
rights activists because of allegations it is not properly set up to
care for the animals and flouted regulations restricting their trade.
More than 1,000 firefighters and 100 helicopters are battling the
huge fire that forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray in western Canada.
But officials say they need rain to make real progress.
Earth's record monthly heat streak has hit 11 months in a row — a record in itself.
The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration announced overnight that March's average
global temperature 12.7 Celsius was not only the hottest March, but
continues a record streak that started last May.
According to NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden, the 11 heat records in a row smashes a streak of 10 set in 1944.
Climate scientists say this is a result of El Nino, along with relentless, man-made global warming.
Blunden and Michael Mann at the
University of Pennsylvania worry that people will be desensitised to
the drumbeat of broken records and will not realise the real affect they
have on weather — for example, massive changes in what is supposed to
be winter in the Arctic.
Greenland had a record early start for its ice sheet melting.
The Arctic had its smallest
winter maximum for sea ice and it was the second smallest March snow
cover for the Northern Hemisphere.
"It's becoming monotonous in a way," said Jason Furtado, a meteorology professor at the University of Oklahoma.
"It's absolutely disturbing ... We're losing critical elements of our climate system."
Timmy and Tux formed a special bond while in rehab.
They met at the National Aquarium of New Zealand when their chances of survival in the wild were slim to none.
Timmy has spinal injuries and Tux was abandoned as a baby.
Now they're looking at a fulfilling life with 15 other penguins at the Aquarium's Penguin Cove.
It is not uncommon for the Aquarium to take animals in for rehabilitation but Timmy and Tux's stories are quite unique.
Penguin
Keepers Sonja Murray, Steven McQuire and fellow keepers have fed and
nurtured the chicks since their arrival and have noticed great
improvements in their health and mobility already.
"We've pretty much taken on the role of mum and dad to the chicks," Sonja said.
"They follow us everywhere, just like kids do! It's been quite an experience raising them from such a young age.
"We suspect Timmy's spinal injuries happened when he was very young when his bones were still soft, although we can only guess.
"Tux,
on the other hand, seems to have been a 'runt' - he was born late in
the penguin breeding season and was under-weight when he came to us - he
even still had his baby down."
Kenya's president set fire Saturday to 105 tons (95254 kgs) of
elephant ivory and more than 1 ton (907kgs) of rhino horn, believed to
be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement by this
East African country against the trade in ivory and products from
endangered species.
Uhuru Kenyatta put a flame to the biggest of
11 pyres of ivory tusks and one of rhino horn in a chilly afternoon.
Overnight torrential rains had threatened to ruin the event but stopped
midday leaving a mud field around the piles inside Nairobi National
Park.
"A time has come when we must take a stand and the stand is
clear ... Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless
unless it is on our elephants," Kenyatta said.
