35 per cent coral death in parts of Great Barrier Reef

Coral gardens at the Ribbon Reef. Great Barrier Reef. Photo / Spirit of Freedom

We knew this was coming.

For months, coral reef experts have been loudly, and sometimes mournfully, announcing that much of the treasured Great Barrier Reef has been hit by "severe" coral bleaching, thanks to abnormally warm ocean waters.

Bleaching, though, isn't the same as coral death. When symbiotic algae leave corals' bodies and the animals then turn white or "bleach," they can still bounce back if environmental conditions improve.
The Great Barrier Reef has seen major bleaching in some of its sectors - particularly the more isolated, northern reef - and the expectation has long been that this event would result in significant coral death as well.
Now some of the first figures are coming in confirming that. Diving and aerial surveys of 84 reefs by scientists with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, in Australia - the same researchers who recently documented at least some bleaching at 93 per cent of individual reefs - have found that a striking 35 per cent of corals have died in the northern and central sectors of the reef.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=11647367

A 100m-year bond threatened by climate change

A flatworm on the Great Barrier Reef. Photo / Spirit of Freedom

The bond between spiny mountain crayfish and their tiny, flatworm friends was forged some 100 million years ago on the thickly forested super-continent of Gondwana.

It endured the dominance of the dinosaurs and the catastrophe that killed them. It survived isolation on Australia as the continent broke away from its neighbours and sailed northward. The climate warmed, the air dried out, the earth was pushed upward into mountains and eroded by streams.

All the while, this ancient association thrived, with the worms living out their lives on the backs of hospitable crayfish. The creatures diversified and spread, adapting to every available ecological niche so that researchers today might find a unique species of flatworm living on just one kind of crayfish in only a certain stream in all of Australia.

"They've been evolving and interacting while all these massive changes have been occurring," said evolutionary biologist Jennifer Hoyal Cuthill.

"... That's now at increasing risk due to climate change."

 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11645230

Selfie taker and zookeeper killed by walrus in China

A walrus at a zoo in the Chinese city of Weihai has drowned a businessman who tried to take several selfies with her, and a zookeeper who tried to rescue the man.

A walrus at a zoo in the Chinese city of Weihai has drowned a businessman who tried to take several selfies with her, and a zookeeper who tried to rescue the man.

After allowing the businessman, surnamed Jia, to take several videos and photos, including selfies, the walrus dragged him into the pool and drowned him, news site Sina reported.

A zookeeper, who had taken care of the walrus for over 10 years, tried to rescue the man but was also drowned.

Zoo authorities in the northeastern province of Shandong declined to comment on the incident, but sources there said the walrus only wanted to "play" with both men and give them a "hug".

The family of the businessman, who jumped into the enclosure to take selfies with the walrus, asked the zoo for compensation.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11644009

Love in the time of climate change: Grizzlies and polar bears are now mating

This bear, which was three-fourths grizzly and one-fourth polar bear, can be seen at the Ulukhaktok Community Hall. Photo / A.E. Deroche-University of Alberta via Washington Post

Most Alaskans and Canadians have a bear story - tales of fearsome grizzlies, even polar bears. But a mix of the two?

They're known as pizzlies or grolars, and they're a fusion of the Arctic white bear and their brown cousins. It's a blend that's been turning up more and more in parts of Alaska and Western Canada.
Bears sharing both species' DNA have been recorded several times over the past decade. So why are these two species linking up?

It's called flexible mate choice: The bears are mating with the best possible partners as opposed to not mating at all, and they're mating because they share relatively close territories and the same branches of the same evolutionary tree.

Intraspecies mixing between the two happened thousands of years ago, thanks to the advance and retreat of glaciers, and of late, it has been boosted by climate change.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=1635399&topic=21&#p33460065

Lions put to death after mauling man

 

Two lions have been killed in Chile after they severely mauled a man who stripped naked and entered their enclosure.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and was said to be in a grave condition.
Director Alejandra Montalba of Santiago's Metropolitan Zoo told local media the park was crowded with visitors at the time of the attack.

The 20-year-old man broke into the enclosure, took off his clothes and jumped into the middle, horrifying other visitors who witnessed the attack.

Zookeepers killed the two lions in order to save his life.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11642932

2016 set to be the hottest after April smashes record

April 2016 continued a string of 369 consecutive months at or warmer than average. Photo / Global Forecast System

The run of record heat continues with last month being the hottest April on record, according to Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

It is the seventh month in a row to break global temperature records.

The figures for last month also broke the previous record for April by the largest margin ever recorded, meaning the monthly record has been broken by the largest margin ever for three months in a row.

It also means the past seven months have been at least 1C above the 1951-80 mean for that month.
Figures released by Nasa over the weekend show the global temperature of land and sea was 1.11C warmer in April than the average temperature for April during the period 1951-1980. This broke the previous April record set in 2010 by 0.24C.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11639855

Sinking islands caused by sea-level rise, not climate change

Dead and dying trees emerge from the ocean above a sunken Solomon Island. Photo / Corey Howell

The author of a widely reported new study on the sinking of five islands in the Pacific says links with climate change have been exaggerated.

Dr Simon Albert's report studied 33 reef islands in the Solomon Islands between 1947 and 2014 and found that five had been washed away completely and six had been eroded.

The study blamed the loss on a combination of sea-level rise and high wave energy.

"All these headlines are certainly pushing things a bit towards the 'climate change has made islands vanish' angle. I would prefer slightly more moderate titles that focus on sea-level rise being the driver rather than simply 'climate change'," Albert told the Guardian.
    
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11640148

One of the Most Endangered Whales on Earth is Still Waiting for Protection

 

The poor Bryde's whales, all 50 of them, the only baleen whale in the Gulf of Mexico. They are exposed to noise,pollution,disturbance from energy exploration and other human interventions. Good luck to the new legal action being taken for their protection.

http://www.care2.com/causes/one-of-the-most-endangered-whales-on-earth-is-still-waiting-for-protection.html

vEndangered Sumatran rhino gives birth in Indonesia

Ratu, a 14-year-old Sumatran rhinoceros, sits next to its newborn calf at Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas. Photo / AP

A Sumatran rhinoceros has given birth at an Indonesian sanctuary in a success for efforts to save the critically endangered species.

The International Rhino Foundation said the female calf was born on Thursday, weighs about 45 pounds (20 kilograms) and looks healthy and active.

"We haven't stopped smiling since the moment we were sure she was alive and healthy," said IRF's executive director Susie Ellis in a statement. "While one birth does not save the species, it's one more Sumatran rhino on Earth."

Only an estimated 100 Sumatran rhinos remain, mostly on the island of Sumatra, and nine are in captivity.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11638865

Plan to lift safeguards for grizzlies at Yellowstone

 

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.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11638034

Villages erased: Islands wiped off the face of the Earth

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.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11636931

Thai wildlife officials start removing tigers from temple

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.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11647812

Rain needed for Canadian wildfire

 

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.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/video.cfm?c_id=2&gal_cid=2&gallery_id=160458

v 'We're losing critical elements of our climate system' - Earth's monthly heat streak hits new record

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."

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/world/were-losing-critical-elements-our-climate-system-earths-monthly-heat-streak-hits-new-record

Ailing penguins bond in rehab

Timmy and Tux

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."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11632288

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.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11631624