Signs indicating locations of rhinos being removed from Kruger National Park

by Kraig Becker on

In an attempt to thwart the efforts of illegal rhino poachers in South Africa, wildlife officials at Kruger National Park have announced that they will no longer employ the use of signs that indicated where the animals can be found. Previously, safari guides and camp leaders used maps and colored pins to mark the location of recently spotted animals so that tourists could get the opportunity to see the endangered creatures in the wild. Officials now believe that those same signs were being used by poachers to track the animals as well.

As we’ve mentioned before on Gadling, rhinos are becoming increasingly rare throughout Africa, and have been recently declared extinct in some parts of the continent. Poachers seek out the animals to obtain their distinct horns, which are then sold on the black market in Asia, where they are used in traditional medicines. Because of their demand in that part of the world, rhino horns can now be valued at as much as $100,000, which has spurred a string of robberies from museums in Europe recently as well.

South Africa has done its best to crack down on the poachers by imposing stiffer jail sentences and sending more anti-poaching units into the field. Despite those efforts however, the problem continues to get worse. As of last week, 405 rhinos had been killed in the country this year alone, up from 333 last year. Of those, 229 were killed in Kruger, which is amongst the top safari destinations in all of Africa.

Without the signs to guide the way, tourists will just have to keep their eyes peeled in order to spot a rhino, which can be rather elusive in their natural habitat. Still, I don’t think anyone will argue against doing away with the signs if it means we can make the poacher’s job just a little bit more challenging.

[Photo Credit: Ikiwaner via WikiMedia]

Black rhino declared extinct in West Africa

by Kraig Becker on

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has published an update to its “Red List” of threatened animals, and the news was grim for a number of species across the planet – especially the rhinoceros. The organization has declared the wild black rhino extinct in West Africa, and says that a number of other subspecies of rhinos may already be gone as well.

IUCN officials say that poaching is to blame for the loss of the black rhino, whose horn is seen as highly valuable in traditional medicines and remedies across parts of Asia. Demand for those horns on the black market is so high, that poachers are willing to face stiff jail terms, or even death, in order to acquire them. As a result, this particular subspecies has been hunted to extinction in West Africa, where there are few security measures in place to protect the creatures.

The Red List also warns of the potential loss of the northern white rhino, which calls central Africa home. The IUCN believes that it is also on the brink of extinction, as is the Javan rhino, which is no longer found outside of Java as well.

According to the organization, 25% of the world’s mammal species are now in danger of becoming extinct, despite conservation efforts across the planet. They also warn that 40% of Madagascar’s reptiles are at risk, although new conservation zones there have helped to ease a possible impending disaster there.

All is not lost however, as the latest IUCN report also cites the success of the re-introduction of the Przewalski’s horse into the wild. The animal was also declared extinct outside of captivity back in 1996, but careful management has allowed the creature to be reintroduced to their natural habitat along the steppes of China and Mongolia. The herds are now believed to have grown to more than 300 in number.

The hope is that a similar program could eventually be used to bring the rhino back to its home as well. Before that can happen however, the threat of poaching needs to be quashed once and for all.

Highest numbers of whales in 25 years in Hervey Bay, Australia

by Jessica Festa on

Right now, Hervey Bay, Australia, is seeing the highest number of whales in 25 years. According to Wally Franklin of The Oceania Project there are a record number of whales migrating down the coast. In fact, he estimates 14,000 whales in the humpback population of eastern Australia. Franklin also strongly believes that this trend will continue into November, as mother humpbacks teach their calves how to breach, lob-tail, head-lunge, and pectoral-slap.

With whale-watching expeditions running until mid-November, there is still time to sign-up and see of the action yourself. For more information, click here.

African governments doing more to stop poaching of endangered species

by Sean McLachlan on

This year in Africa, the fight between law enforcement and poachers of endangered species has flared into a war.

In the first two months of 2011, nine poachers were shot dead in South Africa. Despite this, poaching is up. In that nation alone, 333 rhinos were killed in 2010, and there have been 309 rhinos poached so far this year. It looks like the illegal hunters are set to break a grisly record.

Now South Africa is holding talks with Vietnam to reduce the demand for rhino horn, which some Asians use as an aphrodisiac and as a cure for cancer. Sometimes the horns are kept whole as curios or for religious rituals, as this 1930s photo of a Tibetan monk from the Bundesarchiv shows. The two governments are working on a plan to fight organized syndicates that trade in animal parts.

South Africa isn’t the only country seeing trouble, and isn’t the only country fighting back. In Zimbabwe, poachers have been poisoning water holes so they can kill animals silently and avoid detection by park guards. At least nine elephants, five lions, two buffaloes, and several vultures are known to have died.

Meanwhile, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are going to sign a treaty to cooperate across their borders to stop poaching of mountain gorillas and other species. The treaty also sets up joint research and education about the region’s diverse flora and fauna.

Can stem cell research save endangered species?

by Sean McLachlan on

New advances in stem cell research are giving hope in the fight to save endangered species.

Scientists have created stem cells for two endangered African species–the northern white rhino and the drill monkey. They “reprogrammed” skin cells to make them revert to stem cells, an early stage of cell development in which a cell can develop into different types of specialized cells.

It’s hoped that one day these stem cells could be made into sperm and eggs, leading to test tube babies that could bolster dwindling populations of some species. This has already been achieved with laboratory mice.

The white rhino used to be a favorite of safari goers and, unfortunately, big game hunters. There are probably none left in the wild, and only seven in captivity. These rhinos are the poster children of how tourism can hurt the environment.

This stem cell breakthrough is good news. With Obama scrapping tighter smog regulations and China discovering just how much they’ve screwed up their environment, we can’t rely on our so-called leaders to get us out of this mess. While environmentalists say we all need to change our attitudes in order to save the planet, that’s unlikely to happen. In fact, science is the only part of society that regularly advances. Common sense, foresight, and wisdom sure don’t.

Here’s hoping the scientists can give us a world where our children don’t have to go to a zoo to see wildlife.

[Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]