News
We bring you the latest from around the World in wildlife and conservation news.
Police Shoot And Kill Escaped Bengal Tiger In Atlanta Suburb
Police in the US state of Georgia has to go big game hunting earlier this month. The Georgia police shot and killed a Bengal tiger after the animal nearly made a meal of a homeowner’s dog authorities said. The wild ride began following 911 calls by at least two people who reported that they had seen the big cat lurking in the Atlanta suburb of Stockbridge at about 6 a.m. said police department captain Joey Smith.
Baby Rhino Swept Away By South Asian Floods Rescued
An endangered one horned rhino that had found itself caught up in the flooding and was swept across the Nepali border into India has been found and brought home. The rhino which is a young female was rescued around 42 kilometres in away from its home in the Chitwan National Park. The rhino ended up near the Indian village of Bagah and was very lucky to be found because there are four more rhinos that are still missing with one dead following the devastating flooding in the region.
Baby Elephant Euthanized At Pittsburgh Zoo
A baby elephant that was born at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium died last month despite the efforts of caretakers who tried to save it after the calf was rejected by her mother. The calf was born prematurely in June and could not nurse. This led to the decision by her handlers to euthanize her after she was unable to regain health. Usually a female African elephant stays in her mother’s womb for an average of 645 days. In this case however, the female calf was born after 615 days and weighed just 184 pounds which is 50 pounds less than average. At the time of her birth, the mother did not have any milk which led to the rejection of the calf.
Huge Cache Of Pangolin Scales Seized In China
The authorities in China have seized more than 3000 kilograms of pangolin scales in the city of Shanghai in what is thought to be the biggest case of smuggling of the animal’s body parts. It is estimated that between 5,000 to 7,000 pangolins may have been slaughtered in order to produce such a large amount of scales. Many experts describe the pangolin as being the most trafficked animal in the world. The intensity of poaching and the robust trade in their body parts has pushed the animal towards the brink of extinction.
Tasmanian Tiger May Not Be Extinct After All
There have been several reports of sightings of the Tasmanian Tiger that have begun to flow in from regular Australians. Multiple people have recently made the claim they have seen the animal which in actual fact is not a tiger at all. Despite the fact the Tasmanian Tiger closely resembles a dog, it is not of canine lineage either. Instead the Tasmanian Tiger is a carnivorous marsupial. Spotting an interesting animal in Australia is nothing out of the ordinary, however the problem with the reports that have been emerging in particular is the Tasmanian Tiger is apparently extinct.
Celebrate World Orangutan Day
August 19th is World Orangutan Day, this great ape is known as the old man of the forest and lives in the rich rain-forests of South East Asia. However, as a result of deforestation caused by the palm oil industry, these magnificent creatures are on the brink of extinction. World Orangutan Day was established in order to raise awareness amongst the general public about their situation in the hopes that they will lend their support in protecting them.
Global Warming Poses Additional Threat Of Polar Bears Being Hunted
Polar bears already face the threat of receding ice levels and declining sources of food in the Arctic. If that is not enough, they face additional dangers as a result of global warming because they are now prey for killer whales and sharks. As the Arctic ice recedes, polar bears find it increasingly difficult to hunt for seals that make up the vast majority of their diet and this means they are being forced to swim ever greater distances.
Poachers Kill White Rhino At A French Zoo
Recently a rhino was shot dead by poachers at a French zoo in what is widely believed the first incident of its kind in Europe. Zoo keepers at Thiory came in to work one Tuesday morning to find Vince a four-year-old white rhino dead with one of his horns hacked off by a chainsaw according to police. The African rhino horn is highly prized in traditional Asian medicine and as a result fetches high prices on the black market. There are about 100 rhinos killed each month in the wild as a result.