General
International News and events affecting wildlife and wildlife professionals around the world India Locals from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh are pressuring authorities to declassify a wildlife refuge—the Karera Bird Sanctuary. If they’re successful, this would be the first sanctuary in India to lose official recognition. The sanctuary was created in 1981 to protect the Great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps). Yet this rare bird hasn’t been seen in the park for over a decade, causing some area residents to argue that the sanctuary’s special status is unnecessary. Most residents of 33 villages surrounding the 124-square-mile sanctuary favor a downgrade, complaining that sanctuary status prevents them from buying, selling, or building on the land. Opponents argue that a change in status would signify a failure in conservation efforts to protect the Great Indian bustard, known only to exist in four Indian states and parts of Pakistan.
In June, at a five-day United Nations meeting in Busan, South Korea, more than 230 delegates from 85 countries backed a proposal to create a global “science policy” panel on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Modeled after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the new Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services will help bridge the gulf between research and the political action needed to stop biodiversity loss. It will conduct peer reviews of scientific literature, which will serve as “gold standard” reports for participating governments. The new panel is expected to be formally endorsed at the UNEP’s Global Ministerial Meeting in 2011. Source: Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
China A recent study published in the journal Marine Biology revealed that two species of finless porpoises in Asia—once believed to be a single species—are genetically unique and rarely intermingle. After analyzing genes of 125 finless porpoises living around China, authors of the study discovered that a population living in the Yangtze River represents a distinct genetic grouping from other finless porpoise populations. Zoologists find the results of the study particularly disturbing because of its implication for the conservation and survival of this small population of porpoises, currently estimated at fewer than 1,000 individuals. Experts suggest the species be managed and conserved separately to avoid a fate similar to the Baiji dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), a freshwater dolphin once found only in China’s Yangtze River and declared functionally extinct in 2006. Source: Marine Biology
Source: Bombay Natural History Society
Australia Sydney’s Taronga Zoo has a new Tasmanian Devil Breeding Center. Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are threatened with extinction because of a widespread and contagious cancer called Devil Facial Tumor Disease that has infected 60 percent of the wild population. The $1 million center was created to raise awareness of a multi-zoo breeding program launched in 2008 to help restore the species and ensure a disease-free population of devils. Of 13 wildlife organizations that have signed on to the program, two—the Taronga and Taronga Western Plain Zoos— have already seen the birth of 24 Tasmanian devils. Taronga’s new center offers outdoor classroom sessions that explain the difficulties that devils face in the wild, particularly the threat of contracting Devil Facial Tumor Disease. The illness is caused by a virus that affects the animal’s face and prevents it from eating, causing it to starve to death. According to reports, if experts cannot find a cure, the species could die out within the next two to three decades. Source: Taronga Zoo
© The Wildlife Society
Credit: Rick Stevens
One of Taronga Zoo’s Tasmanian devils approaches a food-filled replica of a kangaroo in a specially designed feeding feature at the zoo’s new Tasmanian Devil Conservation Center. The exhibit is part of an effort to show human impacts on wildlife and landscapes.
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