gairrhydd
MAY.26.2008
WORLD NEWS
NEWS@gairrhydd.COM
Giant mice threaten seabirds Sian Symons Reporter
Giant carnivorous mice are threatening the world’s greatest seabird colony on a remote island in the South Atlantic. Gough Island was considered a safe haven for birds 150 years ago. Without a single predator on the island, the bird population was in its millions. Today Gough is deemed to be “one of nature’s greatest horror shows”. A whaling boat, presumably from Britain, is suspected to have carried a few mouse stowaways that escaped onto the Island. Not only have the mice multiplied to a number nearing 700,000, they have also evolved to be three times the size of an ordinary house mouse. Also, unlike the normal species found in Britain, these mice differ from their vegetarian ancestors and have adapted to eating albatross and shearwater chicks alive in their nests. As the birds on the Island have never experienced predators before it is feared that they are unable to defend themselves against the killer mice. The conservation group Birdlife International has recently recognised that the mice are believed to be “the largest mice found anywhere in the world” and are out of control as they face no predators.
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World News in brief Ruth Smith Reporter
Hair attack
Birdlife International also worries that the mutant mice will make some of the rarest bird species extinct. Studies suggest that about 60% of Gough’s chicks die in their nests as a result of predation by the mice. Dr Geoff Hilton, a scientist researching conservation problems, said: “The only hope for these threatened
birds is the complete eradication of the mice.” The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has suggested hiring helicopters to drop rodent poison on the Island, which would cost around £2.6 million. Solutions are now being considered by the UK government, which has
previously been criticised for neglecting the ecology of its overseas territories. However, the government has professed an interest in supporting the study and is now in the process of finalising the plans for the mouse eradication.
An 11-year-old boy is seeking a cure for a rare genetic condition called hypertichosis, otherwise known as Werewolf Syndrome. Pruthviraj Patil, from the Indian district of Sangli near Bombay, is believed to be one of only 50 people in the world to have the condition. A range of treatments have been tried on the hair covering his face, including laser treatment, but it continues to grow back. He has appealed to doctors to help him to find a cure.
Beer vs. child
Mozambique police fitness concerns Emma Jones Reporter
Many police officers in Mozambique are too fat to run after criminals, it has emerged. A compulsory training programme is to be put into place to improve the police officers’ general fitness. Pana Chande, advisor to the Interior Ministry, claimed that the poor lifestyle led by many police officers was the cause of the problem. He has alleged that many of them
the activities that the police officers will complete. Mr Chande was keen to stress that the retraining programme is not a form of punishment, but an exercise geared towards improving the performance of the entire police force. He also explained that the training is already underway “We are in a process of training officers and commanders at our training centres.” “We need men who are able to perform without problems,” Mr Chande added.
drink too much alcohol, smoke and have very large stomachs. As a result, many police officers are finding it difficult to chase criminals, or to act swiftly enough to prevent crime from occurring in the first place. Mr Chande said: “Some of them are so large it is affecting their health and ability to run.” The physical training programme is aimed at improving their agility, speed and flexibility. Running, gymnastics, and simulating the chase of criminals are just some of
Pig conservation begins in Asia The world’s smallest and rarest pig is set to be protected under a new conservation project in a North-Eastern state of India Sarah Powell Reporter A conservation project has begun in South Asia to protect the world’s smallest and rarest wild pig. The pygmy hog is a species which can now only be found in Assam, the North-Eastern state of India. The hogs have been the focus of a 12-year conservation process which aims to protect them from the everincreasing threat of extinction. It is currently estimated that there are fewer than 400 wild pygmy hogs in the world. This statistic encouraged increased efforts to conserve the species through an extensive breeding programme of hogs in captivity. The programme has led to the
imminent release of 16 pygmy hogs into the Sonai Rupai wildlife sanctuary, an area north of the state capital, Guwahati. The hogs are being released gradually into the wild, and through close monitoring it is hoped that they will adjust to their new lives. Dr. Goutam Narayan of Durrell Wildlife and EcoSystems India is the main proponent of this conservation scheme. With increasing support from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, a Jersey-based organisation largely involved in conservation efforts, Dr. Narayan hopes that the project will be a great success. The pygmy hog was thought to be extinct in 1964, when there had been no sightings of the species for a number
of years. However, Dr. Narayan states that in 1971 four pygmy hogs were discovered at a market in Assam, which he said “gave everyone cause for hope”.
Despite the great efforts to help protect this endangered species, the pygmy hogs will still be under threat when released into the wild. Pythons and Tigers are formidable predators to the hogs, but the greatest threat is the human destruction of their grassland habitats.
A constable was recently shocked when he discovered an Australian driver had strapped in his crate of beer instead of the five-year-old child who was travelling in the car. The 30 cans were buckled to the seat in between the two back occupied passenger seats while the child sat on the floor. Four adults were in the car, but there still would have been room for the child to also ride safely. The driver was fined £360 for failing to ensure the child was wearing a seatbelt.
Oreo crash
Fourteen tons of double stuffed Oreos covered a road 50 miles from Chicago when a trailer overturned. The truck driver was travelling from Chicago to Morris at 4am one morning when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. The cookies spilled out still in their plastic sleeves and have left both lanes of traffic closed as authorities clear up the mess. The crash is still being investigated.