zoology

Exotic and endangered animals from an abandoned wildlife sanctuary were sold to a hunting safari in the Northern Territory, it has been revealed. Some 300 animals, including herds of critically endangered African scimitar horned oryx and addax, were sent to Mary River Australian Safaris following two separate legal disputes. The scimitar horned oryx is extinct in the wild, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  

Virgin Islands government and conservation organizations have received a federal grant to educate tourists and residents about the ecological impact of pocketing pretty things washed on shore. The Virgin Islands Resource Conservation and Development Council announced that it has received a $45,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to promote its "Leave Paradise in its Place" campaign, which is administered in cooperation with the Virgin Islands Network of Environmental Educat  

"Durel, Who?" I had asked sheepishly. The lady must have been disappointed that I did not know the author of the most popular books on animals.  

Fish and Game officials said a 43-year-old man has been arrested in connection to shooting a sea lion in the head. Larry Legans, 43, faces misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and negligent discharge of a firearm after a fisherman spotted him shooting a sea lion in the Sacramento River, officials said. A witness spotted Legans in the act and was able to note his trailer license plate number which authorities later used to identify him, they said.  

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission decided yesterday to extend its wolf hunt in more hunting units across the state through March 31, or until each hunting zone reaches its quota. This decision puts Idaho's wolf population at even further risk than it is already from the premature wolf hunt that Idaho and Montana implemented before wolves are fully recovered in the Northern Rockies. The following is a statement by Suzanne Stone, Northern Rockies representative for Defenders of Wildlife.  

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the RainForest, 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through Labor Day, the Zoo and The RainForest remain open until 7 p.m. Ticket sales end one hour before closing. (216) 661-6500.  

I dunno, I went to Hiroshima last year and saw the pictures of all the kids whose skin was oozing off their bones from the radiation poisoning and that didn't look very pleasant. Half of this one boy's cheek was missing so you could see his tongue resting between the gap in his teeth and his eyelid was half eaten away so it looked like a frayed curtain. This went on for years and years as deformities kept coming up and people's babies were born without limbs or severe mental retardation.  

DNA recovered from fossilised bones of the moa, a giant extinct bird, has revealed a new geological history of New Zealand, reports a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A team of scientists led by the University of Adelaide has reconstructed a history of marine barriers, mountain building and glacial cycles in New Zealand over millions of years, using the first complete genetic history of the moa. After almost being totally submerged around 25 million yea

Yet this research is rewriting the geological history of New Zealand and shows how little we really know about it   -Alan Cooper

 

The approaching holidays soon will become more visible with the lighting of 14,000 feet of holiday lights at the David Traylor Zoo. The public is invited to attend "Happy Holidaze at the Zoo" beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Hot chocolate will be available for purchase, and there will will be caroling to accompany the lighting ceremony, which will take place at 5:45.