hot rock therapy at a hot spring in Osaka
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
BlueVoice investigates correlation between contaminants in marine mammals and human cancer clusters
A National Academy of Sciences committee stated "PCBs pose the largest potential carcinogenic risk of any environmental contaminant for which measurements exist."BlueVoice.org has joined Dr. Brian Durie, an internationally recognized specialist in the bone marrow cancer Multiple Myeloma, in research correlating populations of marine mammals burdened by high levels of toxins with human cancer hot spots on adjacent shores. Early results are compelling. It appears that marine mammals, such as the killer whales off Seattle, are sentinels warning us of dangerous contamination of the seas.
Dr. Durie, chairman of the board of the International Myeloma Foundation – http://www.myeloma.org - has just published the following paper on the connection between toxins, including those in the marine environment, with multiple myeloma. It is likely that correlations to other forms of cancer will emerge. Dr. Durie’s paper won recognition as a “Best of ASH” abstract at a recent meeting of the American Society of Hematologists.
The International Myeloma Foundation Identifies Potential Link Between Genetic Pathways and Environmental Risks For Myeloma
Toxins in Resident Coastal Dolphins Signal Dangers of Human Cancer
THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION IDENTIFIES POTENTIAL LINK BETWEEN GENETIC PATHWAYS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS FOR MYELOMA
North Hollywood, CA, and Atlanta, GA, December 11, 2007 - The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) http://www.myeloma.org — today said findings from its myeloma DNA bank identified genetic links to bone disease in multiple myeloma, a cancer of cells in the bone marrow, that in some cases can also include bone deterioration. These findings also may both support and explain associations that have been observed between environmental toxins such as dioxins and benzene, and an increased risk for myeloma. The findings were made with resources from Bank On A Cure® (BOAC), the world's first repository of DNA samples created to advance the understanding of myeloma. They were presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of The American Society of Hematology in Atlanta on December 11th.The study found that genetic pathways associated with the ability to neutralize environmental toxins are defective in patients with classic myeloma (myeloma with bone involvement). These pathways are identified as specific segments of genes called single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs that are known to be associated with toxin metabolism and DNA repair. These findings are in line with observations of patient populations and groups of workers including firefighters that had previously demonstrated a correlation between increased risk for myeloma and exposure to hydrocarbons and related chemicals.
"Identifying these genetic pathways was unexpected," said Brian G.M. Durie. M.D., chairman of the International Myeloma Foundation and lead author of the BOAC presentation. "We were looking at bone biology and the SNPs associated with toxin metabolism fell into place. Now, working back through the gene pathways, we have a robust model of myeloma bone disease that may explain the epidemiological observations."
*Abstract #816: "Genetic Polymorphisms Identify the Likelihood of Bone Disease in Myeloma: Correlations with Myeloma Cell DKK1 Expression and High Risk Gene Signatures".
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[5062] New Bioaccumulations of Toxins in Resident Coastal Dolphins Signal Dangers of Human Myeloma.
Session Type: Publication Only
Brian G.M. Durie, Hardy Jones Aptium Oncology, Inc, Cedars-Sinai Outpatient Cancer Center, LosAngeles, CA, USA; Bluevoice. Com, Petaluma, CA, USA
Dolphins and humans are exposed to the same toxins in seafood. Over 2 billion people worldwide rely on seafood as their major source of protein and 60% of people live in coastal areas. Resident coastal dolphins are exposed to marine pollution in the same fashion as humans who frequently consume seafood, thus any indication of disease in dolphins has implications both for humans who eat regularly from the same areas and/or are otherwise exposed to the same toxins.
Although ecotoxicologic studies of marine environments are very complex, (Irwin: Aquatic Mammals 31:195-225, 2005), the bottlenose dolphin is a sentinel species for biomonitoring purposes. Tissue levels of many known carcinogens such as DDT, DDE, dioxins (e.g. PCDDs and 2,3,7,8 TCDD), BaP, PAHs, and more recently PFC and PBDEs (water repellants and fire retardants), reflect bioaccumulation in both dolphins and humans. Target sites where human and dolphin disease have been contrasted and compared are: North America (Alaska; Puget Sound; San Francisco Bay; Gulf Coast and Florida; St. Lawrence Seaway); Japan (Osaka Bay); Sweden; Coastal UK and Hong Kong (Pearl River estuary). For Alaska, Florida, Japan, Sweden and coastal UK, there are highly significant correlations between fish contamination/ consumption and excess risk of human myeloma. In Alaska, Inuit men eat contaminated fish, have high organochloride (dioxins) levels in blood and tissues and an increased risk of myeloma. Likewise for Swedish fisherman comparing Baltic (more contamination) versus west coast levels of dioxins and myeloma. In Japan, a case control study provides a highly significant odds ratio of 5.89 for agriculture/ fisheries as occupational factors. A separate study gives an annual age adjusted incidence of 7.03/100,000 for the Osaka Bay fishing region. Around Lake Okeechobee Florida an incidence rate of 6.52/100,000 correlates with both contamination and commercial fishing licenses.
Although dolphins share most human mammalian genes, including CYP1A and CYP2B, they lack the ability to adequately catabolize type I and II dioxins, which therefore preferentially accumulate. Unfortunately, observed results of these bioaccumulations are suppressed immunity, infections and cancers particularly Bcell lymphomas and myeloma-like immunoblastic lymphomas (Bossart: J. Vet Diagn Invest 9: 454-458, 1997). This pattern of diseases in turn corresponds with the local and systemic effects exemplified in Balb/c mice during pristane-induced plasmacytogenesis and in humans exposed to toxins.
Newly recognized persistent organic pollutants such as water repellants (PFCs) and flame-retardants
(PBDEs) are a particular concern, both because of rapid recent bioaccumulation in dolphins with associated disease manifestations plus the potential for wide global dispersal and diverse routes of human exposure. Numerous consumer goods contain PBDEs, including electronics, carpets, furniture and textiles. Genetic studies help refine probability calculations to assess risk using the union rule for independent events.
Studies are now underway to correlate recent bioaccumulations in dolphins and humans, genetic
predisposition and myeloma onset. Probability calculations for risk of developing myeloma will support
interventions to reduce both contamination of the marine environment and elimination of human toxin
exposures.
Abstract #5062 appears in Blood, Volume 108, issue 11, November 16, 2006
Keywords: Prevention|Epidemiology|Risk factor
Publication Only
Friday, November 11, 2011
Christian carries the baby down to the Senkwekwe Center to wait for the vets and where the baby will live for the next month.
A
small team of Virunga rangers played undercover cops this week when
they posed as buyers for a poached baby gorilla. It all started two
weeks ago when Shamavu, our dog unit team leader, received a call from
some of his contacts about a baby gorilla trafficking ring. Sadly,
we’ve now had several such incidences, and
a system has been set up to track down the offenders, bring them to
justice and recover the baby gorilla. A first undercover team was sent
in to Kaina in the Lubero territory at the beginning of last week. This
is a dangerous area with a strong militia presence. Shamavu led a team
concealed as potential buyers. They were dressed in civilian dress but
with their weapons at hand. Contact was made with the suspects, but
unfortunately they were unable to see the gorilla, so they were forced
to pull out. It was a tense and frustrating moment. On Thursday, he
received a second message that a baby gorilla was in town, so we
relaunched the operation. Shamavu and his team of four rangers and one
court officer once again drove for eight hours to the remote town in a
hired vehicle to avoid being recognized. This time, it all went like
clockwork. He called in at six thirty last night, announcing that they
had made three arrests and recovered the baby gorilla. Shamavu arrived
at Rumangabo with the baby this morning, and the vets arrived an hour or
so later. After an examination of the baby’s teeth and size, the
Gorilla Doctors guessed the age at about a year and a half and said he
appears healthy except for a possible skin fungus and lice. He will stay
at the Senkwekwe Center at Rumangabo for a 30-day quarantine, separate
from the other orphan gorillas, and then hopefully move to the Grauer’s
gorilla sanctuary in Congo called Grace. The baby will be named Shamavu
after the ranger who rescued him. http://www.facebook.com/virung
by: Naima Khacham
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Dolphin dies after Swiss techno party
A dolphin has died at a Swiss amusement park just weeks after conservationists warned that loud noises could cause extreme distress to the cetaceans at a dolphinarium in the eastern town of Lipperswil.
Shadow, an eight-year-old dolphin, died on Tuesday, 20 days after a huge techno party was held only 50 metres away from Connyland, the amusement park where the aquarium is located.
Conservationists say the animal’s immune system may have been damaged by loud music at the 16-hour party.
Vets at Connyland were surprised by the death of the mammal on Tuesday, since Shadow had performed his daily training room with enthusiasm that morning, park director Erich Brandenberger told reporters.
Soon though, the dolphin became agitated. Despite efforts from his trainer to calm him down, Shadow stopped breathing and his pulse disappeared. Connyland has requested that the authorities carry out an autopsy to establish the cause of death. The results should be “ready in three or four weeks”, cantonal vet Paul Witzig told newspaper 20 Minuten.
Two animal protection groups had previously warned authorities of the dangers of holding such a loud event so close to the dolphinarium. “
"We fear the dolphins will suffer from stress,” said ProWal and Delfinschutz Forum in a joint statement before the party.
But the Veterinary Office from canton Thurgau saw no reason to ban the party, arguing that the facility where it would take place was built in such a way that the noise from outside would not prove a disturbance. In a pre-party statement, the office said there was no proof that exposure to loud noises for a few hours would affect the well-being of the dolphins.
“This is the seventh dolphin to die in this amusement park in only three years,” said animal welfare organisations Oceancare and Swiss Protection for Animals. According to them, the living conditions for dolphins at Connyland are “unacceptable.”
“It is unacceptable for the well-being of animals to be sacrificed in favour of profits with the blessing of the authorities,” said Sigrid Lüber, president of OceanCare.
In 2010, the organisation pressed charges against Connyland for an alleged serious violation of the Animal Protection Act. That case is still pending.
A dolphin has died at a Swiss amusement park just weeks after conservationists warned that loud noises could cause extreme distress to the cetaceans at a dolphinarium in the eastern town of Lipperswil.
Shadow, an eight-year-old dolphin, died on Tuesday, 20 days after a huge techno party was held only 50 metres away from Connyland, the amusement park where the aquarium is located.
Conservationists say the animal’s immune system may have been damaged by loud music at the 16-hour party.
Vets at Connyland were surprised by the death of the mammal on Tuesday, since Shadow had performed his daily training room with enthusiasm that morning, park director Erich Brandenberger told reporters.
Soon though, the dolphin became agitated. Despite efforts from his trainer to calm him down, Shadow stopped breathing and his pulse disappeared. Connyland has requested that the authorities carry out an autopsy to establish the cause of death. The results should be “ready in three or four weeks”, cantonal vet Paul Witzig told newspaper 20 Minuten.
Two animal protection groups had previously warned authorities of the dangers of holding such a loud event so close to the dolphinarium. “
"We fear the dolphins will suffer from stress,” said ProWal and Delfinschutz Forum in a joint statement before the party.
But the Veterinary Office from canton Thurgau saw no reason to ban the party, arguing that the facility where it would take place was built in such a way that the noise from outside would not prove a disturbance. In a pre-party statement, the office said there was no proof that exposure to loud noises for a few hours would affect the well-being of the dolphins.
“This is the seventh dolphin to die in this amusement park in only three years,” said animal welfare organisations Oceancare and Swiss Protection for Animals. According to them, the living conditions for dolphins at Connyland are “unacceptable.”
“It is unacceptable for the well-being of animals to be sacrificed in favour of profits with the blessing of the authorities,” said Sigrid Lüber, president of OceanCare.
In 2010, the organisation pressed charges against Connyland for an alleged serious violation of the Animal Protection Act. That case is still pending.
Sick Dolphin in Taiji Creates a Storm of International Protest
Nov 9, 2011
Elizabeth Batt
Jiyu, clearly emaciated, spyhopped repetitively - Image courtesy of Heather Hill, Save Japan DolphinsPleas to Dolphin Base in Japan requesting assistance for a sick dolphin affectionately named Jiyu have failed. Sources believe Jiyu was slaughtered.
Nov. 09, 2011. Cove Monitors and Guardians for both Save Japan Dolphins (SJD) and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) are reporting that despite a global and ardent social media campaign, a bottlenose dolphin, who captured the hearts of international dolphin activists, is believed to have been killed. Meanwhile, messages posted online by Dolphin Resort, appear to directly threaten activists on the ground in Taiji.
Dolphin develops neurotic behaviors
Rosie Kunneke, the lead Cove Guardian with SSCS in Taiji, spotted the sick dolphin several weeks ago where he was being held in a sea pen at Dolphin Base, Japan. Captured from the ocean during one of Taiji's grueling dolphin drives, Jiyu, (as named by Kunneke and meaning freedom in Japanese), was earmarked for captivity sources say, by Japan's, Dolphin Resort.
The dolphin first drew Kunneke's attention after he was observed displaying signs of distress and neurosis. Having been separated from his pod, Jiyu's anxiety was palpable as the bottlenose began to spyhop repeatedly. After receiving an injection of what Kunneke suspects was a sedative, Jiyu, Kunneke said, "Appeared calmer and did not spyhop as often." Yet despite the dolphin's sedated appearance, the Cove Guardian observed that Jiyu always kept his distance from trainers, refusing to interact with them and taking himself to the corner of his pen at feeding times.
At some point, says Kunneke, Jiyu was moved to another pen and observers lost sight of the bottlenose for a couple of days. When he was finally relocated in another sea pen, Sea Shepherd Guardians and SJD Cove Monitors were appalled by his condition and behavior. Heather Hill with SJD, reported that Jiyu was spyhopping repetitively every 15 seconds or so. Photographs taken by Hill, appear to show Jiyu emaciated to the point where his skeleton can clearly be seen.
He even refused to be stirred by the presence of fellow captive dolphins, Hill says. "If the other dolphins in the pen got too close, which they often did," she added, "[...] he'd simply drift over to another corner and continue spyhopping."
Jiyu, adds Hill, was completely ignored by the trainers at feeding time and was offered neither food or medical treatment. Kunneke later reported that she approached a man believed to be the owner of Dolphin Resort and politely asked in Japanese for freedom for Jiyu. "He just nodded his head and walked off," Kunneke said. Later when a fisherman actively involved in the dolphin slaughtering approached the pen, the SSCS Guardian suspected that Jiyu's fate had already been determined. The man after spotting Kunneke observing him, rapidly retreated; Kunneke remained near Jiyu and maintained visual contact with him until after dark.
Activists issue a call to action
Alarmed by both the dolphin's demeanor and his potential fate, Kunneke, along with SJD Monitors Leah Lemieux and Heather Hill, issued a call to action across social media platforms and asked supporters to email or telephone Dolphin Resort/Dolphin Base, to request that Jiyu receive, "Qualified veterinary assistance or assisted release with rehabilitation." Yet despite a slew of international calls and emails to both entities – the calls went unanswered. Now activists believe that Jiyu was slaughtered.
Read This Next
After a Slow Start Dolphin Hunting has Ramped up in Taiji Hypocrisy in Taiji's Sister City: Let Dwyer's Painting Be Judged Dolphin Hunting In Taiji, Japan "We cannot see Jiyu anywhere," said Kunneke, "I saw a dolphin killer here yesterday and when we arrived here earlier, there was a dolphin killer hanging around. We suspect that Jiyu was killed."
Dolphin resort issues threats
Dolphin Resort it appears, is clearly going on the defensive. Visiting the official website for Dolphinresort.co.jp now redirects to a Japanese blog with the following message. "To anybody coming to Taiji as an activist, this website is only intended to be a warning. The message is simple. We know who you are, so behave yourself in Japan." Furthermore they write, in a posted Statement to Foreign Readers, "As long as activists put fishermen's faces on blogs, facebook, and youtube without their permission, we do the same for you."
The blog, which is hosted by someone calling themselves Pngtaiji, goes on to suggest that if concerned parties are "Really serious about requesting the Dolphin Base to release the dolphin, you should officially negotiate with the Dolphin Base, with Japanese translator/lawyer, and offer them the price of the dolphin, food, and expenses for releasing the dolphin." Pngtaiji then adds that, "The price of a dolphin is $300,000 according to Ric O'Barry's most recent comment. So suggest you to start collecting money."
Heather Hill told Suite101.com earlier this evening, "As we suspected, the dolphin killers returned and killed Jiyu either sometime last night or this morning. Hope he can find his peace now ..."
Pngtaiji meanwhile, asserts that the dolphin was receiving care, "Live dolphins makes money for such a facility, not the dead ones. Losing dolphins means big loss," they say, but claim to be "not related to Dolphin Base." Suite101.com did contact Pngtaiji about the whereabouts of Jiyu, and was told, "The dolphin is in good hands," but they would not confirm whether the dolphin had been moved or if he was still alive.
Japanese mafia involved?
Certainly tension is increasing all around for activists in Japan. Lauren Williams of Australia's Daily Telegraph, is reporting claims that Japanese "Yakuza" gangsters have launched a campaign of intimidation to force a media blackout on the furore surrounding the country's killing of dolphins and whales. Yazuka organizations are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan prevalent in the Japanese media. Called "boryokudan," by the Japanese police, the term literally means, 'violence group.' In Japan, writes Anthony Bruno of Trutv.com, "There are 110,000 active members divided into 2,500 families," with influence that extends into the USA.
Readers can watch Heather Hill's video report on Jiyu; Hill is a volunteer for the Wild Dolphin Foundation, an Hawaii-based NPO, and the author of My Porpoise Driven Life. She is currently on location in Taiji for Save Japan Dolphins with Leah Lemieux. Rosie Kunneke is on location in Taiji for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. For further information on the dolphin drives in Taiji and how to get involved, visit Save Japan Dolphins.org or follow Kunneke's reports from Taiji at Sea Shepherd.org. Although, Jiyu's sex could not be determined, Suite101.com used "he" for clarity purposes
Read more at Suite101: Sick Dolphin in Taiji Creates a Storm of International Protest
Suite101.com http://www.suite101.com/news/sick-dolphin-in-taiji-creates-a-storm-of-international-protest-a395999#ixzz1dLlDDacP
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
10/25/11 Latin America Unites in the Defense of the Antarctic and Whales Against Japanese “Scientific” Whaling
Sixty-three civil society organizations in Latin America, Caribbean and international that conduct work in the region asked their governments to take diplomatic actions against the next scientific" whaling season of Japan in the Southern Ocean.
October 25, 2011 (CCC/Ecoceanos News) – Sixty three organizations from Latin-America, the Caribbean and international that conduct regional work in marine conservation united to request their governments the adoption of diplomatic measures and public opposition to the recent announcements made by the government of Japan in relation to retake from next December the so-called “scientific” whaling operations in the Southern Ocean and the “improvement of the security” of the Antarctic whaling fleet.In a letter delivered simultaneously to representatives of 14 countries from the Buenos Aires Group, civil society organizations denounced the commercial nature of the so-called "scientific" whaling stating "Since the JARPA II (lethal research) program began in 2006, the annual whaling quota increased to almost half of all whales taken under special permits per year (of all nations that have conducted whaling operations under special permit), reaching levels that are similar to the commercial whaling annual quota for the Antarctic minke whale before the implementation of the moratorium."
"Apart from being a cover-up for commercial whaling operations thus violating the moratorium on commercial whaling, the "scientific" whaling program conducted by the Japanese government in Antarctica represents a growing and alarming threat to the governance of the Southern Ocean, the security of human life at sea and protection of the sensitive Antarctic marine ecosystem" they add.
In this respect organizations warn that "The challenging position of the government of Japan, of sending a patrol ship to protect the whaling crew, seriously threatens the principles established by the Antarctic Treaty as zone of peace free of weapeons (...) a situation that is even more worrisome because of the lack of transparency of the Japanese Government regarding the type of boat, defense personnel and instruments that would be used in the protection of the whaling fleet."
"In this complex context, we believe that the defense of peace and demilitarization of the Antarctic is crucial to ensure the governance of the Southern Ocean," they say.
For Elsa Cabrera, executive director of the Centro de Conservacion Cetacea in Chile "it is unacceptable that the Japanese government will once again turn the waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the scenery of the slaughter of hundreds of whales that are protected and now seeks to convert the area in a conflict zone that could seriously threaten the delicate ecosystem of the Antarctic and the safety of human life.
"In relation to the operations of the whaling fleet, the 63 representatives of civil society in Latin America and the Caribbean assert that Antarctica's delicate ecosystem is threatened by whaling operations and recalled that "in August of this year, measures taken by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) came into place, prohibiting the operation of heavy fuel ships in Antarctic waters, which is the type of fuel used by the Nisshin Maru".In this regard, the organizations question that the announcement of the government of Japan does not give any information about the type of fuel that will be used by the vessel during the next "scientific" whaling season.
In this context Juan Carlos Cardenas, veterinarian and director of Centro Ecoceanos said that "the conservation of whale stocks and the maintenance of peace in the Southern Ocean are issues of sovereignty, governance and international cooperation. These issues need to be reflected by the Buenos Aires Group in a clear diplomatic action against Japan, and exercise our historical interests and responsibilities in the Antarctic continent".
"The organizations concluded the letter stating that "As civil society organizations committed to the conservation of the marine environment, the effective conservation of cetaceans, defense of all life forms and peace, we see with deep concern the reprehensible conduct of the government of Japan, which both inside and outside the scope of the meeting of the IWC continues to show its unwillingness to improve the functioning of this important international organization. Consequently, and knowing your commitment with the conservation and respect to norms and international cohabitation, we ask the Buenos Aires Group to urgently take diplomatic actions to reject the recent announcements made by the Japanese government and send a clear and strong public sign of opposition to the slaughter of whales and the possible militarization of Antarctica”.
The Buenos Aires Group was created in 2005 with the aim to strengthen a regional position strongly committed with the conservation and non-lethal use of these marine mammals and currently has representatives in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Read the letter here
Source: Centro de Conservación Cetacea. Centro Ecoceanos
Friday, November 4, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Japan Threatened to Boycott Australia if Koala Bears were shot (Frommer's Australia)
Japan saved large numbers of Koala Bears from being shot. It was Japan's threat of a boycott which made Australia think twice. Below is an article on the status of protection given to Koalas by the Australian government.
PERSPECTIVE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF ISOLATED/ISLAND KOALA POPULATIONS
PERSPECTIVE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF ISOLATED/ISLAND KOALA POPULATIONS
JUNE 2000
Presented at the Australian Veterinary Association Conference in Perth
DEBORAH TABART, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AUSTRALIAN KOALA FOUNDATION
Presented at the Australian Veterinary Association Conference in Perth
DEBORAH TABART, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AUSTRALIAN KOALA FOUNDATION
Koalas in South Gippsland may hold the key to the future survival of koalas in southern Australia but their habitat is afforded little or no protection under Victorian or Federal law. It is also subject to logging. Most if not all other koala populations in Victoria and South Australia (collectively I will refer to them as 'southern koala populations') have been established as part of an ongoing translocation program. They are highly inbred and beginning to show morphological changes. This is why the management of all koala populations in southern Australia and particularly the decisions made with regard to isolated & island populations have to be carefully handled.
It is the AKF's view that Koalas in South Gippsland, Victoria may well hold the key to the future survival of koalas in southern Australia as a result of the historical twists and turns that have taken place over the past two centuries. The South Gippsland koala population centred around the Strzelecki Ranges is believed to be the only surviving remnant of the original koala population that ranged throughout Victoria and South Australia prior to white settlement. Koalas in South Gippsland are the most genetically diverse of southern koala populations and as such are crucial in terms of long term conservation. It is important to protect the koalas of South Gippsland and their habitats, for the benefit of all southern koala populations.
Most other southern koala populations outside South Gippsland are founded from French Island stock and are highly inbred. These koalas are beginning to show morphological abnormalities such as one or no testicles, and because of their very narrow genetic base, could well be vulnerable to a population crash in the future. It is imperative that this fact is recognised by everyone involved in the management of southern koalas so they will then protect the koalas of South Gippsland and their habitats. Their genetic material could be used to strengthen other southern populations and afford all those koalas a good chance of long term survival.
The Australian Koala Foundation believes that until there is an accurate census of existing animals and a clear idea of what habitat is available on private and public land across the whole state, it should not be assumed that Victoria has viable koala populations. The same applies to South Australia. The AKF has commenced work on mapping the Strzelecki ranges in South Gippsland for its Koala Habitat Atlas, which produces GIS based maps which identify and rank koala habitat so that sound land-use planning decisions can be made for the protection of koala habitats and the management of remaining populations.
Habitat is a key factor in the debate of how to manage koalas. While we quibble over population estimates, the spotlight is turned away from ongoing habitat destruction, fragmentation and isolation. The loss of habitat caused by human intervention in this country is the root cause of so called 'overpopulation' by koalas, bats, cockatoos and other threatened wildlife. Calls to cull these natives to our country who are being forced into ever decreasing habitats while we continue to clear at one of the highest rates in the world, are irresponsible and completely crazy.
To understand the problems faced by today's koalas, it is necessary to appreciate the recent history of koalas in Australia. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s there was a thriving world trade in koala fur and by 1930, koalas were already extinct in South Australia, estimated at only thousands in New South Wales, thousands in Victoria and approximately 10,000 in Queensland. Approximately three million koala furs went to market during the early 1900s and as many as ten million were estimated to have been shot during that time. A six month open season on koalas in Queensland in 1919 alone yielded one million koala skins.
In 1930, American President Herbert Hoover banned the importation of koalas skins into the US and following public outrage in Australia, koalas were eventually protected in all states by the end of the 1930s, but their habitat was not protected and in most cases, it still isn't.
Because of the fur trade, people around Australia became concerned for the koala's survival and a 'handful' of koalas were moved from mainland Victoria to French Island and Phillip Island in the 1880/90s. The records of this period are poor but oral history suggests that a sealer presented his lover on French Island with a gift of a small group of koalas (thought to be as few as four). Koalas were also moved from the mainland to Phillip Island at around this time. In 1923, wildlife authorities in Victoria commenced translocating animals back to mainland habitats. Between 1923 - 1994 approximately 10,000 koalas were translocated from French Island, Phillip Island and other populations founded by their stock to mainland Victoria, Kangaroo Island and mainland South Australia.
While this translocation process has restocked mainland Victoria and South Australia where koalas had lived before the fur trade, the progeny of French Island koalas founded by as few as four animals makes up the bulk of koalas that have repopulated mainland Victoria and South Australia. They are highly inbred and as I said earlier, some are beginning to show morphological changes. Wild Koalas on Phillip Island are all but locally extinct due to the pressures of habitat loss, cars and dogs.
The Victorian Government boasts that its translocation program is the most successful in the world. Successful in terms of what? The AKF argues that its so-called success lies in the fact that it has moved large numbers of koalas. But there is no research to suggest that koalas are secure in the southern part of their range as a result.
French Island koalas continue to be a source population for translocation. Problems at Tower Hill, Mt. Eccles, Framlingham and Snake Island are an example of the real failure of translocations from French Island. One can only speculate on the exponential growth of problems caused by the further translocation of animals from Mt. Eccles, Framlingham and Snake Island to other parts of Victoria where they are currently being dumped. Those that survive anyway, given the information received by us after a recent translocation from Snake Island.
Fundamentally important to the future southern koala populations is the retention or re-establishment of suitable habitats. Well over 80% of Victoria and South Australia's original vegetation has been cleared. What remains is degraded farmland, small isolated patches of forest and an increasingly modified forest system where native forest is being logged and often replaced by pine plantations and monoculture eucalypt plantations.
This history and much more is part and parcel of the problems that managers, scientists, politicians and veterinarians now face in the management of Southern Koalas.
In the Australian Koala Foundation's opinion, the long-term management of wild koalas and their habitats, particularly in Victoria and South Australia, has been driven by bigger political motives that have stemmed from commercial exploitation of the animal itself and its habitat. For far too long, the koala has been blamed for the problems being seen in isolated remnants of forest and bushland. We acknowledge that Government agencies are attempting to find solutions for broader problems of land use that began at white settlement but we state emphatically that the koala is not the culprit. Poor land use practices and a dominant culture which "undervalues" wildlife are the root causes of problems of koala management.
The Australian Koala Foundation has been accused by some of not fully appreciating the extent of the over-population issues in Victoria and South Australia and I would like to challenge that notion.
I quote from a paper given by the University of New South Wales' Dr. Bronwyn Houlden at the 1999 AKF Status of the Koala Conference held on Phillip Island;
"The translocation programs operating in southeastern Australia have established a rare series of wild koala populations that have undergone sequential founding events. Genetic analysis has shown a cumulative increase in inbreeding, and a loss of genetic variation in these populations." Houlden goes on to say "Inbreeding results in a loss of fertility, reproductive success and survivorship (known as inbreeding depression) in many plants and animals. Inbreeding could ultimately pose a serious threat to the long-term survival of the koala. Preliminary studies have shown that morphological abnormalities including unilateral and bilateral testicular abnormalities and other defects are prevalent in populations in southeastern Australia (up to 30% in some populations). These physical abnormalities may be a consequence of inbreeding in koalas." "We have assessed the consequences of inbreeding in koalas by quantifying reproductive parameters in populations with a range of bottleneck histories, levels of genetic variation and inbreeding coefficients, to determine whether these variables are correlated." "Koalas are at an ideal point for intervention, as many of these issues could be addressed by management strategies, including the introduction of unrelated stock (or semen) into island populations." (Houlden et al, 1999) |
The AKF fully appreciates the problems facing southern koala populations. We also understand the complexities of the solutions that will be required to fix those problems. However, to date we have not seen any management in either Victoria or South Australia that is going to solve the problems. We are also confident that the problems are going to get worse.
The AKF understands why the Taskforce made that decision, arguing that koalas were not native to the Island and therefore should be removed. 'Is it better to starve to death than to be shot?' questioned certain scientists in the media. The AKF opposed the cull from the beginning. We opposed the cull because it is wrong from a moral point of view.
I understand the argument that Kangaroo Island should be free of Koalas because they were never there in the first place, but I and the AKF are realists and we knew that the politicians would never want all the koalas off the islands. They want them there to generate tourism dollars.
And what about Victoria? There is a media frenzy whenever there are calls for a cull.
It is wrong and it would instantly give land clearers all over the country the perfect excuse to sacrifice koala habitat to the bulldozers.
We all know the Politicians in South Australia decided against a cull, knowing that it would provoke world-wide outcry and a bad image for tourism. And that they opted for the expensive translocation and sterilisation process. By default the Victorians have followed suit.
The Media and the public are assured that the Governments are committed to doing the best by the koalas, with good science and good veterinary practices in hand. We constantly hear rhetoric about translocation and sterilisation being in the best interests of the bush that is damaged and in the best interests of the koalas themselves. However neither end result has been achieved. An ill conceived process that disregards social structure, habitat viability and dignity of the animals is doomed from the beginning.
It is imperative that Government takes full responsibility for koalas and treats them with the respect and dignity they deserve, especially given that they want to exploit them. It is even more important for the scientific and veterinary communities to have this understanding and respect and give the koalas genuine assistance.
Before the fertility trials began on Kangaroo Island and several times during my time at AKF we have tried to make scientists and wildlife managers in Victoria and South Australia aware of research conducted at Koala Beach in northern NSW on the social hierarchy of koalas. More importantly we have tried to explain to wildlife managers that an appreciation of social order is extremely important for management decisions especially with regard to the animals that exist in isolated habitats.
To date, that has fallen on deaf ears. Translocations are based on a "closest to the ground" mentality with little or no regard for social order, rather than a "which is the best animal to take" approach. They are also undertaken in a gung-ho fashion reminiscent of the wild west. We cringe when we see the techniques used to capture and transfer animals, often with untrained volunteers. In a moment, I will illustrate the cruelty inflicted on koalas as part of these translocations undertaken with total disregard for the animals' welfare and that of their families.
The AKF is disgusted by the fact that the koala has been caste as the villain in the over population debate. No-one can go into any isolated habitat and not see the damage that sheep, cattle and humans have wreaked over the years. How can the koala be blamed for all this degradation and how can we, as Australian citizens allow the international public to believe this.
Do you really think it is fair to blame the koala for all the land use problems on Kangaroo Island? Or on French Island where people burnt 8 tonnes of wood per day to feed a chicory industry and a salt industry during the early 1900s? Or indeed on the mainland where over 80% of the koala's original habitat has been destroyed?
Is it fair to blame the koala for years and years of poor land management and then if we do, is it fair to shoot them out of the trees while they sit there defenseless and unable to speak for themselves?
Did anyone on the South Australian Taskforce really believe that the Politicians and the public would allow a cull and if not, why did they engage in a culling debate in the first place?
I never believed that the Government would condone the cull. The committee involved were either pawns of the Government or incredibly naïve in believing that they would. I also found it extremely frustrating to be told by members of that committee that they had the koalas' welfare at heart and that the AKF was unreasonable because we would not allow them to be shot. "What fresh hell is this?", I thought to myself.
So then they opted for the translocation and sterilisation process - the soft cull as it were. Ironically in my opinion, those who advocated shooting the Koalas (sometimes vets) watched as these animals died slowly and painfully after botched veterinary procedures and translocation practices that showed little or no respect for this wonderful species.
We have evidence that animals have suffered from translocation and fertility control in Victoria and South Australia. Veterinarians among others have been involved in what I can only describe as cruelty.
We know that veterinarians with little or no bush experience have performed some of this surgery. We also know that Veterinarians working with zoos and other institutions have stood by helplessly watching as surgery is performed on these animals. They cannot speak out publicly for a range of reasons. The AKF is under no such censorship.
We have tag numbers and detailed descriptions that the public have given us, of large numbers of koalas who suffered greatly. I want it known that the AKF will continue to oppose this practice as long as it continues because of the appalling and cruel things that are being perpetrated on koalas in Victoria and South Australia.
I will quote from one woman who wrote to the Foundation;
"On the 6th November, I received into my shelter a male koala, approximately 12 months old, vasectomised, without an ear tag, weight being 1.5 kg - found at ....(a) camping ground. His condition was extremely poor, obviously starved, dehydrated (sunken eyes and no elasticity in skin) and showing signs of pneumonia. He died 7 November. The Autopsy revealed pneumonia and emphysema. Since then I have admitted to this shelter three koalas - tag number 243 - vasectomised male, dehydrated and thin - Ear tag number 143...comatose, dehydrated, thin. Tag 206 - female, dehydrated and thin, arrived comatose, consequently all have died. Tags 137 and 84 both taken from dead koalas are in my possession - both of these koalas were debilitated, thin, dehydrated, starving/malnourished....One that survived for ten days went trough a toxic stage. Interesting to note that none of the stitches where they had been sterilized had dissolved. I now have tags 241, 218, 245, 256, 117 - all these animals are now dead. Koala 141 is still in the camping ground but unhealthy." |
Will the politicians in Victoria and South Australia admit to these animals being poorly treated? Will the Vets who performed the operations admit the animals have suffered and died at their hands?
If the problem is to be solved, then management solutions will have to be found that not only take into account animal welfare, good science and habitat quality, but that also deal effectively with political mandates.
And, the AKF hopes that in the future the koalas in Victoria and those who manage them will be seen as an asset to our biodiversity and our tourism industry -- not as pests to be eradicated.
Now that the United States Government has listed the Koala as threatened under their Endangered Species Act, I am hoping that our Governments will take heed. When I meet with biologists in the US, they assure me that overpopulation by inbred animals in isolated habitats spells trouble and is not an indication that 'all is well', as some in Australia would have us believe. In fact they warn us to take heed of the comments in the Federal Register with regard to the listing so that we do not remain complacent as a country in our management practices. Sadly, they have seen it all before in many countries around the world.
I know that in history's pages the AKF's stance on 'no culling' will be seen as correct. Culling is wrong and would set a precedent in this country that our koalas cannot afford. Can't you just hear a Queensland farmer saying "let's shoot these bloody koalas", because he wants to clear for further cattle grazing.
That is what is happening to the fruit bats down the eastern seaboard of Australia. The recent bat cull in the Royal Botanical Gardens of Melbourne is the end result of such thinking and I am appalled by it. So should every decent biologist and citizen in this country. When I hear a biologist call for a cull, I start to question his or her credibility and love of animals.
Aren't you tired of all this? I am and I want to find common ground where we can all agree on what needs to be done. Our Politicians do not know what to do, most of the managers on the ground don't know what to do and I know that many agree with AKF thinking. It is time for groups like the Australian Veterinary Association to lead the way and find solutions that will work.
It is time to take a real-world view and that real-world view is that no politician is going to remove koalas from Kangaroo Island or any other Island because they make money via tourism. They make huge amounts of money.
At present at least 500,000 tourists visit Kangaroo Island each year, in part to experience nature, and part of that is the koala.
The AKF's real world view is that if our Government is going to exploit the koala in one way or another, then it must give them the dignity and respect they deserve in return and manage them compassionately with a long term strategy, not just knee-jerk reactions.
With the money made from tourism, I expect them to manage the koalas properly. The AKF believes it can be done and I know it can be done with dignity, respect and consideration of the Koala.
When scientists and others try to lead the media and the public to believe that it is in the koalas' best interests to be shot, I cannot tell you how frustrated that makes me feel. It sanitizes the thought of killing and implies that somehow there is no other option. That is nonsense. There are plenty of other options and it is time for us to discuss them.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
My Horse Cee Cee Given A 50% Chance of Survival
One of the many evenings i go over to the farm to spend time with my horse
She knows when you're happy
She knows when you're comfortable
She knows when you're confident
And she always knows when you have carrots.
~Author Unknown
She knows when you're comfortable
She knows when you're confident
And she always knows when you have carrots.
~Author Unknown
A couple months ago, someone was bringing my horse, Cee Cee, in from pasture and did not see an old drainage pipe a few feet from the barn which had rusted through. My horse stepped into it with her back foot and the sharp metal almost tore her foot off. Called the Vet who came and said that the injury was beyond his expertise. He called Guelph Veterinary Hospital for us to take her there to give her the best chance for survival; but he said that he was not hopeful. She had four Veterinarians working carefully on her for hours...to help get her stabilized and her wounds irrigated and bandaged. Her little heart was beating so fast from trauma and pain. She would not let me out of her sight.
Because of her age...20years, and the cost of treatment....and no guarantee of her surviving after the hundreds of dollars spent....the clinic suggested that perhaps i should consider euthanasia. For me that was not an option...looking in to her eyes i knew she was a fighter and still has so many years ahead of her (her mother lived a long life-of 33yrs...well past the expected life span for a thoroughbred) and also she has the physique and energy of a much younger horse.
Cee Cee is a big part of the "Gervais family" ....at the age of thirteen i camped out at the farm until her mother Lenad went in to Labor (that is also when i started to drink coffee- which to this day I am still addicted). After i helped to deliver her, she followed me around like i was her mother. And I use to ride her mother in the field with little CeeCee following us...so in a way, she has always had two mothers:)
I took Cee Cee home from the Guelph Vet hospital a couple days later...with a letter from them stating that she had a 50% chance of survival; because of the high risk of life threatening infection. Changed her bandages carefully twice a day...and infection could set in if the smallest spec of dust was to get on her lacerations. Both legs were completely lacerated with her tendon sheath being severed...and changing the bandages was always a very stressful ordeal. Especially when she kicked out in pain from the slightest touch!
But it has been a couple months now...and we have beaten the 50% odds! The bandages have finally come off both legs....and soon she will be grazing in the field like the good old days!
I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to save my horse...she is so special to me! And it gratifies me to see her lumunescent eyes happy again. From all the hopelessness...tears and horror i have experienced in Taiji, i know how fragile and precious life is.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
How Far Will Dolphins Go to Relate to Humans?
Erik Olsen/The New York Times
The Wild Dolphin Project: For 25 years, Denise Herzing has returned to the same place in the Bahamas to study a group of wild dolphins. Next year, she will pioneer a project to communicate with them.
By ERIK OLSEN
Published: September 19, 2011
OFF THE BAHAMAS — In a remote patch of turquoise sea, Denise L. Herzing splashes into the water with a pod of 15 Atlantic spotted dolphins. For the next 45 minutes, she engages the curious creatures in a game of keep-away, using a piece of Sargassum seaweed like a dog’s chew toy.
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Dr. Herzing is no tourist cavorting with marine mammals. As the world’s leading authority on the species, she has been studying the dolphins for 25 years as part of the Wild Dolphin Project, the longest-running underwater study of its kind.
“I’m kind of an old-school naturalist,” she said. “I really believe in immersing yourself in the environment of the animal.”
Immerse herself she has. Based in Jupiter, Fla., she has tracked three generations of dolphins in this area. She knows every animal by name, along with individual personalities and life histories. She has captured much of their lives on video, which she is using to build a growing database.
And next year Dr. Herzing plans to begin a new phase of her research, something she says has been a lifetime goal: real-time two-way communication, in which dolphins take the initiative to interact with humans.
Up to now, dolphins have shown themselves to be adept at responding to human prompts, with food as a reward for performing a task. “It’s rare that we ask dolphins to seek something from us,” Dr. Herzing said.
But if she is right, the dolphins will seek to communicate with humans, and the reward will be social interaction itself, with dolphins and humans perhaps developing a crude vocabulary for objects and actions.
Other scientists are excited by the project. “ ‘Mind-blowing’ doesn’t do justice to the possibilities out there,” said Adam Pack, a cetacean researcher at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and an occasional collaborator with Dr. Herzing. “You’ve got crystal-clear warm water, no land in sight and an interest by this community of dolphins of engaging with humans.”
How far will dolphins go to engage?
“The key is going to be coming up with a system in which the dolphins want to communicate,” said Stan Kuczaj, director of the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi. “If they don’t care, it won’t work.”
Dr. Kuczaj developed an early two-way communication system while working at a captive lab in Orlando in the late 1980s. The system relied on visual symbols, not sound, and used a large stationary keyboard that proved to be too cumbersome.
But he says that the effort gave him confidence that such a system could work and that Dr. Herzing is “definitely the closest to getting there.”
“If it works,” he said, “it’ll be a huge step forward.”
Dr. Herzing’s work has been compared to that of Jane Goodall, whose studies of chimpanzees also entailed decades of observational fieldwork.
Born in 1957 in St. Cloud, Minn., Dr. Herzing first encountered dolphins while poring through books as a child, and she realized that the animals would be her life’s work. Her mother died when she was young; her father, a security guard, encouraged her early to explore the natural world.
After graduating from Oregon State, she earned a master’s degree from San Francisco State and a doctorate in behavioral biology and environmental studies from the Union Institute Graduate School, based in Cincinnati.
In 1985, as a researcher with the Oceanic Society, she found this spot in the Bahamas, where the conditions seemed perfect for dolphin observation. That year she started the Wild Dolphin Project, and began using video to document dolphin society.
“In the early days, it was hard to get the animals comfortable with us,” she said. “I often worked in the water by myself. As my eye developed, I was able to say, ‘O.K., here’s a good sequence.’ And I became able to shoot and keep an eye on what else is going on around.”
The project is largely financed by foundations, including the Annenberg Foundation. In 2008, Dr. Herzing was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship.
Back on her research vessel, a 62-foot catamaran called the Stenella (the Atlantic spotted dolphin is Stenella frontalis), Dr. Herzing reviews video from the day and logs moments of foraging, courtship and play into a growing database. With a few keystrokes she (and other researchers) can summon 25 years of video on a specific behavior — say, a mother foraging with a calf, which can lend great insight to how dolphins teach their children to find food.
“It’s incredibly valuable,” said Laela Sayigh, a research specialist in dolphin communication at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Dolphins are known to make three types of sounds: whistles, clicks and burst pulses. Whistles are thought to be identification sounds, like names, while clicks are used to navigate and to find prey with echolocation.
Burst pulses, which can sound like quarreling cartoon chipmunks, are a muddy mixture of the two, and Dr. Herzing believes that much information may be encoded in these sounds, as well as in dolphins’ ultra-high frequencies, which humans cannot hear.
The two-way system she will test next year is being developed with artificial intelligence scientists at Georgia Tech. It consists of a wearable underwater computer that can make dolphin sounds, but also record and differentiate them in real time. It must also distinguish which dolphin is making the sound, a common challenge since dolphins rarely open their mouths.
In the new system, two human divers interact in front of dolphins: First they play a synthesized whistle sound, then one hands the other a scarf or a piece of seaweed. The idea is to establish an association between sound and object. Dolphins are excellent mimics, and the hope is that they will imitate the whistle to request an object or initiate play.
“I think if they pick up on it,” Dr. Herzing said, “they’re going to be excited and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, now I have the power to get what I want in real time.’ ”
Still, she is quick to play down expectations, noting that the system is still in development.
“We’re not talking to dolphins,” she said, adding, “We’ll keep it simple and then we can potentially expand it.”
And while other researchers praise her work, they point out that of dolphin-human communication has often fallen short of expectations.
“It depends on what you mean by communicate,” Dr. Kuczaj said. “I can communicate with my dog, too. But do I have conversations with my dog? Well, if I do they’re very one-sided.”
“I’m kind of an old-school naturalist,” she said. “I really believe in immersing yourself in the environment of the animal.”
Immerse herself she has. Based in Jupiter, Fla., she has tracked three generations of dolphins in this area. She knows every animal by name, along with individual personalities and life histories. She has captured much of their lives on video, which she is using to build a growing database.
And next year Dr. Herzing plans to begin a new phase of her research, something she says has been a lifetime goal: real-time two-way communication, in which dolphins take the initiative to interact with humans.
Up to now, dolphins have shown themselves to be adept at responding to human prompts, with food as a reward for performing a task. “It’s rare that we ask dolphins to seek something from us,” Dr. Herzing said.
But if she is right, the dolphins will seek to communicate with humans, and the reward will be social interaction itself, with dolphins and humans perhaps developing a crude vocabulary for objects and actions.
Other scientists are excited by the project. “ ‘Mind-blowing’ doesn’t do justice to the possibilities out there,” said Adam Pack, a cetacean researcher at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and an occasional collaborator with Dr. Herzing. “You’ve got crystal-clear warm water, no land in sight and an interest by this community of dolphins of engaging with humans.”
How far will dolphins go to engage?
“The key is going to be coming up with a system in which the dolphins want to communicate,” said Stan Kuczaj, director of the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi. “If they don’t care, it won’t work.”
Dr. Kuczaj developed an early two-way communication system while working at a captive lab in Orlando in the late 1980s. The system relied on visual symbols, not sound, and used a large stationary keyboard that proved to be too cumbersome.
But he says that the effort gave him confidence that such a system could work and that Dr. Herzing is “definitely the closest to getting there.”
“If it works,” he said, “it’ll be a huge step forward.”
Dr. Herzing’s work has been compared to that of Jane Goodall, whose studies of chimpanzees also entailed decades of observational fieldwork.
Born in 1957 in St. Cloud, Minn., Dr. Herzing first encountered dolphins while poring through books as a child, and she realized that the animals would be her life’s work. Her mother died when she was young; her father, a security guard, encouraged her early to explore the natural world.
After graduating from Oregon State, she earned a master’s degree from San Francisco State and a doctorate in behavioral biology and environmental studies from the Union Institute Graduate School, based in Cincinnati.
In 1985, as a researcher with the Oceanic Society, she found this spot in the Bahamas, where the conditions seemed perfect for dolphin observation. That year she started the Wild Dolphin Project, and began using video to document dolphin society.
“In the early days, it was hard to get the animals comfortable with us,” she said. “I often worked in the water by myself. As my eye developed, I was able to say, ‘O.K., here’s a good sequence.’ And I became able to shoot and keep an eye on what else is going on around.”
The project is largely financed by foundations, including the Annenberg Foundation. In 2008, Dr. Herzing was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship.
Back on her research vessel, a 62-foot catamaran called the Stenella (the Atlantic spotted dolphin is Stenella frontalis), Dr. Herzing reviews video from the day and logs moments of foraging, courtship and play into a growing database. With a few keystrokes she (and other researchers) can summon 25 years of video on a specific behavior — say, a mother foraging with a calf, which can lend great insight to how dolphins teach their children to find food.
“It’s incredibly valuable,” said Laela Sayigh, a research specialist in dolphin communication at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Dolphins are known to make three types of sounds: whistles, clicks and burst pulses. Whistles are thought to be identification sounds, like names, while clicks are used to navigate and to find prey with echolocation.
Burst pulses, which can sound like quarreling cartoon chipmunks, are a muddy mixture of the two, and Dr. Herzing believes that much information may be encoded in these sounds, as well as in dolphins’ ultra-high frequencies, which humans cannot hear.
The two-way system she will test next year is being developed with artificial intelligence scientists at Georgia Tech. It consists of a wearable underwater computer that can make dolphin sounds, but also record and differentiate them in real time. It must also distinguish which dolphin is making the sound, a common challenge since dolphins rarely open their mouths.
In the new system, two human divers interact in front of dolphins: First they play a synthesized whistle sound, then one hands the other a scarf or a piece of seaweed. The idea is to establish an association between sound and object. Dolphins are excellent mimics, and the hope is that they will imitate the whistle to request an object or initiate play.
“I think if they pick up on it,” Dr. Herzing said, “they’re going to be excited and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, now I have the power to get what I want in real time.’ ”
Still, she is quick to play down expectations, noting that the system is still in development.
“We’re not talking to dolphins,” she said, adding, “We’ll keep it simple and then we can potentially expand it.”
And while other researchers praise her work, they point out that of dolphin-human communication has often fallen short of expectations.
“It depends on what you mean by communicate,” Dr. Kuczaj said. “I can communicate with my dog, too. But do I have conversations with my dog? Well, if I do they’re very one-sided.”
Monday, September 26, 2011
| First Nation Mercury Survivors Visit Japanese Mercury Experts | | Print | |
| Written by Grassy Narrows Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek | |
| 2011-09-26 06:14:52 Three Indigenous peoples of Canada have just returned from speaking in three Japanese communities as part of the screening of Tadashi Orui's film titled "The Scars of Mercury,” hosted by the Kumamoto Gakuen University Minamata Research team. Asubpeeschoseewagong and Wabaseemoong delegates were in Japan for September 6th to 18th, 2011. Chief Simon.R.Fobister says that "We had an opportunity to share our mercury poisoning experience & symptoms of Minamata Disease with the people of Japan. Some were surprised that Minamata Disease was so global. Also, they had better compensation structured settlements and medical supports then our tw6 communites which inspired us to seek the same for our people." “We are still fighting for justice for the mercury that was dumped in our river which continues to poison our bodies,” said Judy Da Silva, a delegate from Grassy Narrows. “Our people require control over our lands and our lives in order to heal the damage that residential schools, mercury, resource extraction, and over-logging have done to our culture, or livelihood, and our bodies.” “We are connected to the people of Minamata Japan through our experience of a shared history with industrial environmental destruction, as well as the present situation of the devastating mercury contamination which has touched our communities and continues to affect our way of life,” said Sylvia Morriseau, a delegate from Wabaseemong. “The land, water, animals, people, and every thread of our way of life and living has been affected.” Our days were solidly booked with visits to families affected by mercury, speaking in public forums, and meeting with renowned mercury expert Dr. Harada. What we learned from this trip was inspiring and life changing; We spent the first week in Kumamoto, Japan (southern part) where we met the hosting delegation from the Komamoto Gakuen University. The hosting team included Doctor's, Assistant Researchers and families for the Minamata disease Research & committee members including Dr Harada and Dr Hanada. From there we spent a few more days in Minamata Japan and finally Tokyo, Japan. We were treated with great honor, had fine accommodations and were well taken care of. We were able to make good contacts in Japan that we can communicate with in regards to the Minamata Disease and how similar our situations are. We were able to be a witness and also get information through power point presentations and testimonies of the Minamata Disease (mercury poisoning) that occurred in Minamata Japan. We saw we are truly linked by the Minamata Disease in our community. The evidence of the alignment of our communities with the Minamata Disease was so clear to us. The information that was handed to us by the Japanese doctors shows in detailed graphs and numbers the alignment of numbers from Dr. Harada's visit in 1975, 2004 and 2010 to Grassy Narrows. We are hoping the Japanese doctors will come back to Wabaseemoong to further their studies on the affects of mercury poisoning on their people. The benefits of our journey were tremendous and we will never forget this journey. |
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Obama waives sanctions on Iceland whaling
WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama decided Thursday not to impose trade sanctions against Iceland, despite saying that its whale hunts were undermining international efforts to preserve the ocean giants.Obama chose to order the State Department and Commerce Department to keep Iceland's whaling activities under review and to urge the government in Reykjavik to halt the practice.
"Iceland's actions threaten the conservation status of an endangered species and undermine multilateral efforts to ensure greater worldwide protection for whales," said Obama in a message to Congress.
"Iceland's increased commercial whaling and recent trade in whale products diminish the effectiveness of the (International Whaling Commission) conservation program."
After a pressure campaign by environmentalists, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke earlier this year certified Iceland under a domestic law that allows retaliation against nations that flout the IWC moratorium.
But Obama said in the message that "I am not directing the Secretary of the Treasury to impose trade measures on Icelandic products for the whaling activities that led to the certification by the Secretary of Commerce."
Instead, Obama directed US government officials to consider the appropriateness of traveling to Iceland, to raise the whaling issue with officials when they are there and to keep the situation under review.
Under a law known as the Pelly Amendment, countries that violate global fisheries conservation agreements are subject to economic sanctions but Obama's action on Thursday waived its requirements.
The International Whaling Commission imposed a global moratorium on whaling in 1986 amid alarm at the declining stock of the marine mammals. Norway and Iceland are the only nations to defy the moratorium openly.
Japan hunts more than 1,000 whales a year, a point of intense dispute with Australia. But Japan considers itself within the rules of the IWC by invoking a clause that allows a catch for scientific research.
Japan has actively campaigned to end the moratorium, saying that whaling is its cultural right. Environmentalists counter that whale populations are at risk and highlight the mammals' intelligence, saying the slaughter is cruel.
Iceland, which resumed commercial whaling in 2006, is seen as less entrenched in its position than Japan and Norway. Iceland, a country of 320,000 people, has a small market at home and its exports to Japan are uncertain.
Iceland's whaling company, Hvalur, suspended fin whaling after Japan's March 11 earthquake hit demand. Iceland killed about 150 fin whales and between 60 and 80 minke whales last year.
The United States has previously invoked the Pelly Amendment against Norway and Japan but it has not followed through on sanctions, hoping instead to use the certification as a means of pressure.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
New species of dolphin discovered
Formal delineation of dolphin species is notoriously tricky Researchers have determined that dolphins found in southeastern Australia represent a previously unknown species.
Around 150 of the dolphins live around the Melbourne area and had until now been assumed to be one of the known bottlenose dolphins.But detailed DNA studies and analysis of skulls in museums showed the two populations are in fact a new species.
The new classification as Tursiops australis is described in PLoS One.
The common name of Burrunan dolphins derives from the Aboriginal Australian for "large sea fish of the porpoise kind".
Previous research had shown that the DNA found in the dolphins differed from that of the known bottlenose species Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops aduncus.
But in order to define a new species, more evidence is needed. Kate Charlton-Robb of Monash University in Melbourne and her colleagues studied dolphin skulls found in a number of museums, as well as more detailed analysis of DNA, to show that T. australis is clearly a different animal.
"This is an incredibly fascinating discovery as there have only been three new dolphin species formally described and recognised since the late 1800s," Ms Charlton-Robb said.
"What makes this even more exciting is this dolphin species has been living right under our noses, with only two known resident populations living in Port Phillip Bay and the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria state."
In fact, now that it is recognised as a separate species it may immediately qualify under Australia's criteria for endangered animals.
"The formal recognition of this new species is of great importance to correctly manage and protect this species, and has significant bearing on the prioritisation of conservation efforts," the authors wrote.
"This is especially crucial given its endemism to a small region of the world, with only two small known resident populations."
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011
OCEAN PARK IN HONG KONG WANT TO CAPTURE AND IMPRISON BELUGA WHALES
by HongKong Dolphinwatch on Thursday, 18 August 2011 at 06:18
South China Morning Post 18th August, 2011
Ocean Park wants to know what you would think if a group of beluga whales was captured in the wild and brought back to Hong Kong for display in a new North Pole attraction.
The popular aquarium and theme park has commissioned an independent public opinion survey, officials said yesterday, as they consider the politically fraught decision to import the hump-headed sea mammals, which are classified by conservation groups as "near threatened".
Specifically, the poll would ask Hong Kong residents how they would feel if Ocean Park brought four or five of the animals, known also as white whales, back from Russia's far east, according to someone familiar with the acquisition plan.
The plan would be to put the animals on display along in its new Polar Adventure exhibit along with South Pole penguins recently acquired from a Japanese zoo.
Conservationists, however, dismissed the poll as an attempt to justify a decision after it has been made.
"Isn't it too late to ask the public's view?" said Dr Samuel Hung Ka-yiu, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society. "They have already built a facility and now can't wait to fill it."
An Ocean Park spokeswoman said the agency was still processing the survey and the park would announce the findings as soon as possible and make a decision afterwards. Redeveloped portions of the park will open next year.
A person familiar with the plan insisted the any whale capture would hinge on the outcome of the poll and the park was prepared to walk away from the idea. "It would be difficult to go ahead with the plan without public support," the source said.
The park says the import of the belugas - probably the most controversial of its recent intakes - could help enforce conservation efforts by giving the public the chance to see the view the animals close up.
Conservation groups assign the category "near threatened" - below "least concern" and above "vulnerable" - to animals that have sufficient numbers to survive on their own or with minimum human intervention. Although beluga whales are considered "near threatened" globally, certain North American subpopulations are considered endangered.
A population assessment sponsored by Ocean Park, which has recently been reviewed by a specialist group under the International Union for Conservation of Nature, concluded that removal of a certain number of beluga whales from the wild might be acceptable.
Park officials say they are confident risks to the animals in capture and transport would be low but are also aware of the potential for public criticism if any problems arise.
Beluga whales were just one of several animals on Ocean Park's wish list when it announced a HK$5 billion redevelopment plan in 2005. The list has since dwindled, however, with less numerous polar bears and killer whales already dropped.
Last year, the park acquired 10 rare Chinese sturgeon after several in an earlier batch took ill and died.
Officials would not say who they had hired to conduct the survey. Hung, of the dolphin conservation group, questioned any result.
"Most Hong Kong people are emotionally associated with Ocean Park," Hung said. "It is possible some of them might be misled to come to a conclusion favoured by the park."
chifai.cheung@scmp.com
Drop them an email and let them know that not just Hong Kong is concerned, the whole world is watching:
Allan Zeman, Chairman of Ocean Park Hong Kong
Suzanne Gendron, Executive Director Zoological Operations & Animal Acquisitions, Ocean Park Hong Kong
Chifai Cheung, South China Morning Post Reporter
allan@lkfgroup.com, suzanne.gendron@oceanpark.com.hk, chifai.cheung@scmp.com
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