After Harambe’s Senseless Death It’s Time To Phase Out Zoos….

Baby Harambe (imgur)

The time for zoo’s has come and gone. They are prisons where animal captives live out sad lives. Zoo’s always use the excuse they are protecting endangered species but Harambe is the perfect example of the truth to that lie. Why are they breeding gorillas who will never be free or live in the wild?  If  we want to help the critically endangered lowland gorillas survive why not invest in protecting their habitat from human encroachment, from the bushmeat trade and from poachers, using armed rangers as many national preserves in Africa do.

 It”s not going to happen overnight but eventually zoo’s can be phased out and as Marc Bekoff says, turned into sanctuaries for the remaining captive animals.

 Zoo’s are relic’s of the past and I for one would not mind to see them gone.

For Harambe,

Nabeki

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Why Was Harambe the Gorilla in a Zoo in the First Place?

Amid the debate over who was at fault in the death of a beloved animal, we need to step back and ask a different question

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/why-was-harambe-the-gorilla-in-a-zoo-in-the-first-place/?version=meter+at+null&module=meter-Links&pgtype=Blogs&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click

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Posted in: Endangered Species, Biodiversity, Animals Rights

Photo: Courtesy imgur

Video: Courtesy YouTube

Tags: Harambe, senseless death, zoo’s should be phased out, Baby Harambe,  endangered species, lowland gorilla critically endangered,  mother of boy responsible, Marc Bekoff

Jeff Corwin Speaks Out on Harambe’s Death – “Zoo’s Aren’t Your Babysitters”

Here’s beautiful Harambe when he first entered his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, which turned out to be fatal for him 😦   R.I.P

May 30, 2016

It’s the responsibility of parents to be vigilant when caring for their small children. Harambe, the critically endangered lowland gorilla, didn’t have to die!!

After Gorilla Death, Animal Expert Jeff Corwin Says Zoos ‘Aren’t Your Babysitter’

By Jack Phillips, Epoch Times

‘Take a break from the cell phone, the selfie stick and the texting’

Jeff Corwin, an animal and nature conservationist, who is the host and executive producer of TV programs “The Jeff Corwin Experience” and “Corwin’s Quest,” has spoken out after a gorilla was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo.

A 4-year-old boy fell into the gorilla’s enclosure. Zoo officials said the gorilla, a 17-year-old named Harambe, was dragging the boy around. They opted to shoot and kill the great ape.

Corwin spoke with FOX25 in Boston, mainly focusing his questions on how the boy got into the enclosure in the first place.

“That’s the million dollar question,” he said. “How did this little boy slip in this enclosure?”

He said the main lesson following the incident is that parents need to treat zoos and animals with respect.

“Zoos aren’t your babysitter,” he told FOX25.

“Take a break from the cell phone, the selfie stick and the texting. Connect with your children. Be responsible for your children. I don’t think this happened in seconds or minutes. I think this took time for this kid, this little boy to find himself in that situation. Ultimately it’s the gorilla that’s paid this price.”

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2079480-after-gorilla-death-animal-expert-jeff-corwin-says-zoos-arent-your-babysitter/

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‘Shooting an endangered animal is worse than murder’: Grief over gorilla’s death turns to outrage

 

The Washington Post

Peter Holley 

May 30 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/30/shooting-an-endangered-animal-is-worse-than-murder-grief-over-gorillas-death-turns-to-outrage/

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Posted in: Endangered Species, Animal Rights, Biodiversity

Top Video: YouTube AP

Bottom Video: YouTube Official Trending News

Tabs: Harambe, critically endangered lowland gorilla, gorilla murdered, children need supervision, endangered species, Jeff Corwin, Cincinnati Zoo, be respectful to animals, parents responsible?, Washington Post, Epoch Times, AP, Daily Mirror Tweet

Gorilla 'was trying to PROTECT' boy who fell at zoo before it was shot dead https://t.co/fgGhp6FD8H @rickygervais pic.twitter.com/bZXU8tKjrc

— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) May 29, 2016

Native Americans Fight Against Delisting The Yellowstone Grizzly Bear

Female Grizzly Eating Grass Yellowstone National Park USFWS

We all knew it was coming. The USFWS wants to delist the Yellowstone grizzly bear. But they’ll have a fight on their hands because Native Americans are pushing back. I wish they’d taken a stand for wolves but at least they’re coming together for the Great Bear.

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Native Americans Fight to Keep the Grizzly Bear on the Endangered Species List

Grizzly Bear – Photo Jim Urquhart/Reuters

By John R. Platt

OCT 27, 2015

Tribal groups say a move to remove protections for the spiritual touchstone of native culture threatens their sovereignty.

Has the grizzly bear recovered enough in Yellowstone National Park to be removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act?

The federal government and some state agencies seem to think so. For more than a year now, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has been moving toward delisting grizzly bears. There are about 750 bears living in and around Yellowstone, well above the 136 that lived there when the government protected the Yellowstone population in 1975.

Native American groups, however, argue that the bears have not recovered and that any proposal to remove protections or trophy-hunt the animals ignores tribal sovereignty and culture. Some tribes even call it cultural genocide.

“The grizzly was and remains the physical manifestation of the spirit of the earth, to me, and many others,” said R. Bear Stands Last, cofounder of Guardians of Our Ancestors’ Legacy, a coalition of nearly 50 tribes from six states that have come together to oppose the grizzly bear delisting.

The bears play an important role in the culture for many tribes in the West. “The grizzly was the first two-legged to walk upon this land,” Bear Stands Last said. “The grizzly is a teacher and was, in essence, the first medicine person who taught the curing and healing practices adopted by many peoples.”

Even with that cultural history, the push to delist the bears moves forward. The FWS has sent out two rounds of letters to several tribes, but GOAL said that does not meet the standards for the tribal consultationsthat are required under the Endangered Species Act and other laws. Last December, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe passed a formal resolution opposing the delisting proposal.

“FWS has made no serious attempt to adhere to the established consultation protocols and mandates, all of which are clearly established and are integral to the trust responsibility held by the federal government toward tribal nations,” said Bear Stands Last.

Agency spokesperson Ryan Moehring said the FWS has offered to consult with 48 tribes and has held five government-to-government meetings. It also plans a tribal webinar and conference call on Nov. 13 to “listen to their concerns and answer questions.”

Grizzlies did briefly lose their endangered species status in 2007, but a court ruling in 2009 returned it after finding that the bears’ food sources, such as whitebark pine nuts, were at risk. Bear Stands Last said nothing has improved in Yellowstone.

“It is not only the decimation of whitebark pine and cutthroat trout; there are also various berry subsets declining due to climate change,” he said, noting that pushes grizzlies further outside the park in search of food, which puts them in further conflict with humans.

READ MORE:

https://www.takepart.com/article/2015/10/27/native-americans-fight-keep-grizzly-bear-endangered-species-list

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Photo: USFWS

Posted in: grizzly bear, endangered species

Top Photo: Courtesy USFWS

Middle Photo: Courtesy (Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

Tags: Native Americans, Yellowstone grizzly, stop the delisting, USFWS

Elephant Love And Happiness!

Elephant Nature Park

“Elephant Nature Park is a unique project set in Chiang Mai province, Northern Thailand. Established in the 1990′s our aim has always been to provide a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants. The park is located some 60km from the city, and has provided a sanctuary for dozens of distressed elephants from all over Thailand.

Set in a natural valley, bordered by a river, and surrounded by forested mountains the area offers a timeless glimpse of rural life.”

http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

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Video: Youtube elephantnews

Posted in: Endangered Species, Activism

Tags: Elephant Nature Park, Thailand

20,000 African Elephants Wiped Out in 2013 – 68 Elephants Killed In Garamba National Park In Past Two Months

“In this photo taken on Tuesday, May 13, 2014, Park rangers stand next to the remains of elephants that were killed by poachers in the Garamba National Park, situated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At least 68 elephants, some 4 percent of the population of one of Africa’s oldest parks, have been slaughtered by poachers over the last two months using chain saws and helicopters, warned the non-profit group managing the park. The Johannesburg-based African Parks group said that since mid-May, the 5,000 square kilometer (1,900 square mile) Garamba National Park established in 1938 has faced an onslaught from several different bands of poachers. (AP Photo/African Parks)”

It’s all out war against the elephant, one of the most sentient creatures on earth.  They are being systematically slaughtered by poachers for their tusks and babies are being indiscriminately killed along with the adults.

“One group is shooting the elephants with rifles from a helicopter and then taking off their tusks with a chain saw. They are removing the elephants’ brains and genitals as well.

Conservationists say a thriving ivory market in Asia is helping fuel the worst poaching epidemic of African elephants in decades.”…AP

This is an international emergency!  Why is the world standing by watching this slaughter and doing nothing? This is a disgrace. The elephant population in the park has gone from 20,000 in the 1960’s to only 2000 counted in a 2012 census. I’m sure the count is much lower now since the park has lost 4% of its elephant population.

Soon the only elephants left will be in zoo’s! Where is the UN?

Poachers massacre elephants in Congo park

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — One of Africa’s oldest national parks is under attack “from all fronts,” said its director Friday after 68 elephants were slaughtered over the past two months by poachers wielding chain saws and grenades and shooting them from helicopters.

Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is under constant assault by renegade Congolese soldiers, gunmen from South Sudan and others. And this is just a slice of the carnage: international wildlife regulators say 20,000 elephants were killed just in Africa in 2013.

The Johannesburg-based African Parks group, which manages the park, said that since mid-May, the 5,000 square kilometer (1,900 square mile) Garamba National Park in Congo, which was established in 1938, has faced an onslaught from several bands of poachers who have already killed 4 percent of its elephant population.

“The situation is extremely serious,” Garamba park manger Jean-Marc Froment said in the statement. “The park is under attack on all fronts.” A 2012 census found just 2,000 elephants in Garamba Park, down from 20,000 in the 1960s.

One group is shooting the elephants with rifles from a helicopter and then taking off their tusks with a chain saw. They are removing the elephants’ brains and genitals as well.

Conservationists say a thriving ivory market in Asia is helping fuel the worst poaching epidemic of African elephants in decades.

In some cases the attacks in Garamba seem to be indiscriminate, killing baby elephants that do not yet possess the valuable ivory tusks.

African Parks, which runs seven parks in six countries in cooperation with local authorities, said the poachers include renegade elements of the Congolese army, gunmen from South Sudan, and members of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a militant rebel group whose fugitive leader Joseph Kony is an alleged war criminal.

In one skirmish with poachers, park guards had to try to protect themselves from hand grenades thrown by Southern Sudanese poachers, some wearing military uniforms.

Froment singled out in particular elements of the LRA, which is notorious for its kidnapping children and using them as soldiers, and has been active in the park. In 2009, the group attacked the park’s headquarters, killing 15 park employees and family members.

The group is known to have a presence in the heavily forested areas around the park.

A spokeswoman for African Parks, Cynthia Walley, said the heavy vegetation and large concentration of elephants in the park have made it a target for poachers who have flocked to the area, leading to the sudden escalation in attacks.

“It’s pretty well documented that Garamba is one of the few remaining places where you get these large herds of elephants,” she said. “The supply of elephants in some parts of Africa for poachers has diminished and so in areas where you are protecting elephants you become a target.”

She said that African Parks, which has run Garamba in cooperation with the Congolese parks authority since 2005, beefed up their forces in anticipation of increased poaching this year but found recent spike to be “unprecedented.”

In addition to Congolese and park forces, there are units from the United States military’s African Command supporting anti-poaching efforts on the ground, African Parks said.

In recent years, the U.N. has warned that armed groups in Africa have been turning to ivory poaching to fund their struggles. Many are also using the more sophisticated weapons that flowed from Libya after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

The Geneva-based Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora said Friday that 20,000 elephants were killed in 2013, but the overall poaching was on the decline due to better law enforcement.

The spike in attacks on Garamba, however, suggests that poachers may just be shifting to different targets. Poaching has been down in Chad, for instance, while it has been on the rise in Central African Republic which is being wracked by a civil war.

http://news.yahoo.com/poachers-massacre-elephants-congo-park-101751904.html

Save The Elephants

http://www.savetheelephants.org/

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Elephant Crisis Fund

Every 15 minutes an elephant is killed for its ivory tusks. Unless we act now, elephants face an uncertain future.

https://elephantcrisisfund.org/

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6 ways to help elephants

With the elephant poaching epidemic in Africa running rampant — and renewed ivory lust growing worldwide — experts fear the survival of the species is at stake.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/6-ways-to-help-elephants#

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Top Photo: Courtesy AP Photo/African Parks

Bottom Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Posted in: Endangered Species, Animal Cruelty, Activism

Tags: elephant slaughter, barbaric poachers, Asian driven Ivory trade,  save the elephant, African elephant, Garamba National Park

Endangered Baby Rhino’s Mother Butchered In Front of Him…Now Bonded To Keeper

June 10, 2014

They shoot poachers don’t they? Well at least in Africa where rangers are battling an epidemic of poaching that’s sending some of the most endangered animals on earth, racing toward extinction.   This baby rhino watched as his mother was butchered in front of him for her horn.  Little Gertjie is so traumatized he clings to his handler for dear life.  He was found by park rangers lying by his dead mother’s side, crying  in despair.

But there wouldn’t be poachers cutting off endangered rhino horns if there wasn’t a huge demand for it in Asian markets. Shame on countries like China and Vietnam for driving the slaughter. No animal is safe in this world from the greedy hands of the most destructive creature on the planet, MAN!!

Baby Rhino Is Glued to Keeper After Seeing Poachers Kill Mother

By YAZHOU SUN | Good Morning America

An orphaned baby rhino has bonded with its keeper after seeing South African poachers mutilate his mother for her horn.

The animal was brought to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center in South Africa and affectionately named Gretjie by the staff.

The poachers slaughtered his mother at the Kapama Private Game Reserve in South Africa on the night of May 7, according to the center.

By the time rangers were alerted and rushed to the scene, the poachers were gone and the rhino was dead. Next to her body, the rangers found a baby rhino refusing to leave her side, crying inconsolably, Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center officials said.

Since arriving at their sanctuary, however, the thick-skinned creature can be seen clumsily rolling down to the floor and affectionately laying his head on a female staffer’s lap.

Gertjie is adapting well to life at the facility, taking two long walks daily, although it’s a challenge to feed him, the center says. He needs to be fed every three hours. Already weighing over 242 pounds, Gretjie drinks about 1.5 liters (roughly 50 ounces) of “milk” – a mixture of fat-free milk powder, vitamins, glucose and hot water – eight times a day.

Staffers say Gretjie gets grumpy when he is hungry.

The total number of rhino poached in South Africa last year increased to 1,004, or 50 percent, from 2012, according to the Department of Environmental Affairs in the Republic of South Africa.

Rhino horns are in high demand and priced in the traditional Asian medicine market, particularly in China and Vietnam.

http://gma.yahoo.com/baby-rhino-glued-keeper-seeing-poachers-kill-mother-161041139–abc-news-topstories.html

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GERTJIE’S RHINOLOG

Gertjie having a meal and adjusting to a new life without his mother! Baby rhinos nurse up to 18 months.

http://www.picknpay.co.za/picknpay/applications/picknpay/custom/builds/2014/gertjie-rhinolog/rhino.html

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Save The Rhino

Poaching for rhino horn

http://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/threats_to_rhino/poaching_for_traditional_chinese_medicine

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Top Photo: Courtesy ABC Good Morning America

Bottom Photo: Courtesy Pick and Pay

Videos: YouTube  Pick and Pay, HESCCheetahCentre

Posted in:  Poaching, Endangered Species

Tags: endangered baby rhino, Gertjie, poaching destroying rhino, the evils of poaching, rhino horn, Asian market demand, SAVE THE RHINO