"Born a wildlife warrior, die a wildlife warrior."

As long as there are animals in need of saving we will do everything in our power to save them. "I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it." -Steve Irwin

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Hey, everyone.

Sorry for all the inactivity lately, my laptop met a grisly end and I just managed to get another one, so the activity on this page should improve soon. In the meantime between posts, if you have any questions, concerns, or you have an animal, event, or place you’d like to see represented, feel free to drop us an ask about it and we’ll try to help.

Thanks for following, liking, and reblogging our posts. We’re so awed and thankful that so many of you care about animals and nature, and we’re thankful for each and every one of you.

-MN

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The WWF posted a status on Facebook on Wednesday, asking everyone to sign a petition urging the Belize prime minister to protect the Belize barrier reef World Heritage site from harmful industrial activities.

The Belize Barrier Reef is the second-largest barrier reef in the world, and is home to a large diversity of plants and animals. It is one of the most diverse ecosystems of the world and is comprised of 70 hard coral species, 36 soft coral species, 500 species of fish, and hundreds of invertebrate species. With 90% of the reef still needing to be researched, it can be estimated that only 10% of all species have been discovered.

The petition, which has a goal of 150,000 is currently at 144,574. The WWF posted the following message and link:

Remove the danger from World Heritage sites with us → http://www.panda.org/belize

It’s not about what country you’re from, it’s about saving our shared home.

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Whether it's because of their name, historic interest, the novel Alice's Adventures In Wonderland or even just the movie Ice Age, most people tend to remember the Dodo bird--a flightless bird of very large size, hunted mercilessly to extinction over 400 years ago and one of the first known instances where humanity completely destroyed another species--but do you know that the Dodo bird has a distant cousin aptly named the Little Dodo bird?

The Little Dodo bird (also known as the Manumea bird and the tooth-billed pigeon) stands at 12 inches tall and lives on the Samoan islands of Upolu and Savai'i. Between those two populations there was once thought to be a thriving amount of up to 7,000 Little Dodos in the 1980s, but due to hunting and habitat destruction this tiny, adorable bird is sadly following in the footsteps of it's late cousin. There are now thought to be only a couple hundred Little Dodos left in the wild.   

Conservationists are attempting to learn more about the species, hoping to learn more information about the species in order to form an effective recovery plan before it's too late for the last of the Dodos. One of the plans currently under consideration is breeding plans for any of the Little Dodos that may be currently held in captivity. 

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Little Dodo as Critically Endangered.

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Animal rescuers rehab ‘Nature’s Miracle Orphans’ PBS series spotlights people who save baby sloths, koalas, kangaroos and fruit bats.

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Save Oklahoma's Horned Lizards

Texas horned lizards are formidable-looking creatures with prominent horns on their head and spines generously scattered over their back and sides. They can even eject blood from their eyes when threatened—and yet these rare reptiles have no defense against their biggest threat: habitat destruction.

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This species and so many others are so important. An old internet post but still such an important one.

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Saving Steve’s Place

A few years ago we learned that Steve’s Place (The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve) was in danger of strip mining, and it horrified us. We posted the article sharing the petition because any help at all to preserve this amazing reserve--said to support an ecosystem not found anywhere else in the world--was deeply appreciated. Steve has been our hero since we were very young, and any chance to give back to him and his dreams of conservation is something that we feel deeply honored to do. So, with that in mind, we shared the petition and were so overcome with astonishment and pride at how many of you, on this site alone, were moved and angry and just as horrified as we had been. 

We are so thankful for every single one of you who reblogged the post, who signed the petition, who acted in outrage and grief and determination to save Steve’s Place. You are all our heroes, and together we stood in solidarity with thousands of people all over the world to save this wonderful place from being utterly destroyed. 

And it worked.

According to the website 451, 234 people signed the petition, banning together to save Steve’s Place, and the Queensland Government announced plans to declare the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve and the Wenlock River on Cape York Peninsula as Queensland’s first ever 'strategic environmental area.’ Premier Campbell Newman said the declaration would protect one of Queensland’s most environmentally significant areas.

"There will be no mining on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve – not now, not ever, not some, not any." said Minister Powell

Victory.

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The Northern Pacific Right Whale is a very large ballen whale species that is extremely rare and critically endangered. The North Pacific right whale is notable for its huge head (almost one third of the animal’s total length) and strongly arched mouthline. 

These whales are very large and can reach up to 60 ft in length and weigh up to 180,000 lbs. They are much larger than gray or humpback whales. Right whales are very stout, particularly when compared to the other large baleen whales such as blue and fin whales. Right whales are also unique in that they all have callosities—rough patches of skin covered with aggregations in clusters, of hundreds of small cyamids. As with the other species of right whales, the callosities appear on its head immediately behind the blowholes.

Little is known about the behavior of North Pacific right whales as there have been very few at-sea sightings of the animals in the past decades. Right whales swim slowly, yet are surprisingly acrobatic, they are known for breaching and slapping their flippers against the water when rolling over. They are playful, curious animals, and often poke and bump objects they find in the water. Their friendly nature means they may swim up to boats, and even let boats approach them. They have been known to raise their tail flukes out of the water and use them as sails. As far as we know this is a form of play.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature categorizes the species as Endangered. It categorizes the Northeast Pacific subpopulation as Critically Endangered. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the North Pacific Right Whale is the most endangered whale on Earth. These whales were once numerous, with populations in the North Pacific nearing over 20,000 mammals prior to commercial whaling. The hunting of Right whales in commercial whaling has been prohibited since 1935, but between 1962 and 1968, illegal Soviet whaling killed 529 Right whales in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska as well as 132 right whales in the Sea Okhotsk. These beauties were called the right whale, possibly by whalers, because it was the “right” whale to kill. They were fairly easy targets, as they are slow swimmers and float when dead.

In 2010, National Marine Fisheries Service scientists estimated that the population of North Pacific right whales that summer in the southeastern Bering Sea was approximately 30 animals. The scientists estimated the population contains eight females and 20 males 

They concluded that “Although these estimates may relate to a Bering Sea subpopulation, other data suggest that the total eastern North Pacific population is unlikely to be much larger.”

If you would be interested in helping whales in general, please consider some of the options below.

http://adopt-us.whales.org/ From their website: ‘Whale and Dolphin Conservation is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. We defend these remarkable creatures against the many threats they face through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, conservation projects, field research and rescue. Our vision is a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free. WDC’s core belief is that all whales and dolphins have the right to exist as nature intends, not as humans decide. To be able to live free from hunting, captivity, entanglement in fishing gear and nets, and to swim in clean, noise-free waters where boats won’t injure them.’ They currently only offer Humpback and Orca adoptions, but they do accept donations beginning at $5.

There are many petitions, mostly targeted at whalers, on Save the Whales’ change.org page: http://www.change.org/organizations/savethewhales

The World Wildlife Fund says that it ’works with governments to establish sanctuaries, with shipping companies to change their routes, with fishing industries to update their technologies, and with coastal residents to establish ecotourism.  But new threats to whales are arising.  Many whale species are now at risk from offshore oil exploration, which forces them from their feeding areas.  With your help we can put pressure on oil companies to operate responsibly and away from critical whale habitats.’ You can donate to the WWF, or you can do a symbolic adoption. They offer various whales for adoption. http://www.worldwildlife.org/about

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When people think of leopards, they tend to think of Africa. But an extremely rare subspecies of leopard has adapted to living in the temperate forests of southeastern Russia. Also known as the Far East, Manchurian, and Korean leopard, the Amur leopard is critically endangered, with an estimated only 19 to 26 of these gorgeous cats left in the wild. 

The Amur leopards are powerful predators that can run at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour and have been reported to have leapt more than 19 feet horizontally and up to 10 feet vertically. They are nimble-footed and strong, and they tend to carry and hide unfinished kills so that they are not taken by other predators.  

Amur leopards are solitary animals, though often the males will stay with the female after mating in order to care for their young. It's also not uncommon for several males to follow one female and fight amongnst each other over her. Their main prey are deer, small wild boars, hares, and raccoon dogs. The Amur leopards tend to live for 10-15 years, and up to 20 years in captivity. The species is severely threatened by poaching, habit loss and climate change.

Are you interested in helping these beautiful animals? There are a few options below.

The Phoenix Fund is an organization that intends to provide anti-poaching protection for the Amur leopards. Phoenix Fund will support law enforcement in preventing the illegal hunting of the Amur leopard. Their website says of their organization: 

 'We will provide a highly skilled, mobile, law enforcement team with essential equipment and daily allowance for regular anti-poaching patrols to be conducted in the Leopard Land. Our team will help to protect the ecosystem of the forest. We will substantially reduce poaching of the Amur Leopard through strengthening law enforcement and habitat protection, improving data collection and nature protection legislation, educating the public, and engaging local communities in conservation efforts.'  They accept donations beginning with $10, and they show what the different amounts of money are going toward. They have currently collected a total of $38,856. Their funding goal is $60,000

You can donate here: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/amur-leopards-conservation/

There is a petition urging  International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) — an organization that works to save leopards and other animals around the world — to intervene immediately so as to halt the extinction of the Amur leopard. You can find it here: http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/petition/AmurLeopard

You can also symbolically adopt an Amur leopard from the World Wildlife Federation for three different amounts which are $25, $55, and $100. The proceeds from your donation will be used in the WWF's coservation activites. http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Amur-Leopard.aspx?sc=AWY1302WC922

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The Jaguarundi is a small wildcat with short, round ears and a long, slender body. They have spots when born, but as they grow into adulthood these disappear and their fur color can appear brown to dark brown, or grey. Jaguarundis are called otter cats because of their small flattened heads, short legs, and slender bodies, which gives them an otter-like resemblance.

They are excellent swimmers, and sometimes catch fish from streams and rivers to eat. They also eat small mammals, like rodents, armadillos, and armadillos, as well as reptiles and birds. They're solitary except during the breeding season, though they tend to form groups while in captivity.

There are eight subspecies of Jaguarundi, and four of those are on the federal list of endangered species: The Panamanian, Guatemalan, Gulf Coast, and Sinaloan Jaguarundi.

While accurate population numbers for the Jaguarundi are unknown, it is known that the species is quite rare and threatened mainly by habitat loss and by hunters who want its fur.

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In a handy stroke of luck, scientists have rediscovered a "lost" African species: the Bururi long-fingered frog. Last seen in 1949, the 1.3-inch-long  amphibian was found during a December 2011 biodiversity survey in the small central African country of Burundi scientists announced last year.

Thwarted by decades of political conflict, few biologists have so far been able to explore Burundi's ecosystems.

"The last time this species was seen was the first time this species was seen—that's the state of our knowledge in this little corner of Africa," said team member David Blackburn, a herpetologist at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

During the recent survey, scientists collected one male specimen of the frog, which—like all male Bururi long-fingered frogs—has an elongated "ring" finger on each hand. "It's one of the few bluish frogs in Africa—a beautiful little animal," Blackburn added.

The frog's original discoverer, a Belgian biologist, did not describe exactly where in Burundi he'd found the animal, so Blackburn and colleagues were "shooting in the dark" when they began their search for the frog.

Blackburn figured that frogs of the same genus in Cameroon—the closest relatives of the Bururi frogs—would have similar mating calls, so he kept his ear attuned for those sounds. Sure enough, the researcher located the right sounds in a thickly forested area.

"I happened to take my stick and push aside some vegetation, and lo and behold, sitting on the log was this species that hadn't been seen since 1949," Blackburn said. "It was a great moment."

Little is known about the long-fingered frog's biology or its numbers, Blackburn noted. For instance, the exact purpose of the animal's namesake digits remains a mystery. What's more, he said, a growing human population is moving into the Burundi mountains, where people often eat wildlife and cut down large swaths of forests for firewood.

As of right now, it seems the frog may exist only in small patches, and "if the forest goes, these frogs will go." The rediscovery of the long-fingered frog is part of a larger study on the evolution of Africa's animals that's currently in progress.

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The Northern Quoll (sasyurus hallucatus), also known as the Northern Native Cat, is the smallest of four native Australian quoll species. A carnivorous marsupial that resembles a possum with large white spots, it is remarkable in that the male dies after mating, leaving females to raise youngsters on their own.

Once found north of Brisbane and right across the Continent to the Western Australian coastline, the Quoll is now listed as endangered, reduced to small pockets in the Northern Territory, Cape York and the Kimberley and Pilbara regions.

The prime culprit is the cane toad, introduced to Australia in 1935 to rid the nation’s then-vital sugar cane industry of the cactoblastis beetle. Not only do toads compete with the quoll for food and shelter, but also they posthumously eradicate the cats via poisonous glands that are fatal to native species that eat them.

To help stem the tide, a University of Sydney project is trying to teach quolls to avoid eating toads. “We offer the quolls a small toad that we’ve infused with a chemical that induces nausea. So the next time they smell or taste a toad, they associate it with illness and reject it,” says research fellow Jonathan Webb.

“We have reintroduced 50 toad-trained quolls to Kakadu, where they are almost wiped out, and after two years 20 of them are still there –- and reproducing. We’re optimistic this approach is working.” Reference: http://travel.cnn.com/sydney/visit/threatened-and-endangered-species-australia-390436

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Philippine government workers used a backhoe and an incinerator Friday to crush and burn more than five tons of smuggled elephant tusks worth an estimated $10 million in the biggest known destruction of trafficked ivory outside Africa.

The government said that the destruction of the stockpile, gathered from seizures since 2009, demonstrates its commitment to fighting the illegal ivory trade. It also eliminates any opportunity for corrupt officials to resell the ivory, as was the case in 2006 when the largest single shipment of 3.7 tones vanished from the inventory, according to an international network that tracks the illegal trade.

The U.S. Agency for International Development and the anti-wildlife-trafficking Freeland Foundation said that they were assisting the Philippine government in conducting DNA analysis of elephant tusks at the Center for Conservation Biology of the University of Washington so that law enforcement agencies will have information on the origin and transit points of the smuggled ivory. It will also help to dismantle criminal syndicates responsible for poaching in Africa.

"This not only sends a message to wildlife traffickers that the Philippine government is taking firm action against the illegal ivory trade, but also takes a stand against corruption by burning their ivory stockpile so it cannot be stolen then sold into the black market," said Steven Galster, director of Bangkok-based Freeland Foundation.

The Southeast Asian nation has been used as a transit route between Africa and the rest of Asia. Ivory can fetch up to $2,000 per kilogram ($910 per pound) on the black market and more than $50,000 for an entire tusk.

The Elephant Trade Information System, which tracks the illegal trade on behalf of the 1989 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, says that the Philippines is among nine countries and territories identified as being most heavily implicated in the illegal trade. The others are Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and Thailand.

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Iceland has resumed its commercial hunting of fin whales after a two-year suspension by landing the first of an expected 180 whales in Hvalfjördur. The first kill prompted protests from environment and animal welfare groups that the hunt is "cruel and unnecessary."

Undercover pictures taken aboard the Hvalur 8 by Greenpeace show the harpooned whale being cut up for meat that is likely to be exported to Japan. Fin whales are the second largest animal on earth after the blue whale and are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) condemned the Icelandic whaler Kristján Loftsson who has resumed fin whaling after a two year break. "It is a very sad day seeing these images and knowing that this endangered animal has suffered a cruel death, only to be cut up for meat that nobody needs," said Robbie Marsland, UK director of IFAW.

Iceland cancelled fin whale hunts in 2011 and 2012 partly because Japan, the largest market, was suffering an economic downturn after of the devastating tsunami in March 2011. Seven fin whales were killed in Iceland's waters in 2006, 125 in 2009 and 148 in 2010.

Loftsson's company Hvalur plans to hunt up to 180 fin whales in the 2013 season. The International Whaling Commission has banned commercial whaling but its authority is not recognized by Iceland. More than 1 million people from around the world signed a recent online petition against the trading of Icelandic fin whale meat amid revelations that some of it has ended up in dog food products in Japan.

"Whaling is brutal and belongs to a bygone era not the 21st century," said John Sauven, director of Greenpeace UK. "It is deeply regrettable that a single Icelandic whaler backed by the government is undermining the global ban on commercial whaling which is there to secure the future of the world's whales."

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Brunei has become the first Asian country to adopt a nationwide shark fin ban. With his June 7 announcement, Sultan Hossanal Bolkiah’s decree officially banned the catch and landing of all shark species from the waters of Brunei Darussalam, as well as shark fin sales in the domestic market, and the importation and trade of shark products.

The continent of Asia is the largest market for shark fins in the world, and Brunei’s decision to ban shark fins is a huge step towards regional change across Asia. Conservation groups around the world have their fingers crossed that this victory will inspire more countries in Asia, and especially China, to ban the sale and trade of shark fins.  Today, China is the world’s largest consumer of shark fin soup, but the government has already taken steps to stop serving the delicacy. 

Shark finning is a brutal practice – the shark is hauled onto a boat, its fins are sliced off, and the shark is thrown back into the ocean, often still alive, to drown or bleed to death. Since shark meat is less desirable compared with other fish and the bodies take up precious cargo space, sharks are finned around the world and their meat is discarded. This cruel practice is also incredibly wasteful; shark finning only utilizes one to five percent of the shark’s body weight.

Approximately 100 million sharks are killed each year, primarily to support the demand for shark fin soup. Tens of millions of sharks are needlessly slaughtered each year, all for a tasteless product that translates to “fish wing” and adds no nutritional value to the broth. At the rate of one hundred million sharks killed every year, humans will wipe sharks out entirely in the coming decades if we don’t change something. 

Brunei’s decision to ban both shark fishing and the sale, trade, and import of shark fins is a strong, definitive stand against shark slaughter, and one that has not been fully achieved in many countries, including the U.S. 

“We applaud Brunei officials for taking this step as the first Asian country to ban shark fishing and the fin trade.  This paves the way for other countries to step up for sharks,” Oceana Marine Scientist Amanda Keledjian explained.“It is important that the ban prohibits both shark fishing and the trade and import of processed shark fins nationwide – something we have not yet been able to accomplish in the United States. While shark fins are still harvested, processed, and traded on a monumental scale around the world, every country closing its doors on this cruel practice means a better future for sharks in our oceans.”

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The hooded seal is a fin-footed mammal found only in the central and western North Atlantic. They live on the drifting pack ice and in the deep waters. From April until June, this species travels long distances to feed and from June through August, they gather again on separate moulting areas of the ice. In biology, moulting is described as being the shedding of the outer layer of the body. Moulting can involve the skin, fur, wool, feathers, etc of the given animal. After moulting, they return to feeding in the late summer months and return to breeding areas in the winter. There are four major breeding areas: the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the "front" east of Newfoundland, Davis Straight, and the West Ice.

The hooded seal gets its name thanks to their enormous elastic naval cavity, also known as the "hood", that males can inflate and extend from the front of their face to the top of their head. This "hood" is a symbol of "manliness" and is used to get the attention of a female during breeding season. Males that see each other as a threat to "win the prize", will compare hoods and whoever is able to inflate their nostrils the largest, will breed with the female. The hooded seal is an unsocial creature and is more aggressive and territorial than any other seal species. 

Hooded seals, like all marine mammals, are protected under the MMPA. The MMPA prohibits the take of marine mammals in U.S. waters. However, in 2010, the IUCN listed the hooded seals as vulernable for extinction. 

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Orange-bellied parrot

  The orange-bellied parrot is one of Australia's most endangered species. This small, broad-tailed parrot is endemic (defined to a geographic location) to southern Australia and is one of only two species of parrot known to migrate. While all orange-bellied parrots have a blue frontal band and blue outer wing feathers, the male is distinguished by bright green upperparts, yellow underparts and an orange belly patch. The female is not as bright, and therefore is duller in color.

Orange-bellied parrots are being bred in a captive breeding program with other parrots in Tasmania, Melbourne Zoo, Priam Parrot Breeding Centre, and in other zoos and sanctuaries in surrounding areas in Tasmania and Australia. The orange-bellied parrot is listed as critically endangered because there are only 36 wild birds known to be alive after the 2011/2012 breeding season. In 2010/2011, 21 wild birds were captured as "insurance" against this species' extinction. In captive breeding programs across Australia, there are 208 orange-bellied parrots. It is expected that this species will become extinct in the wild within the next five years.