SAVE THE WORLD’S SADDEST DOLPHINS
25 dolphins caught in the wild (Solomon Islands) are now in Ocean Adventure (Subic, Philippines), awaiting transport to Resorts World Singapore.
Who are we to subject these gentle and intelligent beauties to our own entertainment?
Please sign the petition and pledge never to watch a dolphin in captivity. Let wildlife remain in the wild.
Davao Gulf is one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world and thus has been identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as one of its priority areas.
Currently, it is under threat from such activities as destructive fishing and improper waste disposal, gravely affecting marine life.
You can help save the Davao Gulf thru Text to Donate. Smart subscribers anywhere in the Philippines can make a donation by simply texting WWF <amount> to 4483. Valid amounts (in Pesos) are 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000.
Funds raised will be used by WWF-Philippines to rehabilitate and preserve the fisheries within the Davao Gulf and to protect its endangered dugongs and sea turtles.
The Philippine eagle, often portrayed as a majestic and commanding forest raptor, is seen in the picture above as a small and fluffy newborn chick. Behavioral studies have shown that these juveniles are very intelligent, as they were observed to “learn hunting without parental intervention.” In their independent learning, Philippine eagle fledglings would perform remarkable exercises of balance like hanging themselves upside down. They were also observed to perform mock attacks on inanimate objects all by themselves. Kennedy (1985) noted that around an early age of 300 days, a Philippine eagle juvenile would already have departed its nest tree to claim its first kill.
(Source: LIFE)
Biodiversity On Earth Plummets, Despite Growth in Protected Habitats
Despite rapid and substantial growth in the amount of land and sea designated as protected habitat over the last four decades, the diversity of species the world over is plummeting, a new study has found.
Over 100,000 so-called “protected areas” representing some 7 million square miles of land and nearly 1 million square miles of ocean have been established since the 1960’s, noted the analysis, published Thursday in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series.
And yet, according to a widely cited index used to track planetary biodiversity, the wealth of terrestrial and marine species has seen steady decline over roughly the same period, suggesting that simply protecting swaths of land and sea — a common conservation strategy worldwide — is inadequate for preventing the steady disappearance of earth’s creatures.
“The problem is bigger than one we can realistically solve with protected areas — even if they work under the best conditions,” said Camilo Mora, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and lead author of the study. “The protected area approach is expensive and requires a lot of political and human capital,” Dr. Mora continued in an email message to The Huffington Post. “Our suggestion is that we should redirect some of those resources to deal with ultimate solutions.”
Chelidonura varians - Nudibranch, Bohol, Philippines
(Source: mad-as-a-marine-biologist)
The images above show some of the new marine species discovered by the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition Team. Read the full story here.
The Philippine Falconet, Microhierax erythrogenys, is a bird of prey endemic to the Philippines. Typically found in tropical moist lowland forests, the falconet population inhabits a wide range, and thus is not considered as threatened by IUCN standards. However, the population trend appears to be continuously decreasing.
This pancake-looking nudibranch was among the new species of gastropods discovered by the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition team headed by Terry Gosliner of the California Academy of Sciences.
