Friday, March 29, 2024

12,000km in 357 days

Sea turtle routes tracked The first turtle that was tagged in Bangladesh with a satellite chip to track its journey last year has travelled over 12,000 kilometres in 357 days and is now coming back to Bangladesh coast from Sri Lanka. Urmee, the name of the turtle, has crossed the path until March 23, 2011. ... Read more

Amur tigers in population crisis

The effective population of the critically endangered Amur tiger is now fewer than 14 animals, say scientists. Approximately 500 Amur tigers actually survive in the wild, but the effective population is a measure of the genetic diversity of the world’s largest cat. Very low diversity means any vulnerability to disease or rare genetic disorders is ... Read more

Rare goose spotted

A rare species of goose was spotted for the first time in the country in Hakaluki Haor of Moulvibazar district last Saturday. A group of bird watchers led by eminent bird specialists Dr Enam al Haque and Paul Thompson have found the ‘lesser white-fronted goose’ on the concluding day of the two-day bird enumeration session ... Read more

Chernobyl birds small brained

Birds living around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident have 5 percent smaller brains, an effect directly linked to lingering background radiation. The finding comes from a study of 550 birds belonging to 48 different species living in the region, published in the journal PLoS One. Brain size was significantly smaller in yearlings compared ... Read more

Tiger numbers could triple if large-scale landscapes protected: study

Asia’s tiger reserves could support more than 10,000 wild tigers – three times the current number – if they are managed as large-scale landscapes that allow for connectivity between core breeding sites, a new paper from some of the world’s leading conservation scientists finds. The study, co-authored by WWF scientists, is the first assessment of ... Read more

Two new mammals found

Two new species of mammals have been discovered in Bangladesh, taking the total number of mammals of the country to 124. The Himalayan Striped Squirrel (Tamiops macclellandi) and Least Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros cineraceus) are only the second and third new mammals to be found in the country in last five years. The first new mammal, ... Read more

Historic tiger summit closes with plans to secure more financial backing

St. Petersburg, Russia: The historic International Tiger Conservation Forum ended with crucial plans to discuss further financing options for the Global Tiger Recovery Programme approved at the meeting, kick-starting new efforts to double the number of wild tigers. On the final day of the summit, delegates met briefly to hammer out key dates in the ... Read more

Over 1,000 Tigers Killed In Past Decade

The illegal trade in tiger parts has led to more than 1,000 wild tigers being killed over the past decade, a report suggests. Traffic International, a wildlife trade monitoring network, found that skins, bones and claws were among the most common items seized by officials. The trade continues unabated despite efforts to protect the cats, ... Read more

U.S. military ingenuity applied to epidemic destroying honey bees

A group of Montana researchers working with the United States military has proposed a new, unique answer to the ongoing global epidemic destroying honey bee colonies: A fungus and virus working in tandem, aided by mites, may be the cause. The ongoing honey bee deaths are widespread, causing losses in the USA, Europe and Asia. ... Read more

Vultures face extinction

Oriental vultures are disappearing so fast that their population dropped by 95 percent in Bangladesh in the last two decades, due to feeding on carcasses of cattle treated with anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, said experts. Diclofenac is widely used in human medicine globally, and was introduced to the veterinary market in the Indian subcontinent in early ... Read more

Baby owl escapes from jaws of death

A baby owl had an amazing escape after it fell from its nest into a zoo enclosure only to leave it face to face – with a LION. The fluffy tawny owlet managed to survive for three days after it tumbled from a branch and landed inches from the killer lioness. Onlookers watched as the ... Read more

Bees Can Say ‘Stop’

The finding shows that bee colonies behave more like giant, single beasts than as individual insects. THE GIST: 0 Bees can tell others in their colony to avoid troublesome places. 0 This is the first time a “negative” bee signal has been identified. 0 The bees doing the warning can target the bees who are ... Read more

Woman hunter kills elephant with bow and arrow

Female hunter Teressa Groenewald-Hagerman has become the first woman in the world to shoot an elephant dead with a bow and arrow. Groenewald-Hagerman, 39, she sneaked into the animals herd and killed the creature with one shot from just 12 yards. The woman, from Kansas, was inspired to go on the safari after being challenged ... Read more

Mouse bites snake to death

By Matthew Moore A mouse bit a venomous viper to death after it was thrown into the snake’s cage as a lunchtime snack. The tiny rodent killed the snake after a fierce 30-minute battle, emerging with “barely a scratch on him”, according to on person who saw the fight. Firefighters in Taiwan who were looking after the snake ... Read more

Tracking reveals albatross habits

By Richard Black, BBC environment correspondent Research by UK scientists may prove vital in protecting the albatross. British Antarctic Survey researchers followed more than 40 grey-headed albatrosses as they flew around the world, identifying where they fed. All the birds which made a circumnavigation stopped for food in the same places. Banning harmful fishing methods ... Read more

Arctic reported to be on thin ice

AP. WASHINGTON: Autumn temperatures in the Arctic are at record levels, the Arctic Ocean is getting warmer and less salty as sea ice melts, and reindeer  herds appear to be declining, researchers have reported. “Obviously, the planet is interconnected, so what happens in the Arctic does matter” to the rest of the world, Jackie Richter-Menge ... Read more