Best of our wild blogs: 19 Nov 10

Video of Oriental Magpie Robin foraging with vocalisation
from Bird Ecology Study Group

South Cyrene in National Geographic!
from Cyrene Reef Exposed!

Read more!

'Most dangerous' exotic: Red-eared turtles threat in Vietnam and Australia

Red-eared turtles threaten Hanoi’s symbolic lake
Vietnam Net 18 Nov 10;

VietNamNet Bridge – Though the capital city authorities have instructed relevant agencies to collect and destroy red-eared turtles, the number of the world’s most dangerous exotic species is growing at the Hoan Kiem Lake.

They are also abundant at the Thien Quang ancient well in Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) – Vietnam’s first university.

It is observed that the turtles often float to the Hoan Kiem lake’s surface at 9am and hang themselves on twigs to stay out in the sun. Many twigs that are near the lake surface are occupied by dozens of turtles. The biggest turtles are around one kilo and the smallest ones are as small as one’s big toe.

Local residents said that every first day or fifteen day of the month, many people bring red-eared turtles to the lake to release. Some people often fish turtles to sell.

Prof., Dr. Ha Dinh Duc, a renowned scholar of Hanoi culture and history, said that he took the first photos of red-eared turtles at the Hoan Kiem Lake in 2004. Some people even took pictures of the dangerous turtles at the lake in 1997.

“I don’t know how many red-eared turtles are living in the lake but the number of exotic turtles has grown drastically. They multiply very quickly like yellow snails, which destroyed a vast area of rice in Vietnam in the past,” Dr. Duc said.

He said the turtles don’t directly harm the legendary ancient turtle in the lake but they compete with him in seeking foods. They also threaten smaller species in the lake.

The Thien Quang ancient well inside Hanoi’s Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) – Vietnam’s first university – also has many red-eared turtles.

The Van Mieu Scientific-Cultural Center’s director Dang Kim Ngoc said that red-eared turtles infiltrated the well in two ways. Firstly, Van Mieu is often flooded in downpours and turtles can get into the well through underground pipes. Some visitors brought turtles to the temple for worshipping and then released them to the well.

Nguyen Minh Tuan, chief manager of Hoan Kiem Lake area, said that to destroy red-eared turtles, it is necessary to have a specific policy and programs to educate people about this dangerous exotic species.

Invasion of the slider turtle on the North Shore
North Shore Times 19 Nov 10;

THIS turtle has been likened to the cane toad as a pest - and it has arrived on the North Shore.

It is the red-eared slider turtle, from North America.

Mature turtles are aggressive and can bite. They grow up to 30cm and prey on native species such as aquatic reptiles, frogs, fish, crustaceans and insects.

When an injured turtle was brought to Turramurra Vet Clinic, vet Jim Thompson recognised it straight away as a red-eared slider.

The turtle, brought in last week, later died from its injuries.

“A client from West Pymble brought it in. I presume it was found in the Lane Cove River Park,” Dr Thompson said.

“I have heard of a breeding population in Centennial Park.”

Likened to the cane toad and european carp, the slider turtle is in the world’s top 100 worst invaders according to the World Conservation Union.

It originates from America and northern Mexico but breeding populations have been found in all Australian states.

Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre officer Wendy Henderson said the turtles posed a huge problem. “In Queensland, where they have found several hundred, there is an eradication program where they dredge dams and bring in a specially-trained sniffer dog,” she said.

“It doesn’t surprise me that one has been found on the North Shore. There’s not a massive population in NSW but in routine checks last year they were found in the Sydney area, including the Hawkesbury-Nepean and around Wolli Creek.”

The exotic turtles can adapt to a range of temperatures and water conditions. “They also compete with the native turtles for food,” Dr Henderson said.

The turtle found on the North Shore was 6cm in diameter.

FACE TO FACE WITH A PEST:
*The slider turtle retracts its head straight back into its shell, whereas a native turtle retracts its head sideways.
*Male slider turtles have long claws on their front feet.
*Most have a red patch behind their eyes and pale yellow stripes on their face and front legs.
*The undershell of slider turtles has 12 scales with dark patches, whereas native turtles have 13 scales which are often plain with dark lines.
*The slider turtle can lay up to 70 eggs a year. It grows up to 30cm and its lifespan is about 40 years.
*Mature slider turtles are aggressive and can bite.
*They prey on native species such as aquatic reptiles, frogs, fish, crustaceans and insects.

Read more!

Penang: Otter rescued from drain at shopping mall

The Star 19 Nov 10;

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Civil Defence Department rescued an otter trapped in a drain in front of a shopping complex in Tanjung Tokong here.

Rescue workers were deployed to the scene after a guard at the shopping complex spotted the fish-eater stuck in a drain at about 1.40am yesterday.

The security guard alerted the authorities after he noticed the mammal making a lot of noise.

The department’s northeast district chief Lieutenant Zunaidin Abdullah said five civil defence officers took 30 minutes to free the otter, which weighed about 30kg.

He said the otter had become entangled with some wire in the drain.

It has been handed to the state Perhilitan.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) marine biologist Dr Aileen Tan said it was unusual to find an otter on land, especially near a residential area unless its natural habitat has been disturbed.

She said the mammal’s food source could have been affected.

Dr Tan expressed concern over the excessive development and reclamation in the city.

She, however, added that otters could be easily spotted on the coast.

State Perhilitan director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said the otter was in a weak condition.

“We will send it to the Malacca Zoo once it recovers,” he said.


Traffic-stopper out of harm's way
New Straits Times 19 Nov 10;

GEORGE TOWN: A 1.5m-long otter was spotted prowling on a busy road here yesterday morning.

Its unexpected appearance caused a chaotic scene in front of the Island Plaza shopping complex in Jalan Tanjong Tokong.

Many surprised motorists were forced to stop their vehicles to avoid hitting the mammal.

The otter managed to evade the cars and motorcycles before leaping into a monsoon drain nearby.

Five members of a Civil Defence rescue team arrived about 2am to capture the animal.

Civil Defence member K. Vanu Gopal, 43, said the otter reacted aggressively while being captured.

"It bit the arm of one member repeatedly while struggling to wriggle free. Fortunately, my colleague wore ample protective gear to shield himself from injury," Vanu said at the department's headquarters in Lebuhraya Peel yesterday.

The male otter is estimated to weigh 30kg. It was handed over to the state Wildlife and National Parks Department.

Most otters live near water, entering it mainly to look for food.

Fish is their diet and is supplemented by frogs, crayfish and crabs. They range from 0.7m to 1.8m in length and 5kg to 45kg in weight.

Read more!

Endangered Sea Turtles Saved in Bali

Made Arya Kencana Jakarta Globe 18 Nov 10;

Denpasar. Police in Bali have arrested a boat captain and seized a shipment of 87 live green sea turtles being smuggled into the resort island from Sulawesi.

The boat, KM Cahaya Rahmat, was seized by maritime police about nine nautical miles off Bali’s east coast shortly after noon on Wednesday.

The turtles, all believed to be more than 50 years old and weighing around 100 kilograms each, were found hidden in a hold beneath the boat’s deck.

The boat was towed to shore, and the turtles released back into the sea from Kuta Beach on Thursday, where the authorities had to be helped by tourists to carry the meter-long animals to the water’s edge.

Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko said the boat’s captain, Habong, had been arrested and five crew members were released after questioning.

He said Habong had been charged under the 1990 Natural Resources Conservation Law, for which he could face up to five years in prison and be fined Rp 100 million ($11,000).

Hadiatmoko said police were now looking into whether the boat was part of an organized syndicate that was smuggling the endangered turtles.

“Each of the turtles could have fetched between Rp 4 million and Rp 5 million,” he said.

Habong, meanwhile, admitted to bringing the turtles to Bali to sell them. “I brought them here to sell because I knew that they’re a hot commodity in Bali and I would have made a lot of money,” he said.

He claimed he had caught all 87 turtles over a six-day period by trawling for them in the waters around the Wakatobi islands, located off Southeast Sulawesi, before making the 11-day voyage to Bali to sell them.

“I was just trying to make a living,” he said. “If I’d been more fortunate, I would have gotten away with it.”

Habong added it was the first time he had attempted to smuggle turtles into Bali.

While most of the turtles were released back into the sea, four were sent to the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency’s sanctuary on Serangan Island to recover from injuries.

“As for the ones we released, we’ll be monitoring them for the next few days to ensure they aren’t picked up by more fishermen or attacked by predators,” said Endang HS, a conservation agency official.

Meanwhile, ProFauna, a nongovernmental wildlife group, said the seizure indicated the illegal trade in sea turtles was thriving despite an official ban.

I Wayan Wiradnyana, coordinator of ProFauna Bali’s Green Turtle Campaign, said most of the 87 turtles seized were females, and their loss would have severely impacted the survival of the species.

“They were all of mating age, and were probably caught in their traditional mating grounds,” he said.

Green turtles were once commonly used in ritual sacrifices across the predominantly Hindu island, and their meat is considered a traditional Balinese delicacy.

In recent years, however, there has been a shift toward symbolic sacrifices where the animals are released alive into the sea.

But continued high demand has driven the trade underground, with several smuggling attempts being foiled in the past few years.

Indonesian police seize 87 turtles
(UKPA) Google News 18 Nov 10;

Eighty-seven endangered sea turtles have been confiscated from a fishing boat off the resort island of Bali, Indonesian police have said.

The boat's skipper was arrested.

He told police the green turtles were caught in waters off Sulawesi island.

The reptiles have an average size of more than three feet (one metre) and can weigh up to 440lbs (200 kilos).

Turtle meat is a delicacy in the predominantly Hindu province of Bali, where each creature could be sold for up to 560 US dollars (£350).

The green turtle lives in tropical waters around the world, but its numbers have been steadily decreasing for several generations, largely due to human encroachment on the beaches where they lay their eggs.

Read more!

'Asian unicorn' and scaly anteater make endangered list

Yahoo News 19 Nov 10;

LONDON (AFP) – A miniature sloth, the "Asian unicorn" and a bushbaby known as the rondo dwarf galago were Friday added to the Zoological Society of London's list of genetically distinct and endangered mammals.

Three species of long-beaked echidna's are ranked equal first on the evolutionary distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) list, which identifies the world's 100-most unique and threatened mammals.

"EDGE mammals are one-of-a-kind and they represent the true diversity of life on earth," said Carly Waterman, EDGE Programme Manager.

"If we let these species disappear, their extraordinary features and unique behaviours will be lost forever," she added.

Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, named after British wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, makes the list as does the virtually-blind Ganges River dolphin.

The saola, or "Asian unicorn," was unknown to western science until 1992. The reclusive beast lives in the jungles of Laos and Vietnam, but it is thought there are only a few dozen of them left in existence.

One of the more bizarre creatures on the list is the Chinese pangolin, also known as a scaly anteater. The mammal is being overexploited for its meat and for its skin and scales, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Read more!

Gulf of Mannar coral colonies dying due to exotic invasive seaweed

P. Oppili The Hindu 18 Nov 10;

The massive and branching coral colonies in the Gulf of Mannar region are dying due to cultivation of an exotic invasive seaweed species identified as Kappaphycus alvarezii.

J.K. Patterson, Director, Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, Tuticorin, said their organisation was involved in regular monitoring of the coral reef colonies in the region since October 2008.

In October this year, when researchers from the institute visited the Shingle, Krusadai and Poomarichan islands, they observed the bio-invasion of the seaweed, which has spread over one square km in the region.

Mr. Patterson said more than 500 colonies of both the colonies were very badly affected.

With the cultivation of the seaweed, small coral reef colonies measuring 20 cm and larger colonies measuring up to 80 cm had been very badly affected, says Mr Patterson.

Cultivation of the sea alien seaweed on the luxuriant sea grass beds in the Palk Bay reduced penetration of sunlight into the coral colonies, which was very essential for their health and growth.

This led to stunted growth of reefs with less shoot density, turbid environment and less fish catch, he said.

The remedial measures the State Forest Department had taken to control the spread of the alien invasive species are not adequate, says Mr. Patterson. In his opinion every six months the seaweed needed to be removed. The Forest Department should allocate funds annually.

A government order issued in December 2005 clearly specifies that seaweed cultivation should be taken up in the north of Palk Bay, which is beyond Nagapattinam and South of Tuticorin coast.

The order also clearly mentions that in the event of any adverse impact during environment impact assessment study, permission to use the Coastal Regulation Zone area would be withdrawn, Mr. Patterson added.

Read more!

Study warns against US rush to approve gene-altered salmon

Kerry Sheridan Yahoo News 18 Nov 10;

WASHINGTON (AFP) – With the US government close to approving genetically modified salmon for human consumption, a study out Thursday warned that key risks to society could be missed in the rush to the market.

If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the quick-growing salmon would be the first so-called "Frankenfood" animal approved for consumption by the American public.

But experts said not enough is known about the wider impacts on society of bringing such foods on the market, including a potentially major shift in dietary habits, buying practices and environmental hazards.

The current FDA process involves comparing modified salmon to the regular fish, analyzing the nutritional profile and screening for toxins, said the study by American and Norwegian researchers published in the journal Science.

"A more useful approach would be to evaluate whether society is better off overall with the new product than without it," said Duke University law professor Jonathan Wiener.

In the case of the salmon, which is known to carry omega three fatty acids that are good for the health, the benefits might be positive overall, said economist Martin Smith, also from the North Carolina based university.

"But what is important is that you establish a precedent. More foods like this might come on the market and they might not be ones where there is a public health benefit," he said.

"Making food cheaper is giving people more money to spend on other goods and that is certainly a good thing," he explained.

"But if you make an unhealthy food cheaper then people substitute away from healthier foods and there can be public health consequences and that's a bad thing."

If the FDA gives the salmon the go-ahead it could open the door to a variety of other kinds of genetically engineered animals ranging from tilapia to pigs to cows.

The altered salmon is made by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty which argues that its fish, injected with a gene from the Pacific Chinook salmon, can reach adult size in 16 to 18 months instead of 30 months for normal Atlantic salmon.

An FDA spokeswoman told AFP that the review is "still under way and we don't have any timeline."

Smith said that the team relied on past data about farmed salmon for its research but did not make its own projections about the societal benefits and hazards because they were unsure whether the FDA might make its decision before they could finish.

"It is more important to make the point that such a broad analysis needs to be done," he said.

In September, a group of independent experts also urged US authorities to do more studies before allowing genetically modified salmon on the market, saying that the studies undertaken so far were insufficient to determine with any certainty whether the salmon pose a risk to humans or the environment.

The FDA turned to the committee of independent experts after concluding, based on company data, that the modified fish was safe for human consumption and the environment.

The FDA is not bound to follow the recommendations of its experts group, but generally does so.

Thursday's research in the journal Science was co-authored by Frank Asche of the University of Stavanger, Norway, and Atle Guttormsen of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Read more!

Scientists warn of more rain, heat and hurricanes

Kerry Sheridan Yahoo News 18 Nov 10;

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Hungry polar bears gathering along the tundra, twice as many record-breaking temperatures and stronger hurricanes are among the latest signs of climate change, scientists say.

And we can expect more rain, more drought and fiercer storms in the future if the world continues on its fossil-fuel gobbling track, they told reporters on a conference call Wednesday to discuss the year in global warming.

Michael Mann, a leading US scientist, said he just returned from a trip to Churchill, Manitoba, the Canadian shore town famous for its polar bears, where the sea ice they depend on for hunting seals has not yet formed because of warm temperatures.

"When you go up there you see the bears all along the coast on the tundra awaiting the sea ice to form and it hasn't formed yet," Mann said.

"This was for me a very tangible and personal opportunity to see the impacts of climate change firsthand," he said. "The Arctic is in many respects a harbinger of things to come on our planet."

Mann also pointed to research being presented on Capitol Hill by another climate scientist, Jerry Meehl of National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), showing the number of record-breaking hot days is twice as high as the record cold days.

"Heat records are outpacing cold records at a factor of two to one now. That number is expected to increase to 20 to 1 by late this century if we continue on the course that we are on with fossil fuel burning," Mann said.

Some events, such as the 2003 European heat wave which killed about 35,000 people and this year's heat wave in Moscow would be "extremely unlikely to happen in the absence of climate change," he added.

Hurricane expert Greg Holland said the fiercest storms are already showing an uptick in frequency, and more powerful hurricanes lie ahead.

"If you just look at the Atlantic in the last 10 years, we have experienced three times as many Category 5 hurricanes as have occurred in previous history on a relative basis," he said.

"We now have consensus statements coming out from the scientists and indeed a lot of regional research is pointing all in the same direction. There is nothing going in the other direction," he said.

"And that is the very intense hurricanes, the very intense (Category) fours and fives are going to increase and they could be doubling or tripling."

Holland also predicted more rain and drought in the coming years.

"As the earth warms up the atmosphere can hold more water, if there is more water available there will be more rain. Paradoxically of course there is as a result of that more drought because the land dries out quicker."

According to Mark Serreze of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the reduction of sea ice in the Arctic will have a growing impact on temperatures in the rest of the world.

"What we have seen is a rather pronounced reduction in the extent of sea ice. At the end of summer now we have 40 percent less sea ice than we had say during the 1970s," Serreze said.

"We are losing that insulator so what we are seeing now are big fluxes in heat from the ocean to the atmosphere," he said.

"Since everything is connected together in the climate system what happens up there can influence what happens down here and I am talking about in the middle latitudes."

The other thing that the scientists said is changing, along with climate, is how they confront skeptics who question the reality of climate change and the extent of humans' role in causing it.

"There are still many of us who like to sit in our office or go into the field and just do our science and not enter into the fray, but I think that is changing," said Serreze.

"We have to become more involved," he added. "We have to become better communicators. Scientists are not always good communicators of the issues but this is part of a learning curve and we have got to face that."

Mann, a Nobel-Prize winning scientist who was cleared of allegations of misconduct this year stemming from a series of leaked emails between scientists about climate change, said he too has learned from his experiences.

"One lesson is that if you're a climate scientist and you are willing to play a prominent role in the public discourse on climate change then you'd better have a thick skin," he said.

Read more!

U.N. Climate Talks Must Solve Forest Carbon Riddle

Gerard Wynn Yahoo News 19 Nov 10;

U.N. climate talks will struggle to agree new greenhouse gas targets next month unless they can solve a complex loophole where developed countries currently ignore emissions from logging plantation forests.

Environment ministers from almost 200 countries will gather in Cancun, Mexico, from November 29 to December 10 to try to toughen the world's response to climate change.

U.N. executives want rich countries in Cancun to make present emissions pledges binding under a U.N. deal, now expected to be finalized in December 2011.

One of the biggest hurdles to agreeing such targets is an accounting riddle over how to treat plantation forests: emissions from felling trees are simply ignored under the present Kyoto Protocol, whose first round ends in 2012.

"It is a big issue particularly when it comes to determining your emissions reduction targets, and particularly for some countries which have a lot of forests," said Artur Runge-Metzger, the European Union's chief negotiator.

"It was a kind of loophole and a weakness of the Kyoto architecture and there's a need to address that."

Plantation forests, largely in developed countries, are used for pulp, paper and timber, and a market is rapidly growing for use of biomass to generate electricity, while huge future demand is foreseen for advanced transport fuels, made from wood.

Trees suck the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide out of the air as they grow. That effect offsets 10-15 percent of the entire emissions of Russia -- which has vast forests -- underlining the importance of the issue to some countries.

But it is also one of the most esoteric issues at the U.N. talks, sometimes mocked by climate aficionados for its unwieldy acronym, LULUCF (land use, land-use change and forests).

FORESTS

A deal on emissions from plantations is also important because the fine print will equally apply to an agreement later on saving tropical forests, where developing countries will be paid not to destroy rainforests.

"All the issues we are discussing here, you will have similar issues when it comes to tropical forests, and the issue of the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation," said Runge-Metzger.

Under Kyoto, nearly 40 developed countries have emissions reduction targets from 2008-12.

At present, such countries can exclude from their targets emissions from chopping trees, but include the credit from the carbon stored by growing trees, making it appear a loophole.

Details of a LULUCF deal include whether to make emissions accounting mandatory, what cap should be placed on credit from stored carbon, and how to account for forest fires and for wood products including houses which are made from felled trees and do not add to carbon emissions immediately.

Mandatory reporting with some cap on credits would form a likely compromise, Runge-Metzger said.

In addition, some countries want reference levels of deforestation, where they build in to their targets expected increases in logging, an approach Greenpeace rejected.

"We see this as quite a flawed approach," said campaigner Paul Winn, favoring reporting of emissions or credits in any one year, with credits discounted by 85 percent.

Read more!