Wildlife rescue group sends 51 smuggled star tortoises home to India

Cheryl Lin Channel NewsAsia 26 Nov 18;

SINGAPORE: Fifty-one Indian star tortoises that were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade in Singapore embarked on a journey back home to India on Monday (Nov 26).

The repatriation exercise was carried out by animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), with support from the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), the Indian government and Wildlife SOS in India.

It is ACRES' largest mass repatriation of rescued animals to date.

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Clues sought for decline in Hawaii humpback whale sightings

CALEB JONES, Associated Press Yahoo News 27 Nov 18;

HONOLULU (AP) — Researchers are gathering to compare clues on the reasons behind a significant decline in the number of sightings of North Pacific humpback whales in their traditional breeding grounds in waters around Hawaii.

The trend doesn't necessarily mean the iconic giants are dying off, or that they're not still migrating to the islands. But the apparent disappearance of many whales from a historically predictable location is causing concern and some researchers believe there's a link between warmer ocean temperatures in Alaska and the effect that has on the whales' food chain.

While scientists say it's too early to draw any conclusions about the phenomenon, the decline has sparked enough interest that a consortium of whale experts will meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Honolulu to compare data and attempt to better understand what's happening and what to do about it. The drop in sightings is estimated at 50 percent to 80 percent over the past four years.

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