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#Post#: 4311--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: January 10, 2016, 4:52 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=AGelbert link=topic=176.msg4310#msg4310
date=1452461984]
They pay almost nothing to send hundreds of thousands of
livestock across our public lands sometimes obliterating the
natural landscape as the livestock devour native grasses, pound
the soil into dust, and wallow in and destroy streams and
rivers.
They also pay almost nothing to have the state and federal
government exterminate native American wildlife on our public
lands - wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, even eagles -
that sometimes prey on calves and lambs. The epitome of this
extermination is the "aerial gunner men" hired by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to fly helicopters over our public
lands and kill thousands of wolves and coyotes with shotgun
blasts from the sky every year," says journalist Gary Wockner.
Read our article, President Obama, Stop Leasing Our Federal
Lands & Waters.
Read how Teddy Roosevelt created the refuge:
Website:
www.onearth.org/earthwire/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-theod
ore-roosevelt
HTML http://www.onearth.org/earthwire/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-theodore-roosevelt
HTML http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26514
HTML http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26514
The ranchers (at least the smaller, non-corporate types) don't
support selling of the commons. It isn't in their interest at
all. The fact that the land has been public all these years has
been a great gift to them. Truthfully, their real sin is that
they have been poor stewards of the land, and have overgrazed it
ever since they were allowed on it. They have essentially been
subsidized all these years, but that was why the whole thing was
set up the way it was in the beginning, to make it possible for
settlers to live in parts of the west where 160 acre homesteads
were too small to support a family.
So I have a hard time seeing this as their motivation. Now,
perhaps this is some kind of trumped up scheme by the big
money...the ones who have the kind of financing to actually buy
big chunks of public land. That I could believe.
The whole stand-off stinks to high heaven, frankly. Most of the
militia types out there think it's a false flag operation
designed to make it easier for the federal government to justify
grabbing their guns.
HTML https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/malheur-another-perspective/
HTML https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/malheur-another-perspective/
Eddie said,
THAT is what you should DEFINITELY believe because THAT is what
this is ALL about (see the toadies Rep. Rob Bishop R-UT, Senator
Lisa Murkowski's R-AK, etc. et al of the PRIVATE rich Welfare
Queen Vested Interests using the Federal Government to fleece
we-the-people: :evil4:).
Of course. But the COVER for these types of scams always
requires the use of Karl Rove's strategy number 3: Always accuse
your opponent of doing what YOU are doing to hide the FACT that
YOU are doing it. It's basic Machiavelli. ANYONE that uses this
strategy is devoid of a moral compass. Nitzsche's Territorial
Imperative REQUIRES that that you LACK a moral compass. And long
before the Homestead Act, that has been our "justification" for
land grabbing.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183337.bmp
So now the REAL land grabbers ((see: PRIVATE rich Welfare Queen
Vested Interests using the Federal Government to fleece
we-the-people) behind this are deliberately propagandizing the
militia types to look in the wrong direction for the motive.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191329.bmp
See red herring. See distraction. See Bu ll sh it. See: Cui
Bono?
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/acigar.gif
If this massive land grab BY the rich, biosphere math
challenged, private greedballs (who use dumbass ideologues in
Oregon and bought and paid for politicians as stalking horses)
is not stopped, we will soon see our lands totally overrun by
profit over planet exploitation. As the article I posted made
clear, we ALREADY have a huge problem with wanton exploitation
for fossil fuels, mining and the extermination of wildlife that
"gets in the way". The overgrazing by greedy ranchers will be
the least of our problems.
The solution to this problem requires that the American public
understand who the BURGLAR really is and respond accordingly.
A burglar breaks into a house and finds a parrot inside.
“Kesha sees you,” says the Parrot.
Burglar covers the bird’s cage with a towel.
“Kesha is not a parrot, Kesha is a rottweiler,” says the Parrot.
[center][img
width=100]
HTML http://pm1.narvii.com/5869/6a64193d6770c3afd17406c78686c0eda32ded1c_hq.jpg[/img][/center][/quote]
[quote author=Eddie link=topic=559.msg94968#msg94968
date=1452463192]
Yes, I think you have it right. It's the same old story about
exploiting the commons, extracting the resources, and passing
the costs back to the public. It's about timber and it's about
uranium. It's about water and who gets it.
[/quote]
Yep. And the foundation of all this biosphere math challenged
behavior is an absence of a moral compass. [img
width=60]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-041115022304.png[/img]
In the light (or prehaps darkness :() of witnessing the
thorough disappearance of ethical behavior in American society
(back in the second half of the 19th century, engineers who
designed railroad bridges would kill themselves if a bridge
failed with a passenger filled train on it - now they claim
"sabotage" and "poor government maintenance" while they lobby
for another bridge building contract...), it is proper to resort
to humor as a survival mechanism.
For the no good Attackers of the rich job creators/fossil fuel
industry saviors of our civilization, Socialist, Eco-Leftist
whackos like me (who talk too much ;D):
Congratulations! You won a free year long placement on a no-fly
list.
Good for me! I get to lower my carbon footprint some more! - We
Eco-Leftists always find [s]silver[/s] compost linings in piles
of poop.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191258.bmp<br
/>
Do you want coffee with cognac or without?
– Without.
– Without cognac?
– Without coffee.
For medicinal purpose only. I'm a Christian, ya know!
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2.gif
Now for more general humor...
Ahmed, why is your wife walking in front of you? Did you forget
that according to the Quran, a wife has to always walk behind
her husband?
– Darling, I know what Quran says. But when they wrote it, they
had not invented anti-personnel mines, yet.
Well yeah, some Arabs read Machiavelli too!
You have 300 Facebook friends. 80 of them come to your wedding.
10 show up for your birthday. When you have a problem, you have
two friends: your parents.
And then your parents die. But your mother-in-law doesn't.
My mother-in-law is an angel.
– Lucky you… My mother-in-law is still alive.
#Post#: 4315--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: January 11, 2016, 2:00 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=agelbert link=topic=559.msg94999#msg94999
date=1452482945]
[quote author=roamer link=topic=559.msg94994#msg94994
date=1452476610]
And what if this fed land grab operation is in part to procure
control over silver and rare earth metals needed for the solar
revolution AG?
[/quote]
It's a PRIVATIZATION land grab, not a fed land grab. The toadies
are actually getting the Federal Government to PAY the States to
take it, only to turn around and SELL IT to resource
exploitation corporations.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183337.bmp
Roamer, that is an interesting possibility. I expect you, as an
allegedly objective, responsible, open minded individual to now
research silver mining (silver is found with gold at a ratio of
about 16 to one so they get gold from them too) and rare earths
mining in the world in general, and the USA in particular.
I expect you to provide a list of the carcinogenic and otherwise
toxic chemicals involved (there are LOTS of them besides
arsenic) in the process of mining for and refining precious and
rare earth metals. Furthermore, I expect you to provide the
proportional distribution of the product in the various
industries in the correct percentages and proportions,
particularly how much of the total mining output goes
(eventually) to Renewable Energy Technologies.
I expect you to compare their use for Renewable Technologies
with their use for the polluting industries. But don't stop
there. Copper, for example, is a rather important part of
manufacturing electric motors. So you could make a case against
copper being mined for Renewable Energy powered electric motors
too.
Of course you would have to subtract all the copper used for
electric motors on oil rigs and fossil fuel powered modes of
transportation like cars, planes ships, submarines, etc. And
don't forget to look into how the fossil fuel industry uses rare
earths and silver in their machinery and infrastructure too.
They do, you know. 8)
Otherwise, you might be mistaken for someone who is trying to
distract people from the routine profit over planet exploitation
of the fossil fuel industry, which they certainly DO have a
track record of DOING on public lands.
So, if you think I am opposed to the privatization of public
lands ONLY because the big money fossil fuelers want to exploit
them for profit while they exterminate any wildlife that gets in
the way, I beg to differ. I do not give a tinker's damn whether
there is a mother lode of rare earths on public land or a giant
copper or silver find in that, or any other wildlife refuge. I
want it LEFT ALONE and managed by responsible biologists, not
greedy, empathy deficit disordered opportunists. In fact, I
suspect you feel exactly the same way. Howevah, ConocoPhillips,
the reputed first oil corporation off the blocks to take
advantage of the elimination of the export ban (they also just
closed all operations in Russia - a coincidence, of course
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191329.bmp)<br
/>may see newly privatized lands to be Fracked as a "business
opportunity". :P
By the way, the fastest growing job in the USA is Wind Turbine
Technician. It pays pretty good and you are well qualified for
it.
[center][img
width=300]
HTML http://agriculture.csi.edu/images/wind/windEnergy2.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]Where's Roamer? ???[/center]
I can give you a link to a recent news item on it if you like.
You can still get in on the "ground floor", so to speak.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191456.bmp[/quote]
[quote author=roamer link=topic=559.msg95000#msg95000
date=1452484355]
AG, Well I was spouting idle chatter on that one, I think Eddie
is closer to the mark though there are talks of massive solar
farms looking for a home on west coast public land.
I agree with you too on the research that needs to be done to
present an objective picture of cost benefit of solar PV. Maybe
I'll find time to dig into a bit. But im not in need of
convincing that the future is solar.
All for it and with the Sauds and presumably parasitic war
mongering deep state throwing their weight behind their
geological mother lode I'm far less inclined to think anything
good can come of waiting to bite the bullet and transition.
So I think you and I can agree on one point, its now solar or
bust for the world.
[/quote]
[img
width=20]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-080515182559.png[/img]<br
/>
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191456.bmphttp://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif<br
/>I would only add the caveat that solar is just one of the
several Renewable Energy Technologies needed to replace the
fossil fuel hegemony. 8)
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-110116142210.png[/img][/center]
[center]
HTML http://thesolutionsproject.org/[/center]
#Post#: 5026--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: May 2, 2016, 5:52 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=RE link=topic=5081.msg102697#msg102697
date=1462146934]
Personally, I think a better choice would have been to carve the
Tusks into Elephant Sculptures and distribute them to Musueums
around the world to demonstrate the problem. This solution just
adds CO[sub]2[/sub] to the atmosphere.
RE
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/hVa8A_nUyDI[/center]
[/quote]
True.
But I would prefer the tusks be stored in prisons. Every person
convicted of participating at some level of the poaching to
selling and owning ivory should be required to carry 50 pounds
of tusk around for the duration of their sentence.
HTML http://www.smiley-lol.com/smiley/exagerent/police/boulet.gif
HTML http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_6869.gif
#Post#: 5050--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: May 5, 2016, 7:34 pm
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[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/43/4335726C-67BE-4ED0-817C-A8163ABE4F5C/Presentation.Large/Young-coyote-cubs-playing.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]Coyote pups (they now have a better chance to survive)
[img
width=20]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-080515182559.png[/img][/center]
[center]Killing Halted:
HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/tuzki-bunnys/tuzki-bunny-emoticon-052.gif<br
/>California County Suspends Wildlife Services Contract[/center]
A settlement agreement stemming from a lawsuit by the Center and
allies means that California's Mendocino County will suspend its
contract with a federal wildlife-killing agency while a full
environmental review is conducted.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services kills
hundreds of coyotes, mountain lions, bears, bobcats and other
wildlife in Mendocino County every year. The Center and allies
twice sued the county for failing to comply with the California
Environmental Quality Act in approving its contract with the
program. Under the terms of the settlement, Mendocino County
must evaluate the merits of a nonlethal predator-control program
and prepare an "environmental impact report" if it decides to
enter into a contract with Wildlife Services in the future.
This may finally begin to curb widespread killing by this rogue
program, which wiped out more than 47,000 animals in California
in 2014.
Read more in our press release:
HTML http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/wildlife-services-04-26-2016.html
#Post#: 5085--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: May 12, 2016, 5:12 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center] [img
width=640]
HTML http://johnmuirproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CenterForBiologicalDiversity.png[/img][/center]
[center]65,000 Acres Won for Oregon Spotted Frogs
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/treeswing.gif[/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/ksor/files/201312/oregonspottedfrog.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]Oregon spotted frog[/center]
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week protected 65,038
acres and 20 river miles of "critical habitat" for Oregon
spotted frogs in Oregon and Washington. In response to a
petition and lawsuit from the Center, these frogs were declared
threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 -- but not
until they'd spent 23 years languishing on a waiting list for
protection. The once-plentiful creatures have now disappeared
from 90 percent of their range.
Oregon spotted frogs -- one of the few frogs that call to each
other under water -- need clean water and stable flows for
egg-laying, tadpole development and adult overwintering. They're
threatened by wetlands loss, poor river management, reduced
water quality, drought and invasive species.
"This habitat protection is good news for Oregon spotted frogs
and for future generations, because we can't save endangered
species without protecting their homes," said the Center's
Tierra Curry. "Amphibians have been on the planet for millions
of years, and when they start dying off it's a wake-up call that
we need to take better care of our resources."
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/icare.gif
[img
width=100]
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/earthhug.gif[/img]
Get more from KTVZ.
HTML http://www.ktvz.com/news/feds-finalize-critical-spotted-frog-habitat-in-nw/39464934
#Post#: 5086--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: May 12, 2016, 5:30 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center] [img
width=340]
HTML http://johnmuirproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CenterForBiologicalDiversity.png[/img]
[/center]
[center]
Myth-busting Study: Wolf Killing Spurs Wolf Poaching
:([/center]
[center]
[img
width=640]
HTML http://zpk.mob
i/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Wolves-HD-Free-Live-Wallpaper.png[/
img][/center]
[center]Alert wolves[/center]
Wolf managers, listen up: A study published this week finds that
thinning wolf populations actually decreases public tolerance
for wolves and leads to more poaching.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183337.bmp
The analysis of wolf populations in Wisconsin and Michigan, by
scientists Adrian Treves and Guillaume Chapron, undermines
assertions by government officials and opponents of wolf
protection that culling wolves is necessary to mollify the
segment of the human population that might otherwise poach the
animals. In fact the study -- involving 18 years of data --
found that when wolf culling was allowed, poaching increased as
well; when wolves were protected from culling, poaching
decreased.
"This important study should trigger more humane, science-based
management of wolves," said the Center's Michael Robinson. "One
of the best things governments can do to cut poaching is to send
the message that wolves have a high public value and deserve to
be treated accordingly."
Read more in our press release
HTML http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/wolf-05-11-2016.html<br
/>and check out this cool video
HTML http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/10/11645954/wolf-hunt-movie-minnesota-michigan-wisconsin-conservationexplaining<br
/>the study using Playmobil figures. [img width=75
height=50]
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/reading.gif[/img]
#Post#: 5117--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: May 19, 2016, 2:25 pm
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[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://media.charlesleifer.com/blog/photos/walrus-lurker.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]10 Things to Know about the Walrus[/center]
Posted On May 19, 2016 by Guest Blogger
This blog was written by Roger Di Silvestro, a field
correspondent for Ocean Conservancy. [img
width=100]
HTML http://www.bativert.ma/images/image3.jpg[/img]
When you think of walruses, you may picture their tusks—the huge
pinniped’s most familiar characteristic. But there is so much
more to these “elephants of the sea”! Here are some less-obvious
facts about these ice-dwelling creatures.
1. Biologists classify the walrus as a carnivore, or meat eater,
which puts the animal in the same broad category as wolves,
foxes and lions.
2. The polar bear, weighing as much as 1,200 pounds, is often
touted as North America’s largest terrestrial carnivore. But
it’s a mere wisp compared to the ocean-going male walrus, which
can tip the scales in excess of 3,700 pounds.
3. Walruses depend on sea ice, and spend much of the summer on
flows from which they dive into relatively shallow waters in
search of food. In winter, the walruses go to shore and feed in
near-shore waters. They communicate with grunting and roaring
sounds.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Noaa-walrus22.jpg[/img][/center]
4. Despite their size and their ability to stay underwater for
up to half an hour, walruses are not deep divers—they usually
feed at depths of less than 300 feet.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://s.ngm.com/2013/12/atlantic-walrus/img/atlantic-walrus-underwater-615.jpg[/img][/center]
5. Walruses find much of their food by poking around on the
ocean floor. When a walrus finds a tasty crab or clam buried in
sand, it creates powerful suction with its mouth to vacuum it
up. Walruses are not picky eaters—they feed mainly on mollusks,
but will also eat worms, cephalopods, crustaceans and more. They
even nosh on an occasional seal, though observations of walruses
hunting their close relatives are rare.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02280/two-swim-underwate_2280033k.jpg[/img][/center]
6. Walruses are able to locate buried food thanks to the 400-700
stiff bristles, or vibrissae, which grow on their muzzles. Like
a cat’s whiskers, vibrissae are sensitive to touch, telling the
walrus when it has come in contact with an appropriate food.
Vibrissae can grow up to a foot long, but scraping against sand
and rock usually keeps them shorter.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://www.svsu.edu/~tkschult/moia/images/arctic-walrus-244x200.png[/img][/center]
7. Adult walruses have few enemies, mostly due to their massive
size and sharp tusks, which can grow to more than three feet
long. Bears sometimes attack young walruses, as do orcas. A bear
attack on a beached walrus herd can make the pinnipeds rush
headlong for the safety of water, causing injuries to adult
walruses in the general crush and making them vulnerable to bear
attacks.
8. The scientific name for the walrus genus is Odobenus, which
is Greek for “tooth walker,” so-called because walruses
sometimes use their tusks to haul themselves onto ice.
9. The brownish, heavily seamed skin of the walrus is over 1.5
inches thick and covers a layer of blubber that can get to 3.9
inches thick. The skin grows paler as the animals age, until
the dark brown of the young fades to cinnamon in mature animals.
The color depends partly on blood flow to the skin; when in cold
water, blood flow to the skin reduces, so the skin of a pink
walrus can turn nearly white.
10. Walruses breed from January to March while winter is in full
swing, and females give birth about 16 months later. A newborn
calf can weigh 100 to 165 pounds and may stay with the mother
for two years or more, though usually weaned after a year.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xLUcue6fQHI/UNqX7dtqvGI/AAAAAAAAB2o/0mfrtZQLIVs/s1600/Ice+Walrus.jpg[/img][/center]
The Ocean Conservancy is using science-based solutions to tackle
the biggest threats to our ocean, including ones that threaten
walruses and other wildlife. See how you can take action.
HTML http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2016/05/19/10-things-to-know-about-the-walrus/#more-12079
HTML http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2016/05/19/10-things-to-know-about-the-walrus/#more-12079
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/walrus-fuss.jpg?w=720[/img][/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://curryja.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/slide13.png[/img][/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/assets/img/posters/walrus-speak-in.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]No ice in shallow water off the continental shelf, [i]no
Walruses. GET IT? [/i][/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-171015015834.png[/img][/center]
[move]Fossil Fuel Industry response to ALL THE ABOVE:[/move]
[center] [img
width=340]
HTML http://img06.deviantart.net/bb6a/i/2011/120/f/6/corporate_pollution_by_jakejames-d3512u1.jpg[/img][/center]
#Post#: 5279--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: June 13, 2016, 8:17 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[move]The "We are very responsible, good and caring for
wildlife" BULLSHIT from Kevin Shea, USDA Administrator, in a
letter to Senator Sanders:[/move]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-130616210522.png[/img][/center]
THE TRUTH, as stated clearly since 2013:
[center]
Congress: Kill Wildlife Services’ Wildlife-Killing
Budget[/center]
By Ralph Maughan On August 9, 2013
This is a guest editorial by Wendy Keefover, Director of the
Carnivore Protection Program at WildEarth Guardians-
The New York Times editors largely got it right when they
recently editorialized critically about the cruel work of a
little known program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) that annually spends over $100 million to kill some four
million animals each year. But we believe the Times should have
gone further with their recommendation: abolish Wildlife
Services altogether because it represents a huge waste of
taxpayer funds, it harms wildlife communities and ecosystems,
and uses indiscriminate, brutal methods to kill millions of
wildlife and domestic animals each year.
Not surprisingly Kevin Shea, one of the USDA’s top
administrators for the government’s war on wildlife reacted
defensively and claimed the Times editors “misunderstood” the
federal government’s animal-killing “program.” He argues that
unless one lives in “Rural [sic] America or work(s) in
agriculture” one just cannot comprehend[i] the need for the feds
to kill “wolves, coyotes, bears that prey on livestock, as well
as birds that can devour a field of sunflowers or a pen of
farm-raised catfish in a morning.”[/I]
[center]
[img width=200
height=100]
HTML http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2009/347/2/6/WTF_Smiley_face_by_IveWasHere.jpg[/img][/center]
[I]But Shea’s notion of rural exceptionalism is fundamentally
about the bottom line of agribusiness and is a complete
dismissal of the [size=12pt]growing support for non-lethal
coexistence[/i][/size].
His arguments are out-of-step with Americans’ conservation
values. In fact some rural producers readily use non-lethal
methods to deter wildlife and prevent losses to their
agricultural products. A few ranchers ride with their herds that
graze on open range, or use barns or pens to protect lambing or
calving mothers. Some farmers use scarecrows and electronic
devices to scare off flocks of birds that might eat sunflower
seeds or rice.
Shea conveniently omitted facts about the enormous problems
associated with this federal animal-killing program. Each year,
Wildlife Services kills millions of animals, including animals
that are federally listed as “endangered” or “threatened” with
extinction under the Endangered Species Act. It also kills
hundreds of common species each year from meadowlarks, to
beavers, to American kestrels. Wildlife Services slays hundreds
of domestic pets, and occasionally and ironically the very
cattle, sheep, or deer they are working to protect.
While Shea claims that: “we target just those animals causing
the damage.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Wildlife
Services uses a veritable arsenal that includes a variety of
indiscriminate deadly poisons; cable neck snares; dynamite,
steel-jawed, and leg-hold traps. None of these things target the
individual animals that have caused agricultural damage. And
neither can the federal snipers who shoot wolves, bears,
coyotes, and ravens from helicopters and airplanes. They just
shoot the animals they see.
Shea also forgot to mention the brutality that characterizes
some Wildlife Services employees. Recently, one federal trapper
was criticized for apparently siccing his dogs on trapped
coyotes. The trapper then apparently took photos and posted them
to his Facebook page.
In another recent incident, a government trapper, who was
working for his wife with his supervisor’s approval, set up
leg-hold traps in his own yard. He captured his neighbor’s dog
who was left in traps for hours. The dog sustained permanent
damage to her body. The trapper has been charged in Arizona for
felony animal abuse and recently left his employment.
Wildlife Services wastes enormous resources in its bid to kill
America’s most majestic native carnivores such as wolves,
coyotes, bears, and cougars. What makes no sense is that only a
miniscule number of livestock actually die from predation – less
than a quarter of one percent of the cattle inventory according
to USDA figures. Most cattle and sheep succumb to illness,
disease, and birthing problems, according to the USDA’s own
data, killing wolves and other native species creates enormous
ecosystem problems, and disrupts the social structures in these
animal communities.
Finally, Mr. Shea failed to tell his readers that tax dollars
largely pay for all this killing. Wildlife Services receives
funds from taxpayers at every level of government – from
municipalities, to states, and from the federal treasury as
well.
Worse, Wildlife Services operates under a veil of secrecy, often
failing to account for its actions. Wildlife Services is
notorious for its failures to respond to Freedom of Information
Act requests. It won’t tell the public how much it spends on
what it does, although a peek at some of its record keeping from
its databases indicates a culture of precise record keeping.
Wildlife Services has even evaded requests from Congress for its
budget records.
Wildlife Services has been around in various guises since the
late 19th Century with its primary mission to exterminate our
nation’s wildlife so as to benefit those in agribusiness. Times
have changed. Sadly Wildlife Service has not. It’s time for
Wildlife Services to go. It’s out of step with Americans’ values
toward wildlife and wildlands conservation.
With ingenuity and persistence, producers can choose to co-exist
with wildlife rather than killing – because the amount of
killing is expensive, harmful, misguided, and wholly
unnecessary. In an era of economic uncertainty, it’s time to
kill Wildlife Services’ budget so as to spare our nation’s
wildlife and pets.
HTML http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/08/09/congress-kill-wildlife-services-wildlife-killing-budget/
#Post#: 5280--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: June 13, 2016, 8:36 pm
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[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://missteenottawa.com/files/2014/07/ifaw-logo.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]WATCH: amazing move of four forest elephants in Cote
d'Ivoire[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/lGyUqGT1dsU[/center]
HTML http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/news/watch-amazing-move-four-forest-elephants-cote-divoire
#Post#: 5281--------------------------------------------------
Re: Defending Wildlife
By: AGelbert Date: June 13, 2016, 8:57 pm
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[img
width=640]
HTML http://missteenottawa.com/files/2014/07/ifaw-logo.jpg[/img]
[move]Amur tiger release - Cinderella leaps to freedom in Far
East Russia![/move]
Update: We’re thrilled to report that, not only is Zolushka
thriving in her new home, but in December 2015 she became the
first rehabilitated and released Amur tiger to give birth in the
wild. Below, experience the dramatic release that initiated this
remarkable success story.PHOTO: © BASTAK
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/WA90FGaIXJ8[/center]
I should consider myself truly lucky because I took part in
Cinderella’s release to the wild.
Cinderella is an Amur tiger.
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-301014181553.gif<br
/>She was orphaned in the winter of 2012, and we were helping to
raise her at the rehabilitation facility in Alekseyevka village,
near Vladivostok in Far East Russia.
From June 2012, I was checking on Cinderella virtually every
day: what does she eat, what does she like, how does she
sleep…and all other details of her life.
For example, Cinderella loves to bathe. Usually after a good
meal – a hog or a rabbit – she climbs into a stream that runs
through her enclosure and lies in water happily.
When Cinderella was found, she was exhausted and frostbitten.
Very often tiger cubs like her suffer frostbite on their tails.
Cinderella's tail was affected too, so the very tip, about 5 to
7 centimeters, had to be amputated. This is the tip that tigers
so characteristically curve up.
We are a little worried that the amputation might inhibit her
communication with other tigers, but in general it should not be
a problem in her life in the wild.
Many other organizations besides the International Fund for
Animal Welfare (IFAW) have been involved in rescuing Cinderella:
Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the Russian
Academy of Sciences, Phoenix Fund, Inspection Tiger, and WCS.
Members of all these organizations came together to release
Cinderella's back to the wild.
While living in the rehabilitation center, Cinderella has
learned two most important skills: to hunt and to avoid human
beings. Both are innate, but her time spent in rehabilitation
gave her an opportunity to develop them, and Cinderella rather
excels at both.
Whether Cinderella was ready for release, was decided by many of
the world’s Amur tiger experts. After long discussions, the date
for the release was set on May 9th. Nobody was intentionally
setting it on Victory Day; it was just a nice coincidence.
A lot of people gathered at the rehabilitation facility on May
8th but were kept at a safe distance as Cinderella has
intentionally been exposed to practically no contact with
humans. All animals are examined and tested before being
released; also a satellite collar had to be fit, so Cinderella
had to be immobilized.
That was not so easy: Cinderella's enclosure is large, and she
is very good at hiding and as soon as she heard and smelled the
presence of humans she found a good spot to lay low and remain
still. Only a handful of people approached the enclosure.
Two ‘shooters’ waited with their dart guns, a number of people
surveyed the scene remotely on video fed by surveillance
cameras, and the rest of us were asked to wait one kilometer
away from the facility to avoid needlessly stressing Cinderella
too much.
Around an hour and a half later, Cinderella was removed from the
enclosure she called home for a year. Immediately after, blood
was taken and other tests and measurements were performed,
including measurements of her tail. Then she was fitted a
satellite collar.
During remote observations at the rehabilitation facility
Cinderella looked as if she weighed more than 100 kilos (which
was quite impressive), but her actual weight at the time of
transport showed 94 kilos. It’s true that TV adds a few kilos!
Our girl actually was quite slim. I couldn’t help but feeling
Cinderella’s fur while she was asleep and was surprised by how
warm she was, feeling her body heat as I passed my hand over her
hide.
The team then moved her into a transportation cage. The whole
testing and measuring procedure took less than half an hour.
We started off from the facility about 1 p.m. Our party was
riding in four vehicles; one of them towed a trailer with
Cinderella.
During the first hour on the road our princess-to-be was waking
up and recovering from anesthesia. We were watching her through
breathing holes drilled in her cage. You put your eye to a
peep-hole, and see a tiger looking straight at you… Ughhh…
scary!
The weather was rather cool near Vladivostok, but as we started
driving it grew warmer, and then just plain hot. We were
stopping often to check on Cinderella. It’s quite complicated to
pour water into the transport crate, so we put two five-liter
blocks of ice in there to keep her cool.
Afraid that it would not be enough, we showered Cinderella by
pouring water through the holes… what other way was there?...
now imagine that here you are lying down, and suddenly cold
water starts raining on you… Well, that was exactly what
Cinderella thought too, and she expressed her thoughts loud and
clear.
We took the hint. No more showers.
We can only imagine what Cinderella went through on the road. It
was a very long and exhausting car drive. However,
transportation by helicopter proved to be impossibly expensive.
We were going to Bastak Nature Reserve. It is about 1000
kilometers from Vladivostok, near Birobidzhan. It started
raining in the evening, and the temperature fell: that was the
welcome we got as we approached Cinderella’s release site at
Bastak Nature Reserve.
Tigers used to live in the area, but eventually people killed
them all, and there were no tiger sightings there for many
years. However, starting with 2006, one male tiger's presence is
recorded there on a regular basis, and he is still sighted
today. So we have far-reaching plans for Cinderella.
At 11 a.m. on May 9th we came to a place where we were met by a
massive off-road vehicle that closely resembles a tank without a
turret. No other vehicle would be able to travel across the
reserve terrain.
The cage was uploaded on the tank, and we too climbed up on it.
Never before have I travelled on such a thing! It’s a very
powerful machine, there is only one downside – you have to duck
all the time so as not to be hit by tree branches. I failed to
do that once and got a good punch from a thick bough, which was
less than nice.
Finally we reached the place of release. It was selected in the
very center of the reserve, where no one ever goes, and even
rangers only visit on rare occasions. That is, they patrol this
territory's perimeter looking for signs of human presence, and
if there are none, they do not go inside this core area. This is
where we brought Cinderella.
The cage was taken down and placed in a way that gave Cinderella
a good clearing to jump out and run for cover. We thought that
she would run straight ahead so the video cameras were set to a
side.
Not surprisingly nobody volunteered to open the cage directly,
so a block and tackle system was arranged to lift the cage door
from the distance. Everything was set up, and placed, everyone
was put inside the tank since a tiger's behavior in such
situations is unpredictable.
The rope was pulled, but the door wasn’t opening. The structure
was then readjusted, everybody was growing nervous, time was
passing, and all the cameras that were set up and recording were
burning battery life. Of course Cinderella could hear everything
and she was nervous too.
The rope was pulled again, and again it wasn’t working. Then
they started redoing the entire block and tackle system. By now
our cameramen were seriously worried about losing the whole
thing and Cinderella was less than pleased by all the action
around her cage.
Everybody got back inside the tank, took their 'positions', and
finally the door slid open!
Then everything was over in a split second. We heard a roar, and
for an instant I saw Cinderella leaping out of the cage right
away and, contrary to our expectations, disappearing immediately
from our sight, making a sharp right turn.
I was totally enraptured by that moment, so fluid and graceful
she was. That was amazing. Cinderella leaped over one of the
cameras, ran a bit to the side, stopped and looked back at us. I
thought that for the first time in my life I see a tiger in the
wild. And that this was perhaps the last time I would ever see a
tiger in our taiga.
At that moment the man who was holding the door open (and the
door was heavy) faltered perhaps, and the door closed back with
a deafening bang. Cinderella startled and – disappeared. That
is, she made a couple more leaps and sort of dissolved among the
trees. It’s amazing how the bright orange and black stripes make
the tiger invisible in taiga.
You know that she is there and can see us, but we cannot see
her. It was a strange feeling, on one side a great joy because
our Cinderella was free and back home, and on the other hand a
realization that you do not want to cross her path again in the
future.
That was it.
Today, we already received satellite data showing that
Cinderella is moving across the reserve territory, so we know
for certain that she is alive.
Let me say again that all of this became possible only thanks to
the joint efforts of many people from a number of organizations:
Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the Russian
Academy of Sciences, Inspection Tiger, WCS, Phoenix Fund, and
IFAW. But more importantly, this was possible thanks to your
contribution. A million thank-you’s to IFAW’s generous
supporters for saving Cinderella and giving Amur tigers a new
hope for their survival.
--AF
For more information about our efforts to protect tigers, visit
our project page.
Anna Filippova
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/19.gif
is an
International Fund for Animal Welfare campaigner working in the
IFAW Russia office.
HTML http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/news/watch-amur-tiger-release-cinderella-leaps-freedom-far-east-russia
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