Asiatic Black Bears are considered ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN, and are suffering a rapid decline largely due to habitat loss, illegal trade in bile and paws, and conflict with humans. These bears are known to invade and consume farmers’ crops, especially that of corn, and can cause significant income loss in the process. This has resulted in a negative view of these animals and a lack of conservation in its range. Quality research and effective conservation efforts are needed to ensure their future.
Photo via bearsoftheworld.net
Biologists and researchers concerned with the plight of these predatory mammals, and other wildlife living in Nepal, have come together to form a small, grassroots organization known as Bear Research and Conservation Nepal (BRCN). Continue reading →
Asiatic Black Bears are considered ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN, and are suffering a rapid decline largely due to habitat loss, illegal trade in bile and paws, and conflict with humans. These bears are known to invade and consume farmers’ crops, especially that of corn, and can cause significant income loss in the process. This has resulted in a negative view of these animals and a lack of conservation in its range. Quality research and effective conservation efforts are needed to ensure their future.
Photo via bearsoftheworld.net
Biologists and researchers concerned with the plight of these predatory mammals, and other wildlife living in Nepal, have come together to form a small, grassroots organization known as Bear Research and Conservation Nepal (BRCN). Established in 2008, the focus of BRCN is to research the way the bears utilize their habitat and their interactions with humans, in order to determine and implement the most effective actions needed to best protect this species and its ecosystem. Additionally, they are active in educating local communities about living with bears and try to inspire a conservationist attitude for both the bears and other wildlife.
The organization has diligently studied bears in and around protected national parks and reserves in Nepal. They collaborate with local, national, and international organizations to conserve, restore, and enhance habitat. BRCN understands the importance of a balanced ecosystem, and seeks to minimize negative impacts on it caused by humans. Aside from bears, the organization has also conducted research on the endangered Hispid Hare and threatened songbirds, such as the Hodgson’s Bushcat. This research will ultimately help them to identify and implement the most effective conservation strategies for protecting critical habitat.
Hispid Hare (photo credit: Joanna Van Gruisen)
Many communities see these bears as threats to both their lives and their livelihoods. As a result of their fear and misunderstanding of these animals, the bears are often killed. The research BRCN conducts evaluates the bears’ habitat use, in order to identify areas where a clash with humans is likely. By identifying these areas, the organization can work with local communities to mitigate conflict with the animals.
Photo via cringel.com
Education and outreach are essential components to the conservation of wildlife, especially when human-wildlife conflict is part of the problem. Bear Research and Conservation Nepal works with government agencies to create education programs that target communities within the range of the Asiatic Bear. BRCN promotes a peaceful co-existence with these animals by teaching communities about the bear itself, and also what they can do to minimize conflict and crop raiding.
The organization has also been involved with a documentary about these predators. “Max’s Big Tracks- Nepal’s Yeti” was broadcast globally on the Animal Planet, and explored the history and folklore of the black bear in Nepal. BRCN hopes to continue developing documentaries and visual presentations in the future, in order bring needed attention to the status of this species. The organization is also planning to open a wildlife orphanage, which would be the first of its kind in Nepal. In collaboration with government and non-government agencies, this sort of orphanage would save lives and contribute to healthy wildlife populations.
For more information on Bear Research and Conservation Nepal, please visit their website.
Note: Please play this MUST SEE video and enjoy. This is what is at stake!
A year ago on November 13th, Bush Warriors was first launched into to the world. This was my attempt to put the truth out there of what is really going on with our world’s wildlife. Everyone loves nature and wildlife. We all love lions, tigers, bears and dolphins. We even love sharks, though we were taught to be afraid of them. Wildlife and nature is gaining more popularity than ever, everywhere you look “a green lifestyle” is the new trend. ‘Organic’ and ‘nature’ are buzz words surrounding corporate board rooms, the way we live, and the food we eat. It’s all about ‘going back to nature’.
The sad and unfortunate reality is that we are just about as far from nature as we can get. In fact, we, as humans, are getting further from it by the minute. Despite the growing popularity of the ‘green revolution’, species continue to be lost at unprecedented rates. The fight to save species is not small or easy. Many challenges block the path to success, including corruption, economics (both poverty and wealth), overconsumption of our natural resources, consumerist demand, and societal values.
Photo by Takeshi Igarashi
We live in a world where biodiversity is given due attention only when it is deemed profitable or there is some underlying financial interest in saving it. Some even say, “What is the point in spending well needed funds on animals we know will be extinct from their natural habitat in a generation or two?”
If we truly open our eyes to see what has happened to the world around us, we will not be able to live with ourselves and the destruction of our planet that we cause on a daily basis. Plastic bags that help us carry food from stores are killing our sea turtles, as they are being mistaken for jellyfish. Palm oil, as harmless as it sounds, is a real killer to many of our earth’s forests and all that inhabit them. Yet it is widely used to give our foods a longer shelf life, so that we may enjoy our microwave popcorn. The cost of palm oil is not just the cost of cheap, processed foods. It is also costing us majestic creatures, like orangutans. Valuable components of an ecosystem that also display many similar emotional and social behavior as us humans. Now they slip into the brink of extinction and are being used, abused and slaughtered, while their natural habitat is replaced by palm oil plantations.
Rhinos and elephants, animal icons that we love so much, are systematically being murdered for their horns and tusks. In fact is its estimated that 102 elephants are being killed a day. That is almost a kilometer (over half a mile) of dead elephants on a daily basis.
Photo Credit: Michael Nicols
Since 1997, 353 new species have been discovered in the Himalayas, 1,220 in the Amazon and 1,231 in the Mekong region. Our world has such a rich biodiversity, and yet, with all of our knowledge and growing understanding of how fragile our ecosystems are, we are losing species before they are even discovered.
We citizens of the world must unite in a unified global voice saying, “Enough is enough.” We must put a stop to the war taking place on our wildlife and natural world. If we don’t, it will be lost for good and we will also lose ourselves in the process.
We need your help is educating and spreading the word. Please join our growing Bush Warriors global tribe in spreading the message. We have created the Bush Warriors Ambassadors program that gives you tools for five second online advocacy. All you need to do is paste our blurbs and links on your Facebook, Myspace, email, or any other social platform, and you are done. By doing this you have become an ambassador for change.
We have already grown so much in our first year, and plan to push harder and reach more people in our coming years. Join us in our efforts and step up to be a voice for wildlife today!
Devastated by the poaching frenzy of the 1980’s, black rhino populations are dangerously close to extinction. This period of heavy poaching killed off 98% of the black rhino population and saw the massacre of some 90,000 elephants in Tanzania’s 50,000 km² Selous Game Reserve, the second largest area of the world set aside for wildlife (second only to Antarctica). Today, just barely over 100 of these rhinos are left in this World Heritage Site. Their prized horns are highly valuable in the black market and are used in the Middle East and Asia for medicinal and ornamental uses.Only man is to blame for this atrocity, and it is only man who can reverse the situation. When trying to establish a safari lodge within the Selous Reserve, Lizzy Theobald recognized the immediate need for conservation action to save this rhino species and founded the Kidai Rhino Project in 1995.
Tragically, her vision was cut short two years later when malaria claimed her young life. Her legacy lives on through the Selous Rhino Trust formed in 2000, having one key goal: “to stop the black rhino from becoming extinct in the Selous Game Reserve”. The Trust works with the Tanzanian Wildlife Division to form the Selous Black Rhino Protection Project, a team of twelve rangers and rhino specialists committed to protecting the rhinos (and other wildlife) from poachers. The remote nature of the Reserve and its rough terrain gives poachers many places to hide and makes locating their activities challenging. To overcome this obstacle, the Project uses aerial surveillance and monitoring to identify poaching threats. When found, location information is radioed down to a team on the ground who moves in to apprehend the poachers. The use of aircraft allows for vast tracts of land to be covered in a timely fashion, while also serving as a deterring reminder of the team’s presence.
(Credit: Piet Payer)
There have been no signs of rhino poaching in the last four years at the Reserve, but signs of elephant and hippo poaching are increasing despite the committed efforts of this brave team. Aerial monitoring also aids in the Trust’s surveying activities by identifying prime rhino habitat and quantifying the number of rhinos within the Reserve. Areas identified by air are then surveyed and studied extensively by a team on foot. The Trust also conducts monitoring activities to identify population numbers and to track movements of individual rhinos across the Reserve. On the ground, rangers rarely see the rhinos, but seeing them is not necessary to estimate the size of their population. They use two non-invasive techniques to achieve this task. Dung is collected for DNA analysis, which identifies individuals, their sex, and allows for genetic linkages to be made between individuals. However, DNA analysis is an expensive and lengthy process. Another way to identify individuals on the spot with minimal costs is by tracing rhino footprints.
(Credit: Brandon Daniel)
Each rhino has a distinct footprint, and, when found, the team traces the print onto a transparency sheet and compares it to all previously-catalogued footprints. This allows the team to determine if the rhino is a new individual or is one they already know about. Many of Selous Rhino Trust’s methods and techniques have not been used before in Tanzania, but it is because of the rangers’ developed skills and knowledge of these techniques that their efforts have been so successful. Ranger training takes place at the ranger post, and the Trust often works with other rhino organizations and programs to share ideas and skills. If it weren’t for the Selous Rhino Trust, the Reserve’s black rhino population would undoubtedly be gone. The actions of these brave rangers and their dedication to preserving this majestic species gives hope to keeping the unique and rich Selous Game Reserve wholly intact.
If Bob Marley was alive I think he would be horrified to know the state of our wildlife and how its treated. I also know that if he was alive he would write songs about it and make enough noise around the world, to make sure people would know the current state of affairs of how our remaining wildlife is treated and how so many species are on the brink of extinction.
Sadly he is not with us but his legacy is as strong and his voice for peace and justice still rings as loud as it ever was. In celebration of peace and justice for our wildlife I would like to dedicate the song to each and everyone of you who have been so supportive of our cause and helping us get stronger as a voice for wildlife by the day.
Music is a force that unites people no matter who they are and what they believe in. It transforms the spirit and penetrates the hart. One of the most AMAZING and ground breaking projects of uniting the world is Playing For Change and it is a MUST to see and hear if you have not.
At one time the Angolan Black and White Colobus monkey’s range spanned the entire East African coastal stretch from Somalia to Mozambique, but today they can only be found on the southern coast of Kenya and the northern Tanzanian highlands. In some areas, populations have declined by as much as 50%. Their decline is mainly due to the fragmentation and loss of their forest habitat, but can also be attributed to road kills, electrocutions from power lines, poaching, pet trade, and conflicts with humans that result in lethal pest management practices.
The Colobus Trust (CT) was formed in 1997 in the Kenyan coastal area of Diani because of public outcry about the dramatic increase in deaths of Angolan Colobus monkeys in the area. The Trust works closely with local communities and businesses to promote conservation of the species and encourage protection of both the monkeys and their associated coastal forest habitat, a globally-recognized biodiversity hotspot. CT conducts research on the species to better understand its biology and interactions with its ecosystem. The results of their many research projects provide them with valuable information that can be applied to their conservation efforts in order to best achieve their goals.
They actively work to secure the last remaining patch of primary forest, which is critical to this primate’s (and others’) survival, with forest surveys, reforestation projects, and offering sustainable alternatives to the use of the forest resources. They promote eco-tourism by conducting tours for visitors to see the forest and its beauties, as many visitors come to Diani because of its ecological appeal. CT provides rescue action for monkeys that have become a problem of conflict with humans, and also rescues monkeys suffering injury from vehicle collisions, electrocution, poisoning, and dog bites.
Animals brought to CT receive medical attention at their veterinary clinic. After treatment, the monkeys are carefully rehabilitated so as to successfully return them to their natural habitat. CT also accepts pet monkeys and provides them with a way to interact with other monkeys and their habitat, so that they can eventually be released into the wild too. CT releases troops of monkeys together so that the monkeys can work together to be successful. To reduce road kills, CT constructs and installs “colobridges”, providing monkeys with a safe way to move across roads. The bridges have significantly reduced the number of road kills each year. The Trust conducts weekly education workshops for local primary and secondary schools to come learn about primates, the environment, and conservation. CT also conducts environmental workshops for local businesses and residents to learn about how they can lessen conflict with the monkeys and reduce their negative impacts on the ecosystem as a whole.
To reduce deaths and injuries caused when monkeys attempt to use un-insulated powerlines to navigate the forest, CT works with Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) to cut back and remove vegetation from the areas around powerlines on a weekly basis. The Trust also patrols forest patches every week and destroys every snare it finds. Students often accompany CT on these patrols so that they can see firsthand how this activity is affecting the Black and White Colobus population (as well as other wildlife species). The Colobus Trust is a valuable commodity to the conservation of the last remaining Black and White Colobus monkeys, and greatly contributes to the protection of the global biodiversity hotspot in Kenya’s southern coastal forest biosphere.
With only about 500 adults left, the Ethiopian Wolf is the rarest candid species in the world and is dangerously close to extinction. While habitat loss and fragmentation are the biggest contributors to their decline, Ethiopian Wolves are also greatly compromised by diseases transmitted by domestic dogs, persecution from humans, and hybridization with domestic dogs. Home to many endemic species, the Afroalpine ecosystem in which the wolves live is also very close to being lost completely. In response to the rapidly declining population, Chris Hillman and Claudio Sillero formed the Ethiopian Wolf Project in 1988, which later gave rise to the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program (EWCP) in 1995.
With Ethiopian Wolves now only existing in small, isolated population, their survival is severely jeopardized by loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding, and the entire population could easily be wiped out by a natural catastrophe or disease epidemic. Understanding as much as possible about their ecology, biology, and behavior is critical to saving this species from extinction, thus research is at the core of the EWCP’s objectives. The program closely monitors each sub-population of wolves and works closely with sutdents and researchers to understand every element of this endangered species.With ever-expanding human populations, the wolves come into contact with domestic dogs quite frequently. Consequently, wolves are susceptible to disease that the domestic dogs carry (specifically rabies) and mating has occurred between the two dog species, giving rise to hybrid offspring.
EWCP tries to counteract the effects of the domestic dogs. Hybrids are quickly identified and sterilized to prevent further loss of genetic diversity amongst the wolf populations. The program also offers a domestic dog sterilization program and encourages better dog husbandry amongst local communities. Unfortunately, in the 90’s and again in 2003, a rabies outbreak contracted from domestic dogs nearly destroyed the wolf population. EWCP was able to stop the outbreak by vaccinating the wolves. They also vaccinate domestic dogs to prevent this from happening again. EWCP’s education program targets governments, local authorities, farmers, and school children living in wolf ranges and attempts to educate the people and raise awareness about the disappearing Afroalpine ecosystem and its wolves. EWCP celebrated the 12th annual “Wolf Day” with local communities just this last month, an initiative that seeks to increase awareness and foster positive attitudes toward this canid species. The Education Team visits local schools and distributes education materials to over 3,000 children each year.
Their education officers work with adults in the community, trying to spread the word about the problem with domestic dogs, and encouraging them to have their dogs sterilized. They also try to educate communities on the fact that the wolves are not known to prey on livestock, and thus livestock loss must not end in persecution of these animals. EWCP increases the capacity of Ethiopians in ecology and conservation by training and mentoring aspiring field biologists. To address the biggest challenge facing the Ethiopian Wolves, EWCP seeks to protect what little is left of the wolves’ Afroalpine ecosystem. They are actively working to expand the boundaries of the area’s National Parks, as many wolves are living outide the parks. Preventing further habitat loss from land converted for cereal crop production and livestock grazing is critical to the future of the Ethiopian Wolves. EWCP seeks to ensure a future for these magnificent animals with the help of present and future generations. Without Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, the wolves would have surely gone extinct by now.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou
It is no secret the poaches know animals best. Here is a fantastic TED lecture by John Kasaona, a Namibian conservationist who is working on an innovative way to protect endangered animal species giving nearby villagers (including former poachers) responsibility for caring for the animals. And it’s working and everyone is happy…. Take a look at the video below:
To learn more about John’s organization Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) and their fantastic projects….. CLICK HERE
One of Africa’s most endangered primate species are drills, and they are listed by the IUCN as the highest conservation priority of all African primates. Not much is known about their behavior or ecology. However, we know that their entire world range only consists of about 40,000 km within the Cross River State, Nigeria. Their population is approximated to be anywhere from 3,000 to 8,000. These animals are another victim of the bushmeat trade, which often leads to young being orphaned when their mothers are killed. These orphaned drills are then taken into captivity.
Photo credit: Cyril Ruoso/Pandrillus
Pandrillus was part of a landmark achievement in 2003 when two adolescent female gorillas were smuggled into Nigeria from Cameroon and later seized by government authorities. The two governments collaborated in the protection of wildlife smuggling and coordination on environmental issues. Nigeria is sadly a large center for wildlife trafficking, and Pandrillus works with law enforcement to try to reduce such activities. Pandrillus also played a vital role in the permanent closure of the Calabar Zoo, removing its last captive animal and transporting it to their Afi Mountain Drill Ranch facility. Pandrillus houses a Drill rehabilitation and breeding center, where animals that have been orphaned or held in captivity are nursed back to health. The center has recorded over 250 births, making the project the world’s most successful captive breeding program for an endangered primate. This center is also treats and serves another bushmeat-effected primate, Chimpanzees.
Rescued Chimpanzee at the Drill Ranch
After being rehabilitated or having matured, the primates are then introduced to the Drill Ranch at Afi Mountain, the project’s field site that serves as a highly protected wildlife sanctuary. Pandrillus recognizes the importance in the cooperation of surrounding communities and has created an education program for the surrounding 17 villages, bringing them together for a conservation-based interest for the first time. The organization’s efforts do not stop there. They work directly with Limbe Wildlife Center to create a drill ranch where natural indigenous plants and trees are grown to inspire emulation of the primates’ natural habitat. Pandrillus is ceaseless in their efforts to conserve wildlife, and their achievements have been remarkable.
Today only 720 Mountain Gorillas populate the earth, and in only two parks (Uganda/Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo). Dr. Dian Fossey founded what was originally called the Volcano Veterinarian Center in 1986. After studying Gorilla’s behavior and interaction with their environment she discovered that their population was declining rapidly, likely due to their interactions with humans. She decided to start a Veterinarian project dedicated to the Gorillas. Sadly she did not live to see the success, but today the project is known as Gorilla Doctors.
After years of research, scientists found that the secret to saving the lives of these animals existed within medical care. The largest threat facing these animals is disease, contracted through interaction with humans, other animals, and factors of their environment. Their research has found that people, mountain gorillas, and cattle share genetically identical intestinal pathogens, making them susceptible to diseases.
The Gorilla Doctors are a team of highly talented vets who intervene when needed and help nurse the Gorillas back to health. Seeing as the health of the Gorillas depends on the health of the people interacting with them, Gorilla Doctors also provide health care for their employees. Within the last ten years they have been able to increase the population of the Mountain Gorillas by 17%, and only hope to increase that number. These veterinarians are fully dedicated to their research, which has been groundbreaking, and to the survival of these precious gentle giants.
Photo Credit: Michael Nicols
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