New Guinea Singing Dog

The mossy, wet cloud forest on the island of New Guinea holds an ancient secret: a seldom seen, fiercely predatory wild canine called the New Guinea singing dog. Cute and perky, singing dogs are not exactly scary but rather like little pooches with big voices! They use their tuneful howling to communicate with other “singers.”

Singing dogs have a dense, rough coat that is golden red or black and tan with white markings. Wide cheekbones, a narrow muzzle, and petal-shaped ears give the dog’s face a distinctive, impish expression. Well adapted to hunting in steep areas with thick vegetation, the singing dog’s joints and spine are extremely flexible for a dog—they climb and jump like a cat!

New Guinea Singing Dog with rare black-and-tan coloration

Controversial canine

Are New Guinea singing dogs domestic dogs, feral dogs, or wild dogs? Yes—they have, at one time or another, been classified as all three! Their taxonomy has caused a scientific hullabaloo for over 50 years. The New Guinea singing dogs’ fossil records date back at least 6,000 years: they are considered to be living fossils! Maybe they were Stone Age man's best friends?

Singing dogs made their debut in the modern scientific community in the 1950s as a wild dog species. The first pair of singing dogs to leave New Guinea went to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, in 1957. In 1958, they were given the scientific name Canis hallstromi after Sir Edward Hallstrom, the president of the Taronga Zoo. In 1969, they were reclassified as feral dogs and listed as a subspecies of the Australian dingo Canis lupus familiaris dingo. Recently, they have been reclassified yet again and given the taxonomic name of Canis lupus familiaris hallstromi. Whew!

 Chasing your tail

So, which came first: the dingo or the singer? Up until about 6,000 years ago, there was a land bridge connecting Australia and New Guinea. The Australian dingo could very well have originated from the New Guinea singing dog and then adapted to hunting larger prey in Australia’s wide-open spaces. OR, the New Guinea singing dog may have originated from the dingo and adapted to hunt in thick vegetation on steep mountainsides. OR, there is always the possibility that a now-extinct ancient dog population separately founded both species. Are you dizzy yet?

A wild streak!

New Guinea singing dogs are different from domestic dog breeds in several ways. Physically, their upper first molar, called a carnassial tooth, is quite large, a trait normally present only in wild canid species such as wolves. Then, their eyes seem to be more reflective of light than domestic dogs', shining bright green in low light. The singers also appear to have social or play behaviors that are different from that of wolves and dogs. They like to be tidy and neat, and they regularly groom themselves, much like a cat.

 Dog food

Little is known about singing dogs in the wild, not even their dining habits. When hunting, they probably do so alone. Meal leftovers show that singers prey on small mammals, small reptiles, and birds; they even try to hunt 3.5-foot-tall (1-meter-tall) dwarf cassowaries! New Guinea singing dogs have a strong hunting drive and fearless nature, and they are highly curious. The dogs can get their entire body through any opening wide enough for their head. If it moves, they hunt it!

At the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, singers are fed carnivore diet, a dry kibble diet, chicken breast, and beef heart, with extra treats for training. Twice a week our singer family receives rib bones. They are definitely not required to “sing for their supper,” but they usually do!

 It’s a dog’s life

Not much is known about the family habits of elusive wild singers, but it is most likely that they do not live in packs. Researchers believe that New Guinea singing dogs probably hunt alone and possibly defend a territory in mated pairs. Although their group numbers may be small, there are social rules and a dominant dog. At the San Diego Zoo, we’ve observed that when in new or unfamiliar situations, female singing dogs tend to be most confident and assertive, while males are more cautious and submissive.

Both parents participate in raising puppies, usually with Dad taking on the role of disciplinarian. Puppies spend most of their day sleeping or playing. Unlike most doggies’ happy, tail-wagging play bow, the singers’ entire body is lowered and an intent stare is directed at the potential playmate. They will then take off running toward their playmate, ready to tackle, wrestle, nip, pull, pounce, and, of course, bark. Playing reinforces social bonds and is great practice for future hunting expeditions. Singers are great climbers, even climbing trees, and their sparring matches often take them up hills and over ledges.

 Dog-eat-dog world

Living in the New Guinea highlands, it is believed that just a few remain in the wild. If the New Guinea singing dog is in fact a true wild dog, then its status is endangered. There are only several hundred documented animals in existence. Threats to their population include inbreeding, breeding with domestic dogs that have been introduced to the island, and habitat destruction.

An Expanded Wolf Timeline

An expanded timeline of events in the history of wolves in the West.

• 1800 -- Wolves are common throughout Montana.
• 1884 -- Wolf-bounty law starts Montana's official eradication effort. Trappers receive $1 per wolf.
• 1914 -- U.S. Biological Survey founded. Its initial tasks include eradicating wolves and prairie dogs. The survey is later renamed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• 1925 -- Wolves are eliminated from most of the West.
• 1944 -- Aldo Leopold recommends returning wolves to Yellowstone.
• 1966 -- Biologists recommend reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone.
• 1974 -- Wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.
• 1980 -- A lone wolf kills livestock near Big Sandy, Mont. It is killed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This is the first documented wolf kill in more than 50 years.
• 1986 -- A wolf den is found near Glacier National Park. The Magic pack establishes its territory in the North Fork Flathead River valley in western Glacier National Park.
• 1991 -- Congress directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on wolf recovery in Yellowstone and central Idaho.
• 1994 -- An Environmental Impact Statement is completed for the reintroduction of wolves into central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. The chosen alternative reintroduces wolves as an experimental population, which allows for the killing of problem wolves outside park boundaries.
• 1994 -- The federal Environmental Impact Statement on the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone and central Idaho is completed. Wolf recovery is defined as 30 breeding pairs -- an adult male and adult female raising two or more pups to Dec. 31 -- in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming for three years in a row.
• Jan. 12, 1995 -- Eight wolves from Canada arrive in Yellowstone National Park.
• Jan. 21, 1995 -- A second shipment of six wolves arrive at Yellowstone. The wolves were held in three acclimation pens built along Crystal, Rose and Soda Butte creeks. The pens were designed to attenuate the wolves' homing tendencies so they would say in the Yellowstone ecosystem after their release.
• During acclimation, the wolves had minimal human contact. The wolves were fed Tuesdays and Fridays. They were fed 15 pounds of elk, bison and mule deer per wolf. During the 10-week period, the wolves were fed 15,000 pounds of meat. About 75 employees and 25 journalists watched the feedings from a vantage point 300 yards from the Crystal Creek pen.
• March 21-22, 1995 -- The gates on the Crystal and Rose creek pens were opened. Most of the wolves did not leave by March 23, so biologists cut a hole in the Crystal pen's fence to give the wolves another exit.
• March 31, 1995 -- All the wolves from the Crystal and Rose creek pens have departed into Yellowstone National Park.
• 1996 -- Seventeen Canadian wolves are sent to Yellowstone, along with 10 pups from a depredating pack in northwestern Montana. Twenty wolves are released in central Idaho. The first pups are born in the wild.
• January 1996 -- 37 wolves are captured in north-central British Columbia and reintroduced to Yellowstone and central Idaho. 17 wolves making up four packs were placed in acclimation pens in Yellowstone. 20 wolves were released into central Idaho and for the most part have been traveling in a northerly and northeasterly direction.
• 2000 -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines that there are 30 breeding pairs in the three-state Rocky Mountain Recovery area, making 2000 the first year of the three-year countdown to meet wolf population recovery goals.
• 2002 -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces that the gray wolf population has achieved biological recovery under the federal Endangered Species Act.
• March - July, 2008 -- Wolves are officially delisted. Twelve parties file suit. The U.S. District Court grants the plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction. The ruling places the gray wolf back under the Endangered Species Act. Preparations for a wolf-hunting season are suspended.
• March 7, 2009 - The Obama administration delists gray wolf in Montana and Idaho. Wolves in Wyoming remain on the Endangered Species List. Another lawsuit is filed.
• Sept. 9, 2009 - U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy denies plaintiffs an injunction to stop wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho.
• Sept. 15, 2009 - The first ever fair chase wolf hunt begins in Montana. The first wolf was killed near Cooke City on Sept. 17. 74 wolves would be taken over the season.

Baby Elephant Tortured During Training Using Electric Shocks

Ringling Bros. circus trainers cruelly force baby elephants to learn tricks, and it's not through a reward system, as they claim. Explore the photos that will make parents think twice about taking their child to the circus.

You may have wondered how Ringling Bros. gets 8,000-pound elephants to perform tricks like sitting up and even standing on their heads, but now you know. Ringling breaks the spirit of elephants when they're vulnerable babies who should still be with their mothers. Unsuspecting parents planning a family trip to the circus don't know about the violent training sessions with ropes, bullhooks, and electric shock prods that elephants endure, so we need you to tell them.

Below is a link to pictures proving this point:

http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com/bound-babies.asp

Even more disturbing facts about this circus and animal deaths as the result of negligence and abuse:

DEATHS
June 20, 2011: Siam, a 60-year-old female Asian elephant who had been captured in the wild and shipped to the circus as an infant in 1954, was euthanized.

April 26, 2011: Ringling euthanized Lutzi, a 61-year-old female Asian elephant who had spent 56 years of her life with the circus. In a sworn deposition taken during Ringling‘s 2009 trial to answer charges that its elephant-handling practices violated the federal Endangered Species Act, the general manager of Ringling‘s Center for Elephant Conservation admitted that Lutzi and other elephants had been chained by two legs on a concrete floor for 16 hours a day.

March 19, 2010: Lima, a zebra who fled the circus and ran loose through downtown Atlanta for more than 40 minutes, was euthanized as a result of injuries he sustained during his escape.

January 8, 2010: Ringling euthanized Josky, a 43-year-old female Asian elephant who was captured in the wild in 1967.

July 18, 2008: Calcutta, a 62-year-old Asian elephant who was captured in the wild in India and shipped to U.S. circuses as an infant, was euthanized by the circus.

September 11, 2006: An Asian elephant died from unreported causes. The circus did not announce this death. August 31, 2005: An Asian elephant named Gildah died. Gildah was captured in the wild and used in Siegfried & Roy‘s casino act. She was kept in solitary confinement at the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Feld Entertainment refused a USDA recommendation to conduct a necropsy on Gildah.

August 10, 2005: According to the Asian Elephant Studbook, an 11-day-old elephant named Bertha died. The circus did not announce her birth or death. October 9, 2004: A 44-year-old Asian elephant named Roma was euthanized because of osteoarthritis.* The circus did not announce this death. A necropsy revealed that Roma had tuberculosis. August 5, 2004: An 8-month-old elephant named Riccardo was euthanized after suffering severe and irreparable fractures to both hind legs when he fell off a circus pedestal. Riccardo was undersized when he was born to Shirley, a Ringling elephant, in December 2003. Failing to wait until Shirley was 18 years old, when she would have been physically and emotionally ready to raise offspring, Ringling used Shirley for breeding when she was only 7 years old (see ―Animal Care,‖ December 5, 2003). Riccardo may have been afflicted with a bone disorder caused by malnourishment because his mother was unable to nurse him.

July 13, 2004: According to an affidavit by former Ringling lion handler Frank Hagan, a 2-year-old lion named Clyde died while traveling through the intense heat of the Mojave Desert in a poorly ventilated boxcar without being checked or given water. The lion is believed to have died from heatstroke and dehydration.

July 1, 2004: A 53-year-old Asian elephant named Calcutta 2 died because of an aortic aneurysm. The circus did not announce this death. Calcutta 2 had previously tested positive for tuberculosis (see ―Elephant Tuberculosis,‖ April 16, 2001).

May 11, 2004: Two Ringling horses were struck by a freight train as they were being unloaded from the circus train near Dayton, Ohio. One horse died instantly, and the other was euthanized at the scene.

We demand that the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence Rhode Island, refuse to host the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus in 2012 each year thereafter.

Do not profit from the suffering and death of innocent animals! You are supposed to be a venue for enjoyment and entertainment. This circus is barbaric and has no respect for life. You condone and promote animal abuse if you host this horrific event at your establishment.

SIGN THIS PETITION

http://www.change.org/petitions/dunkin-donuts-center-providence-ri-do-not-host-circus-baby-elephant-tortured-during-training-using-electric-shocks

Yellowstone Trees Get Help From Wolves

Wolves like this one are being credited with helping Yellowstone's aspen trees survive grazing by elk

The return of the Yellowstone wolf has elks shaking in their hooves, and that's good news for the national park's young aspen trees. 

During the wolf's 70-year-long absence from the park as a result of being killed off by humans, elk were free to roam, reproduce and feed on the small aspen shoots. A new study finds the elk's fear and reduced population — both of which have been driven by the reintroduction of wolves begun in 1995 — have improved the aspen's chance of survival.

"This is really exciting, and it’s great news for Yellowstone," said William Ripple of the Oregon State University College of Forestry. "We’ve seen some recovery of willows and cottonwood, but this is the first time we can document significant aspen growth, a tree species in decline all over the West. We’ve waited a long time to see this, but now we’re optimistic that things may be on the right track."

Ripple and colleagues discovered that a significant number of aspen trees in the past decade have reached heights of more than 7 feet. That's a key long-term survival point, because it places tree crowns high enough to keep them safe from browsing by elks.

No survivors earlier

In contrast, no new trees were found surviving animal browsing from the 1920s to the early 1990s, when wolf packs were absent in Yellowstone.

The most impressive aspen comeback has occurred near streams and gullies in the northern part of the park. In these areas, wolves easily sneak up on elk and the terrain makes it difficult for elk to escape. The research team suggests elk are now avoiding these areas, allowing aspen shoots there to grow into adulthood.

The scientists refer to this overall return to balance as "the ecology of fear." Their previous research has shown predators such as wolves and cougars strike fear into their prey and affect animal behavior and the surrounding environment.

"We did not document nearly as much [aspen] recovery in upland areas, at least so far, where elk apparently feel safer," Ripple said. "But even there, aspen are growing better in areas with logs or debris that would make it more difficult for elk to move quickly."

Fewer elk helps, too

Ripple also attributes the aspen's success to lower numbers of elk in the park. Since wolves have returned to Yellowstone, elk populations have declined steadily. Yet, the elk population is larger today than it was in the mid-1960s, when aspen trees were still in decline and wolves were still absent.

The researchers say this evidence suggests the fear felt by elk may be just as much of an influence, or even more of one, on aspen tree growth than elk population decline.

Equipped with a better understanding of this Yellowstone success story, scientists hope to improve the future of aspen trees outside of the national park's borders.

"The issue of aspen decline in the American West is huge, and their recovery will depend on local conditions and issues in many areas," Ripple said. "In northern Yellowstone, we finally have some good news to report." 

Court Approves Triple B Roundup

Last week the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a temporary injunction and granted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the right to continue with the Triple B roundup in Nevada, which would remove around 1,700 horses from the range.

The Cloud Foundation, along with ecologist Craig Downer and Lorna Moffat, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Nevada under the premise that the BLM had no evidence that wild horses are actually damaging the ecosystem.

The BLM insists that 1.7 million acres is not enough to sustain the 2,200 horses that are currently there and wants to bring that number down to between 500 and 900, and they’ve decided they need to do it now …during foaling season …in the midst of a heatwave.

On July 15 U.S. District Court Judge Howard McKibben ruled in favor if the BLM. Rachel Fazio, who represented the Cloud Foundation, filed an appeal and a temporary injunction was granted by Judge Richard Paez. Unfortunately, four days later Paez, Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw and Chief Judge Alex Kozinski declined to grant an emergency injunction arguing that they failed to show that lifting the injunction would cause irreparable harm.

“The BLM puts out all this rhetoric and assertions about damage to the range caused by the horses and there’s not a single document in evidence that shows that is the case,” Fazio told the AP.

The case will be heard by the federal court of appeals on August 12.

Take a minute to watch this video from the Cloud Foundation to see what the BLM has does with these mustangs and leave a comment at the White House or call 202-456-1111 asking for a moratorium on roundups until the BLM can prove its claims.

Idaho Sets Wolf Hunting Seasons

SALMON, Idaho -- The Idaho Fish and Game Commission adopted a 10-month-long wolf hunting season in the upper Clearwater River basin Thursday and also increased the trapping season beyond what was recommended by Idaho Department of Fish and Game managers.

The commission, meeting in Salmon, lengthened the wolf season in the Lolo and Selway zones three months beyond what was proposed by wildlife biologists. Commissioner Fred Trevey of Lewiston recommended stretching the seasons in the two backcountry zones where biologists have documented wolves are the primary cause of elk mortality.

"We always have the option to truncate that if we need to," he said.

A wolf hunting proposal from the department recommended the statewide season open Aug. 30 and run through March 31. Commissioners approved those dates in most of the state. But in the two zones in the upper Clearwater basin, the season will run through June 30 so it stays open during the spring black bear hunt.

The department recommended a season without a harvest quota in most of the state, but it did propose them in the Beaverhead and Island Park zones along the Idaho-Montana state line near Yellowstone National Park. The quotas were recommended to promote genetic diversity by ensuring some wolves can migrate between Idaho and the park to mate.

At the request of new commissioner Kenny Anderson of Rigby, who represents the Upper Snake Region, the quota was increased to 10 in the Beaverhead Zone and to 30 in the Island Park Zone.

"I want more for my area; a better hunt and to take out more wolves," Anderson said.

The trapping season was lengthened by setting the opening date at Nov. 15, instead of Dec. 1, as recommended by the department. Commissioners also reduced the price of nonresident wolf hunting and trapping tags from $186 to $31.75, the same rate nonresidents are charged for mountain lion and black bear tags.

Hunters will be allowed to kill two wolves per year and trappers can take as many as five. Department Director Virgil Moore has said the state will manage the hunt to ensure the wolf population stays well above 150 -- the number that could trigger relisting the animals under the Endangered Species Act. There are believed to be about 1,000 wolves in Idaho.

Idaho Plans for Extensive Wolf Hunts, Trapping

Idaho will open its wolf population, now estimated at about 1,000 animals, to extensive hunting and trapping to reduce their numbers to no fewer than 150 under a plan approved on Thursday by the state Fish and Game Commission.

The move came after a heated public hearing Wednesday night in Salmon, where wolf foes declared war on the iconic predators with rhetoric describing Idaho as locked in a "wolf crisis" and as one of three "wolf-occupied states" in the Northern Rockies, along with Montana and Wyoming.

Wolves have been at the center of a bitter debate since they were reintroduced to the region in the mid-1990s over the objections of ranchers and commercial outfitters who said wolves would prey on cattle and compete with hunters for elk.

The plan to cut the wolf population in Idaho comes just three months after wolves in Idaho and Montana were stripped of federal protections under the Endangered Species Act through an unprecedented act of Congress.

Removal from the U.S. endangered species list turned control of those wolves over to state wildlife agencies, now free to set hunting seasons as a way of reducing wolf numbers to levels they see as better balanced with human interests.

In Montana, wildlife managers earlier this month set a statewide quota of 220 wolves -- out of an estimated population of 566 -- for its wolf hunts, which will generally run from September to November.

Idaho's commissioners, by comparison, approved a plan that sets no quota for a combination of hunting and trapping that will be allowed for most of the year in most of the state, beginning next month.

However, Idaho would bar wolf numbers statewide from falling in any given year below the 150 minimum necessary to prevent federal re-listing of them.

The action in Idaho comes as a federal judge in Montana is poised to rule on a lawsuit by environmental groups challenging the de-listing of wolves in both states earlier this year.

DUELING NUMBERS

The commissioners said their aim is to lower the number of conflicts between wolves and livestock in the state and to end wolf-caused declines of elk in some parts of Idaho where outfitters have complained they are losing clients because of unsuccessful hunts for elk and other big game.

Still, a recent survey by state wildlife managers shows elk populations exceed or meet biologists' objectives in the vast majority of Idaho's hunting areas. Another study by wildlife managers shows Idaho wolves killed 148 cows in 2010, out of a total 2.2 million head of cattle in the state.

Idaho game commissioners characterized their plan as a good starting point, with future plans to include wolf trapping and killing by designated state agents and by landowners.

"We will increase the tools in the toolbox and use all legal mechanisms to solve the problem," commission chairman Tony McDermott told wolf opponents on Wednesday night. "We're on the same page and we'll get it done."

At the meeting Thursday in Salmon, commissioners also cut the price of non-resident wolf hunting tags statewide from about $186 to $31.75 as an incentive to out-of-state hunters.

Wildlife advocates on Thursday vowed to launch a boycott of Idaho, its potatoes and its outfitters.

"The word is getting out that this is basically a wolf-hate state," Idaho wolf activist Lynne Stone said. "I think this is going to be a big hit to the image of Idaho and further hurt our economy."

The Wolf Hunt is On

Idaho’s new wolf hunting season rules have finally been approved.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission adopted the rules on Thursday while meeting in Salmon. The final version only included a few tweaks to the original proposal drafted earlier this month.

This season will run from Aug. 30 until March 31, 2012. However, it will be extended in the Lolo and Selway zones until June 30 to coincide with black bear season. As originally suggested, the hunt will not include quotas except for areas near the Montana border.

This will be Idaho’s second wolf hunt since the animals were reintroduced to the state in 1995. The first ran from fall 2009 to spring 2010 with 188 of a limit of 220 wolves killed.

Also new this time: a trapping season will run from Nov. 15 until the end of the hunting season. The original proposal had suggested trapping should only be allowed for 10 weeks.

Kenny Anderson, the commissioner representing the Upper Snake River region, requested an increase to hunt limits in his region.

“I want more for my area, a better hunt and to take out more wolves,” he said during the commission meeting.

Wolf tag sales have lagged this year in comparison to tags sold during the first season. One reason being that hunting and killing wolves is much harder than hunters originally anticipated. Earlier this month, Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore estimated that only 1 percent of the 30,000 hunters who bought tags for the first season killed a wolf.

Idaho must maintain at least 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs to meet federal management criteria.

Moore promised the department would shut down the hunt if the wolf population approaches 150.

New Documentary Film Released Exposes Sea World, Captive Dolphin and Whale Industry

San Francisco, CA. —- Sea World is responsible for the death of thousands of the dolphins and whales they claim to use for public education. That is the thread of the first comprehensive documentary film to explore the sordid history of the captive whale and dolphin display industry. A Fall From Freedom, an 82-minute film, produced by the San Francisco-based EarthViews Productions, includes interviews with scientists, marine mammal biologists, former trainers, activists, and current marine park representatives.

Narrated by Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H, Providence), the film digs deep into the history of the captive dolphin and whale industry. Topics covered in the film include:

• Sea World representatives secretly promoted the Japanese dolphin drives where thousands of animals are driven to shore and brutally killed, in order to provide their parks with replacement animals — says Dr. John Hall, former Sea World biologist.

• Marine parks in the U.S. and abroad are responsible for the deaths of trainers by captive killer whales, with hundreds of injuries unreported or covered up by payoffs and non-disclosure agreements — states former Sea World biologist Dr. John Hall and former Sea World killer whale trainer Dr. John Jett.

• There is no educational value to having whales or dolphins in a captive environment — says Dr. Naomi Rose, biologist for Humane Society International.

• Contrary to the claims of many marine parks and aquariums, captive killer whales die far more frequently and at a far earlier age than they do in the wild — states former Sea World biologist Dr. John Hall.

• Sea World has been involved in illegal and unethical actions to assure their parks are well stocked with killer whales — states former Sea World biologist Dr. John Hall.

• The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums has worked tirelessly to reduce government oversight on the health and well-being of captive whales and dolphins — states Dr. Naomi Rose.

• Sea World representatives have claimed that whales and dolphins are not highly intelligent, sophisticated, and social animals, when dozens of the world’s leading experts assert that their intelligence and social dependence is second only to humans

• Sea World and other marine parks claimed that the rehabilitation and release back to the wild of Keiko, star of the Free Willy movie, was a failure from the start. Dave Phillips of the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation argues that the project was a rousing success, which proved that these animals can be taken from captivity, rehabilitated and returned to the wild

A Fall From Freedom is a well-researched and comprehensive history of marine parks and aquariums worldwide that hold whales and dolphins for public entertainment. The film was sponsored and underwritten by Friends of Animals, Humane Society of the U.S., Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, BlueVoice, the American SPCA, The Summerlee Foundation, the Donald Slavik Family Foundation, and The Campbell Foundation, The film is available for viewing free to the public.

EarthViews Productions has been producing environmental documentaries for nearly 40 years, including Where Have All the Dolphins Gone?, a one-hour film on the killing of dolphins during tuna fishing operations, hosted by the late George C. Scott, which was broadcast primetime on Discovery Channel and was partly responsible for all U.S. tuna canners accepting only dolphin-safe tuna. Its other films include The Free Willy Story: Keiko’s Journey Home, a primetime Discovery Channel original program, narrated by Rene Russo, and a primetime TBS Special, A World With Dolphins, hosted by Bridget Fonda.

France to allow wolf hunt after attack

PARIS, July 26 (UPI) -- French authorities say they have issued a rare wolf-hunting license after an attack on a mountain herd left more than 70 sheep dead.

In the attack on a flock of about 1,500 sheep last week by a suspected lone wolf, 10 were killed outright and 62 were killed when they went over a cliff as the herd stampeded in panic, France24 reported.

Yves Derbez, representing 347 herdsmen in the region of the attack, urgently called for tighter regulation of wolf numbers as their population has grown in France.

"We have to take concrete measures now before sheep herding is completely wiped out in France," he said.
Wolves were completely eradicated in France in the 1930s, but have been gradually reintroduced since 1992.

Officials estimate 150 to 200 wolves are in France, mostly in the French Alps.

Threats against African Rhinos

Threats against African rhinos have nearly always been despicable, but as authorities crack down on illegal exportation of the animals' horns, the latest methods to usurp the law are downright abhorrent. A former rhino horn dealer turned whistle-blower claims that an international wildlife trafficking syndicate employed strippers and prostitutes from Thailand to go to South Africa, participate in fake 'hunts', just to return with the rhino horns horns.

According to John Oliviers, a whistle blower who was involved in the trade of rhino horns, the trafficking syndicate recruited sex workers to apply for legal trophy hunting permits in South Africa in order to circumvent a law which allows for hunters to kill one rhino a year. Instead, the Thai women would merely return to Asia with illegally obtained horns, presumably to be sold for massive profit on the black market.

In recent decades, South Africa has pushed to reduce illegal poaching, although still hundreds of animals have been killed for their horns this year alone. Strangely, the government still permits trophy hunters to shoot the animals for sport with a firm limit. Recruiting sex workers, however, provided the syndicate with cheaply acquired individuals to pose as hunters, solely to import the highly-prized horns.

A statement made to the police by John Olivier, who worked with the syndicate, led to the arrest of Lemtongthai and five Thai "hunters" in Edenvale on July 9. He described how Lemtongthai and his sidekick, Punpitak Chunchom, paid millions of rands in cash for live rhinos. Olivier claims in his statement to the police that Marnus Steyl, a wildlife trader based in Brits, North West, bought the rhinos from auctions and private owners. Steyl is then alleged to have moved the rhinos to a farm in North West and soon after that they would be "hunted", in contravention of regulations that the animals must be given time to acclimatise.

Despite the fact that rhinos are endangered in South Africa, permits are still being issued for trophy hunters to kill them for sport -- and this gaping loophole in the poaching law has allowed for wildlife dealers to reap a hefty profit. To purchase a live rhino evidently cost Lemtongthai a fraction of what is paid for their horns on the black market.

To add to the ruse that the 'hunters' were in fact there to hunt and not merely to poach (though the differences is debatable), the syndicate would have the animal sent to a taxidermist to give the appearance that the rhino was legitimately killed for game. The reality, however, was even more twisted.

"The trophy is just a cover for getting the horn out of South Africa and into Asia. Once in Asia, it obviously would enter the black market as rhino horn for 'medicinal purposes'. The person allegedly 'hunting' the rhino would never see the animal or its horn again," says Oliviers.

French Row Erupts Over Marauding Wolves

Call it Yellowstone sur Seine. French shepherds are demanding the surging wolf population be culled following increasing sheep deaths by the growing packs of protected canines. Wolves are now roaming the Vosges Mountains on the Alsace-Lorraine border for the first time in 80 years.

Some experts predict the wolves could reach forests near Paris in a decade if not controlled. A handful of Italian wolves in the Alps have multiplied to some 200 animals in 20 packs. But that's bad news for sheep, so a group of Alpine shepherds and politicians are petitioning for the right to hunt the animals at will.

Wolves can currently only be killed by government marksmen or specially trained shepherds during an attack on their flocks. Sheep flocks are being "plundered" by the wolves because leaders are "blindly following" the advice of environmentalists, complained a local mayor. Last weekend 62 ewes plunged into a ravine fleeing a wolf. There have been 66 attacks in the area so far this year.

Row rages over calls for cull as wolves spread across France

The wolf, pursuing its lightning reconquest of France, has reached the Vosges Mountains on the Alsace-Lorraine border for the first time in 80 years.

After two decades of pro- and anti-wolf battles between nature-lovers, shepherds and politicians, even some supporters of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) are growing alarmed by the rapid progress of the world largest wild canine through the French countryside.

A mystery animal which has been attacking sheep in the Vosges since April has been identified by a remote-control camera as a wolf.

A handful of Italian wolves, which recolonised the French Alps around 1993, are thought to have multiplied to about 200 animals in 20 packs, reaching as far west as Cantal in Auvergne and as far north as Franche-Comté on the Franco-Swiss border, and now the Vosges. Within a decade, one expert predicted yesterday, the wolf could have ranged as far as the large forests just south of Paris.

A delegation of Alpine shepherds' leaders and local politicians will petition the environment minister, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, this week for the right to hunt wolves at will. Under the present rules, the wolf – protected under European law – can be shot legally only by government marksmen or by shepherds trained and licensed to defend their flocks from an actual wolf attack.

In practice, since the "anti-loup" code was agreed in 2004, only four wolves have been killed in France. Shepherds' leaders want the rules changed to allow them to organise hunting parties.

Daniel Spagnou, the mayor of Sisteron in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, wrote a blistering open letter to Ms Kosciusko-Morizet earlier this month, accusing her of "blindly following" the advice of environmentalists and allowing sheep flocks in high alpine summer pastures to be "plundered" by wolves.

The French government authorised the official hunting and shooting of a wolf in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence last weekend after 62 ewes fell into a ravine while fleeing an attack.

There have been 66 confirmed wolf attacks in France so far this year, compared with 86 in the whole of last year.

Pro-wolf groups say there is no evidence that attacks are "out of control", although some accept that the rapid spread proves tougher action is needed. Jean-Marc Moriceau, a wolf expert and the author of Men Versus Wolves, The 2,000 Years War, said: "We should organise a wolf parliament, bringing together shepherds, ecologists and government... We need a way of protecting flocks and managing the wolf population."

At the present rate of progress, Mr Moriceau said, wolves would reach the forests 50 miles south of Paris in 10 to 15 years.

Until the late 18th century, long after the last wolf was shot in Britain, wolves lived just across the Channel in the Pas de Calais. However, Canis lupus is not expected to knock on Britain's door any time soon. Western and northern France is no longer wooded or wild enough to sustain them.

France's Wolf-hunting permit issued after sheep massacre

France’s growing wolf population is good news for environmentalists – but the feeling is not shared by the country’s livestock farmers. This week they get a measure of revenge as a rare wolf-hunting license is issued.

A rare wolf-hunting license was issued Monday after a spate of attacks on mountain herds. The move was given a cautious welcome by livestock farmers who fear it is too little too late in the face of a ballooning – and mostly untouchable – wolf population.

The permit was issued by the departmental authorities after a bloody weekend in which a suspected lone wolf was responsible for the deaths of more than 70 sheep.

During the Friday night attack on a flock of some 1,500 animals, 10 were killed outright and 62, stampeding in panic, went over the edge of a cliff.

Yves Derbez, representing 347 herdsmen in the department, said the move was a “small measure” after the loss to his flock, and urgently called for tighter regulation of wolf numbers as their population balloons in France.

“We have to take concrete measures now before sheep herding is completely wiped out in France,” he told reporters on Sunday.

Attacks up

The number of animals falling victim to wolves is certainly on the rise.

So far this year, there have been 66 attacks attributed to wolves in France, claiming the lives of 422 animals. In the whole of 2010, there were 86 attacks at a cost of 246 animals, mostly sheep.

The signing of the permit on Monday is a last resort measure. By law only six wolves a year can be killed legally in France and permits can only be issued if all other means of protection of flock have proven ineffective. 

A total of six wolves have been legally hunted in France since 2004.

In the 1930s, wolves were completely eradicated from France. They have been gradually reintroduced since 1992, when a pair of Italian wolves was transported to the Mercantour national park on the Italian-French border. 

According to official estimates, France has anywhere between 150 and 200 wolves, roaming mostly in the French Alps.

Some populations have emerged in the central Massif range and also in the Pyrenees on the Spanish border.

Wolf Hunt Up In The Air As Judge Prepares To Hear Arguments

MISSOULA, Mont. -- The 2011 wolf hunt may be off -- depending on what happens in Judge Don Molloy's court room this week. If the groups filing suit against the federal government have their way, the wolves would be reinstated to the endangered species list.

The last time the wolf issue showed up in Molloy's court, his decision did put Montana's wolves back on the endangered species list. He ruled that removing an animal from the list must be an all-or-nothing deal -- happening in all 50 states, or not at all. At the time, wolves had been delisted in Montana and Idaho, but not Wyoming.

"Therefore Fish and Wildlife's decision to remove protections from the wolves is illegal, and protections need to be restored,"said Noah Greenwald, of the Center for Biological Diversity.

So the Montana and Idaho wolves were back on the list and back under federal protection, until Congress passed legislation telling Fish and Wildlife to delist them once again, this time without the possibility of judicial review. Wolf advocates call that a gross legislative overreach, and they're taking that argument to federal court.

"This is totally unprecedented," Greenwald said. "This is the first time that Congress has ever stepped in and decided that a species should or should not be protected under the Endangered Species Act." Some Montanans who support the congressional rider plan to protest at the courthouse during the hearing -- handing out literature in support of wolf hunting.

"We don't feel that wildlife management should be decided in a courtroom," wolf hunting advocate Toby Bridges said.

Bridges says that high wolf numbers are decimating big game, endangering livestock and hurting the economy.

"We have professionals who understand wildlife management and wildlife biology," he said. "And these groups -- these environmental groups -- want to supersede that."
But those environmental groups say the wolf threat is overstated.

"Studies since wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park have found that wolves play a tremendous role in the web of life, and that they have benefit for many species," Greenwald said. But the central issue in front of Judge Molloy isn't wolf behavior, but Congressional behavior. His ruling will hinge on whether Congress violated the separation of powers doctrine by using its legislative power to override his earlier decision.

Federal government attorneys were unavailable to comment.