Oil rig disaster for endangered species

The recent devastation caused by a fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig could prove catastrophic for a number of endangered species living in the Gulf of Mexico.

An explosion occurred Tuesday night and the rig has since collapsed and sunk as a result of a massive fire that engulfed the rig for more than 30 hours. Fear are growing for the 11 workers are still missing.

This has also resulted in thousands of gallons of oil being pumped out into the sea and now poses an enormous threat to the many species living in the surrounding sea area and on the coast.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to some of the world's most endangered marine mammals including six endangered species of whale. There are also several species of shark considered to be "of concern" due to declining populations and also one of the world's largest populations of bottlenose dolphins, with an estimated 45,000 in it's waters.

Along it's 3,500 miles of coastline is the only known nesting place to the worlds most endangered sea turtle. There are also populations of protected Hawksbill, Loggerhead and Leatherback turtle (pictured right) who are due to begin nesting there soon and could be particularly vulnerable to oil washed up on the beach.

The Gulf region also contains around five million acres of wetlands, which are an essential habitat to three quarters of migrating waterfowl that cross the US.

A significant oil spill could be incredibly dangerous as the pollution would likely stay trapped in the encircled land.

Commercial whaling may go ahead after 25 year ban

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) have announced a proposal to allow the killing of whales in their most precious feeding grounds.

If adopted, the proposal will allow legitimate commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary, despite a ban being imposed there since 1994. The Southern Ocean is home to many species of whales including blue whales, humpback whales and fin whales (pictured).

A moratorium on commercial whaling has been held by the IWC since 1986 but countries such as Norway and Iceland have legal objections to the ban. Japan has continued to conduct commercial whaling by using a loophole saying that is legal to kill whales for "scientific purposes".

The proposal has been announced in an effort to bring whaling under the IWC's control and will give these countries official commercial whaling quotas for the next 10 years.

Wendy Elliott, Species Program manager at WWF-International, said "the proposed quotas are not set sing the IWC's own scientific methods, but are a result of political bargaining which has little if anything to do with the whales' themselves. Setting quotas for commercial whaling based on politics not science would be a step backwards for IWC."

Elliott adds "if there is one place on earth where whales should have full protection, it is the Southern Ocean. Allowing commercial whaling in an area where whales are so vulnerable goes against logic."

The Chair of the IWC has also proposed commercial whaling quotas for whale species listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered. Fin whales and sei whales are both endangered species but if the proposal went ahead it would contribute to the deaths of 65 fin whales and 500 sei whales over a 10 year period.

Before the last ban, commercial whaling cause numbers of the sei whale in the Pacific Ocean to drop from 42,000 to just 8,600. 725,000 fin whales were also killed in the Southern Ocean as a result of commercial whaling and a most recent estimate brings their numbers to just 15,178 suggesting that whales have not yet recovered from the last time commercial whaling was legal.

Members of the IWC will decide at their next meeting in Morocco whether or not to adopt the proposal.

New Zealand's albatrosses under threat

ACAP is holding meetings to discuss new national seabird plans to help protect albatrosses.

New Zealand has become by far the most important area for albatrosses with 18 out of 21 species living and breeding there. However, after leaving the nest some species of this majestic bird spend years at sea. This means that it is not just New Zealand who should be responsible for protecting these birds.

The albatrosses tend to fly around the southern ocean, over South America or South Africa. They spend three to four months of each year off the coast of Chile and Peru but longline fisheries in these areas are what's causing such a dangerous threat to these birds.

Earlier this week, an ACAP (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels) meeting was held in Argentina and many organisations including the WWF attended. The aim was to co-ordinate agreement and include real commitments to reducing seabird deaths through fishing.

Rebecca Bird, WWF's leading marine campaigner, posted on the New Zealand WWF Facebook page "it was largely a successful meeting". She said that as long as Governments stay commited they will be on track.

She continues "a lot more needs to be done both at sea and on land to ensure the future of these amazing creatures".

New species discovered in Borneo

A 'Ninja slug', a lungless frog and a giant stick insect are just some of the amazing new species discovered on the Borneo island.

Around 120 species have been found in an area designated for conservation and the findings have been published in a report by the WWF.

Among the findings are a long-tailed slug (pictured above) that uses 'love darts' made of calcium carbonate to pierce and inject a hormone into a mate to increase the chances of reproduction.

Researchers also discovered a 57 centimetre long stick insect named "Phobaeticus chani" (pictured left) and a flat-headed frog, known as "Barbourula kalimantanensis" (pictured right), which breathes entirely through it's skin instead of it's lungs.

Adam Tomasek, head of WWF's Heart of Borneo initiative, said "we have been finding on average three new species a month and about 123 over the last three years, with at least 600 new species found in the last 15 years."

Farmland birds in trouble

According to a new report, some of Britain's best loved farmland birds are continuing to vanish from our countryside.

Figures indicate an 11 percent decline in bird populations across England since the mid 1990s with species such as the starling (pictured), corn bunting and turtle dove being the most affected.

Among these figures, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the South East has experienced the worst losses with a decline in farmland birds of almost a quarter in the last 15 years. There has also been a 17 percent decrease in the East Midlands and a 16 percent decrease in the West Midlands. The report shows a clear north-south divide as populations in the north remain stable.

Woodland birds have also suffered with numbers down 10 percent in the South East and South West, however, figures rose by 43 percent in the North West.

Bird charities have said that habitat loss in the main cause of this decline and especial blame intensive farming techniques for wiping out wildlife. Climate change is also believed to be a growing factor.

"This report emphasises the continuing north-south divide in farmland bird populations," said Richard Gregory, of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). "This is largely a result of changing farming practices and land use patterns across England. With more fertile arable land in the south the effects of agricultural intensification have been felt more severely."

He continues "the impacts of global warming are being felt first in the south. Habitat loss and degradation are still the biggest issues facing wild birds but we cannot ignore the new climate threat."

Mammal stamps

A new series of stamps have been launched to highlight the decline of UK mammals.

The Royal Mail have created a range of stamps showing animals that are under threat in the UK. Animals include water voles, hedgehogs, whales, dormice, bats, otters and polecats.

According to the Mammal Society, Britain is home to over 60 species of mammals and whilst some have thrived in recent years, others have seen their populations decline. A loss of habitat caused by factors such as pollution, a growth in house and road building and more intensively managed farmland are said to be the main contributors.

The series of stamps have been released to coincide with the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB), a United Nations conservation initiative.

Dr Robert Bloomfield, UK co-ordinator of the IYB, said "these stamps illustrate that even some of the most loved UK species, which we consider common or familiar, are under threat."

Photo traps provide stunning pictures of the Scottish wildcat

This fascinating photo is just one of many captured of the notorious Scottish wildcat.

The photographs are being taken as part of a new research project in the Highlands which aims to get a better insight into these secretive yet endangered animals. The Scottish wild cat is one of the last remaining large predators in Scotland and conservationists believe the project will prevent the species from being wiped out.

As part of the work being undertaken in Cairngorms National Park, specialist camera equipment, known as photo-traps, have been attached to trees in the area. Motion detectors and infra-red technology allows the camera to take pictures of passing animals over a long period of time.

Despite being in it's early stages, the cameras have already taken impressive images of the cats along with other animals in the park including golden eagles.

Dr David Hetherington, of Cairngorms National Park Authority and leader of the project, told BBC Scotland "these camera traps are an excellent way of us getting a much better insight into where wildcats live, when they're active, and what habitat they are using."

Experts believe the wildcat population has fallen to just 400 and that inter-breeding with domestic cats could be the main problem. That is why they are encouraging cat owners to get their pets neutered.

Dr Hetherington explained "The major threat to wildcats these days is hybridisation, or inter-breeding, with domestic cats. Although they are quite different and have a completely different temperament, they are actually quite closely related genetically to domestic cats so they can produce fertile hybrids."

He continues " if that continues we are going to lose our pure Scottish wildcat."

New hope for most endangered rhinos

The Sumatran rhino is the most endangered species of rhino in the world but new footage has shown that they could be breeding.

The World Wildlife Fund said that the footage was evidence that the rare rhinoceros's, often labeled the 'hairy rhino' due to their hairy body, were breeding on Borneo Island.

Raymond Alfred from the WWF said that a camera set up in a forest near Malaysia's Sabah state captured stills of one female rhinoceros which appeared to be pregnant. The pictures taken in February are the third piece of evidence since 2007 suggesting that species might be breeding in the wild.

Despite the uncertainty about the rhino's condition, Mr Alfred said "based on the shape and size of the body and stomach it would appear that the rhino is pregnant". These pictures are the first of a wild Sumatran rhino thought to be pregnant and is very good news after the initial failure of the breeding-in-captivity programme for these critically endangered animals. The gestation for these animals can be around 15 to 16 months and on average a mother gives birth to one calf every three years.


The Sumatran rhino is the smallest species of rhinoceros and is poached for it's horns which are used in Chinese medicine. Deforestation has also become a huge factor in their decline and Mr Alfred says the area must be protected from logging activity. In the last 15 years their numbers have fallen 50% with an estimated 200 still in the wild. Conservationists have warned that this rare species could face extinction in the next 10 years.

The Year of the Tiger

The WWF have outlined their plans to make this year a good year for Tigers beginning with the launch of their new campaign.

The WWF, formally the World Wildlife Fund, raises awareness for all kinds of environmental and conservational issues affecting the natural world.

Their campaign is being launched to coincide with the Chinese year of the tiger and will hopefully help to reach their goal of doubling the world's tiger population by 2022 (the next year of the tiger). The WWF are working with world leaders in order to ensure the protection of the species and a global tiger summit will be held in Vladivostok in September this year where this goal will be the main focal point.

The WWF have released an interactive map in advance of the campaign launch which outlines the top ten dangers currently facing tiger's. Forest devastation, poaching and trafficking of tiger bones and skin are being named as some of the main reasons why the global population of wild tigers has dropped from 100,000 at the start of the 20th Century to as low as 3,200 at present. Climate change is also believed to be becoming more of a threat as it is damaging to tiger's habitats.

Head of species at WWF-UK, Diane Walkington, says "Since the last year of the tiger in 1998, tigers have lost 40 percent of their habitat. She continues "Tigers are being persecuted across the globe. They are being poisoned, trapped, snared, shot and squeezed out their homes."

Diane believes the new campaign will really help make a difference. "With 13 countries where wild tigers survive now pledging that they will work towards doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022, there has never been such an ambitious, high-level of commitment from governments to work to save this iconic species".