COTW: Deniers Like It Hot, Very Hot!

US Person is not one of those. After sweating out a heat wave of record breaking levels (Portland, OR: 115), US Person posts this chart from NASA:

A massive heat dome settled in over the Northwest last weekend, sending temperatures into the stratosphere. A heat dome can form without the impact of anthropomorphic global heating, but not one sending temperatures to levels never before recorded. Canada observed its hottest day on record: 116 degrees in British Columbia. Death Valley, CA recorded the highest temperature on Earth ever reliably recorded: 130 degrees The heat killed people. Recent research projects that heat stress will triple in the Pacific Northwest by 2100. Heat waves occur three times more often than in the 1960's and cover more land area.

Atmospheric Researcher Michael Mann at the Pennsylvania State University tell US that the latest record breaker was an example of an "Omega-block" pattern in which the jet stream follows a path described by the Greek letter Ω. Such patterns [see image below courtesy Penn State] are caused by a phenomenon called wave resonance in which the slowing jet stream wiggles around the Arctic Circle, which is itself heating to unprecedented levels. These waves allow the formation of localized, deep high pressure domes that stagnate.

Omega block over Texas, 2018

Tanzania Makes Progress Against Poaching

credit: N. Hahn

The east African nation of Tanzania reports it is making progress in the fight against elephant poaching. Once known as the killing fields of Africa, Tanzania has made 2300 arrests of poachers and traffickers over five years. Investigators claim they have penetrated eleven trafficking rings and arrested 21 ring leaders who profit most from the illegal trade in ivory. TRAFFIC, the international NGO that monitors the trade, said Tanzania suffered poaching on "an industrial scale" causing a 60% decline in elephant population in the period 2009-14, which equates to a horrendous loss of 60,000 elephants. 

Tanzania government officials say an anti-poaching law enforcement network is responsible for reducing the number of poaching incidents to a quarter of the previous unsustainable levels. Government data is confirmed by outside sources, which recorded just 5 tons of illegal ivory originating from Tanzania compared to 87 ton previously. Elephant populations in Tanzania have risen from 43,000 in 2014 to 60,000 in 2019. Enforcement officials have received training and resources to combat wildlife crime, an investment in the nation's natural heritage that is paying dividends.

One of the ringleaders convicted of trafficking, Yang Fenglan, known as Tanzania's "Ivory Queen" appealed her conviction to the High Court last month. The appellate court sent her case back down, but refused to release her pending the appeal process. Based on police intelligence, it appears that the ‘leading players’ in elephant poaching are Asian criminal networks, which purchase illegal products locally and export them to Asia. But the rings could not be successful without participation of local nationals. Green Kudos to Tanzania!

Bees Suffer More Losses-- EPA Does Nothing

a Manitou Springs, CO colony

US Beekeepers recorded the second highest colony loss since record-keeping began in 2006 according to a nationwide survey of more than 3,000 beekeepers released yesterday. Losses are estimated at 45.5% for 2020-21. The beekeepers attributed the losses this year to a number of factors, with the parasitic Varroa destructor mite being cited most frequently for winter losses and queen issues most frequent for summer losses. Other causes of colony loss beekeepers cited included starvation, weather, and pesticides. EPA has not moved to ban a class of chemical pesticides deemed toxic to bees. In 2018, the European Commission banned the outdoor use of three neonicotinoid pesticides—clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam—because of their potential to harm bees. Growers can only use the chemicals in permanent greenhouses. France went a step further and also banned acetamiprid and another neonicotinoid, thiacloprid. In 2020, the European Commission chose not to renew authorization of thiacloprid. Rep. Earl Blumenaur (D-OR) has reintroduced his bill to ban neonicotinoid pesticides in the US. The previous regime fought to increase the amount of pesticides toxic to bees and other needed pollinators as part of its war on science. Incremental measures are no longer enough to save honeybees.  Contact your representatives and demand they support legislation to protect pollinators. [photo: J. Cree]

Joe 'Give Me a Buck' Manchin

Latest: As expected the proto-fascists in the Senate upheld the fiflbuster against voting rights reform. The bourbon McConnell had the audacity to call SB1 a bill in search of a problem when 18 state legislatures controlled by the Trump Cult have passed laws restricting access to the ballot.  Ending the sixty vote barrier is increasingly necessary if the Democrats hope to hold on to tenuous control of Congress.  Even the wayward Joe Manchin, before becoming subject to the Money Power, supported filibuster reform ten years ago. He co-sponsored a bill that would have modified the filibuster rule to require Senators to take the floor in support of it (the old talking filibuster familiar to fans of "Mr. Smith") Here is what he said in 2011:

“West Virginians deserve a government that works for them, and they are understandably frustrated with the way things get done – or don’t – in Washington. The new rules we adopted today will ensure that we’re operating with greater transparency, and that the views of regular Americans are better represented in the Senate. I hope that these changes – along with a renewed spirit of bipartisan cooperation – will help the 112^th Congress achieve the commonsense results the American people expect and deserve.”

His bill failed, just as his compromise voting rights bill failed this time because the only policy McConnell and his cronies are following is preventing what they call Obama 2.0: any and all progressive legislation be it equitable taxation, economic stimulus or preserving the fundamental right of a democracy--the ability to choose who leads. Talk about common sense, Joe? Talk about preserving democracy? Give US a break, when the Party of Sedition wants to rig the election results in advance! Man up and get on the correct side of history.

Update: How many times does the GOP have to kick Joe Manchin in the face before he joins the rest of his colleagues in supporting SB 1, the For the People voting rights bill? His cynical instance on non-existent 'bipartisanship' is a waste of time and effort. McConnell told the press that he thinks all fifty Repugnant senators would vote against Manchin's weak compromise bill. Senate Leader Schumer told Democrats at a Thursday caucus meeting that the vote on the elections bill will be Tuesday, June 22nd It will take sixty votes to move the bill pass the filibuster barricade erected by the proto-fascists, which the Demos do not have. Manchin is against SB 1's provision for public funding of elections to remove dark money and plutocratic influence. Perhaps his attitude against changing the filibuster rule will change after the Repugnants block election reform of any kind.

{16.06.21}West Virginia's excuse for a senator got caught telling big money donors what he really thinks about the filibuster holding up any progress in this nation. Basically the arcane rule is a bargaining chip in his view, which he can use to leverage changes in his party's legislative package held hostage by a hostile minority of reactionary GOP members. The Intercept revealed the content of a Zoom meeting with members of a big money donor group founded by conservative Joe Lieberman a former DINO from Connecticut. Manchin told the group he need them to negotiate with retiring Repugnant Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri to change his vote on the 1/6 Commission because the GOPs refusal to support it was energizing support for changing the filibuster rule. Even if Manchin got Blunt to flip with the help of the Money Power, he would be three votes short of passing the commission bill.

Manchin also told the group he opposes the pending infrastructure bill because it subsidizes building charging stations for electric cars across the country, and would finance carbon sequestration systems for coal power plants. He justified his opposition to charging infrastructure by claiming that the government did not subsidize gasoline stations when Henry Ford introduced the Model T! If that statement is an example of his logic, then West Virginia needs a new senator that can think strait. That statement completely ignores the obvious fact that the petroleum industry has been subsidized for at least a century by preferential tax provisions. It also ignores the disastrous impact of climate change, something that was not a thing at the beginning of the last century.

Manchin's involuted pose of 'bipartisanship' is wearing thin on Democratic voters and their leadership in Congress, and costing valuable time. What he does not seem to appreciate is the deep-seated animosity of the GOP toward any legislation that would change the status quo. The GOP sees itself in an existential fight for survival--any compromise with progressives is considered a betrayal of the cult headed by the 'ultimate leader'. McConnell was not joking when he announced the would do everything in his power to resist the new administration's agenda. Their goal is a one term administration without notable achievements to show the electorate and their return to power through voter suppression. Actual democracy is therefore expendable. Joe Maanchin, a member of ALEC, a conservative non-profit that focuses on pro-business legislative proposals, is enabling these "proto-fascist" forces.

Manchin expressed support for the idea of changing the filibuster rule to require the minority to support it with 41 votes instead of the current requirement for 60 votes to impose cloture. Considering the conservative lobby group--Madison's stockjobbers become the tyrants of government-- he was talking to enthusiastically supports maintaining the current barricade to protect their profit and privilege, it may represent a significant openness on his part to some modification. He repeatedly claims he wants to make the Senate work. Well, Joe, here is a way forward, or is it campaign donations you and your closet DINOs are really concerned about?

Tasmanian Devils Staging a Comeback

Humans are not the only animal that can wipe out an entire species' population. Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) were introduced by humans to Maria Island off the coast of Tasmania in 2012-13. Twenty-eight of the marsupials quickly increased to 100 by 2016 as an "insurance' population free of the deadly facial cancer devastating mainland populations. Maria Island was also home to 3,000 breeding pairs of little penguins (Eudyptula minor);+ that is before the carnivorous devils wiped them out. Dr Eric Woehler, the convenor of BirdLife Tasmania said “Every time humans have deliberately or accidentally introduced mammals to oceanic islands, there’s always been the same outcome … a catastrophic impact on one or more bird species,” He called the loss of the peguin population in a national park a major blow to conservation. Shearwater population on the island has also been negatively impacted. But because the little penguin is flightless and rather awkward on land, the devils eliminated them first. Offshore islands are especially important for penguin survival since they are relatively isolated from human interference.

Recent research (2020) shows that the facial cancer that was feared would wipe out Tasmania's devils is unlikely to extinguish the species as the disease spread has slowed. Dr. Woehler says the translocation of endangered devils to Maria despite the expected negative impacts on resident fauna was justified because at the time the impact of the facial tumor disease was not well understood. The island has Tasmanian pademelons, Forester kangaroos and Bennett’s wallabies, whose populations were previously managed by annual culls. However, devils are opportunistic predators and the little penguins proved too easy a prey.

The research shows devils have succeeded in gaining a genetic edge against the viral cancer known as DFTD (Devil Facial Tumor Disease) Infection rates (Rɛ) has dropped to around 1 from a high of 3.5. Since the disease is transmitted by biting, lower population densities may be contributing to the decline in infections. The authors conclude devils rapidly evolved in a short time to tolerate and possibly resist the cancer, and could now exist in a “steady state” with it. The study expands on earlier work led by Dr Rodrigo Hamede, a disease ecologist at the University of Tasmania, which suggested a handful of devils had developed a natural immune response to the disease.There are about 10,000 devils in the wild, with captive breeding programs seeking to reintroduce the devil to mainland Australia; so we should expect to have the rambunctious devils around to enjoy in the future.

'Toontime: You Are Not the Same as Me

credit: P, Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune; BC Idonwanna sez: Lock him up!

 

Creature Feature: The Death of a Lion King

credit: George Logan

Lion conservationists around the world are mourning the death of a lion king, Scarface, whose gnarled visage and abundant mane made him an icon of the Mara in Kenya. The Kenyan Wildlife Service announced his death at age fourteen of natural causes, "in peace without any disturbance from vehicles or hyenas”. That death of itself is becoming unusual as lions and all large predators struggle to survive in a natural world unmade by man. Male lions are lucky to reach age 15, their time often cut short by brutal conflict, disease, or injuries. The fact that Scar lived free in his wild home to the end is an inspiration to many. He was the head of many Mara prides. Tourists sought him out to view and capture his image.

Nearing the end of his life, Scarface walked 25 kms to rest in a place near where his sojourn on Earth began. Other, younger males, left him alone prehaps sensing Scar was meeting his end. His passing leaves only one surviving member of the "Four Musketeer Coalition" that ruled many prides of the Mara. Scarface became a celebrity, featured in several documentaries, including BBC's Big Cat Diaries. His passing may help raise funding devastated by the pandemic to protect the remaining wild African lions who have gone from a poplation of 100,000 in the 60's to just 20,000 today. He will be missed.

COTW: Are We Winning?

This chart from NYT shows the decline in new cases of COVID-19 has leveled off. This plateau could be due to several factors, among them are the emergence of a new variant called Delta that emerged from India that is more contagious and severe than the original, and a reluctance to become vaccinated by about a third of the population, which corresponds roughly to the number of supporters of the virus denier-in-chief, the stable genius himself. Seasonality may also play a role; this fall may have an upturn in hospitalizations and new cases. Good news: current vaccines seem to work against the variants. Completed trials of Novavax, the newest vaccine, indicate it is as effective as Pfizer and Moderna, if not more so. The US has a surplus of available vaccines, but the developing world, especially Africa, is experience a shortage of medicines. The UN estimates 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate the world effectively against the pandemic. The recent G-7 summit of wealthy countries agreed to provide 1 billion doses.

US COVID-19 DEATHS (est.): 820,000

'Toontime: Facists At the Gates

credit: A. Zyglis, Buffalo News

This week it was revealed that bootlicker Bill Bar allowed his DOJ to spy on Democratic House members as part of the department's probe of news leaks. The agency issued subpoenas to Apple for communication records of twelve Democrats investigating Trump connections to election interference. Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell who are on the House Intelligence Committee were among those targeted by DOJ, whose interest extended to family members and minor children. Barr denies any knowledge of the subpoenas, which were issued under his predecessor, Jeff Sessions. Congressional Democrats are enraged, demanding an investigation and the appearance of the former AG to explain his agency's activities.

Trump tweeted repeatedly that he believed Rep. Schiff was breaking the law by leaking classified material. A former senior FBI official told the media that Barr lied when he testified to then Senator Kamala Harris that he was not pressured to investigate his boss' political enemies. This latest evidence of the politicization of DOJ under Individual One comes as a former government ethics chief warned "'fascists are at the gates", adding that "this Republic is in great danger". Walter Staub, former director of the Office of Government Ethics, blames Joe Biden for complacency by placing a bipartisan infrastructure deal ahead of expanding access to the ballot box and curtailing dark money influence on elections.

credit: R. McKee, Counterpoint.com

Wackydoodle sez: That there is the 800 lbs gorilla!

Wolf Pups Born in Colorado

Wildlife authorities announced that a litter of wolf pups were born in Colorado for the first time since the 1940's. A state biologist spotted wolf residents with three pups. There could be more as litters are usually four to six pups. The good news comes after Colorado residents voted to re-introduce the species to the state by 2023. Wolves still have protection in some states after loosing their federal endangered status under the previous anti-Nature regime. Hunting wolves in Colorado is illegal, but not so in MAGA states like Idaho, which recently passed legislation to slaughter up to a thousand wolves.

Officials confirmed a small pack living in the northwest part of the state last year after a number of sightings in 2019. The pack is believed to have moved from Yellowstone National Park where wolves were reintroduced in 1995. Called “ the ecological engines of the northern hemisphere,” the reintroduced wolves transformed the Park for the better significantly increasing biodiversity in a cascade effect. Ranchers and hunters in Colorado opposed the reintroduction effort but were outvoted; the vote was very close, the proposition winning by 50.4%. The cattle industry in the state is big business contributing $2.8 bn to the state's economy. There is a mechanism for livestock owners to be compensated for confirmed wolf predation.

Wolf reintroduction in Colorado is seen as an important step by conservationists to repopulating the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico. Wolves occupy only a sliver of their historic range, which covered two-thirds of the continental US. About 3,000 now roam the western mountains and about 4,000 live in the upper Great Lakes. A small population of Mexican grey wolves remains federally protected in the southwest. A record twenty-two captive raised Mexican pups were placed in surrogate packs in the wild federal wildlife announced this week. [photo: Yellowstone wolf, credit Alamy]

California Hopes to Save Monarch Butterfly

The state is mobilizing with conservation groups and citizen activists to save the western Monarch butterfly from extinction. Numbers of the recognizable insect are declining rapidly due to loss of habitat. Monarch once flocked in millions to California for the winter hanging in clumps from tree branches. Their population has crashed from 4.5 million in the 80's to just 2,000 counted in November, 2018--a 99% reduction in three decades. The outlook for the species is dim without major intervention by humans.How is California trying to help the Monarch? By planting weeds. No, not that weed, but milkweed. The plant is crucial tor the Monarch's life cycle, for the caterpillar larvae feeds on the native plant for two weeks giving it a bright color and a toxicity which helps protect it from predation. Conservationists are rushing to plant thirty thousand milkweeds. The state is providing $1.3 million to restore 595 acres of Monarch habitat along rivers and streams. Neighborhood gardeners and nurseries are being encouraged to plant milkweed too. Scientists are not sure of the exact cause of the butterfly's population collapse. It could be, like honeybees, they are suffering from a conglomeration of threats. The increasing use of herbicides has wiped out milkweeds. A recent study by the University of Nevada found nine different herbicides on plants from the Central Valley. Climate heating is also suspected to be a factor. Scientist have found Monarch starting their migrations earlier, before milkweed is blooming. Fires and freezes have also taken a toll. The fact that they’re declining so fast is an indicator that a lot of other pollinators are also declining, which again is bad news for US.

The good news is that Monarch are very resilient creatures. The interventions will be studied to determine if they are effective and find other ways to help the butterfly. Insects are often viewed negatively by humans, but Monarchs are a symbol of spring and welcomed sight. Hopefully humans will rally to help the beautiful orange and black flyer. [photo: River Partners]

COTW: Manchin OUT OF BOUNDS

This chart says it all. The monkey wrench in the machine is the crypto-plutocrat from West Virginia. LOOK....

Just what is it that Joe Manchin wants? Why does he insist on enabling bourbons intent on disestablishing democracy? His public justification is nonsensical: 'I won't support expanding access to the ballot because the minority party does not support it'. Is not that what democracy is about--the freedom to make choices? The GOP is disintegrating for very good reason--it is a white supremacist party committed to minority rule of a demographically diverse nation. When is Joe Biden going to have a face to face with the DINO in the room? Is there no end to Manchin's narcissism? Is this the end of democracy? Inquiring minds want to know.

Meanwhile, the Orange Menace waits off stage....

 

India Brings Back Cheetahs

Conservationists in India finally have enough resources and habitat to reintroduce the cheetah after the species was extinguished fifty years ago. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will transport the first eight cats--five males and three females from South Africa to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. There are other potential relocation site in Rajasthan. The Mogul emperor, Jahangir, reported 10,000 cheetahs in the 16th century; one thousand were in captivity in his court. The British exterminated cheetahs through bounty hunting because the cats were entering villages looking for food as their natural prey became scarce. India has been attempting to reintroduce the species since the 1950's.

There are risks associated with re-introduction. Many conservationists are of the opinion that India does not have enough wild habitat to support cheetahs. Often cheetahs are involved in human conflict as they will take livestock. Other big cats like leopards and tigers target them as competitors. Dr. Jhala of the WII says, "they are delicate animals...meant for speed and they avoid conflict." Kuno has a mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem of 282 square miles containing plenty of prey animals, but is unfenced. It is also home to leopards. Skeptics say that cheetahs need habitat ranging in size from 5,000 to 10,000 sq. km. and be mostly free of larger predators, including dogs. One conservationist bluntly observes, "The purpose of a reintroduction has to be to grow a viable population with dozens of cheetahs breeding in the wild. Just dumping some animals in the park will not help. This is a doomed project." Dr. Jhala remains positive about the cheetahs chances of returning to India, "We are looking at importing 40 cheetahs over the next five years." [photo credit: C. Senekal]

Mass Die-off of Florida's Manatees

Environmental degradation over the long term has resulted in the mass dying of manatees (Trichechus manatus) in Florida this year. As of the end of May, 749 manatees have died in 2021. Manatees are considered to be a sentinel of environmental health. Florida is the third most populous state, around 21.4 million, and is still growing. Development impacts are accumulating, causing degradation of water quality, killing fish and the marine mammals that rely on them.  Florida is becoming known for its red tide algae infestation as much as for its white sand beaches.

Conservationists think about a thousand manatees could die this year.  With a population of only 7500 in the wild, only a few years remain for the species survival after staging a remarkable comeback from near extinction in the 1970s.  Their legal protection was downgraded from endangered to threatened in 2017, a decision that has proved controversial since the threats to their survival are growing.  Algae blooms encouraged by pollution prevent sea grasses from growing.  Sea grasses are the manatees' favorite food source; sea grasses that survive the malevolent blooms are then overgrazed by manatees whose sources of food have shrunk, so the plants can't quickly regrow and continue to feed them.  They consume about one hundred pounds of grass a day, giving rise to their common name, "sea cows".  If they cannot consume this amount daily they begin to loose weight, eventually starving.  

Manatees have learned to rely on warm water outflows from power plants on both Florida coasts.  Since they do not have enough blubber to survive in waters below 68℉, periods of severe cold temperatures are fatal.  The last mass mortality event occurred in 2010 when historic cold weather killed 760 manatees. About two-thirds of the state's population flock to warm water outlets in winter.  If Florida transitions to more sustainable energy sources, those havens will disappear, leaving a threatened species more vulnerable.

Manatees swim unharmed in Crystal River, FL

An example of what has gone wrong with manatee recovery is Indian Creek Lagoon, which stretches 150 miles along the east coast.  Once an ecologically rich area, it provides habitat for one third of the state's manatees. Water pollution is responsible for a 58% reduction in sea grasses and some areas are full of microplastics according to the state water district. A 2018 study found crabs and oysters with high levels of plastic contamination.

Dead manatees now float in the lagoon; washed ashore their bones are picked clean by vultures. Manatee deaths are simply a "symptom of a system that is under stress and near collapse," says one marine biologist.  Restoration requires funding.  Local activists have struggled, sometimes successfully as in the case of the Crystal River, to turn the tide in favor of manatee survival. [photo credit: Discover Crystal River]  The heavily Republican state government led by Gov. Ron DeSantis has appealed for more federal funding of water quality projects.  Rotting manatee corpses are hardly consistent with Florida's self-image as a tropical Shangri-la

'Toontime: Democracy or Rule of Privilege?

credit D. Granlund

Update: Joe Manchin has placed himself squarely in the camp of the party of sedition by announcing his refusal to vote for S. 1, the pending voting rights bill. He is the only Democratic senator to not co-sponsor the bill that expands and protects access to the ballot at the same time as state legislature controlled by Repugnants act to restrict voting by minorities and youth. His rhetoric justifying his betrayal of democracy is disingenuous in the extreme, since he claims to be protecting democratic government when in fact he is doing exactly the opposite by aiding the seditionists in their assault on democratic government. Manchine should face conccerted Democratic opposition in his state primary as a result of his ideological incompatibility with his Democratic label. Is Manchin's costly holdout a result of his craving for media attention, or does he suffer from the same mental syndrome as Il Douche? If his intransience is merelty negotiating tactic, then it is counterproductive because his "no" vote empowers the authoritarian resistence. Why Joe Biden, whose agenda depends directly on his cooperation, has yet to confront the rogue from West Virginia is unexplained.

The unavoidable choice, the elite club known as the US Senate has assiduously avoided for years, has finally arrived. Senators must decide between preserving their privilege or preserving democracy in America. The filibuster is a creature of privilege designed to allow an elite minority to veto the popular will, often in the service of white supremacy. The Founders embodied a more deliberative upper chamber by not basing representation on a state's population. But the addition of a parliamentary maneuver to an already biased institution has produced prolonged political gridlock to the detriment of the union. The filibuster rule presently threatens the very existence of democratic government since one faction is ready to employ it to again restrict the voting franchise in its perceived favor.
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Self-aggrandizing holdouts have not justified, and cannot justify, jeopardizing democratic rule by indulging an opposition that harbors sedition. The filibuster is no longer a means of protecting minority representation, but is a means of protecting those who want to deny voting rights the Civil War was fought to enshrine. "Changing behaviors" in an institution where nearly half its members embrace a dangerously delusional demagogue is not a solution.

credit: A. Telnaes, Washington Post

I proclaim myself, King Donald!

Chinese Elephant Walk

Elephants are famous travelers. Left alone they will cover hundreds of miles in their migrations and search for food. As humans occupy more and more of the Earth's surface there is less room for elephants to behave naturally. A small herd of sixteen elephants left their nature reserve in China and began an epic journey to the north. They have become instant celebrities as a growing number of concerned humans monitor their progress. The herd left the Mengyangzi Nature Reserve in southwest Yunnan in March marching north. They paused while a female gave birth to a calf, and resumed walking in April. Two elephants then abandoned the journey. Along the way, they have caused much destruction, eating whole fields of corn and smashing up barns. Now about 300 miles into their journey, they are approaching the large city of Kunming. At one point in their trek, the herd walked down a main street of Eshan village. [photo below] Authorities are scratching their heads in an attempt to keep them away from heavily populated areas. Latest reports say there is an effort to supply the elephants with food. Animal behaviorists think it unlikely they will enter the city proper. [photo: UK Guardian]

Human development has left large mammals stranded on islands of habitat.   Traditional buffer zones between animals and humans have disappeared along with traditional migration routes. Wild habitat in Yunan has shrunk from about two thousand square kilometers to about 500 in recent times. The endangered elephant population has increased to 300 from 170 in 1980. The herd, composed of six female adults, three male adults, three sub-adults, and three calves, would be safer in a nature reserve, but how to convince them to return to their reservation is not immediately apparent. Authorities may be forced to find a suitable habitat at the end of their trek. No casualties have been reported so far. [photo: BBC]

Tiger Killer Arrested

There are more tigers in captivity in the US than there are living in the wild. One of the people responsible for this unnatural reversal was recently arrested in Bangladesh after a twenty year search. The infamous Habib Talukder [photo]--known as Tiger Habib--was finally tracked down on a tip after three previous arrest warrants had been issued for his capture. Bangladesh is home to the Sandurbans mangrove forest, largely inhospitable to man, but the Bengal tiger's last wild redoubt.

Habib was arrested in Madhya Sonatola village adjacent to the forest on Saturday. He is alleged to have killed 70 tigers in the Sandurbans. He started his career as a honey gatherer; he probably realized early on that much more money could be made poaching tigers for thier body parts. Villagers are reported to be both respectful and fearful of the poacher who, "secretly entered the Sandurbans and hunted wild animals, despite being banned from the forest long ago...there are some powerful gangs involved in this," said a police officer with knowledge of his arrest. The Bangladesh tiger census reported 114 tigers in the Sandurbans in 2018. New figures from WWF show a remarkable comeback for the tiger worldwide. In 2010 when tiger range countries pledged to double tiger numbers, there were as few as 3200 wild tigers. In India alone the number of wild tigers is now estimated to be 3,350 individuals, about three-quarters of the world's population. In Russia, the Amur subspecies, the world's largest, has increased by 15% in the past ten years. Loss of habitat and prey species, hunting, and poaching remain very real threats to tigers in the wild say experts.