[26.10] :: WORLD'S 25 MOST ENDANGERED PRIMATES NAMED
SSC and IPS, in collaboration with Conservation International (CI) release 2007 report. Read More
[20.10] :: TWYCROSS ZOO FOUNDER DIES Molly Badham was a surrogate mum, with a big difference for over 40yrs. Read More
[06.10] :: WORLD MOVES INTO ECOLOGICAL RED We have reached the point at which human consumption exceeds the ability that the earth can sustain. Read More
[05.10] :: AMAZON RAINFOREST AT RISK
Development plan to link South America’s economies. Read More
[02.10] :: PRIMATE LESSONS, CALCUTTA
Forest officials training at Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat on conservation of the hoolock gibbon. Read More
[01.10] :: AL GORE
Climate Change Policy should decide Australian Election. Read More.
[30.09] :: EU TAXPAYERS
Contributing to the slaughter of wildlife and the Bushmeat Trade. Read More .
Greenpeace International has teamed up with 350.org, 10:10 and other worthwhile organisations to host a Global Work Party on 10/10/10. It’s an international initiative, and already has many events organised in every continent. The thrust of the day is basically to bring individuals within a community together for “the biggest single day of action against climate change the world has ever seen.” Anyone can organise an event in any area, all you have to do is advertise it on the Greenpeace website and get planning! Current activities range from; swap shops, a vegan banquet, unplugged gigs, fitting solar panels, workshops, and film screenings. There’s sure to be something near you, but if not, why not try your hand at planning your own? It doesn’t have to be a big event, or raise money, just awareness. Sunday October 10th 2010 is going to be a fantastic opportunity to for everyone who thinks we should be doing something about climate change to have fun whilst getting involved in the cause, and maybe even learning something new!
I look forward to seeing some of you locals at events in London. And whatever you do, enjoy yourself!
A Baboon that was rescued from awful conditions in a Bolvian Circus has been shipped over to the UK to live out its old age in a Berkshire monkey sanctuary. The Bolivian government handed over Tilin, an 18-year-old Hamadryas baboon, after a campaign by Animal Defenders International (ADI). The Bolivian Government banned the use of domestic and wild animals in circuses in April, so cases are still frequently being found across the country, although this is a good sign that the law is being successfully enforced. Up until he was rescued, Tilin lived a solitary life chained up most of the time, and performing for crowds for the rest. No life for a beautiful wild animal. Hopefully he will be able to regain something close to normality with other primate species around him in a comfortable environment.
I came across a discussion thread on the Australian Orangutan Project‘s Facebook group set up by the general public for the general public. It is basically a great pool of knowledge from people who are trying to shop more consciously when it comes to Palm Oil. It contains; lists of products that are Palm Oil free, websites that sell products that are Palm Oil free/use sustainable Palm Oil, correspondance with big companies about their use of unsustainable Palm Oil, and Palm-Oil-shopping tips! I love it as although you have to trawl though the posts, there’s loads of stuff I didn’t know on there that can help me do my bit. So what are you waiting for….. do your bit too!
After it became popular knowledge that Palm Oil production was linked to massive deforestation, people were calling for the companies to find greener ways to produce the Palm Oil – and prove it. Therefore the Malaysian companies hired auditors to certify that they were not felling protected rainforest, and keeping their supply chain clean. However, it seems all-important European consumers have forgone the extra cost this has accumulated in associated products in favour of not-so-“green” cheaper price tags. The recession has been blamed for this, however the Palm Oil companies feel they have been persuaded to spend what seems to them to be unnecessary money by their western market, only to hit a brick wall when trying to sell to the very same consumers! The Chief Executive of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council said “We have been led down the path of false hope in selling environmentally-certified palm oil and now the buyers are not keen on paying for the premium”. This could be a massive dent in the global fight to wipe out illegal deforestation by Palm Oil companies, as if they have no financial incentive to change their ways, there may be no persuading them from now on.
2010 marks a very special year for the Jane Goodall Institute and its founder. Fifty years ago, Jane first set foot on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, in what is now Tanzania’s Gombe National Park, and began the research that would inspire thousands of primatologists and conservationists, even to this day. Her story is an amazing one, starting with her saving her earnings as a waitress to make the trip abroad. She arrived with only a notebook, a pair of binoculars, a self-taught knowledge of the natural world, and an amazing enthusiasm for the world’s creatures. It is incredible to look at the wealth of achievement that has come from this, and I believe Jane’s is the perfect story to illustrate that anything can be achieved if you are passionate and dedicated enough. Becoming involved in animal research, especially for the conservation of endangered species, should not be viewed as an opportunity only for those lucky enough to hold a doctorate or similar. It is a cause that should embrace all that love and believe in it. Everyone can contribute, on whatever level, all you need is a bit of determination!
Congratulations to Jane and everyone who has been involved in her amazing projects over the years. You have inspired me and many, many others.
The BBC website has a 2 minute 45 second clip of one of the smallest primates in the world in its Earth News section. The Spectral Tarsier is notoriously difficult to catch on film, as not only is it only 13cm tall, it is also nocturnal. Its eyes do not reflect light like other nocturnal animals, so they are very difficult to see in the dark. However, David Attenborough’s team managed it whilst filming for their Life series, and throughout the short clip, you are able to see many of the wonderfully perfect adaptations natural selection has provided these creatures with; their paper-thin, bat-like mobile ears for catching noise of a potential prey, their huge eyes for catching every ray of moonlight, their ability to pounce on quick-moving prey from 5 metres away, and their sucker-pad fingers to aid precision landings. Not only is this clip a credit to the Life team, it is also a delightful demonstration of the elegance and fantastic attention to detail in the natural world, which has created the marvellous adaptation and diversity we see before us today.
Whilst browsing Primate awareness charities the other day, pondering inventive fundraising ideas, I came across the GAFI Initiative. It caught my eye due to the fact it was promoting conservation through the medium of film, which I found beautifully simple in itself. However after reading further, I found they actually run film courses for people of any ability or experience to learn the basics that would enable them to make their own nature or conservation film. I love the potential ripple effect this could have – teaching budding conservationists/filmakers the skills they need to produce what their creative minds crave, all for a common cause. Not only this,but GAFI work in collaboration with GRASP and Filmakers for Conservation to screen their films to the communities that live in and around areas of conservation or endangered species. Providing education to these people is paramount in the ongoing progress of conservation projects, and GAFI is doing an excellent job of using simple modern media to do this.
The World Environment Center’s (WEC) Twenty-Fourth Annual Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development has been awarded to Marks & Spencer for linking sustainability extensively with its supply chain, operations, and customers. Marks & Spencer’s signature contribution, known as “Plan A”, was cited by the independent international Gold Medal Jury as an extraordinary and successful model of sustainability practice. Plan A is a magnificent commitment from such a large UK retailer.
Following the success of their 2005, “Look behind the label” campaign, leading UK retailer, Marks and Spencer launched a £200m ethical campaign in 2006, entitled Plan A. The 100-point, five year sustainable development program, covers all aspects of Marks & Spencer’s business. Through it, the UK retailer aims to become carbon neutral and send no waste to landfill from its own operations; extend sustainable sourcing; set new standards in ethical trading and help its customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle. Continue reading →
The UN Climate Change Conference in Bali was concluded this week on a high after the long awaited submission of the United States to the agreement that will form the basis of the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. The United States was proving the biggest hurdle in reaching a common agreement among the 10,000 participants to this conference, which was called to identify and form targets for a global warming pact.
The US was blocking progress by refusing to agree to the ‘Bali Roadmap’, which effectively is an agreement containing schedules on emission cuts and transfer of clean technology to poor and developing countries. The US submission came after a very public statement from ex-vice president Al Gore blaming the US for blocking progress in Bali for their own economic gain.
The intense conference lasted 11 hours and caused emotions to run high at some points, but we have walked away with an agreement which applies to all 190 nations involved, and has paved the way for a new schedule after the Kyoto Protocol runs out in 2013 – including emissions reductions from developing countries, and fair and equal contributions from developed countries. The things that are missing, however, are points on deforestation, and actual targets agreed for emissions cut. At the moment the agreement is non-binding, and it is thought the real battle will come in 2009 when agreements for official numbers and targets are to be set. I think it is then that we shall see just how sincere the US are about this issue, or whether it was lipservice brought about by fear of losing face under mass peer objection. After all, the US never does like to admit it’s wrong…..
As we all know, illegal logging is one of the major factors contributing towards species loss, decreasing biodiversity, habitat destruction and increased greenhouse gases. However, there are no laws or regulations in any country that stops the wood produced from this corrupt exploitative trade from being imported and used by any and all companies.
Finally, American Senator Ron Wyden has recognised the need for government to become involved in this issue and made a long overdue stand by introducing the 2007 ‘Combat Illegal Logging Act’ – or S.1930. It will make it illegal in America to knowingly import, sell, buy or transport illegally-sourced wood and wood products.
This is a massive step forward for an issue like this to be brought to the forefront of politics, especially by a world superpower, and especially by the country that is responsible for 25.2% of the world’s greenhouse emissions. the only problem is, this bill has to be voted in not only by Senate, but by the President aswell, and with George W. Bush’s long standing stubbornness to blatantly, not even skillfully, ignore climate change and global warming, we may be in for the long ride with this one.
Think outside the box this Christmas, with a gift that could brighten up a stocking and save an endangered species! WWF are offering adoption packages for a range of animals, such as Snow Leopards, Pandas, Elephants and Polar Bears.
Not only are these gifts simply adorable, but the money used to buy them will go towards conservation projects to help save them from threats such as climate change, habitat destruction and poaching. The recipient will learn a little from the information provided with the adoption certificate, and you have the option to include a token soft toy to personalise it. Educational and cute!
Ever since I decided to enrol on the Animal Behaviour and Welfare MSc at QUB, I have had my heart set on going abroad to study Primates in the field for my thesis research. I have been lucky enough to be offered a place at the University research centre in Loskop Dam Nature Reserve in South Africa by Peter Henzi, currently working on the De Hoop Baboon Project.
I will be researching vigilance and social dominance in Vervet Monkeys, and cannot wait to see these beautiful creatures behaving naturally in the wild. I will be spending two months over there, however must the fund the trip myself. Therefore, if anyone knows of any funding avenues, I would be very grateful if you could contact me julesq82@googlemail.com. Many thanks all, I will be supplying regular updates on my progress including pictures, so stay online!
Prime Concern would like to thank Graphic Designer Peter Fong for his design for the Prime Concern blog header.
Fong, 25 graduated from Bowling Green State University and is now working as a designer at an advertising agency in downtown Cleveland. His animal and primate illustrations are just wonderful. Thanks Peter.
New research has suggested that a rare mammal called a colugo is the closest genetic relative of all primates, including humans. Over the past decade, several candidates for the closest mammalian relative to primates have been suggested, including the small tree shrews of Asia and the colugos – sometimes called flying lemurs.
By using new molecular and genomic data, gathered by a team from Penn State University, it has been shown that the colugos are the closest surviving relative of all primates.”
The first-ever law in Africa guarding against the discrimination, exploitation and violence endured by indigenous peoples could be passed in the Republic of Congo by the end of 2007.
The Rainforest Foundation need our help now to safeguard the basic human rights of indigenous peoples who play a crucial role in protecting Congo’s rainforests. Please sign the Rainforest petition urging Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso to support this vital legislation affecting the lives of tens of thousands of indigenous peoples.
Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, said: “You could fit all the surviving members of these 25 species in a single football stadium. That’s how few of them remain on Earth today.”
The report warns that failure to respond to the mounting threats now exacerbated by climate change will bring the first primate extinctions in more than a century. Overall, 114 of the world’s 394 primate species are classified as threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List.
The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates, and the countries where they are found:
1. Greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus), Madagascar
2. White-collared lemur (Eulemur albocollaris), Madagascar
3. Sahamalaza Peninsula sportive lemur (Lepilemur sahamalazensis), Madagascar
4. Silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus), Madagascar
5. Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli), Nigeria, Cameroon Continue reading →
The remaining wild elephants, tigers and bears in Myanmar’s forests are being hunted down slowly and sold to China. Nestled in hills in a rebel-controlled enclave on the Chinese border, the “Las Vegas in the jungle” casino town is clearly branching out from narcotics and prostitution into the illegal wildlife business. Besides row upon row of fruit, vegetables and cheap plastic sandals, the market offers a grisly array of animal parts, as well as many live specimens, to the hundreds of Chinese tourists who flock across the border each day. Continue reading →
Carbon Dioxide emissions are 35% higher in 2006 than 1990 – a much higher growth rate than previously anticipated by the Climate Change Panel. 3 factors were cited as mostly responsible for this unprecedented rise; global economic growth, the global economy becoming more carbon intense, and a decline in the ocean and land’s ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. “Weakening lands and ocean sinks are contributing to the accelerating growth of atmospheric CO2” said co-author Chris Field. Continue reading →
Traveling from Ecuador to Africa, Jane Goodall takes the audience on an ecological journey, discussing highlights and low points of her experiences in the jungle.
She shows how progress is helping research (DNA analysis) and hurting the environment (clear-cutting). And she draws a dozen parallels between primate and human behaviour, making the point that we really aren’t all that different. Our big advantage, she says, is the ability to communicate with sophisticated spoken language – yet, sadly, we are abusing this power and destroying the planet. She urges the TED audience to behave differently, and use their higher powers to correct the planet’s course.
Dutch ecologist Willie Smits says he will never forget the day in October 1989 when he saw the desperately sad eyes of an orangutan baby looking at him from a dark cage on a market in the Indonesian seaport of Balikpapan.
Smits was so disturbed that he returned to the market that same evening, just in time to find the limp body of the orangutan lying on a rubbish heap where the trader had dumped it. It was the start of a lifelong mission to save one of the world’s last surviving great apes from extinction and to preserve its rainforest habitat that is rapidly being destroyed in Borneo.
“Time is running out. We have less than two years to save the last 40,000 wild orangutans from extinction,” Smits said during an interview in the German port city of Hamburg, pointing that there were once more than three million of the apes.
The State University of New York and East Stroudsburg University are running Primate Behaviour and Conservation Field Courses in their research centre in North-East Costa Rica. The course is aimed at undergraduates or early level graduates who have little or no experience in the field, and 3 separate courses are being run over Winter and Summer.
The field station is set over 1000 hectares of lush rainforest, and the wildlife you will see and study includes white-faced capuchins, mantled howling monkeys, black-handed spider monkeys, tapir, jaguar, collared peccary, keel-billed toucans, great green macaws, brown caimans just to name a few. During your time there you will learn field techniques that can be used in tropical research in areas of ecology, behaviour and conservation.
To find out more about this amazing opportunity, please contact Kimberely Dingess on kdingess@danta.info, or read more at Primate-Jobs.
A new scheme has been put into place in Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesia, to help curb the massive illegal logging problem. The park covers 416,000 hectares and is home to 4000 Orangutans, 30 other mammal species, 260 bird species and 17 different reptiles.
A new network of guard posts has been set up to enable anyone heading up the river or into any of these watched areas to be stopped, checked ad turned away if they have no permission to be there. “These new guard post will protect a large area of the park that could otherwise be exposed to illegal activities,” said Ashley Leiman (OBE), director of the Orangutan Foundation. They are also cheap to run by western standards. Four guard posts funded by the Orangutan Foundation cost £800 per month and provide 11 local jobs. Continue reading →
Experts at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, have called on us all to recognise the plight of the rare and diminishing species, the Orangutan. In a conference held on Thursday, Cheryl Knott, a leading Orangutan expert on a project at Harvard University, explained how something as simple as buying the right brands can truly make a big difference.
The main threat to the Orangutan species is the loss of habitat in their only native countries of Burma and Sumatra, Indonesia. A report earlier this year from the United Nations’ Environment Programme [UNEP] said Indonesia’s forest habitat for orangutans may be gone by 2022 without intervention. Boycotting retail products that source Palm Oil from an unsustainable source, can cut down on the massive rainforest loss.
RETAIL RESPONSIBLY
Read the labels of your grocery and toiletry shopping, choose brands that either do not use Palm Oil at all, or use a sustainable source.
Do not buy any wood materials from an uncertified tropical hardwood – it will have come from an illegal logging site. Anything from toothpicks to furniture…..
Next time you pass a charity box at a zoo or otherwise aimed at underfunded conservation efforts – drop £1 in. If we all made a small contribution the difference would be huge.
Not only are the trees destroyed, but the mothers killed and the babies taken away to be sold as illegal pets, forcing them into a new life of captivity and misery. Please do a little something to help – a little change for you could make a massive change for them.
Pittsburgh Zoo has started a new program called One Degree of Change, which is aimed at the local people of Pittsburgh or any community – to give them hints and tips on how they can help climate change in their every day lives.
Dr Peter Fashing is the founder of this initiative, following a trip to Ethiopia, where he saw the devastating effect of global warming on the native populations of Gelada Baboons. The program is run through workshops at the Zoo and a website, which gives excellent, easy tips for every household.
Walk, ride a bike or take public transport
Change the light bulbs in your home to energy efficient
The Zoological Society of London [ZSL] is celebrating the birth of a new baby black-tailed marmoset – the very first of it’s kind in a Zoo! Only a few weeks old, the Marmoset only measures 12cm long. The keepers have kept well away to prevent upsetting the parents, so are yet to find out whether it is male or female.
Native to South America, Marmosets feed on insects and plants, and have characteristic curved claws which allow them to swing easily from tree to tree in the wild. If you wish to see this little bundle of joy, please wander on down to the New World Monkey enclosures at London Zoo.
The World Wildlife Federation is offering the trip of a lifetime through the Amazon Rainforest between 7th-16th March 2008. You will sail down the river through the rainforest, on your way encountering many beautiful and rare species such as dolphins, monkeys, macaws, butterflies and frogs. There is no work involved, and it is simply a chance for you to be guided through the unexplored Amazon and watch the wildlife bustling around you in its natural and diverse environment.
The whole trip costs $3698, or £1805, and all travel, accommodation and activities are planned out for you, allowing you to relax and enjoy the view! Its a great holiday, with a BIG difference.
International Animal Rescue [IAR] have released a new factsheet, concerning the number of exotic animals captured and exported in the illegal pet trade.
The trade in wild animals as pets causes suffering to millions of animals, disrupts ecosystems and drives species to extinction. The trade also provides a route for disease transmission, which poses a risk to human and animal health. Continue reading →
The World Wildlife Federation ad campaigns consistently utilize their existing surroundings very well. Here we have a paper dispenser with South America cut out, and green foil to tint your view… “clearly conveying that with every piece of paper you take, you’re taking away from the greenness of south america. How multisensory and engaging beyond a simple sticker/poster. By Saatchi & Saatchi, Copenhagen, Denmark.”
The Sustainable Furniture Council is a non-profit industry association founded at High Point, NC in October 2006 to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike.
The SFC recognizes the overwhelming scientific consensus that our world is experiencing dangerous global climate change. SFC members acknowledge the tremendous urgency, and will take immediate steps to minimize carbon emissions, waste stream pollutants, un-recyclable content and primary materials from unsustainable sources from any product platform under our control. Continue reading →
Reptiles are up, wild birds are down, chickens are getting better but monkeys aren’t moving, according to a ground-breaking report from the RSPCA published Monday.
The charity’s second annual statistical look at animal welfare in the UK, taking in wildlife to farming, research animals to pets, highlights several stories including: Continue reading →
Greenpeace International has teamed up with 350.org, 10:10 and other worthwhile organisations to host a Global Work Party on 10/10/10. It’s an international initiative, and already has many events organised in every continent. The thrust of the day is basically to bring individuals within a community together for “the biggest single day of action against climate change the world has ever seen.” Anyone can organise an event in any area, all you have to do is advertise it on the Greenpeace website and get planning! Current activities range from; swap shops, a vegan banquet, unplugged gigs, fitting solar panels, workshops, and film screenings. There’s sure to be something near you, but if not, why not try your hand at planning your own? It doesn’t have to be a big event, or raise money, just awareness. Sunday October 10th 2010 is going to be a fantastic opportunity to for everyone who thinks we should be doing something about climate change to have fun whilst getting involved in the cause, and maybe even learning something new!
I came across a 
PrimeConcern 