Along with the Bactrian Camel many other unique species living in our deserts are becoming endangered. the Jeroba, the "Mickey Mouse of the desert" now joins the Bactrian camel on the endangered species list....
"IT WOULD not look out of place in a Disney cartoon or perhaps being chased through the desert by Wile E Coyote if ever the Road Runner needed a stand-in.
With its huge ears, big black eyes and kangaroo-like legs, way out of proportion to its mouse-sized body, it is little wonder that the nocturnal long-eared jerboa has been described as the "Mickey Mouse of the desert".
But the insect-eating rodent's fate is no laughing matter, as conservationists pointed out yesterday: it is one of ten species in grave danger of becoming extinct if nothing is done to help them."
To read the full article:http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=3588837
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
Four New Baby Camels Born
One hump or two? Well, eight actually...
Whipsnade unveils four baby camels
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?sectionid=543&articleid=2884005
One hump or two? It's strictly two apiece for new baby camels who are finding their feet at Whipsnade Zoo.
Four baby camels were born at the zoo in April, and they are now getting to know the rest of the herd.
The two-humped Bactrian camel calves - three females and one male - are called Genghis, Georgia, Gypsy and Ginny.
Whipsnade unveils four baby camels
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?sectionid=543&articleid=2884005
One hump or two? It's strictly two apiece for new baby camels who are finding their feet at Whipsnade Zoo.
Four baby camels were born at the zoo in April, and they are now getting to know the rest of the herd.
The two-humped Bactrian camel calves - three females and one male - are called Genghis, Georgia, Gypsy and Ginny.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Wild camel sponsors needed
SPONSORSHIP: CAPTIVE WILD BACTRIAN CAMELS www.wildcamels.com
From their news letter-
"We now have pictures of the young camel calves on our updated Website. However, to continue to protect the captive wild Bactrian camels and manage the pasture areas and water, we must have our herdsman and his assistants there on site at all times to oversee the camels' welfare. During the winter and spring months it is necessary to buy hay for them. This is expensive to buy and also to transport to the site. Medicines are required for the females and their offspring during the first five years. As the number of camels increase each year, we have additional costs of identifying and fencing new areas for pasture; and the Project Director, Bilgee works continuously with the local communities and schools to ensure they understand our work.
The good news is the success of the Project so far, however this also means more pregnant females. As a result we urgently require at least five more sponsors. "
Also according to the newsletter- The ZSL launched a programme called EDGE in March to support wild mammals which are on the edge of extinction. If you want to visit the website click on www.wildcamels.com and on our website look for links to ZSL/EDGE. Under the EDGE criteria the wild Bactrian camel is listed as the eighth most critically endangered mammal in the world.
From their news letter-
"We now have pictures of the young camel calves on our updated Website. However, to continue to protect the captive wild Bactrian camels and manage the pasture areas and water, we must have our herdsman and his assistants there on site at all times to oversee the camels' welfare. During the winter and spring months it is necessary to buy hay for them. This is expensive to buy and also to transport to the site. Medicines are required for the females and their offspring during the first five years. As the number of camels increase each year, we have additional costs of identifying and fencing new areas for pasture; and the Project Director, Bilgee works continuously with the local communities and schools to ensure they understand our work.
The good news is the success of the Project so far, however this also means more pregnant females. As a result we urgently require at least five more sponsors. "
Also according to the newsletter- The ZSL launched a programme called EDGE in March to support wild mammals which are on the edge of extinction. If you want to visit the website click on www.wildcamels.com and on our website look for links to ZSL/EDGE. Under the EDGE criteria the wild Bactrian camel is listed as the eighth most critically endangered mammal in the world.
Monday, February 05, 2007
U.K. Scientists bring awareness to the need for preservation of Bactrian Camels and other endangered species
As forests are diminished and global warming increases it seems that more and more of our world’s creatures our disappearing and nearing extinction. A team of British scientists seem to want to put a stop to this as they launch a new conservation project to help protect and create awareness for some of these disappearing animals. Near the top of the list of better known critically endangered animals that needs protection is the Bactrian Camel. With fewer than 1,000 left in the wild there is a dire need to raise awareness to the protection of the few that are left to ensure their future survival…
for more info on wild Bactrian camels visit www.wildcamels.com and also check out our book
Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop and his quest to save the wild camels http://www.wildheartranch.com/ourBrands/ob_desertOfLop.htm
World: U.K. Scientists Work To Save 'Lesser-Known' Mammals
By Antoine Blua
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/01/98806241-0842-4BDF-A39C-C2AD6454EC76.html
January 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- British scientists have launched an ambitious conservation project that focuses on some of the world's rarest and most extraordinary mammals. The plan includes some animals traditionally overlooked by scientists, and will allow the public to track and donate to individual projects via a new website. Iran and Central Asia provide habitats for several species on the list.
The Zoological Society of London has compiled the list. It comprises 100 of what it calls Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. These mammals were selected because of the degree of danger that they face, and because they have few relatives left alive in the wild -- making them some of the world's most genetically unique mammals. Ben Collen, a member of the EDGE team, says this makes their preservation particularly urgent. "These species are unique and irreplaceable," Collen told RFE/RL. "So if they become extinct, there will be nothing else like them on the planet. A lot of these species have very unique, very individual traits which add a lot to biodiversity and ecosystem function." Some Better-Known... The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), for instance, differs from all other mammals in the shape of its blood cells, which are oval instead of circular. There are fewer than 1,000 individuals surviving in the wilds of northwest China and Mongolia -- even. (There are more than 2 million "domesticated" Bactrian camels in Central Asia, but conservationists are careful to distinguish between wild animals in their natural habitat and domesticated animals.) The onager (Equus onager) is remarkably well adapted to semi-desert regions -- which are hot during the day and cool at night, with little rainfall. It's also the swiftest of all the equids family -- which includes horses, zebras, etc. -- and has been recorded running at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. There are an estimated 570 onagers in two protected areas of Iran. Some of the species on the list are better known, such as China's giant panda. ...And Lesser-Known Creatures But many have so far been overlooked -- either because they are in poorly explored regions, they are among species in which scientists have shown little interest, or their habits make them difficult to study. Such species include two other animals living in Iran: Setzer's mouse-tailed dormice (Myomimus setzeri) and the Iranian jerboa (Allactaga firouzi). The jerboa resembles a mouse, with long hind legs that allow it to jump up to three meters in a single bound. It is known from only a single, small population living on a mountain steppe in southern Iran. The desert dormouse (Selevinia betpakdalaensis) occurs to the west and north of Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan. Unlike other dormice, it sheds the upper layers of its skin when it moults. The head of the Mammals Laboratory at the Kazakh Zoological Research Institute, Amanqul Bikenov, tells RFE/RL that little is known about the desert dormouse. "In the last 50 years, scientists have been able to catch [just] 40 of them," Bikenov says. "The particularities of this animal [are that] it lives in hiding [and] it is a nocturnal animal. Its biology hasn't been researched yet. For science, this animal is very important; researchers around the world are interested in it."Many of the species are the only representatives of groups that have otherwise died out. The saiga antelope -- known for its bulging eyes and a bulbous, tubular nose to filter out dust and warm [or] cold air before it reaches the animal's windpipe -- is the only surviving representative of its genus. Eleanor Milner-Gulland, a leading expert of the species, has argued for efforts to inform locals on the cultural and economic benefits of saigas. "They have this great cultural interest. They're a nomadic species [and] they are a symbol of the steppes," Milner-Gulland says. "There's that kind of link between people's heritage and this piece of wildlife. And then, on the...more practical side, the saiga was until 10 years ago a really valuable and productive part of the ecosystem. It produced meat, horn, [and] skins. If the population was large enough, that could start again. There could also be potential for tourism [and] trophy hunting. So the saiga could pay its way if it were allowed to recover as a component of a sustainable steppe that could go on to the future." The saiga inhabits open dry steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts in Russia's Republic of Kalmykia, as well as Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Some herds migrate to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Over the last decade, its numbers have plummeted from more than 1 million to around 30,000. Sense Of Urgency EDGE team member Collen says the Persian mole (Talpa streeti) -- an animal that runs backward almost as freely as forward -- may already be gone, like some others on the list. "This is a species that is known from one individual, found in northwest Iran. We urgently need to survey this area to find out whether they still exist." All the EDGE species are threatened either by hunting or habitat destruction due to human activity. In close collaboration with local scientists and biodiversity groups, members of the EDGE team will propose conservation plans for each species on the list. Their goal is to have conservation strategies in place for all 100 species within five years. Organizers are also reaching out to the public for help. Donors are invited to sponsor a species, and track its conservation progress through blogs and discussion groups on the project's website.
for more info on wild Bactrian camels visit www.wildcamels.com and also check out our book
Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop and his quest to save the wild camels http://www.wildheartranch.com/ourBrands/ob_desertOfLop.htm
World: U.K. Scientists Work To Save 'Lesser-Known' Mammals
By Antoine Blua
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/01/98806241-0842-4BDF-A39C-C2AD6454EC76.html
January 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- British scientists have launched an ambitious conservation project that focuses on some of the world's rarest and most extraordinary mammals. The plan includes some animals traditionally overlooked by scientists, and will allow the public to track and donate to individual projects via a new website. Iran and Central Asia provide habitats for several species on the list.
The Zoological Society of London has compiled the list. It comprises 100 of what it calls Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. These mammals were selected because of the degree of danger that they face, and because they have few relatives left alive in the wild -- making them some of the world's most genetically unique mammals. Ben Collen, a member of the EDGE team, says this makes their preservation particularly urgent. "These species are unique and irreplaceable," Collen told RFE/RL. "So if they become extinct, there will be nothing else like them on the planet. A lot of these species have very unique, very individual traits which add a lot to biodiversity and ecosystem function." Some Better-Known... The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), for instance, differs from all other mammals in the shape of its blood cells, which are oval instead of circular. There are fewer than 1,000 individuals surviving in the wilds of northwest China and Mongolia -- even. (There are more than 2 million "domesticated" Bactrian camels in Central Asia, but conservationists are careful to distinguish between wild animals in their natural habitat and domesticated animals.) The onager (Equus onager) is remarkably well adapted to semi-desert regions -- which are hot during the day and cool at night, with little rainfall. It's also the swiftest of all the equids family -- which includes horses, zebras, etc. -- and has been recorded running at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. There are an estimated 570 onagers in two protected areas of Iran. Some of the species on the list are better known, such as China's giant panda. ...And Lesser-Known Creatures But many have so far been overlooked -- either because they are in poorly explored regions, they are among species in which scientists have shown little interest, or their habits make them difficult to study. Such species include two other animals living in Iran: Setzer's mouse-tailed dormice (Myomimus setzeri) and the Iranian jerboa (Allactaga firouzi). The jerboa resembles a mouse, with long hind legs that allow it to jump up to three meters in a single bound. It is known from only a single, small population living on a mountain steppe in southern Iran. The desert dormouse (Selevinia betpakdalaensis) occurs to the west and north of Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan. Unlike other dormice, it sheds the upper layers of its skin when it moults. The head of the Mammals Laboratory at the Kazakh Zoological Research Institute, Amanqul Bikenov, tells RFE/RL that little is known about the desert dormouse. "In the last 50 years, scientists have been able to catch [just] 40 of them," Bikenov says. "The particularities of this animal [are that] it lives in hiding [and] it is a nocturnal animal. Its biology hasn't been researched yet. For science, this animal is very important; researchers around the world are interested in it."Many of the species are the only representatives of groups that have otherwise died out. The saiga antelope -- known for its bulging eyes and a bulbous, tubular nose to filter out dust and warm [or] cold air before it reaches the animal's windpipe -- is the only surviving representative of its genus. Eleanor Milner-Gulland, a leading expert of the species, has argued for efforts to inform locals on the cultural and economic benefits of saigas. "They have this great cultural interest. They're a nomadic species [and] they are a symbol of the steppes," Milner-Gulland says. "There's that kind of link between people's heritage and this piece of wildlife. And then, on the...more practical side, the saiga was until 10 years ago a really valuable and productive part of the ecosystem. It produced meat, horn, [and] skins. If the population was large enough, that could start again. There could also be potential for tourism [and] trophy hunting. So the saiga could pay its way if it were allowed to recover as a component of a sustainable steppe that could go on to the future." The saiga inhabits open dry steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts in Russia's Republic of Kalmykia, as well as Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Some herds migrate to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Over the last decade, its numbers have plummeted from more than 1 million to around 30,000. Sense Of Urgency EDGE team member Collen says the Persian mole (Talpa streeti) -- an animal that runs backward almost as freely as forward -- may already be gone, like some others on the list. "This is a species that is known from one individual, found in northwest Iran. We urgently need to survey this area to find out whether they still exist." All the EDGE species are threatened either by hunting or habitat destruction due to human activity. In close collaboration with local scientists and biodiversity groups, members of the EDGE team will propose conservation plans for each species on the list. Their goal is to have conservation strategies in place for all 100 species within five years. Organizers are also reaching out to the public for help. Donors are invited to sponsor a species, and track its conservation progress through blogs and discussion groups on the project's website.
Monday, January 08, 2007
wild camel protection - mining threat
as reported - in Shanghai Daily
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=302169&type=National
Endangered camels under threat as miners encroach
2007-1-9
MINING, prospecting and road building in a nature reserve in northwest China are sharply shrinking the habitat of wild camels.
The camels could vanish from the region if they are not better protected, according to experts from the area.
A 10-day scientific survey found that the domain of the two-humped Bactrian camels has shrunk to a "very small" mountainous area in the Lop Nur State Wild Camel Nature Reserve, southeast of Turpan, in eastern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"If the remaining habitat is not protected, the wild Bactrian camels may disappear in Xinjiang," said Yuan Lei, one of the seven-member team that conducted the survey last month.
Researchers saw only four wild Bactrian camels, three adults and a young one, said Yuan, who is also a senior engineer with the nature reserve.
Yuan blames mining and resource prospecting within the reserve for scaring the camels away and harming their habitat.
Iron, copper, zinc and lead mines have opened in the past couple of years in the nature reserve, and Yuan said he doesn't have enough power to stop them.
"The problem is how to coordinate resource development with environmental protection," said Yuan. "The reserve doesn't have a police force, so it's difficult to stop illegal mining and prospecting."
During the recent survey, Yuan handed out literature to miners and prospectors hoping to raise their awareness of how to protect the environment.
Yuan says most of the mining is taking place around the perimeter of the reserve, but some mines have opened in key protected areas. A 60-kilometer road has also been built in the reserve.
Yuan believes the camels have been pushed to the southwest of the 780,000-square-kilometer reserve.
The wild Bactrian camels live in both northwest China and Mongolia, where their numbers are estimated at 800.
Previous estimates in the Lop Nur Nature Reserve put their numbers at 400, but Yuan isn't sure if that many remain there now.
The wild camel has been labeled "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
They are also on China's list of most protected wild animals.
more info
www.wildcamels.com
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=302169&type=National
Endangered camels under threat as miners encroach
2007-1-9
MINING, prospecting and road building in a nature reserve in northwest China are sharply shrinking the habitat of wild camels.
The camels could vanish from the region if they are not better protected, according to experts from the area.
A 10-day scientific survey found that the domain of the two-humped Bactrian camels has shrunk to a "very small" mountainous area in the Lop Nur State Wild Camel Nature Reserve, southeast of Turpan, in eastern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"If the remaining habitat is not protected, the wild Bactrian camels may disappear in Xinjiang," said Yuan Lei, one of the seven-member team that conducted the survey last month.
Researchers saw only four wild Bactrian camels, three adults and a young one, said Yuan, who is also a senior engineer with the nature reserve.
Yuan blames mining and resource prospecting within the reserve for scaring the camels away and harming their habitat.
Iron, copper, zinc and lead mines have opened in the past couple of years in the nature reserve, and Yuan said he doesn't have enough power to stop them.
"The problem is how to coordinate resource development with environmental protection," said Yuan. "The reserve doesn't have a police force, so it's difficult to stop illegal mining and prospecting."
During the recent survey, Yuan handed out literature to miners and prospectors hoping to raise their awareness of how to protect the environment.
Yuan says most of the mining is taking place around the perimeter of the reserve, but some mines have opened in key protected areas. A 60-kilometer road has also been built in the reserve.
Yuan believes the camels have been pushed to the southwest of the 780,000-square-kilometer reserve.
The wild Bactrian camels live in both northwest China and Mongolia, where their numbers are estimated at 800.
Previous estimates in the Lop Nur Nature Reserve put their numbers at 400, but Yuan isn't sure if that many remain there now.
The wild camel has been labeled "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
They are also on China's list of most protected wild animals.
more info
www.wildcamels.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
