The world’s last male northern white rhino has died, the Kenyan conservancy taking care of it said, leaving only two females of its subspecies alive in the world, although scientists still hope to save it from extinction by in vitro fertilization.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy said it had made the decision with wildlife officials to put down the 45-year-old rhino, named Sudan on Monday, because of a rapid deterioration in his condition.
Sudan was being treated for age-related complications that had affected his muscles and bones and also gave him extensive skin wounds.
Anonymous asked:
i don't really understand why you would be pro-zoo. like i understand nature reserves and sanctuaries where people can observe from afar, but it doesn't seem right to me when they're locked up in generally small confined areas for people to watch them do nothing all day. idk maybe i'm getting this wrong, and i still really respect you, i just don't understand this. like i interned at a zoo and felt uncomfortable with how small their living areas were and how they had no stimulation
bigcatawareness answered:
Zoos don’t look like this anymore.
They look like this:
Good zoos do not keep their animals in “tiny spaces” with no enrichment. I’m not pro-roadside zoo. I’m pro-accredited zoo. Zoos are incredibly important for conservation and education.
There should be way more pictures of modern zoos so i just add some more
Seriously zoos do so much important conservation work as well I hate when people shit all over zoos as if the animals are locked up and not looked after
The SF Zoo has two sea lions. Now, if you know SF, you know that sea lions are a Thing. They’re all over Pier 39 and various other beaches in N California. In fact, the zoo is near the ocean, so there are sea lions not 200 yards from the zoo entrance. So having sea lions in the zoo seems sort of superfluous.
Except the sea lions are blind. One was found as an adult after suffering a gun shot wound to the face that destroyed his eyes. The other was found as an adolescent, weak and starving because it had been blinded and unable to hunt. So they were rescued and introduced and the zoo built them a nice pool where they can swim and sunbathe and people toss them fish. It’s not the biggest exhibit, or the fanciest. But it’s a home for them, where they’re safe and well fed. Sea lions aren’t the most romantic of animals, but they’re a part of SF culture and a lot of us have a soft spot for the loud, bulbous things. And because of zoos, these two get to live long, happy lives.
Whenever anyone complains about zoos, I think about Silent Knight and Henry.
I think it’s St. Louis zoo that is saving big cats in Africa. Scientists couldn’t figure out what was killing off the local lion population. They were dying off from Canine Distemper. The local unvaccinated dogs of the towns would spread the disease to other animals or have it themselves. When the lions ate the infected animals they would catch it as well. You know what that Zoo is doing to stop this disease? They are going over to those towns and vaccinating the dogs for free. The community loves it and people from other villages comes for miles to get their dogs vaccinated as well.
They also do work with camel populations because the local human population use the camels for food sources the zoos help monitor the camels health.
Another zoo, I want to say it’s the Oregon zoo but don’t quote me on that, is helping female inmates. The zoo works with the female prisons by encouraging the inmates to assist in the breeding and raising of endangered species of butterflies. They plant the specific plants that the butterflies and catapillars need, raise them, and release them. These inmates get noted in any scientific journals that get published. They are giving these inmates a sense of accomplishment and validation.
Zoos not only save species but bring together and assist communities in an effort to save the environment. Zoos, good zoos, are essential to the future and I will fight anyone who tries to say otherwise.
PS you don’t see PETA doing any of this.
One of the local zoos in my area at one point rescued a bald eagle that had been shot and kept it in the zoo to let it recuperate until they freed it again. Some of the zoos in my state will keep injured animals there until they heal again.
Helsinki Zoo is the world leader in snow leopard and Amur leopard conservation, in their care these endangered species have managed to breed more than anywhere else in captivity and this in turn has enabled the re-introduction of these animals back to their native habitats. https://www.korkeasaari.fi/helsinki-zoo/
I work at a zoo that is instrumental in the California Condor recovery program (among dozens of other conservation projects). We went from 42 surviving individuals left to over 400, over 200 of whom are in the wild. We’re part of the amur leopard species survival plan with two young animals who are eagerly attempting to make babies. We host one of North America’s only bachelor troops of western lowland gorillas, preserving the social structure of wild gorillas. All of our bald eagles are rescues who would not survive in the wild. All our keepers participate in field research and conservation work in addition to a full time team of conservationists. We host the most genetically valuable male Masai giraffe in North America, who has sired 5 offspring with 1 on the way, increasing the genetic diversity of his entire species. If you’re against zoos, you don’t know what zoos do.
It said that the government of Iran is capable of taking care of the cheetah. Iran’s Department of the Environment will now be the main body helping keep the cheetah alive, but the head of the department had already said the creature is “doomed to extinction”.
Iran has already suffered the loss of the Asiatic lion and Caspian
tiger species, and now the nation’s Asiatic cheetahs are on the brink of
extinction, too.
Asiatic cheetahs were once widespread across the continent but were
eradicated in India, where they were hunted for sport. The spread of
farming also greatly reduced numbers in the 19th and 20th centuries.Eventually the animal was wiped out in all the nations of Asia to
which it was once native – with the exception of a few areas of Iran.
According to The Guardian,
conservationists are warning the public that following the U.N.’s
recent decision to pull funding from the protection of the world’s
second-rarest feline (Amur leopards are reportedly the rarest), the
already critically endangered species will be completely wiped out.
“Pilot whales have big brains. They can certainly experience emotions. Judging from the behaviour of the adults, the loss of the infant has affected the entire family. Unless the flow of plastics and industrial pollution into the world’s oceans is reduced, marine life will be poisoned by them for many centuries to come.”
- BBC’s Blue Planet II
Problem with Palm Oil
Hello, Friends!
I know many of you have heard me speak about the problem with palm oil, but since it is Earth Day, I just wanted to touch on this subject a little.
1) What is palm oil? Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that is used in many foods, drinks, and cosmetics.
2) What is the problem with palm oil? Corporations are burning the native forests of primarily Indonesia and Malaysia to make room for palm oil plantations – they also use logging in some cases. This process leads to deforestation, which has devastated orangutan populations, as well as many other species, including tigers, rhinoceroses, and elephants. It also causes erosion and smoke that pollute the air and waterways, which is harmful to the native animals and the people who live in those areas. It is estimated that Sumatra has lost 85% of their native forests to this process in the last 50 years.
3) What can I do about it? The good news is that you can help by shopping smart! Try to avoid products that use non-sustainable palm oil and contact those companies. Many corporations rely on brand loyalty, so if enough people express their displeasure, they may be motivated to change their practices.
4) How can I tell if a product uses sustainable palm oil? Because palm oil can be hidden under many different names, it can be tricky to identify a good product from a bad one. However, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has created a free app for your smart phone, which allows you to scan a product’s bar code and it will tell you how that company ranks in terms of palm oil use (Excellent, Good, Needs Improvement). You can also check product boxes for an RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) logo; the logo signifies that that company is committed to using sustainable palm oil.
We’re all in this together, friends. Every little bit helps! Please feel free to share this post.
Problem with Palm Oil
Hello, Friends!
I know many of you have heard me speak about the problem with palm oil, but since it is Earth Day, I just wanted to touch on this subject a little.
1) What is palm oil? Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that is used in many foods, drinks, and cosmetics.
2) What is the problem with palm oil? Corporations are burning the native forests of primarily Indonesia and Malaysia to make room for palm oil plantations – they also use logging in some cases. This process leads to deforestation, which has devastated orangutan populations, as well as many other species, including tigers, rhinoceroses, and elephants. It also causes erosion and smoke that pollute the air and waterways, which is harmful to the native animals and the people who live in those areas. It is estimated that Sumatra has lost 85% of their native forests to this process in the last 50 years.
3) What can I do about it? The good news is that you can help by shopping smart! Try to avoid products that use non-sustainable palm oil and contact those companies. Many corporations rely on brand loyalty, so if enough people express their displeasure, they may be motivated to change their practices.
4) How can I tell if a product uses sustainable palm oil? Because palm oil can be hidden under many different names, it can be tricky to identify a good product from a bad one. However, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has created a free app for your smart phone, which allows you to scan a product’s bar code and it will tell you how that company ranks in terms of palm oil use (Excellent, Good, Needs Improvement). You can also check product boxes for an RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) logo; the logo signifies that that company is committed to using sustainable palm oil.
We’re all in this together, friends. Every little bit helps! Please feel free to share this post.