Wildlife Conservation News

[DesertRhino150]

There has been a lot of wildlife conservation in the news recently, so rather than making a new thread for each one, I thought it would be easier to just combine the three topics of the week.

BBC News - India wild tiger census shows population rise

Firstly, censuses have shown that India's tiger popoulation has gone up by 20% since the last survey, but there is still concern due to the lack of space for each tiger.

BBC News - Africa rhinos face 'worst poaching crisis for decades'

Then comes news that Africa's rhinos face the worst poaching crisis for decades, with over 800 killed in just three years. Experts now fear the rise in poaching could undermine efforts to stabilise black and white rhino populations.

BBC - Earth News - Oil-soaked rockhopper penguins in rehabilitation

Then comes todays news, that possibly 10,000 rockhopper penguins could have been oiled following a cargo vessel running aground near the colony on Tristan da Cunhua island. Local people and the RSPB are trying to save as many birds as possibly at a makeshift rehabilitation centre.

 

[AgileGibbon]

I'm surprised that the Rockhoppers haven't been mentioned on TV, oil spills usually make the international news.
The rescue efforts look brilliant though - especially the bit about filling a swimming pool with clean, chlorine-free water for them

 

[Saola]

There has been a lot of wildlife conservation in the news recently, so rather than making a new thread for each one, I thought it would be easier to just combine the three topics of the week.

BBC News - India wild tiger census shows population rise

Firstly, censuses have shown that India's tiger popoulation has gone up by 20% since the last survey, but there is still concern due to the lack of space for each tiger.

I took this news with mixed feelings. On one hand, I'm happy that tiger numbers show an increase. On the other hand, the bad news from the census is that tiger-occupied forests have declined dramatically, by 20,000 sq. km, and more habitat fragmentation is on the way. Some parts of Central India show a significant decline, even in some core areas, notably Kanha tiger reserve.

The results of the census are also a reflection of more areas being included than in the previous census, notably Sundarbans, Sahyadri and Palamu. There is genuine good news from South India, as well as from Uttaranchal. Some places, though, are suspect: for example, Bandhavgarh is stated to have 59 tigers. I have yet to check this, but I believe this to be an overestimate, possibly based on extrapolating tiger densities from the tourism zone of the National Park (which has a very good density, but in a small area) onto the remaining forest area.

Here are several more good articles about the issue:

More tigers, less space - Hindustan Times

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_tiger-census-procedure-faulty-say-experts_1526117

21st Century Tiger - Response to the National Tiger Estimation Report

Tiger census: What lies beneath the numbers - Economic Times

How They Count Our Tigers | OPEN Magazine

India?s Tiger Population Estimates | Panthera