Fluff: the Sarcastic Fringehead

After last week's heavy topic, I thought I'd just give a shout out to one of the oddest fish in the sea: the sarcastic fringehead. Yes, that's an actual thing.

This image seems to sum up the supposed personality of the fish. Comic from Satisfactory Comics.

One almost feels like the scientist who named this fish was having troubles with a very sarcastic, fringe-headed teenager at home. Even better? These fish protect themselves with their big mouths.

These mouth-wrestling matches look something like this:

For more on the sarcastic fringehead,  you can look here, here, and here.

The Epulu Tragedy

The okapi is one of those enigmatic animals. You just can't quite figure them out. They're quiet and elusive, they live in the remote rain forests of central Africa, and they...have zebra stripes on their butts. Kind of.

An odd creature: the okapi's closest relative is actually the giraffe.  Photo courtesy of the Okapi Conservation Project.

I only recently had the chance to read about this story, and what happened is truly horrific. People died for these creatures, and they (the okapis) were killed anyways. It's a real spotlight on the brutality of humanity. It was all done in the name of vengeance.

The Epulu Station, situated deep in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, had received threats from groups due to their work against poaching in the area. Agencies responsible for the conservation center (which housed nine okapis and numerous scientists) ignored the threats, and early one morning of June 2012, the station and the nearby village was pillaged and ransacked.

Two people and all the okapis on-site were murdered.

I just have one blaring question: why did the media never cover this?

This is also a stark reminder of how dangerous it is to be a conservationist these days. When people go out to save the environment, they really are risking their lives. They are everyday heroes: conservation work isn't just for the conservationist because their work benefits all of us.

I personally read this story only a few days after learning of the death of Jairo Mora Sandoval. I got chills.

Read what happened at the station in detail here.

International Vulture Awareness Day

People don't like vultures. I get it. Even in the Lion King, vultures were portrayed as creepy and cackling.

A contemporary art print with a ring to it. From NathanJoyce.

But vultures, key players in numerous ecosystems, have been hit hard by a number of factors, and numbers everywhere have experienced steep declines. One of Save Our Species vulture conservation projects has listed population drops between 97-99% since 1990 for some species.

Much like owls (who have only seen a popularity revival due to the Harry Potter movies), vultures are seen as evil in many cultures, signs of bad omens. This translates into modern day life, where people everywhere turn their noses up at an animal that has the capacity to kill bacteria like E. coli by eating it.

Vultures are nature's cleaner-uppers. Without them, many infectious diseases would be far more widespread.

In Asia (yes, there are vultures here!), most vultures are killed while doing their jobs. Cattle today are often injected with a substance called Diclofenac, which proves fatal to these majestic birds when they appear to dispense of cattle carrion.

The beautiful bearded vulture, or lammergeier, from the Ethiopian highlands; a personal favorite. Image courtesy Martina Carrete.

International Vulture Awareness Day is now in its second year. If you want to get involved, they even have wikispaces page open to the public, but the main thing is to get the word out there: vultures are awesome!

Op Ed: Why Some and Not Others?

Happy Merdeka Day!

To celebrate Malaysian pride, I'm going to...keep talking about animals. Yay! 

Talking about my project to a friend, they brought up a question I had never even considered.

Why is it OK to eat some animals and not others?

To a die-hard animal lover, this sort of thought never even crosses their minds. It never did for me. I never asked myself why I was dedicated to conservation; I just knew in my heart that I was. 

Coming from this perspective, I am going to try and answer my friend's question. I'm not trying to create a perfect answer with no loopholes. if this sort of issue was black-and-white, I don't believe I'd even be answering this question.

Humans, in previous years, were the top of the food chain. For the most part, we have now (luckily) been removed from that food chain (most of us are not so worried about being eaten by a lion this afternoon). However, we have taken with us a select few species of domestic animals. 

Lucky for you, this guy doesn't think you'd make a very good meal. He doesn't seem very impressed at all, really. Photo from Lion's Share Digital.

They, too, have been removed from the food chain. We are responsible for them. We now farm things that we eat - chickens, cows, pigs, goats. (I will not address the issue of factory farming here.) So we've effectively taken them with us. They are no longer subject to being eating by roving lions either. When we eat them, we have control over their population and their lifestyle.

However, with wild animals, we have not removed them from the food chain. They are still subject to the forces of nature - different species working in a sort of "checks and balances" system where controlling one effectively controls all. 

In a simple example, if we have too many top predators, too many middle-range herbivores will be eaten, leading to seeds that won't get spread and grass that won't get eaten. This in turn will lead to numerous ecological balancing catastrophes.

Notice that humans often do not feature in these sorts of pyramids - we are no longer native to these ecosystems. Illustration from Tutor Vista.

When we step in here and try to artificially manage a population, we have an issue. We are no longer part of the system - we don't really know what we're doing. When we eat from this environment, we destroy the balance. 

This is just a sort, simple way to think about it. I won't go into issues of morality here - there is too much gray area to make a proper assessment. Hopefully this helps clear the air in terms of "WHY?" for a little bit. 

P.S. A bonus reason is that wild animals are pretty and don't need to be eaten because they look better running majestically through the 2000 sq ft of habitat they have left. ;)

Majestic zebras run in their 2000 sq ft. Image via Wallpaper Wide.

Perhaps I should have included more Malaysian wildlife... oh well. 

Cuteness Overload...Right?

For someone who doesn't know any better, this video is downright adorable. 

And that's the problem. People don't know any better - that needs to change.

According to work done by the likes of Professor Anna Nekaris (basically the slow loris lady out there), videos like these are boosting demand for any species of slow loris.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how this is possible. When I first saw this video, I thought it was completely harmless. Not long after, I started to learn the truth.

A loris in the wild, where it should be. Image from Arup Shah via BBC Wildlife.

Basic Loris Myths Debunked

• "They come from captivity." Experts have found it near impossible to breed lorises in captivity - they often don't survive long enough.
• "This loris is happy." Raising arms, like the loris in this video is doing, is often a sign of distress in lorises. Lorises are also very sensitive to light, being a primarily nocturnal species, and you can see the wide eyes of the one in the video.
• "They are easy to look after." Lorises have a very specific diet that humans cannot replicate in captivity. They are not meant to survive off of bananas and rice balls, and will not last long on such a diet.
• "They can just go back to the wild later." Most lorises, after being removed from the wild, have their teeth violently removed with pliers. They never eat properly again.

In a disturbing turn of events, YouTube refuses to remove this video and others like it, claiming it not to be animal abuse. In the comments, if you talk about the wildlife trade and discuss ramifications of the video, chances are you will be voted down so much YouTube will remove your comment!

The first step to curbing demand for the loris is recognizing that is it not a cut pet but a wild animal. Also, take a minute to sign this petition asking YouTube to remove videos of captive lorises.

For more on slow loris conservation, visit Nekaris' Little Fireface Project and learn about her work in the region.

World Orangutan Day

Several weeks ago, an Italian member of parliament was called an orangutan by her colleagues. Although this was a racially-charged, insensitive and derogatory remark, I must say: I've met more than my fair share of cheeky, incredibly intelligent and totally adorable orangutans. I would take it as more of a compliment. 

Dozens of adorable babies like this one are orphaned every year and must then be rehabilitated in purpose-built centers like Sepilok, in Sabah, Borneo. Picture thanks to Orangutan Foundation International.

All this to say that two days from now we will be celebrating the inaugural World Orangutan Day!

Orangutans are one of the most iconic symbols of Southeast Asia. The "man of the forest" has been facing extinction for years, but recently, wild populations have plummeted despite repeated efforts from NGOs and government bodies alike.

This paragraph from the front of WOD's website gives startling statistics:

"From 1992-2000, the population of the Sumatran orangutan declined by more than 50% and only an estimated 7,000 animals are left in the wild. The Bornean orangutan population fell nearly 43 % in the past decade and estimates place their population at about 45,000 animals."

This lucky individual was found and sedated for transport and re-release into the wild, into a more viable habitat. Many orangs lose their lives in situations like this because plantations do not yet have adequate organization to deal with it. Image via EVOHE. 

As the Huffington Post outlines in this short editorial, however, orangutans are not safe yet. Bornean populations may sound promising, but they are not stable. Considering a constant influx of deforestation, less and less space is there for the orangutan. Pushed to the edge, many plantations have not yet learnt how to deal with the wild creatures wandering onto their land.

This World Orangutan Day, speak out.

Even BBC can get it wrong! In this Facebook screen capture, they spelled orangutan incorrectly!

Another One Bites the Dust

'Keruing paya' now extinct.

"It is a sad fact that to many people the loss of a plant species is of less moment than the loss of a football match." 

Richard Fortey, Dry Store Room No. 1

This is "old news", considering this report is from about a week ago, but it still resonates with me.

Another species of Dipterocarpus. Picture from arkive.org

To be honest, it's amazing it was even reported. So many species slip by unnoticed into the realm of extinction while we are too preoccupied with the latest Facebook post. The keruing paya (Dipterocarpus coriaceus) is just one of hundreds that probably disappeared that day, most still unknown to modern science.

Losing a species is more of a tragedy than most people realize. Even if it is not one at the top of the food chain, it's loss still has a lasting impact on all the other species connected to it. In South America, these survival-oriented symbiotic relationships are to such an extent that if a single species of hummingbird were to go extinct, an entire specie of Heliconia would go with it.

A purple-throated carib, a specie of hummingbird that has evolved to eat almost entirely from a single species of Heliconia (hence the extensively curved beak). Picture by Ethan Temeles via Smithsonian Magazine Online.

Some say that losing a species is part of progress; but development is not the same as progress. We cannot continue to develop so irresponsibly if we want to have something other than a concrete jungle left.

The keruing paya, only one of a staggering 230 species of flora on the brink of extinction in peninsular Malaysia, is a stark reminder that we need to act now if we do not want to lose even more of our own biodiversity.

Happy World Lemur Month

I know, I know, lemurs seem to be a far cry from having any relevance to either Malaysia or wildlife trafficking. In fact, a vast array of tortoise seizures in our country originate in Madagascar. But I'm not going to get into that today. 

It is officially World Lemur Month! Arbitrary holiday though it may be (and there are no days off), it helps draw attention (as most of these World Anything Days/Months/Years tend to do) to a serious issue.

A Sifaka lemur bounds through the forest. Zaboomafoo, the American children's TV show character, was a Sifaka. Image by Burrard-Lucas/Barcroft via the Telegraph.

Our cute lemur friends are the most endangered group of vertebrates in the world. Of anything on this planet with a spine, these guys are at the highest risk of extinction, with a staggering 91% of species considered threatened by the IUCN, or the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

 Lemurs, you could say, have drawn the short straw - they exist only one island, an island that has seen continuous political turmoil, economic exploitation, poverty, and naturally, deforestation. Less than a third of the island's original forests remain.

Even today, we do not know all that Madagascar holds. Just recently, three new species of lemur have been discovered, including this adorable little fellow below, whose common name has not yet been ascribed.

Microcebus mittermeieri, a newly discovered species of mouse lemur. It is small enough to fit into your hand. Photo from Mongabay.

Madagascar is a reminder that we do not, by any means, know all that our rain forests hold.

Belated Global Tiger Day

This is a few days late, I know. I just had to share this infographic - a LOT of food for thought!

Global Tiger Day, not to be confused with World Tiger Day later this year, is a day specifically aimed at raising awareness for the plight of tigers, specifically from major NGO groups like WWF and Traffic. I too, however, am guilty of confusing the two holidays, so don't despair! There are dozens of purpose-created holidays that help get attention.

Consider this: 

The top estimate for world tiger populations is 3200.

Just under half of the 3200 must have been killed in order to supply seizures. 

This includes only official seizures.

In a good year, law officials catch around 20-30% of trafficked goods.

How many tigers are there actually left??

Use Your Resources

On July 20th I had the fantastic opportunity to attend Traffic's Wildlife Superheroes workshop, right here on the island of Penang.

I was fascinated by the turnout - almost no young people. I was happy to see the older generation getting involved, but sad to see so few of "my own" there. I am assuming they were too busy trying to get toy Minions from McDonald's (seriously, what is up with that?). I personally think slow lorises are cuter, but then again, most people don't know what a slow loris is.

But I'm getting distracted. 

The workshop really was fantastic. Aside from getting to spend a morning learning about something I love, I enjoyed learning new little details about the trade. There were amazing pictures of men with snakes in suitcases and birds around the ankles, and we even got to see dummy egg-smuggling shirts and underwear (that's dedication). These articles of clothing, used to smuggle reptile and bird eggs, have little individual pockets sown in for each egg. 

A South American example of an "egg smuggling shirt." Picture from The Independent.

One resource they shared with us, however, I think is useful for every Wildlife Warrior to have: Species Identification Sheets! We need to use the information we have access to - we need to be informed. If we don't know it when we see it, what good is seeing it at all?  They may seem a little dry and boring, but they are quick and easy to use. You can identify species and their derivatives, learn local names for the species, and discover laws that protect the species. These are useful things to know even if you are just walking around and spot something suspicious. (On a side note, if you see this, be sure to call the anonymous 24-hour wildlife crime hotline, 019-3564194.)

The sheets can be downloaded here.

If you're interested in these workshops, three more will be held within the year (including in KL and on Penang's mainland). More information is available on Traffic's Facebook page.

Wildlife Superheroes Wanted!

If you are in Penang next Saturday (20th July) make sure to drop by Disted and hear first-hand from Traffic South East Asia about one of the industries destroying local biodiversity.

Hope to see you there!

Breaking News!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/02/us-obama-wildlife-trafficking-idUSBRE96117Y20130702

This fantastic piece of news was released earlier this month. In new legislation, Obama hopes to curb trade in materials such as rhino horn and elephant tusk.

The United States is applauded for its commitment. Following statements regarding the wildlife trade earlier this year by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, this pragmatic first step will be appreciated by wildlife everywhere. (Go here for more on what Clinton said at the time: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/11/200355.htm) 

With connections between major terrorist groups and trafficking finally being acknowledged, it is a hope that support for the program will continue to grow.

While it focuses mainly on African issues with the trade, it is important to remember that most demand comes from the Pan-Asian region. Through educating this community about the "work" they are supporting, we all can play a role in curbing the illegal wildlife trade.

Irrational Fears Part 2

Somewhere in here, imagine a couple thousand more sharks. (Actually, between the two images you're only seeing about 600 sharks. Please do a lot of imagining.)

Twelve people is actually a high per year, as scary as that is. The total for all shark attacks in record numbers only a few hundred. You're more likely to die from alcohol than a shark attack. As the internet meme goes, though, "I too would attack anyone wandering into my house wearing only a speedo."

Revealing swimsuits aside, shark finning is a serious issue and a major player in the wildlife trade.

Essentially, finning is the practice where boats troll for sharks, and upon finding them, lift them out of the water and cut off only what is valuable - the fins. This is equivalent to having your arms and legs cut off - you're incapacitated at best. Once this is done, the shark is thrown back into the water (no one wants the rest of it, and why keep the evidence?) to drown. Since, you know, without arms or legs, it can't really swim anymore.

This fins are then thrown into giant freezers in hot spots around the world, such as Hong Kong, where they are then sent out to the world's top restaurants. Or they are dried and cured, to be sold at a market. Regardless, they all go for consumption.

The main culprit is the infamous Chinese dish, shark fin soup. Most restaurants now only serve a prosthetic plastic version, but some restaurants still carry the real deal. A true symbol of luck and prosperity, this is a dish many are unwilling to give up. As more of the world finds itself in a position to consume things it never could afford before, demand for traditional emblems such as shark fin soup rages and roars.

If we want to save the shark species of the world, we need to get over our fear of sharks and our ideas about shark fin soup. Eating shark can't be cool anymore; it can't remain a symbol of good.

Here are some stats to chew on in the meantime.

Irrational Fears Part 1

People are surrounded by irrational fears - spiders, for example.

What is the average house spider, barely the size of your pinky fingernail, going to do to you? Life is not a science-fiction movie. He will not turn into a giant monster and chase after you. In fact, he's great pest control; he's taking care of all the bugs you don't want in your house. You're unlikely to miss those, anyways.

While some fear is instinctual, some fear is taught. An issue I have been struggling for days, after witnessing the sudden death and mutilation of a snake at the hands of man.

I don't have a very good appetite for these sorts of things. It had begun before I could say anything, and before it was over, I had burst into tears.

To me, the act I had witnessed was barbaric. To the people around me, the act I had witnessed was normal, maybe even a fun sort of intermittent entertainment.

A large Indochinese Rat Snake. Photo credits to Ecology Asia.

The snake killed was a rat snake. A perfectly harmless animal in my eyes; it isn't even venomous. Less than two feet long, the young animal had unwittingly ventured into a truck of grain, probably hunting the rats it was named for.

But why are people so afraid?

Because they are taught to be. Now, everyone has self-preserving natural instincts, but these are easily overcome by most who want to. Some people are scared of heights, and they still climb. Some people are scared of speed, and they can still drive quickly. So why can't people get over their fear of snakes?

It's a cultural thing. If Hollywood hasn't created the image of menacing monster already, than Old Wives Tales have.

If we want to see people getting over their fear of snakes, we need to teach them about the ones they should be afraid of. People don't need to run away from rat snakes - they need to run away from cobras and kraits.

Next time I see a snake, I just want it to still be alive.

Bad News

Bureaucracy has its positives and its negatives.

Due to the long and arduous process, MNI has to sadly postpone events until August of this year. On the bright side, the program will be even bigger and better!

We look forward to seeing you then.

Update

Hi everyone.

Long time, no post. Gearing up for our events in June and July has been keeping us busy! Be sure to read about those and ask us if you have any questions.

We'll get back to a more frequent posting schedule soon. :)

World Tapir Day

This is a super fun holiday!

The tapir is one of the world's most interesting mammals - they look like no one and nothing else. Their closest relatives are, in fact, horses and rhinos.

There are four species of tapir in the world: the Brazilian, Baird's, Mountain, and Malayan. Only on of these is not under threat, and here's a hint: it's not the Malayan.

The Malayan tapir is possible the most distinct of the four species, with its quickly noticeable black-and-white markings. It is also the largest of the three species.

With a wild population numbering less than one thousand, the Malayan tapir is indeed endangered. However, this species is not threatened due to the wildlife trade (eating tapir is taboo in many of the cultures inhabiting the Southeast Asian region). Many are killed due to loss of habitat, and strangely enough, while crossing the road.

On a lighter note, here's a picture from Malaysian Nature Society; they had a special guest
at Taman Negara last night!

A Sad Day in India

Today, WWF reported the death of a translocated Indian Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in Manas National Park.

Shot by poachers, who took only her horn, the rhino left behind a 15-day-old calf, a declared conservation miracle at the time. There has been no report regarding the future of the calf.

This event highlights, yet again, the direct link between wildlife trade and the demise of world rhino populations.

This is not the first bad news of the year, however. South Africa reports almost 200 rhino killings in this year alone, a far cry of the total 13 lost only years ago. The Sumatran rhino has seen steep declines, now numbering less than 100 individuals in the wild. And for icing on a terrifying cake, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has officially declared the Western Black Rhino extinct.

Rhino horn has no scientifically-proven medicinal value, but is considered "necessary" by the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine. (This is not to devalue traditional medicines, as some are truly effective; it is simply understood to be a major factor in the illegal wildlife trade.)

To learn more, be sure to drop by www.savingrhinos.org
Image courtesy of WWF Global.

CITES Conference A Success

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recently finished a convention this year, 2013. Some of the topics they covered ranged from Rhino-poaching and Timber species. Let's take a look at some of the things they've agreed on:

• Manta rays proposal. At a United Nations meeting on March 11, governments voted for better international trade controls on Manta Rays. Rays are highly sought after for their gill-plates which are very valuable, as well as for meat and skin. These things are traded internationally. Sadly, Manta Rays do not produce very quickly; one pup is born every 2-5 years. Because of these factors, poaching will soon threaten the Ray population  if not confronted. However, confronting is exactly what CITES did with the problem, and a proposal from Columbia and Ecuador listed Manta Rays under Appendix II of CITES. Now, more extreme measure will be taken to prevent the trafficking of this species.
• Timber species. At this CITES convention many species of trees are now going to have better international shipping controls. Tropical species from Madagascar and Central America, as well as many more from around the world, were agreed upon as part of this decision.
• Illegal toothfish fishing. This was not an issue that was spoken about, per se... more like a topic brought up and no one spoke. Many government officials were called out for breaking promises regarding these fish. While the issue of protection rights being violated is serious, it has not been resolved by the CITES council. Action being taken to reduce illegal toothfish fishing is minimal.
• Tiger smuggling. Since 2010, a report has been being conducted about Tiger smuggling and poaching. Along with WWF, CITES launched a report called "Reduced to Skin and Bones Revisited" and results of these tiger seizure statistics are extremely shocking. They found that an average of 110 tigers were killed a year. From 2000-2012, 654 tiger part seizures were reported, these parts belonging to over 1,000 animals. CITES has decided to take more action, and some reinforcements to stop Tiger and big Asian cat trafficking in Asia and other parts of the world.
• Other issues brought up were protection of different shark species, and ivory trade control. Decisions to limit shark fin and body part capture were accepted, causing great celebration among scientists and shark activists. Although there was some protest, these decisions were not recalled and there is more work being done to stop shark trade. Governments in Bangkok decided on more measures to restrict and control ivory trade, possibly due to the record-breaking statistics of elephant poaching in Africa.

This CITES convention covered many issues about animals and wildlife trafficking, and many measures were passed regarding the prevention and control of international wildlife trafficking. I think all of nature can certainly thank CITES for all their efforts in stopping wildlife trafficking in our world!

World Pangolin Day

Happy World Pangolin Day!!

Yes, that is indeed a holiday.

If you say the word "pangolin," the chances are that people will give you a strange look and ask if meant "penguin." The same person will stare at you unbelieving eyes as you try to explain just what this creature is.

Don't let that person be you! Pangolins are amazing creatures that deserve recognition. So for World Pangolin Day, take the chance to learn some fun fact about them:

1. There are eight species of pangolin that range across the globe, from Africa to the Indian sub-continent. Malaysia has its own species, (creatively named) the Malayan pangolin.

2. All but two species are listed on Appendix II of CITES; the other two are on Appendix I. One of those is the Malayan pangolin. Malaysia has been considered one of the number one country of origin for pangolins for several years now.

3. The word "pangolin" actually comes from the Bahasa word for "to roll up," the word "penggiling."

Fourteen Borneo Elephants Dead - Now What?

By now, wildlife enthusiasts everywhere have heard about the travesty that has become the recent Borneo pygmy elephant case.

The death toll, surpassing fourteen individuals, is a devastating blow to the already fragile population of Bornean elephants. The most heart-wrenching portion of the story is attributed to the young calf, cowering over his dead mother's carcass, that has since been rescued by national officials. The calf, christened "Joe," now resides at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, but is not left unscarred by the passing of his mother and of his family.

Bornean pygmy elephants were only recently distinguished as a sub-species separate from their mainland cousins. With a population teetering around 1000, living in only small areas of the Malaysian state of Sabah, they are a CITES Appendix I Endangered Species.

Preliminary investigations point to poisoning by illegal loggers. All the animals were found with ruptured digestive organs.

While we are not anti-development, seeing development as a necessary step to improve a country, we do condone the activities of illegal loggers in protected areas. These elephants were killed on their own turf, by people who were not meant to be in the vicinity.

We hope those responsible will receive the proper sentencing.

Baby Joe tries to awaken his dead mother.
Image property of Reuters via The Guardian.