I love Save The Chimps. Carol Noon was the one that started this great organization. This my readers is a "TRUE" sanctaury for the Chimpanzees. I have put a link to their site in case you want to learn more about them, and/or donate.
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FORT PIERCE — There's Chimp-entine's Day, Chimp-dependence Day and Chimp O'Ween. And then there's Chimpmas.
Yes, that's right. Even some chimpanzees get to experience a little Christmas, rather, Chimpmas cheer.
Each year staff members at the Save the Chimps sanctuary throw holiday parties for the 216 rescued chimps that reside at the 150-acre preserve west of Fort Pierce.
On Wednesday, the sanctuary had the first of 12 Chimpmas parties for a group of 22 chimps living on "Tanya's Island." Chimps living on each of the sanctuary's 12 islands get their own party on different days.
A majority of the chimps come from the now-shuttered Coulston Foundation biomedical research lab in Alamogordo, N.M., which Save the Chimps renovated and took over in 2002 after the lab lost its funding because of major animal welfare violations.
There are 56 chimps left at the facility in New Mexico, and the goal is to shut it down and relocate the remaining chimps to Fort Pierce by July of next year, Save the Chimps Communications Director Triana Romero said.
The chimps live in family groups on 12 islands surrounded by moats of water. Each island is about 3 acres and connects to a shelter, which houses the animals. But they're free to roam about the islands whenever they please. The sanctuary was founded by the late Dr. Carole Noon.
Wednesday's event sort of resembled a door buster scene on Black Friday, but on a much tamer scale.
As staff members set up and decorated a Christmas tree and scattered the island with wrapped presents and other goodies, some anxious chimps banged on doors and hooted inside the shelter. They couldn't see what was happening because sheets covered the windows so as not to spoil the surprise.
"They know something is up because we covered the windows," Romero said.
As the hatches lifted, out burst the excited chimps onto the island where they scooped up presents stuffed with candy canes, lollipops, toys, powdered doughnuts, popcorn and apples. Some played in cardboard boxes while others climbed and swung about on the Christmas tree.
"They didn't have a lot of toys or other items to entertain them (before coming to the sanctuary), and their minds are so active all the time, and they're so intelligent," Sanctuary Director Jen Feuerstein said, referring to when the chimps lived decades in animal testing labs. "They get really bored, and it can literally drive them crazy. So, it's really important to us to give them enriched lives and that means things for them to search for on the island, objects for them to manipulate, toys, and just any sort of variety is really important to chimps. The parties are a great way for them to have variety in their lives."
Feuerstein said the sanctuary is always in need of donations, including streamers, other paper decorations and food items for chimp holiday parties.
Having a party thrown in their honor is a big deal for the chimps, many of which spent 30 and 40 years in research labs while living in small, concrete, barren cages, never being able to touch grass or interact with other chimps.
"When they see streamers go up, they know that there's a party coming, so they get pretty enthused about that," Feuerstein said.
It costs $25,000 to relocate a group of 10 chimps from New Mexico to Florida.
Save the Chimps supporters Lee and Danielle Wilson of Santa Fe, N.M., sponsored a migration of 10 chimps to Fort Pierce in early November.
The couple was in Florida this week and stopped by the sanctuary Wednesday to take part in the Chimpmas party. The Wilsons have been supporters of the sanctuary for 10 years.
"These are magnificent animals," Danielle Wilson said. "It's a privilege to be able to do this. Part of the agony of these animals is they sat in these tiny cages for decades with nothing to do or no mental stimulation. So, it's very emotional to see this."
The process to relocate the chimps has taken several years, mainly because of the cost to relocate them, plus the lengthy time it takes to socialize the chimps in family groups.
A significant portion of the sanctuary's $4.5 million budget comes from the Arcus Foundation, an organization that funds the conservation of great apes and has offices in Kalamazoo, Mich.; New York City and the United Kingdom. The foundation will match every dollar, up to $1 million, donated to Save the Chimps through April 30.
"We're almost halfway there," Romero said, referring to raising the $1 million.
Story Credit Here
Save the Chimps Website
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Kasey the Helping Hands Monkey
We all know about service dogs - animals trained to help the visually-impaired, and the physically-challenged. But, those aren't the only service animals out there.
Meet Kasey, one smart monkey.
She was specially trained by the organization, "Helping hands: monkey helpers for the disabled." Kasey puts her skills to work, helping Ned Rogers in everyday living.
Ned is a Concord, Mass. resident who was paralyzed in a car accident when he was 22. He was a senior at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He and Kasey have forged a special bond.
Ned, Kasey, and Kasey's mother's story is told in a new book called, "Kasey to the rescue," written by Ned's mother, Ellen Rogers.
"It's been four years and she just brings light to his day," said his mother.
Kasey was trained to perform simple tasks that help mobility impaired, like putting a CD in a player, and turning on light.
But above all, Ellen Rogers says, "the real thing that she does for him is fill a void of loneliness and isolation that has come from his accident."
Story Credit here
Meet Kasey, one smart monkey.
She was specially trained by the organization, "Helping hands: monkey helpers for the disabled." Kasey puts her skills to work, helping Ned Rogers in everyday living.
Ned is a Concord, Mass. resident who was paralyzed in a car accident when he was 22. He was a senior at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He and Kasey have forged a special bond.
Ned, Kasey, and Kasey's mother's story is told in a new book called, "Kasey to the rescue," written by Ned's mother, Ellen Rogers.
"It's been four years and she just brings light to his day," said his mother.
Kasey was trained to perform simple tasks that help mobility impaired, like putting a CD in a player, and turning on light.
But above all, Ellen Rogers says, "the real thing that she does for him is fill a void of loneliness and isolation that has come from his accident."
Story Credit here
CareerBuilders are at it again with the Chimpanzees
I had a conversation with a friend of mine at PETA, years ago about this same subject. This was about the time that CareerBuilders had agreed with PETA that they no longer would use Chimpanzees in their ads. I told my friend that 4-5 years from then, this company would be right back to their old tricks. And they are.... CareerBuilders haven't you been reading the news in the past 2 years? You use older chimps which ARE at the age of hurting or possibly killing someone on the set. It's not OK to use them at any age! Get yourself educated on what happens to these chimps from the time they are ripped, crying from their mothers, all of the way through the 50 years of their horrible existence.. Just choose any chimpanzees name and do research on their entire life and multiply that by thousands of lives being ruined, both Chimps and Humans. Look at Charla/Sandra/Travis just for one. I bet you can't find one happy life story about any chimp!!!!!! Stop thinking of the money and think about the fact that all anyone wants is to be happy. SHAME ON YOU!!!!!
Since most of the big guys that used Chimps in entertainment have placed their chimps and retired, I would say the chimps that are going to be used belong to Steve Martin in CA, AKA Steve Martins Working Wildlife.
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Sometimes even the funniest ads can draw ire from viewing audiences.
After hearing that CareerBuilder plans on resurrecting chimpanzees for its 2011 Super Bowl ad, actress Angelica Huston wrote a letter to the job board’s CEO imploring him not to use the apes in his commercials.
PETA broke the news earlier this month that CareerBuilder was planning on using chimps to star in the ads.
Huston, a PETA activist, then wrote a letter to CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson asking him to watch her 2008 video on the abuse of ape actors, according to ChicagoBreakingBusiness.com.
Huston asked Ferguson to stop using chimps and to never use them again.
She writes, “I have no doubt that after seeing exactly what these animals go through off set, you will not want CareerBuilder to be associated with such a cruel industry.”
Huston said that chimps are abused, both physically and emotionally, during training. They are warehoused in “horrifying” conditions or kept in roadside cages if they become to large or aggressive to handle.
Other agencies have followed through with promises to stop using chimpanzees in ads and have either pulled ads or stopped using the animals altogether.
According to the ChicagoBreakingBusiness article, CareerBuilder responded by saying that a member of the American Humane Society was on-hand to supervise the shoot.
“During the production of our ad, we followed strict guidelines to ensure our chimpanzee stars were treated well and not harmed in any way,” the company said in a statement.
CareerBuilder first used the chimpanzees in 2006 for a slew of commercials featuring chimpanzees as hard-partying, disruptive employees in a corporate setting.
Story Credit Here
Since most of the big guys that used Chimps in entertainment have placed their chimps and retired, I would say the chimps that are going to be used belong to Steve Martin in CA, AKA Steve Martins Working Wildlife.
Story;
Sometimes even the funniest ads can draw ire from viewing audiences.
After hearing that CareerBuilder plans on resurrecting chimpanzees for its 2011 Super Bowl ad, actress Angelica Huston wrote a letter to the job board’s CEO imploring him not to use the apes in his commercials.
PETA broke the news earlier this month that CareerBuilder was planning on using chimps to star in the ads.
Huston, a PETA activist, then wrote a letter to CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson asking him to watch her 2008 video on the abuse of ape actors, according to ChicagoBreakingBusiness.com.
Huston asked Ferguson to stop using chimps and to never use them again.
She writes, “I have no doubt that after seeing exactly what these animals go through off set, you will not want CareerBuilder to be associated with such a cruel industry.”
Huston said that chimps are abused, both physically and emotionally, during training. They are warehoused in “horrifying” conditions or kept in roadside cages if they become to large or aggressive to handle.
Other agencies have followed through with promises to stop using chimpanzees in ads and have either pulled ads or stopped using the animals altogether.
According to the ChicagoBreakingBusiness article, CareerBuilder responded by saying that a member of the American Humane Society was on-hand to supervise the shoot.
“During the production of our ad, we followed strict guidelines to ensure our chimpanzee stars were treated well and not harmed in any way,” the company said in a statement.
CareerBuilder first used the chimpanzees in 2006 for a slew of commercials featuring chimpanzees as hard-partying, disruptive employees in a corporate setting.
Story Credit Here
Charlie the Chimpanzee dies at the age of 52
JOHANNESBURG — Charlie the smoking chimpanzee has died.
Qondile Khedama, a spokesman for the central South African city of Bloemfontein where Charlie had been a fixture at the small zoo, says the chimp died Tuesday, apparently of old age. Charlie was believed to be 52.
Khedama says zoo officials noticed about five years ago that visitors were tossing Charlie cigarettes, and he was mimicking smokers. Khedama says zookeepers tried to stop visitors from encouraging Charlie in a habit many humans are trying to quit.
Newspapers picked up the story. Charlie featured in a U.S. TV news report, and became the first animal visitors would ask to see.
When videos of him puffing away circulated globally a few years ago, zoo officials moved to cut off the supply of smokes.
The nickname stuck even though the cigarette habit faded. The life expectancy for chimps in the wild is about 15 years and only 7 percent of wild chimps live past 40, a Harvard University report published in 2007 said.
Khedama says Charlie's body will be mounted and displayed in an area featuring other preserved, popular zoo residents.
Story Credit Here
Qondile Khedama, a spokesman for the central South African city of Bloemfontein where Charlie had been a fixture at the small zoo, says the chimp died Tuesday, apparently of old age. Charlie was believed to be 52.
Khedama says zoo officials noticed about five years ago that visitors were tossing Charlie cigarettes, and he was mimicking smokers. Khedama says zookeepers tried to stop visitors from encouraging Charlie in a habit many humans are trying to quit.
Newspapers picked up the story. Charlie featured in a U.S. TV news report, and became the first animal visitors would ask to see.
When videos of him puffing away circulated globally a few years ago, zoo officials moved to cut off the supply of smokes.
The nickname stuck even though the cigarette habit faded. The life expectancy for chimps in the wild is about 15 years and only 7 percent of wild chimps live past 40, a Harvard University report published in 2007 said.
Khedama says Charlie's body will be mounted and displayed in an area featuring other preserved, popular zoo residents.
Story Credit Here
A tribute to Charlie the Chimpanzee
Because I have been out of the country for awhile I didn't even know Charlie had passed away. So sad. I don't think any Chimpanzee should go without being recognized for who they were.
video here
video here
The Congo reached an agreement with the Consortium WCS-TAF to fight against poaching
Signatory of several international conventions and agreements to fight against poaching and illegal trade of wildlife products, the Republic of Congo has become a little more involved in the fight for the protection of nature. An agreement for the implementation of the project to support the application of wildlife law was reached with the Consortium for Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and The Aspinall Foundation (TAF).
While protecting its environment, the country is now seeking to develop its rich ecological heritage and ecotourism in its protected parks.
The Congo reached an agreement with the Consortium WCS-TAF to fight against poaching
Signed for the Congo by the Minister of Sustainable Development and Forest Economy, Henri Djombo, and by James Osborne for the consortium, the MOU is meant to define the relationship between the Congo and the WCS-in TAF in terms of poaching and illegal trade. The objective is to eliminate poaching on the national territory, in partnership with the Ministry of Forest Economy.
The Congo has already launched several police operations against traffickers of wildlife products. Many traffickers in protected species like chimpanzees or elephants were apprehended and brought to justice in the country.
Targeted operations against poachers
Thus, three people were arrested on 6 September 2010 in possession of four fully protected animal species. This operation was successful thanks to the concerted involvement of the Provincial Directorate of Forest Economy of Niari, the national office of the Lusaka Agreement, the services of the national gendarmerie, with the support of the Project Support the Wildlife Enforcement (Palfi).The illegal meat was then burned in the presence of the media.
In August 2010, a Congolese was charged with illegal sale of smoked chimpanzee meat, the chimpanzee being one of the protected animal species under the Congolese law. In November 2010, a hunter was arrested in the department of the Sangha, in northeastern Congo in possession of elephant meat. In the month of December 2010, two women were arrested in Brazzaville for illegal sale of 50 kg of smoked elephant meat, a species protected under the Congolese law.
The Wildlife Act follows the observation that some species are not numerous enough in the Congo to withstand hunting for commercial purposes. They can not be hunted because they are endangered in the Congo, according to law 37/2008 of 28 November 2008 on fauna and protected areas.
Ecotourism Development: National Park Odzala-Kokoua managed by African Parks Network
The Congolese government has decided to delegate the management of National Park Odzala-Kokoua (PNOK) to the African Parks Foundation Network (AFN). Pending the imminent signing of a concession agreement for the management and development of ecotourism in the park and its periphery with Congo Conservation Company, the APN will manage the park with its own funds. Its contribution is estimated at about 250,000 euros. The AFN will manage the staff responsible for monitoring the park and lead technical operations.
The signing of this agreement opens up new prospects and is important for the development of the tourism industry in the Congo. The partnership between the Republic of Congo and the African Parks Network will establish management mechanisms and long term funding.
The PNOK covers an area of 1.354 million hectares in northwestern Congo. It is the oldest and largest national parks in Africa and home to a rich biodiversity. The feasibility study on ecotourism development conducted in 2007 indicated a huge potential thanks to the presence of gorillas in the plain of the west.
Story Credit here
While protecting its environment, the country is now seeking to develop its rich ecological heritage and ecotourism in its protected parks.
The Congo reached an agreement with the Consortium WCS-TAF to fight against poaching
Signed for the Congo by the Minister of Sustainable Development and Forest Economy, Henri Djombo, and by James Osborne for the consortium, the MOU is meant to define the relationship between the Congo and the WCS-in TAF in terms of poaching and illegal trade. The objective is to eliminate poaching on the national territory, in partnership with the Ministry of Forest Economy.
The Congo has already launched several police operations against traffickers of wildlife products. Many traffickers in protected species like chimpanzees or elephants were apprehended and brought to justice in the country.
Targeted operations against poachers
Thus, three people were arrested on 6 September 2010 in possession of four fully protected animal species. This operation was successful thanks to the concerted involvement of the Provincial Directorate of Forest Economy of Niari, the national office of the Lusaka Agreement, the services of the national gendarmerie, with the support of the Project Support the Wildlife Enforcement (Palfi).The illegal meat was then burned in the presence of the media.
In August 2010, a Congolese was charged with illegal sale of smoked chimpanzee meat, the chimpanzee being one of the protected animal species under the Congolese law. In November 2010, a hunter was arrested in the department of the Sangha, in northeastern Congo in possession of elephant meat. In the month of December 2010, two women were arrested in Brazzaville for illegal sale of 50 kg of smoked elephant meat, a species protected under the Congolese law.
The Wildlife Act follows the observation that some species are not numerous enough in the Congo to withstand hunting for commercial purposes. They can not be hunted because they are endangered in the Congo, according to law 37/2008 of 28 November 2008 on fauna and protected areas.
Ecotourism Development: National Park Odzala-Kokoua managed by African Parks Network
The Congolese government has decided to delegate the management of National Park Odzala-Kokoua (PNOK) to the African Parks Foundation Network (AFN). Pending the imminent signing of a concession agreement for the management and development of ecotourism in the park and its periphery with Congo Conservation Company, the APN will manage the park with its own funds. Its contribution is estimated at about 250,000 euros. The AFN will manage the staff responsible for monitoring the park and lead technical operations.
The signing of this agreement opens up new prospects and is important for the development of the tourism industry in the Congo. The partnership between the Republic of Congo and the African Parks Network will establish management mechanisms and long term funding.
The PNOK covers an area of 1.354 million hectares in northwestern Congo. It is the oldest and largest national parks in Africa and home to a rich biodiversity. The feasibility study on ecotourism development conducted in 2007 indicated a huge potential thanks to the presence of gorillas in the plain of the west.
Story Credit here
Comparisons between Human and Chimpanzee DNA
Is the RTB model for the origin of humanity valid? Biologist Dennis Venema doesn’t think so. In a recently published critique, he evaluates the portion of our model in which we address genetic similarities between humans and chimps.
As part of our assessment of human evolution, we question whether the genetic connection between humans and chimps is as strong as is commonly communicated to the general public. Most people are familiar with the claim that human and chimpanzee DNA share a 99 percent similarity. Our assertion, however, is that the genetic commonality between these two primates is closer to 90 percent.
Instead of discussing the scientific merits (or lack thereof) of our approach (which we welcome), Venema chose to launch an ad hominem attack against me and Hugh Ross, impugning our integrity as scientists and scholars. The crux of his criticism was that:
1.We intentionally ignored a key scientific paper (published in 2005 after our book Who Was Adam? was released) about genetic comparisons between humans and chimpanzees that went against our model.1
2.We claim erroneously that the genetic similarity between humans and chimpanzees is around 90 percent, not 95 percent (or about 99 percent) as the above mentioned paper reports.
3.We misrepresent scientific opinion when we claim that the genetic comparisons between humans and chimpanzees that describe the differences (or similarities) in terms of percentages are meaningless.
I have already responded to Venema’s first two points. (Go here and here to read parts one and two of my response, respectively. This week, I will address the third point Venema raises.
In Who Was Adam? we provide an extensive discussion as to why “percent genetic comparisons” have no biological meaning. As a follow up in 2007, we published a web article that makes the same point. In fact, we go one step further in the article and point out that the emphasis on percent genetic similarity actually hinders our understanding of the genetic basis for the biological and behavioral differences between humans and chimpanzees.
Contrary to the concern raised by Venema, the view that genetic similarity lacks biological meaning is not exclusive to RTB—it is a point that has been forcefully made by several scientists working in comparative genomics.
Interested readers can check out the article I wrote in 2007 for further detail.
Story credit Here
As part of our assessment of human evolution, we question whether the genetic connection between humans and chimps is as strong as is commonly communicated to the general public. Most people are familiar with the claim that human and chimpanzee DNA share a 99 percent similarity. Our assertion, however, is that the genetic commonality between these two primates is closer to 90 percent.
Instead of discussing the scientific merits (or lack thereof) of our approach (which we welcome), Venema chose to launch an ad hominem attack against me and Hugh Ross, impugning our integrity as scientists and scholars. The crux of his criticism was that:
1.We intentionally ignored a key scientific paper (published in 2005 after our book Who Was Adam? was released) about genetic comparisons between humans and chimpanzees that went against our model.1
2.We claim erroneously that the genetic similarity between humans and chimpanzees is around 90 percent, not 95 percent (or about 99 percent) as the above mentioned paper reports.
3.We misrepresent scientific opinion when we claim that the genetic comparisons between humans and chimpanzees that describe the differences (or similarities) in terms of percentages are meaningless.
I have already responded to Venema’s first two points. (Go here and here to read parts one and two of my response, respectively. This week, I will address the third point Venema raises.
In Who Was Adam? we provide an extensive discussion as to why “percent genetic comparisons” have no biological meaning. As a follow up in 2007, we published a web article that makes the same point. In fact, we go one step further in the article and point out that the emphasis on percent genetic similarity actually hinders our understanding of the genetic basis for the biological and behavioral differences between humans and chimpanzees.
Contrary to the concern raised by Venema, the view that genetic similarity lacks biological meaning is not exclusive to RTB—it is a point that has been forcefully made by several scientists working in comparative genomics.
Interested readers can check out the article I wrote in 2007 for further detail.
Story credit Here
Four Monkeys found in Meth Lab
I wonder if the authorities checked to see if the monkeys were illegal in Rogersville. Those monkeys need to place someone that is safe for them!
Story;
ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (CBS/AP) Hawkins County deputies investigating a meth lab found themselves confronted by four aggressive monkeys.
Narcotics Unit supervisor Sgt. Chad Gillenwater told the Kingsport Times-News deputies smelled methamphetamine at the home of William Alan "Monkey Man" Givan on Friday.
Inside the home they say they found methamphetamine cooking. They also found four monkeys, which Givan kept as pets. That, it turns out, is not illegal. However, the monkeys were aggressive toward officers and ripped the jacket of a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer who was called in to investigate.
Officers turned the monkeys over to Givan's wife, who was not charged in relation to the meth lab.
Aside from the lab itself, deputies reported seizing other meth lab components including an improvised gas generator, starting fluid, a respirator and a five-gallon bucket of ammonia nitrate, reported the Kingsport Times-News.
Givan was booked on drug charges including manufacturing meth, possession of Schedule II narcotics, and aintaining a dwelling where narcotics are housed or sold and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was released from the Hawkins County Jail Saturday afternoon on $25,000 bond.
Story Credit Here and photo
Story;
ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (CBS/AP) Hawkins County deputies investigating a meth lab found themselves confronted by four aggressive monkeys.
Narcotics Unit supervisor Sgt. Chad Gillenwater told the Kingsport Times-News deputies smelled methamphetamine at the home of William Alan "Monkey Man" Givan on Friday.
Inside the home they say they found methamphetamine cooking. They also found four monkeys, which Givan kept as pets. That, it turns out, is not illegal. However, the monkeys were aggressive toward officers and ripped the jacket of a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer who was called in to investigate.
Officers turned the monkeys over to Givan's wife, who was not charged in relation to the meth lab.
Aside from the lab itself, deputies reported seizing other meth lab components including an improvised gas generator, starting fluid, a respirator and a five-gallon bucket of ammonia nitrate, reported the Kingsport Times-News.
Givan was booked on drug charges including manufacturing meth, possession of Schedule II narcotics, and aintaining a dwelling where narcotics are housed or sold and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was released from the Hawkins County Jail Saturday afternoon on $25,000 bond.
Story Credit Here and photo
Animal Welfare Group protested Pizza Hut for deforestation of Orangutans
A Southern California Pizza Hut received some surprising visitors last weekend — a group of orangutans. OK, so really they were environmental activists dressed up like the Great Apes, but their message was about as startling as their unusual get-ups.
A group of Greenpeace activists and orangutan suit-clad members showed up at the Pizza Hut to protest the chain's role in deforestation. The orangutans sat outside the restaurant holding a huge sign that read "Now Serving Rainforest Destruction." Meanwhile, another group of Greenpeace activists delivered a petition to the fast food chain signed by thousands of local residents. (Check out a slideshow of the event — and employees' confused faces — here). This very public display was part of an ongoing campaign from Greenpeace designed to push Pizza Hut and other fast food joints to drop their unsustainable palm oil provider, Sinar Mas.
When it comes to palm oil providers, Sinar Mas is about as low as you can go. The distributor is the largest palm oil company in Southeast Asia. It's also a huge destroyer of pristine rainforest and peatlands in the region.
While some palm oil plantations are sustainably grown and managed, others clear-cut rainforest and peatlands in order to take root. Sinar Mas tends to source its oil from the latter type of operation. This forest destruction not only destroys habitat for countless wildlife species like orangutans and Sumatran tigers, it contributes heavily to global greenhouse gas emissions. Indonesia, for example, is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, largely because of the heavy deforestation that goes on in the area.
Along with Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut is considered part of Sinar Mas' "leading global client base." That involvement also earns Pizza Hut the distinction of being one of the world's leading contributors to Southeast Asia's deforestation. As if the high amounts of calories, fat, and sodium weren't enough, now you can add the blood of endangered orangutans to Pizza Hut's dubious ingredients. The situation certainly gives new meaning to the fast food joint's "Meat Lover's Pizza."
Pizza Hut is just one of many food producers Greenpeace has taken aim at recently because of their involvement with Sinar Mas. The non-profit is using some pretty innovative tactics to push these companies towards sustainable palm oil. Greenpeace produced a video earlier this year of a guy unwrapping a Nestle Kit-Kat bar. As the man peeled down the packaging, the bar was actually a candy-coated orangutan finger. The actor then broke off the "candy" and bit into it, spewing blood everywhere as his coworkers looked on in horror. The scene then panned to a clear-cut forest with one remaining tree housing a mother orangutan and her tiny baby. It's a disturbing scene, but an effective method of getting consumers to associate certain food products with wildlife destruction.
Ads like the one geared towards Nestle have certainly been effective. Greenpeace's campaign prompted major companies like Burger King, Kraft, Nestle, and Unilever to drop Sinar Mas in favor of more sustainable palm oil providers.
After last weekend's protest, let's hope that Pizza Hut will be the next to join the fray. You can help Greenpeace in its campaign to end unsustainable palm oil use by signing its petition to Pizza Hut and Dunkin Donuts. Sinar Mas considers these two fast food giants to be part of its "leading global client base." Sign Greenpeace's petition and tell Pizza Hut and Dunkin Donuts that if they want to continue to be leading global companies, they need to immediately ditch Sinar Mas.
Story credit here and to sign petition
A group of Greenpeace activists and orangutan suit-clad members showed up at the Pizza Hut to protest the chain's role in deforestation. The orangutans sat outside the restaurant holding a huge sign that read "Now Serving Rainforest Destruction." Meanwhile, another group of Greenpeace activists delivered a petition to the fast food chain signed by thousands of local residents. (Check out a slideshow of the event — and employees' confused faces — here). This very public display was part of an ongoing campaign from Greenpeace designed to push Pizza Hut and other fast food joints to drop their unsustainable palm oil provider, Sinar Mas.
When it comes to palm oil providers, Sinar Mas is about as low as you can go. The distributor is the largest palm oil company in Southeast Asia. It's also a huge destroyer of pristine rainforest and peatlands in the region.
While some palm oil plantations are sustainably grown and managed, others clear-cut rainforest and peatlands in order to take root. Sinar Mas tends to source its oil from the latter type of operation. This forest destruction not only destroys habitat for countless wildlife species like orangutans and Sumatran tigers, it contributes heavily to global greenhouse gas emissions. Indonesia, for example, is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, largely because of the heavy deforestation that goes on in the area.
Along with Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut is considered part of Sinar Mas' "leading global client base." That involvement also earns Pizza Hut the distinction of being one of the world's leading contributors to Southeast Asia's deforestation. As if the high amounts of calories, fat, and sodium weren't enough, now you can add the blood of endangered orangutans to Pizza Hut's dubious ingredients. The situation certainly gives new meaning to the fast food joint's "Meat Lover's Pizza."
Pizza Hut is just one of many food producers Greenpeace has taken aim at recently because of their involvement with Sinar Mas. The non-profit is using some pretty innovative tactics to push these companies towards sustainable palm oil. Greenpeace produced a video earlier this year of a guy unwrapping a Nestle Kit-Kat bar. As the man peeled down the packaging, the bar was actually a candy-coated orangutan finger. The actor then broke off the "candy" and bit into it, spewing blood everywhere as his coworkers looked on in horror. The scene then panned to a clear-cut forest with one remaining tree housing a mother orangutan and her tiny baby. It's a disturbing scene, but an effective method of getting consumers to associate certain food products with wildlife destruction.
Ads like the one geared towards Nestle have certainly been effective. Greenpeace's campaign prompted major companies like Burger King, Kraft, Nestle, and Unilever to drop Sinar Mas in favor of more sustainable palm oil providers.
After last weekend's protest, let's hope that Pizza Hut will be the next to join the fray. You can help Greenpeace in its campaign to end unsustainable palm oil use by signing its petition to Pizza Hut and Dunkin Donuts. Sinar Mas considers these two fast food giants to be part of its "leading global client base." Sign Greenpeace's petition and tell Pizza Hut and Dunkin Donuts that if they want to continue to be leading global companies, they need to immediately ditch Sinar Mas.
Story credit here and to sign petition
Evolution or God?
A new Gallup poll surveying public opinion finds a slightly higher rate of acceptance of evolution in the United States over the years.
When people were asked "Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and development of human beings?" 38 percent of the respondents accepted "Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process."
Culture (Not Just Genes) Drives Evolution
Sixteen percent accepted "Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process."
And 40 percent accepted "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so."
While four in 10 creationist Americans may seem like a lot, it's down significantly from just a decade ago. The study noted that "the 40 percent of Americans who hold the 'creationist' view that God created humans as-is 10,000 years ago is the lowest in Gallup's history of asking this question, and down from a high point of 47 percent in 1993 and 1999."
Pets Vital to Human Evolution
Frank Newport, a spokesman for Gallup, noted in a press release that "Americans' views on human origins vary significantly by level of education and religiosity. Those who are less educated are more likely to hold a creationist view. Those with college degrees and postgraduate education are more likely to hold one of the two viewpoints involving evolution."
Though there was of course a strong correlation between religiosity and belief in creationism, the poll found that about a fourth of those who rarely or never attend church reject evolution. The poll was based on telephone interviews conducted with a random sample of 1,019 adults between Dec. 10 and 12.
Story Credit Here
Photo: Flickr
How many Americans still don't believe in Evolution
According to a new Gallup poll, four out of every 10 Americans agrees with the statement "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so."
That's creationism. And for the record, these folks vote in the same elections as you and I.
As for the concept that humans have, in fact, evolved over millions of years, but with God's guiding hand--that captures around 38% of responses.
And for those who throw their lot in purely with science and facts, an anemic (though rising) 16% of responders agreed with the statement "Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, [and] God had no part in this process."
Personally, I find this poll disparaging, if not expected. But there are some reasons for hope. Of the three groups, the creationists are the largest. However, the gap between those who believe in a millennial-long process of godly evolution vs straight creation is the smallest in the poll's near 30-year history (38% vs. 40% respectively). Also, those who believe in the wholly secular process of biodiversity reach their (comparatively) best showing in the poll's history, and their numbers have been marching upwards over the past decade.
As you might expect, the percentage of those who accept evolution (in some form) rises with the amount of education (creationists makeup 22% of postgraduates, but 47% of those who only reached high school or less), while it is inversely related with church attendance (of those who attend church weekly, 60% are creationists, but they only make 24% of those who attend church seldom/never).
As for party affiliation, a majority of Republicans (52%) are fine with the not true idea that humans have only been around for 10,000 years. However, the largest percentage of people who believe in a science-driven understanding of our species actually identify as Independents (21%, a full percentage point over those who identify as Democrats).
Story Credit Here
That's creationism. And for the record, these folks vote in the same elections as you and I.
As for the concept that humans have, in fact, evolved over millions of years, but with God's guiding hand--that captures around 38% of responses.
And for those who throw their lot in purely with science and facts, an anemic (though rising) 16% of responders agreed with the statement "Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, [and] God had no part in this process."
Personally, I find this poll disparaging, if not expected. But there are some reasons for hope. Of the three groups, the creationists are the largest. However, the gap between those who believe in a millennial-long process of godly evolution vs straight creation is the smallest in the poll's near 30-year history (38% vs. 40% respectively). Also, those who believe in the wholly secular process of biodiversity reach their (comparatively) best showing in the poll's history, and their numbers have been marching upwards over the past decade.
As you might expect, the percentage of those who accept evolution (in some form) rises with the amount of education (creationists makeup 22% of postgraduates, but 47% of those who only reached high school or less), while it is inversely related with church attendance (of those who attend church weekly, 60% are creationists, but they only make 24% of those who attend church seldom/never).
As for party affiliation, a majority of Republicans (52%) are fine with the not true idea that humans have only been around for 10,000 years. However, the largest percentage of people who believe in a science-driven understanding of our species actually identify as Independents (21%, a full percentage point over those who identify as Democrats).
Story Credit Here
First Gorilla, Colo, born in captivity celebrates 54th Birthday
The party honored birthday girl Colo, the world’s first gorilla born in human care and oldest living in a zoo, Wednesday morning at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Colo’s indoor habitat area was decorated with adding machine paper (an enrichment item). She had a few wrapped boxes, a crate of oranges and a gorilla-safe cake, made of whole-grain flour, fruits and spices and nut butter frosting.
As customary, the public was invited to Colo’s 54th birthday festivities, filling the African Forest indoor gorilla habitat with more than 100 people. Colo was separated from her birthday room while people filed in to watch the ceremony.
Dale Schmidt, Columbus Zoo President and CEO, welcomed the public to the celebration. As Colo’s door was opened, which was separating her from her birthday feast, members of the public sang “Happy Birthday” and wildly snapped pictures.
Colo headed directly to her crate of oranges. Members of the public were impressed that she ate her treat so politely.
Groveport resident Sarah Fosnaugh celebrated her birthday at the zoo Wednesday. Just turning 6-years-old, she shares the same birthday as Colo. Her mother, Michelle Fosnaugh, thought it would be a nice way to spend the day.
“We didn’t realize that she shares her birthday with Colo until this year,” Michelle Fosnaugh said.
Sarah Fosnaugh, crowned with a birthday girl tiara, didn’t mind sharing her birthday with Colo.
“It’s fun,” she said.
Colo has lived at the Columbus Zoo since her birth on Dec. 22, 1956. (Those sharing the same birth year and turning 54 received free admission to the zoo Wednesday, zoo officials said.) She weighed 3 pounds, 5 ounces at birth and was named through a national “Name the Baby Gorilla” contest. Her name is short for Columbus, Ohio.
“Colo holds a special place in all of our hearts,” said Dale Schmidt, Columbus Zoo president and CEO.
Columbus Zoo docent Kathy Goldsmith said that Colo is in good health and lives by herself in her habitat by choice. There are only two other gorillas that have lived to be 55-years-old, she said.
Colo gave birth to three children. Her family tree, which is displayed pictorially in the African Forest indoor habitat, includes 16 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. One daughter, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren of Colo’s also reside at the Columbus Zoo.
Miscellaneous paraphernalia from Colo’s previous birthdays, like scrapbook pages, pictures and government-issued proclamations, were on display for the public to view.
Author Nancy Roe Pimm was on hand Wednesday signing copies of her book Colo’s Story — The Life of One Grand Gorilla. Those in attendance could meet the author and celebrate with birthday cake, courtesy of Costco.
Story Credit Here
Colo’s indoor habitat area was decorated with adding machine paper (an enrichment item). She had a few wrapped boxes, a crate of oranges and a gorilla-safe cake, made of whole-grain flour, fruits and spices and nut butter frosting.
As customary, the public was invited to Colo’s 54th birthday festivities, filling the African Forest indoor gorilla habitat with more than 100 people. Colo was separated from her birthday room while people filed in to watch the ceremony.
Dale Schmidt, Columbus Zoo President and CEO, welcomed the public to the celebration. As Colo’s door was opened, which was separating her from her birthday feast, members of the public sang “Happy Birthday” and wildly snapped pictures.
Colo headed directly to her crate of oranges. Members of the public were impressed that she ate her treat so politely.
Groveport resident Sarah Fosnaugh celebrated her birthday at the zoo Wednesday. Just turning 6-years-old, she shares the same birthday as Colo. Her mother, Michelle Fosnaugh, thought it would be a nice way to spend the day.
“We didn’t realize that she shares her birthday with Colo until this year,” Michelle Fosnaugh said.
Sarah Fosnaugh, crowned with a birthday girl tiara, didn’t mind sharing her birthday with Colo.
“It’s fun,” she said.
Colo has lived at the Columbus Zoo since her birth on Dec. 22, 1956. (Those sharing the same birth year and turning 54 received free admission to the zoo Wednesday, zoo officials said.) She weighed 3 pounds, 5 ounces at birth and was named through a national “Name the Baby Gorilla” contest. Her name is short for Columbus, Ohio.
“Colo holds a special place in all of our hearts,” said Dale Schmidt, Columbus Zoo president and CEO.
Columbus Zoo docent Kathy Goldsmith said that Colo is in good health and lives by herself in her habitat by choice. There are only two other gorillas that have lived to be 55-years-old, she said.
Colo gave birth to three children. Her family tree, which is displayed pictorially in the African Forest indoor habitat, includes 16 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. One daughter, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren of Colo’s also reside at the Columbus Zoo.
Miscellaneous paraphernalia from Colo’s previous birthdays, like scrapbook pages, pictures and government-issued proclamations, were on display for the public to view.
Author Nancy Roe Pimm was on hand Wednesday signing copies of her book Colo’s Story — The Life of One Grand Gorilla. Those in attendance could meet the author and celebrate with birthday cake, courtesy of Costco.
Story Credit Here
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Grace Center for Gorillas
The rumors began in early February 2010: Somewhere in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, an infant gorilla was being offered for sale. Some said it was a pet. Either way, the situation was illegal and a very important life was at stake.
By the time the Congolese authorities had confiscated the gorilla, several weeks had passed. And the shivering, terrified, malnourished infant that was delivered into the arms of Eddy Kambale of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) on February 26th faced a difficult battle for survival.
Gorillas are notoriously fragile animals, and the stress of capture, confiscation and rehabilitation is often too much for them to survive. But this gorilla - nicknamed "Ndjingala", after the area in which she was confiscated from poachers - will not only receive the best care possible, she will ultimately get the opportunity to return to the wild.
The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) center is a rescue facility specifically designed for the needs of East African gorillas and the first permanent sanctuary ever built for the species. Situated in the Kashugo region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo adjacent to the Tayna Nature Reserve, the GRACE will serve as the focal point of gorilla rescue and rehabilitation in the region and an important link between the in situ and ex situ conservation work in the region.
The GRACE center could not come at a more crucial time in the battle to conserve East African gorillas. Eastern lowland gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) are classified as "endangered" and mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are identified as "critically endangered" by the 2007 World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List, and experts consider both subspecies at high risk for extinction within several decades.
The GRACE center is the result of a partnership between the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI), the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), Disney's Animal Programs, and the Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN). Funded by a grant from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Great Apes Conservation Fund, in association with the Neu Family Foundation and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the GRACE center grew out of discussions between key players at the 2008 Gorilla Workshop in Orlando, Florida, and quickly became a reality. "This is a critical opportunity for us to help many more young gorillas that have been victimized by unlawful activity or habitat destruction, and also to strengthen our partnership with the people who are the true stewards of the land and the animals", said DFGFI president Clare Richardson. "All gorilla species are threatened with extinction. Both public education and rehabilitation services are critical to their chances for survival."
Over the past decade, it is estimated that at least 25 orphaned gorillas were confiscated in East Africa, but died before they could get proper medical care. The creation of an interim quarantine facility in Rwanda in 2006 - which is a joint venture of DFGFI and MGVP, and ultimately came to care for a mix of eastern lowland and mountain gorillas - made it clear that a permanent facility was required.
After funding was sourced, the GRACE project broke ground on 370 acres of donated land in Tayna in January 2009, and is targeted for completion in May 2010. The initial phase of construction is designed to accommodate 15 gorillas, which is good since there are already 10 being cared for at sites in Congo and Rwanda.
The gorillas - which range in age from 1-year-old infants (such as Ndjingala) to 6 adolescents housed at an interim quarantine facility in Rwanda - will be brought together at the GRACE center through an airlift being coordinated in conjunction with the peacekeepers serving with the United Nations mission in the region, known as MONUC. "Caring for the Earth we all share is not just the job of governments", said Alan Doss, head of MONUC. "It requires us to reach across boundaries and do things we would not normally expect to do."
The land for the new center was donated by the Tayna Center for Conservation Biology (TCCB). The site is adjacent to approximately 222,000 acres of forest in a protected nature reserve.
But the region is also situated in one of the most embattled areas in all of East Africa, and the long-running guerilla war between the government forces and the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) rebel militias of Laurent Nkunda had a heavy impact on the project. Although Nkunda's arrest in late January 2009 seemed to indicate that the conflict would die out, military "sweeps" by the government forces in early 2009 to flush out rebel resistance swept through Kashugo on several occasions, forcing construction to be halted for extended periods and the temporary removal of construction coordinators to nearby Butembo for security reasons.
Brief military exchanges occurred during several of these clashes, and on February 11st, 2009, the rebel forces looted and burned the small radio station that operates from Tayna. On another occasion, a vehicle being used by the GRACE project was attacked and badly damaged by rebel forces. The military actions in the area also slowed the delivery of raw materials to the construction site.
The GRACE project also suffered a heavy blow through the unexpected death on May 29th, 2009, of DFGFI vice-president Alecia Lilly, who served as the director of the project from her base in Kigali, Rwanda. The loss of Lilly badly shook the project, and forced the partners to regroup and devise a new way forward. But the installation of Debby Cox, the former director of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) Uganda and a member of the PASA advisory committee, as the project director in January 2010 quickly put the GRACE center back on target. The project's handling facilities, veterinary block and staff housing are near completion, and a 2-acre socialization yard is being fenced to allow the gorillas to establish social bonds.
The GRACE center was designed to accommodate either eastern lowland gorillas or mountain gorillas, but only the former will be coming for now. A small recovery facility for mountain gorillas was recently completed in Rumangabo. Either way, all of the orphaned gorillas in Congo will be seriously considered for reintroduction, which is the act of returning animals to the wild, in accordance with guidelines established by the IUCN.
Although no East African gorilla has ever been successfully reintroduced, two PASA members in West-Central Africa - the Projet Protection des Gorilles (PPG) sanctuaries in Gabon and Congo - have returned western lowland gorillas to the wild with amazingly good results. The PPG projects have collectively reintroduced over 40 gorillas, with survival rates at approximately 84% and 10 wild births. But it will be many years before Ndjingala and the other gorillas leave the safety of the GRACE center and venture out into the forests.
Reintroduction is an extremely difficult, complex, political, expensive and emotional process, and although PASA member sanctuaries have found success with chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and monkeys elsewhere in Africa, there is no need to rush. Having already suffered so much, orphaned gorillas in East Africa need to recover their health - both physical and mental - before proceeding on to the next phase of their lives.
Information and Photos here
By the time the Congolese authorities had confiscated the gorilla, several weeks had passed. And the shivering, terrified, malnourished infant that was delivered into the arms of Eddy Kambale of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) on February 26th faced a difficult battle for survival.
Gorillas are notoriously fragile animals, and the stress of capture, confiscation and rehabilitation is often too much for them to survive. But this gorilla - nicknamed "Ndjingala", after the area in which she was confiscated from poachers - will not only receive the best care possible, she will ultimately get the opportunity to return to the wild.
The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) center is a rescue facility specifically designed for the needs of East African gorillas and the first permanent sanctuary ever built for the species. Situated in the Kashugo region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo adjacent to the Tayna Nature Reserve, the GRACE will serve as the focal point of gorilla rescue and rehabilitation in the region and an important link between the in situ and ex situ conservation work in the region.
The GRACE center could not come at a more crucial time in the battle to conserve East African gorillas. Eastern lowland gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) are classified as "endangered" and mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are identified as "critically endangered" by the 2007 World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List, and experts consider both subspecies at high risk for extinction within several decades.
The GRACE center is the result of a partnership between the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI), the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), Disney's Animal Programs, and the Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN). Funded by a grant from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Great Apes Conservation Fund, in association with the Neu Family Foundation and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the GRACE center grew out of discussions between key players at the 2008 Gorilla Workshop in Orlando, Florida, and quickly became a reality. "This is a critical opportunity for us to help many more young gorillas that have been victimized by unlawful activity or habitat destruction, and also to strengthen our partnership with the people who are the true stewards of the land and the animals", said DFGFI president Clare Richardson. "All gorilla species are threatened with extinction. Both public education and rehabilitation services are critical to their chances for survival."
Over the past decade, it is estimated that at least 25 orphaned gorillas were confiscated in East Africa, but died before they could get proper medical care. The creation of an interim quarantine facility in Rwanda in 2006 - which is a joint venture of DFGFI and MGVP, and ultimately came to care for a mix of eastern lowland and mountain gorillas - made it clear that a permanent facility was required.
After funding was sourced, the GRACE project broke ground on 370 acres of donated land in Tayna in January 2009, and is targeted for completion in May 2010. The initial phase of construction is designed to accommodate 15 gorillas, which is good since there are already 10 being cared for at sites in Congo and Rwanda.
The gorillas - which range in age from 1-year-old infants (such as Ndjingala) to 6 adolescents housed at an interim quarantine facility in Rwanda - will be brought together at the GRACE center through an airlift being coordinated in conjunction with the peacekeepers serving with the United Nations mission in the region, known as MONUC. "Caring for the Earth we all share is not just the job of governments", said Alan Doss, head of MONUC. "It requires us to reach across boundaries and do things we would not normally expect to do."
The land for the new center was donated by the Tayna Center for Conservation Biology (TCCB). The site is adjacent to approximately 222,000 acres of forest in a protected nature reserve.
But the region is also situated in one of the most embattled areas in all of East Africa, and the long-running guerilla war between the government forces and the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) rebel militias of Laurent Nkunda had a heavy impact on the project. Although Nkunda's arrest in late January 2009 seemed to indicate that the conflict would die out, military "sweeps" by the government forces in early 2009 to flush out rebel resistance swept through Kashugo on several occasions, forcing construction to be halted for extended periods and the temporary removal of construction coordinators to nearby Butembo for security reasons.
Brief military exchanges occurred during several of these clashes, and on February 11st, 2009, the rebel forces looted and burned the small radio station that operates from Tayna. On another occasion, a vehicle being used by the GRACE project was attacked and badly damaged by rebel forces. The military actions in the area also slowed the delivery of raw materials to the construction site.
The GRACE project also suffered a heavy blow through the unexpected death on May 29th, 2009, of DFGFI vice-president Alecia Lilly, who served as the director of the project from her base in Kigali, Rwanda. The loss of Lilly badly shook the project, and forced the partners to regroup and devise a new way forward. But the installation of Debby Cox, the former director of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) Uganda and a member of the PASA advisory committee, as the project director in January 2010 quickly put the GRACE center back on target. The project's handling facilities, veterinary block and staff housing are near completion, and a 2-acre socialization yard is being fenced to allow the gorillas to establish social bonds.
The GRACE center was designed to accommodate either eastern lowland gorillas or mountain gorillas, but only the former will be coming for now. A small recovery facility for mountain gorillas was recently completed in Rumangabo. Either way, all of the orphaned gorillas in Congo will be seriously considered for reintroduction, which is the act of returning animals to the wild, in accordance with guidelines established by the IUCN.
Although no East African gorilla has ever been successfully reintroduced, two PASA members in West-Central Africa - the Projet Protection des Gorilles (PPG) sanctuaries in Gabon and Congo - have returned western lowland gorillas to the wild with amazingly good results. The PPG projects have collectively reintroduced over 40 gorillas, with survival rates at approximately 84% and 10 wild births. But it will be many years before Ndjingala and the other gorillas leave the safety of the GRACE center and venture out into the forests.
Reintroduction is an extremely difficult, complex, political, expensive and emotional process, and although PASA member sanctuaries have found success with chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and monkeys elsewhere in Africa, there is no need to rush. Having already suffered so much, orphaned gorillas in East Africa need to recover their health - both physical and mental - before proceeding on to the next phase of their lives.
Information and Photos here
Spider Monkey at the Greenville Zoo is recovering from surgery
A 36-year-old Spider Monkey named Selma is recovering at Greenville Zoo after undergoing an operation.
Video here
Video here
Pet Monkey seized and brought to the Detroit Zoo
Story;
The Detroit Zoo got an early Christmas present this year, in the form of a small monkey seized from a Southfield home.
Southfield Police said they received a call on Dec. 6 that a family living on Spring River had a marmoset named Pearl in their home. For the most part, exotic or wild animals are illegal within city limits, and while appearing sweet-natured, marmosets can be aggressive.
Pearl, who had been living with the family for three years, came to Michigan via Florida. The family willingly turned over the small monkey, due to a possible move.
Story Credit here
The Detroit Zoo got an early Christmas present this year, in the form of a small monkey seized from a Southfield home.
Southfield Police said they received a call on Dec. 6 that a family living on Spring River had a marmoset named Pearl in their home. For the most part, exotic or wild animals are illegal within city limits, and while appearing sweet-natured, marmosets can be aggressive.
Pearl, who had been living with the family for three years, came to Michigan via Florida. The family willingly turned over the small monkey, due to a possible move.
Story Credit here
Florida- Monkey escapes, bites man and is captured
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY — A monkey was apprehended Tuesday night after it jumped on a man's shoulder, bit the startled man on the ear and then scurried onto a roof, where the animal was eventually coaxed down and into a cage, WSVN-Ch. 7 reported.
The incident happened about 7 p.m. at a home near Southwest 134th Avenue and 52nd Street. It's believed the monkey escaped from another home in the neighborhood. The monkey-bite victim was taken to a local hospital.
A witness told the WSVN the man had been cooking dinner when the monkey leapt onto his shoulder. When the man tried to swat the black-and-white Capuchin monkey away, it bit his ear and then scrambled onto the roof.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue workers tried to coax the monkey off the roof using a banana, WSVN reported. The creature eventually came down and was secured in a cage brought to the scene by animal control officials.
Story Credit here
The incident happened about 7 p.m. at a home near Southwest 134th Avenue and 52nd Street. It's believed the monkey escaped from another home in the neighborhood. The monkey-bite victim was taken to a local hospital.
A witness told the WSVN the man had been cooking dinner when the monkey leapt onto his shoulder. When the man tried to swat the black-and-white Capuchin monkey away, it bit his ear and then scrambled onto the roof.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue workers tried to coax the monkey off the roof using a banana, WSVN reported. The creature eventually came down and was secured in a cage brought to the scene by animal control officials.
Story Credit here
Hannover Zoo didn't know their Gorilla was pregnant?
Wow, Guess the caretakers weren't really looking the Apes over very well everyday. How hard is it to tell when a Gorilla has a huge stomach?
Story;
Germany's Hannover Zoo had expected a baby gorilla in time for Christmas, but zookeeper Klaus Meyer was surprised that it was a different mother than he had anticipated. The staff hadn't even known the mother, Kathi, was pregnant.
Hannover Zoo is part of the European Endangered Species Programme, which aims to save gorillas and other endangered animals from extinction. Almost every member of the ape family is currently listed as endangered or critically endangered on IUCN's Red List. The three biggest threats to apes are hunting, habitat loss, and disease.
Story Credit and Video here
Story;
Germany's Hannover Zoo had expected a baby gorilla in time for Christmas, but zookeeper Klaus Meyer was surprised that it was a different mother than he had anticipated. The staff hadn't even known the mother, Kathi, was pregnant.
Hannover Zoo is part of the European Endangered Species Programme, which aims to save gorillas and other endangered animals from extinction. Almost every member of the ape family is currently listed as endangered or critically endangered on IUCN's Red List. The three biggest threats to apes are hunting, habitat loss, and disease.
Story Credit and Video here
First Gorilla born in captivity was at the Columbus Zoo
On this day in 1956, a baby gorilla named Colo enters the world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, becoming the first-ever gorilla born in captivity. Weighing in at approximately 4 pounds, Colo, a western lowland gorilla whose name was a combination of Columbus and Ohio, was the daughter of Millie and Mac, two gorillas captured in French Cameroon, Africa, who were brought to the Columbus Zoo in 1951. Before Colo's birth, gorillas found at zoos were caught in the wild, often by brutal means. In order to capture a gorilla when it was young and therefore still small enough to handle, hunters frequently had to kill the gorilla's parents and other family members.
Gorillas are peaceful, intelligent animals, native to Africa, who live in small groups led by one adult male, known as a silverback. There are three subspecies of gorilla: western lowland, eastern lowland and mountain. The subspecies are similar and the majority of gorillas in captivity are western lowland. Gorillas are vegetarians whose only natural enemy is the humans who hunt them. On average, a gorilla lives to 35 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity.
At the time Colo was born, captive gorillas often never learned parenting skills from their own parents in the wild, so the Columbus Zoo built her a nursery and she was reared by zookeepers. In the years since Colo's arrival, zookeepers have developed habitats that simulate a gorilla's natural environment and many captive-born gorillas are now raised by their mothers. In situations where this doesn't work, zoos have created surrogacy programs, in which the infants are briefly cared for by humans and then handed over to other gorillas to raise.
Colo, who generated enormous public interest and is still alive today, went on to become a mother, grandmother, and in 1996, a great-grandmother to Timu, the first surviving infant gorilla conceived by artificial insemination. Timu gave birth to her first baby in 2003.
Today, there are approximately 750 gorillas in captivity around the world and an estimated 100,000 lowland gorillas (and far fewer mountain gorillas) remaining in the wild. Most zoos are active in captive breeding programs and have agreed not to buy gorillas born in the wild. Since Colo's birth, 30 gorillas have been born at the Columbus Zoo alone.
Story Credit Here and a great blog to read
Gorillas are peaceful, intelligent animals, native to Africa, who live in small groups led by one adult male, known as a silverback. There are three subspecies of gorilla: western lowland, eastern lowland and mountain. The subspecies are similar and the majority of gorillas in captivity are western lowland. Gorillas are vegetarians whose only natural enemy is the humans who hunt them. On average, a gorilla lives to 35 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity.
At the time Colo was born, captive gorillas often never learned parenting skills from their own parents in the wild, so the Columbus Zoo built her a nursery and she was reared by zookeepers. In the years since Colo's arrival, zookeepers have developed habitats that simulate a gorilla's natural environment and many captive-born gorillas are now raised by their mothers. In situations where this doesn't work, zoos have created surrogacy programs, in which the infants are briefly cared for by humans and then handed over to other gorillas to raise.
Colo, who generated enormous public interest and is still alive today, went on to become a mother, grandmother, and in 1996, a great-grandmother to Timu, the first surviving infant gorilla conceived by artificial insemination. Timu gave birth to her first baby in 2003.
Today, there are approximately 750 gorillas in captivity around the world and an estimated 100,000 lowland gorillas (and far fewer mountain gorillas) remaining in the wild. Most zoos are active in captive breeding programs and have agreed not to buy gorillas born in the wild. Since Colo's birth, 30 gorillas have been born at the Columbus Zoo alone.
Story Credit Here and a great blog to read
Differences between human and primate immune systems
Critical differences between the human immune system and that of other primates, such as chimpanzees and rhesus macaques, lead to humans being more susceptible to a number of infectious agents including HIV and malaria. Now, the first genome-wide functional comparison in chimps, macaques and humans reveals changes in immune system gene expression that could explain these differences1.
Luis Barreiro and colleagues at the University of Chicago took monocytes from the three species and stimulated them with lipopolysaccharide, which mimics bacterial infection. They used microarrays to measure changes in gene expression, and found that while a ‘core’ response was strongly conserved, the human cells increased expression of genes involved in cancer pathways, the B cell receptor signaling pathway and apoptosis-related pathways, among others. Chimpanzee cells, however, increased expression of genes that interact with HIV, potentially explaining why chimps do not routinely develop AIDS after HIV/SIV infection.
I spoke with Luis over Skype, and asked him about the implications of the work, how he got interested, and what he plans to do next. Hear what he said in this short video:
By Richard P. Grant
Story Credit and Video here
Luis Barreiro and colleagues at the University of Chicago took monocytes from the three species and stimulated them with lipopolysaccharide, which mimics bacterial infection. They used microarrays to measure changes in gene expression, and found that while a ‘core’ response was strongly conserved, the human cells increased expression of genes involved in cancer pathways, the B cell receptor signaling pathway and apoptosis-related pathways, among others. Chimpanzee cells, however, increased expression of genes that interact with HIV, potentially explaining why chimps do not routinely develop AIDS after HIV/SIV infection.
I spoke with Luis over Skype, and asked him about the implications of the work, how he got interested, and what he plans to do next. Hear what he said in this short video:
By Richard P. Grant
Story Credit and Video here
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