To Clone or Not to Clone

Remember Dolly the Sheep? She was a clone made from living cells from an adult sheep. Dolly lived for 6 years (short-lived for a sheep) and died of a lung disease in 2003. It is not clear whether Dolly’s early departure was tied to the fact that she was a clone.

Clones have only been able to be created using live tissues…until now. Recently, researchers in Japan have been able to use cells from mice that have been dead and frozen for 16 years. I find this a bit scary, as they will, of course, start looking at cloning to bring animals back from extinction (and let’s not even talk about humans!) I think the technology can only work for frozen tissues, so at least we won’t be seeing any T-Rexes roaming the streets any time soon! But what about the woolly mammoth? If you read my post from April 6, you know that some fully and partially intact mammoths have been found in permafrost conditions.

Just because we have the ability to clone extinct species, does that mean we should do it? In my opinion…uh, no.

Polar Bears: Threatened

In a decision that is months overdue (4 months to be exact), the Interior Secretary listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The reason for their threatened status is habitat loss--the apparent change in climate is causing sea ice to melt rapidly. Polar bears spend much of their time on the ice hunting seals and doing other things that polar bears do. Ice melted to record low numbers last summer, and officials from the National Snow and Ice Data Center predict extreme low numbers again in 2008. If the sea ice melting trend continues the way it's been going, 2/3 of the polar bears could be gone by 2050.

This is the first time that a species has been listed due to climate change. I am interested to see what the polar bear recovery plan will look like. It's not like we can make more habitat for them. Maybe efforts will be geared toward a campaign to reduce greenhouse gases, which is commonly viewed as the culprit in our global warming.

Duckbill, we hardly know ye

I consider myself lucky to be among the minority of people who have ever seen a platypus. I spent a few days in eastern Australia a few years back, and had dreamed about spotting a duckbill in the weeks leading up to my trip. Once I set foot on Aussie soil, I was determined to find one. I had to find the right people, however, to help me find them--they're very elusive.

Once hooked up with the right people, we set out for a streamside in a quiet rainforest. It was a rainy afternoon, and we waited for dusk. Platypuses (or platypi, if you prefer--they both sound funny!) are crepuscular creatures, meaning that they're active at dusk and dawn. During the day, they're holed up in stream- or lake-side burrows. We waited for what seemed like forever, getting soaked. As it grew darker and darker, I began to lose hope--maybe I would not get to see one, afterall. Then, in a quiet whisper, the guide said, "There," as he pointed upstream. Sure enough, moving smoothly toward us, was a platypus. As if on cue, he circled around right in front of us, looking for food. It was much smaller than I had expected--males only reach about 20" in lengh, and females about 16". A second platypus also made its way down the stream. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to spot one of these guys, and I was thrilled to have seen them. Unfortunately, I have no proof, as the guide discouraged photographs as to not scare them.

Platypuses are possibly the most unusual animals around today. They're classified as monotremes (egg-laying mammals), of which there is only one other species--the echidna (also native to Australia). While they have been considered mammals, they share characteristics of birds and reptiles, too. They have fur and rear their young on milk, but they also lay eggs and the males produce venom. They're sometimes referred to as living fossils, as ancestral platypuses existed alongside dinosaurs 4.5 million years ago!

Researchers at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Oxford have recently analyzed the DNA blueprint of the platypus and have revealed its genetic makeup. Eway Birney, the head reseacher on the genome project, stated, "The platypus looks like such a strange blend of mammalian, bird-like, and reptilian features and now we know that the genome is an equally bizarre mix of all of these. It's much more of a melange than anyone expected."

What I'm now wondering is whether platypuses will still be filed under the Class Mammalia? Or perhaps Aves or Reptilia? I know that in order for us to try and make sense of things that it needs to be classfied under one class. But who's to say that Mammalia is the best place for the platypus?

Salmon fishing closure

Salmon is the next resource that is about to skyrocket in price. On Thursday, the National Marine Fisheries Service imposed an emergency closure on nearly all salmon fishing on the west coast. Over the past few years, salmon populations have declined sharply; and last year, only about 1/3 of salmon returned to California rivers to spawn. The decrease is thought to be due to changing environmental conditions, as well as hungry sea lions.

In California alone, recreational fishing is worth about $4 billion each year. While California's economy might suffer most, impacts will be felt nationwide for salmon-eaters. While Alaska's salmon population seems to be doing well, we will still see the price increases at the supermarket.

Happy National Wildlife Week!

It's National Wildlife Week! President Franklin Roosevelt declared the first National Wildlife Week back in 1938--this is the 70th anniversary. This year, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) invites us all to participate in Wildlife Watch. Go forth and explore the wonderful world of wildlife in your state, and report your findings back to the NWF. Don't know what to look for? Go to www.nwf.org/watch to find the Wildlife Watch list for your state. Don't know where to go to find these critters? Go to NatureFind.com for a listing of all of the nature-y areas near you.

Here in Massachusetts we have 6 species on the watch list, including one of my favorite birds--the Eastern Bluebird. I saw my first bluebird of the year yesterday! Their blue is so vibrant, it's breathtaking.

So...what are you waiting for? Get out there!

No Soup For You!

Would you pay $100 for a bowl of soup? Many folks do. Particularly if it's made from shark fins. Shark-fin soup, which is an expensive delicacy in East Asia, has become more popular over the past few decades. With the general increase in East Asian affluence, the soup is more affordable to more people. While I don't have a problem with harvesting marine animals for consumption, I do take issue with the irresponsible waste of resources.

Shark-fin soup is the product of the barbaric practice of finning, where sharks are caught, their fins cut off (while they're alive), and their bodies thrown back into the ocean. Sharks either bleed to death or they drown, as they can not swim without their fins. About 99% of the animal is wasted. Each year, a shocking 100 million sharks are finned.

Laws are currently in place that were intended to reduce, if not eliminate, finning. However, the existing laws are very difficult to enforce. Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo from Guam (my old stomping grounds!) recently introduced a bill that would put an end to shark finning altogether. The House Subcommittee of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans will meet again this Wednesday to further discuss the proposed Shark Conservation Act of 2008.

What killed the Woolly Mammoth?

Long long ago in a [not so] faraway land, lived a giant beast. It weighed 8 tons, and it stood 12 feet tall with tusks almost as long. Its other teeth were the size of shoe boxes. It was the woolly mammoth--a close relative to today's elephant.

Woolly mammoths first appeared on earth 2 million years ago, and they once inhabited most of the world--including North America. We know so much about mammoths because many well-preserved carcasses have been found. Most recently, in 1997, a 9-year-old boy in Siberia discovered a fully intact woolly mammoth carcass. Also, many ancient cave drawings have depicted mammoths and their interactions with humans.

Over the years, there have been spirited debates among paleontologists and anthropologists about why woolly mammoths went extinct. Some say it was due solely to climate change, while others claim that hunting by humans did them in. Another theory yet suggests that woolly mammoths should still be roaming the earth, but that a virulent disease led to their demise.

Last week, the results of a recent study by Spanish researchers appeared in the journal PLoS Biology (Public Library of Science). Their research, which was based on climate models and fossil remains, concluded that climate change drove mammoths to the edge of extiction, and then human hunting pushed them over that edge. The warmer climate led to catastrophic loss of habitat, and they became relegated to 10% of their once-available habitat. With more hospitable conditions for humans, they were able to move into once-unihabitable areas to hunt mammoths. However, by that time (only about 6,000 years ago) humans would only have had to kill one mammonth each every 3 years to push the species to extinction.

Climate change remains a hot issue (pun intended) for our planet today. But as history has evidenced, our climate has always been changing--and it always will be.

Bats in the Northeast: White-nose Woes

In the northeast, bats are dying and nobody knows why. It was first recognized last year in Albany, NY where about 10,000 bats--more than half of the wintering population there--died. Biologists noticed that most of the bats had something in common--a white fungus on their nose. However, it is unknown if it was the fungus that was killing the bats, or if it was just a symptom of a disease.

This year, the fungus--which is now being called white-nose syndrome--has been identified in bats in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont, as well. It appears that bats with the fungus lose their fat reserves far too early in winter, and die as a result. Federal and state biologists, along with some caving organizations, are trying to determine the exact casue of death in these bats, as well as the geographic extent of the outbreak.

The fungus appears to be affecting all bat species, with greatest mortality to the local population of Little Brown Bats. The Indiana Bat, an endangered species, is also among the afflicted. It is unknown how white-nose syndrome will affect recovery efforts; but, Indiana Bat hibernacula and summer roost sites will be closely monitored.

Welcome Back, Wolves!

In one of the greatest species recoveries ever, the Gray Wolf was delisted from the Endangered Species list in the Northern Rockies today. Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in the mid-90s, where they had been extirpated (made locally extinct) decades before. The population, which was considered an experimental non-essential population (a term I've never liked), grew quickly, and expanded its territory. The USFWS reached its goal of 30 breeding pairs in 2002, and the numbers are increasing, annually. Currently, there are 1500 wolves and about 100 breeding pairs in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming--exceeding the recovery goals, by far.

Now that this DPS (distinct population segment) has been delisted, the USFWS turns over management of the wolves to the state wildlife agencies. The states are free to manage the populations as they see fit, including establishing wolf hunting seasons.

Once wolves wander outside of the designated area where they've been delisted, however, they will be granted protection under the Endangered Species Act again. The designated area includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, the eastern third of Washington and Oregon, and a small portion of north-central Utah.

While many environmental activist groups are up-in-arms about the delisting, there are many who are thrilled about it--especially Yellowstone managers who have seen an increase of 100,000 visitors per year since the wolves arrived.

Welcome back!

2008: The Year of the Frog

Frogs are in trouble. In the past 20 years, at least 120 amphibians have gone extinct due to habitat loss, poaching, pollution, and run-ins with invasive species. Wildlife managers and conservationists across the world recognize that at least 1/3 of all known amphibians face a similar fate. The American Association of Zoos and Aquariums has declared 2008 as The Year of the Frog. They are joined in their campaign by many other organizations such as The Wildlife Conservation Society and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to raise awareness and funding for amphibian conservation.

Many zoos have embraced the Year of the Frog campaign. The Bronx Zoo has installed new video and graphic displays in its World of Reptiles to highlight the ongoing amphibian crisis. Other zoos such as The National Zoo and The Detroit Zoo have added exhibits and events to do their part in education. Additionally, they are all working together with Amphibian Ark to raise $50-$60 million for research and conservation programs.

Some are calling the amphibian extinction crisis the greatest conservation challenge in the history of humanity, as it may lead to the largest mass extinction since dinosaurs.

Godzilla of Gasparilla

The ctenosaurs are here; and they’re taking over. When they’re done chomping through your yard, they’ll start gnawing on your electrical cables, and eventually on your house. Then, they’ll work their way inside by sneaking up through your toilet bowl. When it’s time to move on to the next house, they’ll be sure to leave behind a pungent reminder of their visit.

While this could be a trailer to a really bad horror movie, it’s not fiction. It’s all true and it all takes place right here in the U. S. of A. For residents of Gasparilla Island--an exclusive barrier island town in southwest Florida--the invasion of ctenosaurs is a reality they cope with every day.

They look like a creature straight from my nephew’s dinosaur books, and have a name to match. Ctenosaurs are also known as black spinytail iguanas--a reptile native to the southern Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America. Legend has it that a Mexican boat captain brought the iguanas to Gasparilla as pets for his children. When they grew large and confrontational, they were let go. With its comfy island climate, Florida was a place where the iguanas could not only survive, but thrive. As of December 2007 estimates, about 12,000 ctenosaurs roam the 3-square-mile sand spit called Gasparilla; they outnumber their human counterparts 10:1.

While many of the problems that the iguanas create involve property damage, they have had a huge ecological impact, as well. They’re great tree-climbers that target bird eggs and nestlings, and have the potential to wreak havoc for the endangered gopher tortoises and indigo snakes on the island. The ctenosaur problem is reminiscent of my days in Guam where the brown treesnake--another non-native invasive species--had the same predatory tendencies. The snake population there grew to about 10 million in about 70 years; and 9 of Guam’s 12 native forest birds went extinct. Gone forever. But the spinytail iguanas don’t stop at birds and eggs. They’re omnivores—they’ll eat most anything, including insulation, wiring, ornamental shrubs, and much more.

While a local ordinance offers protection for all wildlife on Gasparilla Island, frustrated residents are taking matters into their own hands. Armed with golf carts, traps, and BB guns, they are attempting to thin the herd. Because of the widespread nuisance the iguanas have created, local police have turned a blind eye to the slayings.

This year, a special "lizard tax" has been imposed for residents. The funds will bring federal biologists to the scene to try their hand at bringing the population to an acceptable level.

Much Ado About a Bird

When it comes to the Piping Plover, some say that the Cape Cod National Seashore is a victim of their own success. In 1985, this sand-colored shorebird landed itself on the endangered species list; only 18 pairs could be found nesting on the beaches of the National Seashore. Because of intensive recovery efforts by the National Park Service and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 80 pairs scraped their nests into the beaches of the Seashore in 2007. The Piping Plover has been down-graded to a lesser 'threatened' level in recent years, and biologists patted themselves on their collective back. While the 141% increase in plover numbers is impressive, the recovery of the species has set the local community into a tizzy.

Protecting Piping Plovers involves "excluding" their nests from predators, and beach-goers, alike. Large sections of prime off-roading and fishing beaches are roped off once the plovers establish nests each spring. The driving restrictions extend through the summer until plover chicks fledge--sometimes into September. Businesses such as Nelson’s Bait and Tackle have complained of dramatic decreases in sales, and tourists have accused the small birds of ruining their vacations. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Cape Cod National Seashore has been forced to look at alternatives to closing entire beaches during breeding season. This winter, they worked on an Environmental Assessment and gathered the public's input to try and make peace with beach-goers while providing protection to this controversial little bird.

So, stay tuned--I'll report on the findings of the EA once they're available...

Welcome!

Welcome to The Wild Files--my forum for all things wildlife. You may find postings here to be heavy on the wildlife damage or human-wildlife conflicts side, as I've spent my entire adult life immersed in this field. However, I love keeping up with new research and other wildlife news from around the world. So, visit frequently, as I will be posting often. I look forward to your comments...

jennifer