Trafficked tropical animals: the ghost exports of Venezuela

GarryRogers Nature Conservation

“Venezuela is losing at least 900,000 animals every year to the $320 million illegal wildlife trade.

“Among the birds sold to the pet trade are 50 species of New World parrot, parakeet and macaw endemic to Venezuela, along with American flamingoes and extremely rare red siskins.

“Patrolling the country’s porous 2,800-kilometer coastline and nearly 5,000 kilometer border with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana is a daunting task for law enforcers trying to stop clever wildlife traffickers.

“The hunters ransack the vulnerable nests of tropical birds in richly biodiverse but poorly patrolled Venezuelan rainforests. Wildlife merchants brazenly display young fledglings, monkeys and other animals, right next to main roads throughout the forest. Many captives will travel a difficult path — an exhausting, often fatal journey covering thousands of miles, cleverly hidden inside bags and luggage, passing through airports and seaports, bound for Europe and elsewhere. It is a lucrative, shadowy trade, involving…

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Foods We Won’t Have If We Keep Letting Bees Die

Family Survival Protocol - Microcosm News

NaturalNews

About one-third of the world’s crops depend on the honeybees for pollination. The past decades honeybees have been dying at an alarming rate. Fewer bees will eventually lead to less availability of our favorite whole foods and it will also drive up the prices of many of the fruits and veggies we eat on a daily basis.

While some actions have been taken in the past, our bees are still dying and something needs to be done to make sure our most favorite foods don’t go into extinction.

What’s Causing Massive Bee Deaths?

About fifty years ago our world looked a whole lot different. Bees had an abundance of flowers to feast on and there were fewer pests and diseases threatening their food chain. These days however, nature has to make place for industrialization and our bees are…

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Urge Pymatuning Deer Park to Retire Bears to a Reputable Sanctuary! | Action Alerts | Actions | PETA

Speak up today and urge Pymatuning to close its bear pits and surrender the animals to a reputable sanctuary.

Source: Urge Pymatuning Deer Park to Retire Bears to a Reputable Sanctuary! | Action Alerts | Actions | PETA

Poem For Dog Meat Dogs: Man’s Best Friends

VOTE 4 WOLVES

Wolf Is My Soul

Source  October , 2015

StandForWolves
‪‎Wyoming‬ has been fighting Washington over delisting since 2003, objecting to the federal standards and offering its own plan for controlling wolf populations. Wyoming treated wolves as “vermin” and allowed them to be hunted along the borders of Yellowstone National Park and throughout National Forest lands south of Jackson Hole.
219 wolves were killed in 80% of Wyoming opened to “unlimited” killing since the delisting in late August 2012.
Overruling U.S. wildlife officials, a federal judge (Amy Berman Jackson) restored protections for gray wolves in Wyoming in September 2014.
Wyoming’s kill-on-sight attitude as a wolf management plan throughout much of the state is a disgrace. Wyoming officials need to be conscious of the fact that “sport” (trophy) hunting of wolves is inconsistent with the need for continued protections for this essential, iconic species. Labeling the wolf as a predator that could be shot…

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HERE COMES TROUBLE

Wolf Is My Soul

Source  September 29, 2015

The governors of Wyoming and Montana will headto Washington, D.C. this week (Tuesday, September 29th) to give their perspective on how to“improve” (ie. dismantle) the Endangered Species Act.

Please find several tweets to send off at the bottom of this post.

Western Governors’ Association Chairman and Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead will be joined by Governors Steve Bullock (Montana, WGA Vice Chair), Jack Dalrymple (North Dakota),Dennis Daugaard (South Dakota), and Gary Herbert (Utah) at a number of meetings with congressional leaders. Governors Mead and Bullock will appear at a briefing on the topic “Improving the Endangered Species Act : Perspectives from the Fish and Wildlife Service and State Governors.” In addition to the governors’ appearance and remarks on the ESA, (which is the focus of Gov. Mead’s Chairman’s Initiative), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director, Dan Ashe, also will be present…

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Duh! 6 Surprising Facts on the Intelligence of Farmed Animals | One Green Planet

Life or Lunch?

Anyone who has lived with a dog or a cat can attest to how intelligent and quick these animals are. We always stop to marvel at how our cats know when we’re upset and need a snuggle or how our dogs can learn tricks and perform incredible feats. But what if we told you that dogs and cats aren’t the only intelligent animals out there.

Rather, you might be surprised to know that some of the most interesting, clever and intuitive characters live tucked away in cages, barns, and out of sight. I know first-hand just how smart farm animals are. During lunch breaks at work, I have played fetch with a turkey, taught pigs how to “sit” and “roll over,” and even had a rudimentary game of football with a group of hens.  There is so much about these charming creatures that people don’t know, or don’t really bother…

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Take action for endangered species

A recent survey by the Union of Concerned Scientists shows many agency scientists believe that the USFWS leadership is playing politics with endangered species decisions.

Source: Take action for endangered species

10 Cases That Prove Activism Works | Care2 Causes

Life or Lunch?

Never underestimate the power of a group of passionate people. That is a lesson Shell has recently learned the hard way. The oil giant recently gave up its plan to drill in the Arctic after suffering tremendous backlash from environmental activists.

Would it make Shell feel better knowing that they’re not alone? Although activists may sometimes feel like they’re fighting an uphill battle, a new study by Michigan State University concluded that the work of activists is steadily contributing to legislative and societal changes, specially when it comes to green causes. These 10 cases are proof of that.

1. France cut bullfighting from its cultural heritage list

Despite the French government’s Prime Minister Manuel Valls being an avid fan of the outdated and cruel tradition of bullfighting, the country gave in to pressure from animal rights activists and removed ‘La Corrida’ from its cultural heritage list in June 2015.

By doing…

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