Cecil the Lion, Victim of Poaching

Cecil the Lion lived in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, which was supposed to be safe and protected. Walter Palmer is accused of poaching the lion after paying $50,000 to be able to shoot it down with a bow and arrows. Cecil was just 13. His brother, Jericho, and the cubs in the lion pack are what is left in Cecil's family. But it's not only one lion. Cecil is the 23rd lion to be killed in Zimbabwe by poaching. Lions remain to be a victim of poaching, and all it takes is a man with money to break the rules and not get punished. In fact, 800 lions have been killed between 1999 and 2009. We need to push for stronger enforcement and do all we can to protect these lion. It is thought that there may be as little of 500 lions remaining in Zimbabwe. In Africa, lion populations have dropped by more than 80% in the century. It is estimated that about 665 lion trophies are exported every year. We need to do all we can to push for the protection of lions just like Cecil. Lions are in danger of extinction, and we need to stop that before its too late.
   

California Blue Whales Returning

The Blue Whale, the world's biggest animals, were in danger of extinction as a result of whaling. We then highly enforced the protection of these massive animals. As a result blue whales are rebounding from that disaster and have almost returned to good numbers. the downside is that researchers have only seen blue whales in California returning. Still, they are very close to returning to normal numbers, which is vital to keep the ecosystem stable. 

Chinese Sturgeon on Brink of Extinction

The Chinese sturgeon is thought to be 140 million years old. 32 years ago, researchers started tracking the fish because its numbers drastically decreased. Because of water pollution, the number were falling even more. Last year, there were no reports of Chinese sturgeon breeding in wild. Chinese sturgeon are at a dangerously low number. Not only them, other animals in the Yangtze river like the finless porpoise are in danger of extinction.

Ban on Circus Animals

Recently, the Mexican Legislature passed a bill banning circus animals in Mexico. It is not signed by their president yet, but we are taking one more step towards saving the Earth. Some cities have already placed this ban, and if this bill is signed, then all cities in Mexico will have to enforce it. The bill states that circuses must publish what they will be using and make them available to zoos. Violation of this results in fines. Again, it is not official that the president of Mexico has signed it.

Wolves and Bears Making Comeback in Europe

Wolves and bears have been in danger all around the world for a very long time. The negative side is that the great lakes wolves have returned to the endangered species list. The positive side is that wolves and bears are making a comeback in Europe. The population of wolves is now doubled the amount in the US. In fact, they are making a comeback near densely populated cities. The more effort we put to protecting animals like these, the more we can guarantee their safety.

World's Largest Earwig becomes Extinct

You may know what an earwig is. An earwig is an insect found all throughout the world. They have 2 pincers on their abdomen and is nocturnal. One specific species of earwig is the topic. The st. Helena giant earwig, the world's largest earwig (8cm), was declared extinct. The earwig has been endangered since 1960, when deforestation forced them to move. Now, because we didn't take the appropriate response to the problem, they have become extinct.

Life in Mariana Trench Revealed

On December 6, researchers at the University of Aberdeen put a camera at the bottom of the mariana trench, over 5 miles deep. What they saw was very peculiar. Watch the video to find out what lurks down there.

Poaching in Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park, in South Africa, is home to many protected animals including elephants. A case of elephants poaching hasn't popped up in almost a decade. Kruger has already been dealing with rhino killings, and now they have to deal with a big elephant poaching case. Elephants, usually the males, are poached for their ivory in their tusk. On Thursday, rangers found a dead bull elephant on the ground missing its tusks. But along with the elephant killings, in 5 months, 245 rhinos have been killed fro their horns. Poaching has become a much bigger deal because of the amount of animals they are now killing. Elephants are one of the animals that needs to be protected, and we have to do anything we can stop the threat of poaching.

New Species of Catfish Discovered

In the Yomgo River, located in Northern India, Zoologists found a new species of Catfish. The genus of which the fish belongs to only holds two species. Very little is known about the new Creteuchiloglanis payjab.

Blue-Footed Boobies becoming threatened in Galapagos

The Galapagos are home to many endangered species, but now, a new species joins the list. Boobies play a key role of being part of the Galapagos ecosystem. The Blue-footed booby has declined more than 50% in the last 20 years. Researchers believe that the decline is due to a decrease in sardines, the source of food for the boobies. The decline was first noticed in 1997. Researchers say "until 1997, there were literally thousands of boobies at these breeding sites, and hundreds  of nests full of hatching chicks." The question still remains is, how is there a decline of sardines? Some of the possible reasons include overfishing, climate change, a new species eating more of the fish, and other reasons. The main problem is that there is not sufficient offspring to stay stable. Id there is not enough booby chicks, the majority of the flock gets old, and do not get replaced by younger ones. Also, the older boobies cannot reproduce after a certain age. It is not proven that it is because of humans, but if it is, we need to do something about it. Even if we are not to blame, we need to give the best we can to protect one of the important animals of our Earth.

Bald Eagle Nest Cams

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140306-animals-bald-eagle-cams-environment-endangered-species/

Decorah, Iowa: The Raptor Resource Project has been watching this nest since 2009, and has observed 17 eaglets. There are currently three eggs in the snow-covered nest, the third one laid on March 2.

Brookfield, Maine: Cameras allow a glimpse of nature in the raw, which can be unforgiving. Last year one of two cameras in Brookfield transmitted images of a dying eaglet that raised concern from online watchers. Conservationists advise not interfering with birds, even when they are in harm's way.

Ft. Meyers, Florida: Located on private property farther south than many other eagle cams, this nest is home to a 10-week-old bird that spent much of February strengthening its wings. Soon the young bird will take its first flight.

Mount Berry, Georgia: Keeping an eye on a pair that nested very late in the season last year, Berry College has used interest in the camera to help educate the public about bald eagles. They hosted an hour-long Q and A with Berry College professor and eagle expert Reneé Carleton, who answered questions from email and Twitter such as, "Why did the dad bury the unhatched egg?"

Redding, California: Liberty and Spirit, the pair nesting in view of this camera in northern California's Turtle Bay Exploration Park, are unusual because Spirit is the second male to mate with Liberty. Her previous mate, Patriot, died last year.

New Family of Bird Discovered in Asia

Very little is known about this bird. Scientists call this family of birds "wren-babblers". But there is one strange fact. It's not really a family of birds. There's only one species of bird in this family.

New Species of Wasps Discovered

Apanteles albanjimenez, a parasitic wasp, was discovered in Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. This wasp wil lay its eggs with other insects. When the eggs hatch, the wasps eat the other insect. Almost 200 of this species were discovered. Very little is know about these wasps. Scientists believe that it eats aphids.

Bumblebees Get Hit by CCD

CCD, also known as Colony Collapse Disorder, effects bees. Huge hives have died from this disorder and no one knows why. Bees play the important role of pollination in our ecosystem. But if the #1 pollinators are dying, who's going pollinate the flowers. Sure there are other animals to pollinate, but each flower has one pollinator that it depends on. Most flowers depend on bees. To make matters worse, a study came out that now bumblebees have been hit CCD. Bumblebees are pollinators too. Every animal is needed on this planet and one small animal can impact the world.

Elephants Poisoned by Poachers

Elephants are getting poached much more recently, and now, poachers are poisoning them. In Zimbabwe, 41 elephants were killed. It is thought that the elephants were killed by cyanide salt pans, but people are unsure. But it is certain that this is by poachers. Poachers are terrible. These animals belong on Earth, not dead and lying in a house. 5 poachers have been arrested, but there might be more related to this. Poaching should be ended. The fate of animals depends on it.

New Species of Legless Lizards Discovered

At LAX airport, a new species of lizard was discovered. An airport doesn't seem like a place for an animal discovery. But, we discovered a legless lizard at the end of a runway. Legless lizards are very rare, an we found one at an airport? This lizard is shy, lives underground eating grubs, and is only 8 inches long. This lizard is a remarkable animal.

New Cave Snail Discovered

Many people would say snails are ugly and a pest. But a newly discovered snail is beautiful, tiny, and lives deep in the Earth. In Croatia, more than 3000 ft below in the Lukina Jama-Trojama cave stystems, Zospeum tholussum was discovered. Researchers trying to find the bottom of the cave stumbled upon this snail. The snail is only a few millimeters long, it has a see-through shell, and no eyes. It is a perfect animal adapted for caves. Caves usually show us many new species since caves also hold many weird and cool animals.

Skin-eating Fungus Wiping out Salamanders

Amphibians have been in danger for a long time. Their bodies are very fragile and with their thin skin that needs moisture, it is easily destroyed. Many frogs have been wiped out by fungus caused by an unstable environment. But now, a new fungus is threatening many species of salamanders in Europe. But it doesn't end there. The fungus has started to infect many reptiles too. These fungi are caused by dramatic environment changes, causing the animal to be more susceptible to fungi. These animals are in need of desperate help. Make sure that you keep the animal's environment nice and clean in order to keep welfare within the ecosystem.

Badger Culling Starts in England

5000 Badgers are about to be culled because they spread bovine TB. After many debating, they finalized it, and decided to cull, not vaccinate. Many protests occurred in London saying to vaccinate the endangered animal, but the UK government won't change their decision. Is culling really the only way to help the world. No. Stand up against the badger culling. Vaccination, not culling.

New Bird Discovered in Cambodia

Orthotomus chaktomu, also known as the Cambodian Tailorbird was finally indicated as a new species 2 days ago in Cambodia's capitol, Phnom Penh. It was first found in 2009 for an avian flu check, but it was not found to be a new species. After recent studies on the bird, they claimed it to be a new species because it has a different song than other tailorbirds. Tailorbirds are related to warblers, and like them, are songbirds. Tailorbirds make their nests by  weaving leaves together. Cambodian Tailorbird is a magnificent bird living in an unlikely place, the middle of a city.