World Trade Organization upholds ban on seal products trade

Wonderful News!  The WTO upheld the European Union's ban on seal products trading. The ban was instituted in 2011 and both the Canadian and Norwegian governments challenged the ban. However, the challenge failed according to the official report issued today.

More tgan 80 elephants killed from cyanide poisoning

Its has been confirmed that poachers killed more than 80 elephants in Zimbabwe after poisoning a large water hole at Hwange National Park. So far five poachers have been arrested. This sad news for elephants is the latest in the fight against the ivory trade and illegal poaching.

Record number of rhinos slaughtered this year

Nearly 700 rhinos were killed by illegal poachers this year; up by 3% from 2012. And since there are still three months to go, the number of animals killed is expected to rise.  Government officials are expected to meet Thursday to discuss the growing problem of poaching at the UN. 

Baby elephant cries for hours after being rejected by mom

A newborn baby elephant cried for 5 hours after its mom rejected it and even tried to kill the baby twice. Staff at the sanctuary located in China could not comfort the poor infant elephant. Finally, a staff member got approval to adopt the baby.

This event occurred in August but just went viral over the past 48 hours. The most recent update says the baby is doing good.

Dozens of eagles killed by wind mills

Last week it was revealed that dozens of eagles, mostly Golden eagles, have been killed by wind mill turbines. The current number of killed eagles stands at 67 since 2009. However, this number is expected to be more since mortality rates are reported on a volunteery basis. Also, the largest wind mill farm in the country which is located in California is not included in this report.

Important update on proposed gray wolf delisting

The US Fish & Wildlife Service announced that the deadline for submitting public comments about the proposed delisting of the gray wolf from federal protections has been extended 45 days. Originally set for September 11th, citizens now have until October 28th.

You can visit the US FWS website for more information on the proposed delisting or www.fws.gov/graywolfrecovery062013.html for links to submit your comments.

Two critically endangered black rhino babies born in August

On Monday, a critically endangered eastern black rhino baby was born at the Chicago Zoo.  This is the second baby black rhino born in US zoos this month.  Another baby rhino was born at the Atlanta Zoo.

This is exciting news because the Eastern black rhino is critically endangered with only about 5,000 left in the wild.  The main reasons for their uncertain existence is poaching and habitat loss.

India bans shark finning

A huge victory for sharks was announced this week as India banned the practice of shark finning.  Shark finning is when fishermen catch sharks for the sole purpose of cutting off their fins.  The sharks are then left to die a long agonizing death as they slowly drown.  The fins harvested are then sold mostly in the Asian markets for shark fin soup.

India is the second largest shark catching country in Indonesia.  Hopefully, this ban will motivate other countries to follow suit and help stabilize the oceans' shark populations that are tragically being decimated by the fishing industry.

Controversal badger cull began this week

On Monday, a badger cull began in two pilot areas in the UK.  The cull has been a highly controversial debate between government officials, farmers and badger advocates over the past several years. 

At the heart of the cull is the problematic occurrence of  bovine tuberculosis, TB that occurs in cattle. In 2012, thousands of cattle had to be put down and it is believed that killing up to 5,000 badgers over a six month period will help control the TB.  However, advocates and scientists have spoken out against the cull saying it will not make any difference and resources should be used to develop vaccines.