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.