The Ghost and the Darkness

Hi all, good morning and happy monday, as we know today i will tell you a story about the Ghost and the Darkness. Well, it's not horror movie but a murder movie by 2 extraordinary lions in Tsavo, Kenya.
Enjoy the story!!

In March 1898 the British Started building a railway bridge over the Tsavo River in Kenya. The project was led by Lt.Col. Henry Patterson. During the next 9 months of construction, two maneless male Tsavo lions stalked the campsite, dragging indian workers from their tents at night and devouring them. Crews tried to scare off the lions and built campfires and bomas of thorn fences around their camp for protection to keep the man-eaters out, to no vail; the lions crawled throught the thorn fensces. After the new attacks, hundreds of worker fled from Tsavo, halting construction on the bridge.

Hunting

The first man eaters killed by Lt. Col. Henry Patterson.

Finally, the chief engnineer in charge of the railway project they will be, John Henry Patterson, decided the only one solution is to kill the lion demon very disturbing this project. He almost killed by the lion, but eventually, he managed to shoot a lion who's first in December 1898, and two weeks later, he managed to shoot the second. 

The Victims

The lion has killed 140 people. Patterson also found the nest of the predators in cave near the edge of the Tsavo River. A lot of victim and pieces of clothing and ornaments. The cave still exist untill now but many bones have been removed, reportedly still a lot of bones still inside. 

Expert have recently claimed that the lions only eat 35 peoples/workers. However, this doesn't mean they do not kill many people. They reportedly often kill even when not hungry.

Lions Heritage

The man eaterscan be viewed at the Field Museum in Chicago, and the  Government of Kenya has expressed interest in building a museum dedicated entirely to them.

The Tsavo Lions bone and display at The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois.

Factors

Drought and famine during the late 19th century also played a prominent role. The Tsavo region suffered severe drought and famine during the 1860s, 1870s, and 1890s. During the 1860s drought, cholera, and plague brought by Swahili caravan ravaged the region, affecting ethnic groups such as the Maasai, who lived further Inland.

Environmental were also a decisive factor. The quest for Ivory during the 19th century had eliminated elephants from much of Eastern Kenya, including most of Tsavo. Reduce elephants populations resulted in the expansion of woodlands and the reduction of grass-eating herbivores. Unlike the Tsavo of today with large tracts of open expanse, the Tsavo of 1890s was composed of nearly impenetrable, thorn thicket known as 'Nyika, and it was in this thicket environment that the Tsavo were able to stalk and ambush their human prey.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsavo_Man-Eaters

http://wwwcryptocom-steven.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/10-animal-man-eater-greatest-throughout.html

http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-64447/why-tsavo-lions-resorted-eating-humans

Vietnamese Javan Rhino Extinction

Hi all, today i want to share a sad story about Vietnamese Javan Rhino and hope this article will be good for you and make you realize how important we have to protect rhino. 

Last week 22 September 2013 we celebrated Rhino Day, that's not just a ordinary day, because the fact is, rhino become endangered animals especially Javan Rhino.

The Javan Rhino is one of the world's most endangered mammals and the Vietnamese Javan Rhino is the second of three subspecies to go extinct. The Indian Javan Rhinoceros disappeared sometimes before 1925. The only remaining subspecies - the Indonesian Javan Rhino exist only on a small portion of the indonesian island of Java. Rhino populations are targeted primarily for their horns, which are believed to cure a number of diseases and ailments from cancer to hangovers. In reality, the rhino horn - made of keratin (the same protein that makes up our hair and fingernails) - has no proven medicinal value. Still, the horns demand a high price in the black markets of Vietnam and China.

The WWF and International Rhino Foundation said the country last Javan Rhino was probably killed by poachers, as its horn had been cut off.

Experts said that the news was not a surprise, only one sighting had been recorded in Vietnam since 2008.

Fewer than 50 individuals are now estimated to remain in the wild.

"It is painful that despite significant investment in Vietnamese Rhino conservation, efforts failed to save this unique mammals,"said WWF's director Tran Thi Minh Hien.

"Vietnam has lost part of its natural heritage."

The authors of the report, Extinction of Javan Rhinofrom Vietnam, said genetic analysis of dung samples collected between 2009-2010 in the Cat Tien National Park Showed that they all belonged to just one individual.

Shortly after survey was completed, conservationist found out that the rhino had been killed. They said it was likely to have been the work of poachers because it had been shot in a leg and its horn had been cut off.

Globally, there has been a sharp increase in the number of rhino poaching cases. Earlier this year, the Internation Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)  publish a report that said rhino population in Africa were facing their worst poaching crisis for decades.

Now after we know about this news and realize that this just wait for the time untill the rhino become a list of extinct animal, we have to prepare as soon as we can to face a poachers and make a tactics and research for help this unique species.

SAY NO TO RHINO POACHERS!!

Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15430787
http://news.wildlife.org/featured/vietnamese-javan-rhino-extinct/

Earth Underwater

Watch this video from National Geographic. This is the real fact something we have to face in the future. :)

Heads of state come together in call for UN action to combat wildlife crime

efforts to combat illicit wildlife crime received a massive boost today as heads of state and a number of ministers outlined the serious impacts of poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking.

During the most important meeting of the year in international politics, governments chose to highlight illicit wildlife trafficking as a major threat to peace and security, the rule of law and global development.

President Ali Bongo of Gabon called for the appointment of a special UN envoy on wildlife crime as well as a UNGA resolution, a move that was supported by the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague and the German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, as well as other representatives present such as the Norwegian Minister of Environment.

President Ali Bongo said, "Illicit wildlife crime is no longer a simple environmental problem, it is a transnational crime and a threat to peace and security on your continent."

The president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete highlighted the problem of demand and called for help from the international community to close markets.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle Highlighted that for Germany " it is no longer a measure of securing endangered species, it's about countering the spread of organized crime and preventing uncontrolled militarization. This has become a problem of foreign and security matters".

"This is a step forward in the fight againts wildlife crime and today countries have shown they are serious in the fight againts this organised crime," said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International.

Over the next three years, the commitment makers and their partners will fund and facilitate collaborated efforts and resources to protect key African elephant population from poaching, while reducing trafficking and halting demand for ivory.

Charter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US said: " We know how to solve this crisis. What's been missing is a united front from governments, NGOs and the private sectorto scale up resources to stop the killing and crush the demand. Look at what has been done with conflict diamonds and fur from endangered species.

"The more people are aware of the consequence of what they buy, it changes what they do. "We need to do the same with elephant ivory and rhino horn and tiger bone."

http://ens-newswire.com/2013/09/26/heads-of-state-call-for-un-crackdown-on-wildlife-crime/

Pacific Black Duck

Pacific Black Duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many in Island South Western Pacific. New Zealand usually call it Grey Duck, where it is also known by its Maori name, Parera.

Description

• Has a dark body, and a paler head with a dark crown and facial stripes.
• In flight, it shows a green speculum and pale under wing.
• Size range is 54-61 cm, males tend to be larger than females

Other Subspecies

• Rogersi - found by Mathew 1912, breeds in Indonesia, Australia and Southern New Guinea
• Pelewensis - found by Hartlaub and Finsch, 1872, breeds on the South west Pacific Island and Northern New Guinea.
• Superciliosa Gmelin - 1789, breeds in New Zealand.

Diet

Pacific Black Duck mainly is vegetarian. Feeding on seeds of aquatic plants. Supplemented with small crustacean, molluscs, and aquatic insects. How they eat? Food is obtained 'dabbling', where the bird plunges its head and neck underwater and upends, raising its rear end vertically out of the water.

Conservation Status

IUCN, categorize Pacific Black Duck as least concern, it's mean this species not endangered and still a lot in the wild, but it doesn't mean we can kill and destroy their habitats.

Reference:
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Anas-superciliosahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Black_Duck