Armadillos Marching North to Illinois

MURPHYSBORO, lll. -- For years, Lloyd Nelson laughed off as myth reports that armadillos -- those armored, football-sized critters with the big claws and bigger nose -- had waddled their way into southern Illinois, the same place folks say they've seen cougars. Folks weren't fibbing about the mountain lions. Nelson knows now they weren't joshing about armadillos, either.

Since his run-in with an armadillo that was turning a woman's flower bed into a crater near here three years ago, the Jackson County animal-control chief says he's logged in this county alone 13 sightings of the stubby-legged kin to sloths and anteaters. Most were dead as doornails along roads -- the leathery animals with poor vision are no match against highway traffic.

"We've had armadillos killed on the road just about every year" since 2003, says Nelson, reflecting what wildlife specialists say is ample evidence that the creatures with the pencil-thin tail are nudging their way northward from their southern U.S. climes. "We've got them in Nebraska; that's as far north as we have any records," said Lynn Robbins, a biology professor at Missouri State University. "They're adapting, filling in so many places." To Robbins, the prehistoric-looking armadillo -- Spanish for "little armored thing" -- is here to stay.

Exactly how many of Texas' official state mammal have made their way into the Midwest remains elusive. But observers say the remarkable advance may have been aided by the region's lack of predators and the abundance of favorable habitat such as forests and river valleys. Milder winters packing less long-standing snow and ice -- the bane of armadillos who have little body fat, don't hibernate and rely on their noses to root out beetles, grubs and earthworms -- hasn't hurt, either. "All the evidence, the sightings and the number of roadkill would indicate that their numbers are increasing," said Clay Nielsen, a wildlife ecologist at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. In Illinois in recent years, "there's been quite a spurt in sightings."

Just how they're getting here also isn't clear. Some may have been released by people, either as pranks or by folks second-guessing the sensibility of having them as pets. Others suspect the nocturnal animals are master stowaways, freeloading rides north on barges or railroad cars. Or "maybe they're coming from Missouri on their own four feet," perhaps using bridges to conquer the Mississippi River separating that state from Illinois, says Joyce Hofmann, senior research scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey's center for wildlife and plant ecology in Champaign. "This is just the direction they're headed."

So it goes for the armadillo, which first forayed into the Lone Star State across the Rio Grande from Mexico in the 1800s, eventually spreading across the Southeast. There, they've been common roadkill -- jokingly described by some as "possums in a half shell" -- and a burrowing nuisance to homeowners, cemetery caretakers and golf course superintendents. "They move a lot of dirt," Robbins says.

While armadillos have been known to carry leprosy, cases of that disease being transmitted to humans are rare. "I don't think many people pick up armadillos," Hofmann says. Prolific diggers, the animals are far more of a health nuisance with their chronic rooting, posing risks to humans, cattle and other wildlife who may step into their holes. Then there's the smell. "They stink," Nelson says, "and they urinate and defecate like any animal does when they're stressed. They're kind of nasty creatures if you ever get close."

Wildlife enthusiasts are using the northward march of the armadillo as an opportunity to educate others about the animals, which during the Great Depression were known as "Hoover Hogs" by down-on-their-luck Americans who had to eat them instead of the "chicken in every pot" Herbert Hoover had promised as president. A casual search of the Internet shows that folks still eat armadillos, with plenty of recipes available online for such dishes as armadillo casserole, armadillo in mustard sauce, armadillo in cream sauce, and armadillo and rice.

Source: Associated Press

Lawsuit Seeks to Shield Alaska Sea Otter

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A conservation group, alarmed at a decrease in the number of sea otters in southwest Alaska, filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday to try to compel the government to designate critical habitat to help the endangered species recover.

The lawsuit, filed by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, argues that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service missed an Aug. 9 deadline for the designation under the Endangered Species Act. If granted, the designation means that federal agencies must ensure activities in certain areas do not harm the species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service generally is required to designate critical habitat when a species is listed as endangered or within a year if it can't be done immediately. The sea otter was put on the list in August 2005. "Sea otters in southwest Alaska are in a grave situation with alarming and ongoing population declines," the lawsuit says. "The absence of critical habitat permits the degradation, modification, and destruction of habitat essential to the Alaska sea otter's survival and recovery."

Douglas Burn, a wildlife biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Anchorage, said while he can't comment on the lawsuit the agency is not ignoring the issue. He said a team of experts is helping develop a recovery plan for the sea otter and has discussed the role of critical habitat. The 1,000-mile long Aleutian Island chain once had an estimated 75,000 sea otters -- slightly more than the current statewide total.

Now, there are about 8,700 sea otters in the Aleutians and numbers for the southwestern region, which includes the Aleutians, have dropped by more than half, said Burn. The are an estimated 73,000 sea otters in the entire state now.

The reason behind the sea otter population's collapse is not known, although some attribute it to increased predation by killer whales and climate change that may be reducing available prey. Miyoko Sakashita, a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity, said opening up areas in the Bering Sea and Bristol Bay to oil exploration, as has been proposed, could further devastate the sea otter population.

Source: Associated Press

Japan Researchers Film Live Giant Squid

TOKYO -- A Japanese research team has succeeded in filming a giant squid live -- possibly for the first time -- and says the elusive creatures may be more plentiful than previously believed, a researcher said Friday.

The research team, led by Tsunemi Kubodera, videotaped the giant squid at the surface as they captured it off the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo earlier this month. The squid, which measured about 24-feet long, died while it was being caught. "We believe this is the first time anyone has successfully filmed a giant squid that was alive," said Kubodera, a researcher with Japan's National Science Museum. "Now that we know where to find them, we think we can be more successful at studying them in the future."

Giant squid, formally called Architeuthis, are the world's largest invertebrates. Because they live in the depths of the ocean, they have long been wrapped in mystery and embellished in the folklore of sea monsters, appearing in ancient Greek myths or attacking the submarine in Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

The captured squid was caught using a smaller type of squid as bait, and was pulled into a research vessel "after putting up quite a fight," Kubodera said

"It took two people to pull it in, and they lost it once, which might have caused the injuries that killed it," he said.

The squid, a female, was not fully grown and was relatively small by giant squid standards. The longest one on record is 60 feet, he said. Kubodera and his team had been conducting expeditions in the area for about three years before they succeeded in making their first contact two years ago. Last year, the team succeeded in taking a series of still photos of one of the animals in its natural habitat -- also believed to have been a first.

Until the team's successes, most scientific study of the creatures had to rely on partial specimens that had washed ashore dead or dying or had been found in the digestive systems of whales or very large sharks. Kubodera said whales led his team to the squid. By finding an area where whales fed, he believed he could find the animals. He also said that, judging by the number of whales that feed on them, there may be many more giant squid than previously thought. "Sperm whales need from 500 to 1,000 kilograms (1,100-2,200 pounds) of food every day," he said. "There are believed to be 200,000 or so of them, and that would suggest there are quite a few squid for them to be feeding on. I don't think they are in danger of extinction at all."

Source: Associated Press

Judge Decides Farms Not Hurt by Whale Rules

SEATTLE -- A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by building and farm groups that challenged the decision to make Puget Sound's resident killer whale population an endangered species. In the decision, U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly said the Building Industry Association of Washington and the Washington Farm Bureau couldn't prove they would be harmed. The lawsuit cannot be refiled, he said.

"We're surprised," said lawyer Russell C. Brooks with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented the plaintiffs.

The National Marine Fisheries Service said last year that the whales deserved protection. The lawsuit claimed the move would result in needless water and land use restrictions for farms, and would open them to fines or jail time for "the most basic farm practices."

The three orca pods -- or families -- that live in western Washington's inland waters are a distinct population of a subspecies, the Northern Pacific resident orcas, which include orcas off Alaska and Russia. The plaintiffs had argued that the Endangered Species Act applies only to a distinct population of a species -- not a subspecies

"Just because there are orcas elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean doesn't mean we're willing to live without them in Puget Sound," said Patti Goldman, an attorney for Earthjustice, said after the lawsuit was filed. The group challenged the lawsuit.

Puget Sound's southern resident orcas are genetically and behaviorally distinct from other killer whales. The pods use their own language, mate only among themselves, eat salmon rather than marine mammals and show a unique attachment to the region.

The three pods now total 85 whales -- down from historical levels of 140 or more in the last century, but up from a low of 79 in 2002

Pollution and a decline in prey -- the region's salmon runs also are protected under the endangered species law -- are believed to be their biggest threats, although stress from whale-watching tour boats and underwater sonar tests by the Navy also are concerns.

Source: Associated Press

Feds to Start Removing Wolf Protections

BOISE, Idaho-- The head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday his agency will start removing federal protections from gray wolves in Montana and Idaho by January, regardless of whether Wyoming has submitted an acceptable plan to manage its own wolves by then.

Wyoming's plan is tied up in lawsuits, and Fish and Wildlife Director Dale Hall said his agency is moving ahead with Idaho and Montana, where management plans are already in place.

Defenders of Wildlife, which advocates on behalf of wolves, vowed to fight the move, saying delisting by state is illegal.

Wolves were reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains a decade ago after being hunted to near-extinction, and now number more than 1,200 in the region. With the rising population, state officials including Idaho Gov. Jim Risch and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer have been pushing the Fish and Wildlife Service to remove Endangered Species Act protections that the officials say hamper control efforts aimed at stopping the predators from eating livestock, as well as elk that are prized by hunters.

"They will be managed just as cats (cougars) and black bears are managed," said Risch, following a meeting Tuesday with Hall in Boise. "Certainly, there will be a reduction from what there is right now. Because of the explosion in numbers, they've got to be controlled."

The region where wolves would no longer have federal protections would include all of Idaho, Montana, eastern Washington and Oregon and a small sliver of northeastern Utah. Wolves that wander outside those areas would still fall under federal protections, said Mitch King, a Fish and Wildlife Service regional director in Denver.

Under the federal plan, states could have complete oversight of their wolves within 12 months, Risch said. Idaho is estimated to have 650 wolves in about 60 packs, while Montana has 270 and Wyoming 309.

After delisting, Idaho's federally approved wolf-management plan requires maintaining a minimum of 15 packs, while Montana has a benchmark of 15 breeding pairs.

Both states already have most day-to-day oversight of their wolves; sanctioned control actions every year kill dozens of the predators suspected of killing or harassing cattle. Still, Idaho and Montana lack the authority to schedule legal hunts or kill wolves for reasons such as helping restore elk herds.

Defenders of Wildlife, a conservation group that has paid $700,000 since 1987 to ranchers hit by wolf predation, underscored its argument that delisting by state, rather than by the entire region including Wyoming where the wolves now roam, violates the Endangered Species Act and would undermine the integrity of wolf recovery plans.

"I would expect to see conservation groups fighting this," said Suzanne Stone, a group spokeswoman in Boise. "Everybody is hoping we get to delisting. But the factors that caused the initial eradication of wolves in the region have to be addressed before delisting. We're not there yet."

Hall said his agency concluded it needed to move forward with delisting to reward states like Idaho and Montana that have significant numbers of wolves, as well as management plans in place.

"Our attorneys are very comfortable with this," Hall told The Associated Press. "This is happening because it's the right thing to do. It's tied to all of us trying to make the Endangered Species Act work the way it's supposed to work."

If Wyoming lawmakers pass an acceptable plan next year, federal protections could be lifted there, too, Hall said.

The federal government so far has rejected Wyoming's proposal, concerned that it doesn't do enough to keep wolf numbers there from plummeting again. Wyoming's plan calls for leaving the animals alone in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, allowing trophy hunting next to the parks -- and allowing wolves elsewhere to be shot on sight as predators.

In an effort to end the impasse, Hall on Monday met with Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal to discuss issues such as expanding the areas set aside for trophy hunting.Freudenthal called the meeting "great progress from where we were" but pledged to continue Wyoming's legal fight.Hall also met Monday with Schweitzer, who called their discussion constructive.

Source: Associated Press

Wounded Birds Return to Sky Via New Jersey Sanctuary

MILLINGTON, N.J.-- Georgette fell off the George Washington Bridge and broke some bones. La Nina doesn't have enough fear. So, they ended up caged in New Jersey's Great Swamp.

Georgette is a peregrine falcon and La Nina is a barn owl, two of the birds of prey who have found a home at a sanctuary next to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, about 30 miles west of New York City. "Every bird here has a story," said Len Soucy, 74, who founded the 16-acre sanctuary known as the Raptor Trust. Soucy, a self-taught ornithologist and retired tool-and-die maker, is a jovial, gray-bearded man whose nose bears a slight resemblance to a hawk's beak. He began caring for hurt birds more than 40 years ago when someone left an injured red-tailed hawk in a cardboard box on his doorstep.

Soucy's nonprofit center is one of several bird rehabilitation facilities across the United States. The federal law protecting birds of prey went into effect in 1972. This year alone, the Raptor Trust has helped more than 3,500 birds from 100 species, according to Soucy. Along with raptors -- birds of prey -- the center cares for ducks, geese, songbirds and other wild birds.

"It's probably the front-runner and the best-equipped in the state," said Cliff Day, who heads the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's New Jersey office in Pleasantville. People who call the Fish and Wildlife Service after finding an injured bird are referred to the center, Day said.

The sanctuary accepts hurt birds 24 hours a day. It has a small operating room equipped with an X-ray machine, gas for anesthesia and a narrow operating table. Heated cages serve as intensive care units.

Most of the birds that wind up at the center were injured in impacts with wires, windows or cars, Soucy said. Others are shot or poisoned.

About 60 percent of the birds treated by the center are returned to nature, Soucy said. "It's highly rewarding to release birds back into the wild," said Lauren Butcher, the center's director of education. "It's addictive."

For birds that are too injured or don't have the instincts to survive in the wild, the center can become home. About 70 to 80 birds live in 100 open, airy cages at the center. One of those birds is Georgette, the peregrine falcon who jumped out her nest on New York's George Washington Bridge before she could fly. On the way down, she hit a guy wire, breaking several bones in a wing.

Despite treatment, Georgette could not fly well enough again to be released back into the wild.

"Peregrines can't limp," Soucy said. "They've got to be perfect when we let them go, or be close to perfect." Another permanent resident is the barn owl dubbed La Nina. One of seven chicks born at the center, she was raised by humans because she was being pushed aside by her siblings and was not getting enough food. As a result, she lacks the instincts for life in the wild.

"The main thing she did not learn was the correct fear response to a human being," Butcher said. Georgette, La Nina, bald eagles, hawks, vultures and other birds live at the center and can be visited by the public. The center gets 25,000 to 40,000 visitors a year, Soucy estimated. However, the center lacks space for all the permanently injured birds it sees -- and has to euthanize some of them. "It's really difficult when you care as much about birds as we do," Butcher said.

Source: Reuters

Survival of Dwindling Stocks Dominate Annual EU Fisheries Meeting Again

BRUSSELS, Belgium-- The annual fight over the right to fish for an ever-decreasing number of Atlantic species in European Union waters opened Tuesday with member governments seeking to give both the industry and the fish a chance at a sustainable future.

Fisheries ministers from the member nations assessed proposals from the European Commission, which already had diluted scientific advice for closing fishing grounds and imposing drastic catch cuts because of economic problems facing the bloc's 200,000 fishermen.

The meeting is expected to last for at least two days, and bartering set to last well into Wednesday night. "If there are no fish left in the sea, there is not going to be any jobs or income for fishermen in the future," said British Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw. "So sometimes we have to take difficult decisions in the short term for the fishermen," he said.

The commercial survival of cod stands out again, especially since scientists proposed to cut fishing by a quarter in many waters and even ban it in the southern Celtic Sea off Ireland. Despite intense efforts to restore stocks to healthy numbers over the past years, the amount of cod keeps dwindling in once-populous waters.

"We have very tough problems with cod," said EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg before the meeting, calling for more stringent measures. "We are not happy with the results so far."

Even though there has been a cod recovery plan in place for three years, Borg said it was insufficient and he promised a drastic review for next year.

Sole and plaice are also fished at unsustainable levels and face cuts. Borg also proposed a ban on anchovy fishing for the first half of next year, affecting the Spanish and Portuguese fleets. Herring fishermen will face catch cuts of up to 35 percent, underlining the continued decline, a process that started almost half a century ago with the development of a powerful fishing fleet.

Because fish often mix freely in the waters off France, Britain, Ireland and Spain, limits on one stock like cod, often result in cuts in other species too, driving fishermen to despair. "The Commission goes with the same logic it had for the last 15 years, always cut down, always cut down, it's the only means it can conceive," said Pierre-Georges Dachicourt, President of French National Fisheries Committee.

European fishing has already been cut in half since the heyday some 40 years ago. And Dachicourt saw nothing but a further decline ahead following a frank discussion with Borg.

"He was very clear: it is another 30 percent less over the next 10 years," he said. Instead of blaming fishermen, authorities should look just as much to warmer waters because of climate change and coastal pollution as causes for depletion.

Environmentalists, however, insist on controlling the fishing effort and heavily criticized the executive European Commission proposals, which were less drastic than scientific advice. The WWF environmental group demonstrated outside the meeting hall, with bogus chefs serving what a dinner might be if fish stocks collapse. Activists distributed leaflets and showed restaurant menus for the year 2050 which listed the only fish meals as jellyfish and tofu cod.

Borg has also backed a limited resumption of using electronic fishing methods, something environmentalists vehemently oppose. Sending electronic shocks through the water brings some flatfish off the sea bottom ready to be scooped up by nets. The shocks are so strong they break the back of some species, such as cod.

Last month, EU nations agreed to watered down cuts in deep-sea fishing catches, ignoring international advice to close down deep-sea fishing because some species face extinction.The ministers tightened rules on fish net sizes and coastal trawling in the Mediterranean. Catch cuts for the Baltics had been set in October.

Source: Associated Press

Sea turtles rescued along Texas coast after arctic blast leaves them comatose

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas -- At least three dozen sea turtles are getting a little vacation under heat lamps in this spring-break capital after being rescued from an arctic blast that caused the water temperature in an arm of the Gulf of Mexico to plummet 18 degrees in 48 hours.

The cold-blooded animals were left comatose by the rapid temperature drop this week in the shallow bay where the young turtles feed. Animal rescuers feared the cold would kill the turtles or make them so sluggish as to be vulnerable to sharks.

Volunteers, students and others scooped them up from the surf, bundled them in blankets and towels and took them to the privately run Sea Turtle Inc. rescue center and a University of Texas marine laboratory

The juvenile green turtles were scrubbed clean of grime, then put under a heat lamp until their eyes opened and their flippers twitched - signs they were reviving and ready to be put in 66- to 68-degree holding tanks and feed on romaine lettuce.

Green turtles are born off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and spend their early years feeding on turtle grass in shallow bay areas such as South Padre's Laguna Madre.

When they are mature- 15 to 20 years old and weighing about 500 pounds - they return to Mexican waters to breed. But a cold spell that sent the mercury plummeting into the 30s on Monday and Tuesday caused the water temperature to fall into the 50s. The turtles' systems began shutting down, and they started washing ashore.

Robert Banard, a volunteer who found the first turtles with his wife, said the turtles were anywhere from three to 65 pounds and were almost immobile.

Each turtle was named by the volunteer who found it. Laurie, a 15-pounder, had lost a flipper, the result of a predator trying to take advantage of her lethargy.

The last time it got cold enough for turtles to wash up was in December 2004, when the Rio Grande Valley had its first white Christmas in memory. The last such operation before that was the 1980s, Sea Turtle curator Jeff George said.

With another cold front expected, George said the turtles would be there at least a week.

Source: Associated Press

Georgia Aquarium loses 2nd popular animal in 10 days, a whale shark named Ralph

ATLANTA-- A prized whale shark at the world's largest aquarium died Thursday night, the second death of a popular animal at the center in 10 days.

Ralph, one of four whale sharks in the only such exhibit outside Asia, arrived at the Georgia Aquarium in June 2005 from Taiwan, where he had been destined to become seafood.

The cause of death was not immediately determined.

"Recently, he has not been eating well and has had some unusual swimming patterns,'' aquarium spokeswoman Donna Fleishman said.

He was moved to another part of the tank after he stopped swimming and died eight hours later, Aquarium executive director Jeff Swanagan said.

Ralph was considered a teenager.

Ralph and Norton, the aquarium's other male whale shark, arrived together and were joined a year later by two females, Alice and Trixie, in their 6 million gallon tank.

Whale sharks are the world's largest fish, growing up to 50 feet long.

Gasper, one of the aquarium's five beluga whales, was euthanized Jan. 2 after months of declining health.

Source: Associated Press

North Carolina Agrees To Purchase Chimney Rock Park

Popular Visitor Attraction Saved From Potential Development and Will Remain Open for Nature Tourism

RALEIGH, N.C. (January 29, 2007)-- Gov. Mike Easley announced today that the state of North Carolina has agreed to purchase the landmark Chimney Rock Park in Rutherford County from the Morse family's Chimney Rock Company. The location will become the centerpiece of a new state park under development in Hickory Nut Gorge. The agreement sets a purchase price of $24 million for the 996-acre park and its signature 315-foot spire overlooking Lake Lure.

"Chimney Rock is one of the most visible images of our state's landscape and giving it an honored place in our state parks system is a conservation success story for all North Carolinians," Easley said. "The Morse family has maintained careful stewardship of this land for generations and the state will continue to protect these natural resources."

Funding for the acquisition comes from a $15 million appropriation in the state budget and various grants from the state's Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage and Clean Water Management Trust funds. A private donor, who wished to remain anonymous, also contributed $2.35 million for the purchase.

"Through the foresight and vision of Governor Easley, one of North Carolina's most cherished tourism institutions has been preserved for this and the next generation's visitors to North Carolina," said Lynn Minges, Executive Director of the North Carolina Department of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. "The natural scenic beauty is one of the compelling reasons that our state receives more than 64.5 million visitors each year who contribute more than $14 billion to our economy. And Chimney Rock Park is a perfect example of the picturesque outdoor landscapes North Carolina has to offer."

The agreement is the result of two years of negotiations between Chimney Rock Company and the state. Under the terms of the agreement, Chimney Rock Company will continue to operate the park through 2007 while the state parks system develops an operations plan.

Chimney Rock Park has been a tourist attraction in western North Carolina since a stairway was built to the rock's summit in 1885. In 1902, Lucius B. Morse of Missouri bought the site and began developing the park. Its facilities include a tunnel and elevator to the rock summit, a visitor center, nature center and a network of hiking trails to geologic points of interest and the 404-foot Hickory Nut Falls.

"As stewards of this special property for more than 100 years, our goal was to achieve an outcome that was the best result for the land, the community, our associates and our family," said Todd Morse, president and general manager of Chimney Rock Company. "We're happy that the Morse family's legacy of stewardship will be formally recognized and shared with state park visitors for generations to come."

"Today we make sure this important landmark will be protected so future generations will be able to enjoy it as we can today," said state Sen. Walter Dalton (D-Rutherford). "Those of use who live in this area are thankful for the stewardship of the Morse family and grateful to all North Carolinians who recognize the importance of protecting our natural heritage."

"I am delighted that we are adding nearly 1,000 acres of scenic western North Carolina to our state's protected lands," said state Rep. Bob England (D-Rutherford). "I will continue to see that the state makes these kinds of investments to preserve North Carolina's pristine resources."

Chimney Rock Park adjoins property the state acquired for Hickory Nut Gorge State Park, slated to open in 2008. The state parks system has acquired 2,264 acres on both sides of the rugged gorge, considered a premier state park site. The system's New Parks for a New Century initiative examines areas throughout the state as potential state parks or state natural areas and found the gorge to be a significant center of biodiversity and natural heritage.

Source: Associated Press