Once the wolves were killed, the population of elks grew. They freely grazed wherever they wanted and foraged almost all the young cottonwood. Many other species of plants which flourished along the stream, like berry producing shrubs and willows, also were harmed.  This in turn started mayhem with the ecosystem of the complete streamside and also with the wildlife connected to that area like insects, fish, birds, and other small animals. With no trees and bushes to hold on to the soil, the watercourse eroded and the food web went haywire.

In 1995, the wolves were reinstated in Yellowstone National Park, and within a few years the Lamar Valley streamside seems to be blooming with cottonwoods and smaller shrubs once again; they have become tall and look more predominant. The studies have proved that the fear of wolves prevent the elks from grazing on the willows and cottonwoods along the streamside.

The researchers now have a better understanding of ‘trophic effect’, which might take place in the ecosystem if an essential part is removed. The exclusion of wolves for 70 long years and then inclusion once again has set a stage for scientific experimentation with justly persuasive outcomes.

The damage that has been done to the trees in 70 years might take some time to show wondrous results, but for now the willows, cottonwood, aspen, and other trees are safe as the wolves have paved a way for their retrieval.

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There was a time when jaguars roamed most of the country without having to worry about being hunted or caught, but that began to change when they started hunting cattle to be their dinner. People began to kill them to save their herds first and later realized the beauty of its coat and started trophy hunting. It is the third largest cat in the world and the jaguar’s coat is one of the most beautiful things that you have come across. Lovely rosettes mark the Jaguar’s body. During the 18^th and 19^th centuries, jaguars were easily spotted in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Texas. At times, these big cats would be seen as far to the east as North Carolina, and they may be spotted roaming as far north as Colorado.

Sadly enough, its lovely coat became the reason for it to be hunted down by people so that they could trade its fur. A jaguar’s coat was considered to be a premium coat when animal fur was in fashion. This was in the sixties and seventies, when fur traders killed approximately 18,000 jaguars and only 12,000 to 15,000 were left in the wild by the time the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) bought the trade to a close in 1973.

The jaguar is globally considered to be a near threatened species, but in United States the conservation status of a jaguar is “endangered”. The last female jaguar in the U.S. was killed by a hunter in 1963 in northern Arizona. In southern Arizona, two jaguars were photographed in 1996. However, the species continued to remain elusive for over a decade, and then on February 18, 2009, jaguar conservation in Arizona were able to capture, collar, and release a jaguar. It was soon recognized as Macho B, which had roamed the region for around 15 years.

It so happened that the jaguar’s transmitting device showed a reduced pattern of movement and foraging, which put the Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists into action. They recaptured the cat, who sadly died soon after, when it suffered a terminal kidney failure.

The last known jaguar in Texas was killed in 1949, and recent sightings of jaguars have increased here, too, but biologists feel that there is a possibility the big cat sightings may be mistaken because of the rising cougar population in the region.

Recorded description of the last active jaguar den, which had breeding adults and kittens in it, was in the Tehachapi Mountains in California before 1860. As administrations changed from Bush’s presidential era to those of Obama’s, the conversation of the jaguar became more important and the plan of fencing the borderlands was brought to a halt so jaguars could roam freely in the region. A camera trap captured photos of a jaguar nicknamed “El Jefe” in September 2015. An analysis of its spots confirms that he has been in the region since 2011. At this time, he is the only jaguar that has been recently photographed in the United States and probably the last one of his kind.

The post Are Jaguars Extinct in the U.S.? appeared first on Defend Planet.

The Elkhorn coral loves the waters of Florida, Bahamas, and the Caribbean. They usually inhabit the shallow waters in these regions. A depth of 1 to 5 meters is considered shallow for this coral. The Elkhorn coral usually wears a brownish hue and has a white edge. It can be easily identified because the fan-like branches of the coral resemble the antlers of the elk. This is how this beautiful coral got its name.

What is causing its decline?

Water Clarity

One of the Elkhorn coral facts is that this coral gets its brownish color from the symbiotic zooxanthellae living inside its tissues. Zooxanthellae is an algae and it provides nutrients to the coral through the process of photosynthesis. Since the dependence of the coral on sunlight is necessary, a decrease in water clarity can have a detrimental effect on the coral because it may not be able to move from feeding through the algae to other food sources. This is one of the reasons why the Elkhorn coral is susceptible to climate changes and other factors that can reduce water clarity, like bleaching.

Diseases

Diseases are also slowly reducing the population of the Elkhorn coral. The white pox disease affects the Elkhorn coral only and it can move quickly from one colony to another. The disease causes white lesions on the coral and it can lead to a substantial amount of tissue loss. Other diseases include the white band and the black band disease. Elkhorn coral facts puts diseases as one of the most common reasons for the decline of the coral.

Predators

Coral predators have the ability to completely end a coral colony. The Elkhorn coral is usually predated by coral eating snails, bearded fireworm, and damselfish. When the coral is predated by these organisms, its growth is inhibited and it can also affect the coral’s ability to reproduce.

Other Causes

Other causes for the decrease in the population of the Elkhorn coral is due to algal overgrowth, ship grounding, trampling, and anchor damage. The coral is also threatened by of ocean acidification, which can reduce its skeletal integrity.

What Are Our Conservation Attempts?

The Elkhorn coral is listed as ‘Threatened’ on the US Endangered Species Act. The National Marine Fisheries Service have also passed a rule which prohibits all kinds of activities which may cause harm to the coral. The coral now has protected habitats where they can survive with higher mortality rates.

Restoration efforts to help the survival of the coral extend to the point where coral fragments which were broken off because of hurricanes or ships were reattached. These efforts have had mixed results. Newer methods are being discovered to increase the success of the reattachment.

As for diseases, very limited research exists when it comes to the coral diseases and the treatments for these diseases. This is why many coral colonies are lost to the diseases. Attempts are also being made to remove coral predators and introduce herbivores to the ecosystem which can feed on the harmful algae and help in the growth of the coral.

With more research on the threats and stringent rules to ensure that the coral is not harmed, we may be able to save this lovely, colorful coral. By reducing pollution and giving the coral a better ecosystem, they may have a chance of making a bright and vibrant comeback.

The post Can we Save the Elkhorn Coral? appeared first on Defend Planet.

Once the visitors brought the calf to the park facility, the rangers tried to reunite the calf with its herd numerous times, but were unsuccessful. The deserted calf started approaching the cars and people, which could be dangerous, and hence had to be enthused.

The visitors were fined $110 for meddling with the park’s wildlife. The sad event compelled the United States National Park Service to release a public statement on how people should behave while coming in contact with the park’s wildlife.

Their website emphasized on how interfering with the wild animals could disturb their comfort and existence. As per the park regulations, people need to keep a 100 yard distance from wolves and bears, and 25 yards away from all other wildlife, including deer, elk and bison.

Engaging with the wildlife could lead to dangerous consequences in which human and animal safety could be at stake. Other instances had also been highlighted in their website where visitors posed for selfies with the animals.

There are many occasions when bison have attacked people and instances have been reported when humans have been injured. Bison attacks are common in Yellowstone National Park. It is best that they are left alone.

Animals will attack only if they feel their life is in danger; staying far away and admiring them is the best way to live and let live.

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It has been a little over half a century since we discovered the rare vaquita porpoises and we are already on the brink of losing them. These lovely marine mammals have already reached the edge of extinction as they try to battle through gillnets used by illegal fishing operations. The world lost more than half of the population of the vaquita porpoises in the last three years to these illegal fishing operations, which are primarily conducted in marine protected areas in Mexico’s Gulf of California.

The slender vaquita porpoise has unique rings (dark) around the eyes and the mouth. It is the world’s most endangered cetacean. With dark grey skin on the top which fades to pale grey or white below, along with a stripe (dark) from the chin to the base of the flipper, the vaquitas are known to be tolerant of temperature changes and can easily adapt to abnormal changes in the temperature as well.

They live in the warm shallow coastal waters towards the Northern end of the Gulf of California and are the only species of porpoise who live in such warm waters. Their ability to tolerate such warm waters comes from their slender shape and relatively large fins which help in increasing the surface area of the porpoise and facilitates the dissipation of heat in warm waters.

The status of vaquitas is critically endangered because they are very rare and have a limited distribution. These porpoises are not hunted directly, but their populations have been dwindling as a result of incidental mortality caused by the fishing gear used by illegal fishermen. When they get caught in gillnets, they cannot surface in order to breathe, so they end up drowning in the very waters that they call home.

Most of the vaquitas are found in the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve which was established in 1993. This area prohibits all forms of fishing and the buffer zone around the area restricts the use of gillnets, but these restrictions are not strictly enforced. Many organizations have made efforts to look for sustainable alternatives for the fishermen who depend on the Gulf area for their living, but it has become extremely difficult to conserve the vaquitas and remove harmful fishing gears from the area.

It has been noticed that a huge number of vaquita sightings occur beyond the Biosphere Reserve’s southern boundary. So if the gillnets are banned within the reserve, vaquitas who are outside the reserve may still suffer. Suggestions have been made that a complete ban should be put on fishing methods which end up killing the vaquitas. Everything from trawlers to gill nets could be banned completely throughout the area.

However, a complete ban like this will have a potentially profound political, cultural, economic, and social implications in and around the local communities of the area. This is why public education and awareness is the best way to approach the attempts of saving the endangered vaquitas and looking for ways to protect their habitat.

You can do your part spreading the word about how to help vaquitas by letting your friends know about the International Save the Vaquita Day that will take place on July 9^th – hopefully this intended annual event will last for many years.

The post The Vaquita Porpoise Pleads for Help appeared first on Defend Planet.

The data, which had been compiled by the IUCN in 2010, recorded as few as 3,200 tigers. The rise in the population could be accredited to a number of reasons like developed surveys and better protection of the animals, and an increase in the population of tiger in Nepal, Russia, India and Bhutan.

Director General of WWF International, Marco Lambertini said that it was the first time in decades that after a continuous decline in their numbers, there has been an increase in the number of tigers. It has raised hopes and indicates that a number of endangered species and their habitats could be saved if local societies, ecologists, and the government work hand-in-hand.

At the 3^rd Asia Ministerial Conference, tiger conservation is an initiative which started in 2010 in a Tiger Summit in Russia; their key goal was to double the number of tigers by 2022 and safeguard a place for the tigers in the future of Asia.

The three days long meeting had countries discuss their progress and a plan of action created for the coming six years.

Despite the tigers being on the list of threatened species; threatened by loss of habitat and poachers, TRAFFIC revealed that around 1,590 tigers were grabbed by officials of law from January 2000 to April 2014. A billion dollar illegal wildlife trade was feeding from these animals. For a country to protect their tigers they need to know the exact population of the tiger and the threats the tigers are likely to face.

GTI and WWF are enthralled with the upped number of tigers and encourage the countries to continue the good work and keep publishing the reports in regular intervals.

The post Rise in the Global Population of Tigers, Still a Lengthy Path appeared first on Defend Planet.