» Listings for 2020

1. Exciting news from the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

   Posted on 8:00pm Tuesday 8th Dec 2020

   The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is going to partner with several leading research institutions to breed koalas and protect the future of the species!   And the koalas will be released into the wild! The goal is to have up to 60 breeding koalas on site.  In the first instance, these will be sourced from the mid north coast, with a view to releasing selected offspring to certain areas within a couple of areas.  Selected koalas from other New South Wales locations will be bred in separate areas for eventual release back to their places of origin. The hospital is partnering with the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, the Australian Museum and the University of Sydney. Each partner brings its own specialist knowledge and expertise: The Australian Museum specialises in population genetics, and by applying DNA-based tools, it will be possible to gain a better understanding of the unique history and habitat requirements of specific threatened populations, and that will enable the partners involved in the project to develop more targeted management strategies. The University of Sydney has expertise in genetics and understanding how to improve breeding and translocation decisions for koalas.  The incredible part of all this is that the breeding facility is going to be funded by the donations made from the public to the Go Fund Me fundraiser during the terrible bushfires of 2019/2020.  It’s a very exciting development for koalas and will help the hospital stop the decline of koala populations and establish new koala groups in New South Wales. The Go Fund Me fundraiser is still going, and you can donate here.

    

2. Petition to Hermes about crocodiles for handbags and shoes

   Posted on 8:00pm Thursday 3rd Dec 2020

   Sign Care2’s petition demanding that they abandon the proposed facility in Australia, and ban the use of exotic skins from its products completely! Where does the material for handbags and shoes come from? Well, Hermès, the French fashion brand, want to build a new facility in Australia.  Here 50,000 crocodiles will be born into captivity.  They will be skinned and turned into handbags and shoes. Incredibly, the project has been granted development and environmental approvals. How is it that someone can say it’s okay to breed crocodiles into captivity to be skinned for handbags and shoes? The fashion brand plan to steal eggs from mother crocodiles in the wild.  This will cause fear, stress and aggression. When the eggs hatch in the factory farm walls, the baby crocs will kept in tight concrete enclosures.  Their movement will be restricted and they will have no stimulation.  And when they have grown big enough, their skin will be ready to be harvested. PETA have reported that on other crocodile farms, crocodiles are electrocuted. Their bodies shake and protest wildly. Some may even still be alive as their necks are slit.  Metal rods are rammed down their spine in an attempt to kill them.  Some have been seen to be alive as the skinning starts. Hermès says it "has defined and implemented a very strict, science-based, animal welfare policy." Hmm...really? Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Mulberry have banned exotic animal skins in their products.  They use vegan alternatives which look the same. Tell Hermès that’s not too late to join the right side of history. Sign the petition demanding that they abandon the proposed facility in Australia, and ban the use of exotic skins from its products completely! Please sign the petition here

    

    

3. Success! Tea plantation operators will not be allowed in the Kafuga Forest

   Posted on 10:55pm Tuesday 1st Dec 2020

   Good news for Gorillas Tea plantation operators will not be allowed in the Kafuga Forest, Uganda. A court has put the forest under the stewardship of the local district, and they’ve also said the forest must be made into a protected area within a year! This area is on the borders of gorilla habitat and the forest keeps threats at a distance from the Bwindi National Park.   The park is home to about a third of the last mountain gorillas on earth – less than 1,100.    The Kafuga Forest is safe image ©CC BY-SA 2.0   And Kafuga Forest is home to hundreds of species of birds, rodents and chimpanzees. The struggle has been going on for years, with 12 people being arrested for cutting down trees there in 2016.   The High Court wanted evidence from the envrionmentalists that the suspects had done this inside of the Kafuga Forest – and the area had been mapped, with the financial support of Rainforest Rescue.  This mapping was crucial because it showed the court that the defendants’ claim that they were felling trees on their property wasn’t right. A quarter of a million people signed a petition with Rainforest Rescue about it and many people donated towards it as well. Rainforest Rescue report that the next step is to make the forest a protected area in the next year! Visit Rainforest Rescue's website here.

    

    

4. Help Rainforest Rescue help the Ekuri people protect their forest and help gorillas

   Posted on 9:00pm Monday 23rd Nov 2020

   Rainforest Rescue are asking for donations to help the indigenous Ekuri protect their community forest. You see, bulldozers appeared without warning and started to clear one of Nigeria’s last remaining forests.   The Ekuri people rose up quickly – they have a lot of experience defending their forest against the exploitation of others. The Ekuri people and Rainforest Rescue have developed a powerful coalition over the years. They want to get the government of Cross River State to abandon its plans for a superhighway to nowhere.    If it were to be created, that superhighway would impact national parks, forest reserves – and 185 villages along its 270 kilometre route.Sixty Eco-Guards are being trained to protect the forest by Martins Ego and activities of the NGOs Ekuri Initiative and DevCon.   One of the species of wildlife who will be particularly affected if this highway goes ahead is the endangered Cross River Gorillas because the region is home to the Afi Wildlife Sanctuary.  Please help the Ekuri people defend their forest home and protect it for people and wildlife – especially the gorillas! Find out more and donate here

    

    

5. World's largest wildlife sanctuary created in the Tristan de Cunha island chain

   Posted on 3:00pm Saturday 14th Nov 2020

   There’s more good news for nature. Tristan da Cunha is a remote island chain in the South Pacific.  It’s 2,400 kilometres from the nearest land! And Birdlife International report that Tristan da Cunha has been declared a Marine Protection Zone, one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries and a pristine wildlife haven. The MPA is nearly three times the size of the UK.  MILLIONS of seabirds, fish and mammals Penguins and seals, threatened sharks and whales will all benefit.  25 seabird species breed here, four of which are unique to the islands and which are also globally threatened.   It includes the World Heritage Site of Gough Island which is a renowned albatross stronghold, and, it could be argued, one of the most important seabird islands in the world The MPA has been established thanks to international collaboration between governments, NGOs and local islanders.  The whole thing was instigated by the Tristan de Cunha government and the RSPB. The Tristan islanders themselves led the way however, as nature guardians in the Atlantic Ocean.  They have already declared protected status for over half their territory, and they know that the sea is critical for their long term survival.  They are proud to play a key role in protecting the health of the oceans. The UK Government Blue Belt Programme, National Geographic Pristine Seas and the Great British Oceans coalition. British Antarctic Survey, University of Plymouth and the Natural History Museum have also been involved. Recently, a study found that banned fishing in 5% or more of the ocean would increase global catches by 20% plus in future.  And of course this newly protected MPA ties into the wider global goal to secure protection of 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 to tackle climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Well done to everyone involved!  Visit Birdlife International to find out more