June 19th, 2013
By Phyllis Sena
Individual jaguars “captured” in photos can be identified by their unique spotting patterns. (This photo, from the cover of the new manual, was taken in 2012 in Guatemala in an earlier survey.) Photo Credit: Rony Garcia © WCS
The Wildlife Conservation Society captured a photograph of a male jaguar using a remote camera trap, a unique contraption that is activated by motion or heat that takes pictures of animals in the wild that are normally hard to locate because of their elusiveness.
Since each jaguar has a unique pattern of spots, the WCS has integrated camera traps into their manual of methods in order to estimate jaguar population in Guatemala. But because jaguars roam around to seek prey, the WCS is leading a survey in Guatemala using numerous stations of camera traps to cover a 500-square kilometer area of forest to learn more about these animals, including how many exist in the region.
Jaguars are the third largest cat after the lion and the tiger, and are the only large cats found in the Western Hemisphere and is often confused with a leopard, but it is larger, more muscular, and more elusive. The jaguar’s preferred habitat is a rainforest environment, and they mainly reside in Central and South America.
Conservation efforts are underway to protect this mysterious creature since their induction on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as “Near Threatened”. As many as 18,000 wild jaguars were killed each year until the CITES of 1973 brought the fur trade to a near halt. Today, wild jaguars continue to be hunted due to conflict with humans, and their population numbers are further threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and lack of natural prey.
For unlucky prey, the last second glimpse of an approaching well-camouflaged jaguar might be the last. This photo is among the first collected from a large scale WCS-led camera-trap study in Guatemala.( Photo collected recently in 2013) Photo Credit: Rony Garcia © WCS
June 12th, 2013
By Brandon Allen
A critically endangered monkey, the kipunji infant picture here was born to a one-handed mother. She lost the extremity in a snare. Photo by Tim Davenport / WCS.
A Kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji) infant was just born in Tanzania this month, an important addition to the critically endangered monkey species. The Kipunji is the first new species of monkey to be discovered since 1923. Originally scientists had assumed that this unique primate was a mangabey, an endangered population of Old World monkeys that live in African rainforests. However, DNA tests revealed that the Kipunji is of an entirely new genus and the Kipunji was officially declared a new species in 2006. The small Kipunji population resides in a forest on Mt. Rungwe that is protected by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
May 29th, 2013
A leatherback sea turtle in Galibi, Suriname. Photo by Tiffany Roufs.
By Phyllis Sena
The gargantuan leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all sea turtles and according to the IUCN Red List, is also critically endangered with their population declining 90 percent in the past 20 years. This sea turtle got its name by having a soft, leathery textured carapace (top shell) instead of the common hard shell that other turtles have. This enormous species can weight up to 2,000 lbs. during adulthood and can measure up to 6 ½ feet long!
Leatherbacks are the most migratory and wide ranging of sea turtle species, but can also be seen feeding in coastal waters. Their largest nesting areas are found on the coasts of Northern South America and West Africa and within the United States, Puerto Rico and Southeast Florida are popular (and protected) spots for Leatherbacks to lay clutches of approximately 100 eggs at a time.
Since this species is on the IUCN Red List, their nesting beaches are protected and closely monitored by government and non-profit organizations who target the main causes of population decline: egg harvesting and bycatch. The term bycatch means incidental capture in fishing gear, mainly from large fishing ships that use gillnets, longlines, and traps as techniques to catch their fish. Sea turtles and other marine animals are frequently caught from these illegal methods, and because of this threat and egg harvesting combined, the leatherback population is having a hard time recovering.
Researchers measure the carapace of a nesting mother in Galibi, Suriname. Photo by Jeremy Hance.
May 23rd, 2013
Swainson’s toucan. Photo by Rhett A. Butler / mongabay.com
By Hannah Lindstrom
Panama has a total of 972 bird species, of which 20 are considered to be globally threatened. Since the 1940′s, Panama’s tree cover has been reduced by over 50% which is having an effect on the avifauna of the nation. Species in Panama range from Giant Harpy Eagles, Panama’s national bird, to small species of kingfishers, with many in between.
Harpy eagle, the world’s largest eagle. Photo by Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay.com
Unidentified bird in Panama. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.
May 9th, 2013
by Phyllis Sena
Photo by Joanne Iredale.
The ZSL London Zoo welcomes baby Anvil, an Eastern Black and White Colobus monkey who is the new pride and joy of her mother, Sophia. Even though there is a stark contrast when it comes to appearance between mother and daughter, the jet-white newborn will eventually become black and white and better resemble her mother once she gets older. Anvil’s aunty Thumbelina is the only member of the family that is allowed to hold and cuddle with the two-week old baby, and if often spotted showing off her adorable nephew to excited onlookers at the zoo.
The Eastern Black and White Colobus species of Old World monkeys naturally reside in the forests of Africa, and eat mainly fruit, leaves, flowers, and twigs. Because of their herbivorous diet, they are important for seed dispersal from their sloppy eating habits and their digestive systems. These monkeys are vital creatures to Africa’s ecosystem, and unfortunately they are popular prey for Africa’s forest predators and are threatened by bushmeat trade from hunters, logging, and habitat destruction.
May 8th, 2013
by Jemma Smith
Baby sun bear at a rehabilitation center in Malaysia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.
The Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest member of the bear (Ursidae) family. A patch on their chest enables them to be individually identified by the size, color and pattern variations between individuals. Very little is known about the sun bear; however, they are believed to be found throughout Southeast Asia, from India to Borneo. Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List and are believed to be extinct in some countries including Southern China, Tibet and Bangladesh. Sadly this species, like many others, is in decline due to habitat loss and poaching.
April 26th, 2013
By Phyllis Sena
Nicknamed “Howlers”, Howler monkeys are famously known for their deafening calls that can be heard up to three miles (five kilometers) away in the jungles of Central and South America. A cacophony of loud cries can be heard during dusk and dawn in order to send a message to other monkeys that the territory is being occupied by their group. Howlers are also considered to be the loudest land mammal on Earth.
Howlers are considered New World monkeys, which are the only monkeys with prehensile tails unlike the Old World species of monkeys such as baboons and macaques. Most howler monkey species live in groups of 6 – 15 individuals, usually with one dominant male, a couple of other males, and multiple females for mating.
The red howler monkey species is the most common, but it is often targeted for bushmeat in South America. Some species are even considered to be critically endangered according to the 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , such as the Red-Handed Howler Monkey, the Azuero Howler Monkey, and the Northern Brown Howler Monkey.
April 22nd, 2013
Written by Jemma Smith
Photo by Ullas Karanth / WCS
This image of a 4-5 month old tiger cub was recently captured on a remote camera in the India’s Bhadra Tiger Reserve.
The Bhadra reserve was identified by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as one of 42 ‘source sites’ that are essential for the future of tigers. These sites are found within 9 different countries and are home to 70% of the remaining tiger population; although only make up 6% of their range.
Individual tigers can be identified by their unique striped pattern. WCS conservationist, led by Ullas Karanth, a tiger expert, conduct annual surveys in this area photographing and identifying tigers.
Data collected by WCS shows that within the Bhadra reserve the tiger population has increased and prey populations doubled due to their conservation effort. This success confirms the value of these ‘source sites’ and stands out as a model of tiger conservation success.
The tiger’s greatest threats include poaching, illegal killing, loss of prey and habitat loss. Due to urban expansion, populations of tigers become isolated in small fragmented areas and eventually die out. A decrease in food source leads to conflicts with farmers. Reserves, such as Bhadra, which protects them from many of these threats, are important in the future survival of this iconic animal.
April 18th, 2013
By Jordanna Dulaney
A Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) hatchling. The Olive Ridley is named for its olive-colored heart-shaped shell, which changes from dark grey to olive as the turtle matures. Like other sea turtles, the Olive Ridley nests and hatch in tropical waters and then migrate to subtropical areas like the southeastern or eastern central Atlantic.
Although it is considered the most abundant sea turtle in the world with 800,000 nesting females estimated, Olive Ridleys are ranked “Vulnerable” by the IUNC. Major reasons for the ranking are habitat pollution, by-catch in fisheries (becoming caught in fishing nets), and devastating egg harvests and hunting.
April 15th, 2013
By Jemma Smith
Members of the Village Crocodile Conservation Group prepare to release three of the nineteen Siamese crocodiles. Credit: Alex McWilliam/WCS.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has recently released 19 baby Siamese crocodiles into a local wetland in Lao PDR. The eggs of the crocodiles were discovered and collected during a wildlife survey back in 2011, hatched and reared at Lao Zoo as part of the Community-based Crocodile Recovery and Livelihood Improvement Project.
The 19 month old hatchings were released near to where the eggs were found into a ‘soft release’ pen to acclimatise to their new surroundings. They will remain in the pen for several months until the water levels rise and they can swim away during the rainy season. In the mean time members of the Village Crocodile Conservation Group will guard and provide supplementary food to the hatchlings.
“We are extremely pleased with the success of this collaborative program and believe it is an important step in contributing to the conservation of the species by involving local communities in long term wetland management,” said Alex McWilliam a conservation biologist with WCS’s Lao PDR Program.
The hatchings, which were approximately 27 inches in length when released, will grow up to 10 feet when fully matured.
These animals are listed at Critically Endangered on the IUCN’s Red List due to overhunting and habitat degradation and loss. They are now extinct in much of their former range through Southeast Asia except Cambodia. It is estimated there are less than 250 individuals left in the wild. This success is positive news for their future.
A member of the Village Crocodile Conservation Group prepares a Siamese crocodile for release. Credit: Alex McWilliam/WCS.
The Siamese crocodiles enjoy their new habitat after a long and bumpy eight hour journey from the Lao Zoo. Credit: Alex McWilliam/WCS.