Too many animals around the world are being driven to extinction because of habitat loss. The blue-throated hillstar hummingbird was just recently discovered and is already facing extinction because its natural habitat is home to metals that people want to get their hands on. Orangutans are suffering greatly because of deforestation for palm oil production. […]
Tag: penguin
Japan Has Killed Over 50 Minke Whales in a Protected Area of Antarctica
Japanese whalers have already harpooned and slaughtered over 50 minke whales this year in an area of the Ross Sea in Antarctica that is off-limits to fishing. They have done this by labeling their slaughter for “scientific purposes.” The hunting of whales for profit has been banned since 1986 but Japan, Iceland and Norway have […]
World’s Largest King Penguin Colony Has Declined by Almost 90 Percent
Scientists haven’t visited the Île aux Cochons, an island in the southern Indian Ocean, since 1982 when it had the distinction of being home to the world’s largest colony of king penguins, and the second largest colony of all penguins. At the time, there were estimate to be 500,000 breeding pairs, and over two million […]
Krill fishing companies pledge to protect key food of Antarctic animals
A majority of krill fishing companies have announced their commitment to voluntarily stop harvesting the tiny crustaceans from vast areas of the Antarctic Peninsula, including around important breeding penguin colonies.The announcement on July 9 follows years of campaigns and negotiations led by environmental groups such as Greenpeace. “This is a bold and progressive move from […]
World’s longest penguin dive, of more than half an hour, is recorded
Scientists in Antarctica have recorded the world’s longest penguin dive, an astounding 32.2 minutes under the water; a full five minutes longer than the previous record. Emperor penguins, which live only in Antartica, are the tallest and heaviest penguins in the world, and have the best diving ability. They can dive as much as 500 […]
“Save the Krill” urges Greenpeace report
In Antarctica, it’s usually the whales, seals and penguins that take the spotlight, but a new report focuses on an animal further down the food chain: the Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). In a report issued last week, Greenpeace International outlines the vital role that this minute crustacean plays in Antarctica’s marine ecology and documents incursions […]
The radical otherness of birds: Jonathan Franzen on why they matter
For most of my life, I didn’t pay attention to birds. Only in my 40s did I become a person whose heart lifts whenever he hears a grosbeak singing or a towhee calling, and who hurries out to see a golden plover that’s been reported in the neighbourhood, just because it’s a beautiful bird, with […]
World’s biggest wildlife reserve planned for Antarctica in global campaign
A global campaign is being launched to turn a huge tract of the seas around the Antarctic into the world’s biggest sanctuary, protecting wildlife and helping the fight against climate change. The huge 1.8m sq km reserve – five times the size of Germany – would ban all fishing in a vast area of the […]