Wildlife and nuclear power plants: ..when man goes away... nature thrives...

photo by Dr. Sergei Gaschak

Ukraine - April 26th, 1986 - Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explodes.
High levels of radioactivity and lots of human and animal casualties followed. The area was evacuated and still today humans are not yet suitable for re-homing it. But now, almost 30 years later, that same place that witnessed much death and destruction seems has had a surprising change of course. Many species are living there, and multiplying... cause eventually, where there's no man... there's more chances of survival for animals and all nature alike.

On April 26, 1986, disaster struck the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine
Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/what-happens-when-wildlife-reclaims-chernobyl#YigOkEaZcMLxmwRx.99

This is quite much of a controversial subject for me, i don't really agree with the way scientists interact and interfere with the local wildlife - i am strongly against any kind of animal testing experiment, and the poor white rats in the documentary will end up in a lab. Also i didn't really enjoy the part where they had to set a trap to catch 'Boy', the wolf - in a nonchalant kind of way they explained that 'the paw caught in the trap didn't seem to have reported any damage' ... what if it did though!
This being said, it's quite interesting to see that after man destroys, nature reclaims. If we continue the way we do, at this rate - between pollution, deforestation, pouching etc - not much will be left to guarantee an healthy standard of life for all earthlings, at least the ones that remain. But it kind of brings some hope to think that eventually, if we'll annihilate ourselves with our greediness and stupidity, nature might have another chance to thrive.
Long live the animals!


LINKS

- Do Animals in Chernobyl's Fall Out Zone Glow?
- Chernobyl's Wildlife Survivors

Wolves in Need

GREATER YELLOWSTONE and the NORTHERN ROCKIES

On March 6th, 2009, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the Bush Administration's discredited plan to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana -- a decision that could lead to the deaths of more than 1,000 wolves!

Just one year after the famous wolf Limpy was shot and killed just outside Yellowstone National Park -- President Obama’s pick as Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, has taken it upon himself to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone, the Northern Rockies and other parts of the American West.
As a result of Salazar’s action, more than 1,000 wolves in Idaho and Montana could be killed by people like Idaho Governor Butch Otter, who recently reaffirmed that he wants to be one of the first to shoot a wolf.

Please watch the new Northern Rockies wolf video below and urge President Obama now to restore life-saving protections for our wolves!



Salazar’s decision is a mistake, and we have to let the Obama Administration know it. To send a strong message, we need to generate at least 100,000 messages in support of protections for our wolves before May 4th, when the federal protections are lifted and the wolf killing can resume (please add your signature to the petitions in the "Take Action" spot below).

Last year, when the Bush/Cheney Administration briefly eliminated these vital federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies, more than 100 of the region’s estimated 1,500 wolves were killed in just a couple of short months, until Defenders of Wildlife succeeded in convincing a federal judge to stop the killing.
Now Secretary Salazar has approved the exact proposal for which the Bush Administration was roundly criticized. And he did so with no consultation with wildlife advocates and with no warning of what he was thinking.

The following is a statement by Rodger Schlickeisen, president for Defenders of Wildlife:

"We're on the eve of a tragic event in the history of the conservation of endangered species. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to adopt the Bush administration's plan to remove Endangered Species Act protection for wolves in the Northern Rockies is a loss for the wolves, a loss for their ecosystems and a loss for sound science serving as the backbone of the Endangered Species Act.

Wolves will once again be in the crosshairs to be needlessly killed starting May 4. Under the inadequate federal delisting rule, as much as two-thirds of the current Northern Rockies wolf population can be killed. Defenders of Wildlife will not stand by and let this go unchallenged."
(read more HERE)


AERIAL GUNNING in ALASKA

"Aerial gunning" is the cowardly act of shooting animals from aircrafts.
More than 900 wolves in Alaska have been killed by aerial gunning since 2003, and Governor Palin is pushing to kill even more wolves this year using aerial gunning, poison gas and snares.
Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin wants to offer $150 bounties to encourage hunters to kill more wolves. Even worse, Idaho and Wyoming have proposed aerial gunning programs of their own, meaning that soon the wolves of Yellowstone could be gunned down from airplanes if they leave the safety of the park.



Alaskan wolves receive no Endangered Species Act protections, and the species has long been vilified. In the 1940s and 1950s, widespread wolf killings occurred via poisonings, bounties, and aerial shooting by federal agents. After Alaska became a state in 1959, poisoning was prohibited by legislative action and bounties were soon stopped. Aerial shooting of wolves became common in the 1960s. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game ceased issuing aerial permits in 1972 after passage of the federal Airborne Hunting Act. The Act prohibits the shooting of wolves directly from airplanes but left legalize the practice known as "land and shoot" -- where a hunter can land a plane and shoot the animal from the ground.
(read more HERE)



MEXICAN GREY WOLVES

Mexican wolves remain one of the most endangered species in the United States.
But recovery efforts have yet to ensure a lasting future for these animals that play an important role in the culture and the wilderness of the Southwest.
Misinformation and anti-wolf sentiment runs high, with the few remaining wolves in Arizona and New Mexico at risk of extinction.
With ONLY two breeding pairs of Mexican wolves left in the wild and a total of ONLY 52 wild Mexicans grey, we need sensible, science-based wolf management to ensure the “lobo” will survive -- and thrive -- in the wilds of the Southwest.
(more info HERE)




TAKE ACTION


- Urge President Obama to Stand Up for Wolves
- End Aerial Hunting of Alaska's Wolves
- Speak Up for Southwest Wolves

- Heart of the Wolf - Action Alert
- Wolf-Dogs for Adoption
- Adopt a Wolf



LINKS


- Defenders of Wildlife
- Mexican Wolves
- Heart of the Wolf
- End Aerial Gunning of Wildlife
- Timber Wolf Information
- Main Wolf Coalition
- The Wolf Sanctuary
- Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary
- Wolf Education Research Centre
- National Wildlife Federation
- International Wolf Centre Home
- FAQ - Basic Wolves Information
- Wolf Anti-Defamation League


.... and as farewell, "A Man Among Wolves" - A Good Wolf Story to read HERE .. and watch below:

What You Can Do to Help the Animals pt.6 - Fur-Free Action

FUR-FREE ACTION GUIDE - WHAT YOU CAN DO


It can take 40 or more animals to make a fur coat, but only one person to make a difference.
Here are nine effective ways to help end the suffering and killing of animals for fur and fur trim.

To jump straight to our fur-free outreach materials order form, click here .
To order posters, contact furfree@hsus.org.


1. Be Fur Free

The most important thing you can do to protect animals from the fur trade is to buy and wear only fur-free clothing.

Sign the fur-free pledge and join the more than 115,000 people who have pledged to help us tell the fashion industry that the animals need their fur more than we do.

2. Write Letters

Letters to the editor: Writing letters to the editor is one of the best ways to communicate to the public the problems associated with the fur trade.
For almost no expense, and very little time, you can have your arguments against fur read by thousands of people who go to that section specifically to see what other people think about issues. Get tips on how to write good letters on fur.

Letters to stores: Writing letters to stores can help keep a store fur-free, or help convince one that sells fur to stop doing so, especially if you are a valued customer. However, it is generally most effective when done as part of a focused campaign. Contact information for most department stores and big chains can be found on their websites. You can start by contacting "Neiman Carcass."

3. Share Videos

Nothing beats a video when it comes to imparting the cruelty behind fur production.
If you have friends who wear fur, ask them to watch the videos on our multimedia page, like "Cruelty by Design."
Consider asking—in lieu of holiday gifts—that your close friends and family instead watch a video about the fur industry, like the documentary "The Witness."

4. Wear a Fur-Free Message

Make compassion your fashion with our stylish T-shirt.
Our new Compassion Is My Fashion tee is the perfect way to show that it's stylish to be fur free.

Other great ways to send a fur-free message:

# Donna Salyer's Fur Free Compassion Pin
# Fur Free Zone t-shirt
# "FF" necklace

(note from Animal Voice: you can also create your own customized T-Shirt, nowadays there are many self-made t-shirt shops where you can bring your own design and they will stamp it for you on t-shirts, caps, sweaters, mugs etc.).

5. Educate People

Share our literature with individuals who may be against animal cruelty, but who haven't yet considered what buying or wearing fur supports. Keep fur cards on hand to give to fur wearers, or spend an hour with a friend handing out leaflets outside stores that sell fur. We also make a special leaflet designed to be hung on doorknobs. Order outreach materials here.

6. Organize a Protest or Outreach Event

A protest can be a great way to get media attention and educate shoppers on the issue of needless cruelty to animals by the fur trade. Fur-Free Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, and a huge shopping day) is a traditional day of protest against the fur trade nationwide. Read about previous Fur-Free Friday protests here.
Planning a protest? Order cards and leaflets here and contact furfree@hsus.org to request posters.

7. Put Up Fur-Free Billboards

Putting up a billboard is an exciting way to broadcast the fur-free message. The HSUS offers the materials free of charge—all you need to do is identify a location in your area and cover the posting fee to have the visual placed. Thousands of drivers will see your billboard.
For more information about posting a billboard in your community, contact furfree@hsus.org.

8. Give Our Trapping Case Report to Your Local Vets and Shelters

Give copies of The HSUS' Trapping Case Report form to your local veterinarians and animal shelters.
Ask them to keep it on file in the event that a trapping victim is brought to them.
The information we collect from these forms helps us to enact bans on cruel and indiscriminate traps.

9. Donate Your Fur to Coats for Cubs

If you own fur, one of the best things you can do with it is give it back to animals with our Coats for Cubs program.
Your donation will give comfort to orphaned and injured animals.
Fox kits and other baby animals enjoy the maternal softness of a donated fur.



(taken from : HSUS - Fur Free Action Guide)



Few more facts...

Number of animals used to make an average length fur coat:

Bobcats 15
Chinchillas 100
Ermine 125
Lynx 11
Otters 14
Raccoons 27
Ranch Minks 35
Red Fox 18
Rex Rabbits 30
Sables 40
Silver Fox 11


..... Choose compassion. Don’t wear fur!



RELATED LINKS:


- Infurmation
- CAFT - Coalition to Abolish Fur Trade
- API - Take Action
- Respect for Animals - Get Involved
- China's Fur Trade - Animal Voice
- Indian Leather
- Pope wear Fur!

- PETA's Action Centre
- PETA - Helping Animals
- Adopt a College - Leafleting Project
- Petion Corner at Animal Voice
With only few minutes a day spent on signing petitions, you are showing that You care.

Be a visible & hearable voice for the animals!
The Animals Need You!