Saturday 1 March 2014

Abbott's Duiker



I'm nocturnal and secretive , 
A Forest-dwelling small antelope,
In dense vegetation, I love to roam free.

A camera trap was used to at last,
Photograph me in the wild,
 In only two thousand and three.

I've rather a stocky body, 
With short, thick legs,
And a chunky neck, 

My glossy coat varies in colour, 
Dark chestnut-brown, black, lighter red on my belly and sides,
I ain't very tall, only standing twenty six inches off the deck.

My face is pale grey in colour,
I have a long distinctive tuft of reddish-brown hair,
sitting between my short, pointed horns.

You'll only find me in the forests and highlands of Tanzania,
Impacted by your hunting and habitat destruction,
You humans are being in our sides, such thorns!

You snare me, for my meat,
Encroach on my territory, through agriculture and logging,
Your activities have resulted in my extinction, in areas where I did once roam.

 My numbers, they are reducing at a pace,
So I kindly ask you to join now, the global conservation race,
Help me from my endangered plight and fight to save me my home.

"Once, twice, three times a wolfy"



"Wish Mum would buy some smaller toothpicks!"



"I believe I can fly, I believe that I can touch the sky. So please conserve and don't let me die!"

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Have a Heart, Conserve and Protect!

"Oh what I'd give for a Banana right now!"

"Almost got it. Best tell Harry not to wave his wand around next time!

"If I flap my ears fast enough, do you think that I might too fly?"

Zoos in Europe ‘kill 5,000 healthy animals a year’


                                                                 I am Marius, a healthy 18-month-old giraffe, I was killed by the Copenhagen Zoo. 


 I just read the news and my heart kinda sank,
The facts of what is happening, leaves me rather blank.
Five thousand animals in European Zoos, are killed each and every year,
This cannot be allowed to continue, in captivity animals should not an unjust death fear!

Those that should be protecting us, are using euthanasia without a care, 
From wee little tadpoles up to the tallest giraffe, how very bloody they dare!
Since 2012 in Denmark, five healthy giraffes have been put down,
The awful plight of such majestic animals, leaves my face a frown.

Zebras, Hippos, Tigers and their cubs, Arabian Oryx and even Lions and Bears,
Of this wholesale murder of innocent lives, I am shocked and stand up do all my hairs.
Zoo's should not be considered a conservation safety net, captivity provides animals no way back,
Join in the global conservation effort, to protect and keep alive species, please do not personally slack.


1 in 10


I am the one in ten

A number on a list

I am the one in ten

Even though I don`t exist

Nobody Knows me

Even though I`m always there

A statistic, a reminder 

Of a world that doesn`t care!

(Lyrics, UB40)

"Almost two thirds of British species have declined in the past 50 years.
Currently one in ten species faces the risk of extinction from our shores, 
according to an extensive new report into the state of Britain's nature."

Tiger Decline In Numbers & Conservation plan to 2050



Plight Of The Rothschild's Giraffe


With fewer than 670 individuals remaining in the wild, 
the Rothschild's giraffe is listed as Endangered and 
is under real threat of extinction in the wild.
Giraffe are often not considered a conservation priority and 
are frequently overlooked in conservation or management plans.
This chart demonstrates just how small the population of Rothschild's giraffe is 
in comparison to some other species that receive a lot of conservation attention.  

Shocking, isn't it?   

Trends In Species Loss


The graphs above present data on recorded animal extinctions since 1600. 
Majority of extinctions have occurred on islands, birds and mammals particularly affected 
(although this may reflect to some degree our more limited knowledge of other groups).

RECORDED EXTINCTIONS SINCE 1600 A.D.

                                                                                                                              
TAXONMAINLANDISLANDOCEANTOTAL
APPROXIMATE

 NUMBER 
OF SPECIES
PERCENT 

OF 
TAXON 
EXTINCT
Mammals
30
51
4
85
4,000
2.1
Birds
21
92
0
113
9,000
1.3
Reptiles
1
20
0
21
6,300
0.3
Amphibians*
2
0
0
2
4,200
0.05
Fish
22
1
0
23
19,100
0.1
Invertebrates
49
48
1
98
1,000,000+
0.01
Flowering plants
245
139
0
384
250,000
0.2
Source: Reid and Miller 1989; data from various sources
*There has been an alarming decline in amphibian populations recently;   
   and many species may be on the verge of extinction.

Habitat Removal Through Deforestation



image removed




 In this clear-cut lumbering of National Forest land in Washington State, 
few if any trees have been left standing.
This has removed the home of the deer, birds, and other animal inhabitants,
 of this temperate forest region. 
Until a replacement habitat is provided by replanting, this is a truly "lost" habitat! 

Protect and Conserve

Threatened Species Numbers By Country

Global Endangered Species

Critically Endangered

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