Animal parts racket in the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka

[Guest guest]

The Sunday Leader June 24th 2001

When will Momela be allowed to rest in peace?

 

The death of a rhinoceros by electrocution has become the centre of

controversy with some zoo officals

claiming it was a genuine accident and others accusing senior officals of

planning to remove the animals

horn.

The female rhinoceros Momella was found dead in her enclosure in the first

week of April this year.

According to animal righr activists the death of the animal could have been

prevented if necessary

precautioms were taken before the rainy weather at the zoo.Speaking to the

Sunday Leader these activists

said that the electric wires were spotted by a number of people hanging over

the cage of the rhino.

" Even though the wires kept coming down gradually none of the officials at

the zoo were interested in

taking necessary action to prevent the death of the rhino.As a precaution

the rhino and the other animals

should have been kept in their cages during the night.

However this animal had been in the open enclosure on that rainy day and

suffered an agonising death by

electrocution.It is a shame that such a precious animal should have been

looked after very carelessly " the

animal right activists said.The African Black Rhino born at the zoo was

around 25 years old at the time of

of its death.

A month after the death of rhino new allegations surfaced that a conspiracy

was on to remove the horn of the animal.Certain unconfirmed allegations are

being levelled at a vet attached to the zoo that the entire thing

was a grand masterplan to acquire the horn after the controversy has died down

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>santhak <santhak

>Re: (Australia) Subject FW: Wildlife Bytes, :

>It is a shame vets do such dirtu

>> Date 08:59 Oct 2

>>Subject FW: Wildlife Bytes, 9/9/01

>>

>>Wildlife Bytes, 9/9/01, Whales, SA sad place for wildlife, Pesticides,

>>Dugong, Possum farm, US eucalyptus threat, Landclearing, Fire ants.

>>

>>The following whale article is a Statutory Declaration, made by a family

>>who visited Fraser Island recently.

>>

>>On Monday the 3rd September 2001, my wife and I and our two children went

>>to Platypus Bay to have a look, thinking it was the last day to see it, and

>>not the first day of the road closure. We had not been to Platypus Bay

>>before ,but were told it is a great place for kids. At approx 8 am we drove

>>the road to the western side of the Island. There were no rangers, gates or

>>signs on the road at that time. We arrived on the beach some time after

>>8am. Approx 500 metres south of the beach access we came across a beached

>>whale. It was approx. 4 metres long. It was alive and kicking. The whale

>>was pointed back out to sea. The first thing we did was to get buckets from

>>the car and keep the whale wet. I then put a bedsheet on the whale and wet

>>that as well. I also erected a makeshift tarp. There was no one else in

>>sight apart from whalewatching boats. We unsuccessfully tried to signal the

>>boats. After approx two hours, no one had arrived, so we decided that we

>>needed to go back to the village to get help. We dug as much of a hole

>>around the whale as possible so that it would remain wet. The whale was

>>thrashing about and was actively trying to get back into the water. I was

>>going to leave my wife behind, however she was scared to stay on her own

>>because of the dingoes. The trek back to the Orchid Beach shop is approx.

>>12 kilometers long. We were about halfway back when came across a ranger

>>heading towards the western side. We informed him there was a beached whale

>>in distress, near the beach access wall, and we were heading back to Orchid

>>Beach to raise the alarm. We were of the opinion that the whale was savable

>>if we only had enough help to get it back into the water. As it had not

>>been out of the water for that long. The ranger identified himself as & .

>>His first question was is there anybody else back down there. We said no.

>>He then said we should go back to Platypus Bay to be with the whale. I

>>said, " no, I am going back to Orchid beach to get the machine and others to

>>help. " We then left. Further down the track and approx 2 km from the Orchid

>>Beach township, we came across two more rangers and now there was a locked

>>gate in position. We were stopped by the rangers. The younger of the two

>>spoke to us, while the older spoke to someone on the two way radio. The

>>younger one said " arent you supposed to be back with the whale " . I said

>> " No, we are going back to Orchid beach to get help. We need a machine and

>>people to help get the whale back in the water " . The two rangers then

>>consulted privately. The younger one then came back and told us we would

>>have to go back to Platypus Bay and get our sheets and other possessions.

>>We were detained for approx. 15 mins and I was getting more and more

>>concerned because there seemed to be no urgency in the rangers to do

>>anything. Reluctantly we turned around and drove back to the western side,

>>only after the rangers assured us that the whole matter was in hand. We

>>arrived back at Platypus Bay at approx 11.30 am. The first ranger was the

>>only one there. He was on the two way radio. The whale was still alive and

>>kicking, and trying to get back in the water. We continued to keep the

>>whale wet. The ranger said " the vet was on the way from Maryborough, and

>>help is on the way " . At this stage the water is about 10 meters from the

>>whale. Approx one hour later, the two rangers that had been on the gate

>>turned up. I was getting more and more upset because if we had been allowed

>>to return to the village, we would have had help there at that time and the

>>whale would/could have been saved. Over the next two to three hours,

>>rangers arrived by boat and truck. They even considered landing the plane

>>on the beach, however then decided against it. The rangers did erect a big

>>tarp over the whale. The vet arrived and consulted with the rangers. After

>>a while I said to the vet " well, are we going to try to save this whale or

>>what? " The ranger said " no, there is a little fluid on the lungs and its

>>not worth it. " The vet then tried to kill the whale by driving large

>>skewers into its heart .He said the chemical he was trying to pump into its

>>heart was meant to freeze the heart so it could be preserved for

>>experiments. The whale was in agony for about one full hour before it died.

>>He said it was necessary to remove certain samples while the whale was

>>still alive, and others when it was dead. The vet then bought out his

>>knives and commenced to butcher the whale. Saws and axes were used. Once

>>they collected what they needed, they dug a hole using the machine and

>>buried the whale approx. 20 metres form where it was beached. The carcase

>>was buried above high tide mark.

>>

>>1. No attempt was made to save the whale.

>>

>>2. It could have been saved.

>>

>>3. Two other whales from the pod were offshore for hours.

>>

>>4. The female ranger made the comment " we have waited for 10 years to close

>>this beach, and today is the day! "

>>

>>5. The whale died in agony over a period of approx. one hour.

>>

>>6. We were not allowed to return to Orchid Beach to get help. The rangers

>>instructed us to return to Platypus Bay.

>>

>>7. After thinking about how the events of the day occurred and the actions

>>of the rangers we feel that it was a deliberate attempt to minimise the

>>exposure of the event to the public.

>>

>>8. To save the whale, rangers would have had to have allowed the public

>>access on the day of the closure. End.* Network Item.

>>

>>Hundreds of native mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and plants are at risk of

>>extinction in SA because of environmental destruction. They are at risk of

>>joining nearly 60 mammals, plants and birds already extinct in SA. The

>>situation is so serious that this month - National Biodiversity Month

>>-experts are making a united call for urgent action to reverse the decline.

>>Threatened Species Network co-ordinator Vicki-Jo Russell said yesterday

>>that SA was facing an unprecedented loss of its native heritage. The state

>>had one of the worst records for mammal loss of any region in the world.

>> " If we don't take accelerated action now we are going to lose more and more

>>species, " Ms Russell said. Land clearance, habitat destruction and

>>introduction of feral animals and weeds are blamed for the decline of SA's

>>native species. It is estimated the state has already lost more than 82 per

>>cent of its native vegetation. Ms Russell said SA was suffering from an

>> " extinction lag " . " While most of our land clearance occurred before 1970,

>>extinctions as a result are just starting to happen, " she said. Figures

>>issued by the Threatened Species Network show that the northern

>>agricultural districts - including Yorke Peninsula and the Mid North - are

>>faring worst, with 49 species listed as threatened. This region had only 18

>>per cent of native vegetation remaining, mostly on roadsides or rail

>>reserves. Kangaroo Island is in danger of losing 25 species, including a

>>range of birds, mammals, plants and reptiles. Many of the threatened plants

>>are found only on the island. With about half its native vegetation left,

>>the island is feeling the impact of introduced species, grazing and

>>poorly-managed recreation. Rising salinity will bring future problems. In

>>the Mt Lofty Ranges, 52 bird species are in decline, with numbers falling

>>dramatically over the past two decades. Ornithologist Dr David Paton said

>>immediate action was " absolutely critical " . " There needs to be intense

>>revegetation to restore habitat for these species, " he said. Few " quality "

>>areas of habitat for the birds remained. Conservation Council SA executive

>>officer Michelle Grady called for the State Government to tackle the

>>problem. SA had failed to follow other states in passing threatened species

>>legislation, she said. And it had one of the smallest budgets, $300,000,

>>dedicated to threatened species recovery. * Network item.

>>

>>

>>

>>The National Registration Authority has issued an emergency use permit for

>>the pesticide, Confidor, in the fight against the greyback canegrub.

>>Canegrowers between Sarina and Mossman can apply to use the pesticide until

>>the end of December, but the farmers must undergo training and

>>accreditation. Canegrowers general manager Ian Ballantyne says Confidor is

>>not a solution but a tool in the fight against grubs. " In itself Confidor

>>isn't going to be the magic bullet but for an emergency use permit these

>>things can only be applied for short periods of time, " he said.

>> " Obviously there'll be people monitoring the outcome of this. If it proves

>>to be an effective device longer-term and it proves as we hope it will do,

>>it may be that we can apply for permanent use arrangements. " * ABC News

>>

>>

>>

>>The holder of a McArthur River commercial fishing license has accepted

>>responsibility for the death last week of at least seven dugongs. The

>>carcasses were found in the river system in the Gulf country. The

>>fisherman, Bruce Wildcard, says the tragedy comes after the new Labor

>>Government's promise to revisit plans to close the river to commercial

>>fishing. " It hasn't happened since 1996 but it is very tragic...I was

>>personally rung by the Minister Peter Toyne to say they'd be revisiting the

>>McArthur and basically the next day...so all I can say is I apologise to

>>the public and that everyone's very, very upset and distressed, " Mr

>>Wildcard said. * Network item.

>>

>>

>>

>>A report was received on 3 September of a dead dugong in Woongarra Marine

>>Park at Mon Repos beach, Bargara. The dugong was an adult male, body length

>>2.84m, and in an advanced stage of decomposition. There was no sign of

>>external injuries or marks. It was removed and buried at Mon Repos.

>>*Network item.

>>

>>

>>

>>A Tasmanian game meat company plans to set up Australia's first possum farm

>>so it can sell to Taiwan. Lenah Game Meats proprietor Mr John Kelly said

>>yesterday Taiwan was a potentially strong market, but insisted the possum

>>meat it imported came from animals held in captivity for at least 28 days

>>before slaughter. Mr Kelly said his Launceston company planned to fence off

>>a 200-hectare area where the possums could be kept in free-range

>>conditions. * T. Chronicle

>>

>>

>>

>>Thousands of eucalyptus trees have been devastated in California by an

>>Australian insect that has found its way into the United States. US

>>scientists are hoping the answer to controlling the pest could be a tiny

>>Australian parasitic wasp which is known to kill the problem insect. The

>>scientists have introduced the wasps into nine areas in California where

>>red gum eucalyptus trees have come under attack. The pest - which is called

>>the redgum lerp psyllid - was first detected in Los Angeles two years ago

>>and destroys the Australian native tree by feeding on its juices. The lerp

>>psyllid has since killed thousands of eucalypts in 30 Californian counties.

>> " It is a major problem because this insect is causing a lot of leaf drop

>>and tree mortality, " Donald Dahlsten, a scientist at the University of

>>California, Berkeley, said. In San Diego, authorities are preparing to

>>remove at least nine giant eucalypts, some almost 100-years-old, that died

>>after being attacked by the lerp psyllid. Dr Dahlsten, who is leading the

>>fight against the problem, said chemical controls had not been successful

>>against the insect. He said it could take several years to find out if the

>>wasps will be effective. The wasp lays eggs inside the lerp psyllid's body

>>which eventually kills the insect. " What we are trying to do is establish

>>the biological controls so that the pests will be in a low number and they

>>won't cause a problem, " Dr Dahlsten said. Eucalypts have become a popular

>>tree in California with more than 60 species growing in the state.

>>The trees were first introduced by a sea captain who brought seeds back to

>>the US in the 1850s. Dr Dahlsten said the import and export of plant

>>material between Australia and the US had resulted in the introduction of

>>eucalyptus pests into California, particularly since 1985. The lerp psyllid

>>is one of about 15 known pests that have made their way from Australia into

>>the US since 1985. " Some are more serious than others. This red gum lerp

>>psyllid is particularly nasty, " he said. *ABC News

>>

>>On 5 September 2001 Marine Parks rangers investigated a report of a dead

>>dolphin at Moore Park beach, Bundaberg. The animal was an adult male

>>bottlenosed dolphin, 2.25m long. There were no external injuries or

>>markings. A necropsy was performed by a veterinarian and samples were

>>collected. No cause of death was determined. The animal had good meat and

>>fat layers but the stomach was almost empty. * Network item.

>>

>>Macroanalysis seminar on landclearing. A macroanalysis seminar on the

>>causes, consequences and alternatives to landclearing will be held at 6

>>p.m. 24 September, at SWARA, 61 College Road, Spring Hill. This will be an

>>opportunity to meet other people interested in the topic, find out more

>>about it and consider the possibility of becoming involved. It will be

>>free, tea and coffee will be provided, and it will run for two and a half

>>to three hours, hence the early start. SWARA has off street parking and if

>>you haven't been there before, you will find it in the corner of Albert

>>Park and the railway bridge. If you approach from Wickham Terrace, you

>>won't have to cross the double white lines on College Road or wander for

>>ages looking for a place to do legal U-turn. Macroanalysis is a " different "

>>educational process, that some might find useful for their own purposes. *

>>Network item.

>>

>>The all-out campaign to eradicate fire ants is expected to begin in just

>>over a fortnight, following the approval of bait materials this week.

>>Permits for the safe use of S-methoprene and pyriproxyfen have been issued

>>by the National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary

>>Chemicals. The baits will be laid in a region including Fishermens Island

>>and Nudgee and in Brisbane's western suburbs surrounding Wacol, extending

>>north to Brookfield and south to Springfield. The principal scientist with

>>the Fire Ants Control Centre, Cas Vanderwoude, says once ingested by the

>>queen ant, the baits will prevent larvae from developing. " Pyriproxyfen is

>>used in flea collars for cats and dogs so we know that it's very safe

>>against for use against pets, " he said. " S-methoprene is that safe that a

>>one-kilogram rat for example would have to consume seven times its own body

>>weight in the bait within 24 hours to be anywhere near affected. " * ABC

>>News.

>>

>>NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is

>>distributed without profit to those who expressed a prior interest in

>>receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

>>The information contained in this email has been excerpted from various

>>sources, including our own networks. Please forward to any other interested

>>parties. Wildlife Bytes is a free weekly email update provided by the

>>Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc. To receive Wildlife Bytes

>>and other wildlife information, please email us " Wildlife Bytes " .

>>To be removed from our list, email " Wildlife Bytes " .

>>

>>Pat O'Brien, President, WPAA Inc.

>>Ph. 0749 397997, fax, 0749 397972

>>email; austwildlife

>>website; www.wildlifeprotectaust.org.au

>>

>>--------------------------------

>>animal liberation queensland * http://www.powerup.com.au/~alibqld

>>

>>ethical consumption * http://www.powerup.com.au/~kkaos

>>

>>ecovegan * http://www.powerup.com.au/~kkaos/main.html

>>--------------------------------

>>

>> " If we consistently choose against the richest possibilities of life,

>>against kindness, against beauty, against love and sweet regard,

>>then we aren't much. Our only claim to dignity is trying our best

>>to do what we think is right, to put some heart in it,

>>some soul, some flower and root. "

>>

>>- Jim Dodge in " Living by Life: Bioregional Theory and Practice'

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature

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