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Current Instincts will relaunch April 23 with more animals than ever!
Today’s news: Government in Virginia is for cat lovers, drones to monitor wildlife, and the collapse of the Mayans
Here are some fascinating articles that the humans (and animals ) at Current Instincts are reading today. Did we miss something major? Let us know below or send us an email.
1. Conservationists launch drone to monitor forest loss and wildlife. Using drones to not kill anyone? We like this idea already. A superhero coalition of conservationists (not official name) have teamed up and developed a camera-equipped drone to monitor forest loss and endangered wildlife. First stop for the camera? Indonesia. (Yale 360)
2. Cat for governor. A cat named Hank is running as an Independent for Governor in Virginia. His platform? To create jobs and “put milk in every bowl.” If he’s elected, who hope no one brings a laser pointer to budget meetings. (Discovery News)
I hope this is soft water.
3. Bald Eagles face a new threat. Conservationists worked hard to bring bald eagles back from the brink of extinction – and succeeded. But now the majestic birds are facing a new threat. It’s a disease known as avian vacuolar myelinopathy and it causes brain lesions that eventually kill the bird. It’s believed a neurotoxin known as blue-green algae could be the source of the disease. (Treehugger)
4. Massacre of elephants continues in Cameroon National Park. You would think animals would be safe inside a national park, but sadly, that isn’t always the case. Over the past 6 weeks, almost 500 elephants have been killed in Cameroon’s national park. Poachers from Sudan and Chad entered the park in January, and are expected to stay through the dry season if they’re not caught. (Yale 360)
5. Dry spells caused Mayan civilization collapse. We know this doesn’t seem animal related, but with severe droughts already gripping many areas of the world, we thought we should let you know that mild droughts caused the fall of the Mayan empire. Yes, one of the greatest mysteries of the America’s has been solved, and modest dry spells depleted resources enough in the ancient Mayan empire that their civilization fell. Could our very own mid-west be next? (Discovery News)
Today’s news: A hero cat and bad news for animal haters
Here are some fascinating articles that the humans (and animals ) at Current Instincts are reading today. Did we miss something major? Let us know below or send us an email.
1. Deportation for those accused of eating rare tortoises. In a transcontinental crime, 4 Chinese nationals find themselves facing deportation from Zimbabwe after they killed and ate 40 rare tortoises. The tortoises are on the endangered list, and the men face charges of animal cruelty. (BBC News)
Hero cat.
2. Cat rescues owner hours after adoption. The first day you bring your new pet home is always exciting. It’s even more exciting if that animal ends up saving your life. That’s just what Pudding the cat did a few hours after being taken to his new home. His new owner was having a diabetic seizure, and Pudding jumped onto her chest and swatted at her face until she came out of it long enough to yell for help. Two lives saved from just one adoption! (MSNBC)
3. Dingoes – How dangerous are they? One of Australia’s most famous and notorious cases is back in the news. In 1980, a couple’s baby disappeared, and they claimed a dingo took it. (Maybe a dingo ate your baby – in Elaine Bennis voice). With the story back in the news, many are trying to defend, or just better understand, how dangerous dingoes really are. Experts say that while all wild animals can be unpredictable, dingoes are normally shy and avoid interacting with humans. (BBC News)
4. Volunteers offer salamanders a chance to mate. Sometimes salamanders need a little help getting it on. That’s when humans come in. When it rains in Mississippi, volunteers rush outside to scoop up the salamanders and get them to the right side of the road so they can find other salamanders to mate with. The salamanders only get one chance a year to mate, so helping them get across when they need to is crucial. (The New York Times)
5. Arrests made in U.S. rhino horn smuggling ring. After an 18-month long investigation, 7 arrests were made in multi-state rhino smuggling ring. Authorities seized $1 million, diamonds, and Rolex watches in the raid. (BBC News)
Here are some fascinating articles that the humans (and animals ) at Current Instincts are reading today. Did we miss something major? Let us know below or send us an email.
1. Pollution from Tar Sands sites comparable to mid-sized city. Complaining about tar sands is all the rage right now – and for good reason. A new study out of Canada shows that the amount of pollution produced by tar sands is comparable to a medium-sized city or power plant. Increased levels of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide were observed in 19 – 31 mile areas around tar sands. (Yale 360)
2. The Earth might have a “pulse” that causes extinction. The Earth may have a boom and bust cycle that causes mass extinctions every 60 million years. The extinctions in the oceans might seem random, but it seems that rising continents make oceans to shallow to live in. There’s a lot of other really sciency stuff we don’t understand, but we’re glad this has been figured out? (io9)
Not lonely anymore.
3. Near-extinct penguin rookery recovers with great success. 3 million king penguins in New Zealand was nearly wiped out. Now, 5,000 birds have grown to 500,000 in one of the first international wildlife campaigns. Even better? The genetic diversity is at pre-slaughter levels. (Yale 360)
4. Even sharks make friends. We often picture sharks swimming along hunting prey all by themselves. But even these seemingly solitary creatures can have BFFs. A new study shows how blacktip sharks have complex communities consisting of long-term social bonds. (Discovery News)
5. Pet dog chases mountain lion up a tree. Would your dog chase down a mountain lion? One dog in California did. A pet dog chased a mountain lion up a tree. For some reason, mountain lions seem to be afraid of pet dogs, even though they usually chow down on animals way larger and scarier. (MSNBC)
This week’s animal pics: Animals from Puerto Rico
CI Susan just returned from a 4-day trip to the island of Puerto Rico. While she was there, she saw some cool lizards, flying fish, and a whale (from really far away). Here are some of the animals she missed, but would have loved to hang out with.
This small frog is named after the sound their ribbit makes. CO-QUI.
Como te llama?
The Puerto Rican parrot is making a comeback after near extinction.
Is it really so much to ask to see this happen one in my life? Once?!?!!?
Nothing to see here. Just working on my tan.
This week’s animal pics: Animals from Indonesia
A monkey everyone thought was extinct has been re-spotted in Indonesia. So to keep him company, here are some other kick-ass animals that call Indonesia home.
Current Instincts 
