BANNED: Pamela Anderson's New PETA Anti-Fur Advert

Animal Rights Organisation PETA is no stranger to controversial campaigns, but now they've managed to have one their racy videos banned at an entirely new location: airports. PETA's video features Pamela Anderson playing the role of an airport security guard who forces passengers to remove any clothes that aren't animal friendly. According to the New York Post, the video was scheduled to be played in several New York area airports, but after viewing it officials have decided the video is too provocative for children and are refusing to air it.

You be the judge:


For more information on PETA, please visit http://www.peta.org/

If you become a vegetarian you can drive a car

A common reason for individuals to choose vegetarianism is because of the poor standard at which animals are raised for meat. However the environmental impact of eating meat is also something worth considering. Producing just one pound of meat produces the same amount of greenhouse gases as driving a SUV 40 miles.

A 2006 United Nations report summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry by calling it "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." The report recommended that animal agriculture "be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity."

According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 2.0 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world.PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry.

They are a stand out organisation who make their statement by utilising pop culture.

Check out one of their adverts that was banned in the USA:


May celebrities such as Alicia Silverstone, Bryan Adams, Sophie Monk and Sir Paul McCartney have thrown their support behind PETA.

To hear all about it, click here and listen to the interview with one of PETA's Senior Campaigners, Ashley Fruno.

To find out more, please visit http://www.peta.org/ and http://www.goveg.com/

The Mountain Pygmy Possum - only 30 left in the wild

The Mountain Pygmy-possum is the largest of Australia's five species of pygmy-possum, yet it only weighs 45 grams and could easily fit in the palm of your hand. Its mouse-like body is covered in thick greyish fur, it has a long tail, agile front feet designed for gathering food, and strong back feet for gripping. It also has enlarged front teeth for cracking seeds. Unfortunately, there is as little as 30 left in the wild.

Click here to hear what Zoos Victoria is doing to save the Mountain Pygmy-possum from extinction.

For the latest news on Zoos Victoria, please visit http://www.zoo.org.au/

The Wilderness Society Update - Environment East Gippsland sues VicForests for illegal logging

Today, Environment East Gippsland commenced proceedings against VicForests in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

A writ was filed with the court this morning and has just been served on VicForests.

“We ask the Court for a permanent injunction to stop VicForests from logging Brown Mountain” said Jill Redwood, Coordinator of EEG. “We also ask the Court to declare that the logging of Brown Mountain is unlawful”.

Brown Mountain is known habitat for at least five species of wildlife listed as vulnerable or threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

Click here to hear the latest from The Wilderness Society's Amelia Young.

To find out the latest news from The Wilderness Society, please visit http://www.wilderness.org.au/

Watch Out! It's The Snubin Dolphin.

In 2005 a new species of dolphin was found in Australian waters, the Australian snubfin dolphin. The discovery of a new mammal is extremely rare. Until recently the snubfin dolphin was thought to be an Irrawaddy dolphin, which is found in coastal areas and major rivers of south-east Asia, and is in serious decline.

The snubfin dolphin is Australia’s only endemic dolphin, meaning it is unique to northern Australia. Coastal and river dolphins are among the most threatened species of mammal in the world.

Interestingly, the snubfin has a unique way of attacking prey...by spitting water at it.

To find out more click here to listen to the interview with WWF's Lydia Gibson, their Tropical Marine Species Manager.

Please visit https://secure.wwf.org.au/act/donate/snubfin/ to find out how ways to support WWF and the Snubfin dolphin.

Who Gives You Your Wood?

Australians use wood for hundreds of different things. But where does this wood come from? Is your beautiful dining room table the stolen home of an Orang-utan? Is your wood decking responsible for climate change? .

Australia imports products made from timber that is illegally harvested from the Paradise Forests of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Solomon Islands. This rampant and unregulated illegal logging is linked to corruption, environmental destruction and loss of livelihood for forest communities.

We now have the ability to make informed decisions when buying wood and knowing where it comes from...in other words, you can choose Good Wood.

Good Wood comes from ethically and ecologically sustainable sources. Buying Good Wood tells companies there is no market for illegal and destructive timber and forces them to act responsibly.

Click here to listen to the interview with Reece Turner - Forests and Whaling Campaigner for Greenpeace Australia.

Take the time to check out the following websites too!

http://www.goodwoodguide.org.au/
AND
http://www.greenpeace.org.au/

The Pygmy Hippo

The pygmy hippopotamus is a mammal native to the forests and swamps of western Africa. The pygmy hippo is reclusive and noctural. It is one of only two extant species in the Hippopotamidae family, the other being its much larger cousin the common hippopotamus.

Pygmy Hippos are classified as being ‘vulnerable’, which is just one step from an endangered classification. Therefore the birth of Monifa at Toronga Zoo was an exciting event.

Check out Monifa at Toronga taking her first swim.


Nine-month-old Pygmy Hippo ‘Monifa’ has now arrived at Melbourne Zoo, leaving her birthplace at Taronga Zoo.

Melbourne Zoo Director Kevin Tanner says ‘Monifa’s birth is a significant contribution to the regional breeding program for Pygmy Hippopotamus, a species with as few as 3,000 individuals surviving in the wild.

‘We are especially delighted to welcome Monifa, as she is the first offspring of Timmy, a long-time favourite of our visitors and staff.’

Monifa’s survival was in the balance at first, so keepers had to step in and hand-raise her, which included providing bottles round the clock.

The calf’s very shaky start in life is reflected in her name: Monifa means ‘I am lucky’ in a Nigerian language.

From being a tiny and frail 3.8kg when she was born last October, Monifa is now a healthy 65kg, thanks to such dedicated care

She no longer needs to be bottle-fed, enjoying a variety of solids, such as endive, lettuce, carrot, apple, lucerne hay, and other fruit, vegetables, and grains.

Click here to listen to the interview with Senior Keeper Sheila Roe at Melbourne Zoo.

You can find out about all the latest happenings at Melbourne Zoo at http://www.zoo.org.au/.

All Natural Special - Peter Singer

Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher. He is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, and laureate professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE), University of Melbourne.

Specialising in applied ethics, after writing his book “Animal Liberation” he is seen as being one of the movers and shakers of the modern animal liberation movement.

He has written many books including the titles:
• Democracy and Disobedience
• Should The Baby Live?
• How Are We To Live?
• One World, The Ethics of Globalization
And The President of Good and Evil – The Ethics of George W. Bush

Adam says "I personally became aware of Peter Singer’s work when a friend lent me their copy of another of his titles The Ethics of What We Eat. I felt it covered vital topics that are unknown to the majority of people".

Peter Singer took time to discuss his book and other projects.
Click here to listen to the interview.

For more information, please visit www.princeton.edu/~psinger/

I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur - The Most Shocking Video Ever

Everyone knows than fur comes from animals but did you know the animals are still alive as the fur is ripped off their bodies. The following video shows the unacceptable treatment of animals at China Fur Farms.


Pledge to go fur-free at PETA.org.
For more information please visit http://www.peta.org/ and http://www.petaasiapacific.com/

Seals are being Clubbed To Death in Namibia

The world's largest and cruelest slaughter of seals is about to commence on 1st July in Namibia. Australian-based fur and skins company, Hatem Yavuz, is directly implicated in this annual brutal slaughter. Hatem Yavuz alone bought all of the dead seal pup skins from last year's cull in order to make fur coats.

This year, the highest quota ever — 91,000 cape fur seals — are set to be killed. Most pups will be so young that they are still being nursed by their mothers. The terrified pups will be rounded up, separated from their mothers and brutally clubbed to death.

The market for Namibian Cape Fur Seal skins has collapsed over recent years due to lack of demand and import bans in the European Union, the United States, Mexico and South Africa because of the cruelty involved in the sealing methods. As of 2008, there was only one company left buying seal skins from Namibia — Hatem Yavuz.

An international campaign to expose and pressure Hatem Yavuz has been started by Seal Alert-South Africa. Please add your voice and express your outrage to Hatem Yavuz for their culpability in animal cruelty, and call on them to commit to never again buying Namibian Cape Fur Seal skins.

Visit http://www.animalsaustralia.org/ and send an email directly to Hatem Yavuz

Click here to listen to the interview with Glenys Oogjes of Animals Australia.

What you Eat could be Killing Orang utans

Palm Oil is found in many food and beauty products. Unfortunately the majority of Palm Oil comes from Indonesia, making it now the leading supplier for a global market that demands more of the tree's versatile oil for cooking, cosmetics, and biofuel. But palm oil's appeal comes with significant costs. Oil palm plantations often replace tropical forests, killing endangered species, uprooting local communities, and contributing to the release of climate-warming gases. Due mostly to oil palm production, Indonesia emits more greenhouse gases than any country besides China and the United States.

In Borneo and Sumatra as logging and palm oil plantations continue to rapidly destroy the habitat of the Orang Utan. The rate of deforestation and habitat loss is so great that some scientists are predicting that the orangutan will be the first Great Ape to become extinct in modern times.

Click here as Rachel Lawry from Zoos Victoria discusses the effect of Palm Oil plantations on the future of Orang Utans.

The below video gives information about the Global Warming effects of Palm Oil production in Indonesia.


Click here to ensure you are buying products that are free of Palm Oil.

Please visit www.zoo.org.au to find out what more you can do.

Good call Obama! The US announces planned emissions reductions for 2020 and 2050

Barack Obama has come out and committed the US to reducing it's emissions by 23% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. This leads a great example to other countries as we head towards the Climate Negotiations happening in Copenhagen.

Click here to listen to Jonathan Larkin from WWF Australia talk about what this means for the USA and other countries around the world.

For more information on the WWF, please visit http://www.wwf.org/.

Animal Smuggling

Australia is home to many unique and rare animal species, but sadly, it also provides attractive targets for animal smugglers.

Aiming to reduce the cruel and destructive trade of animal smuggling, the “Smugglers Beware” exhibit was officially launched on June 28, at Werribee's Open Range Zoo, 30 minutes drive west of Melbourne.

Click here to listen to the interview with Kwai Chang Kum from Zoos Victoria.

Find out more at http://www.zoo.org.au/

Australia's Emissions Are Still Increasing

Despite the attention this issue has been given in our current times Australia has yet to succeed in reducing it's emmissions.

Below is a Media Release from Senator the Hon Penny Wong - Minister for Climate Change and Water.

1st June, 2009

GREENHOUSE ACCOUNTS SHOW EMISSIONS GROWTH

The latest National Greenhouse Accounts released today demonstrate the need to turn Australia’s emissions around, Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, said today. “The underlying trends show Australia’s carbon pollution is increasing – particularly in the energy sector,” Senator Wong said.

Over the four quarters to the December quarter of 2008, Australia’s national inventory1 was an estimated 553 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is an increase of 1.1 per cent compared with the corresponding period for the previous year.

“These results demonstrate the challenge of reducing emissions in all sectors of the economy,” Senator Wong said. “For example, the emissions from the energy sector have increased by 42 per cent from 1990 to 2007, and by another 1.5 per cent in 2008.

“To start to reverse this growth in our emissions, we need to drive investment in renewable energy and clean technology with the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.”

Preliminary estimates show that Australia’s emissions were around 1 per cent below the Kyoto target for 2008 or, equivalently, 107 per cent of the 1990 base period.

“Without the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, Australia’s emissions are expected to reach 120 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020. “But if the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is introduced, Australia’s emissions will be reduced by up to 25 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020 if the world agrees to an ambitious global deal to stabilise levels of CO2 equivalent at 450 parts per million or lower.”

Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts comprise four annual reports. The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, the State and Territory Greenhouse Gas Inventories and the National Inventory by Economic Sector report Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions using the accounting rules for the Kyoto Protocol emissions targets.

The National Inventory Report 2007 provides estimates of Australia’s net greenhouse gas emissions for the period 1990-2007 and is submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as part of Australia’s reporting obligations under that Convention.

The National Inventory Report is prepared for the UNFCCC using different accounting rules to the Kyoto Protocol. The National Inventory Report shows an increase of 82 per cent in Australia’s emissions from 1990 to 2007 as a result of a temporary jump in emissions from grasslands and croplands due to widespread drought conditions.

“While this does not affect Australia’s Kyoto obligations, these figures highlight the importance of improving treatment of the land sector so that only anthropogenic emissions and removals are included towards mitigation commitments in any future global agreement,” Senator Wong said.

“Australia will continue to advocate strongly for any future agreement to treat the land sector in a comprehensive and integrated way with provisions for the treatment of natural disturbance and inter-annual climate variability.”

For more information and copies of the reports – or to access the online database – Australia’s Greenhouse Emissions Information System – visit www.climatechange.gov.au/inventory

Click here to listen to Kelly Courts, WWF discuss this topic.

Find out the latest news from WWF at http://www.wwf.org/

The Carnaby Black Cockatoo

Conservation Status
Commonwealth: Endangered ( Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999)WA: 'Specially protected fauna' ( Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950).

What do they look like?
This large black cockatoo (also known as the Short-billed Black-Cockatoo) has white tail panels, white cheek patches and a short bill. It lives only in southwest Australia where large-scale clearing for farming has fragmented much of its habitat, particularly mature eucalypts such as salmon gum and wandoo that have suitable hollows for nesting.

Where do they live?
Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo is endemic to southwest Western Australia, extending from the Murchison River to Esperance, and inland to Coroow, Kellerberrin and Lake Cronion.
Most breeding occurs in areas with an average annual rainfall of 300-750 mm, typically in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions. For nesting, Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos require eucalypt woodland, comprising principally of salmon gum or wandoo. Their food is found in shrubland, or kwongan heath.
The cockatoos require a close association between breeding and feeding sites during the breeding season. If these two very different habitats are not within a reasonable distance of each other, breeding attempts fail. After breeding, the cockatoos move to higher rainfall areas along the coast in search of food sources such as banksia and hakea heathlands.

What do they eat?
Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos feed on the seeds of a variety of native and introduced plant species and on insect larvae. Plants include kwongan heath plants such banksias, dryandra, hakea, grevillea and also marri seeds. They have also adapted to feeding on exotic species such as pines and cape lilac and some weeds such as wild radish and wild geranium.

How many are there?
It is difficult to know how many Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos are left, but it is known that their populations have declined by over 50% in the past 45 years, and that they no longer breed in up to a third of their former breeding sites in the Wheatbelt.
They are gregarious birds and live in pairs or small flocks during the breeding season. After fledging, the young move with their parents from breeding areas to feeding areas where other family groups join the flock.
The cockatoos live for 40-50 years in the wild. A large proportion of the remaining population now is past breeding age. When these older birds die, there will be very few younger birds to take their place.

What is threatening them?
There are a number of threats facing Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo:
1. Habitat fragmentation, particularly in the northern and eastern areas of the Wheatbelt. Most habitat suitable for breeding and feeding in the Wheatbelt has been cleared entirely or fragmented. In addition, clearing of heathland surrounding breeding sites has reduced the survival rate of fledglings by decreasing the available food sources for the young
2. Removal of nest hollows for use as firewood or just to make properties look 'tidy'. Much woodland lacks hollows, and it takes over 100 years for woodland seedlings to mature and form hollows suitable for nesting
3. Competition for hollows from other species
4. Loss of native food sources caused by urban development on the Swan coastal plain
5. Poaching: illegal poaching is still a threat - trees are often cut down or the hollow severely damaged when young and eggs are taken, removing breeding sites
6. Invasive species: other bird species such as the Galah and the Western Long-billed Corella are extending their range in the Wheatbelt and are competing with and excluding Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos from traditional nest hollows.

Conservation Action
Birds Australia (WA) is leading a recovery program that assists rural communities in the management of breeding populations of Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo and implementing suitable recovery actions. These recovery actions include protection of existing breeding and feeding sites, revegetation, the development of corridors between breeding and feeding sites, repair of old and damaged hollows and control of competitor species, such as feral bees.
Much effort by local community groups and school children has been put into planting feeding and nesting trees. A community group named 'Men of the Trees' received a Threatened Species Network Community Grant to help re-establish habitat for the cockatoo in the Northern Wheatbelt Region of WA. This project will also trial the effectiveness of nest boxes when hollows are not available for nesting.

Did you know...
1. Male Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos feed the female at her nest during the incubation period and fly over 12km to ensure she gets the food she needs during nesting
2. The cockatoos rarely use the same hollow to nest in if the breeding attempt the previous season was unsuccessful
3. The birds display strong bonds with their partners throughout their adult life
4. If two eggs are produced, the second egg is laid two to eight days after the first egg
5. The cockatoos can live for 40 to 50 years in the wild.

How you can help
- Protect existing hollows
- Protect remnant vegetation and banksia heathlands that support cockatoos
- Revegetate habitats

Click here to listen to the interview with Michael Roach, Threatened Species.

For the latest news on the WWF, please visit their website at http://www.wwf.org/

The African Dog

The African wild dog, also called Cape hunting dog or painted dog, typically roams the open plains and sparse woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa.These long-legged canines have only four toes per foot, unlike other dogs, which have five toes on their forefeet.

The dog's Latin name means "painted wolf," referring to the animal's irregular, mottled coat, which features patches of red, black, brown, white, and yellow fur. Each animal has its own unique coat pattern, and all have big, rounded ears.

African wild dogs live in packs that are usually dominated by a monogamous breeding pair. The female has a litter of 2 to 20 pups, which are cared for by the entire pack. These dogs are very social, and packs have been known to share food and to assist weak or ill members. Social interactions are common, and the dogs communicate by touch, actions, and vocalizations.African wild dogs hunt in formidable, cooperative packs of 6 to 20 (or more) animals. Larger packs were more common before the dogs became endangered. Packs hunt antelopes and will also tackle much larger prey, such as wildebeests, particularly if their quarry is ill or injured. The dogs supplement their diet with rodents and birds.

As human settlements expand, the dogs have sometimes developed a taste for livestock, though significant damage is rare. Unfortunately, they are often hunted and killed by farmers who fear for their domestic animals.

African hunting dogs are endangered. They are faced with shrinking room to roam in their African home. They are also quite susceptible to diseases spread by domestic animals.

Click here to find out more about the African Dog.

To find out the latest news from Zoos Victoria, please visit http://www.zoo.org.au/

Talking Turtles

Six of the seven species of marine turtles are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered, and the outlook is increasingly grim. In the Pacific, leatherbacks are heading for extinction, fast, and in the Mediterranean, green turtle numbers have plummeted.All seven species of marine turtles are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), thus international trade is prohibited amongst the 166 CITES member nations. Three of them are classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN RedList.

Many offspring, few survivors
Marine turtles appear to have the potential to reproduce abundantly: females can lay hundreds of eggs in one nesting season. But even under "natural" conditions, relatively few young turtles survive their first year of life.Predators such as crabs, foxes, and birds often kill the hatchlings as they make their way from the nest to the sea, and when they reach the shallows, many more small turtles are taken by fish. When humans harvest turtle eggs, disturb or degrade nesting beaches, the scales become tipped even more heavily against young turtles.Decades to reach maturityIt takes decades for surviving juveniles to reach maturity and start to breed, and adult turtles must live to reproduce over many years if the population is to thrive. But escalating mortality on the high seas, in the nets and long-lines of fishing fleets, and from pollution and disease, means fewer and fewer turtles are living long enough to reproduce.Protection vital at all stages of the life cycle. Effective conservation means protecting turtles at all stages of their life cycle. Protecting nesting beaches calls for action at the local level, and protecting juvenile and adult turtles in oceanic waters calls for enforceable international agreements.

It can work: in the Gulf of Mexico thirty years of conservation is helping Kemp's ridley turtle to make a slow comeback. For other species, however, time is running out.

The objectives of WWF's Global Marine Turtle Programme are to reduce:
1. the loss and degradation of critical marine turtle habitats;
2. the negative impact of bycatch on marine turtles;
3. unsustainable use and illegal trade in marine turtles and turtle products.

To reach these objectives, WWF is working around the world to conserve marine turtles by:
1. Establishing and strengthening protected areas around nesting beaches
2. Raising awareness and promoting ecotourism at marine turtle sites, so that local communities become involved in and benefit from protecting turtles and their nests
3. Promoting regional and international agreements to conserve marine turtles.
4. Lobbying for turtle-friendly fishing practices, such as the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in nets.
5. Halting the illegal trade of turtle meat and eggs, though TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring arm of WWF and IUCN.

A live turtle is worth more than a dead turtle
Marine turtles are economically important to humans. Coastal communities in developing countries use marine turtles as a source for food. Also, the catch of fish and invertebrates that are used for human consumption or commerce ultimately depend on healthy marine turtle populations.In recent years, marine turtles have become increasingly important as an ecotourism attraction. This has led to a rise in tourism operations that in turn provide jobs and income to seaside communities throughout the tropical and subtropical part of the world. Marine turtle watching increases people's interest in marine and coastal issues and inspires commitment to support conservation efforts. Marine turtles are flagship species that attract help to themselves as well as to the many species with which they co-exist.

Click here to listen to the interview with Samantha Vine from WWF.

Symbolically adopting a turtle will help the WWF with their work. Click here to adopt now.

To find out more about the WWF, please visit http://www.worldwildlife.org/

Climate Change in 2009

Climate Change was an issue in 2008 and will continue to be one in 2009. Adam Barralet took the time to chat with Greenpeace's Climate and Energy Campaigner, Trish Harrup about what still needs to be done.

Click here to listen to the interview.

For the latest news from Greenpeace, please visit http://www.greenpeace.org.au/

An Update from The Wilderness Society in Bonn, Germany - 6.6.2009

Gemma Tillack, Climate Change and Forests Campaigner for The Wilderness Society is currently in Bonn, Germany where representatives from countries around the world are meeting to draft and prepare agreements for the upcoming meetings in Copenhagen.

Click here to listen to the interview.

For more information, please visit http://www.climaterally.org/ and http://www.wilderness.org.au/

Adopt An Animal

Everbody is doing it!

Celebrities are adopting....

...and now you can too! But why adopt a child when you can adopt an animal...

Click here to listen to Paul Clark from Zoos Victoria discuss the advantages of adopting an animal from Melbourne Zoo.

For more information, please visit http://www.zoo.org.au/