In Defense of Animals say that wildlife specialists and conservationists are concerns that some of Montana’s most loved species such as grizzly bears, grey wolves nad bison are threatened with extinction.

For back in January, Montana’s legislature introduced ten bills which experts are saying is really a #waronwildlife.

Best estimates suggest there are about 5,000 wild bison, 1,000 grizzly bears and 850 wolves in Montana.  But, say In Defense of Animals, lawmakers are pushing through bills which are politically driven.     They will harm individual animals with unethical and old fashioned hunting practices.

Amongst other things, the new bills are proposing:

• To allow wolf snaring
• To lengthen the wolf trapping season by 30 days
• To reimburse hunters for time they spend hunting or trapping wolves
• To allow the killing of all wolves in the state until only 15 breeding pairs remain
• To stop the relocation of bears who go out of protected areas (so the bears will be killed if they wander off course)
• To allow hunting dogs to be used in the hunting of bear during the full span of their waking lives, outside of hibernation

To establish that hunting, fishing and trapping is the preferred manner of managing wild animal populations across the state (as opposed to scientific conservation based strategies)

So what can we do to help these bears, wolves and bison

Please join In Defense of Animals in calling onGov. Greg Gianforte to veto these bills to protect wild animals and ensure that Montana’s reputation as a wilderness and wildlife paradise stays intact.

In Defense of Animals says there are a number of things we can all do, including:

1. Call the Governor’s office to ask him to veto the current slate of anti-wilderness bills - details can be found here, and there are a number of points you can make, which In Defense of Animals list on their ways to help here

2. Comment on Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte's Facebook page and ask him to veto the current slate of anti-wildlife bills.

3. Comment to Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the U.S. Department of Transportation on Twitter - there's a message they have put together that you can tweet

4. 3. Please fill out the form here to email Gov. Greg Gianforte to implore him to veto these bills.

SumofUs have sent an email alert about the proposed plans French oil giant Total have for the Arctic.

They say that Total want to pump the equivalent of 535,000 barrels of oil a day from under the Arctic’s ice!  (Here is Total's webpage on preserving biodiversity.)

What’s more, the French government may back this plan and make it a reality.

French President Macron had called the project “reckless” and “incoherent” – but SumofUs say he is about to grant a €700 million loan guarantee to Total!

A global outcry would embarrass Macron – we need to raise a global public outcry and stop him becoming a Total Arctic Destroyer.

Tell Macron to withdraw from Total's deadly Arctic project and stick to his international climate commitments!

The Arctic is home to Indigenous communities like the Gwich'in, the Inuit, and the Sámi – and endangered species such as polar bears.

SumofUs say “Total's plan will assault the Arctic landscape and life with methane explosions, pollution and more deadly heat waves.”

We need to stop the French government financing this project and make other world leaders sit up and take notice.

Polar bears are just some of the species counting on us to do the right thing. 

Please sign this petition today and spread the word

Please give the Arctic and everyone living there a voice today and sign the petition to tell Macron to stop bankrolling oil and gas drilling in the Arctic.

The World Land Trust has launched the first appeal for this year and this one is in Eastern Africa.

The coastal forests there did cover an area larger than the UK – now, they would fit into half of Scotland.

There are 400 forest fragments from Somalia to Mozambique and biodiversity islands that are full of endemic life.

The Appeal Target:   £360,000

The Trust is working to raise £360,000.   With help from these donations, their partner the  Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG)  can save a crucial wildlife corridor.   Elephants, leopards, lions and other animals are counting on us all to save this land for them.

Roads are bringing cashew plantations closer and closer.  The animals need their wildlife corridor to be saved.

About the Rondo Appeal

The Rondo Plateau is a 900 metre table-top mountain.  It is a microclimate of misty forests, chameleons and bush baby primates whilst below it, big cats, butterflies and elephants roam. 

And with all our help, the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group is going to create a huge protected belt around this ancient landscape.

The donations will help safeguard a crucial wildlife corridor between the Rondo Forest Reserve and the Nyerere National Park.  49,000+acres (20,000 ha) of land will be protected.  The corridor will come in the form of 10 Village Land Forest Reserves, each under the stewardship of a village, and the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group will work with them closely.

Which animals will the appeal help? 

These animals are examples of those who need the Ronda route:

• Elephants who need space to roam and who need their migration routes,
• The African Lion and African leopard manage prey species – they must do this or animals such as the African Bush Pig would go unchecked, and devastate local farms.
• The lions in the area need the land between the forest and shrubland to hunt or they would become extinct in the area
• Leopards need forests so that they can store their kills up in the trees where other animals can’t get them.
• The dwarf galago is a tiny endangered primate, who lives in trees and who needs the connectivity the Ronda land will give it.
• The bearded pygmy chameleon is very vulnerable to habitat disruption – even the loss of a few trees could be one loss too many for some
• The chequered elephant shrew’s population is very fragmented because of habitat loss so the subspecies is under real pressure
  
  

We all need to act

Please help protect these animals by protecting their homes today – and please donate to the World Land Trust’s appeal

Do it for nature!  Join the State of Nature campaign!

Why?

Nearly half of the UK’s wildlife is in a long term decline.  15% of species are at risk of extinction.

The Wildlife Trusts have emailed about a campaign to call on the Prime Minister to strengthen the Environment Bill to ensure it includes a LEGALLY BINDING TARGET to reverse nature loss in  England by 2030.

The campaign is called the State of Nature. 

They are doing this in a major collaboration with organisations across the environmental sector from the Wildlife and Countryside LINK Coalition.

Examples of this campaign’s supporters include the RSPB, Earthwatch, Plantlife, The Rivers Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, the Shark Trust, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust,  Four Paws, the Mammal Society, Butterfly Conservation, Open Spaces, National Trust, WWT, Woodland Trust, ZSL, the Marine Conservation Society  and a host more.

So what’s the State of Nature campaign about?

The UK is hosting the UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow from 1 to 12 November 2021 so this is a good chance to lead the way.  

The Prime Minister has called on world leaders to turn around the decline of nature by 2030.   

But, Boris Johnson, words are meaningless

We need you to lead the world by example and put this commitment into law.

It’s no good saying you’ll turn the decline of nature around if you then destroy wildlife habitat for a theme park or allow a coal mine in Cumbria to go ahead or give oil and gas drilling the go ahead in the North Sea. 

Nearly 100,000 people have signed it already but come on, everyone, we really need to let out a big noise for wildlife and let the Government know that we care.   The wildlife can’t do it – they are relying on each and every one of us.

Please let’s push our Government to put its good intentions into law.   Words are meaningless.  ACTION is what wildlife need now.

Please give wildlife your support today. 
Please sign the petition here
Thank you!

Take a look at LINK – its role is to bring its members together on key issue and present a clear, consistent message to the Government, opinion leaders and the general public.

March 2021:  There’s news about African elephants.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recognised the African elephant as two separate species after the emergence of new evidence.

1. The Forest Elephant – the number in the wild has fallen by over 86% in three decades – they are now critically endangered, a step away from extinction

Getting involved

• ZSL is working to help forest elephants in Cameroon, specifically in the forest landscape of the Dja Biosphere Reserve. 
• The African Wildlife Foundation has more information about forest elephants.  
• The Aspinall Foundation  funds and coordinates PALF, an anti-wildlife crime project in Congo and it works with the ANPN in Gabon (Gabon’s National Park Authorities) to protect forest elephants.
• WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) works to help Savanna elephants https://www.wcs.org/our-work/species/african-elephants

There are more elephant charities here.

PLUS!  News of a special appeal!

The World Land Trust has launched its first appeal of 2021 to help Tanzania's coastal forests and a crucial corridor for elephants, lions, leopards and others.   

Find out more and please donate if you can and spread the word at the World Land Trust's website