» Listings for 2020

1. Shut down wildlife markets NOW!

   Posted on 10:00pm Thursday 19th Mar 2020

   How did the coronavirus start? Its outbreak in Wuhan, China, was suspected to be the starting point for the coronavirus.  And a harsh light was cast on wildlife markets.   Huanan Seafood Market has a terrible range of live and freshly killed animals is thought to be the starting point. The meat of 30 terrestrial animal species is at the market, as well as seafood.  Pangolins, civets, squirrels, pheasants, scorpions, snakes and various rates are available there. Shut down wildlife markets NOW! Wildlife markets do 2 things: They spread disease – it’s easy to see why when you just have to look at the terrible conditions in which these animals are kept These markets are driving species towards extinction. We are heading towards a massive extinction – the 2019 UN report warned that up to one million animal and plant species could vanish forever.  In October 2020, China is due to host a UN conference on the Convention of Biological Diversity.  Representatives from nearly 200 countries will look to find ways to stop the mass extinction. Let's put pressure on China... Now is a good time to put pressure on China and push for a worldwide ban on the wildlife trade. Rainforest Rescue has a petition to shut down these markets once and for all.  They are utterly barbaric and it’s high time they were stopped. Please sign here and let's get wildlife markets STOPPED

    

2. Health, Koalas and Forests

   Posted on 10:00pm Thursday 19th Mar 2020

   Deborah Tabart OAM is Chairman of the Australian Koala Foundation And today, she sent out the most beautiful picture of an adorable koala, thinking it’s what we need right now.  Deborah, thank you.  It certainly cheered me up.   Save the Koala - Join the Koala Army One of the things Deborah said in the email she’d sent us was that she thinks the issues we are facing – the wildfires around the world and the coronavirus – stem in part from our lack of respect for the natural world, our lack of care for animals and our need to develop at all costs. I agree.  I remember once reading a phrase, Look after the earth and she will look after you.  Well, we have not looked after the world and she is finding it increasingly difficult to look after us.  We reap what we sow.  As Deborah says, we do not respect our planet, our forests, our rivers, our oceans.  We exploit them and abuse them far too much. My hope is that this virus will give us all the chance to reflect on what really matters and that it will give the planet a chance to do some healing.  We need to look at how we are living and what we are doing, and really start thinking about what we want going forward. The 21st March is International Day of Forests.   We need to love our forests around the world and to care for them like never before.   We are dependent on them.  Without forests that are in good health, we cannot be healthy.  They are the lungs of our planet. Without oceans and rivers that are in good health, we cannot be healthy.  They are our blood supply. Without air that is clean, we cannot be healthy. Without biodiversity, the right balance of species across the planet – I include humans in that – we cannot be healthy.  Every species has its place in nature – she has planned things pretty carefully and we are destroying that balance through activities dedicated to our own ends. So back to our Koalas.   Will you help put pressure on the Australian government to nudge them in the right direction and protect the koala, with the Koala Protection Act?  Protect one species and you protect far more.  Save the Koala - find out more about the Koala Protection Act Find out more here. And keep safe   Images above ©Australian Koala Foundation

    

3. Can you spare £3 to help the Sumatran tiger?

   Posted on 8:00pm Wednesday 11th Mar 2020

   Sumatran tigers are trapped and dying.   Question:  Why?   Answer:   snares.  So why are Sumatran tigers trapped and dying from snares?    It’s because snares are brutal and the perfect thing for poachers to use in their quest to take down the beautiful Sumatran tiger.   Bali tigers and Javan tigers died this way.   And the need to change the status of the Sumatran tiger is urgent.  For the Sumatran tiger, the smallest of all the tiger sub-species, is going the same way.   There are less than 400 Sumatran tigers living in the wild – that’s an estimate.  These cats are generally shy, and keen to avoid people.  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists them as Critically Endangered.   Why are their numbers so low? Poaching Habitat loss Human-wildlife conflict   Kerinci Seblat National Park and the Ulu Masen and Leuser ecosystems of Aceh on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are global priority areas for tiger conservation. Please help Sumatran tigers with a £3 donation So what can we all do to help? In an email today that I received, Fauna and Flora International are asking Care2 members to donate £3 today to help equip their highly trained rangers. The rangers will work closely with networks of informants who will guide them to active poaching efforts – meaning they can get rid of the snares.   Please donate today   Who are Fauna and Flora International? FFI is an international wildlife conservation organisation, with a science-based approach to conservation.  Founded, in 1903, they have saved species from extinction over the last 100 years and – helped by their Vice President, Sir David Attenborough – they have helped bring mountain gorillas back from the brink.  Their mission is to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on sound science, and which take into account human needs.  They have over 140 conservation projects around the world and they work in over 40 countries.  Visit FFI's website here

    

   https://www.fauna-flora.org/species/sumatran-tiger

4. Ask New South Wales Parliament to enact special protections to save the koala

   Posted on 5:50am Friday 6th Mar 2020

   Calling all koala lovers! The terrible bushfires have been catastrophic for the koalas. Not only have thousands of koalas died or been severely injured, but key prime koala habitat has been destroyed, which means life is going to be very tough for those who survived.  What will they eat?  Where will they live? It shows the importance of saving this vulnerable species before it’s toolate. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW for short) have a petition to urge the state of New South Wales to declare a koala emergency and enact special protections to save koalas.  Life had been hard enough for koalas before these fires. Their numbers had been devastated because of massive habitat destruction and prolonged drought. Koalas need our help. Protect the habitat of koalas and we also help many other species in the same area who live there too. A report commissioned by IFAW shows that: At least 5,00 koalas died in the bushfires In 3 generations, we’ve lost 66% of the population The fires have all but destroyed many regionally significant koala populations Over 5 MILLION hectares across New South Wales has been burned – with the remaining land depleted by prolonged drought – and this land was vital habitat for koalas. The New South Wales Koalas are listed as Vulnerable at the moment.  Join IFAW in urging the state of New South Wales to declare a koala emergency and enact special protections to save this iconic species Please act now to save koalas from extinction.  Please sign and share

    

5. US government programmes helping to conserve endangered species under threat.

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 4th Mar 2020

   WCS (that’s the Wildlife Conservation Society) has emailed to warn that US government programmes helping to conserve species such as tigers, elephants, rhinos and others are under threat. WCS works to save wildlife and wild places in nearly 60 countries and across the ocean. Trump’s Administration is looking at cuts to programs that protect wildlife. WCS need as many people as possible from the US to urge their Congress members to support international programmes. These include programmes such as the USAID Biodiversity Program and the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. Key efforts at USAID and the Department of State fight international wildlife trafficking programmes.  The Global Environment Facility which plays a key role fighting the wildlife trafficking which is driving the slaughter of elephants and rhinos.  Programmes that conserve vulnerable species in the wild and protect the last wild places on earth are at risk.  If you are in the US, Please tell Congress right now: stand up for wildlife. If you are not living in the US and don’t have a Congress member, please share, share, share, the message people can sign.  Sharing is vital because it spreads the word. You could also donate here