Endangered Species Update articles from January - March 2006

Endangered Species Update archives from January - March 2006

Assessment of translocation of Blanchard's Cricket frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi) in Southeast Michigan.
January 1, 2006... Abstract An entire population of Blanchard's cricket frogs (Acris crepitans blanchardi) threatened by construction, was translocated to three restored wetlands within the historic range of the species in the summer of 2004 and 2005....

In response to: assessment of translocations of Blanchard's cricket frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi) in southeast Michigan.
January 1, 2006... Abstract As one of the researchers involved in the project referenced in Ariana Rickard's article, Assessment of translocations of Blanchard's cricket frogs (Acris crepitans blanchardi) in southeast Michigan (this issue), I have a...

The fat threeridge (Amblema neislerii), the surprisingly common endangered mussel in the Apalachicola River, Florida.
January 1, 2006... Abstract Native freshwater mussels (Family: Unionidae) are the most 'endangered' organisms in North America; in January 2006 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed 70 species as threatened or endangered. Although some species are widely...

Conservation of Artemisia amygdalina--a critically endangered endemic plant species of Kashmir Himalaya.
January 1, 2006... Abstract Despite our reliance on plants for human well-being, a crisis point has been reached. Many of the world's rare plant species are edaphic endemic, whose unique soil requirements, habitats, and restricted distribution make them...

People and Wildlife: Conflict or Coexistence?
January 1, 2006... People and Wildlife: Conflict or Coexistence? Edited by Rosie Woodroffe, Simon Thirgood, and Alan Rabinowitz. Cambridge University Press 2005 The essential challenge of modern natural resource conservation is how to find space on the...

Gentoo chick hatches at Newport Aquarium.(News From Zoos)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... The American Zoo and Aquarium (AZA) Association-accredited Newport Aquarium had reason to celebrate in December of 2005, with the rare hatching of a gentoo penguin chick. Like most penguins, gentoos are difficult to breed in captivity. Only 20...

Pittsburgh Zoo purchases land for future elephant breeding center.(News From Zoos)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... The AZA-accredited Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is planning to construct an International Conservation Center that will serve as a breeding ground in North America for African elephants. The 724 acres of land for the breeding facility,...

Seven endangered Hawaiian palila released.(News From Zoos)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Seven palila (Loxioides bailleui), critically endangered honeycreepers native to Hawaii, were recently released into the wild. They were raised at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center and released into the Puu Mali Forest Reserve on Mauna Kea....

SeaWorld Celebrates Birth of Sex-selected Dolphin.(News From Zoos)
January 1, 2006... With the innovation of technologically advanced sperm-sorting processes, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin is one of the first zoo animals to be bred for a specific sex. Through sex-selection technology pioneered by the company XY Inc.,...

White-winged guans reintroduced to Chaparri community ecological reserve, Peru.(News From Zoos)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... The white-winged guan is a critically endangered bird endemic to the and valleys of northwest Peru. The species has been decimated by hunting and there are now less than 200 individuals left in the wild. Captive birds have been reintroduced to...

Wolverine kit born at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... On Valentine's Day 2006, the AZA-accredited Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville, WA bore witness to the uncommon captive birth of a wolverine kit. The kit was removed from the wolverine habitat immediately following the birth and cared...

National Zoo kiwi birth.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... A North Island brown kiwi chick hatched in our nation's capital this February after a long stay in an incubator at the AZA-accredited Smithsonian National Zoological Park. This is the first kiwi chick born at the zoo since 1975 and only the...

AZA Florida facilities aid in manatee rehabilitation.(American Zoo and Aquarium Association )(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Hundreds of manatees are found injured or sick off the coast of the southern United States each year. The specific environmental conditions necessary for a manatee's survival in the wild often necessitate that injured and sick animals be...

Ellen Trout Zoo welcomes Louisiana pine snake eggs.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... The Louisiana pine snake is one of the most endangered snakes in North America, and the AZA-accredited Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, TX was recently rewarded with four eggs from their resident female Louisiana pine snake. The eggs were laid in...

Focus on Nature[R]: insight into the lives of animals.(American burying beetle)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... On a warm July night, a 1 1/4-inch, orange and shiny black AMERICAN BURYING BEETLE (Nicrophorus americanus) "smells", using his antennae, a mouse that has just died. He quickly emits a chemical to signal his mate who soon arrives to help bury...

CITES supports sustainable use.(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora )
January 1, 2006... On July 1, 1975, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) entered into force after ratification by the tenth signatory country. It emerged out of long-standing concern for the future of animals...

Fact or fiction: CITES and the ESA.(Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora, Endangered Species Act)
January 1, 2006... In my position as Chief of the Branch of Permits in the Service's Division of International Affairs, I often speak with people who would like to import or export animals and plants. They may want to import biological samples for research or to...

Partnerships for alligator recovery and trade.
January 1, 2006... In the late 1860s, the leather industry's demand for exotic hides led to widespread commercial hunting of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). The demand in Europe and the United States for luxury leathery products was so...

Sustainable use for vicuna conservation.
January 1, 2006... High in the Andes Mountains of South America (at an altitude of 12,000 to 15,700 feet, or about 3,700 to 4,600 meters) lives the rarest of six species of camels and llamas: the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna). You might not think that this species,...

The role of CITES in orchid conservation.(Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species )
January 1, 2006... Scientists have traced orchids as far back as 120 million years. These plants first received recognition in the herbal writings of Japan and China 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. Once the province of rulers and other powerful officials, orchids are...

Managing the trade in sturgeon and paddlefish.
January 1, 2006... Sturgeon caviar is one of the most expensive and sought-after wildlife products in the world. For many people, a fancy party or New Year's Eve celebration is not complete without a serving of these glistening black or golden fish eggs....

Enforcement starts with wildlife inspectors.
January 1, 2006... Most countries depend on customs officers to enforce CITES, but the United States is an exception. Here, professional wildlife inspectors, trained in skills that range from species identification to detecting document fraud, are the front-line...

Room at the table: voices of NGOs.
January 1, 2006... Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) bring a broad range of viewpoints and perspectives to CITES. They play a vital role and have much to offer to the debates and negotiations at meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP), as well as...

Species conservation under Appendix I.
January 1, 2006... Of the over 33,000 species protected by CITES, about 900 are in Appendix I, which consists of animals and plants threatened with extinction. Appendix I includes rhinoceroses, lemurs, the tiger, the Andean condor, Spix's macaw, sea turtles, the...

Mushrooms and the future of CITES.(Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species )
January 1, 2006... At the opening session of the twelfth meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties (COP) in Santiago, Chile, in 2002, I listened in fascination as delegates from 160 member countries debated whether CITES should cover mushrooms. While no...

Ivory-billed woodpecker found "Cached Away".
January 1, 2006... They don't call it the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge for nothing! In this case, the precious cargo "cached away" was a species long thought to be extinct. The rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) in...

Butterfly conservation plan.
January 1, 2006... The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Southwest Region, U.S. Forest Service-Lincoln National Forest, Otero County, and the Village of Cloudcroft have collaborated on a conservation plan for the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly...

Draft recovery plans.(Sentry milk-vetch plant)
January 1, 2006... Sentry Milk-vetch The Sentry milk-vetch (Astragalus cremnophylax var. cremnophylax) is an endangered plant in the pea family (Fabaceae). Its Latin name, which translates as "watchman of the gorge," alludes to its perch on the high limestone...

Five-year status reviews.(endangered species)
January 1, 2006... Pursuant to section 4(c)(2)(A) of the Endangered Species Act, Region 2 is reviewing the status of several threatened and endangered species: a plant called the Holy Ghost ipomopsis (Ipomopsis sancti-spiritus), Kuenzler hedgehog cactus...

Good news for the Sonoran pronghorn.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... A recent biennial survey indicates that the Sonoran pronghorn (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis) population in the U.S. has rebounded significantly from its low of approximately 20 animals in 2002. The Arizona Game and Fish Department, in...

Box score.(endangered species)(Statistical table)
January 1, 2006... Listings and Recovery Plans as of August 5, 2005 ENDANGERED THREATENED GROUP U.S. FOREIGN U.S. FOREIGN MAMMALS 68 251 10 20...