Australian teen 'deliberately' mowed down, killed 20 kangaroos

SYDNEY, Australia - An Australian teenager has been charged over the deaths of 20 kangaroos, which he allegedly mowed down with his truck in a killing spree that lasted an hour.

The dead kangaroos, including two joeys, were found littered over roads in Tura Beach, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Sydney, on Sunday morning.

At least three other joeys were orphaned as a result of the disturbing attack, according to wildlife rescue group WIRES.

Police said Wednesday the man, 19, had been arrested and charged with animal cruelty offences on Tuesday.

The man allegedly hit and killed the marsupials with his utility vehicle late on Saturday night.

"We take incidents such as these very seriously and anyone who engages in activities such as these will face the full brunt of the law," Bega Valley chief inspector Peter Volf said.

Though the sight of dead kangaroos by the roadside is not uncommon in New South Wales state -- where about 90 percent of car crashes are caused by collisions with the animals -- the scale and allegedly intentional nature of the incident shocked locals.

"It was a very unpleasant sight," resident Rob Evans told the ABC. "Police see an awful lot of things, but you could see that they were shocked as well."

WIRES said the incident came to its attention when police brought a six-month-old orphaned joey to one of its volunteers at 1.30 a.m. on Sunday. Two others aged around nine months old were discovered later.

The group said it was "horrified" by the "apparent act of cruelty", with the three surviving joeys now requiring round-the-clock care.

Eastern grey kangaroos usually begin venturing out of their mother's pouch at about nine months of age, but are not fully independent until they reach 18 months.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

More than 2 million animals perish in Bolivia wildfires

LA PAZ, Bolivia - More than two million wild animals, including jaguars, pumas and llamas, have perished in weeks of wildfires that devastated huge swaths of Bolivian forest and grassland, environmental experts said Wednesday.

The fires devastated the Chiquitania tropical savanna in the east of the country.

"We have consulted the biologists of Chiquitania and we have exceeded the estimate of more than 2.3 million missing animals in many protected areas," Professor Sandra Quiroga of Santa Cruz University told AFP.

Latin American ocelots, and other wild cats like pumas and jaguars, as well as deer, llamas -- and smaller forest animals like anteaters, badgers, lizards, tapirs and rodents -- were victims of the fires, according to biologists investigating the scale of the damage.

Local media showed images of charred animal carcasses in the smoldering forests and birds fleeing to zones spared by the flames.

The fires, which have devastated more than four million hectares (10 million acres) since August, has completely destroyed the "primary forest" extending over 100 hectares in the Tucavaca reserve in the eastern Santa Cruz department.

"The forest is totally charred and the damage is irreversible. It will never get back to normal," said Quiroga.

The eastern department of Santa Cruz has been the hardest hit of Bolivia's nine departments since the fires began in May and intensified in late August

Bolivia in August enlisted special firefighting planes, a Supertanker Boeing 747 and a Russian Ilyushin, as well as helicopters, 5,000 firefighters, soldiers and police but the fires have still not been extinguished.

Environmentalists blame laws enacted under leftist President Evo Morales, who has encouraged burning of forest and pasture land to expand agricultural production. 

The government attributes the blazes to dry weather and flame-fanning winds.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Puppies rescued from uninhabited Canadian island

OTTAWA - Puppies discovered on an uninhabited island in the Canadian wilds are looking for a new home.

The litter -- four males and three females -- has been dubbed the "Gilligan's Island crew" after the 1960s American television sitcom about castaways on an uncharted tropical island.

Two boaters recently heard their cries in the night, Deb Vandekerkhove, director of the rescue, told AFP.

"The fellas could see some dark figures on the island across the water and thought it might be wolves fighting," she said in a telephone interview. "The next morning they took a boat over and found these seven puppies."

"They gave them what food they had and contacted local rescue volunteers."

Arrangements were made to get the pups food and supplies, and the two men brought an old dog house to the island and set it up as a temporary shelter.

Vandekerkhove is scheduled to travel to the Cross Lake area, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of Winnipeg, Manitoba on Friday and return with the puppies, which are believed to be a mix of Labrador and Husky and about four months old.

After a few weeks of rehabilitation, the dogs will be put up for adoption through Winnipeg Pet Rescue.

"It appears they'd been on the island all alone for several weeks," Vandekerkhove said. "They're very cute with spikey hair on their heads but they were starving, just skin and bones, and they were terrified of people at first."

The dogs are now eating and drinking water, playing with toys and appear to be warming up to their saviors.

amc/ia

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Boy's body found after alligator attack at Florida Disney resort

ORLANDO, Florida - Police divers on Wednesday recovered the body of a 2-year-old boy who was grabbed by an alligator in front of his family during a vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

The child was snatched by the alligator as he played at the water's edge on Tuesday night and dragged into a lagoon despite his parents' effort to save him.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said he and a Catholic priest had informed the family that the boy's body had been recovered near where he vanished and was completely intact.

An autopsy would be carried out, Demings added, but the presumption was that the child was drowned by the alligator.

"It was a tough message to deliver," Demings told a news conference. "Of course the family was distraught, but also I believe somewhat relieved that we were able to find their son ... so that they can come to grips with what has happened."

The alligator was believed to be between 4 and 7 feet (1.2 and 2 meters) long.

Wildlife officials earlier captured and killed five of the reptiles from Seven Seas Lagoon and opened them up to look for traces of the boy. Nick Wiley, head of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said it was too early to say whether one of those five might be the culprit.

"There is a good chance we already have the alligator because we focused our efforts in that proximity, in that area where this incident occurred," he said, adding that the probe would focus on results of forensic tests and bite marks on the child's body.

The resort closed its beaches and recreational marinas on Wednesday while search teams scoured the lagoon, a man-made lake reaching 14 feet (4.2 meters) in depth.

The family, on vacation from the Omaha, Nebraska suburb of Elkhorn, were named as Matt and Melissa Graves. Their son was named Lane.

There are signs prohibiting swimming at the lagoon but the boy was grabbed as he was playing at the water's edge while his family relaxed nearby on the shore, authorities said.

The signs did not specifically warn about alligators, a Disney spokeswoman said, adding that the company would review the situation.

The boy's father rushed into the water and suffered minor cuts on his arm as he fought to wrestle his child from the alligator's grasp, said Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said the boy's mother tried to rescue him too. A lifeguard on duty also was unable to reach the toddler in time.

Alligators are not uncommon in the Seven Seas Lagoon, Wiley said. Alligators have killed five people in Florida in the last 10 years, according to state data.

Wiley said the wildlife commission works with the resort to remove "nuisance alligators" - classed as those which have lost their fear of humans - whenever they are reported.

Disney has operated in the area for 45 years and never had this type of incident, Demings said.

UPSCALE RESORT

The Walt Disney World Resort is the world's most-visited theme park. About 20.5 million people visited the park's Magic Kingdom in 2015, according to the Themed Entertainment Association.

Shares in Walt Disney Co appeared unaffected by the incident, closing down 13 cents at $98.27.

A Walt Disney World Resort spokeswoman said everyone there was devastated by the accident.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger issued a statement to express his sympathies "as a parent and a grandparent."

William Lopez, 41, an evangelical pastor from San Francisco, was on vacation with his wife and seven-year-old daughter. He said he thought a path around part of the lagoon should have been fenced off.

"If we have that kind of aggressive animals we should have been safeguarded," Lopez said. "I hope they do something to correct this so that it never happens again. Because we love to come here."

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is described by Disney as a lavish property combining Victorian elegance with modern sophistication. Rooms start at $569 per night, according to its website.

Guests can rent motorized boats for cruising and fishing, or a private lakeside cabana. Children aged between 4 and 12 also can embark upon "pirate adventures" on the lagoon.

Jim Hill, a theme park historian who runs a popular Disney fan blog, agreed with Demings the company has been "aggressive" about managing the risk from alligators.

But he said that the attack, combined with other recent bad news in the area, could make people reconsider plans to visit Walt Disney World.

The alligator incident came as Orlando reeled from a gunman killing 49 people at a gay nightclub in the city on Sunday before dying in a shoot-out with police.

The night before that attack, singer Christina Grimmie was shot and killed in Orlando, apparently by a deranged fan.

"When people think 'the Happiest Place on Earth', right now that's not Orlando," Hill said, referring to a Disney catchphrase for Disneyland.

Edward Jones analyst Robin Diedrich said there might be a slight decline in Walt Disney World attendance, but it would not be material to the company.

"I think most people would reasonably conclude they will get the issue under control and it's probably safe to go," she said.

The alligator attack follows a May 28 incident when a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing zookeepers to kill a gorilla to protect the child.

Animal rights activists criticized Disney for not explicitly warning about alligators in the water.

"A child and apparently five alligators, who were doing only what came naturally to them, have paid with their lives," Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said in a statement.


(Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Laila Kearney, Amy Tennery and Jeffrey Dastin in New York, and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Bill Rigby and Sandra Maler)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US wildfire rages on, threatens San Francisco water

SAN FRANCISCO - Nearly four thousand firefighters battled a fierce blaze on the edge of world famous Yosemite National Park on Tuesday amid fears it could contaminate San Francisco's drinking water supply.

"I see another intense fire day," said Lee Bentley of the US Forest Service, as crews raced to douse the dangerous flames.

The so-called Rim Fire, the 13th largest in state history, has shut the road into one of the country's top tourist destinations.

Ten days after it broke out it is only 20 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The powerful blaze had charred 179,481 acres (72,630 hectares), spokesman Daniel Berlant added in a Twitter update Tuesday.

He said more than 3,700 firefighters were battling the blaze, which began 10 days ago. What sparked it remains unclear.

Although ash from the inferno has reached the reservoir that supplies San Francisco's drinking water, crews said they were confident public health can be protected, local news reports said.

The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is the main source of fresh water for 2.6 million people living in the San Francisco Bay Area, located some 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the west.

"Water quality is not currently impacted by the Rim Fire," the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission said in the latest update on its website.

"We are monitoring water quality every minute of each day to ensure its quality and safety."

The fire is also threatening the iconic giant sequoia trees in Yosemite.

"They are definitely in danger, but we're doing everything we can," Bentley told CNN when asked about the trees.

We've "got a pretty good chance of keeping it away, but it's going to take a heck of a lot of work and a lot of air power."

Schools in several nearby areas were expected to stay closed Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the park said on its website that "most of Yosemite National Park is not affected by the fire and is relatively smoke-free. The northern part of the park... has some smoke. Conditions may change if winds shift."

Highway 120, one of the main routes into Yosemite from the west, was closed due to the fire.

Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for San Francisco due to the threat to its water and even power supplies.

Two hydroelectric power plants have not been in use since August 19 due to the fire, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission said on its website.

The state's firefighting efforts got a boost when California received federal assistance over the weekend to help mobilize the necessary resources.

President Barack Obama spoke to California's governor on Sunday and "expressed his gratitude for the brave men and women working tirelessly to combat this devastating fire."

"The President reiterated his commitment to providing needed federal resources to support the ongoing state and local response," the White House added, in an account of the call.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Thousands flee wildfires in southern Australia

SYDNEY - Thousands fled wildfires raging on the Australian island of Tasmania, destroying at least 80 properties and leaving unconfirmed reports of one man dying in the blaze, police said Saturday.

The fires flared on Friday as much of the country suffered a summer heatwave which pushed temperatures above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Tasmania, a southern island state known for its cooler climate.

One of the worst affected areas was the small community of Dunalley, some 55 kilometres (34 miles) east of Hobart, where police estimate about 30 percent of buildings have been destroyed, including the police station and school.

In nearby Connelly's Marsh, about 40 percent of buildings have been ruined.

Police said a firefighting crew was trapped by a bushfire on Friday at Dunalley, where there are fears that a man may have died in the blaze.

"They had to take shelter in their vehicle as the fire burned over their vehicle and they were, from that location as I understand it, able to see a gentlemen who was trying to protect his property and they couldn't get to him, it was too unsafe," acting Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard said.

Dunalley resident Tony Young told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he realised the seriousness of the wildfires when he spotted plumes of smoke and a helicopter overhead.

"I'd no sooner said that than the embers came straight into the garage where I was standing and ignited the ceiling in the shed and just engulfed it," he told the broadcaster.

"So all I could do was drive the car out of the shed, drive across the other side of the road and stand back and look at the whole place just being engulfed in flames, just like a movie."

Further south on the Tasman Peninsula east of Hobart, as many as 2,000 people had taken refuge in the town of Nubeena overnight, while another 700 were sheltering at the nearby historic Port Arthur site.

Others have been ferried to emergency accommodation in Hobart.

"At this stage, there are no confirmed reports of deaths or major injuries resulting from the fires throughout the state," Tasmania Police said in a statement.

Authorities said while temperatures had dropped from Friday's peak of 41.8 Celsius -- the hottest day in Hobart since records began in the early 1880s -- the fire danger had yet to pass, with several bushfires burning out of control on Saturday in the east and west of the state.

"Those fires overnight did lose a bit of intensity, but generally we've had a lot of firefighters doing active firefighting," Tasmania Fire Service spokesman John Holloway told ABC TV.

"While those fires did abate, they're still doing a bit of damage."

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the government would help support those affected by the bushfires.

"At the moment the focus of course is on still fighting the fires," she told Channel Nine.

Bushfires are also burning in other parts of Australia, including South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Australia's worst bushfires occurred in February 2009, in the so-called "Black Saturday" disaster, in which a series of fires raged in extremely dry and windy conditions, destroying 2,000 homes and killing 173 people.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

A moment with Lolong: the world’s largest crocodile

I have always been fascinated by nature and wildlife especially since most of it can be found in the region where I was born, Caraga. One of the most amazing creatures on my list would be the saltwater crocodile scientifically known as Crocodylus porosus.

During my elementary days, my grandmother used to tell the story about how people trapped several crocodiles after a great flood that hit my home city of Butuan back in the 70’s. My childhood fascination grew when I saw a stuffed 4-feet-long crocodile on display, caught after the flood, at the back of our neighbor’s home.

Back in 2002, I visited the fishing town of Del Carmen in Siargao Island to shoot some footages of the saltwater crocodile for a project, but failed since the locals even happily bragged that they have killed all of it and will continue to do so if they would ever see more.

So I turned my attention to one of the most ecologically significant wetlands in the Philippines, the Agusan Marsh. But back then all I had were tales instead of tails, which was also started to fade over the years together with my fascination.

When I first heard the news of the capture of a large saltwater crocodile in the town of Bunawan, in Agusan del Sur in September of 2011, I wanted to head straight to the scene. But my work and a meager and almost non-existent budget kept me from going there.

The other day I had a chance, I took it and Lolong was worth the three-hour drive from Butuan City.

Six months after the visit of Australian zoologist and crocodile expert Dr. Adam Britton, Lolong was officially certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s biggest crocodile in captivity. Measuring from snout-to-tail at 6.17 m (20.24 ft), and weight at approximately 1075 kg (2370 lbs).

I’ve seen saltwater crocodiles in farms and zoos but the size of Lolong is just simply out of this world. Experts suggest that it is “just 50 years old” and might even grow more than its current size.

Although for people who wants to see the crocodile in action, they would be disappointed since Lolong does not move that much and spend most of the time basking—the better for the creature to store in more body heat since it is a cold-blooded predator.

Out in the wild, saltwater crocodiles are ambush predators, waiting for their prey for several hours for the right opportunity before rushing out to attack. As cold-blooded predators, they have a very slow metabolism, so they can survive long periods without food.

One of Lolong’s caretaker, Eutiquiano Aguillon or known as “loloy” confirmed the crocodile’s slow metabolic diet.

“We feed a variety of beef or pork at around 20 kilo per meal, that is only three times a month, if we feed the crocodile not in the proper schedule he would just leave it behind and not eat it,” said Loloy.

Town council member Ronald B. Nuer, who headed the Bunawan crocodilus operation project under Mayor Edwin Elorde’s direction (Executive Order no.2 Series 2011) pointed out that the local government unit will be embarking on a Php200-million site development project for the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center.

“The immediate project right now would be the road construction and repair from the highway leading to the eco-park and the pavilion for the guest. Slowly we are getting money from groups and fellow politicians in the development of the site,” said Nuer.

Lolong receives hundred to a thousand tourists a day generating a monthly average income of Php200-300 thousand a month and sometimes even more.

Besides its majestic attraction, a new development plan for the ecopark will soon incorporate other sustainable features such as a botanical garden, aviary, mammal zoo, camping site, restaurant, pool, and even a zip line.

article source: interaksyon.com

Manila Zoo remains popular destination for lovers of nature, wildlife

MANILA -- For over five decades now since its establishment in 1959, the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden (MZBG), commonly called the Manila Zoo, remains to be a popular destination for families and other people from Metro Manila wishing to enjoy the beauty of nature and wildlife.

Manila Parks and Recreation Bureau (MPRB) Chief and Zoo Director Deogracias Manimbo told PNA that the Manila city government is now upgrading the caring program for the animals housed inside the zoo.

The MZBG is home to more than 800 animals from over 100 species as of 2007. The zoo's most popular "resident" is Mali, an Indian elephant who arrived at the zoo as an orphaned calf donated from Sri Lanka.

The MPRB official emphasized that Manila Zoo is under redevelopment.

”About 75 percent of the zoo is rehabilitated, reconstructed, and enclosed. For redevelopment, of course, the other 25 percent is pushed through. We are earning P36 million a year and all of that is used for the redevelopment of the zoo, for improvement, rehabilitation, food, medicines,” said Donald Manalastas, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Zoological Division of Manila Zoo.

He also clarified certain news reports that some of the animals in the zoo, including the popular elephant Mali, will be brought back into sanctuary.

”Actually, Ms. Rachel Rigodon, a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) representative, went here... with her is a veterinarian. There are issues that Mali is sick, so they accessed her. They were amazed! Mali is healthy. So they don’t have a reason to move Mali back into a sanctuary. We take good care of Mali; she’ll just die in there (sanctuary),” he said.

Manila Zoo animals are all domesticated and have adjusted fully to their present home and that bringing them to the wild would be greatly difficult for them, he added.

Favorite field trip destination

The Manila Zoo is among the cores of school children’s field trips to Manila and other parts of the metropolis.

The administration also conducts events to develop the Zoological Park programs.

If there’s one place that completes the history of Manila, then it's sure to be the Manila Zoo, considered as the oldest zoo in Asia which opened its doors on July 25, 1959 on a 5.5-hectare site and serves as one of the foremost educational institutions where the public can learn about animals.

There are 106 different species of animals in the zoo. Out of the 106 species, there are 63 species of reptiles, 30 different kinds of mammals and 13 types of birds, including Macaws, the trained birds that could speak too (depending on the trainings), in addition to popular zoo occupants such as elephant, tigers, lions and the hippos.

Manila Zoo also houses several endemic and indigenous species of animals like the bearcat, long-tailed macaques and crocodiles.

With a good mix of education and entertainment purposes, the Manila Zoo does its best to appeal to everyone.

Though Manila Zoo has established its name in tourism, competition now remains high with such newly-built establishments that seek to attract tourists' eyes -- like the Manila Ocean Park, Avilon Zoo in Rodriguez (formerly Montalban) in Rizal province, and Malabon Zoo in Barangay Potrero, Malabon City.

”We do not compete in here. In the first place, we never advertise! But we still have the average range of 950,000 visitors a year! Manila Zoo has been an institution, when you say a zoo somewhere in Metro Manila, what will you think of?” Manalastas asked.

Its design may be mediocre based on Western standards, but a visit to Manila Zoo may prove worthy if the goal is to break the monotony of urbanism everywhere else in Metro Manila.

As the tourists enter Manila Zoo, Mali, the Indian elephant, is the first to "welcome" them. The larger mammals and the monkeys are in the back section of the zoo.

Tourists can also see the Kinder Zoo on the left side after entering the zoo premises. Kinder Zoo has been made especially for children, where they can touch and pat some animals.

The Manila Zoo administration says that there is big number of visitors during weekends -- Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The same is true during the holiday seasons such as from December to January.

Manalastas says that Manila Zoo is not losing visitors, though they could not say that it's increasing through the years. At least, they manage to maintain the count of a million guests.

There is a large pond with a small island in its center. Makeshift boats are provided and visitors can paddle around the small island for an extra payment of P60 for a boat that carries approximately four passengers. There is also the growing trend of horseback riding with the same cost per head.

Located at Quirino Ave., Adriatico St., Malate (corner of Mabini St. and Harrison St.), Manila Zoo is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Entrance fee for non-Manila City residents is P40 for adults and P20 for kids below four feet in height.

source: interaksyon.com