Animal News Cap: Panda extinction — Pachyderm prosthetics — Tracking narwhals — Catfax — Where do dogs come from? — Racecar vs. Horse
China’s giant pandas face extinction soon
There are only 1590 wild pandas and 180 captive-bred bears left in China. And they just will not mate. Conservationists have attempted to boost libido and encourage mating with “panda porno” videos and “sexercises” to strengthen the male’s leg muscles.
Besides increased susceptibility to diseases and natural disasters like last year’s big earthquake, highway construction and inbreeding are true turn-offs. “We may have to give up building some infrastructure,” Fan Zhiyong, the WWF species program director suggests. Urban development forces the pandas into smaller groups by diminishing their habitats. Denying them the ability to roam freely also separates potential mates, with little options besides inbreeding, which could decrease fertility. At this rate, Fan warns “[if] the panda cannot mate with those from other habitats, it may face extinction within two to three generations”.
I couldn’t resist sharing this vid of super cute Fu Long, the first panda to be born in Europe in more than a quarter of a century, born last August.
Pachyderm Prosthetics
48-year-old Motola, fitted for a permanent artificial leg on Saturday, will soon be stepping out with baby Mosha, who was the first elephant to receive an artificial leg in 2007. Motola was scheduled to be the first, but her wounds were still healing slowly. The pair of pachyderms received top notch care at the world’s first Elephant Hospital, fittingly in Thailand, where many “employed” domesticated giants who assist humans in heavy labor in the logging industry and transportation (taxi) duties sustain injuries ranging from eye infections to gunshot wounds; Motola stepped on a land mine in 1999, which is fairly common along the Myanmar-Thailand border.
Land mines are only one of the many factors endangering these gentle giants. The domesticated elephant population decreased from 13,400 in 1950 to today’s estimated 2500. Wild elephant numbers have also dipped dramatically.
Tracking narwhals the traditional Inuit way
The unicorn of the sea, the narwhal, proves to be just as elusive as their mythical namesake. Inuit hunters are now teaming up with researchers in a tagging effort in Greenland using traditional harpoons. It may seem like a conflict of interest, with conservationists collaborating with hunters, but they have never been able to even tag narwhals until this method was applied. The method is not without its flaws; the transmitters fall off after only a few weeks, and the scientists want to track the mammals into the Winter months. [via NPR]
100,000 purr warranty on adopted kitties
Where else would you launch a campaign spoofing the online automobile consumer website Carfax? In Michigan of course! The Michigan Humane Society launched a cute campaign last month in order to spark interest for potential and much-needed adoptions. Catfax features include:
- Standard 4-paw drive
- 100,000 purr warranty
- Made in Michigan
Domestic dog descendant dispute
Genetic researchers previously reported that East Asia was the genetic birthplace of the domestic dog, but Dr. Adam Boyko of the Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology at Cornell University “begs” to differ, pardon the pun. He conducted a study further south, in African villages, where his brother and his bride collected blood samples while on their honeymoon. All of the samples had grey wolf DNA, which supports the theory that domestic pups descended from Eurasian wolves, but Boyko insists that the statement that all dogs have East Asian roots needs further investigation. He is currently collecting samples in street and village dogs across Europe and Asia from Portugal to Papua New Guinea. [via BBC]
500+ horsepower vs. 1 horsepower
A few horses wandered onto a dirt road which just so happened to be used as the Argentine off-road rally track in General Roca last Monday. Two of the horses barely escaped injury, while one was hit straight on, smashing the racecar’s windshield and sending the large animal flying. The driver (Villagra) and his navigator survived, sadly the horse did not.
