RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Animal rights activists yelled “puppy killer” and obscenities at a retired Los Angeles County assistant fire chief Friday after he was sentenced to 90 days in jail for beating a dog so severely with a rock it had to be euthanized.
In a Riverside courtroom full of activists and a handful of supporters, a judge also required that Glynn Johnson, 55, perform 400 hours of community service working with dogs, take anger management courses and pay the veterinary bills.
Johnson, of Hillcrest, was convicted in January of animal cruelty using a deadly weapon — a 12-pound rock — for the 2008 attack in which he repeatedly bashed the head of a 6-month-old German-shepherd mix named Karley. The dog had to be put to sleep because of the injuries.
Johnson claimed he was freeing himself after the puppy clamped its mouth on his hand as he walked her home to his neighbor. Witnesses disputed that and said Johnson attacked the dog without reason.
Johnson apologized to the owners but also said he would appeal the sentence.
The dog’s owners, Jeff and Shelley Toole, said in court that Johnson had ruined their lives and should get the maximum sentence of more than four years in prison.
“If (Karley) did this to you, her punishment would be death,” Jeff Toole said. “And if I were a judge that would be the punishment for you too, but I’m not a judge. You’re a danger society and you need to be locked up before you hurt someone else.”
Prosecutors had asked for probation or a year in jail.
Judge J. Thompson Hanks said he considered Johnson’s lack of criminal record and service as a firefighter in the lighter sentence.
“You don’t see this kind of outpouring from the community in many cases, including the death of children,” Hanks said. “As a judge, I have to balance. I have to consider the conduct of the individual who did it and the appropriate punishment.”
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Grey wolves are the largest species of the Canidae family and survivors of the Ice Age era originating during Late Pleistocene 300,000 years ago. They are considered apex predators, meaning that they do not contain predators of their own. They lived in much of Eurasia and North America until they were annihilated due to human hunting. Human hunting of grey wolves is considered both sport and extermination because of threats to livestock and people.

Did you know? A pack of wolves can range from 2 to up to 20 members.

Grey Wolves are sexually dimorphic in terms of weight and their physique. Males usually weigh around 79 pounds on average while females typically weigh 20% less with narrower muzzles, foreheads, and less massive shoulders. Grey wolves rely on their endurance rather than their speed. They can trot at speeds of up to six miles per hour and reach a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour during a chase. Their paws are designed to tread easily in snow and other terrains. Their front paws are much larger in proportion to their hind paws and each toe contains slight webbing. They also contain scent glands, which leave other wolves aware of its presence. Wolves begin to mate between the months of January and April. A male may mate with one or more of its subordinate females unless there is one of his same hierarchy. After a gestation period of 60 days, an average of 5 to 6 pups are born usually deaf, blind, and completely dependent on their mother. For two weeks they consume milk from their mother and afterwards they begin to eat regurgitated food. After two months they escape from their dens and explore their environment up to a mile away. Eventually they are introduced to the pack.

Did you know? A pack of wolves can range from 2 to up to 20 members.

From the Associated Press
SEATTLE – Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo has euthanized its oldest animal — a 47-year-old hippo named Gertie — because of normal, age-related physical decline.

The 5,000-pound hippo has lived at the zoo since 1966. She had osteoarthritis and despite medication, zoo officials say she was having trouble getting around and was in pain.

Two female hippos remain at the zoo’s African Savanna: 31-year-old Water Lily and 10-year-old Guadalupe.

Zoo officials say hippos can live up to 49 years in zoos. Their life expectancy is 45 years in the wild.

Hippopotamuses are listed as a vulnerable species, primarily because humans have excessively hunted them for their meat, fat, ivory teeth and hides.

From the Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Mexico is losing its certification to export wild-harvest shrimp to the United States because its trawls lack required protections for endangered sea turtles, the State Department said.

The department said the certification was withdrawn after the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service determined that Mexico’s turtle excluder devices no longer meet U.S. standards. U.S. rules require that exporters use excluders comparable to those used by American shrimpers.

Certification for Mexican shrimpers will be withdrawn on April 20. Mexico’s shrimp season will have closed by then for the summer.

The Endangered Species Act lists six of the seven sea turtle species as endangered or threatened. The State Department said proper exclusion devices can prevent turtle mortality in shrimp trawl nets up to 97 percent.

Mexico’s National Fisheries Council said later Thursday that it was working with U.S. experts to remedy the situation as soon as possible, and expressed hopes its shrimp fleets could be recertified following new inspections in August and September.

The council noted that the U.S. action applied only to shrimp wild-harvested in open ocean, which account for only about 20 percent of Mexico’s annual shrimp production. Most of Mexico’s shrimp are caught in shallow coastal waters or are farmed.

From the Associated Press by Randolph Schmid

WASHINGTON – A new species of dinosaur has emerged from the rocks of southern Utah.

Buried by a collapsing sand dune, perhaps 185 million years ago, the new dino was probably a plant eater and an early relative of the giant animals later known as sauropods, researchers report in Tuesday’s edition of the journal PLoS One.

Named Seitaad ruessi, the species was 10-to-15 feet long and 3-to-4 feet high. It’s bones were found protruding from sandstone at the base of a cliff, directly below an ancient Anasazi cliff dwelling.

No humans were around at the time of the dinosaurs, but researchers say the bones could well have been visible when the early Indians lived there.

The name Seitaad comes from the word “Seit’aad,” which was a sand monster that buried its victims in dunes in Navajo legend, according to the researchers. The newly named skeleton had been swallowed by a sand dune.

So, might visible dinosaur remains have given rise to the ancient Indian monster legend?

“That’s a lot of speculation, but anything’s possible,” said Mark Loewen, a paleontologist at the Utah Museum of Natural History and instructor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah.

One of the Anasazi dwellings included a stone with a dinosaur footprint in its center, he noted.

The ruessi part of the name is in honor of poet and naturalist Everett Ruess who disappeared in southern Utah in 1934.

Understanding how dinosaurs lived in the past, how their environments changed and affected them, is important for understanding our changing world today, Loewen said.

The nearly complete skeleton is missing only its head, one toe and a lower shinbone, he said, noting erosion over the years probably accounts for the missing parts.

What the researchers have is similar to other sauropodomorphs found in South America and southern Africa, which were all vegetarians, he explained in a telephone interview. However, Seitaad did have a claw on its front limbs, which Loewen suggested was probably used for defense.

“We were absolutely shocked” by the discovery of this dinosaur, Loewen said. It was found in 2004 by a local artist studying rock paintings and the scientists went to the area immediately when they learned of it, he said. The bones were excavated the following year by Museum researchers.

While dinosaur remains have been found in other parts of Utah fossils are rare in the Navajo sandstone areas and generally have been from smaller creatures.

“This new find suggests that there may be more dinosaurs yet to be discovered in these rocks,” said Joseph Sertich, co-author of the report and currently a doctoral student at New York’s Stony Brook University

From the Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar – The Internet has emerged as one of the greatest threats to rare species, fueling the illegal wildlife trade and making it easier to buy everything from live baby lions to wine made from tiger bones, conservationists and law enforcement officers said Sunday.

The Web’s impact was made clear at the meeting of the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES. Delegates voted overwhelmingly Sunday to ban the trade of the Kaiser’s spotted newt, which the World Wildlife Fund says has been devastated by the Internet trade.

A proposal from the United States and Sweden to regulate the trade in red and pink coral — which is crafted into expensive jewelry and sold extensively on the Web — was defeated. Delegates voted the idea down mostly over concerns the increased regulations might impact poor fishing communities.

Trade on the Web poses “one of the biggest challenges facing CITES,” said Paul Todd, a campaign manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

“The Internet is becoming the dominant factor overall in the global trade in protected species,” he said. “There will come a time when country to country trade of large shipments between big buyers and big sellers in different countries is a thing of the past.”

The IFAW has done several surveys of illegal trade on the Web and a three-month survey in 2008 found more than 7,000 species worth $3.8 million sold on auction sites, classified ads and chat rooms, mostly in the United States but also Europe, China, Russia and Australia. Most of what is traded is illegal African ivory but the group has also found exotic birds along with rare products such as tiger-bone wine and pelts from protected species like polar bears and leopards.

A separate 2009 survey by the group Campaign Against the Cruelty to Animals targeted the Internet trade in Ecuador, finding offers to sell live capuchin monkeys, lion cubs and ocelots.

“As the Internet knows no borders, it causes several new problems regarding the enforcement of the protection of endangered species,” the group said in its report.

John Sellar, CITES’ chief law enforcement officer, argued the impact of the Web was overblown and that many species that appear illegal may in fact may be legal. He also said many big traders were reluctant to use the Internet, since payments can be traced and they can be ensnared in undercover operations.

“There seems to be little evidence that there are commercial operations using the Internet,” Sellar said. “Although the risks may be small depending on which country you are living in, you can be identified when using the Internet. So there are clearly risks there.”

Still, a CITES committee endorsed an e-commerce proposal Sunday that calls on governments to draft measures to address the Internet trade and law enforcement agencies to dedicate a unit to focus on it.

The private sector has also moved to limit the illegal trade.

EBay, which was singled out in the IFAW survey as being a main source of much of the ivory sales, said in a statement that it instituted a complete ban on the ivory trade in 2008, which activists said has helped slow the trade in tusks on the Web.

The newt is a textbook example of what can happen to one species through trade on the Web. According to a study by the WWF, the black and brown salamander with white spots is coveted in the pet trade. They number only around 1,000 and live in Iran’s Zagros Mountains. About 200 have been traded annually over the years, mostly through a Web site operated out of Ukraine. Their population has fallen 80 percent.

“The Internet itself isn’t the threat, but it’s another way to market the product,” said Ernie Cooper, who spearhead the investigation into the newt for TRAFFIC Canada. “Most people are not willing to pay $300 for a salamander. But through the power of the Internet, tapping into the global market, you can find buyers.”

The red and pink coral, which consist of 32 species, are harvested in deep Mediterranean waters and turned into expensive jewelry either in Italy or cheaper place like Taiwan and China, according to the marine conservation group SeaWeb.

It is the most widely traded and valuable of all precious corals but has no international protection, resulting in a brisk international trade in the species, the group said.

Opposition to the coral proposal was led by Japan, which also successfully spearheaded efforts last week to defeat a proposed ban on the international export of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a key ingredient in sushi. They were joined by several coastal states including Indonesia, Malaysia and Iceland, all of whom argued the corals are crucial to the survival of local communities and are not overharvested.

Meanwhile, delegates approved a voluntary conservation plan for endangered tigers that calls for tougher legislation in countries home to the big cats to tackle widespread smuggling and boost money spent on law enforcement.

The British plan also calls for countries to better control tiger farms and to phase out traditional medicine markets which fuel demand for tiger parts. The proposal includes no funding for the 13 tiger range countries, only a request for donor assistance.

The Tiger population has plummeted because of human encroachment, the loss of nine-tenths of their habitat and poaching to supply the illegal trade. Their numbers have fallen from 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century to around 3,600 today.

From the Associated Press by Michael Casey

DOHA, Qatar – Opposition grew Wednesday against a proposal to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna, with several Arab countries joining Japan in arguing it would hurt poor fishing nations and wasn’t scientifically justified.

Other countries including Australia and Peru have expressed support for a weakened proposal which is expected to be introduced Thursday at the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES.

They want the trade regulated for the first time by CITES but not banned outright as demanded by conservationists who contend the Atlantic bluefin is on the brink of extinction.

Killing or even weakening the tuna proposal would be a setback for CITES, which has made the protection of marine species a key goal during this two-week meeting. A proposal for a shark conservation plan was also defeated on Tuesday.

Many poor countries appeared to be leaning toward protecting their economies over conserving the iconic tuna.

“Most Mediterranean countries are afraid because they export this tuna,” said Ahmed Said Shukaili, a delegate from the Persian Gulf country of Oman, whose nation will follow the Arab League position opposing the ban.

“They see this as an economic issue,” he said. “There is a lot of concerns for the fishermen who depend on this fish.”

Japan says it has the support of China while several other countries were undecided. China has not said publicly where it stands.

Monaco — the sponsor of the proposed ban on the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna — says numbers have fallen by nearly 75 percent since 1957. But most of the decline has occurred over the last decade with demand driven by sushi lovers in Japan and elsewhere for the bluefin’s succulent red and pink meat.

Supporters of the ban, including the European Union and the United States, say it is necessary because the Atlantic bluefin is a migratory species that swims from the western Atlantic to the Mediterranean — putting it beyond any one country’s border.

Compounding the tuna’s plight is the growing threat from illegal fishing fleets and the failure of existing measures to keep the population sustainable.

“The North African countries are concerned about fishermen losing their jobs. But nevertheless the jobs will be lost when there will be no more bluefin tuna,” said Patrick Van Klaveren, a delegate with the Monaco delegation. “With bluefin tuna, it’s not a question of 10 or 20 years but five or six years or less to see the stock collapse.”

Raw tuna is a key ingredient in traditional dishes such as sushi and sashimi, and the bluefin variety — called “hon-maguro” in Japan — is particularly prized.

Japan, which imports 80 percent of Atlantic bluefin and has led the opposition to the ban, argued on Wednesday that CITES should have no role in regulating tuna and other marine species. It said that it is willing to accept lower quotas for bluefin tuna but wants those to come from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, or ICCAT, which currently regulates the trade.

Masanori Miyahara, chief counselor of the Fisheries Agency of Japan, told The Associated Press that CITES was “unfair and partial” and that a tuna ban would allow the Europeans and Americans to continue fishing tuna domestically while Japan suffers from a steep drop in exports.

“The big players will continue fishing,” Miyahara said. “If necessary, let’s stop fishing using ICCAT measures. Then everyone must give up the fishing. But here, it is very unfair.”

Critics, however, argue that ICCAT consistently ignores its own scientists in setting quotas and does little to stop countries from exceeding already high quotas or cracking down on widespread illegal fishing.

Susan Lieberman, director of international policy with the Pew Environment Group in Washington, said there was a lot of confusion over the competing proposals and even how the ban would impact certain countries. There is also disinformation campaigns by some governments that have implied, for example, that North Africa would suddenly be inundated with tuna boats from the Mediterranean if the ban took hold, she said.

Still, Lieberman remained optimistic that a proposal would be passed — though it could take many forms from an outright ban, to a delayed ban to increased trade restrictions with some kind of quotas.

“What we are seeing is broad support for CITES having a role in Atlantic bluefin tuna,” Lieberman said.

From the Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar – The Atlantic bluefin tuna and other marine life in the world’s overfished oceans will be the focus of a two week United Nations conference that opened Saturday in the Gulf state of Qatar .

The 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species , or CITES, will be discussing new proposals to regulate the shark trade and a ban on the export of Atlantic bluefin, a tuna species prized by sushi lovers.

There are 42 proposals on the table at the conference, addressing a range of issues from combating elephant poaching for ivory in Africa to banning trade in polar bear skins. But those focusing on sharks and tuna are likely to be among the most contentious.

They pit the Europeans and Americans against fishing nations in North Africa and Asia, especially Japan , which has already vowed to ignore any bluefin ban. A bid to regulate the trade in red and pink corals — harvested to make expensive jewelry — could also divide the delegates.

CITES Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers told The Associated Press this week that countries were turning to his organization because existing management tools were not working and that many of the ocean’s commercially fished species were under threat. He also said there was much more support than two years ago for restricting or banning the trade of many marine species, including the Atlantic bluefin.

“I don’t think anyone has an argument against the listing of Atlantic bluefin tuna,” said Wijnstekers, whose organization has come out in support of the export ban. “There is no scientific argument against that.”

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization , more than half of all marine fish stocks are under threat.

Monaco — the sponsor of the proposed ban on the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna — says numbers have fallen by nearly 75 percent since 1957. But most of the decline has occurred over the last decade with demand driven by sushi lovers in Japan and elsewhere for the bluefin’ succulent red and pink meat.

The United States backed the ban proposal last week. Many European countries also expressed support, although France and the European Commission have endorsed a compromise to delay the ban until 2011.

Japan, which consumes 80 percent of Atlantic bluefin eaten worldwide, has said it will ignore the ban. The more critical issue is whether other key fishing countries will join Japan’s rebuff — which would allow them to sell tuna to Japan.

Tokyo also argues that concerns about the extinction of the Atlantic bluefin are overblown.

The threat of a ban has some Japanese warning their culture is under siege. Sushi is an iconic dish in Japan, where fatty bluefin — called “o-toro” in Japan — sells for as much as 2,000 yen ($20) a piece in high-end Tokyo restaurants.

The conference in Doha is also expected to discuss ways to tackle the illegal trade of tiger products, and the protection of less-known species such as the spiny-tailed iguanas of Mexico and Central America and the spectacular Dynastes satanas beetle of Latin America — both prized by collectors.

Achim Steiner , the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, which administers the CITES, said limiting the trade on a range of threatened species could go a long way to ensuring biodiversity.

“By ensuring that the international trade in wildlife is properly regulated, CITES can assist in conserving the planet’s wild fauna and flora from overexploitation and contribute to the sustainable development ,” Steiner said.

Alligators have been known to exist for 200 million years, since the ages of reptiles. There are currently two well known types: American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) and Chinese Alligators (Alligator sinsensis). The species name originates from the Spanish term “el lagarto” which means “the lizard” when translated in English. The American Alligator can grow up to 14.5 feet and weigh up to 1,032 pounds while the Chinese Alligator can only grow up to 5 feet and weigh up to 100 pounds.

Did You Know? The sex of alligators is determined by the incubation temperature while they are still in their shells. A temperature of 83°F or lower produce females while a temperature of 93°F or higher produce males.

They also grow rather slowly, only reaching two feet after 2 years.

American alligators are found in the southeastern United States, where they live in freshwater environments such as ponds, marshes, rivers, lakes, and swamps. The largest recorded population of alligators living in the United States is found in Louisiana. The area can hold up to 1 million of these reptiles at a given time. Chinese Alligators are only found near the Yungtze River Valley, the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world after the Nile and the Amazon.

Generally, the larger males tend to be solitary and territorial while the smaller species remain in close proximity to each other. Their main sources of food are smaller animals, although they may sometimes consume larger prey by drowning them and initiating the “death-roll.” The “death-roll” is a technique used by alligators to tear off larger chunks of meat of their prey by spinning convulsively.

In the spring, females lay about 40 eggs at a time and the incubation period is 65 days. The hatchlings use their “egg-tooth” to break open the shell. Alligators stay with their mothers for about 1.5 years until they move on to live on their own.

Did You Know?
The sex of alligators is determined by the incubation temperature while they are still in their shells. A temperature of 83°F or lower produce females while a temperature of 93°F or higher produce males.

With killer whales performing tricks and ‘playing’ with trainers, Florida’s Shamu show at SeaWorld has drawn various tourists to check out the greatest attraction at the park, something that has made the park skyrocket to popularity. On Feb. 24, the Shamu noontime show was the subject of mass hysteria and commotion, but not for the reason it has always been. A shocked audience witnessed the 12,000 lb. orca attack and kill 40 year-old veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau. “He just took off like a bat out of you know what, took off really fast and came back around to the glass, jumped up, and grabbed the trainer by the waist and started shaking her violently,” eyewitness Victoria Biniak said. People in attendance from earlier shows attest to the behavior of the 22-ft orca equating to that of an “ornery child” and languidly following directions.

FILE - In this Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 file photo, a killer whale raises its head out of the water during the first show since an orca killed a trainer at the SeaWorld theme park in Orlando, Fla. The latest killer whale involving Tilikum at SeaWorld attack raises anew the question of whether some animals, especially the biggest ones, have any business being tamed. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, Pool, File)

Apparently, this is not the first time Tilikum has been involved in fits of disturbance. In fact, the whale has been implicated in two other human deaths. The 30 year-old whale was connected with the 1991 death of another trainer in Canada’s Sealand of the Pacific as well as the death of a naked man whose body was discovered floating on the whale’s back in 1999. Tilikum’s attack on Brancheau has been the most recent to join the ranks of other animals either severely injuring or killing trainers and handlers.

These animal attacks have suggested the qualms about captivity and whether or not it is suitable to enforce detainment with all the dangers involved. Many also question the parading of animals around as exploited entertainment. Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Humane Society said, “Orcas are simply too big, too complex, and too intelligent to be adequately accommodated in captivity.” Being that killer whales like Tilikum are sophisticated predators and have significant intelligence, it elicits the matter of large animals not being able to familiarize with a small environment, a fact that can lead to boredom and violent acts.

On the contrary, former SeaWorld head trainer Thad Lacinak says that keeping animals in captivity is necessary for educating people as well as protecting these large animals. He says that, unlike the Discovery Channel, learning about animals includes bringing them to the public, giving a different, more wholesome experience than “observing through a pair of binoculars.” “We know for a fact that people do not learn in static conditions. They learn from these animals when they are entertained by them.

That’s just how people learn. They don’t learn when they’re bored. They have a greater appreciation of the animals when they walk out.”  As of now, SeaWorld will keep Tilikum until management decides what they will do with the orca.