A tiny coppercheek frog I found on the grass at our holiday house on Stradbroke Island
Eco-toilets help save hippos and birds in Kenya
It may appear unintuitive that special toilets could benefit hippos and other wetland species, but the Center for Rural Empowerment and the Environment (CREE) has proven the unique benefits of new toilets in the Dunga Wetlands on Lake Victoria’s Kenyan side. By building ecologically-sanitary (eco-san) toilets, CREE has managed to alleviate some of the conflict that has cropped up between hippos and humans for space.
Read more:http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0104-hance_ecosan_cree.html#ixzz1oynaOoDq
Kissed
Thai conservationist Sangduen Chailert shares a moment with one of the many animals she has rescued. She operates two elephant healing and rehabilitation centers in Thailand.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1722955,00.html#ixzz1hmNBhyKp
“The interaction between humans and companion animals has a profound impact on both species. For humans, the presence of a companion animal can result in improved physical and psychological well-being. Contact with animals has been associated with greater happiness, less stress, reduced blood pressure, lower coronary risk factors, lower rates of psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, and the enhancement of social activities.”
- The University of Queensland
SETBO VILLAGE, Cambodia - Being responsible parents, rice farmer Khuorn Sam Ol and his wife might not be expected to be keen on having their child play with a 16-foot-long, 220-pound snake. Yet they are unflustered that their 7-year-old son, Uorn Sambath, regularly sleeps in the massive coil of a female python, rides the reptile, kisses it and even pats it down with baby powder. “There is a special bond between them,” Khuorn Sam Ol explained. “My son played with the snake when he was still learning to crawl. They used to sleep together in a cradle.” Wildlife and police officials used to come by to try to take the snake away and put it in a zoo. But they relented after seeing Uorn Sambath lovingly cuddling the reptile.
“I will not let anyone take her away from me, either. I love her very much,” declared his son, Uorn Sambath, kissing his pet on the head.
A green sea turtle recently washed up dead on a New South Wales beach in Australia - it was found to have over 300 pieces of plastic debris lodged in its guts. This is a new and depressing record.
“Unfortunately we counted 317 pieces of plastic from the lower intestine of the turtle and there is no question what caused the death of this animal,” said Rochelle Ferris, General Manager of Australian Seabird Rescue.
Plastics floating in the ocean can resemble small fish, squid and jellyfish and other marine creatures which are also sea turtle food. According to a recent study, around 36 percent of sea turtles are affected by marine debris, which is scary considering the various other human pressures they face on top of this. Trawling, hunting, long-line fishing, egg poaching… the list goes on. All species of marine turtle are in serious, serious trouble - except for one which has insufficient data.
Image: The famous photograph of the contents of a dead sea turtles stomach. It included plastic, glass and many other forms of human rubbish.
