Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Cinderella - the Tiger

Cinderella
Please, before you go to sleep tonight, think of ways you can reach out and help all the creatures out there-----humans as well.
       This is a GREAT story.
 3 Tigers coming to Seattle on 1 May 2015.

NEW YORK (Feb 21, 2015)—The Russian Far East is the setting for a Cinderella story.  In this case, Cinderella is a tiger. An orphaned, starved, frost-bitten cub was rescued in the winter of 2012, rehabilitated,  released, and now is possibly mating and re-colonizing former tiger territory, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The full Cinderella story and the state of the Amur tiger in Russia is the cover story in the February issue of Smithsonian magazine. The full issue, which goes online today at 2pm, will be in homes starting Friday, and on newsstands January 27.

The female tiger known as Zolushka (the Russian equivalent of “Cinderella”) seems to be thriving within the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, a region where tigers had vanished some 40 years ago as a result of habitat loss, direct poaching, and loss of prey. Scientists note she has already met up with a resident male tiger and are hopeful that cubs may follow.

“Zolushka appears to be thriving in her new home, and represents the spearhead of a process for re-colonizing habitat once roamed over by her ancestors,” said Dr. Dale Miquelle, Director of the WCS Russia Program. “This story is good news for Cinderella but also for tigers overall as she and her prince appear to be consorting in formerly lost tiger habitat. Since her release, an additional five more orphaned cubs have been rescued, rehabilitated and released also into this westernmost range of historical tiger habitat. All but one of the cubs seems to be doing well in their new environment. ”

Zolushka first came to the attention of conservationists working in the Russian Far East in the winter of 2012. She was found alone, the likely result of the death of her mother at the hands of poachers. On the verge of starvation, she was brought by hunters to a wildlife inspector of the regional Primorskii Wildlife Department and treated with veterinary treatment regional Agricultural Academy, including amputation of a third of her frostbitten tail.

For the next year 15 months, Zolushka’s home was a Russian federal tiger rehabilitation center, designed with technical assistance from WCS's Bronx Zoo General Curator Dr. Pat Thomas. Dr. Thomas made recommendations on facility design to improve safety and reduce the need for direct interactions between tigers and humans. The key to this rehabilitation was ensuring that the tiger’s natural fear of humans would remain intact and that she learned to hunt live prey before being released by into the wild. After growing significantly in size and strength, Zolushka began successfully capturing her live prey, including wild boar.

Zolushka was released back into the wild to Bastak Reserve in the spring of 2013. Scientists followed her movements with GPS and camera trap technology. After checking locations in the field where she had been, there was clear evidence of successful predation on wild boar, badgers, and red deer.

After the GPS signals faded, scientists became uncertain of Zolushka’s fate. WCS and staff of Bastak Reserve used camera traps to re-establish contact with the big cat, successfully capturing her image multiple times in the Bastak Reserve. While following Zolushka’s tracks, scientists discovered the presence of a recently arrived male tiger in the same territory, giving rise to the hope that cubs may soon be on the way.

“If cubs are born, it will be the ultimate sign of success in returning tigers to this once empty landscape,” said Miquelle.

The exact population size of Amur tigers is difficult to estimate, but the official estimates suggest that tiger numbers have dropped to 330-390 individuals (from 430-500 in 2005). This decline was likely the result of increased poaching of tigers and their prey between 2005-2010, a period when poachers took advantage of wildlife management restructuring and the confusion associated with those changes. A full-range tiger population survey, conducted every 10 years, is scheduled for February 2015.
The WCS Russia Program plays a critical role in monitoring tigers and their prey species in the Russian Far East and minimizing potential conflicts between tigers and human communities. WCS works to save tiger populations and their remaining habitat in nine range countries across Asia.

Let Kids Be Kids advocates for those seeking a Voice, even those who can't speak!!

WCS’s work in rehabilitating, releasing, and monitoring Zolushka was made possible through the generous support of the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation, Columbus Zoo Conservation Fund, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Rhinoceros & Tiger Conservation Fund, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and the AZA Tiger Species Survival Plan Tiger Conservation Campaign. Collaborators for this project included the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Geographical Society, Inspection Tiger, IFAW, and Phoenix Fund.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Lobo, the Wolf

Okay, some cool stuff on Wolves. One (1) of a number of Cameras watching various groups of wolves. http://nywolf.org/…/mexican-gray-wolf-f613-and-ch…/enclosure
At the bottom is the link to the main web site. Contribute to them, or us, and we’ll make sure to see you have a voice in protecting these incredible animals.
http://nywolf.org
"The Wolf Conservation Center participates in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) and Recovery Plan for the Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupis baileyi) – North America’ most endangered gray wolf. Prior to the Mexican wolf’s return to the wild 17 years ago, the species was completely extinct in the wild. But under the aegis of the Endangered Species Act, reintroduction efforts in the past two decades have established a small, wild population of 109 between Arizona and New Mexico.
Presently, there are approximately 400 Mexican gray wolves remaining in the world, the majority living in captivity within the network of facilities like the WCC participating in the SSP.
We hope you enjoy our story as we carry out the work of their recovery.”
Let Kids Be Kids Advocates for those seeking a voice inclusive of our non speaking fellow creatures. http://www.letkidsbekids.org

Pope and Environment

Pope Francis: "A Christian who does not protect creation is a Christian who does not care about the work of God"
Perhaps he needs to pull out the old "You're Excommunicated" arrow from his quiver and aim it at his Catholic Supreme Court members/Senate/Congress who fall all over themselves in their "love for G-d."
Take 'em down Francis.......
Your friend
Earth-

Saturday, March 14, 2015

White Tailed Eagles

Please, before you go to sleep tonight, think of ways you can reach out and help all the creatures out there-----humans as well. 

These White-Tailed Eagles are native to Poland where they are a protected species. Fortunately for them, and us, their numbers are steadily rising. Brutal mid-air fights are the main cause of death for the young birds as they fight over food during winter. Wildlife photographer Sylwia Domaradzka travelled to her Polish homeland, from London where she lives, to take these photos.

Let Kids Be Kids advocates for the rights of all those in the animal kingdom. Yep, humans too-----
And, in particular, all those White Tailed Eagles out there. 
Powodzenia dla wszystkich mÅ‚odych egles w Polsce. 

                       

Zebras

Please, before you go to sleep tonight, think of ways you can reach out and help all the creatures out there-----humans as well. 
Zebras. If you'd never seen one you probably wouldn't believe such an amazing looking creature exists. So whats with the stripes? Ah, National Geograpic to the rescue! "Why do zebras have stripes at all? Scientists aren't sure, but many theories center on their utility as some form of camouflage. The patterns may make it difficult for predators to identify a single animal from a running herd and distort distance at dawn and dusk. Or they may dissuade insects that recognize only large areas of single-colored fur or act as a kind of natural sunscreen. Because of their uniqueness, stripes may also help zebras recognize one another."
Amazing, huh!
Let Kids Be Kids advocates for the rights of all those in the animal kingdom. Yep, humans too-----
And, in particular, all those Zebras out there..

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Help Support Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

AN URGENT REQUEST
WASHINGTON TALKING BOOK & BRAILLE LIBRARY
WASHINGTON STATE LIBRARY

Dear friends,
Please  send a message to your legislators, or call them, (legislative hotline 800-562-6000) to push for funding for the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library. You can look up your specific legislators at leg.wa.gov.
This unique library is facing potentially huge cuts!
If the State Library doesn't get a $2.4 million dollar backfill the library will be in big trouble.


Here are a few facts you might not be aware of that the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library does for so many washington state residents


1) WTBBL is the ONLY library providing service to blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind, physically disabled, learning disabled Washingtonians. WTBBL services  are one of the only ways there is equal and fair access to information for these people.
2) Over 12% of Washington's population has a qualifying disability for WTBBL services. As diabetes increases, more people will need special access to materials due to blindness, amputation, neuropathy. As people live longer, they will lose their sight. Its just that way.
The larger the Hispanic population in WA gets, the more patrons the library might have because Hispanics have an extremely high incidence of diabetes. And, WTBBL  provides audio and braille in Spanish, and many other languages.
3) Blind kids who don't have access to braille will never be truly literate which means they won't be successful in school, go to college, or get a professional living wage job. Currently unemployment for the blind is 76%, the bulk of those people are not braille readers. WTBBL partners with schools, teachers, and families to provide critical accessible material, support instruction, works with birth-5 for early literacy, holds events, reading programs and more for children, teens, and families around the state.
4) Whatever district a legislator represents, the library has  patrons there. WTBBL users live in all 39 counties and rely on the library for services.
5) WTBBL is not simply arts and culture. WTBBL is education, literacy, employment support, technology training, and a matter of health for many elderly patrons. A large number of older people are alone, put in homes, can't get around or participate in the world and WTBBL audio books are their lifeline, their companions, and a resource that keeps them physically, mentally, and emotionally going.
6) 43% (probably more) of WTBBL patrons do not have access to a computer or the internet. They are living in disability because they are unemployed, they are living on SSI, they have minimal income, they are unable to use that resource do to health or physical reasons, or they are old enough they don't feel it is an option. The digital divide for people with disabilities is enormous and WTBBL is one of the only ways they can get accessible books delivered to their doorstep completely free of charge, wherever they live, whatever they need.
7) WTBBL participates in government by producing the state voter pamphlet in audio format.
8) WTBBL partners with schools and work training programs to provide job training for people 16-21 years old who are developmentally disabled.
I could go on and on. But basically, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library is a one of a kind resource that is truly important to residents of this state and we need to be funded.
Please ask your legislator to fund the state library the $2.4 million in order to support WTBBL, or to provide funding specific to WTBBL.
Thank you very much.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Tigers

Please, before you go to sleep tonight, think of ways you can reach out and help all the creatures out there-----humans as well. 

Tigers.Is there anything as wonderful as a Tiger? Can you imagine living on a planet where the only Tiger is on exhibit in Wikipedia? Please, for the sake of all that is sane we need to protect this amazing creature from more of mankind's madnesses. There are about 3,400 Tigers left in the entire world. Please take steps to protect them, and us, for the future. See the worlds leading conservation organization WWF for ways you can make a difference. http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger

We, Let Kids Be Kids contribute/volunteer to WWF, and other animal/nature conservation non profits, on a regular basis.
Let Kids Be Kids advocates for the rights of all those in the animal kingdom. Yep, humans too-----
And, in particular, all those Tigers out there..


                       







Monday, March 2, 2015

Gob-smacked

Please, before you go to sleep tonight, think of ways you can reach out and help all the creatures out there-----humans as well. I've told you all about young Aussie PT and her fight with cancer. See her blog and videos of how she is using her remaining time. ( http://tinyurl.com/phkskrd )
"Swimming less than a metre behind me was a sight I had never seen before or since - a free-swimming tasselled angler! I was completely gob-smacked and absolutely panicked that this bizarre creature might disappear again before I had a chance to capture any proof of what I had seen. Somehow amidst all the mixed adrenaline of the moment, I managed to fire off this single shot of the unimaginable fish that had chosen this precise moment of technical challenge to declare its grotesque beauty in all its finery:"
Let Kids Be Kids advocates for the rights of all those in the animal kingdom. Yep, humans too-----
And, in particular, all those Tasseled Anglers out there..( gob-smacked indeed)