WWF Report

[LovelyLadyLux]

The World Wildlife Fund has recently released a report and today was reading their list of species that are considered "at risk" one of which is African lions. Not that I hang out in Africa and not that I really know the definitive answer but somehow it doesn't seem to me that lions are becoming that scarce.

I get it that some species - leather back turtles, sculpted hammerhead sharks, albatross etc are declining and maybe even rapidly declining but would have never thought the African lion would be one of them.

Same with harbor seals. We have lots and sometimes to the point of them being a nuisance yet harbor seal number have declined sufficient to make this report.

The WWF report was interesting in that it comes out every other year and goes back long enough that their reports make for interesting comparisons. Not that it was good news but it was interesting to know the size of different countries carbon footprint. The one that Canada is making is slightly less than that of the USA however still pretty big.

[Horus]

Believe it or not but there are more lions in zoos around the world than in the wild!

[Grandad]

Now this may sound very cold hearted but I have my views on the decline of some animal species, or perhaps I should say an increasing number of animal species.

I also have views on so called global warming.

Put these two together and I come up with the word 'EVOLUTION'

whatever the reasons, 'man' is probably largely responsible for both. But not only are we directly affecting the environment and all that lives in it, we are also using up the earths precious resourses at an increasing rate. So, what will be the eventual outcome?

I firmly believe that man's time on earth is limited. That some time in the near or distant future, man and all the carbon creatures on earth will disappear either by some catastrophic event or by gradual decline which I think is the most likely.

So, although the WWF report is probably accurate I have little doubt that in the next and the one after that, ad infinitum, the decline will continue.

Sounds grim but I have to be philosophical about this and in the long run it is all about Evolution and in millions of years in the future some new life forms will emerge and it will start all over again......

[LovelyLadyLux]

I actually full agree with you Grandad. I have no doubt whatsoever that Man aka Us has ebbed flowed and advanced and declined over the millennia. I have not a doubt we super advanced at some point, partially advanced and barely hung on at other times but at each and every stage we ultimately declined only to emerge again after thousands of years. I think, depending on what we did to ourselves we sometimes physically changed and also physically changed the landscape and animals surrounding us too.

Right now we're on a trajectory that isn't going to last ad infinitum and soon we'll start our journey to decline. SOON however is what is variable. Could be a hundred years, could be a thousand but I have no hesitation that we WILL decline and it will be because of our lifestyle and the toll we've taken on our resources.

[Grandad]

LLL, within a few miles of where I live we have two wildlife parks owned by The Aspinall Foundation. These are public zoo parks with animals in mostly large enclosures. John Aspinall was a London gambler (close friend of Lucky Lucan) who very worthily spent much of his money on conservation and returning endangered animals to the natural habitats.

Louis has annual membership and loves going to the parks. But Aspinall would invest many thousands of pounds rearing a few gorillas (his speciality) and then returning them to Uganda. I always thought this, although commendable, as futile and just a small drop to help stop the decline of these majestic creatures.

The plus side is that their parks are splendid, especially Port Lymne, where there is a vast 'savanna' with elephant, rhinos, many deer and other animals running free. You tour it in a safari vehicle.

So, the visitors pay for the upkeep of the park and its animals, and finance the conservation projects. Everyone wins but I am sorry to say I still see these conservation projects as lost causes

John Aspinall died in 2000 and his zoos became charitable trusts under the management of his son Damien. Damien has developed a deep-seated loathing for zoos and has stated his intent to return as many animals as possible to the wild. I well remember seeing John Aspinall enter the gorilla enclosure with his daughter and grand daughter, who was about three, and a favoured silverback came to them and played with their hair. Here is a fairly recent picture of Damien with one of the silverbacks.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I have vivid memories as a child of going to the Buffalo Zoo. It was horrible and 99.9% of the animals kept in small concrete cages. They paced and it took nothing to see the huge sores they had on their feet from the non-stop pacing and/or they just laid there not moving. I don't know what changed (probably pubic outcry) but I also remember when they opened an "African Lion Safari" park that was probably 100 acres or so where cars could drive through them but basically the lions had the run of a large park. We went a couple times when I was an older child (12-ish) but then never back and I don't know if they're even running today.

I think zoos are great if the animal is hurt/injured/old etc and can't be left to run free in the wild and/or if the animal is small enough that keeping it in a large enclosure gives it a good life.

I think it is sad that we've reached the point where zoos have to be used to ensure the continuance of endangered species but it does seem that is where we're at.........

(**Am on the move, travelled all last night to the US so more to come on this topic....... )

[Horus]

Not on the move again LLL

[LovelyLadyLux]

Not house moving again - just traveling - holiday time 'til end of November with an emphasis on the "ISH" The only thing booked is 2 weeks to Central America early November.

[Horus]

Lovely, you go for it

[LovelyLadyLux]

This is the annual fall hols season so have decided not to return to Mexico but to venture further south for a couple of weeks. Photos TBA 'soon'

[Grandad]

My guess, Costa Rica????

[LovelyLadyLux]

Close Grandad but no cigar Between Guatemala and Honduras ........

[LovelyLadyLux]

The MORE I was going to say about this doesn't really relate to ZOOs but instead to Aquariums where large water mammals aka Killer whales & Belugas are kept.

I have to say at the outset I really do love aquariums and would love to have one 50 gallons or so and fill it up with cichlids that I find particularly entertaining to watch. My love of aquariums does extend to having pet fish that hopefully actually end up living in a better environment in my house in an aquarium than they would have otherwise. Similar to owning a dog or cat idea but that is about where my love of aquariums stop given that we here in Canada have a particularly bad reputation for having captured Killer Whales and then kept them in dismal conditions until they actually snapped (IMO) attacking and killing trainers (for which the Killer Whale paid).

I realize that we've now sold our Killer Whales to other facilities in the USA where the same whale again eventually went crazy and killed a trainer. I'm actually not present aware of where the whale is now although seems if my old feeble memory serves the whale is now living out its days in a fjord in Norway (I think but am really not sure).

I remember not really thinking too much about Aquariums and going to the Vancouver Aquarium with my daughters to see the fish and the shows and was then totally in shock at the size of the whales and the small size of the pools they were kept in. Was awful. Hadn't really much thought about them but after seeing how these huge creatures lived their lives it was awful particularly since they were captured from the wild and then put into enforced tiny pens. No wonder they ultimately went crazy and attacked.

Just like with land animals I do believe if a Killer Whale can't live in the wild for whatever reason then it could be kept in captivity in any one of the deep narrow inlets we have (if we really feel the need to keep a whale alive vs allowing nature to take its course). Putting a huge live whale into a small artificial blue painted pool is nothing short of cruel and inhumane. Am quite thrilled that huge aquariums are becoming a thing of the past. The Vancouver Aquarium still has a tank of white Beluga whales and dolphins and porpoise but I don't believe they will ever add more vs they'll allow these to live out their lives as they can't be repatriated to the wild but then not replace them.

[Grandad]

I well remember seeing John Aspinall enter the gorilla enclosure with his daughter and grand daughter, who was about three, and a favoured silverback came to them and played with their hair. Here is a fairly recent picture of Damien with one of the silverbacks.

This is an extract from my post earlier in this thread. I am bringing it up again because in todays Mail on Sunday there is an article about the little girl that I mentioned and her visit to Gabon where she was reunited with the gorilla that had been returned to the wild. A lovely story in my opinion.

See Mail article here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... illas.html