In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, there's news of a Japanese island that's gradually being eaten away by crustaceans, the birth of two black rhino calves in a Kenyan wildlife sanctuary, and a generous donation by California taxpayers to help sea otters. As has been the case for several months now, polar bears and the threats they face are hitting headlines, but this time the polar bear news coincides with the US Government's delay of the ruling to list the species under the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, another endangered species, the gray wolf, is making progress, as the first wolf returns to Oregon since the 1930s.

• EDGE Amphibians: World's Weirdest Creatures Just Got Weirder (Science Daily) — January 25, 2008. The Zoological Society of London has added nine unusual amphibians to their Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) list which includes the world's strangest and most endangered species.
• Gray Wolf Returns to Oregon (Defenders of Wildlife) — January 24, 2008. A female gray wolf from Idaho has shifted her territory to Oregon, making her the first gray wolf to inhabit the state since the 1930s.
• Endangered Turtle Makes Record 647-Day Journey (National Geographic) — January 24, 2008. It took a leatherback sea turtle 647 days to migrate 12,774 miles, the longest distance ever recorded for a sea vertebrate.
• Polar Bear Population Struggles as Sea Ice Melts (NPR) — January 21, 2008. More news of the plight of the polar bear surfaces as the US Government delays the decision to list the species under the Endangered Species Act.
• California taxpayers' generosity helping to save sea otters (Defenders of Wildlife) — January 15, 2008. Last year, Californians donated more than $255,000 to sea otter conservation by checking an option available on the state income tax form.
• Of Ants, Elephants and Acacias: A Tale of Ironic Interdependence (Scientific American) — January 10, 2008. Scientists have uncovered some of the complexities of Africa's Acacia trees, which interact with ants and herbivores in unexpected ways.
• Where Do The Buffalo And Elk Still Roam? (Science Daily) — January 10, 2008. Scientists analyzing the loss of habitat for numerous species found that elk have lost the largest percentage of their former range.
• Upsurge in Rhino Poaching in Zimbabwe (Science Daily) — January 7, 2008. During recent years, there has been an alarmingly sharp increase in the poaching of rhinos in South Eastern Zimbabwe.
• Crustacean Swarm Destroying Small Hiroshima Island (National Geographic) — January 3, 2008. Nanatsuba-kotsubumushi are tiny relatives to crabs and they are devestating the Japanese island of Hoboro. The minute crustations bore into the islands rocks, weaken its substrate and contribute to its errosion.
• Two Black Rhino Calves Born in Ol Pejeta, Kenya (Fauna & Flora International) — January 1, 2008. Two newborn black rhino calves have been born in Kenya's rhino sanctuary, Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

About Wildlife News Round-Up

Wildlife News Round-Up is a monthly digest featuring animals and wildlife headlines from around the web. It includes headlines from well-established sources such as the World Wildlife Fund, BBC News, New York Times, National Public Radio, National Geographic, and Birdlife International. The sources are selected with care and include only those that archive articles for many years, offer top-notch science writing, and follow stories as they develop over time.

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