Wildlife News Roundups - 2007

In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, we start with news that male chimpanzees seem to be home-bodies, rarely venturing far from familiar turf. There are also several headlines that focus on the threats of global warming to cold-climate species such as walruses, seals, bears, and penguins—it seems such headlines are becoming all too familiar. And there is also news of a discovery that suggests a possible ancestor to whales—and it's not hippos.

In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, we find out about a much-celebrated pair of Kirtland's Warblers that have bred in Canada. In other bird news, the publication of WatchList 2007 (a list of the imperiled bird species throughout the US) has been announced. There is news of the devastation wrought by oil spills along the California coast and in the Kerch Strait. And there are a number of articles reporting on the alarmingly persistent mismanagement of bluefin and bigeye tuna populations by short-sighted fishing industry regulators.

In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, invasive species are under scrutiny—scientists fear plant invaders are changing the face of New England's forests, in Britain Red Squirrels compete with the non-native Gray Squirrels for territory, and in Fiji's Ringgold Isles, experts remove an invasive rat to save the sea birds that breed there. There is also news of a ban on lead ammunition within the California Condor's range and insights into the 'lost years' of green sea turtles—a species whose hatchlings have, until now, eluded scientific study.

In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, we find out about a series of sightings of the 'smiling bird', a rare bird from South America that has not been seen for four decades. There is also news of the discovery of 11 new species in the rainforests of Vietnam. Yet the headlines this month are not all about species discoveries. Instead, there are a number of headlines highlighting continued species declines and concerns. A report detailing the potential fate of the polar bear over the coming decades has been released by the US Government. And there is the sad news of the deaths of dozens of endangered albatrosses due to longline fishing.

In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, we find out about an ancient vertebrate that presents the earliest known evidence of teeth that grow from jawbones, a new species of golden frog that measures only 2 centimeters, and the rediscovery of the thought-to-be-extinct Baji dolphin in the Yangtze River. There is also news of a massive communal spider web in a park in Texas, the discovery of a previously unknown reed-warbler population in Israel, and the alarming realization that Indo-Pacific coral reefs are shrinking at a rate of 600 square miles per year.

In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, there is news of the impact noise pollution is having on critically endangered Western Gray Whales off the coast of Russia's Far East, the ill effects salmon farming is having on Chile's Patagonian lakes, and the threats posed by an invasive squid off the coast of California. There have also been numerous discoveries including the ability of queen bees to chemically control the brain activity of her workers, a fast-adapting butterfly that in 10 generations developed resistance to a lethal bacteria, and further evidence that human origins lie within Africa.

In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, there's news of an ancient penguin that measured over four feet in height, the discovery of the earliest fossil specimen of a Giant Panda, and the spotting of a rare blue-eyed cicada. In the Russian Far East, a new park has been established to protect Siberian Tigers and in Australia, the Department of Environment and Conservation grapples with a rapidly expanding camel population. There's also reports of sea birds abandoning nests on the Farallon Islands, in what could be a response to the region's changing wind patterns.

In this issue of Wildlife News Round-Up, there are a number of headlines focusing on the emergence of Brood XIII, a brood of periodical cicadas expected to emerge very soon from the soils of the midwest to breed. There is also news of the discovery of a rare soft-shell turtle in Cambodia, a find that gives conservationists reason for hope in saving this unique and threatened turtle. Also this month, the WWF has published several reports on various conservation topics including the effects of climate change on cetaceans, the impact drilling in Bristol Bay would have on North Pacific Right Whales, and the top ten species affected by illegal trade.