Out Of All The Species That Have Ever Existed On Earth, 98% Are Already Extinct

Animals In Zoos Are Dying From Bird Flu.
Dozens of rare animals including tigers, lions and cheetahs are dying as bird flu infiltrates zoos.
As a growing number of zoos report animal deaths, scientists are concerned that infected wild birds landing in enclosures could be spreading it among captive animals.
In the U.S., a cheetah, mountain lion, Indian goose and kookaburra were among the animals that died in Wildlife World Zoo near Phoenix, according to local media reports.
San Francisco Zoo temporarily closed its aviaries after a wild red-shouldered hawk was found dead on its grounds, and later tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAIV).
A rare red-breasted goose died at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, causing aviaries to close and penguin feeding for visitors to be suspended in November.
These cases follow the deaths of 47 tigers, three lions, and a panther in zoos across south Vietnam over the summer.
A number of U.S. states, including Louisiana, Missouri and Kansas, have reported an increase in bird flu cases, especially in geese and waterfowl.
There has been a sharp jump of cases in Iowa, according to state authorities, after nearly a year with no detections of the virus.
( Supertrooper, 25.12.2024 )  ..  focusingonwildlife.com

Undercover footage has revealed “systemic” violence being inflicted on boars at a Norfolk farm linked to those supplying pork and ham to UK supermarkets – including some boasting high-welfare labels.
In harrowing scenes, workers repeatedly hit the animals with pitchforks and pipes, the investigation found.
Over 781 hours of secret filming by Animal Justice Project (AJP) showed the boars enduring relentless mistreatment, including being kicked and beaten when they resisted mounting stools used for semen collection.
Activists claim the abuse was widespread behind closed doors.
An activist who worked undercover at Innovis’s Burgh Castle facility described harrowing conditions including:
Boars confined to barren concrete pens, smaller than recommended by government codes, with little access to natural light or darkness for rest.
Severe injuries and lameness left untreated, including one boar forced to walk on its elbows.
Boars were struck more than 300 times, out of worker frustration.
The footage also shows at least two pigs being hit in the face and another having a gate slammed onto its face.
The boars live six years like this, never feeling grass underfoot or sunlight on their backs.
Innovis owns and controls the farm, supplying genetics giant Hermitage with boar semen for pig farms.
( Jane Dalton, 02.12.2024 )  ..  independent.co.uk

Out Of All The Species That Have Ever Existed On Earth, 98% Are Already Extinct.
There have been five mass extinctions in Earth’s history.
Now, many scientists say that we’re in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.
Described by some scientists as a “rapid mutilation of the tree of life,” various human activities over the last 500 years have caused plants, insects and animals to go extinct at an alarming rate.
A mass extinction is when 75% of the Earth’s species go extinct over the course of 2.8 million years.
Past extinctions have been due to one-off events, like volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts, or naturally-occurring processes, like rising sea levels and shifting atmospheric temperatures.
The present mass extinction is unique in that it’s being driven primarily by human activities.

Out of all the species that have ever existed on Earth, 98% are already extinct.
Since the Industrial Revolution, however, humans have been extracting Earth’s resources, repurposing its land and polluting its atmosphere at an accelerated rate.
Between 1850 and 2022, yearly greenhouse emissions have increased tenfold; we’ve converted around half of the world’s habitable land to agriculture, and destroyed one-third of all forests since the end of the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago.
All of this hurts animals in various ways.
Deforestation is particularly damaging, though, as it destroys entire habitats that countless species rely on to survive.
Our food systems bear much of the blame for this destruction, as agricultural development is the biggest driver of deforestation.
As many as 273 species may be going extinct every single day, according to one analysis.
( Seth Millstein, 12.06.2024 )  ..  sentientmedia.org

Two Women Jailed For Involvement In Monkey Torture Videos.
Two women have been jailed after uploading hundreds of images and videos of monkeys being tortured to online group chats.
Holly LeGresley, of Baldwin Road, Kidderminster and a second defendant, Adriana Orme, of The Beeches, Ryall, near Upton-upon-Severn were both found to have encouraged and assisted others in torturing monkeys online.
Passing sentence, Judge James Burbidge KC said Dutch-born Orme and LeGresley, had joined online chat groups which encouraged torture of monkeys by offenders based in Indonesia.
The court had heard both women shared footage of the animals being tortured.
It has been clarified that the women did not carry out monkey torture themselves.
LeGresley has been jailed for two years and Orme has been sentenced to 15 months.
( ITV News, 13.11.2024 )  ..  itv.com

A controversial zoo and aquarium in Canada has announced the latest death of a beluga whale – bringing the total number of beluga whale deaths at the facility to five this year alone.
Marineland, which is Canada’s last remaining aquarium to keep whales in captivity, has now had a total of 17 beluga whales die under its care since 2019.
The staggering number of marine animal deaths at the facility has led to mounting pressure on the government to step in and help save the remaining animals.
According to the official response from Marineland, the deaths were a natural outcome.
The Ontario government’s chief animal welfare inspector also issued a statement to say that the death’s were likely not related to the park’s water quality, which is tested weekly and is currently “acceptable”.
However, the park has been accused of various animal welfare abuses over the years.

Most recently, Marineland was found guilty earlier this year of three charges over its inadequate care for three young black bears.
The animal’s living conditions were so poor that the province’s Animal Welfare Services declared the bears were living in distress.
Marineland then failed to improve the bear’s living conditions as part of the charges, and officials had to seize the animals and send them to sanctuaries.
While the zoo and aquarium denied the charges, the court declared them guilty.
Marineland had also previously been at the centre of a tragic and decades-long animal welfare battle over its mistreatment of Kiska, who was dubbed the “world’s loneliest orca”.
Kiska was originally taken from the wild back in 1979, before being sold to Marineland.
Animal welfare groups labelled Kiska’s life at the park as “dismal” and said the marine animal endured tragedy after tragedy.

Over her decades in captivity, Kiska gave birth to five calves, who all died before they reached the age of seven.
The death of her tank mate Ikaika in 2011 then left her completely alone in solitary confinement for over ten years.
In 2021, footage was released that appeared to show Kiska repeatedly slamming her head against the side of her tank.
Later, in March 2023, she died at the park after over four decades of captivity.
Kiska’s tragic death also gave hope for positive change – she was Canada’s last remaining orca in captivity.
Similarly, Marineland is the last aquarium in the country that houses whales, and this mounting pressure against the facility shows that public attitudes towards animal captivity are changing.
( Paul Healey, 15.11.2024 )  ..  speciesunite.com

Investigators Found Systemic Animal Cruelty On RSPCA Approved Abattoirs.
Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and former Green Party MP Caroline Lucas have quit as president and vice-president of the RSPCA after a campaign group alleged animal cruelty at some of the charity’s approved list of abattoirs.
Animal Rising released footage from facilities as part of its investigation into the RSPCA’s “Assured Scheme” which certifies farms, food producers and food retailers that meet its specific animal welfare standards.

In June 2024, the RSPCA commissioned an independent review of 200 farms on its assurance scheme which concluded it was “operating effectively” to assure animal welfare on member farms.
However, in its most recent investigation, Animal Rising singled out four abattoirs where it said “experts found systemic animal cruelty”.
It said its investigators had found that in one slaughterhouse 85% of pigs were stunned incorrectly, leaving animals conscious during slaughter, and in another 96% of cows were prodded with an electric goad, a practice banned by the RSPCA, and 46% of cows showed clear signs of panic or escape behaviours.
There was also frequent verbal and physical abuse from workers, and animals watching in terror and panic as other animals were killed or stunned in front of them.
( Alex Binley, 21.12.2024 )  ..  bbc.co.uk

Koala road deaths have nearly doubled in a development hotspot in south-western Sydney, according to conservationists who are demanding the government improve protection for the endangered species in new housing areas.
About 70,000 houses are planned for construction in south-western Sydney in coming decades as the state government works to increase housing supply and ease affordability pressures.
But the area is also home to some of Sydney’s healthiest koala populations and advocates want the government to ensure the most important habitat is protected.
At least 207 koalas have been struck by vehicles across south-western Sydney since 2021, according to the groups’ analysis.
( Supertrooper, 24.11.2024 )  ..  focusingonwildlife.com

The Dolphins Are Now Mostly Gone Due To Human Encroachment.
Joseph Darville has fond memories of swimming with his young son off the south coast of Grand Bahama island, and watching together as scores of dolphins frolicked offshore.
A lifelong environmentalist now aged 82, Darville has always valued the rich marine habitat and turquoise blue seas of the Bahamas, which have lured locals and tourists alike for generations.
The dolphins are now mostly gone, he says, as human encroachment proliferated and the environment deteriorated.
“You don’t see them now; the jetskis go by and frighten them off. There’s a lot going on. It’s a tragedy – and continues to be a tragedy,” says Darville.

Now, he fears further acceleration of the decline, with the scheduled opening next year of Carnival Cruise Line’s vast Celebration Key resort, now under construction on the island’s south coast.
The sprawling entertainment complex across a mile-long beach, already stripped of its protective mangroves, will ultimately bring up to an additional 4 million people a year to the island, Carnival says, with four of its ships able to dock simultaneously.
Concerns about giant cruise ships bringing multitudes of tourists, and pollution, to the ecologically fragile Bahamas are nothing new.
Neither is the concept of foreign-owned cruise companies buying land to build private retreats exclusively for their passengers.
Cruise companies have spent at least £1.1billion since 2019 buying or leasing land in the Caribbean, according to a Bloomberg analysis, and Darville wonders what that means for the future of his beloved islands.
( Richard Luscombe, 27.11.2024 )  ..  theguardian.com

If you’re a vegan, you will be used to hearing a wide range of arguments against your lifestyle.
It’s important that you are well-informed and know how to respond to the different arguments you encounter.
For example, If you’re told that veganism is unhealthy, you can explain that both the NHS and the British Dietetic Association agree that a plant-based diet can support healthy living.
If you’re told that it’s better to eat British meat, you can reference a study that analysed the real diets of 55,000 people in the UK.
The study showed that, compared to diets including more than 100g of meat per day, plant-based diets resulted in 75% less water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and land use, while also reducing biodiversity loss by two-thirds.
If someone argues that slaughterhouses are humane, you can point out that synonyms for the word ‘humane’ include ‘compassionate’ and ‘benevolent’.
You can then ask whether it’s compassionate to force animals into gas chambers or if it’s benevolent to needlessly exploit and kill someone.

Don’t lecture non-vegans, ask them some simple questions, like:
You:     Are you against animal cruelty?
Them:  Yes, I definitely am.
You:     That’s good to hear. Would you consider kicking an animal to be an act of cruelty?
Them:  Yes, of course.
You:      If kicking an animal is cruelty, how can mutilating them, forcing them into gas chambers or cutting their throats not also be considered cruel? After all, these acts are far more severe than a kick.

Vegans are often labelled as being judgmental, but being careful with your language can help avoid that stereotype.

A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed at a site in Beverley, East Yorkshire, UK.
A government update states that due to the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, a three kilometre protection zone and ten kilometre surveillance zone has been put in place.
DEFRA said: “Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry at a third premises near Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire on December 28, 2024.”
All poultry at the commercial property will be ‘humanely’ killed.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is urging bird keepers to remain vigilant, look out for the signs of disease and report them.
Those signs include sudden death of birds, closed eyes and the dragging of legs.
It comes after an outbreak was confirmed in Hornsea, East Yorkshire at a commercial poultry farm on November 6, 2024.
( ITV News, 06.11.2024 )  ..  itv.com