Through Our Eyes

Capitalism thrives in Texas, at the cost of endangered antelope. $50,000.00 buys you an exotic endangered animal.

(CBS News)

You don’t have to go to Africa to hunt exotic animals. In fact, Texas may have more of some endangered exotics than live in the wild. That’s because breeding them is a billion dollar business in Texas, where over 100 species roam large ranches and can be hunted for sport. The hunters, and the ranchers they pay to hunt the trophy animals, both say that the money generated by hunting these animals is helping to save them. They claim only 10 percent of any species can be killed annually. But to animal rights people fighting to shut them down, they’re nothing more than slaughter houses. (Lara Logan reported on this little known practice on “60 Minutes” Sunday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.)

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57366738/hunting-animals-to-save-them/

China has begun to send pandas bred in captivity into a protected area in southwestern Sichuan provence, the most ambitious attempt to rebuild the country’s depleted population of giant pandas in a natural habit. http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/china-helps-endangered-pandas-live-in-wild-4683727

Giant Pandas at a research base in Chengdu, Sichuan Provence. Source: Reuters

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Every Saturday morning, especially during the winter months when I’m typically home on a weekend morning, I turn the TV on to watch Jack Hanna’s “Wild Kingdom” program. It has become my weekly dose of hope and encourages me to keep going when I see all the places he visits around the world where people are committed and dedicated to saving the lives of animals. I happened to catch it this morning and Jack was doing a countdown of his favorite “Zoo-tastic Adventures”.  Although the zoo where he works, the Columbus zoo, did come in second, his #1 pick was the Singapore zoo where there were baby white rhinos rubbed down with mud and the staff were walking orangutans around the park. Jack was so impressed and amazed by this beautiful zoo. I’m so impressed by and a huge fan of Jack Hanna!!!

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Reward Offered on Hawaiian Monk Seal Killings. Wildlife officials said two of the animals were bludgeoned to death while the third was shot. The death of a fourth seal is also being investigated as suspicious. The deaths are coming as the federal government steps up its efforts to protect the seals, leading to simmering resentment among some fishermen who fear new regulations will trample upon their right to fish. The killings are also happening as the misguided notion spreads that the animals aren’t native to Hawaii and don’t belong here.

Source:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10777437.

The reward was offered by the Humane Society of the United States, Conservation Council for Hawaii, Center for Biological Diversity, Marine Conservation Institute and an anonymous donor.

Gray wolves protected throughout Illinois. While wolves dispersing from northern states into Illinois are rare, any gray wolves in Illinois found north of I-80 are listed as threatened under state law, while those south of the interstate remain federally endangered. The change becomes effective Jan. 27, 2012.

Source: http://www.carmitimes.com/topstories/x2018890941/Gray-wolves-protected-throughout-Illinois

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We don't want to lose this beauty - do we?

Endangered Olive Ridley Sea Turtle rescued off the coast of San Diego, California. The main cause of illness appears to have been the ingestion of plastic. Source: ( http://bit.ly/wMpoYb)

This article resonates with us here at Eye Help Animals because a similar article was written several months back about an Albatross in:

Extreme Indigestion

Upon first reading the headline, the news is uplifting and inspiring – 32 Florida Panthers born in 2011 to 11 female panthers. But there were 24 deaths with 9 of the deaths attributed to vehicle collisions. Officials say only about 100 – 160 panthers exist in the state. The population has been increasing since the 1970s when there were less than 30 panthers in the state of Florida. So, the rise to 100+ panthers does sound like good news, and we hope the population continues to increase. Unfortunately, in the first two weeks of 2012, 3 panthers were killed, two by vehicle collisions and one in a fight with another panther.

In the ongoing fight against the sale of endangered animals, ABC news reported the following article indicating 12 people in the act of selling endangered animals in Los Angeles this week.

“The items had been sold to undercover agents from the Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game during an investigation known as Operation Cyberwild, launched in July.

“Our ecosystem is complex and precious. Unfortunately, this delicate system continues to face serious threats, including poaching, the introduction of non-native species, and the illegal sale of endangered species,” said US Attorney Andre Birotte Jr.

Birotte said that as much as two-thirds of illegal sales of endangered animals takes place in the U.S., making the killing of protected animals more profitable. He called the 12 arrests a response to the “alarming trend” of illegal animal sales.”

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/illegal-animal-product-bust-nets-12-sellers/story?id=15322505

Tiger Sales:

Wild Tigers are killed and boiled to make an expensive medication used as a traditional pain killer in Vietnam. According to the Tuoi Tre newspaper a restaurant owner was caught rendering a tiger to make “bone paste.” Bone paste sells for a few hundred dollars an ounce. The restaurant owner said she bought the 330-pound tiger for over $8,000.00.

It’s unbelievable that people are able to buy and sell endangered animals over the internet!

Throughout the summer, sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. It is unfortunate that turtle hatchling season and hurricane season coincide with the losses for endangered and threatened species being significant. This has been considered a mild year but the waves from Irene hit the nesting beaches during peak incubation time. Although about half the nests had already hatched by last weekend, at least 20 nests of endangered loggerhead turtles were lost on Amelia Island along Florida’s coast. Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch commented that although they lost 20 due to bad weather, they had a total of 154 nests so it isn’t as devastating as it might sound. In Georgia it is considered an unusually strong year for hatchlings with more than 2,000 nests deposited.