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Uptick in rhino poaching as S.Africa eases virus curbs
by AFP Staff Writers
Johannesburg (AFP) Feb 8, 2022

Climate change fuels drop in Albania's migrant birds
Divjaka, Albania (AFP) Feb 8, 2022 - Thousands of migratory birds have failed to make their annual visit to Albania's western coast this winter, experts say, pointing to climate change, overfishing and urbanisation as likely factors.

The number of waterbirds recorded in January 2022 in the Divjaka-Karavasta wetlands -- an internationally important wintering site along the European migratory flyway -- was 25 percent lower than at this time last year.

Western Albania recorded the drop during the annual International Waterbird Census, a three-day global event to monitor the migration patterns of waterfowl across the world. Several species are affected by the decline, according to Taulant Bino from the Albanian Ornithological Society.

"We discovered that some 9,000 waterbirds are missing from the Divjaka-Karavasta lagoons compared to last year," said Ardian Koci, head of the Divjaka-Karavasta National Park, where the protected wetlands are located.

Koci told AFP a total of 25,000 birds were counted in Divjaka-Karavasta -- one of the most important wetland ecosystems in the Mediterranean -- during the census on January 15-16, as compared to 34,000 in the survey a year earlier.

"The reasons are multiple but above all, it is global warming that has disrupted the migration and breeding seasons," Koci explained.

Nexhip Hysolokaj, a regional biodiversity expert, said scientists in Albania had tracked a rapid decline in migratory bird populations over the past three years.

- Disruptive weather patterns -

And while scientists say more research is needed to understand exactly how climate change is affecting birds, some point to the simple fact that ever-warmer weather means certain species no longer need to leave their northern breeding grounds when winter comes in order to find food further south.

"If there aren't extreme temperatures in northern Europe, they prefer not to move, or they just migrate over shorter distances," said Mirjan Topi, the author of the first guide to Albania's birds.

In recent years, several species of migrating geese -- including the Greylag Goose, the White-fronted Goose and the rare Lesser White-fronted Goose, which breeds in the tundra of northern Russia and Scandinavia -- have largely failed to make their winter pilgrimage to Albania's marshes.

The western lagoons are also famous for their resident Greater Flamingos and Dalmatian Pelicans, which have a three-metre wingspan rivalling that of the albatross.

But experts say the breeding cycle of the iconic pelican -- whose fragmented populations are a concern for the long-term stability of the species -- is being disrupted by increasingly erratic weather patterns.

In 2021, the pelicans began breeding at the start of January. This year, the nesting season did not begin until the end of January -- a difference of several weeks -- after a winter that started exceptionally late.

"The pelican breeding season seems to be behind last year," Sajmir Hoxha, an expert in Albania for the French conservation group Noe, told AFP.

Meanwhile, illegal fishing has depleted vital food sources in Albania's lagoons, and rapid urbanisation is threatening fragile ecosystems, especially in the network of marshes and sand dunes along the tourist magnet that is the Adriatic coast.

To add to the pressures, a sprawling international airport is set to be built near the protected marshlands of the Vjosa-Narta region, just south of Divjaka-Karavasta.

This 100-million-euro ($114-million) project, backed by a Turkish-Swiss consortium, "would directly affect wildlife and is a threat to species that breed there, winter there or stop over there on their way to Divjaka", Topi said.

Rhino poaching in South Africa was 15 percent higher in 2021 than the preceding year as coronavirus restrictions that limited movement were eased, official figures showed Tuesday.

A total of 451 animals were killed in 2021, which is still 24 percent lower than the pre-pandemic year 2019, the country's environment department reported.

Of the total, 327 animals were slaughtered in government national parks while 124 were targeted in private game reserves.

The government has in recent years tightened security in its large and famous Kruger National Park, which was the hotspot of most killings.

"The steady decline in rhino poaching in Kruger Park is related to an increase in the intensity of anti-poaching activities," the department said in a statement.

Poachers have turned to other areas "for easy prey", resulting in their targeting private reserves in the northern Limpopo and eastern Mpumalanga provinces bordering Mozambique.

South Africa is home to nearly 80 percent of the world's rhinos. Their horns are prized in traditional medicine in Asia, and poachers have continued to mount an onslaught on the species.

Public national parks and private reserves are collaborating to protect their white and black rhinos, including sawing off their horns to discourage poachers.

The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies of white rhino, is now considered endangered with about 20,000 individuals remaining, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

It is classified as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Indonesian croc freed after five years trapped in tyre
Palu, Indonesia (AFP) Feb 8, 2022 - A wild crocodile in Indonesia who was trapped in a tyre for more than five years has been rescued, freed from its rubber vice and released back into the wild, officials and residents said Tuesday.

Conservation workers have been trying to lure the stricken saltwater crocodile from a river since 2016 after residents of Palu city on Sulawesi island spotted the animal with a motorbike tyre wrapped around its neck.

But it was a local resident who snared the 5.2-metre (17 foot) long reptile -- who was regularly seen sunbathing in the Palu river in Central Sulawesi -- from its tight squeeze late on Monday.

Tili, a 34-year-old bird-seller, used chicken as bait and ropes to catch the beast at the end of what he said was a three-week rescue effort, before dozens of locals helped to drag the crocodile to shore and cut the tyre around its neck.

"I just wanted to help, I hate seeing animals trapped and suffering," Tili, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, told AFP.

His first two attempts to rescue the croc failed because the ropes were not strong enough to contend with its weight, he said, before turning to nylon ropes used for tugging boats.

"I was already exhausted so I let them finish the rescue, the crocodile was unbelievably heavy, everybody was sweating and getting very tired."

The crocodile was released back into the water immediately after the rescue to relieved cheers from locals.

Conservationists believe someone may have deliberately placed the tyre around the croc's neck in a failed attempt to trap it as a pet in the archipelago nation that is home to several species of the animal.

Tili beat the authorities to the capture because they lacked the proper equipment for a rescue in the river that houses more than 30 other crocodiles.

"Yesterday was a historical day for us, we are grateful the crocodile was finally rescued and we appreciate the locals who showed concern for the wildlife," Hasmuni Hasmar, head of the local conservation agency, told AFP.

The reptile made headlines in early 2020 when the local government promised a reward to anyone who caught the croc and removed the tyre, but later called off the contest over fears it could endanger its safety.

But the local conservation agency said Tili is in line for a prize after his daring plan paid off.

"We will award Tili for his effort in rescuing the wildlife," Hasmar said.


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FLORA AND FAUNA
End of the road in Colombia for Escobar's 'cocaine' hippos?
Bogota (AFP) Feb 6, 2022
More than 100 African hippos descended from fewer than a handful imported as exotic pets by drug lord Pablo Escobar, face an uncertain future in Colombia. After the government added Escobar's so-called "cocaine" hippos Friday to a list of "introduced, invasive species," experts say killing them may be the only viable option. From the few individuals once housed at Escobar's Hacienda Napoles estate, the hippos' numbers have ballooned, with 130 now roaming free north of Bogota around the Magdalena ... read more

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