French Population of European Otters Increasing

The European, or Eurasian, Otter population in France was at an all-time low in the 1970s, down to 1,500 otters in the French wild, where once 50,000 had dwelt. They had once covered Africa, Asia, and Europe, but even now, the otters are extinct from some of these continents. Water pollution and demand for their luxurious coats led to the diminished population through most of the twentieth century. The 1980s and 1990s brought the first legal protection of the species, the banning of jaw traps, and increased water quality. France continues to work to reintroduce animals to the wide regions they once roamed, although they have so far been unsuccessful. In 2004, the European Otter's conservation status was lowered from vulnerable to near threatened, and, even since, their numbers have continued to rise.

The European Otter is an aquatic mammal with a current range from Russia to Europe, and including parts of the Middle East. They eat a variety of foods depending on availability, including fish, birds, bugs, and small mammals. They live in both salt and fresh water, requiring access to each. Interestingly, it is believed that they have adapted to smell underwater. They are relatively territorial and solitary creatures, desiring an area of approximately eleven miles for themselves, allowing mild overlapping only with members of the opposiste sex. Despite their isolation, they have a system of communication, able to make more than a dozen basic calls to one another.

Since their inclusion on many conservation lists, their numbers have increased. Hunting is illegal in many areas and tunnels have even been built in some countries to allow the otters safe passage under roads. Diverting natural water sources into canals and dams still causes the otters major turmoil, as do pollutants, both new and accumulated. A European Breeding Programme has been established to elevate European Otter populations, but it is a controversial subject as to whether captive-bred otters can be successfully introduced into the wild.

via The Monga Bay

Hope For Beached Fin Whale

For the last three days, a fin whale has been stranded in a Danish fjord. It was thought that the young behemoth was ill and was expected to die in the near future. It had become exhausted after struggling to free itself from the shallow bank. As firemen sprayed it with water, trying to give it a less painful departure from this world, the whale began swimming again today, restoring hope for onlookers. As evening comes, rescuers will try to point the whale in the right direction, back into the high seas.

The fin whale is the second largest animal on the planet (behind only the blue whale), reaching lengths of 88 feet. A newborn weighs 4000 pounds, and an adult can grow to be 150,000 pounds. Because of their size, they, along with the blue whale, produce the lowest-frequency sounds sounds made by any animal.  They live almost exclusively off of krill, an animal similar to a tiny shrimp. Fin whales live to be approximately 100 years old.

Fin whales are currently listed as being endangered, with an estimated 40,000 individuals still remaining in the wild. Fin whale populations are primarily harmed by commercial whalers, seeking their blubber, oil and baleen. In the 1930s, over 28,000 fin whales were caught each year. Hunting of fin whales became illegal in all waters in 1987, though many countries still allow themselves a dozen or so creatures a year to hunt and market. Conservationists continue to push for zero fin whales to be hunted each year.

via AFP

Great Bustard Chicks Born in UK

Four great bustard chicks were recently spotted in the UK wild. This is an important event for conservationists, who began reintroducing this bird to Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, six years ago. The Great Bustard Group has been taking eggs from Russia, breeding them, and releasing their young in the UK. This is the second year that the group has seen chicks being hatched in the wild. 

Great bustards are currently deemed to be vulnerable to eradication, with approximately 35,000 birds calculated to exist. Most bustard species are considered either endangered, or at least with populations dwindling in size. They had been hunted to extinction in the UK during the 1800s, partially because of the bird's enormous size-- it is the world's heaviest flying bird, weighing up to 45 pounds. They also make beautiful trophy birds, with their colorful, large plumage. They are omnivores, eating a diet of seeds, insects, frogs, and beetles. The great bustard is the national bird of Hungary.

Hunting is no longer as dangerous to the species as it once had been. Now, as with most birds, their real threat comes from  habitat loss and development. In particular, electricity lines pose a risk to the birds, who despite their size can fly quite quickly, becoming entangled and electrocuted by wires. 

via BBC News