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Conservation
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Poaching Mission Off To China Following Record Bust
17 Nov 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
South Africa’s Environmental Affairs Department has said it’s sending a mission to China following a record R18 million rhino horn bust in Hong Kong on Monday. So far, officials have released little information about the massive haul that left Cape Town harbour, but they have said this mission was a positive sign for relations with China.
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Black Rhino Declared Extinct In West Africa
10 Nov 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which compiles The Red List, and which is widely recognised as the most comprehensive method for evaluating the conservation status of animal and plant species around the world, has declared the subspecies, the western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes), as extinct.
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Two Rhino Poaching Suspects Arrested
04 Nov 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
If you’ve been following the development of the rhino poaching issue in South Africa recently, you will be pleased to know that two Thai nationals, suspected to be central to an international rhino poaching syndicate, were arrested at OR Tambo International this morning.
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Australian Officials Issue Order To Hunt Shark
24 Oct 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
A second fatal shark attack, believed to be by a Great White, has occurred off the Australian west coast – the second such attack in 12 days. A 32-year-old US man was mauled to death off Perth’s Rottnest Island on Saturday. By Sunday, Australian authorities were hunting the shark.
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The Taj Mahal Will Cave In Between Two And Five Years
06 Oct 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
India’s most famous tourist attraction, the 358-year-old Taj Mahal, will collapse within five years unless something drastic is done. The wooden foundation is becoming brittle and disintegrating due to a lack of water. This is because the river crucial to its survival is being blighted by pollution, industry and deforestation.
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Vietnam And South Africa Sign Rhino Horn Memorandum
28 Sep 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
The South African and Vietnamese governments have come together and agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding that will seek ways to stop rhino poaching. Ironically, the Vietnamese officials asked that a domestic medical research institute verify that rhino horn had no medicinal properties, and to make this information public.
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Inspirational Kenyan Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai Has Died
26 Sep 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Kenya’s Wangari Maathai has died while undergoing cancer treatment in Nairobi at the age of 71. An activist for conservation, transformation and women’s rights, she was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Lab Chimps Laugh And Hug As They See Daylight For First Time In 30 Years [VIDEO]
07 Sep 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
OK, so, this is a pretty horrific story, but it has a happy ending. After a 14-year battle, these Chimpanzees have been set free from captivity after being taken from their mothers shortly after their births. They’d been kept in a research facility in Austria, undergone medical testing, been injected with HIV and hepatitis. But, at least they’re happy now.
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Google Street View Boats And Tricycles Start Mapping The Amazon Rainforest
19 Aug 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
Google has begun to map parts of the Amazon and Rio Negro Rivers, as well as small areas of northwestern Brazil, in an attempt to capture panoramic images of the remote region and its communities for the world to see. Google enlisted the help of locals and will use camera-equipped tricycles as well as boats to capture the imagery.
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Fracking Critics Are Apparently “White, Rented Crowds”
18 Aug 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
The Karoo Shale Gas Community Forum said today that fracking critics are ignoring the needs of the Karoo’s poverty-stricken residents. Spokesperson Vuyisa Jantjies criticized those who oppose fracking by Shell, by saying: “If you have still the demonstrations that you have had, I will tell you that they’re purely white, rented crowds, that come and toyi-toyi in front of Parliament.”
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That Amazonian Tribe That Was Contacted For The First Time This Year Has Been Attacked
10 Aug 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Earlier this year 2oceansVibe reported about a tribe in western Brazil, living some 50 kilometres from the Peruvian border, that had until then, not been contacted by modern man. Sadly the tribe has gone missing after drug traffickers overran Brazilian guards posted to protect the area around which the tribe was living.
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Scott Ramsay’s Year In The Wild [VIDEO]
01 Jul 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
Scott Ramsay is about to embark on a year-long journey through South Africa’s 31 most beautiful and precious wilderness spots. He begins his journey this Monday, and for over 365 days, Scott will be updating his website with great written, photographic, and video content documenting the places, people, and wildlife that he sees. Check out the great video after the jump!
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Australia Plans To Shoot Camels To Generate Carbon Credits
09 Jun 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
The Australian government appears to be seriously considering a culling-for-carbon-credits plan to reduce the methane emissions from the estimated 1.2 million wild camels roaming the outback. Earlier today we reported that domestic cats in parts of Sydney have a curfew. Now camels are in trouble for burping and farting too much.
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Sydney Cracks Down On Predatory Pet Cat Attacks
09 Jun 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
The Aussies are extreme at the best of times, but now pet cats in several of Sydney’s suburbs will be forced to curl up inside their homes from dusk to dawn under a new curfew rule that hopes to curb overnight attacks on native wildlife.
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Pay To Watch Siberian Tigers Hunt Live Animals Of Your Choice
08 Jun 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
At the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park in Northern China, feeding time has become something of a spectator sport. The park is reportedly home to around 1 000 tigers and it’s also one of the world’s largest and most successful conservation parks for the endangered animals.
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Stuffed White Tiger Toy Causes Hampshire Police Alert, Almost Gets Darted
23 May 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Hampshire police were alerted at about 16h00 on Saturday afternoon to the presence of a white tiger in a field in Hedge End, near Southampton on the south coast of England. The force quickly coordinated with a local zoo to arrange a tranquilliser dart, before enlisting a helicopter and team of police officers to help capture the animal.
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First Class Passenger Attempts To Smuggle Leopard Cubs, Panthers, A Bear And Monkeys
13 May 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
A 36 year old United Arab Emirates citizen, who was waiting to check in for his first class flight at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, has been detained by undercover anti-trafficking officers for attempting to smuggle a bizarre mix of rare creatures. The animals had been drugged and were headed for Dubai.
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Government To Consider Legal Rhino Horn Trade
04 May 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
Government has decided to mull over the idea of legalising the trade of rhino horn in a bid to curb the illegal trade and protect the endangered species. This comes in the wake of the news that we have lost over 138 rhinos in the first quarter of 2011.
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South Africa’s Third Butterfly Census Kicks Off This Week
18 Apr 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
South Africa’s third butterfly census will take place this week, and no, it’s not an initiative by hipster hippies. According to the Southern African Butterfly Conservation Assessment (SABCA), butterflies are a good indicator of the health of the ecosystem, and counting them can provide important information which can be related to land use practices, and even climate change.
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Stand Up To Goliath – Lewis Pugh Challenges Shell In Remarkable Anti-Mining Speech [VIDEO]
31 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 6 Comments
Recently, news came to light that fossil energy giant, Shell Petroleum, was moving towards engaging in launching an environmentally devastating drilling expedition in the Karoo. The drilling procedure, which is ostensibly a search for natural gas, is known as Fracking.
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Peta Holds Naked Shower Protest, Causes Car Accident
25 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
I know we did this last week, but this is unfortunately the reality of the hour that one officially applies the Cape Town Friday Rule. It’s called habit, and there’s no better way to form a habit other than through repetition. Essentially you should now start embracing everything non work-like, so let’s celebrate with a naked shower protest.
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Baby Dolphin Saved After Tsunami Dumps It In Rice Field
24 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
The Japanese have displayed some of the most heroic efforts in aid of fellow man during this, one of the hardest experiences they have had to endure. Now, we’re happy to bring you an animal and man story. No dog, just a small dolphin in a rice field. That needed rescuing. Brace yourselves, this is literally fantastic!
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Quarrelling Begins To Boil Around Mandela Gun Dispute
17 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Described as a holy grail for South African historians, the gun Nelson Mandela buried almost 50 years ago is nowhere near being reunited with its original proprietor. The owner of the property where the gun is supposedly buried, originally part of Liliesleaf farm, is at loggerheads with museum officials representing the Liliesleaf Trust.
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South Africa Launches Pirate Satellite Tracking Service
11 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
Initially instituted as a service to monitor the safety of our local and surrounding shorelines during the World Cup last year, the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system is a welcomed spin-off from a successful local concept for maritime protection. It will also help to track shipwrecks and oceanic pollution.
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Lion Cited For Voter Registration Intimidation Over The Weekend
08 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
That is correct. A real lion has been fingered (no) as reason why potential voters from the Vhembe region in Limpopo were not able to register to vote this past weekend for the upcoming local government elections. I’m thinking The Ghost and the Darkness and humming the chorus to Bon Jovi – Wild In The Streets.
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Fish Farming Is Big Business
08 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Perlemoen, in particular. I know a few chaps who used pull out the odd perly when we were younger. It was childish and naive at the time I thought, although I too engaged in other unrelated mischief of my own. Anyway, aquaculture has always fascinated me and the recession did it no favours. This however, might be the new oil.
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Shell Makes A Promise It Can’t Keep
04 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
Shell claims its SA exploration for shale gas in the Karoo will use safe techniques not known to harm the environment and “vows” not to pollute Karoo water. But since when is hydraulic fracturing a safe technique?
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“You’ll Throw Away Your Gumboots And Relax” – Trevor Manuel
23 Feb 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
This was one of the remarks made by Trevor when he addressed a press briefing relating to the acid mine water drainage situation around jozi. We should take cognisance as it comes from the man who spent many years in charge of our country’s finances and who is also arguably the most trustworthy politician around. If that exists.
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Aroused Elephant Flips Car In Pilanesberg Game Reserve
22 Feb 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 3 Comments
This past Thursday visitors to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, which is located in the North West province near Rustenburg, were treated to a rather unpleasant experience. The new car that they were travelling in appears to have become the victim of a case of mistaken identity for a large and aroused bull elephant.
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That, Is An Ex-Parrot
14 Jan 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
750 African Grey parrots perished on a 1Time airlines flight from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport to Durban’s King Shaka Airport on Christmas Eve. The parrots had been captured in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and were transported to South Africa for resale as pets in the second stage of a three-part transaction of a larger group of parrots.
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