Creature Feature: Bison

Bison are big. I mean, big news. Since 1782, the United States has called the bald eagle it's national bird. Its sharp beak and keen eyes can be seen on everything from the President's seal to post office trucks (even though I always thought it was just a letter traveling at light speed). Now, in 2016, the bison has been adopted as the national mammal. 

Cool Facts About Bison

• Males are called "bulls", and females are called "cows". Bulls can weigh over 2,000 pounds, making them the largest land mammals in North America. 
• The direct ancestor of the modern-day bison lived 400,000 years ago, and had horns like measured 9 feet from tip to tip! (Today's bison horns are 2 feet.)
• "Bison bison" is their scientific name, and "bison" is the correct common name. The term "buffalo", however, is widely used and accepted. 
• You can tell their mood by their tails. When their tails are raised straight up, it indicated their intention to charge. 
• There are two variants: the wood bison and the plains bison. 
• They can run up to 40 miles per hour and jump 6 feet!
• Just like us humans, they can be 6 feet tall, and they have a 9-month pregnancy. But unlike us, their babies weigh 30 pounds. 
• Bison help the soil. They graze on grass, turning up the soil with their hooves and fertlizing it with their feces. This gave farmers fertile land, once agriculture arrived to the Great Plains. 
• Bison also help other animals. They are food for wolves, and many scavengers eat their massive carcasses. Prairie dogs also prefer to live in areas where bison graze in order to see predators easier in the short grass.

Their Roots Run Deep
Native Americans have lived with the bison for many decades. In ceremonial bison drives, they would run a whole herd over a cliff to their deaths. This large hunt provided necessary supplies for harsh winters. Sometimes, hunters surrounded a herd, tightly packing them together and allowing archers a better shot. When Europeans came in the 1500's with horses, some Native Americans became nomadic, following bison herds on horseback. Native Americans were not a problem for the bison population. Although they hunted many, large herds could sustain themselves, and the tribes were frugal, using everything from the animals. They ate the bison meat, used the skin for clothing, and made tools from their bones and horns. Bison also served as a spiritual animal for the tribes that prospered from them. 

Genocide on the Great Plains
In the late 1800's, the expansion of the railroad into the Great Plains promoted the slaughter of the bison in more ways than one. Killing bison meant to clear the way for railroad tracks, and also to feed workers laying them. Commercial hunters shipped 1.5 million carcasses east to be sold for their meat and hides. In fact, that's how William Cody got the iconic nickname "Buffalo Bill"- he massacred 4,000 in just 2 years. In the 1870's, the elastic leather drive belts used in mills, which was made from bison hides, was in great demand. Because they were seen as pests, bison were shot for entertainment- some trains allowed passengers to shoot from their windows. There were even bison-killing contests. On a more cynical note, the slaughter was a means of easily moving Native Americans to reservations, as the loss of this beautiful animal disheartened many tribes. An estimated 30 to 200 million bison once roamed the plains from Mexico up to Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River. By 1890, only 1,000 remained. 

Saving the Species
In 1894, the first federal legislation protecting these animals was enacted. Killing of bison was punishable by a $1000.00 fine or imprisonment. In 1905, the American Bison Society was founded in New York by wealthy aristrocrats, including Andrew Carnegie and Theodore Roosevelt. In 1907, they sent 15 bison from the Bronx Zoo in New York, by train, out to a reserve in Oklahoma. Today, there are approximately 500,000 bison in North America. Yellowstone National Park is home to 5,000 free-roaming bison but most bison are the property of private ranchers, raised for their meat. (55,000 bison belong to Ted Turner alone, the founder of CNN.) 

The Big Picture
I started off this blog saying bison are big. But what about even bigger things? What is in store for these animals, and many like it, in the future? There's no doubt that this attention brought to the bison will help shed light to the conservation of many American animals. When many people think about conservation, they envision habitat destruction in the Amazon rain forest, or poaching in Africa. But what this new symbol will- hopefully- promote is conservation right here at home. 

Want more info? Check out Defenders of Wildlife, National Geographic, the New Yorker, and the National Wildlife Federation. As always, thanks for reading everyone! 

"Invention is the root of innovation. Innovation is the major force for change in the future."

Hey everyone! I wanted to talk today a little bit about some emerging technology. I know I've done a few blogs now on inventions that will help the environment, and I plan to continue featuring more as they come to fruition. "But this is a wildlife blog, this doesn't have to do with wildlife!", actually, it does. Any new way that we humans can reduce our harmful effects on the environment helps wildlife around the world. 

A Chinese company is working on a straddling bus that would allow cars to drive underneath it. With the possibility of moving 1,400 passengers, this type of transportation would take that many cars off the road, severely reducing air pollution. Not to mention how many traditional buses it would replace, and how much fuel it would save. As an added bonus, it looks like a giant monster swallowing cars. Check out the nifty video below:

A huge problem for wildlife is when people don't cut those plastic bottle rings that come with 6-packs of whatever-you-drink. The rings can constrict an animal, and oftentimes these animals will suffer with severe deformities and pain until dying a slow death of either suffocation or internal damage. Even if you do cut those rings, birds and turtles still eat the plastic. Now, there are biodegradable bottle rings! Unlike the plastic ones, these can be flung wherever without causing any damage to wildlife! They are made from wheat and barley, which means they are completely edible and degrade much much faster than traditional plastic ones (which may last 90 days). Since wheat and barley are by-products of beer production, it's also a form of recycling matter that's usually discarded. I'm super excited for this invention to become a part of our daily lives! I've included another video for you here: 

These inventions, along with many others in the works, will help us all to be better environmental stewards. So let's have more of that and less of this. Thanks for reading everyone! 

Creature Feature: Pangolin

In my last blog, I reviewed The Jungle Book. One of the elements I liked in the movie (which I didn't mention in my review), was the little side characters that added comic relief. For example, there was a porcupine that acted like the seagulls from Finding Nemo, saying "This is mine, and this is mine,". The one I'd like to talk about now is the pangolin. 

It's really no wonder that this little animal was in the movie- they are practically born to do comedy just by their hilariously weird anatomy. They look like something out of a Pokedex. Twenty percent of a pangolin's body weight is from their scales, which are made of keratin like our fingernails and hair. Unfortunately, they are poached for these scales, as well as their meat. There are eight pangolin species in Africa and Asia, and all are anywhere from "Vulnerable" to "Critically Endangered". 

According to WWF, "They certainly are one of the most trafficked mammals in Asia and, increasingly, Africa. Pangolins are in high demand in countries like China and Vietnam. Their meat is considered a delicacy and pangolin scales are used in traditional medicine and folk remedies to treat a range of ailments from asthma to rheumatism and arthritis. All eight pangolin species are protected under national and international laws but that is not stopping the massive international illegal trade in pangolins, which has increased in recent years because of growing demand. Based on reported seizures between 2011 and 2013, an estimated 116,990-233,980 pangolins were killed, which represents only the tip of the trade. Experts believe that seizures represent as little as 10 percent of the actual volume in pangolins in illegal wildlife trade."

Oh and to add to that, they are threatened by habitat loss, too. I wish there was a happy way to end this post, but unfortunately, I don't think there is. If you'd like to help, you can always check out World Wildlife Fund and click "How You Can Help", and you can learn more here and here. Don't want to read? I've got a video for you then: 

As always, thanks for reading! 

Movie Review/Dose of Disney: The Jungle Book

The other night, I finally got out to see Disney's The Jungle Book. It. Was. Amazing. I'm not even sure where to start! 
Let's start with the music. The original animated film got so many wonderful songs stuck in our heads, like "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You". These two were redone in a way respectful to the original, but in a new upbeat fashion. I was, however, disappointed that "Trust In Me" appeared only in the credits. In this movie, the talent was phenomenal. Of course Bagheera will always be my favorite character, but every other voice actor was perfect too, from Kaa to Baloo to King Louie (even though I'm not sure Christopher Walken's best role is a singer- yet still better than Iago). The actor who played Mowgli just blew me away, and I'm excited to see him in more movies hopefully soon. 

It was really nice that they expanded the story a bit. Very similar to how they gave Cinderella and Prince Charming more of a family history in the live action Cinderella, here Mowgli is shown how he comes to the jungle. There is also a larger focus on the wolf pack, which is only appropriate to the theme of family and friendship throughout the movie. Not only was it fairly accurate to the original animated movie, but it also included some references to other Disney darlings. As in The Lion King, there is a stampede in a gorge (Simba's down there!), an evil big cat villain with a physical scar, and said villain falls to a fiery death while trying to attack the hero. There's also a bit of Tarzan sprinkled in, especially with all of the Mowgli-runs-on-tree-branches scenes, and I can't help think Baloo's quest for honey is in homage to Winnie the Pooh.

Conservation-wise, the movie has a pretty obvious message: man destroys. But even deeper than that, man doesn't always destroy on purpose, it often happens from their carelessness. We can see the metaphor in Mowgli running through the forest with a torch and accidentally setting acres of woods ablaze. That's something we can all learn from. 

In conclusion, this is a great movie about love, family, and belonging, that keeps to the old story but adds in new ways. I think all Disney fans, young and old, will love this film. 


Thanks for reading everyone! 

Creature Feature: Giraffes

Today's tall topic: giraffes. An iconic part of Africa's megafauna, giraffes are a beloved animal in the eyes of many. And why? Let's look at a few reasons.

First off, their necks. The most distinguished feature of their anatomy makes them instantly recognizable by people of all ages and background. They can be up to 6 feet long and weigh over 500 pounds alone. That's like having a Siberian tiger hold up your head. Males will compete by swinging their necks against one another, in a display called necking. 

How about those patterns? Giraffe spots are unique to each individual, just like zebra stripes and human fingerprints. There are several subspecies of giraffes, nine to be exact, and they can be distinguished by the characteristics of their patterns.

Lastly, let's talk about their food. Using their insanely long necks, a giraffe is able to reach higher leaves than other animals. Not only does alleviate competition for food sources lower to the ground, it also allows the giraffes to have sole proprietorship over those high-up goodies. As if a giraffe didn't have enough length, they can also extend their 18-inch tongues, which are a blue/purple/black color to prevent sunburn.

Unfortunately, giraffes are being featured here not just because they are cool, but because they are also an animal we need to look at conserving. As of right now, the giraffe is species of least concern according to the IUCN Redlist, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned. Just like other animals in Africa, giraffes are not exempt from poaching. Poachers find a giraffe an easy target with their obvious silhouette and docile nature. They are killed for their hide, meat, tails that are used as bracelets, and brains that are used as a desperate and false cure for HIV. We tend to pay a lot of attention to elephants and rhinoceros when talking about poaching, but we cannot forget about other animals as well. They are also suffering from destruction of their habitat. Even if their immediate territory is not being destroyed, much of Africa's wildlife is hurting from habitat fragmentation, too. 

We're going to start seeing the results of all this in a very big way. Already, Rothschild's Giraffe is down to approximately 240 individuals. The overall population has seen a 40% decline in the past 15 years. To put that in perspective, 40% of the human population is 2.7 billion people. Take the number of people living in China and double it. Then poof all of those people off of the planet. Needless to say, this decline should not be taken lightly.

You can always check out the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to help! Thanks for reading everyone! 

News Review: McDonalds and More

It's a Royal Shame
In a recent trip to India, Prince William and Princess Kate visited Kaziranga National Park to spread awareness about conservation. William is very outspoken about his passion for wildlife conservation, supporting and campaigning for organizations such as United for Wildlife and Tusk, so it only makes sense that he would include conservation in his trip. However, the couple learned that an adult male rhinoceros was poached just hours after their visit. 

Plastic Recycling at Home 
At Precious Plastics , they want everyone to recycle plastic. Themselves. This young man has designed a series of machines to recycle plastic products in their very own homes. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Especially since experts now say that there will soon be more plastic than fish in the ocean. 

The Golden Arches Going Blue
Speaking of fish, if you care about the health of the ocean, you're familiar with the Marine Stewardship Council. Their little blue emblem let's you know if the seafood you're picking up in the store is sustainable. Well, now McDonald's will be making sure all of their fish has that little blue emblem! McDonalds is one of the largest single buyers of fish in the US, so to me, this is quite the victory! 

Tiger Numbers on the Rise
To end on an even happier note, according the the World Wildlife Fund, wild tiger numbers are growing for the first time in 100 years. That's grrrrrrreat! 

Thanks for reading everyone! 

Invention Connections with Wildlife

Coexisting with wildlife has always been a problem for mankind. New technology has given us the opportunity to coexist with wildlife like never before. Here are just a few nifty things:

Critter Crossing
If you live in a wooded area like I do, you are very familiar with the sight of roadkill. It's an unfortunate result of the expansion of human development that cannot be prevented....or can it? In the Netherlands, wildlife crossing bridges have been made to allow animals to cross over roadways safely. Not only is it good for the animals, it's also good for people- in the US there are 200 fatalities annually due to collisions with deer. For educational purposes, the bridges can be fitted with cameras to collect data about the animals using them, providing important information about wildlife populations. In North America, only Alberta, Canada, has these structures, but hopefully we will see them more widespread in the very near future! 

Shark Suits
The fear of sharks keeps many people out of the ocean. But sadly, most incidents with sharks are when they mistake a person for something else. These special wetsuits are meant to help mitigate that possibility. Some designs are blue and wavy to camouflage in the ocean, and some are striped to mimic lionfish- something sharks don't want to eat. However, these designs aren't guaranteed to help, and some scientists think it might have the opposite effect. Don't worry, if you're really paranoid you can just wear chain-mail underwater. 

Shining the Light on Lions 
This story is from 2013, but is by no means outdated. A 12-year-old boy from Kenya sought to stop lions from killing livestock in a non-lethal manner. He came up with a simple system of moving lights, and viola! the lions are deterred from livestock, and saved from the gun of an angry farmer. The moral of the story? Sometimes simple solutions are the best, and no matter what age you are, you can make a difference. Read more about it here. 

Edible Cutlery
I've talked about the horrors of plastic before, and this invention specifically tackles the problem of plastic utensils, such as the ones used by fast-food joints once then thrown away. This company has made edible cutlery out of sorghum flour, which is incredibly efficient to manufacture, saving energy and reducing plastic waste. They even come in different flavors! Less plastic means a healthier planet for us and wildlife. 

Thanks for reading everyone, and I hope you come back soon!