caribou, primates and animality

Scanning the headlines on cbc.ca (or cnews.com), as I so often do, I came across an article on the declining caribou populations in the north. Some of the major threats? High tech hunts, our capacious (insatiable?) appetite for natural resources, and ever-looming climate change. Read the full article here.

Now and then I find myself immersed in print media as well, and that (in this case, the Toronto Star) is where I found out about an event called An Evening of Sustainable Style. The 'green' themed fashion show, which takes place on January 30, is part of a larger initiative called the Green Carpet Series and benefits WWF-Canada. I am intrigued.

And one more note for this delightfully snowy Friday... Inspired by a Words Worth gift card nestled in my backpack I spent a little time browsing for new books last night and found Frans de Waal's Primates and Philosophers. I've long been puzzled and unsettled by our tendency to attribute our more ghastly behaviours to some sort of inner animal. It's this very issue that de Waal apparently confronts - the notion that morality and ethics are exclusively human, a thin veneer restraining the beast within. The idea has a lot of popular currency and I'd like to see it questioned. I'll report back later on de Waal's success.

endangered species project

Well, the first show of the new year has come and gone, and the journey continues on January 27. In the meantime, a few animal-related tidbits:

Check out On the Edge of Extinction - a photo report on a new project launched by the Zoological Society of London to highlight 100 unique and endangered species. It's called the Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered (or EDGE) program, and looks at disappearing species from all over the world. Pretty soon such pictures are going to be memorials rather than snapshots...

My sister picked up some info for me about a group from the Niagara Region (Canada) called T.E.A.R.S. - The Exotic Animal Rescue Society. The group rescues animals born and raised in captivity, taking care of them until they can be placed in sanctuaries or zoos [hopefully reputable ones] and apparently offering a place for injured and sick ones in its own sanctuary. They are also actively engaged in educating the public about exotic animals, their preservation, the need to keep wild animals in the wild, and the importance of not releasing pets into the wild. Strangely enough, the flyer doesn't have any contact info for the group, so if you know how to reach them...

it's a warm one

On-air the other day, in a spin-off from my usual polar bear rant, I began to speculate on the effects our exceptionally warm winter might have on hibernating animals. Not knowing much about the scientific underpinnings of hibernation, my best guess was that the effects couldn't be good. This article from cbc.ca answered a lot of my questions. Apparently, bears don't use temperature to decide when to wake up, and groundhogs are far enough underground that what's going on up here doesn't affect them much, so those species are okay. But the extra warm temperatures are hard on frogs, snails and insects, and a scientist from Carleton university has suggested that there could be a "catastrophic" impact on their populations come spring.

In related news, Canada's new environment minister has actually admitted that global warming is a reality.

And since we're on the topic of news stories, a story on the use of human-animal embryos in medical (stem cell) research raises some interesting issues. The practice is banned in Canada, and while it's still allowed in the UK for now, they're working on legislation to ban it. Now I'm definitely not one for supporting messing around with animals but in situations like this I think people have a tendency to oppose research for the wrong reasons. Let me illustrate with a quote from the article:

Consultations in Britain showed widespread discomfort among the public with the idea of chimeras. People said they were horrified by images of mice with human ears growing on their backs and pigs bred with human blood running through their veins.

Researchers argue that this is not at all what their work is about. The embryos never get a chance to develop beyond a couple of weeks. I could see right-to-lifers objecting to this, as with any other kind of stem cell research, and I don't expect too many animal rights activists are jumping on the chimera bandwagon, but it boggles my mind that people can tolerate the idea of factory farming just fine, but mess with the species barrier and they start freaking out.

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Right now I'm listening to a CD I just got in the mail - Lost Yet Not Forgotten, a collection of Ewigkeit rareties and demos. Admittedly rough, but charming nonetheless. If you're interested, visit the Ewigkeit site for more info (it's for sale in the webstore there).

Before that I was checking out an EP by Farewell to Words (Tear Down this Wall from Bastardized Recordings) that was sent my way. Part melodic death, screamo and new American metal (even though they're from Germany). Sounded pretty generic at first, but by song 2 I was liking it in spite of myself. We'll have to see how it holds up to further listening.