"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
And they’ve made a film showing their bear rescue team at work. In fact, the song is written and sun by a member of their team!
Back in October 2017, the embarked on the Great Bear Rescue with their partners FPWC. Their aim was to rescue every single bear being held captive in appalling conditions across Armenia.
And since then, they have rescued 30 bears! (That's according to their email dated 4th October 2019)
Gordon was found slumped on a cold hard floor in a tiny, narrow cage with barely room to turn around.
Dasha, who had spent ten miserable years behind bars in a cramped cage half-submerged in water by a riverside restaurant.
Peter, dubbed the saddest bear in Armenia, was found in a tiny cage in a basement, in total darkness.
Thomas was rescued from a filthy, squalid cage on the side of a road
But International Animal Rescue won’t stop until every bear has been rescued. The day they sent an email with news of the film, two more bears were rescued. They had been kept caged as status symbols. And after rescue, they headed to the rescue centre to begin a new life.
There’s news from South Korea of a rare Asiatic black bear having been spotted in the DMZ.
The DMZ is the Demilitarised Zone which divides North and South Korea. The area is very cut off and as a result, it’s become a pristine nature reserve.
In fact, the DMZ has become a real haven for plants and wildlife; the South Korean government predict that over 100 endangered species call the area home and the Ministry of Environment estimates that there are over 5,097 animal and plant species there, such as the red-crowned crane and black-faced spoonbill.
It’s thought there are about 3,050 red-crowned cranes left in the world so they are a very endangered species indeed. However, it’s also a migrating route for birds and the Eurasian lynx has been spotted in the area too.
Although South Korean soldiers reported seeing bears in the past, there wasn’t any photographic evidence. The South Korea National Institute of Technology installed cameras – and the bear was spotted!
The bear seen is thought to be between 8 to 9 months old, weighing about 25 to 35 kilograms. They think the bear is a descendant of the Asiatic black bears lived in the DMZ for a long time
The DMZ is 155 miles long and 2.5 miles wide and it runs across the Korean Peninsula. It’s heaviliy mined and fortified with barbed wire with surveillance cameras and electric fending. It was created after the armistice which brought an end to the 1950-53 Korean War.
Hiking trails are being established in the DMZ now as recently ties between North and South Korea have improved.
They have noticed that polar bears are showing up in odd places. An exhausted polar bear was seen recently in a village on Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula – and that’s 600 kilometers plus from its home range.
Their Senior Director of Conservation, Geoff York, thinks this could be that the bear hitched a ride on an ice floe and drifted south, as the ice broke up earlier in the Bering and Chukchi seas this spring.
Unusual and fast ice loss this year has displaced polar bears form their preferred hunting areas. Seals give birth to their pups in spring In snow lairs or on the sea ice surface. This makes the polar bear’s dinner more abundant and accessible than at any other time of the year.
However the Russian polar bear was far from this area.
It was decided to air-lift him back north, to Chukotka in the Russian Arctic.
But there have been other unusual occurrences in the region over several months. Some have been far from the sea. This could be because of unstable ice cover.
Sustained early sea ice is bad news for polar bears
Polar Bears International know from other regions that sustained early sea ice break up doesn’t do polar bears any good.
Fewer hunting opportunities
Decreased body condition
Impacts on reproduction which aren’t good
Negative impacts on survival, especially the old and young
If there’s less sea ice in the Arctic, it gets more difficult for polar bears to make a living from the frozen ocean. Of course people living on the Arctic rely on stable ice to get around on, and to gather food. We all need a frozen Arctic ecosystem to regulate our climate. So we ALL need the Arctic to be in good health.
Polar Bears International works in 3 ways:
Education and outreach. As more polar bears appear onshore, the charity works to help keep polar bears and people safe, with outreach on best practices for avoiding human-polar bear conflict. These include getting rid of things such as open garbage dumps and installing bear-proof ones.
Research – the charity is studying the effectiveness of using surveillance radar to detect approaching polar bears. This means alerts can be given before a bear enters town. PBI help with research on the best deterrants – and that includes putting together a history of polar bear attacks, and their causes to help avoid future conflicts.
Climate Action. PBI is one working to solve the climate crisis, sharing their knowledge of polar bears and coming up with solutions. This includes the Climate Alliance training program for zoo staff members, outreach to motivate citizen involvement, and advocacy to policy makers on the urgent need to act.
The World Land Trust reports that trail cameras in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve there have filmed a Black Bear recorded in central Mexico.
This is the first Black Bear recorded there for 100 years!
There's also footage of a nine-banded Armadillo and Jaguar.
Back in 2018, supporters of the World Land Trust raised a whopping £57,800 to protect an area of the forest of 578 acres - that's the size of nearly 300 football pitches!
Would you like to help the World Land Trust protect more acres for wildlife?
It’s just declared the protection of the country’s first national park in 9 years – the Rio Negro – Sophadora National Park.
It’s an important protection. The reserve fills a big gap in a Páramo and Cloud Forest down the eastern Andes. It’s between two national parks – the Sangay and Podocarpus. What’s more, a recent survey of its incredible wildlife has discovered 3 news species – a frog, a caecilian and a salamander, so it’s very exciting.
This has been achieved through a number of groups working together:
The new reserve covers 75,654 acres. Nature and Culture International undertook a Rapid Biological Assessment which showed the region’s ecosystems to be unique for its biodiversity and endemism, and having dramatic altitude changes over short distances.
These altitude gradients encourage the evolution of diverse species and provide a critical “escape valve” for climate change. They give an upward migration path to cooler temperatures which help species survive as the climate gets hotter.
The Rapid Biological Assessment showed 43 species of mammans in the area, including threatened specials such as the Spectacled Bear, Mountain Tapir and Andean Condor. And there are also 546 species of plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
And there’s more from the Nangaritza Reserve
Supporters of the UK based charity World Land Trust helped fund a 447 acre extension to protect other areas in the Sangay – Podocarpus Corridor, namely the Nangaritza Reserve. It has foothill forests close to the Podocarpus National Park.
It’s really critical to connect large protected areas such as national parks, to ensure the health of wildlife population. It's home to birds such as the Orange-throated Tanager, Cinnamon-breasted Tody Tyrant and Ecuadorian Piedtail.
You can help by donating £25 to the World Land Trust’s Buy an Acre programme, and help it continue to fund land purchase and create nature reserves to protect threatened habitats and wildlife.
