Beware!! Lethal Yellow-legged Asian hornets threatening UK wildlife and even people’s health

Beware of a new lethal army of yellow legged Asian hornets that prey on bees are among the latest non-native species threatening UK wildlife, and even people’s health.

The warning has been sounded by a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), according to which a growing number of alien species, from killer shrimps to Spanish slugs, are set to soon reach UK shores.

The report has also warned of the spread of the Asia tiger mosquito, which is linked to more than 20 diseases including yellow fever and the dengue-like chikungunya fever.

The Asian hornet, which grows to between 2.5cm and 3cm (1-1.2 inches), preys on native honeybees, wasps and other pollinators, potentially devastating hives and threatening honey and crop production.

More recent arrivals include killer shrimps, which feed on other aquatic wildlife and can cause local extinctions of naturally-found species and zebra mussels, thought to have arrived in ship ballasts, which can damage infrastructure such as water plants and locks.

They may also carry diseases which can affect humans and are often seen as a noise nuisance in urban areas because of their loud screeching calls.

Read more about it at: Mail Online
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Baby panda dies in Japan

A baby panda born at a Tokyo zoo last week has died after inhaling its mother's milk, zookeepers have said.

The male baby panda cradled by mother Shin Shin upon his birth days before [Photo: AFP ]

The male cub, which had not been named, was just six days old and was found lying on its back on its mother's chest.

It was the first time the zoo's natural breeding programme had been successful, and the birth had been widely celebrated across Japan.

The cub's parents, Shin Shin and Ri Ri, arrived on loan from China last year. Tokyo pays $1m (£640,000) a year to lease them.

Seven-year-old Shin Shin gave birth just days after being declared pregnant. The arrival was the first in the zoo for more than 20 years.

Read details: BBC News

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Rare spotless Cheetah spotted

For the first time in almost a century a spotless cheetah has been spotted

The mythical-like creature was discovered by a British wildlife photographer who set out to find it after several reported sightings.

Guy Combes, originally from Shaftesbury, Dorset, scoured 100,000 acres of land in Kenya using a Land Rover and even a plane before he tracked it down.

Bareback big cat: An extremely rare spotless adult cheetah is seen in the Kenyan plains - the first time one has been sighted in nearly 100 years [Photo: Guy Combes/BNPS.co.uk / Mail Online]

Guy, 41, got within 50 yards of the unique creature that had a plain sandy coat of fur with hundreds of small freckles on its back and no sign of black spots.

According to experts, the last recorded sighting of a spotless cheetah was in 1921. And they believe the genetic throwback may actually help the young adult male thrive in the wild as it could be mistaken for a lion.

Read more / see more photos: Mail Online

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Toilet paper making for USA threatening wild life habitat in Indonesia

In a report Wednesday, the World Wildlife Fund alleged that a major paper supplier from Indonesia is clearcutting habitat there and targeted a major U.S. distributor to stop buying from that source.

Natural habitat of Indonesian tigers and elephants under threat for making toilet papers for the USA

"We found that two brands sold in the United States ― Paseo and Livi ― are made with paper from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), which is responsible for more forest destruction in Sumatra than any other single company," the World Wildlife Fund report stated. "Paseo is a retail brand of toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue, and it is now the fastest growing brand of toilet paper in the United States, according to its marketer."

Read more: US News msnbc

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China to release six pandas into wild

[ via Google News ] 22 Dec

Six captive-bred pandas will be freed into an enclosed forest in southwestern China next year in the first mass release of the highly endangered animals, the official Xinhua news agency said Wednesday.

It said the six, aged two to four, had been chosen from 108 captive-bred animals at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and researchers believed the mass release would increase their chances of survival.

A total of 10 pandas have been individually released since 1983, it said, but only two remain in the wild, with the breeding centre taking six back after they lost weight, one found dead and the other also believed to have died.

Read more at Google News

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Black Rhino declared extinct in West Africa

Full story / Photo: BBC Science and Environment 10 November 2011

Black Rhino

The Red List, drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has declared the subspecies extinct, as "no wild black rhinos remain in West Africa."

The IUCN also warns that the northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a subspecies in central Africa, is also on the brink of extinction.

Read full story for details on many other species becoming extinct.

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