Endangered Birds Forced to Cannibalize?

Posted on March 13, 2012 by LoraKim

Socotra Cormorant (photo by Nepenthes Wikimedia Commons)

In the midst of climate change and other human disturbances, it seems we might not know for a long time exactly how certain human activities factor into a species decline and rapid adaptations. For instance, do humans cause cannibalism in birds? Recently, suggested as the first time ever seen in cormorants, cannibalism has now been seen nine times in the Socotra cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis). The theory is that human disturbances have caused a shift in food availability, reproductive location, egg size, and age distribution in young chicks which has led in turn to large crèches of 5,000 chicks of various sizes. Older chicks, ready to fledge and receiving less food from their parents as an encouragement to leave the nest, have eaten their crèche mates. This is unfortunate for this Persian Gulf species whose numbers have decreased dramatically in recent years.

I was struck with one authors’ suggestion that the bird is its own worst enemy: they throw up when scared, fly poor and impale themselves on thorns, have a foul smell, are not much to look at, and are hated by local fisherman who perceive them as a threat to their stock. These characteristics though are related to their success as a species. Who they are is their evolutionary biology having reached a certain degree of perfection. These traits are only seen as “wrong” in light of human preferences.

If these birds are cannibals, because they eat their young, then what does that make us? We are devouring our earth and other species, which is part of the interconnected web of life. Does this also make us cannibals?

Here’s a thought to complicate how you might answer the previous question. If I say that what cormorants are is part of the their evolutionary perfection, then so too isn’t what humans are part of their evolutionary perfection, even as it negatively impacts the earth? We too throw up when we are scared, impale ourselves or others on sharp objects, can smell terribly, are fairly bizarre looking great apes, and are often hated by our own kind.

Now I am waxing theological, but then that is how I approach the human dimensions of conservation. What does it mean to be human, and how shall we respond to this understanding?

My answer to this is that we shall respond with the best that we can offer. What’s eating me is that we can do better. We don’t have to let our consumption run rampant so that we engender more cannibalism.

Tell me, what’s eating you, and who are you eating?

Flamingos Bring Arab Spring to Abu Dhabi

Posted on July 28, 2011 by LoraKim

(Photo by Robin Muller)

Around the world many people cheered the hope of freedom that the “Arab Spring” brought to many Arabian countries, while others feared the fall out of this political upheaval, which has yet to resolve in several places. Nothing much at all happened in the United Arab Emirate where life pretty much goes on as usual, that is if you don’t count what’s happening with the flamingos.

For the first time in almost a decade, Greater Flamingos have successfully nested at the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve. At Al Wathba Lake, the EAD (Environmental Agency) Conservation Team has observed 90 chicks in this population of about 1600 adults. They attribute their success to the preservation of this reserve and their monitoring and tracking of the adults, which they have been doing via satellite since 2005. Dr.Salim Javed, Head of the Bird Conservation Program and Manger of the Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring at EAD says, “Our monitoring of flamingos has helped us understand the trend in numbers and discover new information such as the flamingo breeding colony discovered in Bul Syayeef in 2009 and the one at Al Wathba last month.”

This is great news for this species. Although it and the 5 other species of flamingo are only listed as of “least concern” by the IUCN, they are listed in CITES as Appendix II, which means it is a species that is in need of protection, and is considered to be threatened and likely to become endangered if trade isn’t regulated.

I would love to have flamingos free flying everywhere they possibly could, including Florida where I live. When Europeans first came there was a small breeding population in Southern Florida, but now we only see the occasional wild bird. Most of these sightings are probably escaped flamingos, for many parks and resort areas host flamingos on their grounds. I once worked at one of these places in Loxhatchee, Florida, and we loved these birds.

Sharon Wolf and Flamingo Chick at the Avicultural Breeding and Research Center (Loxahatchee, FL 1989)

The bounce in their step brought a spring to ours, as well as to the people of the Arabia Peninsula where a breeding population once again is springing up.

Thank you EAD for keeping these birds flying and walking with us on this planet.

(Photo by MarioM)

Spying Vultures – Polarity and Politics in Conservation Part 2

Posted on January 25, 2011 by LoraKim

Griffon Vulture (photo by Matthias Zepper)

Most of the time the reality of how politics messes with conservation efforts is disheartening, indeed despairing. For instance, my conservation work in Honduras and Guatemala is spent in part dodging areas of violence that the government cannot protect (or will not due to bribes and corruption). Another example is what war and unrest is doing to Pakistan and Afghanistan’s wildlife. “The state of wildlife receives little attention in Pakistan, the front line state in America’s war on al Qaeda and the Taliban. Pakistan’s army and air force have battled homegrown Taliban foot soldiers for years, but militant groups have carved out sanctuaries in the mountains and valleys – all of which is affecting wildlife, experts say. Bombing and shelling in Afghanistan and in the Pakistani tribal areas have disturbed the resident wildlife, is definitely a cause. Arms and ammunition bring destruction and these birds are so sensitive that they change their routes.”

Sometimes however the absurdity of human institutions brings a little lift to the spirits. In early January Saudi Arabian officials “detained” a vulture after reportedly alleging it was spying for Israel. The Griffon Vulture was found wearing a GPS logger and a leg bracelet bearing the words “Tel Aviva University” and was part of a PhD study there. Later Prince Bandar Bin Saud Al Saud of Saudi Arabia said that the bird was a Bald Eagle and would be released after “checking it systems.” The media had a field day with this story, including Stephen Colbert on his comedy show. He spoke of conspiracy theories abounding, recounting the December report of an Egyptian official saying the recent shark attacks there were also the work of Israel.

Human fear can get the worst of us at time as we project our angst onto not only the human world, but the nonhuman one as well. We bomb, spy, and fight one another, accusing the “other side” of being worse than us. In the meant time we not only hurt ourselves, but the world we live in.

I’m all for spying to find out the truth, but the conspiracy theory that I’m trying to prove is this: Life is out to get us. What befalls one species, harms us all. What benefits one, benefits all. We humans do not go it alone. Our lives and well being are radically interdependent with all of life.

What might we call this spy agency? Earth Intelligence Service (EIS). Eis, in biblical Greek, can be translated as “for” or “onto.”

So shall we spy for all of life?