incef

Associated Press

November 29. 2008

OPEKOLOE, Sudan —  The hippos had fled to other islands in the White Nile, driven away by one of the few forces that can dislodge a large herd of these fierce beasts — an even larger herd of elephants.
And there they were: some 50 elephants, massive black figures peacefully grazing on their newly reclaimed territory on the Nile island of Opekoloe.

Scientific American

Eating wildlife is an important part of feeding the world's poorest people. But will it drive extinction?

Elephants, gorillas and other large forest mammals may become extinct in central Africa within 50 years if hunting meat to feed starving populations continues at the current pace. Each year, rural peoples consume some 2.2 billion pounds (one million metric tons) of so- called bushmeat from wildlife, the equivalent of four million cattle; the flesh accounts for 80 percent of the protein and fat in their diet.

Science Daily
August 1, 2008

ScienceDaily (July 31, 2008) — African elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory at a pace unseen since an international ban on the ivory trade took effect in 1989. But the public outcry that resulted in that ban is absent today, and a University of Washington conservation biologist contends it is because the public seems to be unaware of the giant mammals' plight.

Activists find a "disturbing" increase of illegal ivory items for sale a year after the online site vowed a crackdown Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American
June 5, 2008

An animal welfare group charges that eBay sales of ivory are brisker than ever a year after the online marketplace promised to restrict the sale of products made from animal teeth and tusks—many of which come from endangered species. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), based in Washington, D.C., is urging eBay to ban—not simply restrict—all such sales on its Web market.

Brazzaville benefits from the Fulbright Program
- by Kelly Daniel

http://brazzaville.usembassy.gov/news-041108.html

BRAZZAVILLE - There is a simple formula to explain how Fulbright Scholar Program researcher Kelly Matheson wound up coming to the Republic of the Congo for a year.

Start with teaching natural science, as Matheson did for nearly seven years. Then add in the law license that Matheson, who is also an attorney, has. Include a new career as a documentary filmmaker, and add up the total.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6603661

by Elizabeth Shogren

All Things Considered, December 9, 2006 · A new study confirms that the ebola virus is causing a massive die-off of gorillas and chimpanzees in Africa. Scientists differ on whether there's anything humans can do to help their closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

http://www.apple.com/pro/video/moses/

Preservation Begins at Home
By Dustin Driver

"We needed to educate the local audience and it seemed that it might be a good idea to have them participate," says conservationist and filmmaker Cynthia Moses, about raising awareness of endangered animals among the African people.