Northern White Rhinos: San Diego rhino has died

CBS2.com reports the very sad news that Nadi, a Northern White Rhino brought to San Diego Zoo from Africa in 1972 has died, most likely of old-age.

Northern white rhinos are considered critically endangered. Along with the two remaining at the Wild Animal Park, the zoo says there are six at a zoo in the Czech Republic and as few as five believed to be roaming in the African wild.

Link: San Diego Zoo

Budapest Hotel adopts Layla

Here's the Budapest Sun Online with news that the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest has officially adopted Layla, Lulu's artificially inseminated baby, and said it was "proud to take an active part in facilitating the bringing up of this special animal, and providing support to Budapest Zoo, one of the city's historic landmarks."

"Adopting baby Layla, the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest proudly joins Budapest Zoo's Foundation to support the operations of this magnificent institution," the hotel said in a statement.

"The adoption scheme is integral to the hotel's charity and community work.

"We will organize special zoo walks for the Bolyai Children's Home and the Kempinski Corvinus Junior Club, and recommend the zoo to the children staying in the hotel, according to the Kempinski for Kids program."

Very nice.

While we're on the subject of rhinos, you've got to July 24th if you'd like to make a contribution to our Save The Rhino fundraiser. I've had a number of grateful emails from folks at Save The Rhino for all our efforts, so with one final push maybe we can hit our £500 target. Thanks everyone.

Baiji Dolphins: Western media's response lacking?

Back in April, Jeremy Leon Hance wrote a truly heartfelt article for Mongabay.com on the apparent disinterest in the Baiji extinction story by the media giants in the West. I think I saw more initial coverage than Jeremy makes out (and in some surprising places), but I have to agree that what there was disappeared very very quickly. And now the Baiji is gone, what do you think? **UPDATE** The BuzzDash poll has been posted on the main BuzzDash page with a slight tweak, so I'm showing that version now...

The news came and went with an alacrity that I found alarming, almost jolting. I waited for weeks, faithfully; I could not believe that the initial announcement would be followed by nothing but silence on the issue, no rationalizations, no opinions, no discussions, no outpourings of grief. Just silence.

The ‘Goddess of the Yangtze’, the baiji, was gone from this earth and it seemed the extinction equaled the importance of, say, Captain America’s more recent and fictional death. It is during such times that I wonder if people really understand what extinction means. It is not the death of an individual; it’s a species—wholly unique in the world—that will never again grace the planet. Furthermore, this extinction was not brought on by natural cataclysm or selection; this was a species driven to extinction—not even intentionally (i.e. for food or survival) but apathetically and dumbly—by another species. I thought such a global loss deserved a little more press and certainly more feeling.

Read the rest of Jeremy's great article at Mongabay.com.

Video: Buffalo vs Lions vs Crocodiles

Here's a quite amazing video of a titanic battle between a herd of Buffalo, a pride of Lions and a couple of crocodiles thrown in for good measure. Place your bets please...

Poll: What's your favourite animal from Last Chance To See?

Rebels holding Mountain Gorillas hostage

This has to be one of the most despicable acts of cowardliness I've ever heard. The BBC are reporting that 200 rebel Mai Mai militia fighters have attacked a nature reserve in DR Congo, killed one ranger, critically injured another three and are now threatening to slaughter a group of endangered Mountain Gorillas if the government try and bring them to justice.

WildlifeDirect director Emmanuel de Merode said the Mai Mai attack may be a reprisal for a government clampdown.

"Our understanding is that this was a deliberate attack on the Congolese wildlife authorities," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa.
[...]
"The efforts of the Congolese rangers to protect these have been quite successful but at a huge human cost."

"Over 97 rangers have been killed in Virunga National Park since the war started in 1996," he said.

Full story at: BBC NEWS - DR Congo rebel threat to gorillas.

Lulu's baby now weighs more than 200kg

The China View website recently reported that Lulu the White Rhino's baby, the first to be conceived and carried-to-term by artificial insemination, has really flourished and Layla now exceeds 200kg!

Layla, who weight [sic] 58 kilograms when she was born January 23 at Budapest Zoo, had to be bottle-fed since her mother Lulu was not willing to nurse her.

The calf reached 100 kilograms on March 10 and has doubled her weight in the two months since then, zoo officials said.