Western Cape bird flu alarm sparks fears for African penguins, other endangered species
Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once.
Start your FREE trial now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
28 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Scientists standing by to rescue rare manatee sighted in cold New England waters
BOSTON (AP) — A manatee was recently spotted off the coast of Massachusetts for the first time in almost a decade and scientists want to monitor its condition to see if a rescue is necessary before it succumbs to the cold water or lack of food, they said Friday. The threatened species, which makes its habitat in warmer southern Gulf waters in places like Florida, was first seen July 26 off the southwestern coast of Cape Cod in the area of Nantucket Sound. Mashpee resident Jennifer Sullivan took a video of it swimming alongside paddle boarders in an inlet behind a marina surrounded by sea grass. She said on Monday that she found the manatee, which was as long and wide as her paddleboard, 'just lazing around there in the grass going as slowly as possible.' 'It was completely unfazed by us,' said Sullivan, who went on to say she felt 'just in awe of how graceful the creature was and to be so close in the wild to it.' A few days later, the animal was seen stranded on the tidal flats in Mattapoisett. Bystanders who found the manatee beached on the flats around sunrise pushed it back into the water, said Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Protected Species Program Manager Erin Burke. It hasn't been spotted since, Burke said, but a team with the International Fund for Animal Welfare is standing by to rescue the animal if it becomes necessary. The species prefers swimming in warmer waters, usually traveling only as far north as the Carolinas. If the manatee stays in water that is too cold for too long, it could suffer severe illness or death, said New England Aquarium Research Scientist Dr. Nadine Lysiak. Additionally, manatees are herbivores that sustain themselves on extensive seagrass beds and mangroves not typically found in New England. 'Even if it doesn't experience cold stunning, it may have some health declines associated with not having enough food, not having enough water,' she said. 'So it's important to intervene as soon as it's sighted again to prevent health declines.' Lysiak said it's unclear how and why the manatee found its way so far north. It may have followed the warm water Gulf Stream current system from Florida up past the Carolinas and eventually found its way to New England, she said. 'We have kind of an average understanding of what a wild population does in terms of their range, or their habitat range, and some individuals will go beyond that and maybe wander or seek out other habitats or other food sources,' she said. 'It's hard to know exactly why this manatee came to Cape Cod.' Manatee sightings are uncommon in New England, but not unheard of. In 2008 and 2009, different manatees were sighted in Cape Cod Bay — the furthest north the animals have ever been identified. Both were eventually rescued, with one dying on the trip to Florida for rehabilitation. The other survived the trip south, living until 2018. In 2016, a manatee was spotted off the coast of Falmouth. In 2023, one of the animals was seen in Rhode Island. Anyone who sees the manatee is asked to document their GPS position and call the stranding network hotline, (508) 743-9548. Sullivan said she feels 'blessed that I could be in the right place and the right time to see the creature,' and she's hoping it's healthy and safe. 'I pray he just turned right around and went back south,' she said.
News24
an hour ago
- News24
Gambia baby death heightens alarm over female genital mutilation
A baby's death in The Gambia linked to female genital mutilation (FGM) has sparked outrage and calls for justice. FGM, illegal but prevalent in The Gambia, was linked to severe health risks and over 44 000 global deaths annually. The Gambia's Supreme Court is reviewing the 2015 FGM ban amidst pressure from religious traditionalists to overturn it. Rights activists in The Gambia are calling for justice after a one-month-old baby's death was linked to female genital mutilation, a widely practised but illegal procedure up for review before the country's Supreme Court. The Gambia has one of the highest rates of FGM in the world, with 73% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 having undergone the procedure, according to 2024 figures from UNICEF. The baby girl was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital in the capital, Banjul, after being 'allegedly subjected to circumcision' and developing severe bleeding, The Gambia Police Force said in a statement on Sunday. The death has sparked outrage among women's rights defenders working to combat the deeply rooted cultural and religious practice that they say is a harmful violation against women and girls. 'FGM is not a cultural tradition to be defended - it is a form of gender-based violence that can kill,' Santana Simiyu, a human rights lawyer with rights group Equality Now, said in a statement sent to AFP Tuesday. Police said two women allegedly involved in the case are in custody as an investigation is carried out in the western town of Wellingara, where the incident occurred. READ | Body parts found: Traditional healer linked to Gontse Makhubela's murder Researchers at Britain's University of Birmingham estimated in a study published in 2023 that approximately 44 320 girls and young women die each year due to FGM in the countries where it is practised. Former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, now in exile, outlawed FGM in 2015, branding it outdated and not a requirement of Islam. Later that year, Parliament adopted the first law specifically banning the practice, which is now punishable by up to three years in prison but is rarely enforced. In July 2024, lawmakers revisited the matter, upholding the 2015 law despite pressure from religious traditionalists. But the ban was immediately challenged before the Gambian Supreme Court, where the petition remains pending. Simiyu said: If the Gambia's Supreme Court rules that the country's law prohibiting FGM is unconstitutional, it would have a hugely detrimental impact on the well-being of women and girls, leaving them without legal protections. FGM involves the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs. It can lead to serious health problems, including infections, bleeding, infertility and complications in childbirth.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Tuesday is World Elephant Day. 5 things to know about the world's largest land mammals
BELA-BELA, South Africa — Tuesday is World Elephant Day. Here are five things to know about the largest land animals on our planet. There are three species of elephants: the African savanna or bush elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. The African savanna elephant and the Asian elephant are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The forest elephant is critically endangered.
