11 Sep 2008 - Five marine
turtles - four green and one hawksbill -
in Kenya’s Kiunga Marine National Reserve
have been tagged with satellite tracking
devices in an attempt to learn more about
their ecology.
To improve current turtle
conservation efforts WWF-Eastern Africa
has started a turtle satellite tracking
programme which will provide information
on feeding, behaviour during migration,
and the preferred development habitat for
juveniles.
The relatively pristine
and isolated Kiunga beaches provide key
refuge and nesting ground for marine turtles
in Kenya. WWF, the Kenya Wildlife Service
and the local community protect these nests
out of which over 11,000 hatchlings emerge
and enter the sea each year. The rich aquatic
habitats also support other rare species
such as dugong, whale and dolphin.
Turtles, protected under
the Convention on International Trade of
Endangered Species (CITES) as well as national
legislation in Kenya, are generally regarded
as a good indicator for the health of the
ecosystem.
“The installation of
the Sirtrack Kiwisat 101 PTT on sea turtles
will provide accurate data to explain migratory
patterns of the species,” said Sam Weru,
WWF’s Marine National Coordinator for Kenya.
“The broader significance of this project
is to enhance our ability to effectively
protect and conserve marine turtles and
their habitats.”
The joint WWF/KWS turtle
conservation programme at Kiunga is financially
supported by USAID and was officially launched
by the US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael E.
Ranneberger,
“I want to commend the
excellent work that WWF is doing working
with KWS and your [Kiunga] community,” said
the ambassador during the launching ceremony.
The programme involves
the youth from communities living around
the reserve. Local fishermen also provide
regular reports on turtle nests and other
conservation issues. The progress of the
five turtles thus far can be followed online
using the link above to the right.
+ More
Second Borneo rhino
caught on camera
12 Sep 2008 - An image
of a second wild Borneo rhino has been captured
by scientists in Malaysia using a motion-triggered
camera.
Only 25-50 Borneo rhinos,
a subspecies of the critically endangered
Sumatran rhino, are thought to exist. They
are found in the interior Heart of Borneo
forests of Sabah, Malaysia.
It was just two years
ago that the first-ever still photo of a
Borneo rhino was captured by WWF, who last
year also produced a video using a camera
trap showing a male rhino eating, walking
to the camera and sniffing the equipment.
After comparing the
body structure and size of the animal in
the latest photo WWF-Malaysia have confirmed
that this is a different rhino to the one
previously photographed. The new photograph
suggests a young female rhino.
Rhino monitoring and
protection efforts are aimed at conserving
and boosting the number of Sumatran rhinos
in Sabah through prevention of poaching,
securing habitat from further degradation
and illegal encroachment.
“This encourages the
rhinos to meet in a natural way,” said Laurentius
Ambu, director of Sabah Wildlife Department.
He added that experts are beginning to believe
there is still hope to save the Borneo Sumatran
Rhino from extinction.
Last month WWF officials,
along with a team of rangers, veterinarians
and experts from Sabah Wildlife Department
rescued the Borneo rhino that was captured
on video last year. It had been found injured
and wandering in an oil palm plantation.
The rescue operation took nearly two weeks
and the animal was then transferred to a
reserve.
