Endangered Lowland Gorrilla Gives Birth at the National Zoo

Any time a permanent resident of the National Zoo has a baby, there seems to be an "awwww" heard 'round the world. But when Mandara, a 26 year-old western lowland gorilla, gave birth to a healthy baby earlier this month, there was more than just cuteness to celebrate.

Mandara and her baby, who has not yet been named, are members of a species that has been classified as critically endangered. Fewer than 200,000 of the majestic creatures inhabit the tropical forests of West and Central Africa, where they live under the constant threats of poaching, dwindling habitat, and the Ebola virus.

These first few weeks of the infant gorilla's life are a critical time. Out of concern for the baby's safety, zoo officials have not even gotten close enough to determine its sex. Mandara, however, is taking careful care of her baby. 10 year-old DC resident Max Block told the Washington Post "It's pretty amazing. She's been holding it, tickling it, stroking it on the head. . . . She's a great mom." Max raised $2,500 for a wildlife preservation group at a lemonade stand this summer.

Not only is Mandara's baby a promising new addition to an endangered species, the adorable newborn will provide the National Zoo with an opportunity to educate the public about the growing need for conservation.

Visitors can see the mother and baby, along with the other gorillas, in the Great Ape House between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily.

To read the full article, (and see an adorable picture!) visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/11/AR2009011100697.html

Thanks Papa Goose for tipping us off to this story!

The Big Guys Make Way for Ducklings

The gradual rise in gray whale populations (good news!) is having a positive effect on other recovering species in the adjacent areas of Puget Sound (more good news!), going so far as to keeping wildlife off the already 60-species-long Endangered Species list (great news!).

Firstly, the UC Davis SeaDoc Society happily reports the growing numbers of gray whales near Sandy Point on Whidbey Island, about 30 miles north of Seattle. As the San Juan Islander explains, "Gray whales suction-feed, sieving out ghost shrimp and other small sea animals from the sea floor. As they eat, the whales create giant pits and stir up clouds of invertebrates, which settle back to the bottom and flourish in the altered landscape left after the whales have passed." That means that the more whales nuzzling around in the bottom of the ocean, the more food there is for birds who dine on what gets brought up. That's a win-win, baby!

Researchers observed sea ducks (surf scoters and white-winged scoters) sticking close by gray whales and diving under the water in their wake. This is important because it's the first time the symbiotic relationship between cetaceans and birds that feed on the sea bottom has been officially documented.

SeaDoc Society Director Joe Gaydos summed up this good news quite well:
“Usually we are trying to deal with endangered species eating other endangered species, so this evidence that the recovery of one species could benefit the recovery of other is a welcome breath of fresh air.”

The SeaDoc Society, "working to ensure the health of marine wildlife and their ecosystems through science and education":
www.seadocsociety.org

for the original story:
http://www.sanjuanislander.com/groups/seadoc/gray-whale.shtml

for lyrics to the song Fish & Bird by Tom Waits, a slightly more romantic, slightly less realistic take on a similar situation:
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Fish-Bird-lyrics-Tom-Waits/C07140AFAD07BE4E48256BBC0027375F

Beauty and the Beak

Birds of Prey Northwest Ranch, Idaho

A bald eagle by the name of Beauty has received a prosthetic beak which may be the first of its kind. Years ago, Beauty lost the upper half of her beak when she was hit by a stray bullet in her home in Alaska. Rescued and taken in by Jane Fink Cantwell, Beauty was hand-fed for several years while she lived at the Birds of Prey Northwest Ranch.

A prosthetic beak was designed to help Beauty regain the ability to feed herself. While it may seem like a lot of work to save one bird, Cantwell points out that Beauty may still raise her own chicks or foster others. Though the bald eagle is no longer endangered, it seemed a waste to let an otherwise healthy adult starve for lack of a beak.

The new beak was applied to Beauty's face while she was fully conscious and gently restrained. It is technically a trial run, to be used to determine the perfect dimensions for a permanent prosthesis which will be made of tougher material. Although Beauty's caretakers do not plan on releasing her back into the wild, she will be able to live a relatively normal life on the ranch with the new beak.

To read more, and to see before and after photos, visit http://birdsofpreynorthwest.org/