October 2011 – Wildlife Research & Conservation

Exotic Animal Ownership

October 30th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

Since the exotic animal incident in Zanesville, Ohio a few weeks ago, I have received a lot of questions regarding the laws governing exotic animal ownership in the United States. Ownership of exotic or non-native species in the US is a much debated subject. In actuality, regulation is done on a state, not national, basis; which allows for a lot of inconsistencies and what appears to be very little regulation. On one side of the argument are those individuals who own exotic species and want to continue to do so. On the other side are people who want to regulate …

Snakes, Spiders, and Bats…Oh My!

October 23rd, 2011tinalc0 Comments

In preparation for my favorite holiday, I was recently perusing through the Halloween decorations at a local megastore. For me, Halloween standards are carved pumpkins, bed sheet ghosts, and candy; lots of candy. However, for others, the scariest of holidays is all about fear. Some of the most iconic Halloween characters that makes ones blood run cold and stand frozen in fear, i.e., bats, spiders, and snakes, are the same creatures I find most fascinating. Unfortunately, it is this very fear that has served as a death sentence for those same misunderstood species that actually do a great deal to …

Answer the Call for Gorilla Conservation

October 3rd, 2011tinalc0 Comments

Columbite-tantalite, more commonly known as colton, is a valuable mineral that is used to manufacture capacitors found in electronic devices such as cell phones, video game systems, MP3 players, computers, and DVD player. Colton is mined in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. Unfortunately, most of the world’s coltan reserves are found in the same region as gorillas and the mining is destroying their last remaining habitat. In addition, mining open access roads into gorilla habitat making it easier for poachers to find not only gorilla, but other endangered wildlife and resources. By recycling …

An Evening with Jane Goodall: A Story of Inspiration and Hope

October 2nd, 2011tinalc0 Comments

As a child I can vividly remember thumbing through old National Geographic magazines, living vicariously through the adventures of Dr. Jane Goodall. In the 1980s, long before online giants Amazon or Barnes and Noble became popular, I would visit both my school library and the local city-owned branch on an almost daily basis. I was able to read about Jane’s explorations of the forests of Gombe and the chimpanzee ambassadors who greeted here as a friend. Oh to live life amongst the chimps must have been paradise. I soon understood that chimpanzees were very much like humans, one may say …