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LGVN ARCHIVES
JULY 2000
JULY 2000
SOUTH
AFRICA. Major Oil Spill Threatens Nearly Half of Penguin Species.
THE largest
bird rescue operation in history is underway in South Africa as
volunteers and defense forces struggle in heavy weather to save
more than 70,000 Jackass penguins from Robben Island and Dassen
Island. The freighter Treasure, sailing from Brazil to China, has
sunk off Cape Town releasing 1,400 tonnes of oil. Robben Island
off Cape Town was home to around 20,000 of the rare birds before
the disaster while Dassen Island, 50 kms (30 miles) north, contains
the largest breeding colony with around 50,000. The total world
population is about 150,000. Conservationists say that the task
of cleaning the oil-covered birds is arduous and there are not enough
trained people to keep up with the numbers. Jackass penguins are
the only penguins which breed in Africa.
Looking-Glass
Say...
Our
reports LGVN on oil spills is becoming all too familiar, as each
month more disasters occur and research increasingly suggests long
term and irrecoverable damage to the environment. (See Tickertape
archives) We can only, yet again, call for an immediate review into
world wide ship building standards. To make by law, a global standard
that all oil carriers are built or upgraded to "impenetrable
double skin module" standards. For
discussion see GGL's at VeggieGlobal.com
IRISH
BADGER THREAT
IRELAND'S Department of Agriculture has recently given a commitment
to farming interests to intensify it's badger-killing strategy in
the coming year. Thousands of more badgers now face extermination
for their UNPROVEN link to bovine TB (mycobacterium bovis) in cattle.
September 1st, this year marks the start of the latest cull in which
an estimated 10,000 badgers will be slaughtered. 75 extra 'dedicated'
staff are to be appointed to do the job. To date, close on 30,000
animals have been legally killed by the Department. This month in
Veggieglobal you can read the full report on this news item and
interact with the issue through Voice-Over
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