Wildlife

This article describes the International Elephant Foundation's efforts to protect and conserve the African and Asian Elephants. The African Elephant population has fallen from 1.6 million to fewer than 500,000 in the past 25 years, while Asian Elephants are ten times more endangered than their African counterparts.

This survey by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department assesses residents' attitudes toward various wildlife species including deer, black bear, moose, wild turkeys, and others. Also, the frequency of human-wildlife conflicts and residents' attitudes toward them are also examined within the scope of this study by Responsive Management.

This portion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library is dedicated to zoos, circuses, and marine mammal parks and animals, which are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act. Resources listed here pertain to the Animal Welfare Act and other various guidelines relating to these venues.

Although hunting -- and consequently state revenue associated with hunting activities -- is on the decline across the United States, many states are trying to booster interest in hunting by attracting new and younger people through various mechanisms.

The majority of British Columbians believe that black bear hunting should be allowed to continue, when presented with common arguments used by hunters. Respondents to this study were given a skewed explanation of the regulations by which hunters are expected to abide.

More than two-thirds (70%) of Japanese people do not support their country's whaling in the Southern Ocean, according to this Greenpeace survey.

According to this survey by WildAid and the Social Survey Institute Of China, Chinese consumers have little understanding of the negative environmental impacts of shark losses, while public support for shark conservation is mounting. The survey also produced in-depth information on the status of shark fin consumption, and identified public attitudes toward shark conservation in China.

Estimates show that about 11,600 tons of illegal bush meat were smuggled into Britain during 2003, mostly through luggage. The number of seizures of such illegal imports has more than doubled from 7,819 tons in the year ending April 2003 to 15,838 tons for the year ending April 2004. However, that represents less than 1% of the government's estimate of the illegal meat trade.

This survey of people residing in the southeastern United States assessed public opinion of fish and wildlife agencies and related management issues, finding that most people in Florida disapprove of legal hunting and do not consider legal hunting opportunities to be important. Moreover, most Floridians do not believe that efforts to conserve wildlife habitat are adequate.

The goals of animal rights groups and conservation biologists are often at odds; animal rights groups seek preservation of a species and at times conservation biologist recommend eradication of a species. According to this paper, "scientists in general, and conservation biologists dealing with invasive alien species in particular, should consult with social scientists and moral philosophers to gain a better understanding of the implications of some of their policy decisions. Once they understand animal rights views, the chance for cooperation will be much higher. Examining these two cases can supply the key to future cooperation between the two sides, and can help scientist avoid future opposition from animal rights advocates."