| Explosive end for sick whale Explosives have been used to euthanase an ill humpback whale that washed up onto a sandbar off Western Australia's south-west coast. abc.net.au |
Yoga bear strikes a pose at Finnish zoo Tourist captures Santra's stretching routine on camera, and expert says it may be a bear necessity to stay saneNot all members of the ursine community waste their time persecuting park rangers, corrupting their diminutive sidekicks and gorging themselves on stolen picnic baskets. As these remarkable pictures demonstrate, Santra is altogether more spiritual – and lithe – than the average bear.The photographs of the female brown bear performing a 15-minute stretching routine were shot by a Slovenian tourist on a visit to the Ahtari zoo in Finland."She held her legs with her hands for a minute or two in a V position and then put them down and relaxed," said Meta Penca, a 29-year-old web programmer."Then she put up her left leg and put it straight with her hands and held it with her left hand for a bit. Then she lifted the other leg, straightened it and held it with her right hand for around two minutes and then had a little rest and then all over again."It was exactly the same as when you see people do yoga; easy, slow, focused and calm. She looked pretty into it, a really straight face, no looking around just very serious and calm and kept her eyes slightly opened and focused."Paul Harvey, a Bristol-based yoga teacher and trainer, said Santra was indeed practising the ancient Indian discipline."She looks like quite a lonely bear," he said. "Perhaps she's doing yoga to keep herself sane."Harvey, who has taught yoga for 35 years, identified a number of posture variations in Penca's pictures."The first is spread legs, holding big toes or feet – and she's doing a pretty good job with claws," he said."The second is the same posture, with chanting. The third is a one leg variation, the fourth a variation with the other leg. The fifth is a seated head-to-foot posture. Six is a single raised leg stretch and seven is a seated, spread-legs forward bend."The bear's flexibility and balance, he added, marked her out as something of an expert: "These are not beginners' postures. Yogi bear is definitely an advanced practitioner."FinlandYogaAnimalsAnimal behaviourSam Jonesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Taser firm loses licence after Raoul Moat stand-off Pro-Tect stripped of right to import and sell stun guns after supplying weapons direct to police rather than Home OfficeThe Home Office licence of the company that supplied the Tasers used during the standoff with gunman Raoul Moat was revoked today by the home secretary .The Home Office said the company involved, Pro-Tect systems, had breached its licence by supplying X12 Tasers directly to the police. The licence only gave the firm permission to supply the stun guns to the Home Office's science and development branch for testing.The Home Office also said Pro-Tect breached "rules governing the secure transport of the devices and ammunition".The move means that Pro-Tect, the only supplier of Tasers in the UK, will no longer be able to import and sell the devices.The decision followed media reports that the Tasers fired at Moat during the six-hour standoff in Rothbury, Northumberland, were not licensed. The gunman's death brought the standoff to an end.Moat was on the run last July after shooting his former girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart, 22, killing her boyfriend, Chris Brown, 29, and blinding PC David Rathband, 42.Northumbria firearms officers fired two Tasers at the former nightclub doorman in an "effort to stop him taking his own life", the inquest into his death was told.James Brokenshire, the Home Office minister, said in a letter to the Commons home affairs select committee that short-term authority had been granted to allow Pro-Tect to dispose of its remaining stock. "You will wish to know that we are working with Acpo [the Association of Chief Police Officers] to ensure that police forces continue to have adequate Taser stocks to cover any transition."The Home Office said it was satisfied that the company had supplied Tasers and ammunition to Northumbria police and another police force contrary to its authority. There was no suggestion that firearms officers were at fault.A Home Office spokesman said: "Inquiries following the Raoul Moat operation revealed Pro-Tect breached its licence by supplying Tasers direct to police … The inquiries carried out by Northamptonshire police also revealed the company breached rules governing the secure transport of the devices and ammunition. Faced with these breaches, the home secretary has decided to revoke Pro-Tect's licence to supply Tasers."The X12 Taser is fired from a 12-gauge shotgun and was being tested by the Home Office before being approved for use by police forces in England and Wales.The Home Office stressed that the police could use any weapon they saw fit as long as its use was lawful, reasonable and proportionate.The Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation into the circumstances of Moat's death is continuing. An IPCC spokesman said that it was looking into the acquisition, authorisation and deployment of the XRep Tasers from a police perspective. The licensing of weapons, however, was a matter for the Home Office, he said.Amnesty International said it was seriously concerned that the Taser appeared to have been used without going through the official weapons testing and approval process. "The Taser XRep is a potentially lethal weapon which fires electric shock bullet-like capsules from a standard 12-gauge shotgun or the new-style Taser weapon," said Oliver Sprague, for Amnesty. "It can send up to 20 seconds of the same intense and debilitating pain as the traditional Taser. The traditional Taser sends five seconds of electric shock."Raoul MoatPoliceWeapons technologyArms tradeAlan Travisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Jump in whale deaths blamed on krill, ship traffic By 2010-10-11T01:06:16ZSAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- An increase in the population of a tiny crustacean and busy shipping lanes are being blamed for a jump in the number of whale deaths in Northern California waters this year.... hosted.ap.org |
Birdbooker Report 141 Compiled by an ardent bibliophile, this is a weekly report about nature, science and history books that have been newly published in North America and the UK.Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky,My pile of books is a mile high.How I love them! How I need them!I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. ~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books. Compiled by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, the Birdbooker Report is a long-running weekly report listing the wide variety of nature, natural history, ecology, animal behaviour, science and history books that have been newly released or republished in North America and in the UK. The books listed here were received by Ian during the previous week, courtesy of these various publishing houses. Featured Titles: Forshaw, Joseph M. Parrots of the World. 2010. Princeton University Press/Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd. Paperback: 328 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S. [Amazon UK; Amazon US]. SUMMARY: From the macaws of South America to the cockatoos of Australia, parrots are among the most beautiful and exotic birds in the world -- and also among the most endangered. This stunningly illustrated, easy-to-use field guide covers all 356 species and well-differentiated subspecies of parrots, and is the only guide organized by geographical distribution -- Australasian, Afro-Asian, and neotropical. It features 146 superb color plates depicting every kind of parrot, as well as detailed, facing-page species accounts that describe key identification features, distribution, subspeciation, habitat, and status. Color distribution maps show ranges of all subspecies, and field identification is further aided by relevant upperside and underside flight images. This premier field guide also shows where to observe each species in the wild, helping make this the most comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the parrots of the world. * The only parrot guide to focus on geographical distribution * Covers all 356 species * Features 146 color plates depicting all species and well-differentiated subspecies * Provides detailed facing-page species accounts that describe key identification features, distribution, subspeciation, habitat, and status * Includes color distribution maps * Shows where to observe each species in the wildIAN'S RECOMMENDATION: This book is the field guide version of the author's Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide (2006) [Amazon UK; Amazon US]. The artwork by Frank Knight highlights this book! Anyone interested in parrots will want this book! Lamb, Andy and Phil Edgell. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest (revised and expanded second edition). 2010. Harbour Publishing. Paperback: 335 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S. [Amazon UK; Amazon US]. SUMMARY: A completely revised and updated edition of this best-selling comprehensive field guide to marine fishes of BC, Washington, Oregon, southern Alaska and Northern California. Written by a marine biologist and illustrated in colour by a prizewinning underwater photographer, Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest identifies each fish by its common name and is illustrated with full-colour photographs and labelled sketches. Special sections present catching tips for anglers and commercial fishermen; location hints for divers, beachcombers and pleasure boaters; and cooking ideas for seafood gourmets. The information included in these sections provides a brief but detailed description of each fish's habitat, physical characteristics and behaviour -- everything that a fisherman or an amateur naturalist needs to know!IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone interested in the marine fishes of the Pacific Northwest of North America! New and Recent Titles: Hangay, George and Paul Zborowski. A Guide to the Beetles of Australia. 2010. CSIRO Publishing. Paperback: 238 pages. Price: $40.00 U.S. [Amazon UK; Amazon US]. SUMMARY: A Guide to the Beetles of Australia provides a comprehensive introduction to the Coleoptera – a huge and diverse group of insects. Beetles make up 40 per cent of all insects known to science. The number of described beetle species in the world -- around 350,000 -- is more than six times the number of all vertebrate species. New beetle species are being discovered all the time. Of the 30,000 species that may occur in Australia, only 20,000 have been scientifically described. These include around 6500 weevils (Curculionidae), 2600 scarabs, dung beetles and chafers (Scarabaeidae); and 2250 leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae). A Guide to the Beetles of Australia highlights the enormous diversity of this unique insect Order. It emphasises the environmental role of beetles, their relationships with other plants and animals, and their importance to humans.IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in beetles, especially the Australian species. Keddy, Paul A. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (Second Edition). 2010. Cambridge University Press. Paperback: 497 pages. Price: $69.00 U.S. [Amazon UK; Amazon US]. SUMMARY: Richly illustrated and packed with numerous examples, this unique global perspective introduces wetland ecology from basic principles to advanced applications. Thoroughly revised and reorganised, this new edition of this prize-winning textbook begins with underlying causal factors, before moving on to more advanced concepts that add depth and context. Each chapter begins with an explanation of the basic principles covered, illustrated with clear examples. More difficult concepts and exceptions are introduced only once the general principle is well-established. Key principles are now discussed at the beginning of the book, and in order of relative importance, enabling students to understand the most important material without wading through complex theory. New chapters on wetland restoration and wetland services draw upon practical examples from around the world, providing a global context, and a new chapter on research will be particularly relevant to the advanced student planning their own studies.IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: Those with a technical interest in wetland ecology will find this textbook useful. Møller, Anders Pape et al. (editors). Effects of Climate Change on Birds. 2010. Oxford University Press. Paperback: 321 pages. Price: $62.95 U.S. [Amazon UK; Amazon US]. SUMMARY: Climate change affects all living organisms; it has done so in the past and will do so in the future. However, current climate change is exceptional both in terms of the rate of change and the impact of multiple types of global change on individuals, populations, species, and ecosystems. Effects of Climate Change on Birds provides an exhaustive and up-to-date synthesis of the science of climate change as it relates to birds. Compared with any other class of animals, birds provide more long-term data and extensive time series (some dating back more than 100 years), a more geographically and taxonomically diverse source of information, and a longer tradition of extensive research. In fact this research record exceeds what is available in all other organisms combined. IAN'S RECOMMENDATION: For those with a technical interest on the subject. You can read the early Birdbooker Reports in the archives on my former ScienceBlogs site, and Ian now has his own website, The Birdbooker Report, where you can read his synopses about newly published science, nature and animal books.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |