Moon Bear
Asiatic black bear, Tibetan black bear, Himalayan black bear, moon bear
Ursus thibetanus
Their ability to balance proficiently on their hind feet mean that they are sometimes trained as cubs to dance for human amusement.
Life span 25 years.
Statistics Body length: 130-190cm, Weight: males: 100-200kg, female: 50-125kg.
Physical Description Asiatic black bears have long black fur with a distinct white patch on the chest that is often crescent-shaped. The fur around the shoulders and throat is particularly long, and their ears are relatively large.
Distribution Asiatic black bears live in eastern Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Habitat They inhabit forested areas, particularly hill and mountainous regions.
Diet Asiatic black bears are more carnivorous than their American counterparts, although only a small part of their diet is made up of meat. This includes small mammals, birds, fish, molluscs and carcasses. They also feed on grasses, fruits, berries, seeds, insects and honey. In autumn they fatten up for the winter by feeding on nuts.
Behaviour Asiatic black bears are solitary except for maternal family groups, and occupy a home range of 10-20 square km. They are most active at night, although in some areas they may be active during the day as well.
Reproduction Asiatic black bears mate from June to July and give birth during January and February. Females give birth to 1-4 cubs, which are born blind and helpless.
Conservation status The subspecies U.t.gedrosianus (Baluchistan) is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered, but other subspecies are classified as Vulnerable. They are on CITES: Appendix I. Deforestation and loss of habitat are the main problems they face. They are killed by farmers due to the threat they pose to livestock, and they are also unpopular for their habit of stripping valuable timber trees of bark and reducing the value. Asiatic black bears are also hunted for their gall bladders, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Notes Unlike American black bears, Asiatic black bears are notoriously aggressive towards humans and there are numerous records of human attacks and killings. This is mainly due to the fact that they are more likely to come into contact with humans, and they will often attack if surprised.
Source: BBC Science & Nature.
If you want to know more about Moon Bears and their disturbing reality in the gall bladder farming in China, please check Animals Asia, an organization that aims to ban bile farms in China and Vietnam.
That's Andrew in the photo, the famous 3-legged Moon Bear, the icon of Moon Bear rescuing, as he was the first Bear to be rescued in China by Animals Asia. Andrew died last year.
Give me a call, says the leopard.
India Uses 'Mooing' Ringtones To Catch Leopards
The wild cats in the state of Gujarat often roam into villages near forests in search of food, say officials, adding that this results in attacks on people.
But rather than use methods such as live bait like goats tied to trees to lure the leopards, which then fall into large pits dug by guards, officials say they have found a safer method to trap the cats.
"The moos of a cow, bleating of a goat from the phone has proved effective to trap leopards," said D. Vasani, a senior forest official in Gujarat. "This trick works."
Vasani said forest guards have downloaded the sounds of over a dozen animals as ringtones on their mobiles which they attach to speakers and fix behind a cage.
They then play the ringtone continuously for up to two hours until the curious leopard appears and moves into the cage looking for its easy meal.
Five leopards have so far been lured from villages since the new ringtone method was introduced a month ago. The cats have all been released back into forest areas.
Wildlife activists welcomed the new initiative saying that previous methods of trapping the cats using pits often resulted in the animals getting injured.
A pause for famous thinkers
George Farnum
"We need a moral philosophy in which the concept of love,so rarely mentioned now by the philosophers, is made central."
Iris Murdoch
Snakes, lizards and other weird pets
All sorts of strange animals for the most exquisite owners travel across the world and end up...here!
Exotic pet trade happens everywhere. Even though I might disagree with it, it will not affect me negatively, as long as the animals are not taken from the natural wild stocks.
Boa constrictor imperator
First specimens were taken from the wild. And many still illegally are, unfortunately. Those animals are most likely to die, as a result of travelling stress, maladjustment, poor nutrition and unthriveness in captivity. Therefore, because the trade is growing in a fast way there are many farms that grow these animals, which are more adapted to living in a confined environment. The trade of some species is regulated by the CITES agreement, and need special permits.
These animals demand very specific conditions for being kept and temperature, moist, feed, light must be given in the correct amount or animals may not thrive.
Snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises travel in cloth bags, polypropylene boxes, plastic cups, wooden boxes, and that's to way to do it....
There are a few shops in Macau that import exotic animals for sale, breeding and for their own personal collection. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaLeopard Gecko
Well, given the country where we are living in, it is expected that these animals may stimulate some desires in the most exquisite...eaters.... Yes, some people want to buy them just for the sake of tasting a new delicacy!!
One petshop owner said that many casino gambling winners frequently go there and want to buy those creatures just for tasting them!! Amazing!!
A nice fat raccoon would go well for dinner tonight...or a special Amazonian Frog..... or even a highly protect and trade-restricted Anatole lizard would be perfect for breakfast!
Huummm animal lovers are deeply offended by these hungry visitors and so they kindly (or not) request hungry customers to leave...bare handed and with an empty stomach. Of course!!!
Yellow footed tortoise
The owner of these rare animals that had just arrived at Macau airport from a 36 hour long trip all the way from USA has no less than 80 different species at HOME!
He loves all of them. Unluckily he recently lost his "normal" dog. Hope he found him! Should be easier to find than a lost snake or frog...
Dear Rainforest
Mr & Mrs Pig.
Lovely pig couple at Seac Pai Van Park, in Coloane.
(Left - Mrs Pig and Right - Mr. Pig).
Did you know?
Males have wider jaws and when fully mature, 2 strong tusks grow to the sides of lower jaw.
Mother pig is called sow, father pig is the boar and their babies are the piglets.
Pigs roll in the mud to cool their skin because they have no sweat glands and can't sweat.
Pigs are fourth on the intelligence list. (Humans are first, non-human primates are second, dolphins/whales are third and pigs are fourth.) With such brains, pigs can learn very quickly.
Despite popular belief, pigs are one of the cleanest animals there are. When given a choice, pigs are particular about not going to the bathroom anywhere near where they live or eat.
Ballet dancers?? Pigs look like they walk on tiptoe because they actually walk on only two out of the four toes that are on each hoof.
Pigs have a fantastic sense of smell and are used by some police departments to sniff out drugs.
Pigs can scream LOUD. The scream of a jet engine taking off measures 113 decibels. The scream of a frightened pig can measure 115 decibels.
The first book on raising pigs was written in 3468 BC by Emperor Fo Hi of China.
Pigs don't have fleas because a pig's skin is so thick.
Pigs are omnivores (just like people) and can eat plants or animals.
Pigs can make great pets for people with allergies because they don't shed their hair. Like other animals, pigs can have different colors of hair.
When was the last time you saw a live Pig??
It's sad that most kids in big cities kids have never seen a cow or a pig or a chicken....other than inside the fridge.
Well, at least these lucky two have a no-worries life.
Endangered Orangutans
The world has experienced, in its history, 5 massive species extinction episodes, all due to natural disasters. We are now going through the 6th extinction. Man made. Our choice!
Many animal and plant species have vanished and many more are on the way.
Because the world belongs to all of us, it doesn't belong to any of us at all. It's only ours to care and protect and leave it for our descendants, humans and non-humans....
Being decimated by illegal pet and show trade and greedy forest devastation for palm oil plantations, orangutans are gentle, dignified and contemplative creatures that deserve a chance to thrive and survive in the wild tropical forest of Borneo and Sumatra, their last habitat.
Conception, a start
con•cep•tion |kənˈsep sh ən|
noun
1. the action of conceiving a child or of a child being conceived : an unfertilized egg before conception | a rise in premarital conceptions.
• the forming or devising of a plan or idea : the time between a product's conception and its launch.
2. the way in which something is perceived or regarded : our conception of how language relates to reality.
• a general notion; an abstract idea : the conception of a balance of power.
• a plan or intention : reconstructing Bach's original conceptions.
• understanding; ability to imagine : he had no conceptions of politics.
conception |thesaurus|
noun
1. from conception until natural death INCEPTION OF PREGNANCY, conceiving, fertilization, impregnation, insemination.
2. the product's conception INCEPTION, genesis, origination, creation, invention; beginning, origin.
3. his original conception PLAN, scheme, project, proposal; intention, aim, idea.
4. my conception of democracy IDEA, concept, notion, understanding, abstraction; theory, hypothesis; perception, image, impression.
5. they had no conception of our problems UNDERSTANDING, comprehension, appreciation, grasp, knowledge; idea, inkling; informal clue.