The following is a statement by the World Wildlife Fund on their web site: WWF safeguards hundreds of species around the world, but we focus special attention on our flagship species: giant pandas, tigers, endangered whales and dolphins, rhinos, elephants, marine turtles and great apes. These species not only need special measures and extra protection in order to survive, they also serve as umbrella species: helping them helps numerous other species that live in the same habitats.

The truth of the matter is that the disappearance is wildlife is of great concern. Here is one species that the WWF might add to their special list of flagship species: Homo sapiens. Perhaps we fit under the current umbrella.

We humans fit into the picture as mammals. That is we have mammary glands and give birth to live critters rather than lay eggs. We are also vertebrates having back ache when we get old or we lift too much. We are fragile and disruption of the environment of other animals disrupts our environment. Species now extinct can not be resurrected by man. The endangered species MUST be preserved.

Giant Panda

WWF is trying to save the giant panda because they are so cute. They have been working with China for some time. WWF says there are only about 1600 pandas in the wild. The rest are in the Washington Zoo.

I visited the pandas at the Washington Zoo back when they were first loaned to us by China. I have not seen the current pair loaned to us for 10 years by China, Mei Xiang, now 6, and Tian Tian, 7, who arrived from China in 2000. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25057-2005Mar10.html?nav=rss_metro.

The pandas have had trouble breeding, as reported in the URL above, the males are particularly dumb. Artificial insemination doesnt work too well either. Read about the rash of panda births last year at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/NewsEvents/babyboom.cfm. The survival rate is not high.

It seems that pandas do better in the wild then in zoos. China has made major advances on how to feed them and breed them. Lets hope that progress continues. The real solution is to preserve the pandas habitat. One note: The cute little buggers can be dangerous. They are not all that cuddly. Got pepper spray?

Tigers

WWF says that tigers are mean but pretty. Not many more than 7500 now exist in the world, mostly in India. They are scarce or extinct in many areas of previous habitat. The encroachment of large populations and loss of habitat are major contributors to their demise. I know from experience in Korea that the fantastic Siberian tiger is not resistant to 30 caliber machinegun fire. They shouldnt rattle those cans in the bobbed wire.

One thing about tigers is that they fit in nicely in zoos. Unlike the panda that cant seem to reproduce when fertility experts are watching, the tiger does quite well. A tiger will even mate with a lion creating a tiglion or liger, depending on who is daddy. We had a liger at the Salt Lake City Zoo years back. I think the male was the lion.

WWF is fighting a battle against poachers and traders in tiger parts. This is true of other animals endangered by mankind. Read about the WWF efforts at http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigers/.

Whales and Dolphins

We want to keep our whales and dolphins. They are very smart and fun to watch. Their language contains many more bits of information than ours so we cant understand them when they describe their great voyages of thousands of miles under the sea. We can only guess at what they are saying. Whales sing like birds and better than some people. They sing and sing and sing.

Hunting is still a hazard to whales, especially if they are being shot at by harpoon cannon from a big floating butcher shop. Swimming around in waters infested by fast moving ships is bad enough.

Our ship hit a whale when it was on its way to Korea. We knew because the ships crew told us so. It was on the crossing before our crossing. They said it made a big THUMP.

WFF says that fishing nets are a big problem for dolphins. I cant imagine a Blue whale getting into that kind of fix, but maybe a small whale could. You better read about that at http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/.

We need those whales. When the petroleum gives out, what are we going to use for lamp oil? (Just Kidding! Dont write in. Surmising: If we had not discovered petroleum would there be any whales swimming in our oceans today?)

Im going to quit here. I cant think about what has happened and is happening to elephants, rhinos, and the big apes.

Each of us should take an interest in wildlife and its preservation. Cough up a little dough to WWF. It will make a difference to those critters we all love. Just get a signed statement from WWF that they wont be out there tromping down the flora and scaring the hell out of the fauna.

Im glad the Ivory Billed Woodpecker is back. I knew he was out there somewhere.