bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Turtle Tragedy
Authors: Harrisson Tom
Published: April 2009

The world's turtles are decreasing at a rate which, if unchecked, could mean their extinction before the end of the century. In March this year a group of marine turtle specialists from all over the world met at IUCN headquarters in Switzerland to discuss what action could and should be taken. Professor Tom Harrisson, who is a specialist on the turtles of the South China Sea and Vice Chairman of the SSC Turtle Group, attended the meeting and drafted the first version of the agreed statement, the opening paragraphs of which are quoted at the beginning of this article, and the recommendations for action – ‘the now attack’ – at the end.
Wildlife in the USA: Who Conserves it and Why
Authors: Denson Eley P.
Published: April 2009

Eighteen million hunters are the backbone of the wildlife conservation movement in the USA. Wildlife is for use, for sport and for food, and they demand that it be conserved. As a result many species which, sixty years ago, were on the verge of extinction are once again numerous in the wild. One state alone estimates its deer population at 2¾ million. Under harvesting is often the problem now, and a new attitude to predators is emerging. The author is a member of the Office of Endangered Species/International Activities in the US Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife.
The Last Nakuru Hartebeest
Authors: Gosling L. M.
Published: April 2009

The Nakuru hartebeest is virtually extinct. Only one male survives thanks to thoughtless slaughter. This article consists of extracts from a report to the Kenya Game Department by the author, then at University College, Nairobi, ending with a note by him on the scientific reason for conserving subspecies such as this hartebeest.
The Black Rhinoceros in Zambia
Authors: Ansell W. F. H.
Published: April 2009

In Zambia's main wildlife areas, such as the Luangwa valley and the Kafue national park, the black rhinoceros populations are now stable and in some places even increasing—a striking reversal of the pre-war situation. Provided effective control can be maintained by the Department of Game and Fisheries, the author, who is a member of the department, suggests that there is no reason why they should not continue to thrive.
Visit to Cousin Island
Authors: Beamish Tony
Published: April 2009

A 70-acre granite island in the Seychelles with a remarkable bird population, Cousin Island was bought last year for a wildlife reserve by the ICBP (International Council for Bird Preservation) and a warden installed. Tony Beamish, who has made an excellent film of the island's wildlife, describes some of the changes.
Oil and Wildlife in Alaska
Authors: Scott Peter
Published: April 2009

The discovery in Alaska of oilfields that promise to be among the richest in the world has raised some complex problems for conservationists. Alaska has a rich and impressive wildlife and habitats that are extremely vulnerable; in summer, when the surface soil thaws out on top of the permanently frozen layers below, one caterpillar tractor can make scars that may lead to disastrous erosion and take years to heal. And how are migrating caribou to get over the unburied parts of a four-foot diameter pipeline that runs for hundreds of miles across their traditional routes. BP, conscious of their responsibility for the wildlife and the habitat, asked Peter Scott to go to Alaska and report on the situation and what could be done to minimise the impact of the oil developments on the wildlife. The following account is drawn in part from his report and in part from his article published in the house magazine BP Shield.
Ghana's Forest Wildlife in Danger
Authors: Jeffrey Sonia M.
Published: April 2009

Timber operators building access roads open up the forest in Western Ghana and make it easy for farmer-settlers to come in. The roads also enable them to get their produce to the towns to sell, and thus the farms become profitable and expand, and the wildlife disappears. At the same time the slaughter of wildlife in the forest reserves (its only refuge) is severe and continual, largely because meat is scarce. The author pleads for some forest reserves to be made game reserves as well so as to protect the forest wildlife.
Elephants or Fire—Which to Blame?
Authors: Lawton R. M. , Gough Mary
Published: April 2009

Is it always necessary to cull large populations of wild animals such as elephants and hippos, when they appear to be destroying their habitat? In ORYX May 1969, C. A. R. Savory argued the case for doing so in Rhodesia, and the question of whether to crop elephants in parks such as the Tsavo and the Kruger has caused heated controversy. In this article the authors, drawing on their experience of the Luangwa Valley in Zambia, where a cropping scheme was started in 1966, suggest that what appears to be destruction there may not necessarily be so, and that the real vegetation killer is fire in the dry season. R. M. Lawton is an ecologist with the Land Resources Division of the British Directorate of Overseas Surveys, and Mrs Gough is a skilled observer of animal behaviour with considerable experience in Zambia.
A Future for Crocodiles
Authors: Bustard H. Robert
Published: April 2009

Papua and New Guinea have the makings of a sizeable skin industry based on the two native crocodiles. But the industry today is in danger of collapse as a result of overhunting in the accessible crocodile areas. The best hope for conserving the crocodile is to build up the numbers to enable the industry to thrive on a sustained yield basis, so that the people will accept crocodile conservation as sensible, practicable and profitable. Dr. Bustard has made an extensive survey and study of the problem in the Territory, and here describes the situation and the recommendations he has made to the Government.
The Gambia's First Nature Reserve
Authors: Thomson Landsborough
Published: April 2009

Following its policy of helping small countries, which have special difficulties in protecting their wildlife, the FPS Council asked Sir Landsborough Thomson, one of our Vice-Presidents, to investigate the proposed Abuko nature reserve in The Gambia, for which we had received an appeal for help. This is the first and only reserve in this small independent state (200 miles long by less than 20 wide). On the basis of his favourable report the FPS advanced £3000 from the FPS'WWF Revolving Fund to pay for the necessary fencing. In an interview with the Prime Minister, Sir Landsborough learned of the other proposed conservation measures likely to be promulgated in this forward-looking country in the near future.
Plastic for Game Catching
Authors: Oelofse Jan
Published: April 2009

Faced with the problem of having to capture large numbers of game animals on difficult terrain and in a short time, the author, who is Senior Capture Officer of the Natal Parks Board in South Africa, hit on a remarkably simple and highly successful method. He found that large animals like antelopes will not attempt to go through or past plastic material, and by making a cheap and simple plastic ‘curtain’ he could drive them with a helicopter into waiting lorries. This way he captured 3500 animals in four months.
Rarities in a Museum
Authors: Howes C. A. , Bamber M.
Published: April 2009

The authors have compiled a list of specimens of endangered and recently extinct mammals in the outstanding collections of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter. All those listed are in the IUCN Red Data Book except the extinct quagga, koala (recently endangered but now greatly increased and well protected), diademed sifaka, rufous rat-kangaroo and Astor and Kashmir markhors.
Small Mammal Protection in Europe
Authors: Kirk Gustav H.
Published: April 2009

Britain lags behind many European countries in the protection of wildlife other than birds, although there is a move now to promote a general wildlife protection bill which could be used to protect particular species as and when the need arose. In this article Herr Kirk, who has written a book on mammal protection in Europe, has listed the European countries in which particular small mammals are protected.
The Skin Shops
Authors: Wright Anne
Published: April 2009

Last year the Indian Government imposed a total ban on the export of tiger and leopard skins, and goods made from such skins. Also all the Indian states banned tiger shooting — none too soon — and possibly too late, for the latest census figures suggest that tigers may now have dropped as low as 1500 for the whole of India. In this article, written in the first place for the Junior Statesman in India, Anne Wright, our FPS correspondent in India and a member of the Cat Group of the Survival Service Commission, who lives hi Calcutta, describes what she saw on several visits to the back streets of Calcutta. This explains one of the biggest drams on tigers and leopards in India.
Zoos' Help for a Rare Monkey
Authors: Hill Clyde A.
Published: April 2009

The lion-tailed macaque of southern India is in danger; even in 1963 there were probably fewer than a thousand in the wild. But zoos have found them easy to obtain, and a survey this year showed 79 in US zoos. The author, who is Associate Curator of Mammals at San Diego Zoo, having visited India and seen how precarious was the monkey's situation in the wild, proposed that AAZPA (American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums) should consider starting a captive breeding project using animals already in American zoos. In September 1970 AAZPA agreed to do this and also placed restrictions on imports of the macaque by its members. The author is chairman of the committee that is running the project, and appeals for European and other zoos to take part.
USA Gets Tough on Whales
Authors: Fitter Richard
Published: April 2009

The FPS Hon. Secretary reports on the International Whaling Commission's meeting in Washington which he attended on behalf of the Society. A major step forward was the decision to abolish the blue whale unit, but the quota fixed for the next season was again unrealistically high and the USA shows signs of losing patience.
Easter Island: A Last Outpost
Authors: Harrisson Tom
Published: April 2009

Man is the only land vertebrate to have successfully colonised the remote Easter Island, and his domestic animals graze almost the whole island. Three, perhaps four species of sea turtle occur, and of fourteen species of seabird, eight breed, some in very large numbers. Five bird species have been introduced with unhappy results. There is now a weekly air service to Easter Island, and Dr. Harrisson, who spent eight days there early this year, urges the need for careful study of conservation problems and support for the Chilean government.
The Orang-utan in Sabah Today
Authors: MacKinnon John
Published: April 2009

Anyone who has ever kept orang-utans would agree that they are the most lovable and fascinating of animals. Their sad expressions and reserved ways give them a depth of character rare outside our own species. Man's interest in them has been great for hundreds of years and cave deposits from Sarawak show that our ancestors of thirty thousand years ago shared this interest. Yet the orang-utan or ‘man of the woods’ has now become the rarest, most threatened and least understood of all the apes.
Monk Seals in Libya
Authors: Norris W. J. T.
Published: April 2009

The seriously endangered Mediterranean monk seal has not been recorded off Libya since 1810. Mr Norris lived in Libya in 1966–68, and is able to report regular offshore sightings on the inaccessible Marmarican coast, two occasions in the early 1960s when a ‘strange fish’ with ‘whiskers like a man’ and a cry ‘like a woman’ hauled up on a beach within Tobruk harbour, and one established breeding colony of 20 or more animals living in submarine offshore caves, known to local fishermen and never molested by them.
Gorilla Census
Authors: Harcourt A. H. , Groom A. F. G.
Published: April 2009

The authors spent three months in the Virunga volcanoes, in Rwanda, making a census of mountain gorilla groups as an aid to Dian Fossey’s long-term studies of this highly endangered primate. The FPS assisted this census with a grant from the Oryx 100% Fund.
Artificial Insemination for Species in Danger
Authors: Francoeur Robert T.
Published: April 2009

Artificial insemination is widely used throughout the world in the breeding of domestic animals. Why should not this technique be adapted and applied to build up populations of rare and endangered species?
Mammals in Nigeria
Authors: Happold David
Published: April 2009

In the article ‘New Attitudes in Nigeria’, by John Henshaw and Gilbert S. Child (Oryx 11, 4: 275–283) there are some errors which I should like to correct, although lack of information on the distribution of many species makes it difficult to be precise.
Spotted Cats in Latin America: an Interim Report
Authors: Mittermeier Russell A.
Published: April 2009

Dr Karl B. Koford spent seven months last year studying the status and distribution of the spotted cats, especially jaguar and ocelot, in tropical America from Mexico south to Brazil and Argentina. This project, to which FPS contributed through the Oryx 100% Fund, is mainly funded by the International Fur Trade Federation (as part of the agreement in December 1970 that introduced a voluntary ban on the use of five endangered fur species, including leopards and the cheetah), the Frankfurt Zoological Society and WWF. The following is taken from Dr Koford's ‘interim conservation review’—his final report will come later this year—together with some points from his separate reports on ten Latin American countries.
The Yeti — not a Snowman
Authors: McNeely J. A. , Cronin E. W. , Emery H. B.
Published: April 2009

In this survey of the evidence for the yeti's existence and likely identity, the authors point out that the misleadingly named ‘abominable snowman’ is not a creature of the snows at all, but should be looked for in the dense Himalayan forests, which could support it. At present the authors are engaged in studying one such forest area, the Arun Valley between Everest and Kanchenjunga, on behalf of the Thailand Association for the Conservation of Wildlife. In January this year they reported having had ‘three incidents involving yeti so far, but only one yielded solid evidence’. On December 18 Cronin's and Emery's tent on a ridge in the upper Arun ‘was visited by an animal which left tracks that are not referable to any known animal’—see the photograph by Jeflrey McNeely on the next page.
Tunisia's Wildlife
Authors: Willan R. G. M.
Published: April 2009

Early in 1972 the author visited Tunisia at the request of the British Council to study all aspects of nature conservation. This article is a brief résumé of his report.
Saving the Tiger
Authors: Mountfort Guy
Published: April 2009

In Oryx, September 1972, Zafar Futehally described how, when it was found that the number of tigers in India had dropped to below 2000, Project Tiger was launched, with a Task Force appointed by Mrs Gandhi, and chaired by Dr Karan Singh, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation and of the Indian Wildlife Board; the World Wildlife Fund promised a million dollars if the Indian Government would take the necessary conservation measures, and the President, HRH Prince Bernhard, has launched an international campaign to raise the money. Tiger hunting had already been banned throughout India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, and the US and Britain have banned the import of tiger skins—tigers are one of the five endangered cats covered by the fur trade's voluntary ban agreed in 1970. Last summer the Indian Government produced a very valuable 100-page report on the tiger situation, supported by detailed surveys and proposing the creation of eight tiger reserves based on existing sanctuaries. In this article Guy Mountfort who is a WWF Trustee, and has made a special study of the Indian wildlife situation, describes the proposed reserves and continues the story of what he calls ‘the biggest and most important advance in the conservation of Asiatic wildlife’.
Colobus Monkeys and the Tourist Trade
Authors: Mittermeier Russell A.
Published: April 2009

The beautiful colobus monkey is not yet an endangered species but the author fears that it may become one if the trade in colobus skins continues at its present level. He describes a short survey he made in Kenya and Tanzania, where colobus rugs are a popular item in tourist shops; in only two months he either saw or was told about stocks of skins representing over 27,000 colobus monkeys killed. He suggests that full protection should be given now—before the animal has to go in the Red Data Book—with a ban on all trade in colobus skins until populations can be assessed.
Whaling—almost a Victory
Authors: Fitter Richard
Published: April 2009

The whale has become a symbol of world concern for the preservation of wildlife, concern mostly by people who have not the faintest idea that there is more than one kind of whale, and who do not care about these distinctions anyway. So on the opening day of this year's International Whaling Commission meeting, June 25th, in London, readers of The Times were greeted with a half-page advertisement illustrated with a vertical picture of the blue whale, and titled ‘One is killed every 20 minutes. Is this carnage really necessary?’. The ensuing appeal for the implementation of the Stockholm Conference's call for a ten-year moratorium on commercial whaling was signed by twenty distinguished conservationists, headed by TRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and the Duke of Edinburgh, and nine conservation bodies, including the Fauna Preservation Society, which contributed £200 towards the cost. The FPS Chairman, Sir Peter Scott, and two Vice-Presidents, Sir Frank Fraser Darling and Sir Julian Huxley, were among the individual signatories, who also included the President and Director-General of IUCN, Commander Jacques Cousteau, Professors Jean Dorst and Rene Dubos, Dr Paul Ehrlich, Dr Thor Heyerdahl, Dr Konrad Lorenz, Dr Sicco Mansholt, and the Chairman of the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), Dr J. E. Smith.
Wildlife Imports in Great Britain
Authors: Boyle C. L.
Published: April 2009

On 3rd March 1973 the British Government signed in Washington the ‘Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora’. This, when it is ratified, will govern the trade in hundreds of kinds of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and other animals, besides many plants. Its implementation will set Great Britain and the other signatories an onerous task.
Niger's Threatened Park W
Authors: Poche Richard
Published: April 2009

The author spent three years (1969–1972) in Niger's National Park W (sq called because of its shape), working for the Government as a wildlife biologist. This article contains notes on the three animals that have become extinct in Niger in the last few decades and also on those that are rapidly disappearing today.
The New Red Data Book
Authors: Harrisson Tom
Published: April 2009

The author of this analytical review of the recently published revision of the Mammals Red Data Book has been a member of the Survival Service Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) since 1963, and is one of the five members of the small advisory Alert Group within the Commission. A widely known naturalist and anthropologist, he spent 22 years in Borneo, where he was deeply involved in South-east Asian conservation problems. He also initiated, planned and carried out with General Charles Lindbergh one of the SSC's most successful projects—a two-man mission which persuaded the Philippines Government to act to save the tamaraw, described in Oryx 1969, pages 8 and 87. The SSC is officially responsible for the Red Data Books, the idea for the series being the invention of the chairman, Sir Peter Scott. There are now five volumes: Mammals, Birds, Amphibia and Reptiles, Freshwater Fish and Angiosperms.
Conservation in Malawi—Old and New
Authors: Hayes G. D.
Published: April 2009

When the white man came to Nyasaland—now Malawi—the country teemed with wildlife. The next hundred years saw a fivefold increase in the human population and an immense depletion of the wild animals. Today, although protected only in the five national parks and three game sanctuaries, the wildlife is again increasing, and the main tasks are to develop the reserves and educate the young especially to value them.
The Case for New Domestic Animals
Authors: Crawford Michael A.
Published: April 2009

You do not grow bananas in the north of Scotland or raspberries in the Serengeti. Similarly temperate-zone cattle are not suited to Africa's semi-arid lands but giraffe and eland thrive. So these and other wild species, says the author, should be domesticated for such lands—40 per cent of Africa south of the Sahara is semi-arid—with cattle farming restricted to the highlands. In addition, research on new systems of management should aim to make use of the wild animals’ preferences for different grasses, bush and browse—from the tree-top using giraffe to the root-digging warthog.
Wild Horses and other Endangered Wildlife in Mongolia
Authors: Tsevegmid D. , Dashdorj A.
Published: April 2009

Until the middle of the present century Mongolia was little affected by man, in the sense of interference with and distortion of the natural environment. In 1918 the population of this 600,000-square-mile country was only 640,000, with 9.6 million domestic animals. (The comparable figures today are 1,300,000 and 23.4 million). Thanks to this lack of interference and the protective measures of the Mongolian People's Republic, Mongolia still has some of the rarest of the world's mammals, notably wild horse and camel, Gobi bear and Asian wild ass. The most threatened of them is the Przewalski horse, which some scientists think is extinct. But the two authors believe that it survives in small numbers. They urge the need for large reserved areas where livestock, which compete for the horses' grazing and water, can be eliminated.
Wildlife of a Mountain Reserve in Iran
Authors: Taylor M.E.
Published: April 2009

The Bamu Protected Region, created in 1963, is primarily a restricted hunting area and game reserve of 47,400 hectares. It is not generally open to the public, though special permission to visit it can be obtained from the Department for Environmental Conservation.
Help from the Animal Technician
Authors: Kingston W. R.
Published: April 2009

For many seriously endangered animals captive breeding seems to be the last hope of saving them. Many zoos are trying to do this, but, with some exceptions, without great success so far. The author of this article suggests that conservationists are not making use of the highly skilled animal technicians in laboratories and research stations who could certainly achieve good breeding success with many species at comparatively small cost.
A Park to Save the Arabian Tahr
Authors: Harrison David L. , Gallagher Michael D.
Published: April 2009

There is at present no national park in any part of peninsular Arabia. The FPS therefore welcomed the chance to help Dr Harrison and Major Gallagher formulate their plans for a park in Oman to help save the Arabian tahr and also pioneer the idea of national parks in the Arab world. The FPS approached the Omani authorities, who readily agreed to allow Major Gallagher to make the preliminary survey, and the Society is also sponsoring the proposed scientific expedition in April 1975 described in this article. Michael Gallagher's photograph above was taken in the area.
FPS Tour to Rwanda and Zaire
Authors: Elliott Hugh
Published: April 2009

The Society's tour to Rwanda and Zaïre, in July, broke new ground both for the Society and for any British wildlife tour. The fifteen members who took part were rewarded by, among other things, a wonderful experience of mountain gorillas at ten-foot range and a ring-side view of a live volcano. Sir Hugh was leader of the party.
Wildlife in Mauritius today
Authors: Temple Stanley A.
Published: April 2009

The dodo which once inhabited Mauritius has become the very symbol of extinction by man. Today, nearly 300 years after the last dodo was killed, a unique endemic fauna still survives on the island, but it is now seriously threatened; one species, the Mauritius kestrel, is believed to be down to six in the wild. The author, who has been studying Mauritian conservation problems for the past two years, describes the situation, what has been done to conserve the wildlife, and what is planned.
Unique Research Area in Africa
Authors: Zilberman Stephen P.
Published: April 2009

The Sengwa Research Area in north-west Rhodesia consists of 145 square miles of uninhabited woodland and flood-plain, virtually undisturbed by man and now set aside solely for wildlife research. The author describes the government Research Station and the work going on there, particularly on warthogs, in which he took part in 1972–73.
Wildlife in Zaïre
Authors: Verschuren Jacques
Published: April 2009

Zaïre is one of the foremost African countries in thefieldof wildlife conservation, with large areas of wild country still almost untouched, a magnificent range of wildlife, large well managed national parks, and the will and intention to conserve and extend these, as President Mobutu Sese Seko has made clear. This year conservationists from all over the world will be able to see a little of how this vast country is conserving its wildlife when they meet there for the IUCN General Assembly. In this article the former Director General of Zaïre's Institut National pour la Conservation de la Nature, who has worked there as a biologist since 1948, surveys the main wildlife areas. A second article, in the next Oryx, will describe the status of the major mammals.
A Woolly Monkey Rediscovered in Peru
Authors: Mittermeier Russell A. , de Macedo Ruiz Hernando , Luscombe Anthony
Published: April 2009

The Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkey, last seen by scientists in 1926 and feared extinct, was rediscovered by the authors in the area of the lower Andes where it was last seen. They were able to bring back a live juvenile that was being kept as a pet, and also four skins and three skulls which they got from a hunter who had shot the animals for meat. The authors urge the need to create a reserve for this rare endemic monkey in Peru and plan further exploratory trips to decide the best area.
Can the Tana Mangabey Survive?
Authors: Homewood Katherine
Published: April 2009

Found in only one small area in north-east Kenya, the Tana mangabey is both seriously depleted and highly endangered. Numbers are estimated at under 1500. The author, who spent two years on a field study in the Tana River area, shows how the combination of increased pressure from the growing human population and the long-term effects of new hydroelectric and irrigation schemes will affect especially the food supply of this monkey, which has adapted itself to a complicated river regime that may now be destroyed.
A Management Plan and how it works
Authors: Vesey-Fitzgerald Desmond
Published: April 2009

Management in a national park is the art of maintaining harmony between living things; it must work with nature, not against, if only because that is so much easier. The author suggests a three-point plan, and shows how it is applied in the Arusha National Park.
Orang Utan Rescue Work in North Sumatra
Authors: Rijksen Herman D. , Rijksen-Graatsma Ans G.
Published: April 2009

Trade in the highly endangered orang utan still goes on despite total protection in its entire range – Indonesia and East Malaysia. The authors spent three years studying orang utans in North Sumatra, trying to get the protection law enforced, and running a rehabilitation station for confiscated animals. The aim was to return the animals to the wild, but the station's real importance was that it made the confiscation of illegally held animals possible, and was thus some deterrent to hunters and traders. Much more damaging than the orang utan trade, however, is the forest destruction that is going on, and it is vital to ensure that large areas of lowland primary forest are preserved from the huge timberlogging operations that are fast destroying the orang utan's habitat.
Marine Turtles of the Western Indian Ocean
Authors: Frazier Jack
Published: April 2009

After seven years' study, visiting islands scattered over more than a million square miles of the western Indian Ocean, where once hundreds of thousands of green turtles nested every year, the author?'s “optimistic estimate” of the number of females nesting today is 5500. Only eighty years ago 12,000 were taken in one year on Aldabra alone. Over-exploitation by man for food – both of nesting females and eggs – and destruction of nesting habitat, i.e. disturbance of the beaches, are the two factors that are destroying this immensely valuable resource. The author's study was assisted by FPS.
Guanacos in Peru
Authors: Franklin William L.
Published: April 2009

The guanaco, a wild South American camel, like the vicuña, is not on the IUCN endangered list, but numbers have decreased steadily, and it is on Peru's list of endangered species. The author, who describes a brief study of the largest population in Peru, suggests that protective measures are needed.
The Nilgiri Tahr
Authors: Davidar E. R. C.
Published: April 2009

The Nilgiri tahr Hemitragus hylocrius, a wild goat confined to mountain tops along the Western Ghats in southern India, is listed in the IUCN Red Data Book of endangered species on the basis of surveys made by the author. In 1963 he organised the first tahr census for the Nilgiri Wild Life Association, of which he was Hon. Superintendent, and since then has made surveys in the Grass Hills (in the Anamallais) and the High Range (Eravikulam) in Kerala and Kodayar (Tamil Nadu). In 1972/73, sponsored by the Fauna Preservation Society, he made the population studies in the upper Palani Plateau, and the Highwavy Mountains, both in Madurai District in Tamil Nadu, described in this article. In both areas he found tahr numbers seriously reduced, and the main causes to be poaching and habitat destruction. In March this year the Kerala State Government declared the Eravikulam/Rajmallay/Animudi area a sanctuary, which brings most of the range of the tahr under protection. But enforcing the protection may be more difficult, and it remains to be seen whether the tahr were better protected by the High Range Game Association, who protected the largest tahr population from poaching in the interests of their members' strictly limited hunting. Photographs in this article are by the author.
TB in British Badgers
Authors: Overend Eunice D.
Published: April 2009

There is widespread concern in Britain at the Ministry of Agriculture's decision to eliminate all badgers in sets where TB has been proved. Such sets are presently only known in a few small areas in the West Country – see Oryx, October 1975, page 114. The problem concerns bovine TB, which in Britain in the 1930s was estimated to cause at least 2500 human deaths a year (in addition to those caused by human TB), but which has now been almost eliminated with the pasteurisation of milk and the near elimination of the disease in cows by a ruthless slaughter policy. In this article the author explains why this drastic step is considered necessary and why many conservationists have regretfully agreed to support it.
Visit to a Tiger Reserve
Authors: Wright Anne
Published: April 2009

A Trustee of the Indian World Wildlife Fund Appeal, the author has been closely connected with the conservation of the tiger. She describes the Sundarbans tiger reserve where some tigers are man-eaters. Mrs Wright was also involved in the incident in 1974, described in the following article, when a tiger that had killed a woman was translocated from an inhabited area to the reserve – the first time this had been done – in an attempt to save it.
Sumatra's Orang-utans
Authors: Borner Markus
Published: April 2009

In the course of his WWF survey for rhinos in Sumatra, the author also made a study of orang-utans. He came to the conclusion that the total number in Sumatra is not more than 3500–4500, despite higher figures that have been circulated, and that probably half of these – the animals living in forests outside the nature reserves – are severely threatened. Not only are they hunted and poached, but their habitat is being rapidly destroyed by big timber companies with concessions for clear-felling-15½ million cubic metres of timber were exported in 1973.
Erosion and the Hippos
Authors: Leyhausen Paul
Published: April 2009

In recent years several African national parks have been faced with the ‘hippo problem’ — a large population of hippos accused of causing serious erosion and habitat destruction. Should they be culled? Uganda decided yes, in the Rwenzori National Park (formerly Queen Elizabeth); but the Zaire (formerly Belgian Congo) parks have always been regarded as strict nature reserves and no killing has been allowed. However, at a joint meeting of the Survival Service and the National Parks Commissions, at Kinshasa, last September, the question was raised in regard to the Virunga (formerly Albert) National Park. The commissions were asked to advise the Parks Administration on the possible relationship between the hippopotamus population and the erosion of land adjacent to the Semliki, Rutshuru and Rwindi rivers. It had been suggested that a hippopotamus population explosion in recent years was responsible for overgrazing and damage to the river banks, increasing erosion to such a degree that the whole river valley was threatened with denudation and destruction. Should the hippopotamus population be culled? Dr Paul Leyhausen was among the delegates who were able to visit the Virunga park in the course of the IUCN meetings, and in this note records his observations and conclusions on the problem and incidentally gives some idea of the complications of the situation.
Wildlife and Wild Places in Mozambique
Authors: Tinley K. L. , Rosinha A. J. , Tello José L. P. Lobão , Dutton T. P.
Published: April 2009

This account of the national parks, reserves and other places worthy of protection in Mozambique gives some idea of the wealth of wildlife in this newly independent country. One special reserve has 25,000 buffaloes—the largest concentration in the world.
Primate Ranching – Results of an Experiment
Authors: Mittermeier Russell A. , Bailey Robert C. , Sponsel Leslie E. , Wolf Katherine E.
Published: April 2009

It is becoming increasingly difficult for biomedical research workers to get the wild primates they consider essential for their work. Successful primate ranching could help solve the problem. In 1967 a well-known animal dealer in Colombia, Mike Tsalickis of Leticia, released over 5000 squirrel monkeys on an island in the Amazon in the hope of quick breeding results. Five years later he estimated the island monkey population at over 20,000, and the experiment appeared to have been very successful; later counts, however, suggested considerable errors in the figures and that the monkeys had in fact decreased catastrophically. The authors describe this and other experiments, some successful, but only as a result of expensive supplemental feeding.
Increase in the Tamaraw
Authors: Kuehn D. W.
Published: April 2009

Although the tamaraw occurred on Luzon during the Pleistocene, in historic times this buffalo has been restricted to the Philippine island of Mindoro. There it established a reputation for aggressiveness that made it widely known in the Philippines, but it was not described for science until 1888. It has been estimated that 10,000 tamaraw Bubalus mindorensis occupied Mindoro island in 1900 but by 1949 numbers had declined to 1000 animals, and in 1953 fewer than 250 remained. In 1969 Harrisson estimated that about 100 survived in three of their four known areas. Poaching was the main cause of the decline. Thanks to Harrisson's and General Lindbergh's efforts, 1969 also marked the start of the Philippine Government's tamaraw conservation effort, and wardens and guards were posted at the Mt Iglit Game Refuge and Bird Sanctuary in Occidental Mindoro. Between May 1972 and March 1974 I conducted a tamaraw study on 2000 hectares of the refuge where the major tamaraw population was to be found.
Brazil's Finest National Park
Authors: Erize Francisco
Published: April 2009

Maned wolf, giant armadillo, giant otter, giant anteater, and marsh and pampas deer are among the endangered species to be found in the Parque Nacional das Emas, the National Park of the Rheas, in Brazil. But the park is in danger of losing much of its value because boundaries were wrongly drawn and vital areas omitted. The author urges the need for international funds to help Brazil create in Das Emas a well planned, well guarded and well equipped park that will be outstanding in Latin America.
Virunga Gorillas – the Case Against Translocations
Authors: Harcourt A. H.
Published: April 2009

Only about 300 mountain gorillas survive in the Virunga Volcanoes of Zaire and Rwanda. In the last Oryx Dr John MacKinnon suggested that a transfer of animals from the Kahuzi-Biega National Park to introduce new blood to the Virunga population should be considered. The author of this article, who spent two years intheVirungaswith Dian Fossey studying the gorillas, points out first that we do not yet know whether the animals are, in fact, suffering from inbreeding, and suggests why they may not be so; and second that there are special difficulties about the transfer that make death of the released animals and disruption of the population the most likely results at present. Dr MacKinnon, who has read the article, agrees that there are many dangers in translocation and that it should not be done without careful consideration and expert supervision.
Leopards in Western Turkey
Authors: Borner Markus
Published: April 2009

The leopard Panthera pardus tulliana survives in south-west Turkey, but after a two-month survey there for the World Wildlife Fund, the author shows that numbers are so small and the people's attitudes so hostile that this subspecies is probably doomed to extinction; leopards found in eastern Turkey are the Persian subspecies saxicolor. Other large predators are disappearing too, and the author urges the need to establish several large reserves, for which the Turkish Government's planned wildlife survey will provide the data.
Reserve for Arabian Oryx
Authors: Clarke John
Published: April 2009

The wildlife of the Jordanian deserts was shot out in the 1950s. As a first step towards restoring it, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Jordan has set up a captive breeding unit at its Shaumari Reserve, eight miles from the great oasis of Azraq. Though the first occupants are likely to be gazelles, by the time this issue appears there may well be four male Arabian oryx also. These, the foundation of what it is hoped will be the first captive herd of Arabian oryx in Arabia deriving from Operation Oryx, have been presented to Jordan by the Trustees of the World Herd of Arabian Oryx, now located at Phoenix and San Diego Zoos in the USA. There are a number of other captive herds of local origin already in the Arabian peninsula, including the well known one in Qatar.
Round Island – a Tale of Destruction
Authors: Bullock David
Published: April 2009

Round Island, off Mauritius, is a classic example of the disasters that can follow the introduction of potential pests such as goats and rabbits on a small island. Their destruction of the vegetation inevitably leads to the destruction of the wildlife, and on Round Island this includes four reptiles that are endemic, several that are local to Mauritius and its islands, and several endemic plants. The author was a member of a scientific party which spent five weeks studying the island in July and August 1975.
Wildlife Protection in the USSR
Authors: Bannikov A. G.
Published: April 2009

Professor Bannikov describes how the USSR has created nature reserves to protect individual rare species so that today all endangered mammals are protected in reserves or sanctuaries; several rare species have been greatly increased in numbers and reintroduced in other areas. The article is the talk Professor Bannikov, who is a Vice-President of the FPS, gave at the Society's Annual General Meeting on July 5 in London.
Wildlife in Surinam
Authors: Schulz Joop P. , Mittermeier Russell A. , Reichart Henry A.
Published: April 2009

Surinam is one of the few countries in the world where uninhabited and undisturbed tropical rain forest still covers large areas. The Government is fully aware of the importance of this natural heritage. Wildlife is protected, and eight nature reserves, ranging in size from 4000 to 22,000 ha, have been created to protect representative habitats – forest, savannas, coastal flats and important breeding beaches for Kemp's ridley, green and leatherback turtles.
White Rhinos Return to Rhodesia
Authors: Tomlinson D. N. S.
Published: April 2009

By the end of the last century the white rhino was extinct in Rhodesia. But by the 1960s South Africa had a surplus in the Umfolozi Game Reserve, and since 1962 140 white rhinos have been taken to Rhodesian national parks, reserves and private ranches. In 1975 numbers were estimated at about 150 and the future of the species in Rhodesia should be secure. This paper, written in 1975, has not been brought up to date, as the author has left the Rhodesia National Parks Department, where he had access to records, on taking a post-graduate degree.
Hunter's Antelope
Authors: Bunderson W. Trent
Published: April 2009

In 1976 aerial counts showed that Hunter's antelopes in Kenya numbered a surprising 12,500 (the previous estimate was 1500), with more than 1500 in neighbouring Somalia. In Kenya the antelopes and the pastoralist tribes have achieved an equilibrium that permits a healthy antelope population, but this will be upset, to the detriment of the antelopes, when government plans for livestock improvement are put into effect. The author, who began his field study on Hunter's antelope in 1975, hopes that his work will provide the necessary information for conserving them despite the developments.
Kenya's New Primate Reserve
Authors: Homewood Katherine , Mkunga Japheth
Published: April 2009

Two endangered monkeys, the Tana crested mangabey and the Tana red colobus, survive only in a small area of the Tana river in northern Kenya. The Government has now created a small reserve to protect them on land given up voluntarily by the local people. But the threat of a large irrigation project upstream could still jeopardise their survival. Mr Mkunga is Warden of the new reserve.
Roan Translocation in Kenya
Authors: Sekulic Ranka
Published: April 2009

Between 1970 and 1972 the East African Wildlife Society removed 38 roan antelope to the Shimba Hills National Reserve, near Mombasa, because their habitat in central Kenya was about to be destroyed. Since then the author has visited the reserve several times to study the roan. In 1973 she could find only eight; in 1976 there were 13, but by 1978 numbers had risen to 22. She suggests that, while most of the practical problems of translocating wild animals have been solved, there are many species about whose social organisation very little is known, and this may have been the main reason for the initial lack of success with the roan. But now they are threatened by the Forest Department's policy of planting the grasslands with pines.
Ups and Downs of Living with Man
Authors: Helton David
Published: April 2009

Almost every one of the speakers at the FPS'Mammal Society Symposium on mammal conservation in February made the point, directly or implicitly, that as man continues to press ever greater demands on the earth's space and resources, other animals to survive will have either to be of use to him, adapt to live alongside him, or be preserved by him in small remnant populations. Dr Keith Eltringham, for example, suggested that one way to conserve the African elephant would be to domesticate it. Its only economic values today are as a tourist attraction and a source of ivory – the one undependable and the other destructive – while much of the land that elephants occupy is coveted by a burgeoning human population. In many places elephants only exist by courtesy of man, who, as he becomes hard-pressed, may only continue t o extend this courtesy if he gets an economic return.
Scimitar-horned Oryx–the End of the Line?
Authors: Newby J. E.
Published: April 2009

The author is a biologist working in Chad with WWF support. He explains why he sees the new deep boreholes for watering cattle, installed on the edge of the Sahel by international aid, as the greatest single threat to the survival of arid-land wildlife, especially the scimitar-horned oryx.
Do the Dams Spell Disaster for the Kafue Lechwe?
Authors: Rees W. A.
Published: April 2009

The author shows how the Kafue lechwe in Zambia are dependent on the complicated flood regime of the Kafue Flats. But the dams that have been built on the Kafue River to provide electricity for industry are likely to diminish both the extent and the duration of the flooding so drastically as to threaten the survival of the Kafue lechwe.
The Vital Lechwe Lek
Authors: Schuster Richard H.
Published: April 2009

The author has studied the behaviour of the lechwe on the Kafue Flats, and shows how their remarkable breeding behaviour would be destroyed by changes in the flood regime of the Flats; this in turn could destroy this unique subspecies.
National Park in the Sahel
Authors: Kavanagh Michael
Published: April 2009

The author suggests that the Kalamaloue National Park in north Cameroon, where he worked in 1974 and 1975, has considerable potential despite its small size. Well populated with a large variety of mammals and birds and, unlike many African parks, safe to walk in, it offers scope for both tourism and scientific research.
Black Rhinoceros in Southern Africa
Authors: Hall-Martin Anthony
Published: April 2009

Nearly exterminated in southern Africa in the 19th century, the black rhino is now making a come-back thanks to the efforts of the National Parks Boards and other authorities. Successful translocations have been achieved in three national parks, including the Kruger, and two reserves, and more are planned.
‘Extinct’ Bird Found in Peru
Authors: de Macedo-Ruiz Hernando
Published: April 2009

The author was one of the first people to see the white-winged guan Penelope albipennis, an endemic Peruvian bird thought to be extinct, after its rediscovery in September 1977. It is believed now that a few hundred of the birds may survive, and if protected could become a viable population. But some are taken for food, and it is urgent to create a sanctuary for them. The author is Head of the Department of Ornithology and Mammalogy in the Natural History Museum in Lima.
New Look in Indonesia
Authors: Blower John
Published: April 2009

Indonesia, a land of forests, is still rich in wildlife, with tigers, rhinos, orang-utans and even elephants still surviving despite the enormous pressures of human population. But saving the wildlife means preserving large areas of forest, and timber is Indonesia's second largest export. However, the Government has now committed itself to a conservation programme that includes the promise of 100,000 sq km of nature reserves by 1984. Since 1974 John Blower has been in charge of a UNDP/FAO Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Project, selecting areas for conservation in national parks and other reserves, and drafting legislation and management plans. WWF has promised $1 million to support the schemes. The author has high hopes that Indonesia/s foresters are coming to realise that conservation and sustained-yield timber production can be combined to the benefit of both.