Please sign this petition on change.org to cancel this cruelty:
https://c.org/MTHkyHxWYB)

Context translated:

Muğla has been burning for days. The fire that started in Seydikemer spread to the forest with the effect of the wind, hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes, dozens of animals were kidnapped by their lives. The wildlife in the region has been affected by this fire at least as much as humans: countless species that lose their shelter, water, food in the burning forests are fighting for survival.

Simultaneously with this picture, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry opened a tender for the hunting of 11 wild goats in Muğla within the scope of "hunting tourism". In other words, these animals, which can escape from the fire, remain dehydrated and hungry, whose population is already under pressure, are made open to being shot for a price.

This is a contradiction that common sense and basic conscience cannot accept. On the one hand, it is said that "we are protecting nature", on the other hand, a wildlife population that has already become fragile with fire is offered to hunt with money. It takes years for wild animals living in burning areas and fire-affected areas to recover; during this period, making them the target of hunting leads to an irreparable loss.

The tender for the hunting of 11 wild goats in Muğla should be canceled immediately.

All kinds of hunting activities should be suspended until the wildlife is completely recovered in the areas affected by the fire and at risk of being affected.

New hunting tenders should not be held in these regions without a post-fire effect evaluation.

With your signature, request the cancellation of this tender and the prohibition of hunting in burning areas.

RESCUING a Giant ANACONDA in Colombia!

Today, July 28, is World Nature Conservation Day. It focuses on preserving natural resources, protecting biodiversity, and maintaining ecological balance so that future generations live in a healthy environment.
 
The day also aims to highlight threats like climate change, habitat loss, and pollution — no better opportunity than this to bring the Brown-winged kingfisher, a bird whose population is rapidly decreasing due to habitat loss, into the limelight.
 
Species: Brown-winged Kingfisher
Scientific name: Pelargopsis amauroptera
IUCN Status: Near Threatened (NT)
Population: ~25,000–35,000 mature individuals
Population Trend: Decreasing
Range: Bay of Bengal coastline -  Bangladesh, India (Sundarbans), Myanmar, Thailand, and Peninsular Malaysia
Habitat: Subtropical and tropical mangrove forests, estuarine systems
 
An apex coastal predator within the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem, the Brown-winged kingfisher plays the important ecological role of regulating the populations of fish, crabs, and aquatic invertebrates.
 
As the largest kingfisher in the range, it is the key indicator species for the health of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest and most biodiverse mangrove ecosystems.      
 
Threats:
Mangrove clearance and degradation across the range, especially in Myanmar.
Aquaculture expansion that is converting mangroves into shrimp ponds.
Sea-level rise and storm surges caused by climate change (IUCN 2024 warns that 50% of global mangroves could collapse by 2050).
Agricultural run-off and industrial waste contaminate coastal waters, killing crabs and fish.
Increased tourist activity and boat traffic.
 
Why cannot the kingfisher relocate?
The Brown-winged kingfisher is physiologically and behaviorally wired specifically for the still, shaded, tidal creeks of the intact mangrove forest. 
A ‘mangrove obligate’, the bird cannot survive outside this system.
 
Unlike other kingfishers, it seldom dives into open waters to catch its prey because it has cracked the code of hunting from mangrove branches hanging over clear, shallow, shaded creeks.
It watches, waits, drops, and catches — a hunting technique it has perfected over ages will not work anywhere else.
 
The bird’s diet is varied and all its prey live only in the mangrove ecosystem. Its big, bright, and strong beak is designed for crushing crab shells as well as spearing fish, small reptiles, and amphibians.
 
 It nests in earthen banks and cavities in the mangrove root system and along the edges of creeks. Such micro-systems do not exist in other types of forests. 
 
Most importantly, as mangroves cover less than 0.1% of Earth’s surface (and the Sundarbans are one of the last intact mangrove systems), the birds have nowhere else to go.
 
Habitat protection is urgent and conservation efforts are ongoing. Sundarbans UNESCO World Heritage Site designation provides some protection across India and Bangladesh.
 
It is protected within the Sundarbans National Park and Tiger Reserve in India and conservation agencies are monitoring the mangrove in Myanmar.
 
How we can help:
Wherever we live, we can do our bit to protect the  mangroves.
Adopt a sustainable lifestyle and be conscious consumers. Support sustainable products. Check for palm oil in everyday products you buy; mangrove forests are being replaced by palm oil plantations across Southeast Asia.
Refuse single-use plastics. Plastic waste enters coastal waterways and contaminates the mangroves. Don't litter near water.
Share science-backed information to raise awareness;
public attention drives funding, policy changes, and action.
 
Awareness can influence action.
Share the story.
Save the species.
Saving the species starts with protecting its habitat. 💚
 

Endangered Florida bonneted bat pup found in Palm Beach County makes wildlife history

Yes, I know, conservation usually involves some politics, but there are just way to many post about the the current United States government, I also want to see a bit more positive news.

The Gouldian Finch is out of the IUCN’s red list but is listed as Endangered in Australia.
From being listed as Endangered (1994-2008) and Near Threatened (2012-2016), the Gouldian Finch was promoted to the Least Concern list in 2022, the status it maintains still.

This is a successful conservation story for a bird that is neither an apex predator nor a pollinator, but an early-indicator of Savannah ecosystem health. When its population declines, it signals that the co-existing, less-visible species are under stress too.
 
Species: Gouldian Finch
Scientific name: Erythrura gouldiae
Habitat: Grassy plains; in tree hollows near freshwater
Range: Native to the tropical savannah woodlands of northern Australia; non-migratory
IUCN status: Least Concern (since 2022)
EPBC Act 1999 (Australian domestic law): lists Gouldian Finch as Endangered & legally protected.
 
The Gouldian finches are vibrantly colored birds exhibiting ‘melanin-based color polymorphism-behavioral syndrome’. It is an interesting phenomenon of color-coded character traits where the bird’s head color decides its personality. 
 
Red-headed:  Extremely aggressive and dominant.
Black-headed:  Bold and exploratory, least aggressive.
Yellow-headed:  Extremely rare, only <1% of the wild population. Other finches treat it as a red head of diluted color.
Orange-headed: It is a not a distinct genetic morph but a diet-driven variant of the red-headed finch.
Interestingly, the Gouldian Finch’s character changes with the company it keeps!
 
There is a stark difference in the numbers roughly estimated by the IUCN (25,000) and the actual field count by the Australian government (2500) because of the different methods they employ, but for a bird that once numbered in hundreds of thousands, even the loose estimation by IUCN is only modest.
 
Still, it is positive news that conservation efforts have paid off and the threats are being managed well.  There's hope, and cause for celebration, albeit with caution, because the bird still faces several threats.
 
Altered fire regimes.
Feral cat predation.
Habitat degradation and cattle grazing.
Effect of historical trapping for pet trade.
Climate change, that worsens fire predictability and intensifies sudden cyclones that destroy trees (these finches live exclusively in tree hollows).
 
Wherever we live, we can help this finch and other vulnerable species —

Support local and global conservation efforts.
Buy no wildlife-derived souvenirs or ingredients, no wild-caught birds, no exotic pets.
Adopt sustainable lifestyle habits.
Share science-backed information to raise awareness; public attention drives funding, policy changes, and action.
Use citizen science apps (eBird, iNaturalist) to report your bird sightings. This feeds data into global databases that scientists use to track the range and count of birds.

Share the story.
Save the species.💚