32 stranded chimpanzees need permanent new homes - Los Angeles Times
32 stranded chimpanzees need permanent new homes - Los Angeles Times |
| 32 stranded chimpanzees need permanent new homes - Los Angeles Times Posted: 15 Jul 2020 06:00 AM PDT The fates of 32 chimpanzees stranded in the shuttered Wildlife Waystation in the Angeles National Forest depend on raising the funds needed to build permanent new homes at sanctuaries willing to take them, officials said on Tuesday. More than 500 exotic animals, including lions, tigers, alligators, wolves, owls and Vietnamese Pot-bellied pigs, have been relocated since the troubled 44-year-old center surrendered its California Department of Fish and Wildlife permits and shut down for good a year ago. The challenge now will be raising the estimated $10 million it will take to continue caring for the chimps and installing accommodations for them at the Center for Great Apes in Florida, Primarily Primates Inc. in Texas, Chimp Haven Inc. in Louisiana and Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Washington.  A chimpanzees that still resides at the shuttered Wildlife Waystation hangs onto its enclosure on World Chimpanzee Day in the Angeles National Forest in Sylmar. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) "The problem is that sanctuaries are at capacity because demand has skyrocketed since the use of chimps in research laboratories ended in 2016," said Erika Fleury, spokeswoman for the nonprofit North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance. "For these agile and intelligent animals," she said, "enclosures have to be large and strong for them to stay busy and happy — and ongoing care for them is a complex and costly matter." "But they are innocents," she added. "They were brought into this world to benefit humans who used them as exotic pets and living test tubes."  Erika Fleury, with North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance, holds a photo of Jeff, one of the chimpanzees at Wildlife Waystation. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) The chimps living within the 160-acre center, which was briefly opened Tuesday to help spread the word among potential donors, include Jeff, a 45-year-old amicable but assertive leader of a social group that includes his 15-year-old daughter Magic, who was born in the facility. "If Jeff was a human politician, he'd be president by now," said Anher Flores, 37, a caretaker whose emphasis on creature comforts and animal welfare includes treating the chimps to red licorice candy and fresh red apples. As for Magic, he said, "We had no idea she was coming. When we watched her being born, it seemed a wonderful miracle. That's why we named her Magic." Then there's Mystery, a chimp rescued from a biomedical laboratory who enjoys fresh fruit, banana bread and snuggling with blankets.  The fates of the chimpanzees are uncertain because reputable sanctuaries willing to take them lack the funding needed to give the animals permanent new homes, officials say. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has been making monthly payments of about $100,000 to sustain the chimps and maintain the facility with food, water, veterinary care, insurance and security, officials said. It has partnered with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on fuel reduction projects in the surrounding slopes. "The situation was so dire when the Waystation surrendered its restricted species permit," recalled Ed Pert, a spokesman for the department, "that we had to step up and ensure that something horrible didn't happen to the animals." "We also started taking a hard look at regulations governing facilities like this one," he added, "to ensure this never happens again." The Waystation grew from a small volunteer-run refuge for abused, abandoned and sick animals into an internationally known refuge for exotic animals in little more than two decades. Funded solely by private donations, the "ranch," as it was called by employees, provided homes for more than 1,000 animals.  A fundraiser was announced to help sanctuaries take on these chimpanzees and to assist with the care expenses of the primates while they wait at the Wildlife Waystation. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) Over the years, its founder, Martine Colette, a dedicated animal welfare advocate, charmed Hollywood celebrities such as Bruce Willis, Will Smith and Drew Barrymore into opening their wallets for her cause. The Waystation filled a need by taking in animals from research labs and abandoned from private collections and roadside attractions, as well as many other injured and orphaned animals, and housing them until they found a home. In 1995, the Waystation accepted its first animals retired from medical research, eight chimpanzees from New York University. Other primates followed, and the Waystation began construction on a massive primate-retirement home in a remote area of the ranch. The compound was built specifically for "retired" chimps and included a 7,000-square-foot enclosed building as well as several open "play yards." It was able to accommodate 75 to 100 chimps. A few years after the compound opened, however, federal, state and Los Angeles County animal welfare authorities began scrutinizing the Waystation, one of the largest of its kind, for alleged environmental and animal-safety violations. Authorities closed the facility to the public in 2001 and barred it from taking in additional sick, injured or abandoned animals. A year later, federal authorities suspended operations after inspections revealed that the Waystation had not fixed long-standing crowded, unsanitary and unsafe conditions. The Waystation's license was reinstated after it spent $2 million to bring habitation for animals into compliance. But the facility, just outside Los Angeles city limits, suffered extensive damage in the 2017 Creek Fire near Tujunga, followed by severe flooding two years later. Colette resigned in 2019 as president and chief operating officer. A short while later, Waystation's board of directors voted to close the facility and assist state Fish and Wildlife officials in finding new homes for its animals. As of Tuesday, the only animals left in spider web-like networks of wire cages and pens maintained by a cadre of volunteers included the chimps, three baboons, two hybrid wolf dogs and several exotic birds. Terry Tamminen, president of the nonprofit 7th Generation Advisors and former secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, acknowledged that critics might ask whether this is a proper time, given everything going on in the U.S. and the world, to be seeking donations "to help some animals." "We've all been witnessing history in the making in the Black Lives Matter protests and supporting social justice efforts," he said. "And these dynamics are set against the backdrop of the climate crisis and so many other issues that nonprofits and government are tackling every day." So, why donate to the chimps? "The answer for me," he said, is "because humans put these chimps in harm's way in the first place, robbing them of a healthy, happy fulfilling natural life — and because we're the only ones who can right the wrong." |
| In Sri Lanka, the hunt is on for alien fish in native lakes - Mongabay.com Posted: 06 Jul 2020 12:00 AM PDT
COLOMBO — Located in the suburbs of Sri Lanka's biggest city, Colombo, the picturesque Thalangama Lake is plagued by at least two invasive predatory fish species that are contributing to the decline of the native aquatic life. "I have heard villagers living close to the lake claiming that they had seen a fish with a long snout like an alligator in the Thalangama Lake waters," said Pathum Madhusanka, a young fish enthusiast who has made it his mission to rid the lake of the invasive species. The particular fish he's referring to is the alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula), native to North America and one of the largest fish from that region, which can grow to a length of 3 meters (10 feet). Madhusanka has for the past few years been painstakingly fishing out another species from the lake: the clown knifefish (Chitala ornata), also a voracious feeder, and native to Southeast Asia. He had to put his mission on hold when the Sri Lankan government imposed a lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But within a day of the lockdown being lifted in May, Madhusanka was back at Thalangama with his rod and reel. And the first fish he hooked was an alligator gar, about a meter (3 feet) in length. "It seemed quite impossible to find an alligator gar in this water body," he told Mongabay.  There's growing interest among fish breeders in Sri Lanka to cultivate "monster fish" — exotic, large, often carnivorous species — and alligator gars have become a popular aquarium fish in many Sri Lankan commercial aquariums. "The owner of the alligator gar would have purchased it from a pet aquarium while it was small, but the fish would have soon outgrown the tank, making the owner release it into Thalangama Lake," Madhusanka said. Reports suggest there are at least three alligator gars in the lake; Madhusanka has to date caught two. He's also caught more than 70 knifefish in the five years he's been going after that species, widely recognized as one of the world's most invasive freshwater fish. Madhusanka discovered juvenile knifefish in Thalangama in 2017, indicating that they were breeding in the lake. Of the 97 species assessed for Sri Lanka's red list of threatened freshwater fishes, 61 are endemic to this Indian Ocean island. Of these, 12 are considered critically endangered, 29 endangered, and 10 vulnerable.  The list, compiled this year, recognizes alien invasive species as a big threat to the island's freshwater fish. It identifies 30 such introduced freshwater fish species in Sri Lanka's natural freshwater habitats. "However, not all the exotic fish released to the natural waterways can be listed as invasive," says Sampath Goonetillake, IUCN Sri Lanka's senior program officer for biodiversity. For a fish to be considered invasive, it must directly impact native species either by competing with them for resources or directly feeding on them. "We also have observed some other species such as gouramis, zebras, platy fish in natural waterways that are still not considered invasive, though it is extremely important to keep a watchful eye over them," Goonetillake said. Accidental and deliberate escapees The first recorded instance of exotic fish being introduced into natural bodies of water in Sri Lanka dates back to 1889. That's when the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), native to the northern Pacific region, was deliberately introduced to natural streams in Sri Lanka's central highlands for sports fishing. The next deliberate introduction was tilapia from Africa (Oreochromis mossambicus and Oreochromis niloticus), released in 1952 to boost aquaculture and inland fisheries. At first they were placed in man-made reservoirs, but soon spread far beyond, and are now found in many rivers and other natural water bodies. Suckermouth catfish (Hypostomus plecostomus), native to South America, and walking catfish (Clarias batrachus), from Southeast Asia, are also recognized as alien invasive freshwater fish in Sri Lanka, along with the clown knifefish, accidently introduced to natural systems by the ornamental fish trade in the 1990s. Common invasive species The suckermouth catfish, commonly known as "tank cleaners," are the most widely distributed and harmful invasive fish species found in Sri Lanka's freshwater habitats, according to Ramani Shirantha, a researcher on aquatic species with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA). "Suckermouth catfish lays more eggs than most other species," she told Mongabay. "And as the mother protects her eggs, their survival rate is about 80%, whereas the survival rate of native fishes is around 30%." This catfish is a hardy species able to survive several hours outside water and with fewer threats compared to native fish. This has allowed for its rapid expansion and ability to outcompete native species for food. Shirantha rated the knifefish as the second-worst aquatic invasive species, given that it directly feeds on the larvae of other species. The presence of invasive fish has become a serious ecological issue in Sri Lanka's natural water bodies, especially in the suburbs and island's dry zone, according to Shantha Jayaweera, a senior instructor with the aquatic group of the Young Zoologists' Association. Jayaweera has observed how Mayan cichlids (Mayaheros urophthalmus), native to Central America, have spread from another water body in Colombo to several other wetlands. "Mayan cichlids are known for their aggressive nature attacking other fishes. It will be a serious concern if not controlled immediately," Jayaweera told Mongabay. There's also the case of the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), native to the Caribbean region, and mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), native to the Mississippi, which were introduced to feed on mosquito larvae. Both species are now established in many natural bodies of water, and research indicates that guppies have become more carnivorous, feeding also on amphibian eggs.  Guppies have even been found inside biodiversity-rich habitats in Sri Lanka's wet zone and montane central highlands, home to already threatened amphibian species found nowhere else on Earth. "During our freshwater fish survey, we found a guppy fish inside the Sinharaja Rainforest freshwater pool," said Madura de Silva, the president of the Wildlife Conservation Society Galle. "It is a mystery as to how guppies found their way into the forest regions, but this indicates that alien invasive fishes would pose a significant threat in the future." In light of their invasive nature, Sri Lanka banned imports of knifefish in 2003 and piranhas in 1998. But these fish continue to be locally bred, and accidental releases remain a risk. As a containment measure, the ban should be extended to cover the domestic aquarium fish trade, essentially prohibiting the cultivation of invasive species, said environmental lawyer and environmentalist Jagath Gunawardena. Gunawardena, who played a lead role in helping draft a bill to regulate alien species, said the continued introduction of such species, both flora and fauna, posed a serious threat to natural habitats. Banner image of a fully grown clown knifefish caught alive from a lake in urban Colombo, courtesy of Pathum Madhusanka. |
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