Animal protection group campaign prevents death of 2,000 pigeons

An American animal protection group SHARK, managed to avoid the death of about 2,000 pigeons would be hunted down by a local core of an Association of hunting and habitat conservation, Ducks Unlimited.

The hunt is an annual tradition, with more than 20 years, the core of Prior Lakes, Minnesota, the Ducks Unlimited.  However, this organization is not limited to hunting pigeons. The members hunt "phigeons" â€" the word "pigeon" (pigeon in English) and "pheasant" (pheasant). The "phigeons" are pigeons that are stuck with feathers, which gives them the appearance of a pheasant, and then are released for hunters.

When the SHARK became aware of this practice has launched a campaign to promote the massive practice that resulted in the cancellation of the hunting event scheduled for this year. The animal protection group disclosed the practice through various media and created a video where it's explained the event, referred to the Dodo.

"There was a tremendous effort from all involved, of all those who called and wrote condemning the cause," says Stu Chaifetz, one of the volunteers who has spurred action against hunting event. "In the space of a day, the event was canceled. The Ducks Unlimited realized that this was a bad situation. Is not just about the cruelty involved in the death of pigeons, which is great in itself, but also as ridiculous as stab the pigeons ", indicates the volunteer.

The SHARK estimates that if the event had not been canceled nearly 2,000 pigeons would have been killed.

Foto: zigazou76/Creative Commons

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Japanese Rakuten is the largest online retailer of ivory and whale meat

The Rakuten, a Japanese online trading company â€" which also holds the Kobo e-book reader and buy.com, play.com and was considered by many the greatest conservationists groups online retailing of ivory and whale meat.

In a report published this week, the Environmental Investigation Agency and the Humane Society International indicate that the company's Web site offers approximately 28 thousand products for purchase that contain ivory and 1,200 products related to meat or other whale derivatives. Many of the products concerning whales come from protected species since 1986, under the moratorium on trade of these species, established by the International Whaling Commission, writes the Guardian.

The species in question were also the highest status of protection by the Convention for international trade of Wild Flora and Fauna threatened with extinction, banning the trade of these whales. "In spite of this, many companies are selling endangered whale shark fins imported from Iceland," reads the report.

The report indicates that 14 were identified with products derived from whale that do not indicate the name of the species concerned, which violates the laws of Japanese labelling.

The Rakuten has expanded its international presence in recent years, with subsidiaries in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Austria. In 2012, the company employed about 12 thousand employees and reported operating profits of €175,3 million (R$572,2 million). Despite the expansion to international markets, Rakuten has been able to resist international pressure to stop selling whale and ivory products.

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How to peel a banana?

Peel a banana might seem like a trivial task and all we think we know this peeling fruit. But maybe I should reconsider. And this video shows you why.

Usually, opens a banana by the foot, using the power of the thumb to the left. However, often the foot is rigid and it is necessary to resort to teeth or even a knife to break it.

However, there is a simpler way to peel a banana and this form is proven by experts in open bananas: the monkeys. Simply squeeze the bottom of the fruit, in part, to open a small crack. Then just Peel the banana the same way as if you had started the shelling by the foot.

See some photos of this complex process.

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When the ants come to town

Kozorog Irina photographer developed a series of scenes in which portrays ants as people â€" from snow men, two boyfriends or discuss in a meeting of Directors.

The aim of Russian photographer was taking ants develop worldly actions of a human being, in a kind of bizarre images created with real scenarios. Then, with the help of the computer, she comes to the images you can see on this news.

"For over three years I love Macrophotography and the lives of ants has always fascinated me. They are my favorite topic to photograph my models ", joked the professional.

See some of these pictures, to unwind a complicated week.

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Industrial forest plantations are not forests, denounce environmental activists

LPN, GEOTA, GAIA, FAPAS, rock, Oikos, Quercus and SPEA have been organizations that rallied today, world day of forests, to assert that the forests are multidimensional systems that combine the structural, functional and biological diversity. This definition includes elements not ferns such as soil, water, microorganisms, fauna and flora and the interaction between species and human communities.

According to the statement sent by the "industrial short rotation crops in monoculture regime are nothing of this and this confusion only serves to harm the forests".

These organizations argue that the various initiatives that are taking place during the day, across the country and around the world, "deserve clarification that many celebrated forests are not in fact".

The proliferation of forest plants for the industrial exploitation does not reverse deforestation. On the contrary, it has contributed to the replacement of ecosystems and biomes rich and complex, as are the forests, for authentic "green deserts", i.e. plantations of Palm, eucalyptus, Acacias or rubber trees, among other monocultures.

"A forest is often the most advanced step in relation to the potential balance of an ecosystem. A forest plantation monoespecífica is a basic and eco-system too lean ", clarifies the statement.

For the loss of the richest forest areas all over the world have contributed and pernicious use of the idea that eucalyptus or acaciais are effectively forests.

In Portugal, although they point to a large forest area, the truth is that plantations of eucalyptus and pine forests, in particular when used in very short rotations schemes for maximum extraction of raw materials, have led to serious environmental, social and economic problems.

One of the proofs is the destruction of biomes such as savannas or grasslands, now occupied by forest plantations with little or no contribution to local economies and to the balance of ecological, biological systems, hydraulic and soil.

Foto: Mr Conguito/Creative Commons

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Kiss giraffe keeper suffering from terminal illness

These are the photos that depict the exciting moment when a giraffe bids farewell to the keeper of several years, who suffers from terminal cancer. The groom, of 54 years, spent most of his life taking care of giraffes at the Zoo Diergaarde Blijdrop in Rotterdam.

The handler, only known by Mário, asked his hospital bed was transported into the giraffe cage so that he could see the animals one last time. One of the animals approached then handler's bed and gave him a kiss goodbye, referred to the Dutch press.

"These animals have recognized it and felt that things weren't right," asserts Kees Veldboer, founder of Ambulance Wish Foundation â€" an association that is dedicated to fulfill the last wishes of terminally ill-treater's bed that transported to the zoo.

Mario, who had a mental deficiency, may also fire if the coworkers of the zoo, where he worked for almost 25 years.

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Why is Paris so polluted?

Last week, Parisians have experienced moments that no longer lived for several decades, all of them with a very specific objective: combating pollution. Thus, public transport were free for three days, and the cars just might carry over every other day, depending on their license plates.

Now that the air becomes more breathable, want to read about an old controversy to justify the pollution of Paris â€" subsidies to diesel. According to Le Monde, this pollution is "a reflection of 20 years of inertia of France, that falls on everyone ... and the car industry lobby, which covers drivers, operating system, manufacturers of diesel-powered vehicles, which have stifled the debate on legislation".

According to the French newspaper, Paris is more prone to pollution than other European capitals because of subsidies to diesel, which produces seven times more harmful pollutants than gasoline.

The love story of France with diesel come a long way. A report in the website Huffington Post explains that she date of rural economic stimulus policies of the postwar period, implemented by Governments.

The measures sought to encourage the recovery of the field (about half of the French population lived in rural areas at that time), making diesel for agricultural machinery and trucks cheaply. Taxes and fuel taxes were reduced and continue to be facilitated even today. To give an idea, the reduction of taxes on diesel cost the French economy nearly € 8 billion in 2011 (about US $ 26 billion).

In 2011, diesel cars accounted for 70% of car sales in France. In a city where 60% of the car fleet is moved to this fuel, is not to cause surprise the explosive framework resulting from the combination of local emissions of transport and a climate that prevents â€" or prevented â€" the dissipation of pollutants.

After a week of sunny days and cold nights, much of the Air France â€" and not just in Paris â€" has become a kind of toxic soup. The sudden change of temperature exacerbated the problem, creating a bubble that prevents the polluted air is dissipated. And the cause of everything, apparently, comes from behind â€" very rear.

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Fotos: R. d. D. r/austinevan/Payton Chung/Voyages etc.. /dbakr/alainalele/couscouschocolat/dominique. B/(vincent desjardins)/strelitzia â€"/dbakr/Spixey (still not really getting the new format)/Damouns/kevin dooley/austinevan/Creative Commons

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