No seriously. There aren’t. Yet. But there are genuine Franklin Mint Tolkien dolls, and a TORN correspondent has three to sell over on E-bay. (more)
Month: November 2000
TheOneRing.net supports two charities – one is appropriately enough a literacy programme called Books in Homes. The other is World Wide Fund for Nature. They don’t do the big exciting protests that grab the attention of the media, but they’re prepared to stick with the slow grind of researching how our wildlife live and what threatens them, and they take on the boring and daunting task of educating the public and making legislative changes to protect our wild heritage. TheOneRing’s support has helped them learn more about the rare Hector’s Dolphin and the endangered Albatross (more)
Marine Research and the One Ring Net
WWF is using the funds for TheOneRing.Net to help fund two projects; saving the North Island Hector’s Dolphin and developing a campaign on albatross. A description of the projects is set out below.
The North Island Hector’s Dolphin
New Zealand is home to one of the world’s smallest and rarest marine dolphins, the North Island Hector’s Dolphin. There are thought to be approximately 100 left in a population that possibly numbered in the thousands at the beginning of the century. They are critically endangered. The range of the dolphin has been reduced dramatically and they are now only found along the north west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The decline in the North Island Hector’s Dolphin population is thought to be caused by commercial and recreational set net fishing near the coastline in their shallow water habitat.
WWF-NZ has been working with stakeholders to implement a ban and fisheries management system for set net fishing in the area where the dolphins are found. WWF is also working with Auckland University on research which will help to more accurately assess the size of the surviving population and their demographic makeup.
In parallel to the research, WWF will run a WWF Strandings and Sightings Network asking for public assistance in ascertaining the range and behaviours of the dolphins. The WWF public education program targets recreational set net fishers in the northwest of the North Island, and will be run through local schools in the area and community groups. The first of these education programs begins in November, and the WWF Strandings and Sightings Network will start operating at the same time. This is timed to coincide with the beginning of the summer which is the best time to sight the dolphins and when everyone is at the beach.
For further information see www.hectorsdolphin.org.nz or www.wwf.org.nz
Albatross
WWF is currently investigating the status of Albatross populations in the Southern Ocean. Recent information shows that there has been a substantial decline in their numbers. This decline has been expected for some time because large numbers of albatross have been caught by fishing boats in the southern oceans over the last 30 or more years – it is estimated that an albatross is drowned on a fishing line every 5 minutes. But because the numbers caught were not well known and because the birds spend such large amounts of time at sea getting a good estimate on populations has been very difficult. Only recently has the state of the albatross really become apparent and it is a bad news story.
Albatross are amazing birds. They have a wing span of 8 feet and routinely soar at speeds of 160 km/hr, often traveling at this speed for hours on end. Many albatross routinely cirumnavigate the globe. When they are soaring their heartbeat is equivalent to being at rest – soaring is as easy for albatross as sitting on a nest.
Albatross are very slow breeders and even a loss rate of 1% each year will drive the species to extinction. If a parent is killed whilst feeding a chick, the chick will also die. In many cases the loss of one albatross acutally means the loss of 2 albatross, i.e. the chick also.
WWF is becoming increasingly alarmed by recent data that is showing huge declines in albatross numbers. WWF is using funding from TheOneRing.Net to help pull together the necessary background information to develop a campaign and to help fund the campaign. WWF plans to launch the campaign in mid 2001.
At first glance it’s obvious. Of course it’s an elephant.
But on closer inspection it becomes apparent that this is a very big elephant, more like several woolly mammoths rolled into one than the comparatively tiny frame of say, Kashin, from Auckland Zoo. [More]
The NZ Herald Online has a GREAT picture of an Oliphaunt! Wow is this thing big! [more]
The folks at ANCANAR, the LOTR themed indie film currently in post-production in LA, have posted some new stills as well as some info regarding the film on their website. Check them out!
