At last count earlier this spring, there were only 42 lobos left in the wild. At least half of the packs that bred last year have lost their alpha males. These latest killings couldn’t come at a worse time, and we need to step it up in order to save the remaining lobos from certain extinction.

Alpha males are crucial to the survival of the pack. They provide leadership and food for the entire family, including pups born just months ago. Without the alphas, the fatherless pups of at least two packs of these rare animals are less likely to survive… putting lobos ever closer to a second extinction in the wild.

Please consider donating to this most worthy cause in saving the wild lobos in the Southwest. Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the survival of these and other endangered species. The following is a list of how our contribution will help these highly endangered animals to survive…

~ Post rewards to help law enforcement capture lawless wolf-killers and put them behind bars.
~ Mobilize thousands of activists to demand more law enforcement capacity at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to catch and prosecute poachers.
~ Push federal officials to fast-track a science-based plan for restoring lobos to their rightful home in the Southwest.
~ Counter the hate-filled propaganda of extremists through a robust public education campaign.
~ Use proven on-the-ground techniques to keep wolves away from livestock and out of harm’s way.

Please consider making an Emergency Donation today!

Much gratitude and thanks to those dedicated to preserving the wildlife on this planet. We have much to be held accountable for, yet we give so much in the way of stewardship of this great and beautiful Earth. The balance can, and will be restored if we can remain dilligent in the care of those who cannot defend themselves in this time of need.

I was appalled to hear — on Earth Day of all days — that the International Whaling Commission has put forward a deal that would legalize commercial whaling for the first time in a generation.

Even worse, the Obama Administration has backed this deadly proposal, which would suspend the international ban on whaling and make it legal once again to kill whales for profit.

During his campaign, President Obama promised America he would oppose the killing of these magnificent creatures. It’s time for you and me to hold him to that promise.

Please call on the White House to oppose any deal that would legitimize the hunting and killing of whales.

Obama Administration officials claim that the IWC deal would be a “step forward” for whales because it could rein in Japan, Iceland and Norway, which have killed thousands of whales since 1986 by exploiting loopholes in the whaling ban.

But, in fact, this new deal is a giant step backward. It rewards those three nations for years of defying international law. It does their bidding by suspending the whaling ban for 10 years. It opens up the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to whaling. And it will not stop them from trading in whale meat or killing whales under legal loopholes like “scientific permits.”

Don’t believe for a minute that this kind of deal would phase down whaling. Instead, it would breathe new life into a dying industry.

Worst of all, the deal gives moral cover to the absurd notion that we can save whales by killing them — instead of by banning their slaughter.

There is no moral justification for killing whales. There is no scientific justification for killing whales.

And if the Obama Administration persists in supporting a deal that encourages the killing of whales, it will tarnish not only the White House but our entire nation.

Please join me in telling President Obama to vigorously oppose this deal and instead push for a deal that closes the loopholes and ends commercial whaling once and for all!

Thanks to the efforts of NRDC, you and I have prevailed so many times in defense of our planet’s whales. We saved the gray whale’s last untouched nursery in Mexico’s San Ignacio Lagoon against Mitsubishi’s plans for industrialization. And we reined in the Navy’s use of dangerous sonar systems around marine mammals.

Now, with our own government supporting an unthinkable deal that would legalize the commercial killing of whales, we must unite again and say: Not on our watch!

I hope you’ll make your own voice heard inside the White House today. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Pierce Brosnan
Natural Resources Defense Council

Check out the latest news on these beautiful and rare creatures, as passed along from Save America’s Wolves at Defenders of Wildlife.

Dear Teri,

First she was shot.

Then the body of this highly endangered wolf was dumped — like a sack of garbage — along the side of the road.

To scientists she was F386, a five-year-old female that represented hope for her struggling species.

To us, she was a beautiful animal who deserved the right to live in the wilds of America’s Southwest, where these wolves once thrived.

This terrible killing underscores the growing mindless hatred threatening Mexican wolves — or lobos – the rarest wolves in the world.

Please donate today to help catch the wolf haters who are stalking and killing lobos and put in place a protective recovery program for the most endangered wolves in the world.

Decades of trapping, shooting and poisoning exterminated lobos from the wild. In 1998, wild wolves returned to the Southwest — but more than a decade later, their lives are in grave danger.

Criminal wolf killers, mismanagement and a venomous anti-wolf movement have caused the Mexican wolf population to plummet to just 42 – putting these rare animals at risk of a second extinction in the wild.

Please stand with us today and give these wolves a fighting chance through your tax-deductible donation.

The bottom line is that lobos will not survive the fierce onslaught of these extremists without our immediate action. Your contribution will help Defenders…

• Post rewards to help law enforcement capture and put these lawless wolf killers behind bars.
• Push Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to fast-track a science-based plan for restoring lobos to their rightful home in the Southwest. Already, nearly 53,000 Defenders activists like you have sent messages to Secretary Salazar urging immediate action, including thousands of wolf supporters living in Arizona and New Mexico.
• Counter the hate-filled propaganda of extremists through an aggressive public education campaign.
• Use proven on-the-ground techniques to keep wolves away from livestock and away from those who would harm them.

Please donate now to help save the last 42 wild lobos and other wildlife struggling to survive.

The plight of lobos is desperate. Only two breeding pairs are left in the wild as these wolves struggle to survive — including the mother and father of the Middle Fork pack who have each lost a leg to a painful human-made trap and gunshot wound.

State officials have twice targeted this three-legged pair for removal from the wild. Defenders is again working on the ground to ensure these wolves stay out of harm’s way.

The fight to save these magnificent wolves from a second extinction in the wild will be tough, but with your help, I know we can succeed for them.

Save something wild, Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife

P.S.  Wolf-haters are stalking the last 42 Southwest wolves in the wild.  Help us put wolf killers behind bars and secure protection for these beautiful animals with your secure online donation or call 1-800-385-9712 to donate by phone.

Lakota Spiritual Leader and Head Man, David Swallow, Speaks Out on Reservation Crisis

Our children are dying. Our children are killing themselves in record numbers on our Lakota Reservations. They are filled with despair, confusion, and hopelessness and they see suicide as the only answer.

Many studies point to the hopelessness as being a result of generations of genocide committed by the historical policies of the Federal Government against the American Indians. But the policies of today are just as damaging. These policies create a system of “assimilate or die,” just another form of genocide.

I am not racist. This is not about hatred or racism. There are many good non-Lakota. But the damage from the Government and the mainstream culture and its almighty dollar is killing the children of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations. To look for solutions from the mainstream culture will only bring about more confusion, more genocide, and more destruction of our culture and our people.

Yes, our children need help. Then, they also need jobs. They need work. They need to have hope that they can survive. They need to be treated like real citizens, free to be who they are.

The current programs are not working. Our Reservations are dry but 60-70% of our people are still affected by alcoholism and drug addictions. There are a few non-profit organizations that do good work on our reservations. They really do try to help. But there are also many, many groups who only make money in our name. We’re a commodity to them, a way to get more and more money for themselves, while our children are suffering. It’s the same with some of the Tribal Council and Government programs. The money never reaches the people, it never really helps anyone.

Our children are living in a world of confusion and chaos. We need all the help we can get from our own people within our own culture. Gangs and cults and programs that are ignorant of the Lakota culture are not the answer. The Lakota child knows they are Lakota but these other things only work to destroy that identity. They brainwash our children into trying to assimilate rather than respecting and understanding themselves. They contaminate our children with false mainstream ideas and values which then only creates more desperation.

We could cure our own. We need to cure our own.

In my grandfather’s time, suicide was unknown. But today, it is everywhere. Our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are crying for our help. They are dying without our help.

Traditional spirituality could make the difference. But the civilized world and Christianity have tied our hands. Our medicine men, our medicine women, and our spiritual leaders have no standing. We are not even consulted.

Yet, Traditional spirituality could make the real difference.

Traditional sweatlodge ceremonies could help purify the mind of these children who have been so wounded by society. It can wake up the spirit that is inside the person. It can bring healing of the mind, body, and spirit and it could help heal the entire family. But it needs to be the real thing, led by a legitimate traditional spiritual leader, and not just some sauna with a few nice words.

Learning to prepare foods in the traditional way could help them, too. It is important they understand that food prepared in a good way nourishes the family in a good way. They need to know that food prepared with anger and hatred only brings sickness with it.

There are many of the Traditional Ways which would work to bring about healing and hope for these children. It can restore their identity and become a way of life. It can teach them how to live a good life, in a good way. It can give them direction and understanding.

But we need to stop fighting among ourselves. We need to stop looking to the mainstream society for solutions. We need to stop looking to outsiders for cures. We need to look to the Ways of our ancestors to guide us. We, the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota People need to help our own grandchildren.

I am not asking for money. I am not asking for anything from the Government or the BIA except that we be set free. Set us free. Don’t try to force us to live in the mainstream ways. Don’t try to force us to assimilate. Let us live in our own Ways and heal ourselves and our children and grandchildren.

Ho he’cetu yelo. I have spoken these words.

David Swallow, Wowitan Yuha Mani

Porcupine, South Dakota – The Pine Ridge Reservation

by David Swallow,
Lakota Spiritual Leader and a Headman of the Lakota Nation
Edited and Published by Stephanie M. Schwartz,
Member, Native American Journalists Association (NAJA)
Text and Photo © July 09, 2008 Porcupine, South Dakota

Sumatran Tigers are distinctive for being the only subspecies to live in isolation on a large island they have been isolated from their cousins on mainland Asia for over 10,000 years; this happened after a rise in sea level.

At the turn of the 20th century, there were three subspecies of tiger in Indonesia – the Bali tiger (on Bali) the Javan tiger (Java) and the Sumatran. Today both the Bali and Javan tigers are EXTINCT and only the Sumatran tiger survives.

Sumatra prior to 1900 was largely covered in primary forest and the tiger was more or less found throughout the entire island. Today just 100 years later its distribution has become fragmented and substantially reduced. Although found in all the islands eight provinces in highly populated areas such as the provinces of North Sumatra and Lampung, the animal has been squeezed out. It is sad to not that only about 350 wild Sumatran tigers are believed to exist, primarily in the island’s five national parks.

Greatest Threats

Today the greatest threat to the Sumatran Tiger is Man. In Sumatra, tiger habitat is shrinking fast with timber resources being exploited on a large scale. The tiger in Sumatra faces precarious prospects if its present distribution continue to be substantially reduced and populations become small, fragmented and isolated from one another. Loss of their natural habitat often leads tigers to move into settled areas in search of food, where they then encounter problems.

Tiger poaching and the illegal trading of tiger parts and products is one of the most immediate threats to the Sumatran tiger. Chinese medicine has spread throughout Asia. Nearly every part of the tiger is reported to have healing properties from the eyeball-a treatment for epilepsy to the whiskers – a cure for tooth ache.

Symbolic History of the Tiger

Tigers (and all other carnivores) are descended from civet-like animals called miacids that lived alongside the DINOSAURS about 60 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found which put the tiger in Indonesia 2 million years ago

Images of tigers have been discovered as far back as 1700 B.C. (4,000 years ago) and throughout history the tiger has been a symbol of both power and strength. Used as executioners in Asian courts; for entertainment in European gladiatorial combats; and as a status symbol for monarchs.

Tigers have long been thought to hold some mystical, supernatural power. The shang people of China believed tigers (lau hu) were messengers between the human and spirit world, images of tigers were placed upon tombs to warn off evil spirits. In the Hindu religion Shiva the destroyer rides a tiger (Bagh) and wears a tiger skin, followers of Buddah ride tigers to show their supernatural ability to overcome evil. Forest dwellers of India built shrines and temples to worship them, Islam followers in Sumatra believe tigers (rimau) punish sinners on behalf of Allah.

Captive Tigers in Zoos

Approximately 361 captive Sumatran Tigers live in zoos around the world. In addition to the 119 Sumatran tigers living in Indonesian zoos, there are 73 tigers managed by North American zoos, 98 in European zoos, and 2 8in Australasian zoos. (Source International Tiger Studbook – courtesy of Zoological Society of London)

More Information about Donations

If you feel inclined to help the survival of these wondrous and beautiful wild creatures, you may visit the Sumatran Tiger Trust, and become a proud foster parent of a wild Sumatran Tiger.

100% of money raised finances tiger monitoring, habitat preservation, community development, anti poaching patrols, park ranger training and the purchase of essential field equipment. (Activities managed under the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Programme, a collaborative conservation partnership with the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) of the Indonesian Department of Forestry.)
It is this field equipment – notably remote cameras that have provided us with these magnificent rare shots of these otherwise elusive wild, free animals going about their daily lives within Sumatra’s National Parks.

Your generosity will entitle you to a certificate of adoption, complete with a photograph of your chosen tiger. Also, we promise to keep you informed of your tigers progress and update you on sightings and in recognition of your support will add your name to the roll of honor to be displayed in the park and on the website.

For more vital information on how you can help, please visit –> The American Wild Horse today. There is no time for delay, as this is happening now, and horses are dying.

Without our help, these beautiful, wild, and noble creatures will no longer exist. They have been our friends and helpers since ancient times… is this really how we will repay these great hearts that have helped us so much? I am not willing to accept this. We need to take action, sign the petitions, and make some phone calls.. let our voices be heard in this outrage!

Some numbers to call – 1) Call President Obama (202-456-1111) and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (202-208-3100)

I personally cannot even imagine a world in which Wolves no longer exist. This is a sad fate for a creature which has survived throughout time, living by their wits and courage. As humans, we can learn much just by watching the Wolf as she interacts with her cubs and pack mates. Their cunning and loyalty to the pack, endears them to a wild and free heart such as mine.

Seriously, there is plenty of room for these wild ones. They would not encroach upon human settlements, if we were not such poor stewards as to kill off their natural prey through mismanagement on the part of humans. We do not utilize the gifts on this planet in the manner in which it was given. The world is pretty messed up, and it makes me wonder how we can be in such a sorry state! The view of this entire planet, all the waste wanton destruction, and pollution, is simply apalling!!

Let’s keep our eyes open, educate ourselves, and make it our business to be aware of our surroundings. We cannot bring back the thousands of creatures which have become extinct in the past 50 years alone, but we can take responsiblilty and save those in danger here and now!

Check around and see what you can do in your own area, and please consider supporting Defenders of Wildlife in their quest to protect these wild beauties. Superior strength does not qualify us to play gods with the natural world.

Dear Teri,

I have some terrible news. Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that he would follow the discredited path of the Bush Administration and delist wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region.

This is a stunning development, just six weeks into the Obama Administration. This delisting paves the way for almost 1000 wolves to be killed under deadly state management plans in Idaho and Montana.

The killing could begin in just weeks.

As I write this, we are already preparing an emergency legal challenge to this harmful proposal — and we’ll be in court as quickly as possible. But we need your help for the legal fight ahead.

Please make an emergency donation now to support our Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund.

This delisting will put the fate of our wolves in the hands of state governments that want to slaughter nearly 1,000 wolves. Last year, when federal wolf protections were temporarily lifted in the region, more than 100 wolves were killed in just a short time – including the world renowned “Limpy.”

In addition, regular wolf hunting seasons could begin as early as this fall in Idaho and Montana — and Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter said again today that he still wants the first available hunting tag to shoot a wolf himself.

We can’t allow the out-of-control killing of wolves to happen again.

Please donate now to support our emergency legal challenge to protect our wolves in the Northern Rockies.

For more than 35 years, Defenders of Wildlife has fought for our wolves. We were there when the first wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and we’ve been there to defend them ever since. We’ve beaten back efforts to prematurely delist these wolves in the past, and I’m confident we can do so again.

Just this week, we celebrated a hard-fought victory made possible with your help as the Senate voted to overturn the Bush Administration’s last-minute gutting of the Endangered Species Act. We now need to beat back another deadly Bush-era plan that will open the door to the slaughter of nearly 1,000 wolves.

Please donate what you can today to save the lives of wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone.

Together, we can win our legal challenge of the same bad plan originally put forth in the last throes of the Bush Administration — and ensure that our wolves will continue to be around for future generations.

Sincerely,

Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Your donation through our secure website will ensure that your contribution will be put to immediate work. You can also donate by calling 1-800-385-9712.

Did you know that Sea Turtles are some of the planet’s most ancient and endangered creatures? Unfortunately, in recent years, hundreds of these Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico have been killed or injured by an indiscriminate fishing practice known as bottom longline fishing. This is a cruel way to die, and we must put a stop to it!

Please help us save sea turtles. Take action online at – Defenders of Gulf Turtles. Sign the petition, so we can avoid a costly court battle, which will leave the Sea Turtle extremely vulnerable, as time is wasted on such a venture.

Between July 2006 and the end of 2007, the government estimates that the Gulf of Mexico bottom longline fishery, which targets reef fish like grouper and tilefish, resulted in the capture of nearly 1,000 threatened and endangered Sea Turtles — and that in more than 80% of these incidents, the turtles were injured or killed.

Six of seven species of Sea Turtles are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and indiscriminate fishing practices are a grave threat to sea turtles around the world. Loggerheads nesting on Florida beaches — the same turtles captured in the Gulf of Mexico bottom longline fishery — have plummeted by more than 40% over the last decade.

We need to take action right now to save Sea Turtles. Please take action online today at – Defenders of Gulf Turtles.

Thanks for taking the time to help save this endangered species…

Although it will take much just to get these families to a safe place and compensation for their losses, too much damage has been done. The first estimate from TVA claimed just over a million cubic yards had roared across the area following the collapse of a dike wall holding back the coal ash waste. They tripled that amount, again “estimating” the total was more like 5.4 million cubic yards, yet as they are not forthcoming with information or accountability I believe the true amount is much more.

The impact on nature and the environment is heartbreaking to contemplate. Looking on the horrifying devastation from images and videos makes me shudder, and I cannot even imagine what it looks and feels like in person. From personal accounts it is a nightmare; a nightmare people are not going to wake up from anytime soon. One would think people learn from their mistakes and we would have evolved enough by now, and know not to play with toxic waste. How are we going to clean this up? It hasn’t even stopped moving, and by the time it reaches the ocean it will have poisoned the land for many, many miles.

I simply cannot express the scope of this horrifying event without crying my heart out for the land and the people, so if you want more information and updates as this event unfolds please visit –> Knoxvillebiz to find a link roundup full of news and articles relating to Tennessee’s latest environmental disaster.

It appears our government officials are unsuprisingly absent on this one, and it’s up to the people to push this to the front of the table. We need to get the word out and stay on top of things, as we cannot allow this to happen again elsewhere. This is bigger than some people think, and we need to fight to get the attention and help that will be needed to contain this disaster as much as possible. I cannot believe they are not all over this, but that is just me. I tend to want to believe other people think like me, and it just isn’t so.

Alas, it tears at my heart when I try to find good news to pass along to my readers. I mean, shouldn’t there be a Balance of as much good as bad? I know the saying goes ‘it is always darkest before the dawn’, yet must so much be destroyed before the Balance can be restored? Our songs and traditions speak of such a Beautiful and Bountiful land, yet when we look around, where has the bounty gone? And what are we doing to all the Beautiful places? What legacy are we truly leaving our children and future generations? Wow… I am feeling depressed about this walk, and that is not good. I am usually so optimistic in feeling I can make a difference, and days like this cause me to feel so helpless and small in the scheme of things. How can one small being such as myself even hope to make a dent in this daunting task?

Well then, I suppose I must pass along the news which prompted my sadness in this moment…

For years, BioGems Defenders have fought to halt the U.S. government’s systematic capture and killing of Yellowstone’s bison — better known as American buffalo — as they roam beyond the boundaries of the park in search of food during the harsh winter months. But this year the rate of slaughter has reached unprecedented proportions with more than 1,400 buffalo dead — fully 30 percent of the buffalo population. In response, the NRDC Action Fund, our partner organization, is mobilizing a massive outcry to stop the killing.

» Tell the National Park Service to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo.

I would like to think we can make a difference if we put our minds to it and work together. I truly would like to spread some good news in letting people know there is a safe, bountiful and beautiful place in which the remaining Buffalo may roam and grow plentiful once again.

As Mother’s Day approaches, penguin moms and families are facing a meltdown. You can help support our work to save these beloved birds — and their families — by adopting a penguin today.

Penguins may sing and dance in the movies, but — in the real world — times are tough. Rising temperatures are destroying vital penguin habitat and depriving them of crucial food sources, such as the shrimp-like krill. Many penguins can’t find enough food to feed their chicks.

Already, penguin populations have decreased by nearly 80 percent in some areas.

Adopt a penguin, a penguin family, or a Penguin Mom & Chick for your favorite “Moms” this Mother’s Day. It’s a great gift and you’ll be helping to save these precious creatures at the same time!

With your Penguin Mom & Chick gift adoption, those special ‘moms’ in your life will receive a soft and cuddly 11″ Tall, Penguin Mom & Chick Plushes, a framed personalized Certificate of Adoption and penguin photo, a penguin fact sheet, chock full of information about these feathered friends, and a Kids Wildlife Activity Book.

More importantly, your penguin gift adoption for Mom will help support our efforts to address global warming, pass legislation to help animals adapt to a changing climate, and our education and mobilization efforts to protect these wonderful animals.

Adopt a penguin or another imperiled animal by 7AM eastern on May 5th for FREE shipping in time for Mother’s Day.

P.S. Remember to place your adoption by 7AM Eastern Monday, May 5th for arrival by Mother’s Day with with FREE shipping! You can also get your adoption there on time with Express shipping if you order by 7AM Eastern Tuesday, May 6th.

P.P.S. Place your order by May 5th and receive a 10 percent discount off all your animal adoptions. Simply enter discount code MOM on your order. You can also make your wildlife gift adoption over the phone at (800) 385-9712.