An interesting article in the news recently about the confiscation and destruction of 50+ Litoria caerulea (White's tree frog) in Auckland early this year.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/3840590/Illegally-traded-frogs-destroyed
Queen's Birthday honours
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Anthony Hume Whitaker for services to herpetology.
The NZHS congratualtes Tony Whitaker on the recognition of his work, which ranges from field work, photographing, writing identification books, classification of New Zealand species and advising on ways to improve habitat.
Read the full text of the changes to the Wildlife Act here.
Whale sharks, katipo spiders and all giant weta will now be absolutely protected under changes to the Wildlife Act, Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson announced today.
They are among 12 previously unprotected species of invertebrate and a number of marine species, including manta ray, giant groper and corals, which have had their protection status upgraded.
The Animal Behavior Society 2010 Film Festival is seeking non-commercial and commercial submissions.
ABS is pleased to announce the 26th Annual Animal Behavior Film Festival. The festival will be held during the 47th Annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA,USA; July 25 - 31 2010.
Films submissions must be postmarked by May 31, 2010. For more information see http://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/committee-film.php.
New Zealand's largest gecko had been thought extinct on the mainland until a dead specimen was discovered in a mouse trap at Maungatautari in Waikato last month.
A Duvaucel's gecko has been found in Maungatautari Trust predator proof area. Unfortunately it was dead in a mouse trap; the first to be seen on the mainland in almost 100 years.
BioBlitz 2010 was held in Auckland Domain on 17th - 18th April. 1521 species were found
BioBlitz is a scientific race against time. It is educational. And it is heaps of fun!
The goal is to count as many species as possible in a 24-hour survey of a large urban area. The emphasis is on recording the total number of species, not naming every creature that has been found.
1521 species were found in Auckland Domain.
See the results on the BioBlitz 2010 website.
If you have an opinion on the smugglers who take NZ wildlife, please add your vote on this website.
Vote here http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/3525076/Smugglers-of-wildlife-face-prison.
Thomas Benjamin Price, 31, a Swiss man with United States citizenship, had pleaded guilty to possession of the protected wildlife, and Mexican Gustavo Eduardo Toledo-Albarran, 28, had admitted hunting the lizards.
A German reptile collector has been jailed for 14 weeks and must pay a $5000 fine for plundering New Zealand's wild gecko and skink populations.
Update of news:
A German reptile collector has been jailed for 14 weeks and must pay a $5000 fine for plundering New Zealand's wild gecko and skink populations.
Hans Kurt Kubus, 58, will be deported as soon as he is released from prison.