It isn't easy being green, or white in this case... Or is it? Scientists have struggled for years to understand the snowy plumage of Barn Owls they would see in the wild, compared to others that were various shades of red. Even more interesting, though they are nocturnal hunters, there are many more white-colored barn owls than red, pointing to an advantage of some sort. But how could a bright white creature on the backdrop of night have a natural advantage, it just seemed completely backwards. Recent research finally answered the question ornithologists (bird nerds) have been chomping at the bit to answer.
hunting
Via schwarzenegger
As if lion hunters weren't having a bad enough week, now the Terminator's after them.
Joining the growing outrage over the Minnesotan lion-hunting dentist who illegally killed a Zimbabwean lion, Arnold Schwarzenegger took to Instagram July 30. He had a few things to say about the ongoing practice of hunting big cats.
He used the hashtag #5forbigcats drawing attention to a National Geographic donation drive raising money to expand conservation efforts.
Big cats in the wild are disappearing at an alarming rate. In fact, within our lifetime, lions in the wild could disappear forever. In support of World Lion Day (August 10), we're raising money to preserve big cats—like lions—and their habitats through National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative.
Your donation, no matter how small, will make a very real difference in the lives of these majestic creatures. From building livestock enclosures to save snow leopards in Nepal to combating lion snaring and poaching in Zambia, the Big Cats Initiative provides on-the-ground conservation and education support to preserve big cat populations worldwide. 100 percent of your donation supports the fieldwork and expeditions of the Society's scientists and explorers, and our work to share their remarkable discoveries with the world.
Earlier that same day, before using his old body building accolades to define a trophy, he posted another message to big cat hunters on Instagram.
July 30 was also Arnold's birthday. The former governor of California chose to spread a little message against big cat hunting while turning 68 years old.
Appropriately, he's a Leo.
If you haven't heard about it by now, a dentist from Minnesota paid $50,000 to illegally kill a beloved and protected lion in Zimbabwe earlier this month.
The whole things seems to have gotten the better of the usually unflappable Jimmy Kimmel.
"It's just vomitous," he said while going on a tirade against the senseless killing of exotic trophy animals.
Kimmel actually grew emotional as he tried to understand the thought process of a big game hunter. It was a very tender moment for the often-cynical talk show host.
Adding to his credit, Kimmel wanted to bring some positive to story by circulating the web address of a conservation organization, and asked viewers to donate.
Way to make something good out of something that has caused a lot of Internet vitriol, Jimmy.
Via The Guardian
One of the "most famous lions in Africa", and an ongoing research subject of Oxford University, was hunted and killed illegally by a Minnesotan Dentist in early July and everyone is pissed.
Cecil the lion was the leader of his pride in a Zimbabwean and had been widely publicized to draw attention to the university's studies.
According to The Guardian:
On Tuesday, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said the man thought to have paid $50,000 (£32,000) for the chance to kill Cecil was not a Spaniard as originally believed, but US citizen Walter Palmer, from a small town near Minneapolis. The man left the lion skinned and headless on the outskirts of the park, the ZCTF's Johnny Rodrigues said in a statement.
The hunt took place around 6 July. "They went hunting at night with a spotlight and they spotted Cecil," Rodrigues said. "They tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil out of the park and they scented an area about half a kilometre from the park."
The 13-year-old lion was wearing a GPS collar as part of an Oxford University research project that had been running since 1999, making it possible to trace his last movements. Rodrigues said the hunters tried to destroy the collar, but failed.
Here's some Oxford University footage of Cecil in his habitat:
Palmer pictured below on the left with another lion he killed, not Cecil, has received wide spread condemnation from just about everyone.
Multiple Facebook groups have been set up to shame the hunter.
And his dentist office's Yelp account is being creatively pummeled.
The reaction spread so big it spilled over into real life, causing Palmer to shut up his office July 28.
Dental practice belonging to controversial big game hunter Walter Palmer completely locked down. All shades drawn. pic.twitter.com/opvzJp8ea9
— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) July 28, 2015
Palmer's defense is that he simply did not know. That has done nothing to stop the creation of an online petition calling for justice, which has already been signed by almost 70,000 people.
And it hasn't stopped the swarming of protesters and reporters around Palmer's house.
The Guardian goes on to say that, with the removal of Cecil as the pride's leader, another male lion will move in to dominate the pride and likely kill Cecil's cubs.
So, not the happiest of endings.
Via WITN
On the night of February 28, eastern North Carolina hunter Jett Webb bagged a massive 7′ long, 500+ lbs wild boar:
One shot is all it took to turn one local man into a hunting celebrity.
It all began when Jett Webb went night hunting in Bertie County on February 28.
Webb says he was sitting up in a tree when he saw what looked like a large, adult boar. He fired one, very well placed shot of his .308 caliber AR-15 rifle.
WITN sat down with the 34-year-old hunter on Tuesday.
Webb recalls, "Heart, lung, yep. That's kind of what we try to go for. Clean kill, dropped him, stoned him right in his tracks."
By Unknown
Given that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I imagine that some of you have procrastinated in picking up the hero of the annual meal. In case your local market is out of the fully prepped birds, you can always go the natural route and hunt one down yourself. This morning talk show advises you on what equipment you'll need and how NOT to use it.
