New research suggests Canadian polar bear hunting policies could be pushing populations of the iconic Arctic predator toward sudden, steep declines.
Heating up an intense debate over the fate of an animal that has come to symbolize climate change, a paper published Wednesday in the London, England-based Proceedings of the Royal Society suggests that the bears' ability to maintain their numbers depends in part on their male-female split.Â
Last year, the Humane Society of the United States helped bring about the demise of the Destin Deep Water Shark Tournament. Now, the group that bills itself as the nation’s largest animal protection organization has set its sights on the shark division of the Destin Fishing Rodeo.
Animal-rights groups plan to protest a charity shark-fishing tournament in Saco later this week, calling the fundraiser cruel and irresponsible.
The Humane Society of the United States and two Maine groups want local politicians to put a stop to the tournament.
Grandy, of the animal rights group, said his organization works with international officials to combat poachers. He said it's also important to oppose killing sharks for sport. "What it says is: sharks are worthless except as prizes," Grandy said.
SEALS living along the Namibian coast are being internationally advertised to trophy hunters, although they are listed as an endangered species under an international convention. Seals are also not on the official list of huntable game species in Namibia.
A record porbeagle shark was caught off Massachusetts in a shark killing tournament over the weekend. Porbeagle sharks are on the National Marine Fisheries Service's “species of concern†list alongside great white sharks; it has recently proposed to prohibit any fisherman from catching them. The World Conservation Union also lists them as “globally endangered.â€
