apes

In New Orleans, alligators are being dragged out of backyard swimming pools. On top of that, foxes are being removed from the airport, coyotes are attacking rabbits in the middle of busy streets, and armadillos are living under air conditioning units.

Opossums are living under homes and in gardens, raccoons are eating everything in sight, and snakes are hanging out in backyards. You can find deadly brown widow spiders everywhere, along with swarms of flies, roaches, and mosquitoes. The worst part is that New Orleans has turned into a rat’s paradise. What the heck is going on?

While Hurricane Katrina pushed people out of New Orleans, it pushed wild animals in. Some were blown in by the winds or redistributed by the floodwaters. Others came to investigate the piles of rotting garbage and the available shelter from all the abandoned homes. Rick Atkinson, curator of swamp exhibit at Audubon Zoo, said that “The three things wild animals need is food, water, and cover.We’ve always had food and water, but now, there are no people, so the animals have all the cover they want.”

But as people have started to move back in, complaints have gotten out of control. The city of New Orleans has set up a hot line to take complaints about rodents and other pests. Greg duTreil, who is licensed by the state to remove nisance wildlife, said “In 20 years of trapping animals here, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m getting calls night and day.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15251721/

On Wednesday, while we were exploring the dunes, officials in Thailand captured a truck full of 200 siamese crocodiles, that were apparently being smuggled into the country from Cambodia. Before arresting the driver, authorities found a box full of crocodile skins and a three-tiered shelving system filled with live crocodiles in the truck. Some of these crocodiles were more than a yard long with rope wrapped around their jaws. This truck full of 200 crocodiles was estimated to be worth $16,000!

Siamese crocodiles are extremely close to extinction in the world, and are a protected species in Thailand. The World Conservation Union, or IUCN, classifies the Siamese crocodiles as critically endangered. This is why trade of Siamese crocodiles is prohibited, and government permits are needed for research and export of the species.

As we’ve learned in class, every organism has a role in the ecosystem of which it lives. The extinction of one species could lead to a disruption of the food web, and the whole ecosystem. So don’t go stealing 200 crocodiles anytime soon!

^Siamese Crocodiles in the Wild. Photo courtesy of http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/act-plan/csiam.htm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15219938/

Honda Motors Co. has just recently stated that they have developed a diesel engine just as clean as a gas-powered engine. This invention is so significant for a couple of reasons.

• Honda is the world’s largest engine maker, which means that this developmetn could lead to a breakthrough in wider acceptance of diesel engines.
• Big car makers aren’t only competing for better fuel economy, but also for selling environmental-friendly vehicles. Today, Toyota is the leading company in production of environmental-friendly cars, with their Hybrid. Honda’s new “super-clean” engine is creating a higher competitive edge for these types of cars.
• In 2009, new air quality standards will go into effect in California. The challenge of meeting these standards is tough and more demanding than the new Federal rules. Nine other states are adopting California’s new standards. These states make up 20% of the car market. This new “super-clean” diesel engine would make Honda the first diesel ever to comply with these new standards.
• Diesel Engines are attractive because they produce 30% less Carbon Dioxide than a gas-fueled engine. Along with that, they typically get 30% better milage. This is fuel efficiency comparable to the hybrids that are being sold today. The problem with diesel engines is that they send out harmful clouds of soot and nitrogen oxide, but Honda assures that they don’t compromise their fuel economy for cleaning up the harmful substances.

Other car makers such as Volkswagen and Chrysler are the top sellers of diesel engines, but they haven’t tried yet to make diesel’s cleaner like Honda has. All this attention on cleaner engines provides hope for cleaning up our act. Hopefully more dealerships will learn from this and this issue of air quality will be helped.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6139131

http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-fi-honda25sep25,0,5438661.story?coll=la-home-headlines

http://www.dieselforum.org/where-is-diesel/cars-trucks-suvs/honda-unveils-clean-diesel-engine/