Animal 0 Posté(e) le 25 février 2007 February 24, 2007 Global warming endangers harp seal pups - report By Deborah Zabarenko WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global warming is making it harder for newborn harp seals to survive in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off Newfoundland in Canada, the International Fund for Animal Welfare reported on Friday. ... "Harp seals need the ice to give birth to their pups -- they won't come onto land," Fink said in a telephone interview. They need a solid stable ice platform for three or four weeks, in order to give birth and to allow the pups to nurse enough to build up strength. "If the ice isn't there when the mother seals are ready to give birth, they are forced to abort the pups in the water," she said. "They drown instantly. If there is ice but not as solid as necessary, so that it doesn't hold out for the entire nursing period ... (the pups) will fall into the water and drown." Storms in the area can push the chunks of ice around in the water, putting the pups at risk of being crushed, Fink said. The animal welfare group urged the Canadian government to lower the number of harp seals allowed to be killed by hunters each year. Since 1995, the wildlife group said, the total allowable catch has increased even as the ice cover has diminished. In 2006, the limit was set at 335,000, which was 85,000 higher than the "sustainable yield" estimated by Canadian government scientists, the group said in a statement. ... http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/2/24/worldupdates/2007-02-24t125944z_01_nootr_rtrjonc_0_india-288997-1&sec=worldupdates Partager ce message Lien à poster Partager sur d’autres sites
