(Global Warming, continued from p.1)

*Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide are due primarily to fossil-fuel use and land use changes.

The report painted a bleak picture of the future in the absence of concerted world-wide response:

Great Barrier Reef Headed Toward Extinction According to UN Scientists

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is threatened by extinction from global warming. This is the alarming conclusion of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)in a draft 2007 report, recently leaked to the international press.

The reef, which is the only life form on earth viewable from space, is considered one of the richest and most diverse marine habitats on the planet. It extends for 1400 miles long the northeastern continental shelf of Australia. According to the IPCC, the reef is suffering from coral bleaching, which occurs when animal organisms that make up the coral die and leave behind white limestone skeletons. (continued on p.3)

(Bear Status, continued from p.1)

giving environmentalists pause that the agency will resist the science and letter of the law and resist protection of bears against threats caused by CO2.

The Bush Administration has persistently resisted caps on greenhouse gas emissions, while promoting drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Both policies are potentially are in direct conflict with a a listing of polar bears as "threatened."

While Kempthorne's did acknowledge that thinning ice presents a threat to bear populations, he made no mention of human causes, thus raising questions about the scope of possible protection measures if the listing is confirmed.

Absent in Kempthorne's statement was mention of other documented impacts on bear populations such as toxic pollutants, overhunting and various forms of habitat encroachment. Of perhaps even greater concern, he stated that Department studies indicate that coastal and offshore oil and gas exploration shouldn't be curtailed and do not pose a threat to the bears. (continued on p.3)

(Elephants, continued from p.1)

caress the bones with their trunks and teeth in the same manner that they greeted the beloved baby or mate in life. According to Siebert, "If harm comes to a member of an elephant group, all the other elephants are aware of it."

Like human babies, a baby elephant is entirely dependent upon its mother for several years. Nursing is required for two years. Later development stages closely track with human development (e.g., adolescence, adulthood).

Infants who have witnessed the slaughter of their parents are "candidates" for later disorders. It is literally something they cannot forget.

Adolescent males, traumatized or not, depend upon socialization from older males. Elder bulls gradually impart understanding of how the adolescents are allowed to exercise their strength, when and how they may be aggressive. It appears that much of the violence against rhinos was perpetrated by adolescents without the presence of a dominating bull elephant. A recent South African study also suggests that the adolescents may have previously witnessed their family being killed by game mangers in "cullings." (continued on p.3)