Fun Mafia: April 2010

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Popular Chimpanzee Boxing Show in Bangkok

Once an popular show in Bangkok, Orangutan boxing Sow, was a big attraction, but it got forbidden in 2006. According to Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, orangutans were illegally smuggled from the Malaysian woods. They stayed in dark cages and were trained for the show. Some people say animals were abused. You must know that this wild species can be found only in Malaysia and Indonesia rainforests. Here are the photos how the show looked like. This orangutans look pretty fine, but I am not sure that the training was animal friendly. Gad to hear that there is someone who is thinking about this creatures.

The Pool of Baikal Seal in Irkutsk‏

The seal - is a live symbol of Baikal. It is one of its most beautiful inhabitants and the only species living in a lake. The Baikal seal is one of three limnetic seal species in the world, endemic of Baikal and it lives nowhere else. Looking for food, these seals dive 200 m deep and stay underwater for 20-25 minutes. They give birth to calves on the ice or in a snow lie. Most of the calves are born in the middle of March. In the first weeks of their life they have white fur that allows them to be almost invisible in snow. Adult mails achieve 130-150 kg and their length may be up to 1.8m, females are smaller. The life span of the seals is 55-56 years at most. It is hard to see seals in the natural habitat due to their reticence and fearfulness.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

World's Largest King Penguin Festival

King Penguins breed on the subantarctic islands between 45 and 55oS, at the northern reaches of Antarctica, as well as Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and other temperate islands of the region. The total population is estimated to be 2.23 million pairs and is increasing.The largest breeding populations are on Crozet Island, with around 455,000 pairs, 228,000 pairs on the Prince Edward Islands, 240,000 - 280,000 on the Kerguelen Islands and over 100, 000 on the South Georgia Islands. Macquarie Island has around 70,000 pairs. The non-breeding range is poorly known though presumably the subantarctic waters of the southern Indian, South Atlantic and Asian part of the Southern Ocean. Vagrant birds have been recorded from the Antarctic peninsula as well as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Friday, April 23, 2010

An Explosion at an Oil Platform in the Gulf of Mexico

Oil platform on which the April 22 explosion, sank in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. U.S. Coast Guard said about the possible danger of what happened to the environment. The rig could contain more than 2.6 million liters of diesel fuel. In addition, the well can enter the water up to 8 thousand barrels of oil per day. 11 workers missing