Big Life Foundation’s Post

#wolves #livestock #attacks #anthropocentrism #conservation #halfearth #commoditization #life #love #reverenceforlife #loveofJesus The Situation: "Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed another gray wolf attack on livestock in Jackson County on Saturday, according to the agency’s list of confirmed gray wolf depredations." Local Assessment: "This is the second time a gray wolf has attacked livestock so far this month, a sharp decrease from the six depredation incidents that occurred in Grand and Jackson counties in April." The Concealed Problem: "The incident involved one calf and a claim has not yet been submitted." The Actual Predicament: "Saturday’s incident marks the eighth attack on livestock since 10 gray wolves were released in Colorado in December 2023." Reverence for Life Analysis: Mankind, in its infinite wisdom, presumes to possess the knowledge and foresight to be able "conserve", to manage one species of wildlife amidst the myriad of others who also subsist in the same geographic region. This is the absolute acme of ignorance and arrogance. Worse, in order to placate those who breed, restrain, mistreat, torture, slaughter and ultimately butcher God's creatures for human avarice and gluttony, should the interjected lupines harm any of the livestock before it can fetch a fair price, the government will pay the livestock owners a small tribute. Two quick points under the ethos of a reverence for life: 1. Humans are bidden to act as stewards of all God's creation. This superintendence is often best discharged by sectioning off huge swaths of acreage for wildlife use only, free from human depredation and meddling. 2. All life has worth and value. No being may be downgraded to the ignominious status of means to some human end. All life on this planet must be allowed to exist according to its own predilections and proclivities, not ours. Either Homo sapiens accepts and adopts a reverence for life as our ethos, or these stories will crop up with alarming regularity. The choice is ours, is yours.

BREAKING: We're heading to the Supreme Court of Victoria — for dingoes. We've just launched a Supreme Court challenge to the Victorian state government's shocking decision to continue to allow native dingoes to be stripped of their protected status so they can be trapped, shot, and poisoned by farmers and land managers. We will argue that to use ‘livestock predation’ as an excuse to justify the killing of dingoes is irrational and unreasonable, given the industry’s own research shows that most livestock deaths relate to farm management practices. With only 30 breeding adults left in one of two remaining packs in Victoria, our time is fast running out to save them. And with each passing day, current killing programs will continue to see dingoes struggle for hours or days in leghold traps and die slow, agonizing deaths from 1080 poisoned baits. For each one of them facing this fate, we haven’t wasted a moment in preparing this legal action. Thank you to those of who have been advocating for dingoes this year — your efforts have amplified the plight of this unique species, and it is only because of the generosity of our donors that we can now take this next crucial step for them in court. Once the hearing commences we will provide further updates, but for now, if you would like to support this work please donate to our Wildlife Protection Fund: https://lnkd.in/graafE-z

#Zimbabwe and #Namibia are set to kill hundreds of #elephants and other #WildAnimals to help fight #hunger among their #citizens as both countries face severe #drought. Zimbabwe announced that it will allow the killing of 200 #elephants to distribute their #meat to needy communities. Namibia has already begun the process to kill over 700 #wild animals, including 83 elephants, under a plan revealed three weeks ago https://lnkd.in/g-dkSggU

#badgers #cull #slaughter #livestock #anthropocentrism #speciesism #avarice #gluttony #science #ignorance #stewardship #service #life #love #reverenceforlife #loveofJesus My dear friends, the short piece infra on badger culling (sic--nice to see Bowdler still floruit) limns with stunning clarity much that is wrong with our species. With citations from the story, let us parse this mess before commentary. "Badger culling will end in England by 2029, the government has said. However, ... ministers have said not enough research has been done in recent years to find out whether badgers carry the disease. It is thought more than 200,000 badgers have been culled in the past decade, and the government will commission a population survey to ascertain the damage the cull has done to wildlife populations. It [ 2029 cessation] admits the government doesn’t know how many badgers are left or how many even have bTB. They haven’t counted them and haven’t tested them but continue to slaughter them." Human perfidy, ignorance, and arrogance writ large. My dear friends, the overweening hubris of mankind yet amazes, baffles, troubles, and angers. We are supercilious enough to believe we possess the right right, much less the ability, to dictate a proper level of population of God's creation, and with equal haughtiness we butcher any of that population that incommodes us. We behave with lethal indifference towards our fellow denizens of this earth, and the cause of barbaric comportment? Our desire to protect other species of God's creatures whom we mistreat exploit, torture, and then slaughter for our wallets and gluttonous appetites! It won't do. A reverence for life is an ethos of life affirmation asserting that all life possesses worth and value, that no life may be relegated to a mere means to some human end, that our obligation as mankind is stewardship of nature, not its brutal manipulation. Until our mindset is one of service, not usurpation, Homo sapiens will persist in "culling" until there is nothing left to cull.

Go Tell Aunt Rhodie Helpful Creatures Story Two - Land Animals For our new Wednesday feature, we began last week focusing on creatures in our ecosystems that are helpful to our planet. Today we will discuss several land animals in this category. - Coyotes are very cunning and adaptable members of the animal kingdom found mostly in North and Central America. They belong to the dog family (Canidae) with fur color ranging from gray to tan and often with reddish or yellowish tints. People find them helpful because they are predators of rodents and thus help keep the rodent population in check. - Other helpful land animals are hedgehogs which eat insects and small garden pests, and porcupines which consume leaves, bark, and twigs and thus contribute to forest health. - And, although we may not think so, certain rodents like squirrels and mice -- which are generally considered pests -- as well as prairie dogs and gophers, are actually helpful in that they assist with seed dispersal and the aeration of soil. - Last on this list, let’s mention amphibians and reptiles. These creatures consume insects and other invertebrates and thus help control populations of pests. Tune in next Wednesday for the follow-up article in our series on Helpful Creatures!

We are finding Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) nests cropping up already this summer. Nest removal is a specialist procedure that we have invested in so that we can provide this service to our clients. These furry little fiends are pests of oak trees, and a hazard to human and animal health. They feast upon the oak leaves in large quantities and heavy infestations can completely defoliate the trees, leaving them weak and vulnerable. Hundreds of thousands of tiny hairs covering the caterpillars are its main defence mechanism and coming into contact with them can cause skin and eye irritations, sore throats and breathing difficulties in people and animals. Removal takes specialist breathing equipment and full body protection, which you can see here, with nests being incinerated to avoid further spread. If you spot a silken sack style nest in an oak tree don't go near it. Contact us to sort this for you 🌳 #oakprocessionarymoth #OPM #treehealth #oaktree #environmental #mothnests #arborists #treelife #aboriculture

With support from @wildconnection, @gap we were able to change the collars on 2 of the lions on Nambiti. Often we are asked why we collar the lions. There are many reasons but the two most important reasons are for monitoring and reducing Human-Lion Conflict. 1. Monitoring Movements: Large carnivores, including lions, are collared to understand their movement patterns and the areas they occupy. By tracking their movements, researchers gain insights into lion behaviour, habitat use, and interactions with other wildlife. 2. Reducing Human-Lion Conflict: Collars provide real-time data on lion movements, allowing conservationists to respond promptly when lions venture out of the protected area and into areas where they might encounter humans or livestock. This helps prevent conflicts and retaliatory killings of lions. #NambitiReserve #KZNWildlife #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography #Big5 #SouthAfricaSafari #DiscoverWildlife #AfricanWildlife #SafariExperience #ConservationAwareness #Lions

The American buffalo, also known as Bison, is a symbol of the American West and is even depicted on some U.S. currency. This majestic animal played a crucial role in the ecosystem and in the lives of Native Americans. In the late 1400s, when Columbus arrived in North America, it's estimated that there were about 60 million bison. Their range covered most of the present-day United States and parts of Canada. However, by 1890, their numbers had plummeted to around 1,000, primarily due to overhunting by settlers and deliberate slaughter to deprive Native Americans of their food source. Despite some concerns raised at the time, the U.S. government encouraged this slaughter to control the Plains Indians. Today, the legacy of this massacre is still felt, as lands once roamed by bison are now used for cattle ranching. The greatest decline in bison numbers occurred between 1850 and 1890. Astonishingly, if bison were killed at a rate of 1,000 per day, it would take 164 years to match the slaughter that happened in less than 40 years. This reflects the intense human impact on bison populations. Native Americans, in contrast, held bison in high esteem. They hunted them respectfully, taking only what they needed and using every part of the animal. Bison were essential to their way of life, and their hunting practices did not significantly impact bison populations. Bison males can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand nearly 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Despite their size, they can run up to 35 miles per hour. Bison grazing habits, involving continuous movement and earth-churning hooves, are beneficial to the ecosystem. The bison's strength and resilience, particularly in harsh winters, are lessons in endurance and adaptability. Their ability to forage for food under the snow is symbolic of using intelligence and determination in challenging situations. Native Americans utilized every part of the bison, creating tools, clothing, and more, with minimal waste. This contrasts sharply with the wasteful practices of settlers and hunters, who often killed bison only for specific parts, leaving the rest to rot. The story of the American buffalo is a poignant reminder of the importance of respect for nature and sustainable practices. It highlights the consequences of greed and disrespect for the environment, urging a return to more responsible and harmonious ways of living with the natural world.

🦔📡 Radio-Tracking Rescued Pangolins in Vietnam! Save Vietnam's Wildlife is using radio tracking to monitor pangolins rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. By placing transmitters in their scales, researchers gain valuable insights into their behavior and needs, crucial for securing funding and supporting these elusive creatures. Read more in our Dispatch 👉https://lnkd.in/eJJ6ngfU #ConservationFirst #Wildlife #WildlifeNews #ConservationNews #Pangolins

Take care of your community , animals too ! We all play an important role on Earth ! Taking care of Earth is truly essential ! It’s the place we all call HOME ! Taking it one step in the direction leads us up many steps towards success. As soon as we sat down these three ducks came out to visit us ! Such sweethearts 🩵 P.s Ducks shouldn’t eat the food we consume ! When visiting a park make sure to take your trash with you and dispose of it properly . Leave no trace that you were there . Ducks are omnivorous birds which means they will eat a mixture of both plants and animals. Many ducks also vary their diet over the year with some species eating more animal matter during breeding season and spring migration, and more plant matter during the winter and autumn migration. For example, Mandarin ducks eat mostly insects, snails, small fish, and aquatic plants in spring, worms, fish, frogs, molluscs, and small snakes in summer, and acorns and grains in autumn and winter. #ducks #wildlife #animals #ponds #lakes https://lnkd.in/e-EVHMK6