Nature's Crusaders

“The red-legged frog and its cousins have survived millions of years. Scientists say their numbers have declined by 40 per cent by more than 40 percent.

The Red-legged Frog

Climate change and disease are seen as the most serious threats to amphibians like the harlequin frog from Equador – specifically, a fungus known as chytridiomycosis. “The perfect storm is happening,” Vrendenburg said. “All these different factors are leading to their decline, and it’s really, really serious. We’ve been finding dead frogs by the hundreds and thousands.
‘We’re very dependent on the same environment those animals are dependent on; so like a canary going down into cave, if the canary dies, we’re next,’ he said.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/12/eveningnews/main4346151.shtml

“Rana draytonii after being long included with the Northern Red-legged Frog (R. aurora) as subspecies of a single species called simply Red-legged Frog. California red-legged frogs are nearly endemic to California, only leaving the State as they enter extreme northern Baja California. This species occurs most commonly along the Northern and Southern Coast Ranges, and in isolated areas in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.” image also from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_red-legged_frog

Froggy Video
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4346185n

One dedicated life at a time we can change the world.

Berlin and the world mourns polar bear Knut’s zookeeper “dad”

“Hundreds of Germans flocked to the Berlin zoo on Tuesday to mourn the sudden death of the popular zookeeper who raised celebrity polar bear Knut.

“I have been visiting Knut at least once a week since his birth in December 2006,” said Berliner Baerbel Roemer, as she laid down flowers in memory of zookeeper Thomas Doerflein at Knut’s enclosure.

“Doerflein is one of a kind and I can’t describe how sad I am,” she said.

Doerflein, who shot to fame as Knut’s surrogate father after the tiny cub’s mother Tosca rejected him at birth, was found dead in his Berlin apartment near the zoo on Monday.

The 44-year old zookeeper with a thick black beard won the admiration of many in Germany and abroad when he stayed with the polar bear around the clock for 150 straight days, handfeeding the cub milk and porridge through the nights.

A modest man who had worked in the Berlin Zoo for about 28 years, Doerflein said he had received love letters and propositions from female fans after he became Knut’s “dad.”

“I wrote a letter to express my grief,” said crying teenager Jennifer Hennig, standing by a collection of cards and flowers near the enclosure where Knut, now a burly grown bear, paced around.

“I didn’t know Thomas personally, but he became somewhat of a friend to me. It hurts when you lose a friend,” Hennig said.

Knut was the first polar bear to be born at the zoo in 33 years and some animal rights campaigners had criticized the zoo’s decision to hand raise the bear. Supporters pointed out the animal would have died shortly after birth without Doerflein’s care.

“We valued him for his selflessness and sensitivity toward all animals,” the zoo’s director Bernhard Blaszkiewitz said.

“I’m sure (Doerflein) will live on in the hearts of all Berliners who got to know him as part of this touching tale of Knut,” Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit said.”
Reuters Life – Josie Cox Sep 23, 2008

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080923/lf_nm_life/us_germany_knut_life

Doerflein will live on as a shining model for how each of us can love enough to help make our world a better place one person at a time. – Mother Nature