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Stockpiles of Dead Tigers Should be Destroyed,
DISTURBING new
images of tiger carcasses piled up in cold storage at one of China’s
largest “tiger farms” raise questions about enforcement of
tiger trade bans in effect in China and internationally. The
photos were taken by participants invited to a government-sponsored
workshop and tour of China’s 2 largest tiger “farms” earlier
this month for international observers and scientists. The tour was
held on the heels of the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) agreeing in June that captive breeding of
tigers should be restricted “only to conserving wild tigers.”
“What is the point of these stockpiles when tiger trade is
banned inside and outside China?” asked Belinda Wright of
the Wildlife Protection Society of India, who participated in the
State Forestry Administration’s tiger farm tour and tiger trade
workshop. “The 171 member nations of CITES made it clear last
month that ‘tigers should not be bred for their parts and
derivatives.’”
Among the carcasses piled in a refrigerated building at the tiger
farm in Guilin, China, was a tiger that had been skinned and another
that had been gutted. CITES officials formally asked China in June
to investigate illegal sales of tiger meat at the Guilin farm.
Tiger “farms” in China house nearly 5,000 live tigers, and
farm investors are pressuring the government to lift a ban on tiger
trade so that they can profit from the sale of skins, bones and
other body parts of tigers after they die. The Guilin farm’s owner
submitted a report to CITES saying he was saving the tigers in cold
storage for the day when trade is legalized in China.
“Given that these bodies are commercially valuable and their
sale is prohibited by law, they amount to contraband,” said
Adam Roberts of Born Free Foundation. “Why not burn them the
way other illegal wildlife products are burned in China?”
The 35 organizations of the International Tiger Coalition stand
ready to offer guidance and technical support to China on shutting
down its tiger farms and stepping up law enforcement efforts to
stamp out illegal trade of tiger parts.
The Coalition encourages
China to invest more resources is increasing it wild tiger
population, which could rebound quickly with proper protection.
GOOD HOME WANTED FOR HUGE WALL PAINTING
JUST Learning,
which has 2 nurseries in Liverpool , is looking for a home for an
amazing and extremely large piece of artwork. Nursery managers
from across the country contributed to the ‘big picture’ as
part of a team building exercise at the company’s annual conference.
Measuring 4.6m x 2.1m, the colourful mural is in 15 individual
panels, which fit together to depict lively scenes from nursery
life.
The company is offering the picture to an organisation,
which is looking to brighten up its environment and has the room to
display the artwork in its full grandeur.
Managing director Jonathan Bell said:- “This is a wonderful,
bright and vivid piece of art, which would look fantastic on the
wall of a children’s hospital, hospice or somewhere similar. It would be a real shame if this vibrant piece of art was not
enjoyed by many people. We’d love to exhibit it in our nurseries,
but it is just too big. If there is anyone out there who can give it
a good home we’d be more than happy to talk to them.”
Anyone interested should contact Lindsay Reece on 07736 057687. |
NEW
"TRAFFIC RADIO" SERVICE LAUNCHED
THE Transport Minister
Tom Harris has launched a new "Traffic Radio" service to help
drivers plan their journeys. Available on digital radio and
the internet at
www.trafficradio.org.uk, "Traffic
Radio" lets drivers hear the latest:-
* Traffic conditions on motorways and major A roads in England
* Emergency incidents
* Roadworks
Traffic Radio is 1 of 3 new services to help people plan their
journeys that are being rolled out by the Highways Agency this year.
Other services include displaying real time journey and delay times
on electronic roadside signs and making CCTV images available to the
public via our website and the media.
Speaking at the Highways Agency's National Traffic Control Centre in
Birmingham today, Tom Harris said:- "Traffic Radio will
provide helpful information to enable people to make choices about
their journey, whether they're driving for work, visiting relatives
or going on holiday. The radio format allows people to check traffic
conditions easily before they leave the house or office. Those
with DAB radios in their cars will also be able to make informed
decisions about alternative routes, should conditions change when
they are en route. And people with mobile internet access will
be able to check the latest conditions when they take a break from
their journeys.
The Government is committed to investing in reliable and helpful
information to help people plan their journeys. We have provided
£160 million for the National Traffic Control Centre to co-ordinate
information and make services like Traffic Radio possible. We
know that people like to receive information in a number of
different ways. The new services we are launching this summer give
customers a choice of easy-to-use channels so they can make
well-informed decisions when deciding how and when to use our
network."
Traffic Radio is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year and
is updated every 10 minutes at busy times. It offers regional
traffic news, depending on which part of the country people are
listening, as well as national headlines. There will also be short
infomercials, for example explaining our Traffic Officer service,
safety advice and tips about planning your journey.
The Highways Agency trialled Traffic Radio through the internet and
a number of short term licences around major events like roadworks
over the past year. The Agency also carried out a trial on the M5
and M6 in the Midlands and South West to display real-time journey
and delay times. Feedback from drivers was very positive
during both trials, with people reporting that the information had
influenced their journeys as a result.
Initially the service will be produced by traffic news broadcasters
Trafficlink, compiling information from the National Traffic Control
Centre - including real-time information from 3,750 road sensors and
1,000 CCTV cameras as well as reports from traffic officers,
Highways Agency regional control centres, the police, local highway
authorities, contractors, leisure and entertainment venues and
weather centres. The service will initially be available on
DAB digital radio to an area covering potentially 80% of the
population of England. The service will become more widely available
over the next two years as more space becomes available on regional
multiplex transmitters, which provide broadcast space to radio
stations. It is also available on the internet at
www.trafficradio.org.uk.
The service has been developed by the Highways Agency which manages
motorways and trunk roads in England. However, the Agency is also
speaking to partners at Transport for London, Traffic Scotland,
Traffic Wales and DRDNI (Northern Ireland) about joining the service
in the future. The aim is to provide a joined-up service across the
country.
To tune in to the DAB service, simply press the "scan" button
on your radio. The radio will tune into all available channels and
you can select the new service by scrolling through the channels
until you reach "Traffic Radio". |
