1. Heartbreaking News! Six Park Rangers Have Been Attacked & Killed By Armed Assailants In Virunga National Park
It is with immense sadness that Virunga National Park confirms the deaths of six Park Rangers in an attack by armed assailants, that occurred on Sunday, January 10, 2021.
One Ranger was seriously wounded in the assault. Fortunately, the Ranger has been taken to a hospital in Goma and his injuries are no longer considered life-threatening.
At approximately 7:30am,the Rangers were ambushed while on foot patrol inside the Park. The attack took place near Kabuendo,which is located near the border of the Park, in the Central sector, between Nyamilima andNiamitwitwi.
According to astatement by Virunga National Park, preliminary investigations indicate that the Rangers were taken by surprise and had no opportunity to defend themselves, and that those responsible for the attack are local Mai-Mai groups.
The identities of the Rangers who lost their lives are:
2. After 19 Days Trapped In Japan’s Infamous ‘Cove,’ Young Minke Whale Brutally Killed By Taiji Fishermen
It is with heavy hearts that WAN shares the tragic news that an adolescent minke whale, who was trapped for 19 days in fishing nets in Taiji, Japan, was brutally slaughtered by fishermen aboard boats owned by the Taiji Fisheries Association.
Ren Yabuki, Campaign Director of Life Investigation Agency (LIA),who, in collaboration with Dolphin Project, had been documenting the plight of the confined minke whale that they named Hope. He shared the news in a statementwhich included the horrific details of the whale’s struggle at the hands of Taiji fishermen.
“While shooting with a drone, I witnessed the agony of the minke whale, and my hands were trembling with sadness,” noted a distraught Yabuki. “I lost my voice and felt as though my blood was boiling.”
Help us put an end to the infamous “Cove” for good!
3. Five Orangutans Formerly Kept As “Pets” In West Borneo Are Rehabilitated & Released Back Into Their Rainforest Home
Five orangutans were released back into the wild inWest Borneo after they were all rescued from captivity. Sadly, their mothers had been killed so that the babies could be captured and sold on the black market as “pets.”
Prior to their release, the orphaned orangutans had spent years undergoing rehabilitation at an orangutan center in Ketapang, West Borneo.
The release was carried out by the Natural Resources Conservation Agency for West Kailmantan (BKSDA), theBukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (TNBBBR), and a team fromInternational Animal Rescue (IAR) Indonesia.
The order illustrates how Biden can take bold, aggressive action to save endangered species without the involvement of Congress. The United States could be positioned as a leader in the fight to combat extinction, protect public lands and waters, curtail the international wildlife trade, and restore abundant wildlife populations across the nation.
5. WAN Exclusive With Filmmaker James Kleinert, The Warrior Who Is Saving America’s Last Wild Horses
Tragically, 455 of America’s wild horses recently became the latest victims unfairly targeted by helicopters during yet another controversial Bureau of Land Management (BLM)roundup under the guise of ‘herd management.’
Not surprisingly, little information about this travesty, which took place between December 5th and December 18thwithin and outside of the herd areas located in Lincoln County, Nevada, has been shared publicly.
According to James Kleinert, the lack of information by the BLM is intentional. Kleinert has dedicated his life to saving America’s wild horses and has also produced several award-winning documentaries about their plight.
WAN had the opportunity to talk with Kleinert about his decades-long mission advocating for wild horses as the oil, gas, mining, and cattle industries continue to take away their legal and environmental protections. This is one of the many issues Kleinert addresses in his latest documentary series,Mustangs & Renegades.
6. Plant-Based JUST Egg Added To The Menu Of More Than 500 Dicos Fast-Food Restaurants In China
Eat Just, Inc., a plant-based and cultured meat company that applies cutting-edge science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods, just announced that Dicos, one of the leading fast-food chains in China, has added JUST Egg to its menu at over 500 locations.
The chain’s conventional egg patty will be replaced with JUST Egg’s pre-baked, folded egg, marking the first time a major quick service restaurant has swapped an animal-based product with a plant-based one across multiple menu offerings.
“This common sense step to better protect our wildlife from these dangerous rat poisons should be adopted across the nation,” said Jonathan Evans, Environmental Health Legal Director at theCenter for Biological Diversity in astatement. “When there are literally hundreds of safer, cost-effective solutions on store shelves, there is no reason to leave the worst of the worst poisons on the market.”
8. Bill Aiming To Stop The Wildlife Trade For Human Consumption Just Reintroduced In The U.S. House Of Representatives
The Preventing Future Pandemics Act was just reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to address the spillover of emerging infectious diseases from wildlife to humans.
As previously reported by WAN, the bill, which was first introduced in the House in September of 2020 by Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Fred Upton (R-MI),aimed to prohibit the import, export, and interstate trade of live wildlife for the purpose of human consumption.
The bill also allocates $35 million for the implementation of this ban and calls on the State Department to pursue live wildlife market closures abroad through international coalitions and other diplomatic measures.
