• Famed giant Pacific leatherback turtle faces extinction in 20 years

    Reuters/Ricardo Tapilatu/University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the State University of Papua (UNIPA) in Indonesia/Handou

    Turtle researcher, Ricardo Tapilatu tags a female leatherback turtle who just laid eggs on a beach in New Guinea in this 2012 photograph.

    By Verna Gates, Reuters

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The giant Pacific leatherback turtle, known for its arduous 6,000-mile ocean trek from the U.S. West Coast to breeding grounds in Indonesia, could go extinct within 20 years as its population continues to plummet, scientists say.

    "Sea turtles have been around about 100 million years and survived the extinction of the dinosaurs but are struggling to survive the impact of humans," said reproductive biologist Thane Wibbels of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), a member of a research team studying the fate of these reptiles.

    The leatherback — the world's largest turtle — can grow to six feet long and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.

    A study published this week in the Ecological Society of America's scientific journal Ecosphere estimates that only about 500 leatherbacks now nest at their last large nesting site in the Pacific, down from thousands previously. The study tracked the turtle's ongoing population decline since the 1980s.

    "If the decline continues, leatherback turtles will become extinct in the Pacific Ocean within 20 years," Wibbels said.

    The Pacific leatherback braves a transpacific journey that is one of the longest migrations in nature. Experts say its continued existence is imperiled by threats like climate change, plastic pollution, fishing methods, predation and human hunting.

    In the past 27 years, the numbers of western Pacific leatherback turtles have dropped by 78 percent, making it critically endangered, said Ricardo Tapilatu, a turtle researcher at UAB and the State University of Papua in Indonesia. He has studied the turtles at their last remaining refuge, the remote Bird's Head Peninsula on New Guinea.

    State University Of Papua / Reuters

    Leatherback turtle hatchlings head into the sea on the island of New Guinea in this 2012 photograph.

    More than 75 percent of all western Pacific leatherback nesting occurs there, numbering 489 turtles in the last breeding season, the researchers said. The turtles forage across the Pacific as far away as the U.S. coast of California, Oregon, and Washington state.

    The research team also included scientists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service and the World Wildlife Fund Indonesia.

    The turtles can dive as deep as 4,000 feet. To survive the cold depths, the leatherback can control its temperature, staying warmer than surrounding waters. They feed on jellyfish, eating hundreds a day.

    The leathery shell feels like tire tread and it is distinctively different from hard-shell sea turtles.

    Their exact lifespan is unknown, but is believed to be up to 80 years. It is difficult to determine since males never return to the beaches, living their lives in the sea.

    Of the four primary Pacific nesting places of the past century, the Malaysian population is extinct, and the Mexico and Central American populations have fallen 95 percent.

    The leatherback is the only sea turtle that lives in open ocean, negotiating numerous dangers along the way.

    "They migrate 6,000 miles in seven months, and then back, going through the territorial waters of at least 20 countries. There is constant danger of being caught and killed," said Tapilatu, a native of New Guinea.

    For example, fishermen's drift nets and long-lines can snag the air-breathing turtle, drowning it. Humans also introduced wild hogs and dogs to the remote beaches where they nest. The hogs are especially voracious predators of turtle eggs.

    Near the nesting site, local fishermen still capture and slaughter leatherbacks to consume the meat. A local tribe has historically harvested about 100 turtles per year, as well as eggs.

    On some beaches, as few as 20 percent of the eggs hatch due to increased beach temperatures, which could worsen with climate change, Tapilatu said. Sand temperature determines the gender of hatchlings, with higher temperatures favoring females.

    There is hope of restoring the population of the endangered reptiles, the researchers said. The Atlantic leatherback, which is genetically different from the Pacific turtles, has made a comeback through mutual country agreements to ban harvesting adults or eggs on beaches.

    Tapilatu said he plans to return to New Guinea to help replicate that success story with the leatherback turtles struggling to survive in his Pacific home.

    Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

  • Authorities probe report of swimmer riding sperm whale that died off Fla. coast

    View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.

    By Juan Ortega and Donna Rapado, NBCMiami.com

    A sperm whale that was drifting off an eastern Florida shore on Sunday has died, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    The agency now plans to look into a report from a resident of Pompano Beach, north of Fort Lauderdale, who said she saw the whale alive earlier in the day and saw one of two swimmers get on top of the whale, NOAA said. 

    "This whale was likely ill or injured and that is why it came in so close to shore," said Blair Mase, NOAA's southeast regional stranding coordinator. "This type of harassment could have caused more harm and added stress to an already stressed whale and ultimately caused its demise."

    It is a federal offense to harass a marine mammal, Mase said.

    "People need to be aware that they shouldn't do that," she said.

    Sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales, also are an endangered species, she said.

    Read more news on NBCMiami.com

    Marine scientist Stefan Harzen said it's possible a boat struck the whale or something simply made the whale sick.

    "There's really very little you can do for a whale if it gets seriously ill or injured," he said.

    On its 'last leg'
    The witness, Margie Casey, 49, told NBC 6 that she saw two swimmers twice go up to the whale Sunday morning. She said she watched them from her fifth-floor balcony and snapped photos of one swimmer getting on the whale.

    Casey said the whale at the time was drifting north along the shore, just south of a stretch of beach near the Northeast 14th Street Causeway.


    Casey said she considered the whale to be alive, because it was flapping its tail at the time. Perhaps the whale was on its "last leg," she said. "So sad."

    About 11:45 a.m., bystanders reported the whale was about 40 feet from the shore, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright.

    A marine mammal rescue team, the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded.

    US sued over Navy sonar tests in whale waters

    Before it was announced the whale had died, beachgoers said they hoped the whale would survive.

    "I think it's totally amazing, man," said Brad Schwab. "It looks like they're trying to keep him out in the open sea."

    Beachgoer Dennis Cooper added, "I guess everybody's concerned about the health of the whale and everybody's trying to save it."

    Christina Coniglio, who was also on the beach, said she suspected that pollution contributed to the whale's illness.

    "The environment is so dirty," she said. "When the whales go and eat all those plastics and bottles and things we throw in the sea, they get sick and this is what happens."

    The whale had been coming close to shore while rip currents kept pulling it back out, Coleman-Wright said. When officials arrived, a specialist went into the water and determined the species that died was a sperm whale, Mase said.

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  • 66 species of coral proposed for endangered or threatened listing by US

    Seaview Survey, in partnership with Google, has been capturing 360-degree views of famous coral reefs. NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports.

    By Miguel Llanos, NBC News

    In its most sweeping use of the Endangered Species Act, the nation's oceans agency on Friday proposed listing 66 species of coral as endangered or threatened -- and cited climate change as driving three key threats: disease, warmer seas and more acidic seas.

    NOAA

    Pillar coral are seen in the Florida Keys. The species was one of 12 proposed for listing as endangered by the U.S.

    "Climate change and other activities are putting these corals at risk," Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in announcing the proposal. "This is an important, sensible next step toward preserving the benefits provided by these species."

    Lubchenco argued that the benefits extend to fishermen -- some of whom are worried that any coral protection could mean less fishing.

    "Corals provide habitat to support fisheries that feed millions of people," she said, as well as generating jobs through recreation and tourism, and protecting coastlines from storms and erosion.

    In its press release, NOAA emphasized that since President Barack Obama had directed agencies to minimize regulatory burdens it would strive to "adopt the least burdensome means" of compliance should it create protected habitat. "A full analysis of economic impact, including impact on jobs," will also be undertaken, it stated.

    The proposal is the result of a court settlement with the Center for Biological Diversity, which petitioned to have 83 coral species listed. NOAA agreed to review 82 of those species.

    Dave Gilliam and Liz Larson Nova Southeastern University and James Byrne, The Nature Conservancy discuss the large scale environmental program that is underway in Florida's coral reefs.

    "While the government decided that 16 of the corals we proposed do not warrant listing, the fact that dozens are moving forward with protections is good news," the group's oceans director, Miyoko Sakashita, told NBC News.

    "Our coral reefs are dying and need federal protection," she added.


    Last April, NOAA scientists reported that more than half of those 82 species were "more likely than not" to face extinction by 2100.

    Corals are very sensitive to disease and temperature change, and the fact that seas have warmed and become more acidic as carbon dioxide emissions have risen led to NOAA's proposal and focus on climate change. The acidity weakens the skeletal structure of coral.

    The polar bear is the only other species listed under the Endangered Species Act because of climate change, and that's because of shrinking sea ice.

    Since climate change is global in nature, NOAA can't do much to protect coral from that threat, but Sakashita said actions that the U.S. could eventually take include protecting corals from overfishing.

    "For example, in the Caribbean we have a lawsuit pending that challenges overfishing of parrotfish, which are important grazers for coral reefs to keep them free of algae," she said. "Other local threats that need attention include water pollution, dredging, or coastal construction that impacts coral habitat."

    Slideshow: Take a virtual dive

    See dozens of wonders from coral reefs and other exotic seascapes, courtesy of the Catlin Seaview Survey.

    Launch slideshow

    To date, just two species of coral -- staghorn and elkhorn -- are on the Endangered Species Act, and both are in Florida and the Caribbean. Now listed as threatened, they would be reclassified as endangered under the proposal.

    Of the 66 species now proposed for listing, 12 would be listed as endangered -- seven in the Pacific and five in the Caribbean; 54 would be listed as threatened -- 52 in the Pacific and two in the Caribbean.

    NOAA aims to finalize the listings in late 2013, after public meetings and a comment period. Comments can be made via NOAA's listing proposal site.

    NOAA had never before analyzed so many species over such a wide geographic range. The closest in scope was a review of 30 West Coast salmon and steelhead species in 1994.

    Friday's proposal came as nations met in Qatar to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol with a new framework for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Little progress has been made, and the talks continue next week.

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  • Two wolves from Washington state gray wolf pack killed for preying on cattle

    A wolf pack in eastern Washington state has been targeted for elimination by the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife. KING's Gary Chittim reports.

    By Miguel Llanos, NBC News

     

    Updated at 9:50 p.m. ET: Two gray wolves in Washington state were killed from a state helicopter Tuesday afternoon after officials decided the entire pack -- believed to be at least eight wolves -- needed to be killed because of repeated attacks on cattle, officials said. 


    An airborne marksman with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife killed the two wolves about seven miles from the Canadian border -- a week after marksmen and wildlife biologists spent days looking for the pack.

    A major conservation group working with Washington state to manage its gray wolves agreed that the pack should be culled but also blamed a rancher in the area for not doing more to protect his cattle.

    Gray wolves are listed as endangered under state law because they were nearly wiped out a century ago by settlers.

    In the last decade, however, gray wolves have started to re-establish themselves in Washington due to recovery efforts in nearby states and dispersal from Canada. 

    At least eight packs are now established in the eastern half of Washington, which also has a conservation plan in place — one that aims to restore wolves in the wild without those same wolves preying on livestock. The state compensates ranchers who lose livestock to wolves, but that hasn't ended the tension.

    "Wolves are recolonizing our state relatively quickly," Dave Ware, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman, told NBC News. "Managing conflicts is one of the most important objectives for recovery so that people don’t take things into their own hands."

    Officials last July killed one pack member to see if that would have an impact. The decision to kill the entire pack came after the pack's attacks on cattle continued. Since July, wolves are believed to have killed or injured at least 17 calves and cows despite non-lethal measures to deter them, according to the state wildlife office.

    Conservation Northwest, a group working with the state, agreed that killing the pack was best for long-term recovery of gray wolves in the wild.

    But director Mitch Friedman told NBC station KING 5 that rancher Bill McIrvine, who lost part of his herd to the pack, "has total responsibility for the problem" for not being as cooperative as other ranchers with programs aimed at keeping cattle and wolves apart.

    The wildlife department, for its part, "has not been as firm as it needed to be," Friedman added, especially since McIrvine's cattle graze on public land.

    McIrvine, for his part, earlier told KING 5 that he believes groups with "a radical environmental agenda" are conspiring to introduce gray wolves in order "to take our (grazing) lease from us."

    "We have the right to protect our property," McIrvine said, adding that he considered the wildlife department "a rogue government agency" that was essentially saying "we got to sit back and do nothing while the wolves kill our livestock."

    Ware said efforts to get rancher cooperation for "non-lethal methods of preventing conflicts" have improved in recent weeks. Several agreements with ranchers should be in place for next year that will hopefully "avoid a repeat of the Wedge Pack situation," he said.

    One obvious question is why not just move the wolves to a wilderness area away from livestock? 

    "Experience from other states with recently recovered wolf populations indicates that survival of relocated wolves is not very high, especially if there are other wolf packs in the area where they are moved, which appears to be the case in most of northeast Washington," Ware said.

    On top of that, "once a pack becomes habituated to eating livestock, moving them only moves the conflict" since wolf territories are larger than any wilderness area the state could ship them to, he said.

    "Lethal removal is being conducted in every" state with gray wolves, Ware added, while acknowledging that since wolf recovery efforts are new in Washington "the concept of killing an endangered species to promote recovery is difficult to understand or accept."

    "As wolf recovery has progressed across the West, lethal removal has been an important part of that recovery and it has obviously not impacted wolf numbers or expansion of their range," Ware said. "We don’t expect it to be an impediment in Washington’s wolf recovery either."

    "The Wedge area is good habitat, so wolves will likely recolonize relatively quickly over the next year or two," Ware said.

    A department wildlife veterinarian will perform necropsies on the wolves later this week. Their hides and skulls will be used for educational purposes, according to a statement on the state's wildlife management website.

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  • Antiques dealer double-crossed investigators to get valuable rhino horns

    United States Attorney's Office via AP

    These mounted rhino heads were among the items seized at the apartment of David Hausman, a New York City antiques dealer.

    By Miguel Llanos, NBC News

    In the underground world of trafficking in endangered animals, undercover agents are accustomed to shady characters and even gun-toting thugs. But an antiques dealer who pretends to be helping protect wildlife when in fact he's double crossing you?

    That's what happened when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service went after the illegal trade of rhino horns, which are sought after in Asia for ornaments and even for purported medicinal qualities. A horn can go for up to $250,000, a recent NBC Rock Center investigation showed, making a gram more valuable than gold or cocaine.


    David Hausman, a New York City antiques dealer, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to breaking laws protecting endangered wildlife by obtaining horns to make "libation cups" and passing them off as antiques that can sell for up to $300,000.

    He "pretended he was helping law enforcement protect a species from being wiped out but instead he was contributing to the very problem," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement announcing the guilty plea. Of five species of rhino, three are critically endangered.

    Hausman told a federal court judge that he had "failed society, my family, my friends ... and the conservation and animal rights community." 

    The temptation was great. "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS had an appraisal last year of five Chinese-carved rhino horn cups from the 1600s and 1700s that were valued at up to $1.5 million, Edward Grace, deputy chief of law enforcement at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told NBC News. 

    "This helps to illustrate the astronomical prices that (antique) rhino horn cups are selling for ... anywhere between $80,000 to $300,000 and sometimes higher," he said. "Because of the high prices individuals are paying for the cups, individuals are now trying to pass off newly carved cups as antiques, which is contributing to the increase in demand for rhino horn."

    The tale started in December 2010 when Hausman was helping officials go after illegal trading. He provided a tip that an auction house had illegally sold the taxidermied head of a black rhino but before officials could intervene he "covertly purchased the rhinoceros mount himself, using a straw buyer," the U.S. Attorney's Office stated.

    Just days after Rock Center aired Harry Smith's report, "The Last Stand," on the growing epidemic of illegal rhino poaching in South Africa, three of the rhinos featured in the report were attacked by poachers. Rock Center's Harry Smith reports.

    Hausman, 67, then "directed the straw buyer to remove the horns and mail them to him," it added. "He then made a realistic set of fake horns ... in order to deceive law enforcement in the event that they conducted an investigation."

    During this time, Hausman also responded to an online seller of another taxidermied black rhino head and horns. The seller turned out to be an undercover agent.

    Hausman bought the mount at a truck stop in Princeton, Ill., the attorney's office noted, after which "agents followed Hausman and observed him sawing off the horns in a motel parking lot."

    Related story: 7 arrested over trade in rhino horns

    Hausman was finally arrested last February as part of an ongoing nationwide investigation dubbed "Operation Crash" — crash being the term for a rhino herd. Six others were arrested around the same time in New Jersey, Southern California and Texas. 

    Agents seized four rhino heads and six black rhino horns at his apartment, as well as numerous carved horns, fake horns and $28,000 in cash, the attorney's office said.

    Hausman could have faced 25 years in prison, but a plea deal is expected to mean two years at sentencing on Dec. 5. 

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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