Insecticide 'killing Kenya lions'

Environmentalists in Kenya are worried that an insecticide is being used by farmers to kill lions and other predators.
Carbofuran is a very powerful and toxic insecticide. Spread in the soil, it destroys bugs in the ground and is taken up by plants and kills insects which feed on the sap or foliage. It is so powerful and toxic that it has been banned in Europe. But in Kenya, carbofuran can be bought across the counter without restriction. Among the latest incidents two lions were poisoned and killed in the Maasai Mara game reserve after eating the carcass of a hippo that had ingested carbofuran.

I think that using poisons to kill lions is just a weird and incorrect thing to do. I feel sorry for the innocent lions that died. I think that this will happen again. So somebody has to stop this.

From "http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7460008.stm"

CD teach bird how to sing

Orphaned baby birds are being played CDs of the dawn chorus to help them learn to sing.
Experts at the RSPCA are playing the fledglings their specific bird song twice a day before they're set free.
A study found that birds brought up by humans often can't sing, which can make it more difficult for them to survive in the wild.
Birds use their singing to mark out their own territory and also to seek out mates.

I think that it is great that people are helping birds to survive. It is amazing on how people thought of the idea of playing CDs to birds to help them learn how to sing. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7450000/newsid_7456700/7456792.stm

Israeli forces kill Gaza gunmen

Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian militants near a border crossing with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, medical workers said.

Two militant groups say their fighters attacked an Israeli army position near the Erek crossing in northern Gaza.

Israeli military officials said troops crossed into Gaza after seeing militants planting explosive devices near the border fence.

Thousands flee floods in Colombia

Thousands of people have had to abandon their homes in Colombia after massive floods caused by weeks of pouring rain. At least 11 people have been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed after rivers started to burst their banks in the South American country. It's been raining in Colombia since March, but forecasters are warning there's more wet weather on the way. Officials are worried the floods may turn into a national disaster as the soil cannot absorb anymore water.

I think that it is really bad to hear about more people getting killed or injured because of natural disasters. Different natural disasters are happening in the world. I am kind of scared of being attacked or being in a place were a terrible disaster is about to happen. Floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes are happening all over the world. I feel sorry for the people that are experiencing the natural disasters.

Here is the link-

"http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7420000/newsid_7425000/7425021.stm"

Hedgehogs dying

Now this might not surprise you, but it seems that hedgehogs really are rubbish when it comes to crossing the road.

In some parts of the UK, the number of hedgehogs have almost halved and researchers say it could be because the prickly critters can't cope in traffic.

Scientists found the animals tended to wait until vehicles were too close before trying to cross, then froze on the spot instead of trying to run away.

It's thought about 15,000 hedgehogs are killed on the roads every year.

Where Do All Our "Recycled" Plastics Go?

Each week, residents of Seattle, Washington carefully sort their garbage for recycling. They put their plastic bottles, along with the paper, metal, and glass in special recycling containers provided by the city. Then trucks from Waste Management or Rabanco, two companies that operate curbside recycling programs, collect these materials and cart them off, supposedly to environmentally beneficial recycling facilities nearby.

In a vast slum just outside Jakarta, for instance, women work in a crowded, unventilated room, separating the waste newspapers, pieces of clothing, metal scraps, poor quality and highly contaminated plastic from the reusable plastics. It's 90 degrees and too hot to wear protective smocks or gloves, not that they are available anyway. With their bare hands the Indonesian women wipe the sweat from their brows. The huge piles of plastic bags, liquid soap bottles, food wrappers, jugs, and disposable diapers have familiar logos Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, Solvay, Mobil.

Once separated, the piles of discard are sent to a local dump. One Indonesian recycling company owner estimated that up to 40 per cent of the imported waste is landfilled. Workers shovel the "good" plastic into large grinding machines which turn out plastic pellets or flakes. The women next wash the surface residues and contaminants off these bits. The waste water is then poured onto the dirt floor or out the back door of the recycling plant.

The plastic pellets, sometimes mixed with new plastic or other additives, are melted and formed into long plastic cords. Once cooled, the cords are again chipped and sent to manufacturing plants in Asia to be made into shoe soles, containers, or toys.

Two Months' Plastic Garbage Exports

               Plastic Scrap Exports to Asia
               February 1  March 31, 1992
Country        Number of Shipments           Total (pounds)
China (directly)       6                         210,894
Hong Kong            586                      37,746,957
India                 11                       2,198,339
Indonesia             50                       4,952,518
Japan                  5                         112,797
Korea                  6                         241,866
Malaysia               7                         561,530
Pakistan               1                          41,533
Philippines           58                       5,385,902         
Singapore              5                         157,350 
Thailand               6                         273,071
Taiwan                 6                         344,611

TOTAL                750                      52,053,376  



Link " http://www.things.org/~jym/greenpeace/where-recycled-plastics-go.html"

Flood fears for quake-hit China

Fears are growing for millions of people in south-west China who could now be at risk of flooding just two weeks after a deadly earthquake struck.

Dozens of 'quake lakes' formed as landslides triggered by the earthquake blocked rivers in the Sichuan province.

Heavy rain is now causing water levels to rise and officials are warning that several dams and lakes across the province may be in danger of bursting.

link"http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7420000/newsid_7420400/7420494.stm"