Gorillas Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /tag/gorillas/ Live Bravely Thu, 16 Jun 2022 01:03:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/favicon-194x194-1.png Gorillas Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /tag/gorillas/ 32 32 A Tourism Lull May Be Good for Animals鈥攂ut Not for Long /outdoor-adventure/environment/coronavirus-wildlife-conservation-impact/ Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/coronavirus-wildlife-conservation-impact/ A Tourism Lull May Be Good for Animals鈥攂ut Not for Long

The safari business in Africa and Asia has stopped due to the coronavirus outbreak. What's surprising are the domino effects of this economic catastrophe and the ultimate impact they will have on wildlife.

The post A Tourism Lull May Be Good for Animals鈥攂ut Not for Long appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
A Tourism Lull May Be Good for Animals鈥攂ut Not for Long

Stanza Mbanga Molaodi had big plans this spring. On May 17, the owner of 听颈苍 Botswana was due to accompany six Italian clients into Chobe National Park, home to a third of the continent鈥檚 600,000 elephants. From its base camp in the bush, the group would go on game drives, day-trip to Victoria Falls, and enjoy cocktails and crocodile-watchingon sunset cruises up the Chobe River. The gang would then relocate to the park鈥檚 semiarid Savuti region, a landscape of baobab trees and rocky outcrops听where dense herds of zebra and buffalo congregate at watering holes and try not to get picked off by the Savuti lionpride. Next up would be the Khwai Community Area, where indigenous bushmen would guide the Italians on walking safaris and take them paddling down the Khwai River in traditional mokoro canoes. The 12-day adventure would end with a birding extravaganza in the Okavango Delta, a Unesco听World Heritage site. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful place to end a safari,鈥� Molaodi told me, sounding almost emotional.

But the trip was not to be.

Frightened听by the coronavirus, the Italians canceled. All of Molaodi鈥檚 clients听have canceled or postponed. When I reached him by phone recently, he was holed up at home with his family in Kasane, fretting. On the day we spoke, the Botswana Defense Force ordered all troops on leave or off duty to return to their posts immediately, and Molaodi predicted a military-enforced lockdown, not unlike what neighboring South Africa had announced that same day. Molaodi seemed to be speaking for Africa鈥檚 entire听$40 billion wildlife-tourism industry when he confessed, 鈥淲e are all retrenching. Everyone is panicked.鈥澨�

Simply put, the safari business in Africa and Asia has stopped. Completely. Maybe that鈥檚 not surprising at this point in the pandemic. Between flight cancelations, national lockdowns, border closures, emergency visa restrictions, and required quarantine upon entry, clients fearless enough to travel couldn鈥檛 reach their destinations if they wanted to. Even if they could, in some countries they鈥檇 be sorely disappointed. India has shuttered all of its tiger reserves and national parks. Congo has closed Virunga National Park, fearing that its famous mountain gorillas could contract COVID-19听from humans. Gabon, deeply scarred from losing 15,000 lowland gorillas in a 1995 Ebola outbreak, has likewise halted all ape tours.听

鈥淧oaching will increase,鈥� De Sibi insists. 鈥淧eople who are jobless must find money or food.鈥�

What is surprising are the domino effects of this economic catastrophe and the ultimate impact they will have on wildlife. Starting in April, Molaodi鈥檚 six staff members will receive half their normal salary, but for May and beyond, all bets are off. Roberto de Sibi, owner of Savannah Explorers in Tanzania, had already placed 17 of his 45 employees on half salary when we spoke (I found him under 14-day quarantine in Milan, where he鈥檇 fled to be near his 82-year-old father, having caught the last flight from Tanzania to Italy). Neither Molaodi nor De听Sibi听would be paying anything to the many freelance听drivers and guides they hire during busy periods. Molaodi wouldn鈥檛 be paying the bushmen to take clients paddling, and De Sibi wouldn鈥檛 be paying Dadoga tribesmen to show his clients how to melt metal to make knives. Their clients wouldn鈥檛 be donating solar lanterns to villages or otherwise leaving generous contributions.听

Crucially, neither operator would be ponying up the various fees required by parks and community conservation areas for tourist entry, guide entry, vehicle entry, and overnight stays. Large percentages of such fees go to local communities for development projects and conservation measures, like funding anti-poaching scouts. Ninety percent of Zambia鈥檚 more than 1,000 scouts come from its communities and are paid from tourism fees. In Namibia, tourism fees pay for the country鈥檚 600 game guards and support more than 6,000 families.听

With rampant unemployment, unpaid game guards, and fewer tourists in the bush to report suspicious activity, it鈥檚 just a matter of time before wildlife gets hammered. 鈥�Poaching will increase,鈥� De Sibi听颈苍sists. 鈥淧eople who are jobless must find money or food.鈥澨�

Everyone I spoke with concurred on this point. 鈥淥ne of the biggest fears is that, if scouts can鈥檛 be paid, I can foresee people poaching,鈥� says Maxi Louis, director of the Namibian Association of听Community Based Natural Resources Management Support Organizations. 鈥淧overty will drive people.鈥� Louis also anticipates that local tolerance for crop-raiding herbivores and livestock-killing predators, both common in villages near protected areas, will plummet. 鈥淭here will be no scouts to manage human-animal conflict听and no funds to compensate for lost livestock,鈥� she says, expecting a spike in retaliatory killings听of troublesome wildlife.

In a 2012 study, ecologist Ralf Buckley of听Griffith University in Australia found that most of the more than 1,400 species listed as threatened by the International Union for听Conservation of Nature depend on tourism for their survival, including iconic species like lions, elephants, and rhinos. 鈥淢any park听agencies worldwide now rely heavily on tourism for routine operational funding, more than 50 percent in some cases,鈥� the study reported. 鈥淭his puts rare mammals at a new risk, from downturns in tourism driven by external socioeconomic factors.鈥澨�

Given the magnitude of this potential biodiversity implosion, mentioning a silver lining might seem frivolous. But there is one. Tourism is a double-edged sword. It funds conservation, yes, but too much of it can disturb breeding patterns, feeding habits, and migratory movement. It can pollute landscapes and destroy habitat. 鈥淭his travel hiatus of several months will give a chance for resilient natural environments to recover from the stress inflicted by tourism,鈥� says Frederic Dimanche, director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University in Toronto. (While Dimanche鈥檚 prediction is warranted, many other听reports on social media of wildlife thriving as a result of quarantines .) If the animals can manage to survive, the pandemic might be an opportunity to improve wildlife tourism. 鈥淒estinations and tourism operators everywhere have a unique chance to restart a tourism that will be better planned, better managed, one that will be sustainable, with stronger policies,鈥� Dimanche says.听

The post A Tourism Lull May Be Good for Animals鈥攂ut Not for Long appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
The 10 Most Convincing Bigfoot Sightings /gallery/10-most-convincing-bigfoot-sightings/ Fri, 08 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 /gallery/10-most-convincing-bigfoot-sightings/ The 10 Most Convincing Bigfoot Sightings

There are hundreds of Bigfoot sightings every year, but some are more far fetched than others. These are our picks for the most believable Sasquatch encounters to ever occur.

The post The 10 Most Convincing Bigfoot Sightings appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
The 10 Most Convincing Bigfoot Sightings

The post The 10 Most Convincing Bigfoot Sightings appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
What Cecil the Lion Can Teach Us About Harambe the Gorilla /outdoor-adventure/environment/what-cecil-lion-can-teach-us-about-harambe-gorilla/ Thu, 02 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/what-cecil-lion-can-teach-us-about-harambe-gorilla/ What Cecil the Lion Can Teach Us About Harambe the Gorilla

This weekend, a gorilla was shot at a zoo after a little boy fell into its enclosure. Everyone got really angry.听Angry at the parents, angry at the zoo, angry at the regulations, and angry about the system that puts wild animals in captivity for our amusement and education. The level of outrage is similar to … Continued

The post What Cecil the Lion Can Teach Us About Harambe the Gorilla appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
What Cecil the Lion Can Teach Us About Harambe the Gorilla

This weekend, a gorilla was shot at a zoo after a little boy fell into its enclosure. Everyone got really angry.听Angry at the parents, angry at the zoo, angry at the regulations, and angry about the system that puts wild animals in captivity for our amusement and education. The level of outrage is similar to that created around the killing of Cecil the lion last year. As is the abject pointlessness of it. When it comes to the deaths of famous animals, we鈥檙e all getting angry about the wrong thing.听

How the Outrage Sausage Is Made

First with #CecilTheLion, and now #Harambe, I鈥檝e contributed to the Internet outrage machine. Last September, , and yesterday, I did the same to discuss the gorilla.听

Well, 鈥渄iscuss鈥� is probably the wrong word. It was more like shouting, arguing, and generally making a lot of noise on camera, in front of millions of viewers. You see, talk shows are a lot like Internet comments sections. They can be full of quality information, and insightful discussions that help people understand the points of view of others, but more often they鈥檙e just an echo chamber in which people compete to be the loudest voice for their own, typically ill-informed opinions.听

Who am I to be shouting at other people on television about lions and gorillas? Well, no one really. I鈥檓 not a scientist, I鈥檓 not particularly an expert in any way except that I sometimes write about animals, and know how to do some research, and I鈥檓 not really a public figure of any kind. I get the call to go on these shows a) because I live in Los Angeles, where they鈥檙e filmed b) because I have a lot of friends in the media business, and we all help each other out with opportunities, c) because I鈥檝e had enough practice to not totally make a fool of myself on camera, and d) because some people are under the impression that I鈥檓 not totally hideous to look at. My own opinions on a given topic are far less important than my ability and willingness to make a particular argument, as assigned by the show鈥檚 producers. I guess if I鈥檓 endowed with any real resume-worthy skill to make these appearances, it鈥檚 the ability to argue with other people.听

So听yesterday morning I got a text from the show鈥檚 bookers asking if I could speak intelligently from the viewpoint that Harambe should have been shot. I was only vaguely aware of the story, having just returned from a three-day camping trip the night before. I responded in the affirmative, but noted that it wasn鈥檛 my personal take on the whole thing. They said they鈥檇 get back to me, and I set about reading up on the tragedy.听

If there鈥檚 anything I鈥檝e learned from doing this stuff, it鈥檚 that I can make myself look smarter by soliciting the input of people who are smarter than me. So听I emailed animal behavior scientist for some input. You can , but the gist is:

Moving forward, caretakers, who are responsible for the day-to-day well-being of the zoo's residents and who form personal relationships with them, must be involved in preparing for emergency situations such as this. It's these people “on the ground”听who know the animals the best and who regularly communicate with them. They also could well be the people who could communicate the animal out of danger so it could be a win-win for all involved. Harambe, like all other gorillas and numerous other zoo-ed animals, are highly intelligent and emotional beings who depend on us to respect and value their cognitive capacities that could well be put to use in potentially dangerous situations. Clearly, knowing about the behavior of each animal, as an individual with a unique personality, is essential for the well-being of every captive being.

That sounds like a much better policy than just shooting a valuable, sensitive animal who has done nothing wrong, so I was relieved when the show鈥檚 booker texted back to ask me to argue against the shooting. And that鈥檚 the point you can watch me try to make here. There was another segment of me participating in the shouting that鈥檚 not currently available online, but you get the idea.听

What Your Anger Is Worth

A famous lion was killed by a hunter. A famous gorilla was shot by a zoo. Both situations suck, and you鈥檙e right to be angry about it. After all, who doesn鈥檛 like animals?

In the case of Harambe, you鈥檙e angry that the boy鈥檚 parents didn鈥檛 provide adequate supervision, you鈥檙e angry that the barriers didn鈥檛 stop the kid from falling in, you鈥檙e angry that the zoo chose to shoot听rather than tranquilize the gorilla, and you鈥檙e angry that zoos exist at all. Let鈥檚 look at each of the things you鈥檙e angry about, and briefly discuss the merit of that anger.听

You鈥檙e angry at the parents: How dare they lose sight of their kid for a few seconds! Well, he鈥檚 a kid, and as anyone who鈥檚 ever spent time with one can tell you, human children are little rascals. Like the circus, or an amusement park, a zoo is a place parents take children so they can have fun, eat some cotton candy, throw a temper tantrum, and buy some stuffed animals. Yes, parents have a burden of responsibility, no, it鈥檚 not reasonable to argue that the parents should be subject to legal prosecution for a four听year old acting like a four听year old in an environment that encourages that. What would a prosecution achieve, anyway?听

You鈥檙e angry at the听zoo for shooting the animal: I get that. But they had to act to protect the child, and they had to make a split-second decision between two bad options. Ultimately, they did succeed in rescuing the child unharmed, so that decision must have been the right one. Hopefully this incident does enable us to have a discussion about pursuing better, non-lethal emergency response options at zoos, but the fact is none were available in Cincinnati this weekend.听

You're angry about inadequate barriers: The zoo argues that they passed federal regulations and inspection, and in their 38 year's of keeping people away from the gorillas, this was the first time they failed. That seems pretty reasonable, especially considering the need to balance visibility鈥攜ou are there to see the animals after all鈥攚ith protection.听

You鈥檙e angry at the zoo for existing: As the Zoo鈥檚 CEO stated on Dr. Drew, while I was shouting at him, zoos are responsible for igniting a passion for animal conservation in the young, and contribute a massive amount of money to conservation efforts in the wild. Nature reserves? Zoos help pay for those. claims that, worldwide, 700 million people visit them each year, the proceeds from which raise $350 million annually for wildlife conservation. Maybe it is time to have a discussion about the benefits of zoos relative to nature media, but it鈥檚 probably not time to totally swap one for the other until we can match that financial contribution. Wild animals like gorillas are dependent on zoo money for their survival.听

The trouble is, all this anger adds up, and can negatively effect things related to animal conservation. Will anger at zoos reduce attendance this summer? Will this reduced attendance lower the amount of money raised for conservation? Past experience suggests that misdirected anger will actually harm conservation efforts.

Lion Conservation Post Hashtag

Last year, everyone got really angry about that dentist killing that lion. He got death threats, people vandalized his home and office, airlines announced that the marketing value of banning trophies as air freight outweighed the lost luggage fees, and the EU听considered听banning big game trophies, full stop.听

So听lions are safer now, right? In fact, it鈥檚 exactly the opposite.听

Wildlife populations in Zimbabwe have been in steep decline since 2000, when Robert Mugabe began seizing private land in the country, much of which had been private hunting reserves. Some estimate that the move has halved the country鈥檚 wild animal population. One place where lion hunting remains accessible to foreigners is on the Bubye Valley Conservancy, which is home to about 500 of the big cats鈥攖he country鈥檚 largest concentration of the vulnerable species. Management of the wildlife in that conservancy is largely funded by visiting hunters, but this year, hunters have been staying away, wary of the hashtag stigma. And now as a result.听

The European Union recently that had been garnering popular support, post-Cecil. 80 percent of the EU parliament found that the benefits of trophy hunting outweighed its negative image. But听that hasn鈥檛 stopped member countries from effecting their own bans. , effectively stopping its citizens from hunting in Africa.听

Why is that bad? As , 鈥淚n accordance with our legislation and policies, the proceeds generated by means of trophy hunting should be reinvested into the conservation of that species. This fund pays for black rhino conservation projects approved by the fund's board, such as law enforcement and anti poaching units, community benefits and surveys.鈥�

Big game hunting puts , providing an economic incentive for the conservation of game species across countries that are often corrupt, war torn, politically instable, or all three. That money incentivizes听private land owners to use their land as wildlife habitat instead of farming, and turns wildlife into a profitable commodity, leading to both its protection, and recovery. All your #CecilTheLion outrage put that proven, successful听system in jeopardy, without providing an alternative. Will the same happen to zoos after #Harambe?

You can read more about. I ask that you please do take the time to read it before you fly down to the comments section to tell me what a terrible human being I am.听

Have people been motivated by the tragic loss of Cecil to replace proceeds from trophy hunting with charitable giving? There was a spike in giving around the controversy, with one small听United Kingdom-based research group (which was studying Cecil),听, receiving a windfall of around $1 million, four times its annual operating budget.听But听while that money will be put to good use, it doesn't address poaching, or habitat loss (the two biggest challenges lion populations face). And a one-time spike in giving, spent on research in a National Park, doesn't replace lost revenue elsewhere.听

“There鈥檚 the unanswered question this kind of viral giving presents regarding whether it can be turned into sustained support, or translated into growth for conservation in general,” explains听.听“The problems surrounding loss of biodiversity are so much broader than can be addressed by limited work with lions in a single country.”

Overall, charitable giving to conservation efforts has , with no marked influence created by the Cecil tragedy. The World Wildlife Fund's annual revenue increased by a smaller amount in 2015, than it did in 2009, during the midst of the recession. Established supporters of conservation efforts鈥攊n Cecil's case private game reserves, in Harambe's听zoo funding听of protected wildlife areas鈥攕till represent an important economic听lifeline to these species.听

How to Turn Your Anger Into Something Useful

What will all your anger at the parents, the zoo, and the system achieve? Nothing. And, as with Cecil, it may even hurt gorilla conservation efforts. Rather than focusing on blame, why don鈥檛 we take your newfound interest in gorillas not being shot, and turn it into something positive?听

There are听less than 200,000 gorillas left in the wild. . The WWF and other charities are tackling all three issues, while also developing eco-tourism opportunities that can not only further raise funds for gorilla conservation, but also educate and impassion visitors about the species. They deserve our support, and hopefully that support can be more than a one-time spike.听

Rather than sign a ridiculous Change.org petition, share your outrage over social media, or attack the parents or zoo, why not simply donate a few bucks to the conservation charity of your choice? At the time of writing, this wrong-headed petition has garnered over . If each of those signees had actually decided to do something positive (say, donate $5), then they could have meaningfully created actual change. $2.3 million in conservation funding will do more for gorillas than persecuting the child鈥檚 parents could ever hope to achieve. You can鈥檛 bring Harambe back, but you can help keep the wild gorilla alive, if you .听

I just did.听

The post What Cecil the Lion Can Teach Us About Harambe the Gorilla appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
Op-Ed: Our Panic Killed Harambe the Gorilla /culture/opinion/op-ed-our-panic-killed-harambe-gorilla/ Wed, 01 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/op-ed-our-panic-killed-harambe-gorilla/ Op-Ed: Our Panic Killed Harambe the Gorilla

If I have any blame to cast, I reserve it for the crowd, which shrieked and panicked, seemingly agitating Harambe and making it all the more difficult for the zoo to see its way to a peaceful recovery of the boy. Note to future zoo crowds: when a child ends up in an animal enclosure, back away and stay quiet so the animals at least have a chance to remain calm.

The post Op-Ed: Our Panic Killed Harambe the Gorilla appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
Op-Ed: Our Panic Killed Harambe the Gorilla

There鈥檚 no way to come away from the story of Harambe with any feeling other than deep sadness. Harambe, of course, was the western lowland gorilla who was 听employee this past weekend after a four-year old boy managed to get into his enclosure. Zoo director Thane Maynard acknowledged that Harambe showed no acute signs of aggression toward the child. However, he did drag the boy around,听perhaps to get away from a screaming panicked crowd above.

The zoo considered trying to tranquilize Harambe with a dart, but concluded that the moments after the dart would have hit鈥攂efore the tranquilizer would have听taken full effect鈥攚ould be risky for the child. Instead, to minimize risk to the boy, the zoo decided to 鈥減ut the gorilla down.鈥� In other words, a zoo sniper shot him. 鈥淲e are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child鈥檚 life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made by our Dangerous Animal Response Team,鈥� Maynard .

It is easy to blame the child's mother鈥攁nd many did. But any parent can tell you that it is near-impossible to keep听track of a young child every听颈苍stant you're with them (I lost my son in an airport once). It is easy to blame the zoo for its decision to kill Harambe and for its poorly designed enclosure鈥攁nd many did. But this was the first time that anyone had jumped into Gorilla World in the almost 40 years that it's听been open, and it is hard to fault the zoo for an agonizing choice that offered maximum protection to a young boy.

鈥淢uch of Harambe's reaction may have been triggered by public noise and yelling.鈥�

If I have any blame to cast, I reserve it for the crowd, which shrieked and panicked, seemingly agitating听Harambe and making it all the more difficult for zoo employees to see a听way to a peaceful recovery of the boy. 鈥淸Harambe] showed a combination of protection and confusion. He stood over the child, held him up, moved/dragged him through the water (at least once very roughly), stood over him again,鈥� primate expert Frans De Waal . 鈥淢uch of his reaction may have been triggered by public noise and yelling.鈥� Note to future zoo crowds: when a child ends up in an animal enclosure, back away and stay quiet so the animals at least have a chance to remain calm.

Of course, the zoo will redesign the leaky barrier. But the reality is that when you put animals on display for human entertainment the unexpected will happen. kept by Born Free USA, there have been 33 human deaths and听224 injuries at zoos and aquariums in the U.S. since 1990. (The vast majority were staff, but nine听of the deaths were visitors.)听The听Cincinnati incident is, in fact,听at least the third time听that a child has ended up in a gorilla enclosure. In the , at the Jersey Zoo in the UK and the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, the gorillas stayed mostly calm and even helped and the children (though some cries from the child and crowd at the Jersey Zoo also seemed to agitate a young gorilla). Happily, both children were recovered without harm to the animals.

In another example late last month, a man jumped into the lion enclosure at the Santiago Metropolitan Zoo in Chile听and started stripping and provoking the lions. The zoo shot to save him, then later found a suicide note in the man's clothing. The degree to which human safety and agendas trump听the well-being of zoo animals is perfectly illustrated by the fact that, last Friday, the Cincinnati Zoo celebrated Harambe's 17th birthday. On Saturday, it shot him. And after doing that, zoo workers took the supremely utilitarian step of .

It is also worth noting that even when humans aren鈥檛 jumping into听enclosures and putting animals at risk, zoos are a pretty bad bargain for Harambe and other . There are about 765 western lowland gorillas in . Many exhibit stereotypical behaviors鈥攍ike regurgitating food, pacing, and听鈥攖hat indicate stress or boredom. Many are on as a result. And that gorillas are particularly ill-suited to be on exhibit because crowds agitate and stress them.

All this, and Harambe鈥檚 dismal end, would be easier to accept if the Species Survival Program of which Harambe was a part, was actually doing a better job of helping his species to survive. But western lowland gorillas鈥攖hanks to habitat destruction, hunting, and poaching (some of it for zoos)鈥攈ave been on a steady downward trajectory that currently has them by the International Union For Conservation of Nature. By that measure, we听are utterly failing Harambe, and failing his species. Which makes his short captive life, and his death by zoo, all the more tragic.

The post Op-Ed: Our Panic Killed Harambe the Gorilla appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
Wild Aid: Safaris With a Purpose /adventure-travel/destinations/africa/wild-aid-safaris-purpose/ Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/wild-aid-safaris-purpose/ Wild Aid: Safaris With a Purpose

Four options for the wildlife-conscious traveler.

The post Wild Aid: Safaris With a Purpose appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
Wild Aid: Safaris With a Purpose

The news out of Africa isn鈥檛 good. In 2011, poachers slaughtered an estimated 25,000 elephants鈥攁nd 448 rhinos in South Africa alone. Animal trafficking is now the world鈥檚 third-largest criminal industry. Thankfully, a new crop of safaris lets travelers see endangered wildlife and help save it, too.

Wild Aid: 100 Miles for Elephants

100 miles for elephants african elephants safari
African elephants on the Serengeti.

WHERE: Kenya
WHO RUNS IT: Hidden Places

鈥� founders, veterinarian Dag Goering and author Maria Coffey, started the to make life better for the world鈥檚 largest land mammal. Join them by raising pledges of $500 to $2,500 to walk with Samburu guides on a nine-day camel-supported trek across Laikipia Plateau, home to one of East Africa鈥檚 largest free-ranging elephant populations. Stay the first night in a luxury tented camp, then rough it for a week in expedition tents. January 23鈥�31; from $3,450 per person.

Wild Aid: 2013 Safaricom Marathon

Safaricom 2013 kenya elephants tusk safari
(Wikimedia Commons)

WHERE: Kenya
WHO RUNS IT: Tusk Trust

This hilly marathon through has raised more than $3 million for conservation projects. In addition to trip cost, overseas participants in the June 29 race pay a $1,500 entry fee, which goes to , a U.K. non-profit devoted to protecting African wildlife. The includes training runs and game drives (June 23鈥�30; $2,799 per person). Slow of foot? Opt for 鈥� Conservation Safari, an 11-day adventure through Lewa, the luxury camp Sarara, and the Masai Mara ($8,995 per person; reference UNCHARTEDCONS2013 when you book to donate five percent of the cost to Tusk).

Wild Aid: Africa Conservation Safari

safari botswana namibia africat africa conservation safari safari
(Wikimedia Commons)

WHERE: Namibia, Botswana, South Africa
WHO RUNS IT:

This 12-day itinerary offers a crash course in conservation. In Namibia, visit 鈥攁 wildlife refuge that so impressed Brangelina, the couple donated $2 million鈥攖hen head to and the , home to cheetah rehabilitation. After a stop in Botswana鈥檚 , the trip winds up in South Africa at , where helicopter rides afford sweeping views of the park鈥檚 rhino-darting program. Proceeds from this portion of the trip support Kwandwe鈥檚 rhino project. From $7,750 per person.

Wild Aid: Gorilla Tracking in the Congo

gorilla tracking in the congo safaris congo africa conservation safari
(Wikimedia Commons)

WHERE: Republic of the Congo
WHO RUNS IT: The Wilderness Collection

Threatened by poaching and the Ebola virus, the western lowland gorilla is also facing increasing habitat loss. The , a conservation-focused company, is pioneering gorilla-oriented tourism here, opening the first two lodges in the heart of the Congo Basin. At the simple bamboo Lango Camp, you take game drives on the savanna. At Ngaga Camp, in the heart of the rainforest, you鈥檒l track gorillas. A portion of your fee goes toward the , which supports anti-poaching programs. From $5,350, plus $650 for internal charter flights.

The post Wild Aid: Safaris With a Purpose appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
Why Do Gorillas Have Such Small Genitals? /culture/love-humor/why-do-gorillas-have-such-small-genitals/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/why-do-gorillas-have-such-small-genitals/ Why Do Gorillas Have Such Small Genitals?

Why do gorillas have such small genitals?

The post Why Do Gorillas Have Such Small Genitals? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
Why Do Gorillas Have Such Small Genitals?

Q. Why do gorillas have such small genitals?

The Wild File

For more on the mysteries of the world around you, visit .

A. Though we doubt you've actually compared members with a gorilla, that's right: gorilla junk is only about the size of your pinkie. So how'd Kong get shafted? It comes down to the way our mating habits evolved, says psychologist Christopher Ryan, co-author, along with his wife, Cacilda Jeth谩, of . Among polygynous species鈥攐ne male, many females鈥攍ike gorillas and elk, males typically duke it out for control of a harem. “Those who lose get expelled from the group,” says Ryan, “and they don't get to mate at all. That way the genes for ferocity, strength, and size get passed along.” For such creatures, genital size is irrelevant, so they've stayed small.

But among promiscuous species like chimps, bonobos, and鈥攕urprise!鈥攈umans, the battle takes place among sperm cells rather than individuals. (Ryan and Jeth谩 hypothesize that humans became monogamous only when they started owning property and needed a way to determine inheritance.) Among species in which many males have historically copulated with many females, natural selection favors large genitals with ample reserves of hard-swimming sperm.

Human testes produce so much sperm, in fact, that they have to reside outside the body, where it's cooler, which aids sperm survival. “It's like having a refrigerator in the garage for beer,” says Ryan. “If you're the kind of guy who has a spare beer fridge, you're expecting a party to break out at any moment.” And when that party's over, it's the winning sperm cell that determines whose genetics get passed on. A more developed member gives the little guys something of a head start.

The post Why Do Gorillas Have Such Small Genitals? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>