Tanzania is planning on building a commercial road through the 5,700 square-mile Serengetti National Park, a project that could potentially disrupt one the world’s greatest remaining migration of land mammals. The project at issue is the proposed Arusha-Musoma Highway that would bisect the park and is planned for construction in 2012.  The road could jeopardize the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra, numbering in the millions–a wildlife phemonena that is widely considered one of the world’s great remaining natural spectacles. It is hard to believe that the economic value of the road could offset the massive input of foreign currency that comes to Tanzania as the result of wildlife tourism, but the project is being given serious consideraton. Opponents point out that there are many other alternatives for reaching the same goals without going through the park.

Michael Hutchins National Parks, wildlife conservation

A story in the Yellowstone Insider has suggested that a wildlife photographer, hoping to get closer to grizzly bears, may have played a role in the recent death of one camper and serious injury of two others by a female grizzly bear with cubs.  According to National Park Service sources, the photographer had been allegedly baiting the bears to get closer to his subjects.  This may, in turn, have resulted in habituation to humans and in drawing the bears back to the campground in which the incident occurred.  Baiting of wildlife is illegal in national parks, and Park Service employees have reportedly identified the photographer and are attempting to set up a meeting. 

Organizations of professional photographers, such as the highly respected International League of Conservation Photographers, have strong ethical guidelines involving the photography of wildlife. The baiting and feeding of large carnivores by humans can build an association between humans and food, and the result can be disastrous. As is often the case, this bear had to be euthanized by Park officials to protect visitors from possible harm. But, if feeding did occur, the blame for this attack lies squarely on the wildlife photographer.  It is ironic how a love for the beauty of wildlife as expressed through photography can result in destroying the very object of that love.  Without an understanding of animal behavior, this particular photographer may have done just that.

Michael Hutchins Animal behavior, Baiting and Feeding, Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management and Conservation, Human-wildlife conflict, National Parks, Wildlife Photography

According to a recent review of Canadian wildlife and biodiversity conservation conducted by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, national progress has been uneven.  Some species are at risk of extinction, while in other cases, good progress has been made to protect them. The report suggests that one of the best ways that Canada could strengthen its conservation efforts is to give more attention to its national park system, including creating new parks, establishing corridors to assist wildlife movements, restricting roads and other development, limiting recreational activities, and practicing good park management, with healthy ecosystems being the first priority. The report praises the Canadian government for its efforts over the past year to create new parks.  The new Mealy Mountains National Park in Newfoundland, for example, was deemed to be “exceptional”, as it protects most of the range of a threatened herd of endangered woodland caribou. Sadly, other species, such as the northern gannet and American marten, are not faring well and could profit from better parks and park management.

Michael Hutchins National Parks, Wildlife management, wildlife conservation

The U.S. National Park Service plans to eradicate a population of introduced European rabbits from American Camp on San Juan Island in Washington State. More than 470 rabbits inhabit around 150 acres on park grounds and are having a significant impact on the islands unique prairie landscape and vegetation.  They are also damaging important historical sites in the park. Unfortunately, the NPS is apparently not planning to eradicate or control red fox populations that were introduced to control the introduced rabbits (when will we learn?).  This is yet another example of the need to remove exotic animals from sensitive areas where they do not belong.

Michael Hutchins National Parks, Wildlife management, invasive species

According to a recent Associated Press report, USDA Wildlife Services and the U.S. National Park Service have a difference of opinion regarding flocks of Canada geese that live around New York City’s busy Kennedy Airport. The geese were the main reason that US Airways flight 1549 crashed in the Hudson River in 2009. Fortunately, no one was killed in that incident, but USDA Wildlife Services wants to control goose numbers in a nearby refuge to keep airline passengers safe, while NPS believes that their mission is to “protect and preserve wildlife.”  This is an interesting conundrum; however, populations of Canada geese are hardly endangered with extinction. In fact their numbers have expanded exponentially in the past few decades.  Like it or not, some balance must be maintained between the number of geese in the area and the risk to airline passengers. Welcome to the complex world of modern wildlife management.

Michael Hutchins Human-wildlife conflict, National Parks, Wildlife Over-abundance, Wildlife management, wildlife conservation

Hurry, the deadline is May 29, 2010! For more information check out our website.

Below is one of entries we recently received.

admin National Parks video contest, Wildlife Society member

The New York Times reports that one of the most iconic of all U.S. National Parks, the Grand Canyon, is being threatened by a myriad of problems, including dams, pollution, over use, invasive species, and even uranium mining and radiation.  The report highlights the conflicts that exist between national parks and other societal needs, such as energy development.  It also reinforces the notion that we have reached a critical point in our society’s relationship with nature, perhaps pushing many systems to the brink.  It is clearly time for us to re-evaluate our priorities before we push too far.

Michael Hutchins National Parks