Starting April 1, the National Parks Board (NParks) will be the lead agency for animal and wildlife management, as well as animal and plant health. This comes after an amendment Bill to transfer the non-food plant and animal-related functions from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to NParks was passed yesterday. This follows the establishment of the Singapore Food Agency, which will take over AVA's food safety and food security responsibilities. The AVA will thereafter cease to exist. BENEFITS Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of National Development (MND), told Parliament that the move will bring several benefits. NParks, a statutory board under MND, will now provide a one-stop service on animal management and animal welfare issues and a new Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) will be formed as the main touch-point. The AVS will take on AVA's current role as the first responder for animal-related feedback, whether issues occur in parks, nature … [Read more...] about NParks to be lead agency for animal and wildlife management
Tennessee wildlife management
NParks to become lead agency for animal and wildlife management
SINGAPORE: From Apr 1, all matters to do with wildlife, as well as non-food plants and animals, will be under the purview of the National Parks Board (NParks). This comes after the Amendment Bill to transfer non-food plant and animal-related functions from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to NParks was passed on Tuesday (Feb 12). Currently, AVA is in charge of the health, welfare and management of plants and animals, as well as plant-related laboratory functions.NParks manages wildlife conservation and ecology as well as horticultural science.Under the present arrangement, when a call for help is requested, the agency responsible for providing aid is dependent on where the incident is taking place and the type of animal involved. AVA is responsible for all urban areas and community animals such as stray cats and dogs, while NParks is responsible for nature areas and wildlife.Member of Parliament Louis Ng, who is also director of the animal welfare … [Read more...] about NParks to become lead agency for animal and wildlife management
Trump administration faces lawsuit over pesticides in wildlife refuges
REUTERS: Conservationists on Wednesday notified the Trump administration that they would sue over its reversal of a 2014 decision prohibiting bee-killing pesticides and genetically modified crops on U.S. wildlife refuges. The reversal, issued on Aug. 2 in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service memo, suggested that neonicotinoid pesticides, or neonics, were needed for "farming practices” in refuge areas where that was allowed.Cultivation of biotech crops, engineered to resist pests and withstand herbicides, has helped maximize crop production on dozens of wildlife refuges. A certain amount of agricultural activity has been permitted on some refuges, where typically a share of the crops is harvested by farmers for profit while another share is left as food or habitat for animals. Conservationists said in Wednesday’s notice of a pending lawsuit that neonics and pesticides to which biotech crops are immune are known to injure and kill imperiled creatures that … [Read more...] about Trump administration faces lawsuit over pesticides in wildlife refuges
Newborn jaguar cubs draw fans at Mexico wildlife park
Two jaguar cubs born five weeks ago are the new stars at a wildlife park in Mexico, teaching a valuable lesson about conservation with their cuddly cuteness, according to park officials. The female cubs, who have not yet been named, had to be separated from their parents at 18 days old when one of them developed a skin condition that worried caretakers at Animal Kingdom in San Juan Teotihuacan, outside Mexico City. They cannot be returned to their mother, who could kill them if she smells the human scent on them. Nursed back to health, the cubs now frolic and play with their caretakers -- who feed them through baby bottles -- and explore their enclosure with tentative steps and outsized paws. It is hard to imagine that in three months' time they will be too large and dangerous to approach. Female jaguars weigh about 50 kilos as adults, and males about 80 kilos -- though some reach up to 150 kilos. Read also: Race for Mexico's 'cocaine of the sea' pushes 2 species toward extinction … [Read more...] about Newborn jaguar cubs draw fans at Mexico wildlife park
Most wildlife management in Canada and U.S. lacks ‘fundamental’ science, study finds
By Alex Ballingall Ottawa Bureau Wed., March 7, 2018 OTTAWA — A new study of more than 650 wildlife management systems in Canada and the United States concluded that most of them lack “fundamental hallmarks of science,” a finding that the study’s lead author said raises doubts about hunting regulations and animal protection in North America. Using a framework of 11 criteria to determine scientific rigour, biologist Kyle Artelle and his co-authors found only 26 per cent of the wildlife management systems include benchmarks to measure performance, while almost half — 48 per cent — do not publish information about the size of animal populations or how they are changing over time. The study also found that just 11 per cent of the systems publicly report how hunting quotas are set, while only 9 per cent of the systems are subject to “any form” of independent review, something the authors say “deviates … [Read more...] about Most wildlife management in Canada and U.S. lacks ‘fundamental’ science, study finds