Rare animals (1)

Rare animals
Rare Chinese tiger seen in the wild
Researchers have confirmed that a wild tiger, photographed by a farmer in the Qinba Mountains of Shaanxi Province, Central China , is indeed that of the critically endangered South China tiger.
The South China tiger – classified as one of only five subspecies of tiger still alive today – is extremely rare, with only an estimated 20 to 30 still remaining in the wild.
The wildlife and conservation group WWF says the South China tiger is actually native to the Hainan most forests of south- east China, and because there are so few individuals left, it is regarded by many scientists as being “functionally extinct ” in the wild.
But a group called Save China’s Tigers has been working on a captive-breeding programme and hopes to reach an agreement with China’s State Forestry Administration to reintroduce captive-bred animals into the wild. If all goes well, the first individuals could be reintroduced to coincide with the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
Rare insect hit by housing scheme
Britain ’s rarest beetle, the streaked bombardier, could soon become extinct in the UK when a new housing development is built over the single site at which it can be found , a brownfield site on the Thames Estuary in East London.
“It is very sad that a deliberate choice has been made to plough on with the development, regardless of the consequences to wildlife,” said Jamie Roberts of the invertebrate conservation group Buglife.
A last ditch attempt is being made to move the beetles to a specially designed pile of rubble that replicates their existing habitat and which has been constructed adjacent to the new development. But experts stress that there is only a slim chance that the translocation will succeed.
One of the difficulties is the beetle's life cycle – the larvae of bombardiers prey on beetles in the Amara genus, but it is not known precisely which ones. “This is the last chance saloon for the beetle – if nothing is done , the species will be lost anyway,” Roberts said.
Only a handful of streaked bombardier beetles have been found and moved so far, and with time running out before the building work begins , extinction is imminent for a species that was only recently added to the UK's red list of endangered species.
Can China’s rare ‘ bear ’ survive?
Pandas are not a species at an ‘evolutionary dead end’ as is sometimes claimed, according to new research that has been carried out by scientists at Cardiff University and in Sichuan in China.
Previous findings have suggested that the serious decline in giant panda numbers in modern times is related to its unusual dietary requirements – the species exists almost entirely on bamboo – habitat isolation and relatively slow reproductive rate.
But this new study , published in Molecular Biology and Evolution , has uncovered an important relationship between the species’ decline and human activities . “It is clear that the species has suffered at the hands of human activities such as deforestation and poaching,” said Professor Michael Bruford.
The research also shows that where habit conservation projects have been properly implemented, the giant panda is flourishing and its numbers are increasing.
“Our research suggests we have to revise our thinking about the evolutionary prospects for the giant panda and that the species has a viable future and possesses the genetic capacity to adapt to new circumstances,” said Professor Bruford.
Scientists count rare river dolphins
The completion last month of the first-ever survey assessing pink and grey river dolphins in South America’s Orinoco and Amazon Basins has been described as a triumph for fresh -water dolphin conservation.
The study – which lasted 14 months and covered 3,145km of river spanning 7 countries – provides an estimate of the abundance of the two species, and essential information on the most serious threats they face , the current state of their habitats and potential conservation strategies .
Communications director for WWF Colombia Julio Mario Fernández said one early conclusion scientists could draw was that river dolphins in the Amazon were doing better than those in the Orinoco. “This is the first phase of a wider programme to preserve freshwater cetaceans in these areas ,” he added.
Fresh water dolphins are among the most threatened aquatic mammals in the world. The situation is most dire in Asia, where the Yangtze river dolphin is probably extinct and the Indus river dolphin faces a high risk of becoming extinct.
Fernández said it was essential to act now before South America’s dolphins go the same way. The pink river dolphin, or boto, is already classified as vulnerable by the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species
Rare Fat- Tailed Dwarf Lemur
The species of dwarf lemur found at the DLC, Cheirogaleus medius, is native to the dry deciduous forests common in western and southern Madagascar. These small lemurs can live in primary forests, established secondary forests as well as the gallery forest of the southern spiny desert . Typically solitary foragers, the dwarf lemurs have a diverse diet consisting mostly of fruit and flower nectar. While they are thought to be less carnivorous than mouse lemurs, they too eat insects and small vertebrates. Dwarf lemurs may be responsible for pollinating some species of baobab trees . In addition, they play an important role in the ecology of the tropical forest by aiding in the dispersal of small seeds. As a part of their normal scent marking routine , dwarf lemurs often smear feces onto branches as they walk along well- traveled arboreal pathways through the forest, thereby providing a perfect microclimate for the germination of parasitic plants common in the forest.