Clipmarks | Captivity Clips

Ball's Pyramid - Home to Rare Stick Insect

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:11:06 GMT

The Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis) had not been seen alive in over 70 years. Known as "land lobsters" or "walking sausages," the six inch long insects had once been common on the neighboring Lord Howe Island, but were assumed to have been eaten into extinction by black rats introduced when a supply ship ran aground in 1918.

Yet in 2001 the scientists found a colony of the huge Lord Howe Island stick insects living under a single bush, a hundred feet up the otherwise entirely infertile rock. Somehow a few of the wingless insects escaped and managed--by means still unknown--to traverse 23 kilometers of open ocean, land on Ball's Pyramid, and survive there. Just 27 of the insects have been found on the rocky spire. They are currently being bred in captivity.

Tags: balls pyramid, stick insects

The Cutest and Deadliest Frogs on Earth

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:29:59 GMT

clipped by: xpersianx

Clip Source: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

For most animals, their colouring is not an aesthetic choice, but a matter of life and death. The ability to evade the wary eyes of a predator by blending into the surrounding environment has arisen again and again within the animal kingdom – and with some necessity. But there are some critters that blatantly waive this rule, and though they look good enough to eat, some of them can kill you with a single touch. These are the famous poison arrow frogs of South and Central America.

Frogs of the Dendrobatidae (meaning ‘tree walker’) family walk a different path than most: they use bright colours to advertise their presence to the world. They rely on the fact that most predators recognize such colouring as a signal that the animal contains a deadly poison, and thus is not at all palatable. Many species contain alkaloids in their skin – a group of plant chemicals.

bizarre result of this is that frogs raised in captivity and deprived of their normal diet grow up to be completely harmless

Tags: frog

Saddam Hussein Bluffed About WMDs Fearing Iranian Arsenal, Declassified FBI Files Show

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:52:39 GMT

clipped by: etellefs
clipper's remarks: Gosh, isn't the Iraq war so "worth it"?

Clip Source: cryptogon.com

Saddam Hussein Bluffed About WMDs Fearing Iranian Arsenal, Declassified FBI Files Show

Clip Source: cryptogon.com

Via: New York Daily News:

Saddam Hussein feared Iran’s arsenal more than a U.S. attack, and even considered asking ex-President George W. Bush “to protect” Iraq from its neighbor, once secret FBI files show.

The FBI interrogations of the toppled tyrant – codename “Desert Spider” – were declassified after a Freedom of Information Act request.

The records show Saddam happily boasted of duping the world about stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. And he consistently denied cooperating with Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda.

Of all his enemies, Iraq’s ex-president – who insisted he still held office during captivity – hated Iran most.

Asked how he would have faced “fanatic” Iranian ayatollahs if Iraq had been proven toothless by UN weapons inspectors in 2003, Saddam said he would have cut a deal with Bush.

Cutest and Deadliest Frogs on Earth

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:27:02 GMT

clipped by: Kelika

Clip Source: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

A bizarre result of this is that frogs raised in captivity and deprived of their normal diet grow up to be completely harmless. The insect eaten by the most poisonous frog, the golden poison dart frog (Phylobates terribilis), is still a mystery, though is thought to be a type of beetle.

Living only in undisturbed rainforests and cloud-forests, poison arrow frogs are facing habitat loss at an alarming rate.

Countdown to World's First Bonobo Release.

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:24:45 GMT

clipped by: violetnightshade

Clip Source: www.wspa-usa.org

Countdown to world’s first bonobo release

Starting Sunday, June 14th, WSPA will accompany a group of orphaned bonobos on a historic journey back to the wild. Traveling to a remote corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo, this is the first ever attempt to reintroduce our closest ape relation to their natural habitat.

Bonobos are vulnerable to habitat destruction and the bushmeat and pet trades. Infants, sold into the pet trade or left behind when their mothers are killed for meat, desperately need safety, care and attention.

Dave Eastham, WSPA’s Head of Wildlife, explains the significance of this work: “This is the first time we will see bonobos return to their natural habitat after a period of captivity. It is the culmination of many years of work by the dedicated staff at Lola ya Bonobo and WSPA is proud to have provided the veterinary equipment and expertise to make a life in the wild possible for these intelligent apes.”

Tags: primates, animals, animal conservation, nature, science

Zimbabwean girl speaks out about rape, in captivity.

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:33:52 GMT

clipped by: chara
clipper's remarks: A child rights activist, who asked not to be named, says the scale of the rape and abuse in the last few months has taken aid workers by surprise.

"We have been caught unaware by this political crisis where women and girls are being abused and raped in the areas the ruling party has sealed off," she says.

"These abuses should leave politicians hanging their heads in shame for not assisting their own mothers and sisters as is the norm in African culture."

As the country heads for a second round of a presidential election on 27 June, the MDC says Maidei's case is not unique.

"Pungwes" are gatherings held in the open where people are forced to sing revolutionary songs to prove their loyalty to the ruling party.

Many residents are made to attend, including girls as young as 16 where, if they catch a commander's eye, they are kept at the base until the militia leave.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Eyewitness: Raped for opposing Mugabe

According to Maidei, the abuse tends to happen at night-time vigils, called "pungwes".

A local Zanu-PF official explained to me that the pungwes, used during the war of independence, were still necessary as "political re-orientation" exercises to warn people "against the opposition which is backed by the West".

Asked about the allegations that men were raping women and girls forcibly at the meetings, he replied matter-of-factly: "We have to share in comradeship as we have the same aim to get rid of the opposition here."

He confirmed that the young and beautiful women were often identified at the meetings and made to stay on with the group leaders.

Whilst captive, Maidei said that she felt her parents were safe from attack.

Asked whether she would report the rapes when released, she said it would depend on the political landscape after the elections.

"I am living in fear," she said.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Zimbabwe girls trade sex for food

turning to prostitution to survive

Flag Day

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:46:33 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Dawn’s Early Light (Captivity In Print)

Listening to the Star-Spangled Banner at the ROTC ceremony at Harvard last week, I reflected again on our nation’s choice of a description of armed struggle and resistance for its anthem. Vivid combat imagery, though understated as patriotic messages go. It was there at nightfall, we saw it during the night, by the light of explosions, is it still there? Over the brave, free men who are fighting for this country? That’s all there is to it, from the perspective of an emissary detained by the invading British when he went to seek a doctor’s release. Armed struggle and triumph may not be unique as anthem themes, but I’d guess a description of those events as viewed from captivity probably is.

So what does our adoption of an anthem about armed struggle and captivity say about the American character?

http://www.julescrittenden.com/2009/06/12/dawns-early-light-2/

Clip Source: proteinwisdom.com

Fausta reminds us, noting that Jules has an awesome round-up, and JD sends this beautiful video composed by a 15-year-old girl.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Thanks,

Lizzie Palmer

I made another U.S. Armed Forces video. I figured it was about time. =)

www.operationgratitude. com

Tags: flag day, "star-spangled banner", francis scott key, raw patriotism

q1

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:56:50 GMT

clipped by: mayormushroom

Clip Source: www.onelinerz.net

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

If God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining.

I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station..

If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.

Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish?

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.

The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Good girls are bad girls that never get caught.

The beginning of the return of Justice to America?

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:17:43 GMT

clipped by: darkeforce
clipper's remarks: One innocent kidnappee in Guantinimo has been returned home, but only after having spent his teenage years the the hellish American gulag. He's never going to be the same; no one can recover those stolen years for him, and he now has a very real reason to hate America if he didn't before. Once again, America is creating its own enemies with their moronic foreign policy.

Is this a sign that justice really has returned to America? Who can say? They still haven't made amends for the Canadian soldiers that two air force pilots murdered in Afghanistan earlier in the war. The only punishment those pilots were given for defying orders and murdering allied soldiers was the loss of 1 months pay, and a slap on the wrist. Does that sound like justice?

It doesn't to me.

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

U.S. frees Guantanamo detainee seized when a teenager

LONDON (Reuters) - An African detainee held at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay since he was a teenager has been released without charge after more than seven years in captivity, his lawyers said on Thursday.

Mohammed El Gharani, a Chadian citizen, was freed five months after a U.S. federal judge ordered him released having reviewed the evidence against him and ruled that there was nothing to suggest he was ever an "enemy combatant."

Lawyers for Gharani said he was the youngest detainee to be released from Guantanamo, having been seized in 2001 when he was 14.

Reprieve, a legal and human rights group that campaigned for Gharani's release, said he had already returned to Chad.

Beluga Whale birth at Vancouver aquarium

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:19:01 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus

Clip Source: video.google.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.torontosun.com

Beluga Whale birth at Vancouver aquarium

Clip Source: www.oregonlive.com

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A baby beluga whale has been born at the aquarium in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The calf is the second born at the aquarium during the past year. Last June, Aurora became a grandmother when her daughter Qila gave birth to a calf named Tiqa.

"Aurora seemed to take it all in stride, her eyes were open, she just looked nice and relaxed."

Aurora's water broke Sunday morning, and several hours later, the calf's tail could be seen peeking out.

"And then she had big pushes, big contractions, and about half the calf would come out and she would hold it for a few seconds and the calf would pop back in again," said Wright.

Wright said Aurora and the new calf will be separated from the other whales at first.

But that will likely be short-lived

Aurora is an experienced mother

The aquarium abandoned its direct-capture policy after it acquired Aurora, and now only accepts whales and dolphins that have been injured or born in captivity.

Tags: whales, aquarium

yet another story of our country torturing prisoners.

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:32:46 GMT

clipped by: robjustin
clipper's remarks: I'm weary of this, but we must persevere!

Clip Source: rawstory.com

A former prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay says he was never interrogated about the reason the US said they’d arrested him for — even after seven years in captivity.

He also provided a graphic account of new elements of what may be considered “ad-lib” torture — guards inappropriately using hypodermic needles and IV tubes intended for forced feeding during hunger strikes.

He further said he was kept awake for 16 days straight — which was often done by splashing detainees eyes with cold water when they nodded off in their cell under bright lights. The account was published by ABC News.

“I don’t think. I’m sure,” he replied.

“Boumediene described being pulled up from under his arms while sitting in a chair with his legs shackled, stretching him,” an ABC News interview account Monday reported. “He said that he was forced to run with the camp’s guards and if he could not keep up, he was dragged, bloody and bruised.

Betancourt's Ordeal

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:10:32 GMT

clipped by: Anangeli
clipper's remarks: I can only imagine, have a faint idea of the suffering people can inflict in people. If they only knew they can as much good if they turn to their best side... why do people choose evil?????

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Betancourt fears the impending collapse

Betancourt, a Colombian who took dual French citizenship through her first marriage, has been holding court in one of Paris's nicest hotels, Le Meurice, trying to use her moment of fame to thank those who have helped her and to press for the release of the other, perhaps 700, hostages of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

But she also is trying to avoid describing the details of her ordeal as an attractive woman in captivity in the jungle, a time when she was often chained, physically tortured and humiliated by armed and angry men, whose behavior, she said earlier, was "so monstrous I think they themselves were disgusted."

"I think we have that animal inside of us, all of us, that's the reality of how we are made," she said. "We can be so horrible to the others."

You can have the dark side of man but you can also plug yourself to light and be an enormous light to others. And I think that's what being spiritual means."

11 Extinct Animals That Have Been Photographed Alive

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:45:37 GMT

clipped by: violetnightshade

Clip Source: www.uniquescoop.com

The last Tasmanian Tiger, or Thylacine

The Quagga was a unique variety of Plains Zebra,

the Passenger Pigeon

The last known Passenger Pigeon, named “Martha”, died in captivity on September 1st, 1914, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The first recorded account of the Golden Toad was by herpetologist Jay Savage in 1966, and the last sighting of the species was made in 1989.

The Caribbean Monk Seal

It is also the only species of seal to go extinct directly due to human causes.

The Pyrenean Ibex has one of the more interesting stories among extinct animals, since it was the first species to ever be brought back into existence via cloning, only to go extinct again just seven minutes after being born due to lung failure.

The Bubal Hartebeest was a magnificent, tough beast which was once domesticated by the ancient Egyptians as a food source and for sacrificial purposes. The creature was even mentioned in the Old Testament.

Javan Tigers

The Tecopa Pupfish

The Syrian Wild Ass

the Baiji River Dolphin

in 2006

Tags: animals, extinction, science, biology, endangered species

What torture is...

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:57:51 GMT

clipped by: Anangeli
clipper's remarks: No comments. we cannot judge any country anymore. We have proved we are all the same. What a shame! We all share the same for the silence, for the inertia. Speak up!

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Harrowing details of the captivity of Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages in Colombia emerged yesterday, at the same time as doubts surfaced over the official version of their daring rescue.

The French-Colombian politician and the captives freed in Wednesday's military operation described casual sadism, inhumane conditions and even killings in the jungle camps of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

Betancourt said she was often chained to a tree and haunted by thoughts of killing herself during her six-year ordeal. "Death is a hostage's most faithful companion. We lived with death ... and the seduction of suicide was always with us."

Betancourt, 46, told French TV she had been treated abominably. "I wouldn't have given the treatment I had to an animal, perhaps not even to a plant." If the guerrillas were in a bad mood, they would tighten the chain around her neck so it was difficult to breathe, she said.

Crows Make & Use Tools

Tue, 26 May 2009 02:41:26 GMT

clipped by: celestialdancer
clipper's remarks: I always knew these were smart birds.

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Queen Mary, University of London have found that rooks, a member of the crow family, are capable of using and making tools, modifying them to make them work and using two tools in a sequence. The results are published on-line this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"This finding is remarkable because rooks do not appear to use tools in the wild, yet they rival habitual tools users such as chimpanzees and New Caledonian crows when tested in captivity," said Chris Bird, the lead author of the study.

A bird is making a hook to access food. Video: Chris Bird