...will he ever win?

A recent RSPB survey of the Critically Endangered Tristan albatross has found that it has suffered the worst breeding season on record. The albatross, which is only found on Gough Island (a South Atlantic territory of the United Kingdom), is losing vast numbers of chicks to predation by the introduced house mouse (Mus musculus).

Believed to have been brought to Gough Island in the 19th century by sea-vessels, house mice have since become abundant. Despite their innocuous appearance, the mice are voracious predators and will feed on the defenseless albatross chicks while they are still alive. Attacking at night, singly or in groups, they bore into the chick’s flesh, resulting in a slow death from blood loss or internal organ destruction.

This year, as a result of mouse predation, the number of Tristan albatross chicks that have gone on to fledge is five times lower than it should be.

Although researchers have been aware of the problem on Gough Island for some time, they have, so far, been unable to do anything to save its native birdlife. While trials by the RSPB have shown that removing the mice from the island is feasible, a lack of funding to support the initiative means that, for now, the Tristan albatross will remain on a path towards extinction.

Source with squicky video and a list of other species affected by these mice.

I don't get to contribute much in terms of my own photography to this site, so I thought I'd close out the year with a couple of shots of my own.

Say hello to Willy the One-eyed Chihuahua. My brother-in-law, Dave, and his wife, Kitty, are Willy's proud owners. He is a rescue dog, and he has two fellow rescued Chihuahuas for companions, though only Willy sports an empty eye socket.

No one knows how Willy lost his eye, since he came that way when he was adopted. Legends and tales abound, however. Dave made the mistake of telling our nieces that Willy misbehaved once, so Dave poked his eye out. Four-year-olds tend to believe that kind of stuff, and now most of the nieces and nephews look at Dave askance, despite our attempts to correct them.

Much like Willy's missing eye, the history of the breed is clouded in speculation and theory. There is no doubt that the proto-Chihuahua is from pre-Columbian Mexico, but beyond that all we have is educated guesses. It probably comes from the Techichi, contemporary to the ancient Toltecs, and was probably around before Mayan times. Their remains were found in a pyramid in Cholula. Christopher Columbus commented on the dog in one of his letters to the king of Spain. The Chihuahua's progenitors were larger then, but still small.

This is a plug for adopting rescue animals. There're lots out there. If you're looking for a good companion animal and can't decide where to go, start with a reputable shelter or rescue organization. Reputable, people. There are lots of animal hoarders out there.

Have a Happy New Year.

January 02, 2009 08:37 PM

splode from cute

splodefromcute @ 2009-01-02T10:08:00

January 02, 2009 03:52 PM

Panda Bear Sunday Afternoon

Just another Sunday afternoon with the boys, watching a football game, kicking back a bamboo brewsky, and letting it all hang out.

And of course, the team they're rooting for? Da Bears.