The sea otter has been essentially extinct in Oregon for over a century; I say"essentially" because there have been occasional spottings of individual animals, and a failed attempt in the 1970's to reintroduce them. However, Oregon Live is reporting that one has been spotted at Depoe Bay. The article specifically states that we shouldn't read too much into this, but does point out that this might indicate conditions are right for a natural recolonization by the species. I for one adore otters (in the youthful fantasy game "what animal would you be," "otter" was always my preference), and couldn't be happier to hear of this possibility.In an opposite and heartbreaking vein, the gorgeous Worcester's buttonquail is pictured below. This is the first known photograph of a living speciman; all previous representations are drawings from dead animals in museum collections, and the creature has been thought extinct for decades.
Why heartbreaking? The photo was taken at a meat market. I saw this article in The Telegraph a couple of days ago, and I thought it was worth commenting on. But it was so depressing I didn't really know how- or even if- I wanted to approach it. I guess it feels like the otter news makes it a little easier to cope with, but this still strikes me as impossibly tragic. And by the way, the quote Club president Michael Lu said the group was "ecstatic" about the find, but they also "feel sad that the locals do not value the biodiversity around them" is infuriating to me. I suspect, much as I hate to admit it, if I had a couple of hungry kids, that I would kill an otter to put food in their mouths. Why didn't Michael Lu buy the poor bird?
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2 comments:
Are you saying someone was selling the quail to eat at a meat market?
That is depressing. That's a truly beautiful bird.
Yup. The headline of the linked article is "Rare endangered Philippines quail spotted - on way to cooking pot." Probably within hours of this photo's time, this bird was someone's dinner.
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