Rare gorilla birth recorded in Congo

Conservationists announced recently the birth of a rare mountain gorilla in eastern Congo, where rebels have been accused of killing and eating the endangered animals. The tiny, gorilla, named Ndeze, was born February 17 in Congo's Virunga National Park, home to some of world's last 700 mountain gorillas, said Samantha Newport of the conservation support group Wildlife Direct.

 

"It's incredibly positive. These gorillas have managed to survive a 10-year civil war",  Newport said. It is "an absolute miracle and testament to the work of the rangers, who worked throughout the war without receiving a salary, and to conservationists from all over the world".

 

 (The New Indian Express, 5^th   March,2007)

Promising bacteria

In a major breakthrough, Cuban scientists have developed bacteria that destroy the larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector causing dengue, fever. Dr.Raul de Armas Fernandez, chief of the anti-Vector Struggle Unit of Camaguey province, said they had developed bacteria Thuringiensis israelen sis-SH-14 bacillus-by fermentation. It is deposited in water containers, and when mosquitoes ingest it in the first and third phases of breeding, it causes a fatal reaction in its digestive tract, he said. It does not affect humans.

 

(The Hindu, 4^th   March,2007)

An environmental wake-up call

An international panel of scientists has proposed that all countries cease building on coastal land that is less than a metre above the high tide level, so as to avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change. The recommendation was one of many from experts from 11 countries, working for the United Nations. They have spent two years devising a blueprint to allow countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change in the next century. They warned that tens of millions of people would become environmental refugees as sea levels rose and storm surges increased. Rich countries therefore had to allocate billions of dollars to research and develop cleaner energy sources.

The report says the U.N. and governments should be galvanised to respond, and countries should immediately agree to limit further global temperature rises this century to no more than 2 degrees C. It calls for more public transport and better fuels, and cities based on the highest energy efficiency standards.

 (The Hindu, 3^rd  March,2007)

Intensive vector control to be launched

The City Corporation council on Wednesday decided to take up an integrated mosquito control programme to contain vector- borne diseases. A resolution adopted by the council finalised an intensive campaign involving public participation.

Fogging

The programme focuses on prevention of waterlogging and fogging and spraying to destroy mosquito larvae. The scheme proposes a strong reporting system for vector-borne diseases. Monitoring committees would be set up for the programme. Tourists and migrant laborers would be regularly screened for vector-borne diseases. Drains and gutters will be flushed with seawater and fish will be released into canals to destroy larvae.

Legal action

Legal action would be initiated against institutions and individuals contributing to waterlogging. Private hospitals would be directed to report suspected cases of diseases. Door-to-door campaigns would be backed by media advertisements and school-level programmes. A dry day would be observed every week to highlight the need to prevent waterlogging.

 (The Hindu, 2^nd March,2007)