The FWP weekly digest of wondrous wildlife happenings
and other interesting items from the natural world

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Lisa S. French
Gorilla mom and baby
Good News for Gorillas

Home to over 3,000 different species of plants and animals, the Virunga Mountain range bordering Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. The best known and most beloved occupants of this UNESCO World Heritage site are the majestic mountain gorillas. Discovered by German explorer Captain Robert von Beringe in 1902, over the course of the 20th century, mountain gorillas suffered the impacts of habitat loss, hunting, war, and disease leading scientists to estimate that continued environmental pressures would render the critically endangered species extinct by the year 2000. Although populations of mountain gorillas in the Virunga range continued to dwindle to near extinction, 480 individuals had survived as of 2010.

An inspiring testament to the progress that can be achieved through a creative combination of government, NGO, and community-based conservation efforts, including eco-tourism, these gentle herbivores, vital to the health of forest ecosystems, are slowly making a comeback. Population surveys in 2016 found that the Virunga gorillas had increased to 604 individuals. The total population of mountain gorillas now stands at 1,004 which includes a second group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. At a time when animal species around the globe are facing extreme challenges to their survival, this bit of good news for mountain gorillas underscores the vital importance of supporting wildlife conservation initiatives for the benefit of all inhabitants who share the planet.

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Beautiful Forest
Earth Month: Restoring Earth’s Beautiful View

The Appalachian Mountains that make West Virginia rugged and beautiful owe much of their splendor to the red spruce. Old-growth red spruce forests once covered Cheat Mountain in seemingly limitless numbers. These trees can live up to four hundred years and provide essential life support to unique wildlife, such as salamanders, flying squirrels, and golden eagles. The Appalachian red spruce forest ecosystems are also particularly effective at filtering stream water that flows throughout the mountain range. Between 1880 and 1940 nearly the entire red spruce population within these forests went through a series of clear cuts and devastating wildfires reducing coverage from 1.5 million to roughly 30,000 acres. In an attempt at restoration, non-native invasive species were planted including a type of grass that quickly became a compacted sod, choking out all other vegetation preventing the normal process of reforestation from occurring and disrupting an ecosystem that relied on biodiversity. Without intervention, the ecosystems in interrupted areas could not achieve full recovery, even though they are on federally protected land. Compacted soil must be broken in order to bring the ecosystem back to balance, which makes restoration a much more difficult process than it might be elsewhere.

As the nation’s oldest national conservation nonprofit, our planting partner American Forests working in conjunction with strategic partners like the U.S. Forest Service brings critical expertise to restoration projects like those on Cheat Mountain. They’re celebrating 143 years of forest-enthusiasm this fall, and have planted more than 50 million trees since 1990. This year American Forests has planted 75,000 trees in the Mower Tract of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, making a significant jump-start in the restoration process for this embattled ecosystem. We are proud to support their work and look forward to continuing reforestation efforts around the country and around the world.

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Earth Month: Trees for Wildlife

When most people think of protecting endangered species, it’s rarely trees that come to mind, but keystone tree species like the critically endangered whitebark pine are incredibly important to the health of forest ecosystems in the Northern Rockies and the Cascades providing essential food and habitat for the feathered and furry. Whitebark pine grow at the treeline at super-high altitudes where the summers are blazing hot and dry, and the winters are frigid. Rich in fats and protein, the seeds of the whitebark pinecone are one of the most nutritious foods available to wildlife and feed more than 100 different animals species. The seeds are an especially important component of the grizzly bear diet providing a food source far from human populations, keeping both bears and humans safe.

Whitebark pine seeds are largely distributed by the Clark’s nutcracker in open meadows where they are the first to germinate and grow into trees after a wildfire. Crucial to forest restoration, whitebark pine provide the shade and moisture that allows less hardy trees to survive the harsh mountain climate. While the vast majority of whitebark pine exist on federally protected land this tree species is dying off at an alarming rate. Blister rust, an aggressive viral disease imported from Europe in 1909, and an exploding population of mountain pine beetles are choking out entire stands of trees. In many places, the mortality rate exceeds 95 percent.

At Favorite World Press, we know that it is the combined efforts of concerned citizens and organizations that will determine the future of some of the world’s most precious and endangered species. Supporting climate-smart restoration of threatened trees like the whitebark pine also helps to ensure the health and survival of all the animals that depend on them—like the grizzly bear. That’s why we are partnering with American Forests to help accelerate the pace and scale of forest restoration across the United States.

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Earth Month: The Power of One Tree

Earth Month is the perfect time to support the healthy, resilient forests that impact so many aspects of life—providing the air we breathe, filtering the water we drink and sheltering the wildlife we love. Favorite World Press has made a commitment to our partner American Forests to plant one tree for every print or e-book sold from the new series, Frankie and Peaches, Tales of Total Kindness. Just one tree can have a huge impact on our environment, absorbing 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and filtering as much as 36,500 gallons of drinking water every year. And just two trees provide your daily oxygen.

Every tree we plant is also an integral part of the forest ecosystems that help to support wildlife. Just one square kilometer of forest may be home to more than 1,000 species. In the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas alone, there are 500 different species of birds, 300 different butterflies, 900 types of beetles, and 1,200 different species of plants. It is also the home of the endangered ocelot, a magnificent animal whose population is sadly estimated to be down to 50 in the United States. Healthy forests are vital to the survival of many threatened and endangered species of flora and fauna.

The benefits of healthy, thriving forests are immense, yet forests across the globe are in danger, and the vital resources they provide are being compromised. Bark beetles and blister rust are decimating stands of pines across the West; population expansion and agriculture have diminished old-growth forests in the eastern U.S. to the point of rarity—a mere 1 percent remain. Some of the worst wildfires in history have swept through landscapes from the drought-afflicted Sierra Nevada to the mountains of Appalachia. Since 2001, global forest cover has been decreased by almost 600 million acres, threatening critical habitats for endangered wildlife the world over. Now more than ever, it is necessary for everyone to contribute what they can, wherever they can, and we’re happy to get you and your little ones started.

This is why we support American Forests, the nation’s oldest national conservation organization, and their efforts to restore and protect forests. They have planted more than 50 million trees since 1990, in all 50 states and nearly 50 countries. They understand and promote our beliefs that we are not separate from nature and that it is our responsibility to take care of the planet. We know that our investment in American Forests will go a long way towards ensuring a better future for everything that lives on Earth.

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Baby penguin and parent
Paternal Penguins

In the southern hemisphere, the Antarctic autumn which begins in late March/early April also marks the start of emperor penguin parenting season. The only species on earth that nests in winter, emperor penguins are dependent upon the formation of sea ice which must be solid enough to support the 46 breeding colonies of thousands of 50 to 100-pound birds that return from the sea to the barren, beak-chillingly cold polar landscape to start their feathered families. Once the serially monogamous birds pair off with mates, come late May/early June, female emperors will lay one egg which they transfer to their male parenting partners for safekeeping before traveling distances of up to 70 miles back to the sea to feed on fish, krill, and squid. During the 65-75 day incubation period, the male penguin carefully wedges the single egg on its feet below a loose fold of highly vascularized featherless skin called a brood pouch which warms the egg to about 100°F. To ensure every egg in the colony stays equally toasty while exposed to average winter temperatures of -49°F, these paternal penguins huddle together in massive groups for warmth, rotating in an orderly procession from the outside to the inside of the huddle so that no bird is left out in the cold.

Male emperors fast throughout the two month incubation period surviving on fat reserves, often losing as much as half of their body weight. Once the penguin chicks emerge from their shells into the frozen world of the Antarctic, the papa penguins prop the hatchlings on their feet, tuck them up safely under the brood pouch for warmth, and feed them a milky substance produced by a gland in their esophagus. When the female penguins return to the colony in July, the hungry, weakened male transfers the chick to its mother’s brood pouch for care and feeding before embarking on his own long march to the sea to fatten up. When the male penguin rejoins his family, the dedicated parents take turns feeding and guarding the chicks ensuring the little ones are shielded from the harsh elements until they grow a thick layer of protective down and are able to stand on their own tiny webbed feet.

Learn about the importance of maintaining the Antarctic home of these fascinating, flightless birds from ecologist Michelle LaRue and on April 25th ruffle your feathers in honor of World Penguin Day.

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Angel Oak tree, Johns Island, South Carolina
Tree of the Year

It’s tree award season! Nature lovers across Europe are currently casting their votes at Tree of the Year.org for the lovely, leafy presence with the most interesting story. You can find out which sculptural marvel, soothing spot of shade or safe haven for songbirds wins the title of top tree on March 19. The Tree of the Year contest is sponsored by The Environmental Partnership Association which supports community-based projects working to protect the environment and build support and capacity in local communities. The contest was created to encourage people to get involved in local environmental protection and to promote old growth trees as integral to cultural and natural heritage. Tree of the Year is aiming to go global so you may soon have the opportunity to nominate and vote for a marvelous maple, perfect pine or beautiful birch in your community. In the meantime, you can help create more carbon-storing candidates in the U.S. by planting a tree with Frankie and Peaches.

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The name "pangolin" comes from a Malay word that means "one who rolls up".
World Pangolin Day

To celebrate World Pangolin Day, we pulled together a few interesting facts about these remarkable Asian and African mammals to raise awareness and impress your pangolin-party pals. Pangolins are shy, solitary, nocturnal animals that range in size from about three to 73 pounds and make their homes in forests, grasslands, and savannahs. Although the eight species of pangolins are also known as “scaly anteaters”, and do indeed eat ants as well as termites and other insects, they are genetically more closely related to cats, dogs, and bears. However, unlike carnivores, pangolins do not have teeth so can’t chew their food. Their stomachs are lined with keratinous spines which, combined with stones they swallow, help to pulverize the insects they’ve captured with their long sticky tongues. A pangolin tongue can be up to an impressive 15 inches long, which comes in handy when probing inside of an anthill or termite mound in search of dinner. Pangolins can eat up to 20,000 ants and termites a day (that’s 70 million a year), helping to protect forests from destruction.

Most of a pangolin’s body is covered by overlapping scales also made from keratin, the same protein that forms human hair, nails, and rhino horn. These sharp-edged scales, which make up about 20 percent of a pangolin’s body weight, protect it from predators. When under attack a pangolin curls into a tight ball and extends its scales to shield its vulnerable undersides.

Because their meat is considered a delicacy, and their scales are believed to have magical and medical properties, pangolins have become the most trafficked animal in the world. Sadly, as a result, all eight species are currently listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as threatened with extinction. Check out this rare footage of a giant pangolin doing a bit of tree-hugging and find out what the African Wildlife Foundation is doing to help ensure the world’s only scaly mammal is not lost forever.

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How to Bee

When the days draw in, busy bees on blooming blossoms may be a distant thought, but now is the perfect time to think about ways to support our pollen gathering pals next spring. Watch this inspiring video and find out how an amazing global network of Bee Guardians are helping honey bee colonies thrive and become more resilient and get the latest buzz on how you can lend a hand to these VIPs (Very Important Pollinators). If you aren’t ready to go full-beekeeper, there are other easy, low-cost ways to Airbee-n-bee here. If you need help identifying your hard-working house guests, check out The Bee, A Natural History.

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City Turtles

You might not think that an urban beach in densely populated Queens would be a natural choice for a critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle to lay her eggs, but last July, for the first time in the recorded history of New York, one lone turtle laid 110 eggs on Far Rockaway peninsula. In September, after about 60 days of incubation, eight dozen, flippered hatchlings emerged from their shells and very, very slowly trundled toward the Atlantic.

Although young Kemp’s ridley turtles have appeared as far north as Nova Scotia, researchers aren’t exactly certain why this turtle mom traveled so far from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico where the rare species usually nests. Some believe that as global waters warm due to climate change, more Kemp’s ridley turtles will migrate beyond their instinctual year-round comfort zone resulting in larger numbers of shell-shocked seasonal strandings as the northern Atlantic rapidly cools in the winter. You can help keep these youngsters safely turtling around by adopting your very own trio of hatchlings from the World Wildlife Fund. And you can find more magnificent reasons to support marine life in these photos from Call of the Blue / Paul Holberton Publishing.

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