When you read a story about wildlife these days, the news is usually bad. As the human population swells on this planet, animal species are increasingly pushed to the brink of extinction by poaching, habitat loss, and pollution. That's why it's refreshing to hear some good news on the animal front every once in a while. A nifty item on msnbc.com points out that a huge, scary-looking bat on the Tanzanian island of Pemba has made an amazing recovery in recent years, after being reduced to just a handful of specimens in 1989. Today, thanks to two new forest reserves - and the local population's growing distaste for roasted bat - the Pemba flying fox is back, with conservationists estimating that between 22,000 and 37,000 animals are currently making a home on this picturesque island on the northern end of the Zanzibar archipelago. Island residents hope that the big bats, which can have a wingspan of nearly six feet, will lure eco-tourists from the safari camps on the mainland. We're not sure how anxious travelers will be to get up close and personal with critters like these, but it's nice to see that ugly animals are finally getting some protection. After all, why should cuddly koalas get all the conservation funds? Fortunately, visitors to the island these days will find plenty to do beside bat-watching, from a tour of a clove plantation (this is a Spice Island, after all) to a sail among the barrier islands on a dhow.

[Photo: AP]

Related Stories:
· Giant Bat Returns from Brink of Extinction [msnbc.com]
· Animal Travel Coverage [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-11-02T15:02:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/1/15390/1697

A cheetah on its way from Portland to Atlanta escaped from its cage in a Delta Airlines cargo hold Friday, giving baggage handlers a Halloween scare they weren't expecting. As the AP points out, two of the big cats were being transported in the belly of a passenger jet when one of them - the smarter one, presumably - somehow escaped its enclosure and began wandering through the hold. Upon its discovery, animal experts from Zoo Atlanta showed up on the scene and tranquilized the free-spirited feline, who now awaits its owner at the zoo. Of course, everybody's wondering how such a thing could happen. Who at Delta is responsible for packing live cheetahs into crates? We'd hope they double checked that the cage doors were securely shut. While we're at it, who the heck is shipping cheetahs cross-country anyway? The airline won't reveal who owns the animals, but if it's not the zoo itself, it's likely some private, animal-obsessed citizen, and that's kind of weird. In any case, I hope the cheetah enjoys its new southern home and doesn't rack up any more frequent-flier miles.

[Image: cinemovida.net]

Related Stories:
· Cheetah Gets Loose in Cargo Hold of Flight [AP via Yahoo! News]
· Animal Coverage [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-11-01T15:39:00-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/28/74555/044

Southern Africa opened an auction of existing ivory stockpiles Tuesday, selling off more than 220,000 pounds of what's ordinarily contraband in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The nations plan to sell the confiscated, poached tusks to approved Chinese and Japanese entities, and return the funds they earn to existing environmental conservation efforts.

The whole things strikes us as a bit counter-intuitive, like PETA hosting a pig roast fund raiser to promote vegan lifestyles. But if the pig’s already dead, then why not right? No point in letting good tusks go to waste.

Opponents say the sales could reignite a dying trade, and warn that the ivory could eventually end up in the wrong hands, particularly in China where the rules appear particularly lax. The potential bounty from the sales could be as high as $30 million: We hope our surviving trunked friends see a chunk of the cash.

Related Stories:
· Controversial Ivory Sale to Open [BBC]
· Addo Elephant National Park [Jaunted]

[Photo: rocky0009]]]> ced138 2008-10-29T14:35:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/19/124844/58

As big and bad as they seem, Africa's famed black rhinoceroses are in trouble, having been pushed to the brink of extinction by a century of poaching, trophy hunting, and habitat loss. So it's heartening to hear that wildlife organizations in Kenya and the U.K. have begun releasing captive-bred black rhinos into the Kenyan wilds. As BBC News points out in a brief story and nifty video, the groups recently released a group of young rhinos into an area that only 30 years ago supported 20,000 animals, but now has fewer than 500 left. If managed well, a successful rhino recovery could provide a substantial boost to the country's tourism industry, bringing in hordes of camera-wielding visitors desperate for a snap of the most powerful-looking of the big four. And anyway, the black rhino is a pretty cool beast: they hang out alone and wallow until it's time to mate, they're vegetarians, and they only lash out when the feel threatened, unlike their jerky cousins, the hippos.

[Photo: BBC News]

Related Stories:
· Black Rhinos Released Into the Wild [BBC News]
· Safari Coverage [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-10-19T12:48:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/8/1440/86988

While at least one Brit is determined to give tourists a bad name in Tokyo, a city southwest of Osaka is drawing in the masses with the world's most adorable train attendant.]]> egw 2008-10-08T16:00:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/30/42626/9598

We love getting stuff for free, but apparently the red-haired people of Adelaide, South Australia would rather pay to get into the Adelaide Zoo at the moment.

The zoo started a promotion using the Aussie slang term "ranga", a nickname for redheads that derives from the color of the average orangutan. The deal offered free entry to the zoo for all "rangas," but they've toned down the deal now after some complaints.

The good news is that despite the complaints, the zoo decided just to drop the "ranga" title. So red-haired visitors (including those with dyed red hair!) can still get into the zoo for free for the next week. Apparently less than 2 percent of people are redheads but if you're one of them then rush down to Adelaide now. And don't be offended--we're just jealous we can't get in for free.

Related Stories:
· Zoo Drops "Ranga" Free Day Campaign [news.com.au]
· Free Range Orang Utans Now Available [Jaunted]
· Zoos coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: peasap]]]> amandak 2008-09-30T09:30:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/25/114059/587

Last year, no one was nuzzled to death: The Trailing of the Sheep festival in Ketchum and Hailey, Idaho (October 10-12) allow our four-legged woolly friends to walk the streets in honor of the region's long history of sheep herding.

Idaho used to be as well known for its mammal population as the Australian outback, but now towns like Sun Valley are better known for their Polarfleece-clad ski denizens than wool production.

Sing sheep-shearing songs with Wyoming poets and Navajo singers, or prove that your sheep dog is a top herder to win $3,000 on Saturday. We'd recommend the lamb tasting fair, too, but don't take your flock to it.

Related Stories:
· Hemingway's Idaho Garden of Eden [Jaunted]
· Spotting Sheep--to the Extreme! [Jaunted]
· Fall Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: cvjanecek]]]> egw 2008-09-25T12:35:34-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/