Environment

Coral Triangle Instagram contest promotes love for our ocean

CORAL TRIANGLE – WWF, the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security, and development partners have launched an Instagram photo contest called I Heart Coral Triangle in celebration of the annual Coral Triangle Day*, which happens every 9 June. This social media contest, which runs from 22 May to 9 June, encourages people to take a photo of any heart-shaped object or natural material anywhere in the Coral Triangle region, post it […]

When’s the last time you visited the zoo?

QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News Service, June 3) – Do you still remember your first trip to the zoo? For the past years, Avilon Zoo has become a quite popular destination for those who want to see animals up close and personal. Located in Rodriguez, Rizal, Avilon Zoo is the largest zoological institution in the Philippines, in both land area and the number of animals in its collection. With a total land area of seven […]

DENR launches project to protect marine biodiversity

QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News) – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources launched a project to preserve and nurture the country’s marine biodiversity in commemoration of Ocean Month. (Eagle News Service Jay Paul Carlos, Jericho Morales, Vince Alvin Villarin)

‘Terminator’ turtle gets a 3D printed titanium jaw

MAY 29 (Reuters) — A loggerhead sea turtle injured by a boat propeller is the latest beneficiary of 3D printing technology, with a new titanium jaw that allows it to eat unaided once more. The turtle, named AKUT-3, was facing a lifetime in captivity when it was found by volunteers and brought to Pamukkale University’s Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation center (DEKAMER) in Turkey. AKUT-3 was hit by a boat propeller that sheared off its jaws […]

160 year old lighthouse begins move inland

MAY 29 (Reuters) — The Gay Head Lighthouse in Martha’s Vineyard began a move on Thursday (May 28) off the cliff where it has stood for 160 years – a trip aimed at rescuing it from cliff side erosion. Workers began by lifting the brick and mortar lighthouse six feet (1.8 meters) off the ground and putting it on a wood and steel frame. The Massachusetts lighthouse is making the trip inland, traveling along steel […]

Heat wave in India kills more than 1,400; maximum temperature hits 47 Celsius

(Eagle News) — A deadly heat wave in India has killed more than 1,400 people as temperatures soar above 47 Celsius (116.6 Fahrenheit), Reuters said that more than 1,100 died this week.  CNN reported the national death toll at 1,424.  It got so hot that even roads in Delhi had started showing signs of melting. May and June are India’s hottest months, with temperatures regularly pushing above 40 Celsius. But meteorologists say the number of […]

Plankton – the tiny animal that helps you breathe

MAY 26 (Reuters) — They’re some of the smallest animals in the world. But plankton’s role not just in the ocean but the entire earth’s ecosystem is much larger than we realize. That’s according to research from scientists who have spent the last four years studying the creatures. And all from the decks of one boat called Tara. Tara Oceans Expedition Executive Director, Romain Trouble said: “The mission has been run on this vessel over […]

Dramatic rescue as Colombian police rescue dog from flash-flood swollen river

MAY 20 (Reuters) — Dramatic video from Colombia on Wednesday (May 20) as police officers in the country’s landslide-ravaged northwest mountain region plucked a dog to safety after it fell into the dangerous currents of the swollen Liboriana River. Two police officers on patrol in Salgar spotted the animal flailing in the water and ran by the animal as he was swept down by the rushing waters. Taking a risk himself, one officer jumped into […]

Crews work to clean California beach fouled by oil pipeline spill

MAY 21 (Reuters) — Cleanup crews fanned out on Wednesday (May 20) across an oil-fouled California beach to scoop up gobs of petroleum spewed from a ruptured pipeline in the largest oil spill to hit the pristine but energy-rich Santa Barbara coastline in nearly two decades. The breach was believed to have spilled up to 2,500 barrels (105,000 gallons) of crude petroleum, five times more than initially estimated after Tuesday’s rupture, the pipeline company said […]

DENR highlights role of biodiversity in sustainable development

QUEZON CITY, May 21 — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) underscores the critical role that biodiversity play in achieving sustainable development in celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22. The DENR, through its Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), has lined up a series of activities that seek to generate public support for the conservation and sustainable use of the country’s rich biodiversity. BMB Director Theresa Mundita Lim said that this […]

Boracay is now country’s cruise ship destination

MAY 20 (PCOO) — Boracay Island is now the Philippines’ new cruise ship destination, apart from being one of the best beaches in the world. “We received nine cruise ship visits last year. Of the figure, four were maiden voyages from the world’s most luxurious cruise liners,” Aklan Governor Joeben Miraflores boasted during the international conference on enhancing tourism competitiveness in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region held here Tuesday. This year, 12 cruise ship […]

NASA finds Antarctic ice shelf a few years from disintegration

MAY 20 (Reuters) — The last intact section of one of Antarctica’s mammoth ice shelves is weakening fast and will likely disintegrate completely in the next few years, contributing further to rising sea levels, according to a NASA study released on Thursday (May 14). The research focused on a remnant of the so-called Larsen B Ice Shelf, which has existed for at least 10,000 years but partially collapsed in 2002. What is left covers about […]