3,500 endangered turtles rescued in Colombia

webmanco says on Feb 21, 2008, 12:39:

Good catch




Foto Fredy Arango El Tiempo

Febrero 20 de 2008

Seminario sobre casos de tráfico ilegal de fauna silvestre comienza mañana en Bogotá


El objetivo del evento es analizar las condenas que se han impuesto por este tipo de delitos y dar a conocer las herramientas con que cuentan las autoridades ambientales para combatirlos.


El Primer Seminario Nacional de Control al Tráfico de Biodiversidad y Delito Ambiental es organizado por la Secretaría Distrital de Ambiente en conjunto con la Policía Nacional y el apoyo de la Universidad del Rosario y las corporaciones autónomas regionales del Valle de Cauca (CVC), Cesar (Corpocesar) y Antioquia (Corantioquia).


Se llevará a cabo del miércoles 20 al viernes 22 de febrero en las instalaciones del Centro Social de Agentes de la Policía.


Varios casos de judicialización serán reportados por los expertos invitados al Seminario.

Como el de una persona que fue encontrada en el Bosque San Carlos, al sur de Bogotá, con 700 tortugas icoteas y que fue condenada a 30 meses de cárcel. O el caso de tres personas que fueron capturadas con un tigrillo y 120 toches en la Avenida Boyacá con calle 13 de la capital.

El Código Penal contempla penas de entre 4 y 8 años para delitos que involucran tráfico de biodiversidad.

El tráfico ilegal de biodiversidad está considerado como el tercer negocio más rentable en el mundo después del tráfico de drogas y de armas, con un movimiento de alrededor de 10 billones de dólares anuales.

Colombia es origen de muchos de estos animales que se comercializan internacionalmente. La Secretaría Distrital de Ambiente decomisó en 2007, 32.000 especímenes (pieles, cuernos, plantas, etc) producto de operativos de control de este tráfico.

But, I'm going to start making some assumptions here.... Which means I might actually end up making an ass out of myself ..........Thu 04 17, 2008 11:34 am

sloopskipper says on Feb 21, 2008, 12:53:

Handsome bird!

Outside my window:

DodgerDogs says on Feb 21, 2008, 12:54:

Sad but true , I see monkeys and parrots for sale everyday in the mercado.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

sloopskipper says on Feb 21, 2008, 12:56:

OMG, but that is sad.

MaFe says on Feb 21, 2008, 13:34:

Oh that's so sad...=(

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire. "-Aristotle

Monpirri says on Feb 21, 2008, 13:40:

Handsome bird indeed.
Yep, very sad!!

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

ColombianoGringo says on Feb 21, 2008, 13:44:

Sloop, did you take those with a digital camera or high speed 35mm?

sloopskipper says on Feb 21, 2008, 14:00:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1, Digital. At the size displayed here they are not really so pretty, although was set to max res (6MP, I believe). But they are so difficult to shoot with this almost totally automatic camera. No way to fix the focus or aperature/speed.

I have yet to really identify the first one, but he is absolutley stunning in the sunlight, glistening like emeralds and saphires. He is considerable smaller than the others. His body is smaller than my thumb, and I don't really have large hannds.

The second one is a male Rufus Tailed Hummingbird, and the last a female.

I have been watching for the Ruby Throats who migrate from the northeast U.S. to the CR/Panamá frontier, but haven't seen any here in the city.

I made a little video with the same camera:

sloopskipper says on Feb 21, 2008, 14:02:

hmmm, that didn't embed.



That worked better.

That was the first day I hung the feeder (with the supplied red sugar water), and it was raining. I must make one in the sunlight.

I now have so many they can sometimes consume a half litre in a day. They are funny, like little kamikazi, chasing each other.

Atrevido says on Feb 21, 2008, 16:23:

That caged bird above is a Yellow-rumped Cacique. Since we´re posting videos here´s a White-necked Jacobin and juvenile Purple-throated Woodstar at my feeder. Next is the "Perromonte" or Kinkajou who is coming several times a day to take the bananas I put out for birds. Three times now he has taken bananas from my hand.

sloopskipper says on Feb 21, 2008, 16:38:

The bird video is beautiful, and the Kinkajou is cool, Make a video of him eating from your hand, maybe?

Atrevido says on Feb 21, 2008, 16:57:

Sloopskiper do I understand you´re in Panama City? The Ruby-throats don´t make it to Colombia. I wonder what else besides the Rufous-tailed you get there. They and the Steely-vented are the most common in Cali.

Because of the bill shape and the fact that they seem to be found at very low altitudes on the carabbean I´m thinking your first hummer might be a juvanile White-necked Jacobin like my bird in the video.

gatogris says on Feb 21, 2008, 17:11:

From Gary Snyder's "Turtle Island:"

in the blue night
frost haze, the sky glows
with the moon
pine tree tops
bend snow-blue, fade
into sky, frost, starlight.
the creak of boots.
rabbit tracks, deer tracks,
what do we know.

fecherklyn says on Feb 21, 2008, 17:21:

Spectacular, thank you Sloop, Atrevido and Gatogris for the atmosphere

Monpirri says on Feb 21, 2008, 17:23:

Ye sir, it's a very interesting post!

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

LilaM says on Feb 21, 2008, 17:33:

My Dad was doing exercise around the condo and he found a turtle... now we have it here.. but we don't know what to do with the new "Anita". Actually we don't have pets but the problem is that we don't know what do they eat... and we don't want to keep in a cage a turtle that has to have a nice environment to live with... I don't know what to do...

There she is... I don't know her type or where is she from... sad that still here some people buy these type of pets for kids making them suffer a horrible cold here in Bogotá.

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

Monpirri says on Feb 21, 2008, 17:36:

Give her arepa, they love arepas nice and warm.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

Atrevido says on Feb 21, 2008, 17:45:

It looks like a terrestrial turtle. You might try feeding it fruits like banano or mora. Could you take it to a natural area on the outskirts of Bogotá and let it go?

LilaM says on Feb 21, 2008, 17:52:

well I'm sad to leave her by herself I just want to be sure that she is going to be ok... I'm a little sensitive with that...
Jejejej mompirri que tal bolloeyuca jajaja
Well Atrevido do you think that its going to work with the fruits??

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

Atrevido says on Feb 21, 2008, 18:09:

It might, you might also try a little hamburger and maybe mushrooms. It would help to know where it´s from to have an idea what it might eat. If there´s any chance it´s from around Bogotá it would be a lot better off in the wild.

Monpirri says on Feb 21, 2008, 18:12:

LilaM, I was checking out Youtubes and I noticed that small turtles eat little fish, crickets and stuff like that.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

Atrevido says on Feb 21, 2008, 18:18:

Better yet chopped worms. Here´s a lot more info:

http://www.boxturtlesite.info/diet.html

Atrevido says on Feb 21, 2008, 18:18:

Better yet chopped worms. Here´s a lot more info:

http://www.boxturtlesite.info/diet.html

LilaM says on Feb 21, 2008, 18:20:

mmmm yes could be Monpirri... and yes Atrevido... lets see how it works for us tomorrow anyway I'll take a look of Animal Protection Society or something.... I'm not good taking care of turtles I just have fishes...

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

Monpirri says on Feb 21, 2008, 18:21:

Yeap, Atrevido has the whole 900 yards menu for a healthy turtle.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

LilaM says on Feb 21, 2008, 18:29:

jejejejej monpirri

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

Monpirri says on Feb 21, 2008, 19:05:

I have to go to bed, but first I brush my teeth and then I iron my pijamas to go to bed...good night.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

LilaM says on Feb 21, 2008, 19:06:

ajjaja iron your pijamas???? well i hope that you can have very well Ironed your pijamas in the morning... sleep like a statue

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

sloopskipper says on Feb 22, 2008, 03:51:

Atrevido, yes, I am in Panama City. I am quite sure that I have not seen the White-necked Jacobin, which is really quite beautiful. Here two more pics of the mystery bird(s):





They are maybe 3/4 the size of the others, and often perch on the feeder.

One day one the the male Rufus's installed himself atop the feeder and spent the whole day trying to chase every other bird away:



The next day, all was normal.

I am not really a birder, but I think that I possibly have several sub-species. At first I thought there numerous color variations, but that is probably not true. All are mostly green, but some so dark they are nearly black, with blue or violet throats.

So far, I have only been able to identify the Rufus.

Like I said before, I read that the Ruby Throat only migrates to the north of Panamá.

Atrevido says on Feb 22, 2008, 11:39:

Sloopskipper looking at the top picture what about a White-vented Plumeleteer?

Atrevido says on Feb 22, 2008, 11:40:

Sloopskipper looking at the top picture what about a White-vented Plumeleteer?

sloopskipper says on Feb 22, 2008, 13:50:

I don't think, and I think that both my last two fotos are the same sub-species. But, a google search for White-vented Plumeleteer led me to http://www.antpitta.com/images/photos/hummers/gallery_hummers3.htm but I don't see that little guy there.

(later), I looked again, and just maybe. But the breast of this bird (the male?) is speckled, not turquoise color, like their foto.

Atrevido says on Feb 22, 2008, 14:53:

The Chalybura buffonii micans, the Panamá version of the White-vented on your antpitta site sure looks like a possible match for your first photo. Also look at that long white vent in your second photo. And the bill seems right. But you´re seeing the bird in person so you know better what your seeing.

sloopskipper says on Feb 23, 2008, 04:32:

I looked again, and you may be correct. I can see some speckling on the breast of their pic. Although my fotos show more indigo, violet, or purple.



The range is certainly dead-on, as I do live in Panama Province.