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New Banksy Murals Appeared in London Every Day This Week. What Do They Mean?

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Friday, August 9, 2024

Banksy's latest mural, which he unveiled on August 9, depicts two pelicans eating fish. Matthew Baker / Getty Images For five days in a row, the anonymous street artist Banksy has revealed a new animal mural in London. A goat appeared on Monday, followed by two elephants on Tuesday, three monkeys on Wednesday, a wolf on Thursday and two pelicans on Friday. The artist claimed credit for each image with an Instagram post, none of which included a caption or any additional information. As such, Banksy sleuths have been offering their own interpretations. The most recent mural—the pelicans—appeared overnight on the wall above Bonners Fish Bar in Walthamstow, a town in northeast London. One pelican appears to be plucking a fish right from Bonners’ sign, while the other tries to catch a fish leaping through the air. “So proud to have a @banksy on the side of our shop!” wrote the fish bar in an Instagram post. “Thank you for choosing us, and Walthamstow, to showcase your talent.” Onlookers have linked the string of artworks to a variety of global issues, including animal activism, environmentalism, war and British politics. Banksy stenciled three monkeys onto a bridge over Brick Lane in London on Wednesday. Aitor Alcalde / Getty Images “What he’s doing so far is creating a menagerie of animals, a bestiary of beasts, which will keep stimulating attention and raising the stakes,” Paul Gough, the author of Banksy: The Bristol Legacy, tells the Guardian’s Nadia Khomami. “It’s Banksy’s marketing at its best and most impactive, building an enormous air of expectation.” Banksy is one of the most famous street artists of all time. His most expensive work, Love is in the Bin, sold for an impressive $25.4 million in 2021. Already, thieves have taken one of the new animal murals, perhaps hoping to make a profit. The artwork—a howling wolf painted onto a satellite dish—was reportedly taken soon after it was placed atop a building in south London on Thursday. One witness filmed the theft before reporting it to the police. “They had a ladder. There was one guy on the roof and the other two were watching the ladder,” Tom Kellow, the witness, tells BBC News’ Liz Jackson and Adriana Elgueta. “It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things, and it’s a shame it couldn't have lasted more than an hour.” According to Google Maps, the satellite dish did not appear to be on the building last year, though it’s unclear when it was added. An unknown figure removes a satellite dish with a new Banksy wolf mural that had been on a roof in Peckham, London. Jordan Pettitt / PA Images via Getty Images As each new image appeared, so too did new theories about the works, which some are calling Banksy’s “zoo series.” However, linking the works to any particular cause has gotten trickier as new artworks appeared. Banksy frequently uses animals in his murals to “convey urgent messages about environmental issues, threats to habitat, and the impact of climate change,” Paul Gough, vice-chancellor of the Arts University Bournemouth, told the Washington Post’s Adela Suliman on Thursday. “But they are also powerful metaphors for the state of global politics and the troubled world we have created.” Whether the artist will create more murals—or release additional information about the existing works—remains to be seen. Gough, however, is predicting a big reveal. “It’s highly unusual in Banksy’s art to trail a series of artworks in this way,” he adds. “I think this is leading to something quite substantial.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

The street artist has unveiled five animal-themed artworks, sparking debate about their intended message

Pelicans love fish
Banksy's latest mural, which he unveiled on August 9, depicts two pelicans eating fish. Matthew Baker / Getty Images

For five days in a row, the anonymous street artist Banksy has revealed a new animal mural in London. A goat appeared on Monday, followed by two elephants on Tuesday, three monkeys on Wednesday, a wolf on Thursday and two pelicans on Friday.

The artist claimed credit for each image with an Instagram post, none of which included a caption or any additional information. As such, Banksy sleuths have been offering their own interpretations.

The most recent mural—the pelicans—appeared overnight on the wall above Bonners Fish Bar in Walthamstow, a town in northeast London. One pelican appears to be plucking a fish right from Bonners’ sign, while the other tries to catch a fish leaping through the air.

“So proud to have a @banksy on the side of our shop!” wrote the fish bar in an Instagram post. “Thank you for choosing us, and Walthamstow, to showcase your talent.”

Onlookers have linked the string of artworks to a variety of global issues, including animal activism, environmentalism, war and British politics.

Monkey Bridge
Banksy stenciled three monkeys onto a bridge over Brick Lane in London on Wednesday. Aitor Alcalde / Getty Images

“What he’s doing so far is creating a menagerie of animals, a bestiary of beasts, which will keep stimulating attention and raising the stakes,” Paul Gough, the author of Banksy: The Bristol Legacy, tells the Guardian’s Nadia Khomami. “It’s Banksy’s marketing at its best and most impactive, building an enormous air of expectation.”

Banksy is one of the most famous street artists of all time. His most expensive work, Love is in the Bin, sold for an impressive $25.4 million in 2021. Already, thieves have taken one of the new animal murals, perhaps hoping to make a profit.

The artwork—a howling wolf painted onto a satellite dish—was reportedly taken soon after it was placed atop a building in south London on Thursday. One witness filmed the theft before reporting it to the police.

“They had a ladder. There was one guy on the roof and the other two were watching the ladder,” Tom Kellow, the witness, tells BBC News’ Liz Jackson and Adriana Elgueta. “It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things, and it’s a shame it couldn't have lasted more than an hour.”

According to Google Maps, the satellite dish did not appear to be on the building last year, though it’s unclear when it was added.

Banksy thief
An unknown figure removes a satellite dish with a new Banksy wolf mural that had been on a roof in Peckham, London. Jordan Pettitt / PA Images via Getty Images

As each new image appeared, so too did new theories about the works, which some are calling Banksy’s “zoo series.” However, linking the works to any particular cause has gotten trickier as new artworks appeared.

Banksy frequently uses animals in his murals to “convey urgent messages about environmental issues, threats to habitat, and the impact of climate change,” Paul Gough, vice-chancellor of the Arts University Bournemouth, told the Washington Post’s Adela Suliman on Thursday. “But they are also powerful metaphors for the state of global politics and the troubled world we have created.”

Whether the artist will create more murals—or release additional information about the existing works—remains to be seen. Gough, however, is predicting a big reveal.

“It’s highly unusual in Banksy’s art to trail a series of artworks in this way,” he adds. “I think this is leading to something quite substantial.”

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Portland raccoon untying, moving and retying rope goes viral (video)

The raccoon, dubbed Knottingham by YouTube viewers, went viral for its unexpected knot tying skills.

Last July, my backyard trail camera in Southeast Portland’s Foster-Powell neighborhood captured a dexterous raccoon along a fenceline unraveling an old clothesline that tied up in its pathway and then securing it out of the way in above tree branches.The raccoon, which was later dubbed Knottingham by YouTube viewers, has received nearly 400,000 views on YouTube and been played more than 500,000 times on Facebook. It’s also found on several other social platforms.In addition, Knottingham, a regular nocturnal visitor to my backyard about 100 feet off Powell Boulevard, has received nearly 2,000 entertaining comments including:“A raccoon will drive your car if you aren’t careful with the keys.”“Every time you find a cord in your attic that has mysteriously tied itself into infinity knots that weren’t there when you put it away... you now know who’s to blame.”“And animals can’t do math? That’s 3D spatial reasoning.”“This explains my Christmas lights.”“I, for one, welcome our new procyonidae overlords.”“The raccoon is smarter than 90% of people in Portland. Raccoon for Mayor.”Mark Graves/The OregonianSome commenters were skeptical and believed the video was staged because of gaps in the footage. In reality, the video was genuine and the gaps were due to the camera only being able to record for 15 seconds, then resting for a bit and restarting once motion is detected.After seeing the video take off with interest, I decided to give the curious critter a challenge. I put the clothesline back in the raccoon’s path, added a larger rope attached to a small cedar board and a rubber dog ball hanging from a nearby branch. Within a day or two, Knottingham took interest and brought along some curious young kits to join. Knottingham and the kits continued to visit for weeks after seemingly enjoying the entangled puzzle of ropes and toys. In the last month, raccoon visits have been scarce. Interesting raccoon info:Population numbers are unknown, but they’re prevalent throughout the state anywhere there’s water. You’re unlikely to see them in the high desert or high mountainous regions. Often mistaken for large rodents, raccoons are actually the largest animal in the Procyonidae family which includes ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos and olinguitos, most of which reside in Central America. They’re more similar to a small bear. In Germany Prochyonide is called Kleinbären which means “small bear”. They’re omnivorous and will eat everything from chickens to insects, fruits and nuts, frogs and just plain old garbage. In Oregon, their diet reflects where they live. For example, if they’re on the coast they’ll feed on shellfish, crabs, fish and other marine life. They love salmon during spawning season. They can swim for long periods while periodically holding their breath underwater to seek out food or escape predators.You might see them analyzing an object with their thumb-like paws. This is because they have four times the sensory cells of most animals, making them hyper-responsive to touch. They will feel something in order to identify it, especially in the dark. They’re even known to “wash” their food before eating it.The word “raccoon” comes from the Powhatan word “aroughcun,” which means “animal that scratches with its hands”. Yes, it’s true, raccoons can pick a simple lock. Studies have shown them unlocking complex mechanisms along with latches, jars, doors, coolers and garbage lids. Once learned, the clever problem solvers remember for years and the young learn from the old. In captivity, raccoons have been observed using tools to solve problems. The cliche fur mask they wear is designed to reduce glare and enhance night vision.You might’ve heard one before and had no clue what it was. They are highly vocal producing dozens of sounds including purring, growling and even a kind of “chittering” when they communicate.In Oregon, they reach just over 20 pounds and they’re lucky to live more than three years in the wild. In captivity, they can reach about 20 years old.Like cats, they always land on their feet.In the city, they’ll make homes in sewers, attics, culverts, chimneys and under decks. Elsewhere they can be found in small dens, tree cavities and abandoned burrows of other animals. You’re most likely to cross their path in late summer and fall as they prepare for winter by foraging for food. Oregon has been largely free of raccoon rabies. The state has strict regulations to prevent the spread of rabies, including a ban on relocating raccoons.During the fur trade era, which lasted till the 1840s, raccoons in Oregon and Southwest Washington were highly valued for their pelts. Though not as popular as beaver pelts, the demand for raccoon fur was one of the factors that attracted European exploration and settlement in the region.Indigenous tribes in Oregon and southwest Washington could practically trap raccoons blindfolded and were integral to the fur trade economy, supplying raccoon pelts and other furs to European traders. Check out the links in the sources below to learn a ton more about our fellow backyard critters. –Mark Graves, The Oregonian/OregonLivemgraves@oregonian.com503-860-3060@mark_w_gravesSources: Missouri Department of Conservation; The College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF); National Geographic for Kids; National Wildlife Federation (NWF); Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW); Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Nevada Department of Wildlife; Maryland Department of Natural Resources- Wildlife & Heritage Service; and Oregon Historical SocietyMore Oregon wildlife:

Animals
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Food

Rock Creek Park golf course overhaul gets final approval

The National Park Service’s plan to overhaul the public golf course in Rock Creek Park received final approval Thursday from the National Capital Planning Commission.

The National Park Service’s plan to overhaul the public golf course in Rock Creek Park received final approval Thursday from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), despite opposition from environmental groups and D.C. residents.Eleven of the commission’s 12 members voted to approve the plan that would significantly revamp the more than 100-year-old course by turning what was once an 18-hole layout into one with a full-length, nine-hole course and a shorter par-3 nine-hole course. (One member abstained from voting.) The renovations would also include a new clubhouse, pro shop and indoor practice area, and would add a 50-bay lighted driving range to the facility just off 16th Street NW.During its monthly meeting, the commission reached its decision following hours of public testimony from opponents and supporters of the rehabilitation plan. More than 175 people signed up to speak during the meeting, which lasted until late Thursday evening.Before the vote was taken, Teri Goodmann, chair of the NCPC, acknowledged the many concerns and revisions made to the plan.“Not everybody got what they wanted,” Goodmann said. “But [debate] came out of a great love of this place.”She cited a recent tour of the course that spoke to the need for community support behind a new vision.“I was frankly appalled by the condition of the place with the invasives,” Goodmann said. “The neglect is there, clearly. But the dedication is there.”The renovation, proposed last year, is expected to take two years to complete. The National Park Service, which owns the course, announced in April that work on the project would start this fall.Funding is estimated to cost between $25 million and $35 million and would come from the National Links Trust, a local nonprofit group awarded a 50-year lease in 2020 to operate Rock Creek, East Potomac and Langston, the three public golf courses in Washington.The Rock Creek course has fallen into severe disrepair over the past few decades. Just 14 of its 18 holes are playable, and it is the least played of the District’s public courses. Supporters of the rehabilitation plan said it would make the course more enjoyable, open it up to a wider range of players and make it an example of what municipal golf can be.Rick Curtis called in to the meeting to support the planned changes to the course, saying that he and his wife walk and hike in Rock Creek Park daily, but he added that “making the golf course playable and accessible and viable is important, too.”Will Smith, co-founder of the National Links Trust, said in a statement to The Washington Post regarding the plan’s approval that “this would not have been possible without the support of our community, and we are forever indebted to them for their steadfast belief in our plan and organization.”“We look forward to building an affordable, accessible, equitable, and engaging future,” Smith said.Critics of the plan, which would remove more than 1,000 trees, said it would do significant environmental damage that would destroy animal and insect habitats that cannot be recovered. They also argued that the NCPC was ignoring climate change issues and the impact that tree removal would have on the environment and air quality in Washington.Leaders of environmental groups in the Washington region called the proposed changes a “cause for alarm” in an October letter to Brian Joyner, the National Park Service’s acting superintendent for Rock Creek Park.“We need to focus on mitigating the effects of climate change,” Barbara Zia, president of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia, said in her testimony to the commission on Thursday. “To be clear, we support the rehabilitation of the golf course, but we oppose the excesses of the current plan, especially the removal of more than 1,000 trees, including hundreds of large, healthy canopy trees.”While many of the plan’s critics said they recognized the course needed to be improved, several said they would prefer the course be closed altogether and the land allowed to be reforested.

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Abrupt layoffs at Portland’s Bird Alliance signal upheaval in beloved programs, volunteers say

The group, formerly known as Portland Audubon, laid off the ambassador animal program coordinator and the rehab center manager. Director says layoffs were tied to the organization’s financial health.

Volunteers at the Bird Alliance of Oregon, the storied Portland conservation and education group, say recent leadership decisions have put essential and popular animal programs in jeopardy.Several volunteers told The Oregonian/OregonLive that sudden layoffs this summer at the organization, known until recently as Portland Audubon, have left an animal program beloved by children and funders alike at risk of closure and led to a brief shutdown of its wildlife rehabilitation center.The moves have placed increased strain on volunteers and remaining staff and led to a loss of trust in a group that usually enjoys widespread community support, they say.“We all are outraged and appalled by the ramifications of recent decisions. The Bird Alliance has tried to sweep everything under the carpet and move on, but a lot of us are worried. They haven’t given the public any warning,” said volunteer Valerie Dickie.At the end of June, at the height of bird breeding season when the wildlife care center is swamped with baby birds and other injured or orphaned animals, the Bird Alliance laid off two essential employees without notice.They were Stephanie Herman, the manager of the wildlife rehabilitation center, and Katie Newton, part-time coordinator of the Ambassador Animals program, which has taught generations of children about the importance of wildlife conservation.The layoffs came as the Bird Alliance is finalizing the purchase of a new property where it plans to build a larger, state-of-the-art wildlife rehabilitation hospital to replace the 37-year-old center that’s beyond repair, opening a new chapter for expansion.Stuart Wells, Bird Alliance executive director, said the layoffs occurred to prevent an operating budget deficit. The budget cycle dictated when staff would be let go, he said.While revenue has grown, the organization needs to maintain a reserve fund to ensure it can function in the event of a challenging, unpredictable situation such as the pandemic, he added.“Had we not done layoffs and other cost-cutting measures,” Wells said, “we would have depleted our reserves to a level which could put the larger organization at risk.”The Bird Alliance also laid off two other employees, a social media and marketing worker and a development manager.The layoffs weren’t linked to the Bird Alliance’s efforts to buy property in outer Northeast Portland, Wells said, because the capital campaign for a new rehabilitation center and the organization’s regular operating budget – which includes salaries -- are separate.The Bird Alliance currently employs about 45 people. It reported $8.35 million in revenue last year – the bulk of it coming from contributions and grants – and $5.9 million in expenses. Its latest tax return shows the nonprofit brought in $1 million more in revenue than the year before and held $16 million in net assets, roughly $3 million more than the previous year. Its assets included savings, investments, pledges and grants and its land and buildings. Some of those funds are restricted by donors to specific purposes such as perpetual endowments or capital campaigns and cannot be used for the operating budget.The group, more than 120 years old, has about 12,500 paid members and relies heavily on volunteers. Over 700 people donate their time during the year to assist with animal care, youth and adult education and habitat restoration at the group’s wildlife rehabilitation center and 172-acre wildlife sanctuary in Portland’s Forest Park and at two other sanctuaries on the central coast and in the foothills of Mount Hood.The ambassador animals live at the nonprofit’s Forest Park headquarters. Many of them have spent decades there; they cannot be released into the wild because they were raised in captivity or have an injury and won’t survive on their own.Current ambassadors include Julio, a great horned owl who has lived at the rehabilitation center for 20 years; Xena, an American kestrel, and Bybee, an endangered native western painted turtle. They are housed in shaded enclosures at the top of a popular sanctuary trail where tens of thousands of hikers pass by, including summer camps and other youth groups organized by the Bird Alliance.Newton oversaw the daily care of the animals, managed a public interpretive program, including sessions with camps and school field trips and oversaw volunteers working with the animals.Her layoff has shifted the work onto volunteers and left the program’s future up in the air.“Many of us remember visiting these animals as children. We are their home, friends and sanctuary. To not give the public a say in the relocation and cessation of the Ambassador program and its animals is a big mistake,” Dickie said.Newton couldn’t be immediately reached for comment. Several other volunteers echoed Dickie’s concerns but asked not to be named because they feared they would lose their volunteer positions.The ambassador program has been in transition in recent years. Two of the animal ambassadors – raven Aristophanes and turkey vulture Ruby – were relocated in 2022 after the pandemic to the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. The Bird Alliance at the time said standards of care for the birds had evolved and it no longer had the staff capacity to care for such highly intelligent birds with complex social and training needs. The organization also said it was rebuilding the ambassador animal program post-COVID-19.Wells acknowledged that hundreds of thousands of people have met the ambassador animals and many have forged a special connection with them. But, he said, the leadership team is still figuring out whether the program will continue. He didn’t comment on why that’s the case.“At this stage we are assessing all options – including rehoming our three ambassadors – with our animal ambassadors’ well-being, and staff capacity to oversee and manage this program, given the highest consideration,” Wells said. “We will keep the public informed and will act with care and deliberation as we make this important decision.”Wells said the Bird Alliance would continue to invest in the wildlife care center. The center is one of the few places that cares for sick, injured and orphaned animals in northwest Oregon. Several other area rescues transport animals there for treatment. Last year, the center treated more than 3,100 injured or orphaned native birds and other native wildlife, including nearly 100 different bird species.A baby American Robin was sent via Uber to the Bird Alliance's wildlife care center. The center is one of the few places that cares for sick, injured and orphaned birds, mammals and reptiles in northwest Oregon. It treated more than 3,100 animals last year. Herman’s layoff came at the height of the busiest season, as the center triaged and fed several hundred birds and other animals, including baby hummingbirds, baby cowbirds, baby crows, baby jays, great horned owls, swallows, squirrels, ducklings, bats and a baby kestrel, volunteers said.Herman was the center’s sole holder of a permit from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and also fulfilled several requirements that made the program eligible for another permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, both of which allow the center to operate.Her abrupt layoff meant the Bird Alliance was out of compliance for several days and was forced to shutter its care center for 24 hours as another staffer scrambled to secure a new permit, volunteers said.Although staff and volunteers continued to feed and treat the animals during the closure, the center couldn’t accept new animals, leading to several dying, volunteers said.Herman told The Oregonian/OregonLive that despite constant reassurances from the leadership team and the organization’s board that they were working to improve conditions at the center, including by undertaking the land purchase to build a new facility, animal and staff well-being didn’t seem to be a top priority.“I experienced constant pressure to make the program less than it is and to continue to temporarily patch or ignore facilities issues that have been on the verge of catastrophic failure for decades,” she said. “Add to that frequent suggestions from board members and leadership that we should simply turn away people and animals or only take care of endangered species to save money, and a pattern of general promises of support followed by asking us what we needed, and then telling us we were asking for too much.”Wells said staffing at the center had doubled in the past few years. Currently, three full-time staff members, two part-time veterinarians, two seasonal workers and about 100 volunteers take care of the animals there.In a letter to the volunteers shared with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Wells acknowledged the permit snafu.“I want to express my sincerest apologies for the way that we rolled out layoffs during our organization’s incredibly difficult budget cycle,” he wrote. “I want to recognize how deeply the loss of Steph Herman and Katie Newton impacted the Wildlife Care Center community. I also acknowledge that removing their positions increased the workload for everyone else during the busiest time of year.”Wells promised to improve the transparency and timing of communications and said the Bird Alliance would work hard to regain trust and raise more money to ensure adequate staffing levels at the rehabilitation center.To that end, it has added a full-time grant writer and increased staffing to deepen relationships with existing donors and develop relationships with new donors, he told The Oregonian/OregonLive. In the meantime, it has increased the hours and terms for existing seasonal staff at the center.Regaining volunteers’ trust is key as the alliance plans to build a larger animal rehabilitation center to replace the existing one, which is too old and too small to handle the increasing onslaught of animal patients, the organization has said. Two years ago, the current center was further damaged during an ice storm and had to temporarily close for repairs.The Bird Alliance is in the process of purchasing a 12.5-acre site on Northeast 82nd Avenue across from McDaniel High School, the group’s spokesperson Ali Berman confirmed. The property, a former landfill and quarry owned by Mike Hashem, is one of the city’s largest undeveloped tracks and has sat vacant for years.Last week, the state filed a document as part of a court-approved consent order, the final step before the Bird Alliance can close on the property. The document specifies that the organization will be responsible for monitoring and remediating methane emissions at the site.Berman said methane levels at the property have been close to zero for at least a decade, but a monitoring system will be in place. The monitoring doesn’t pose a financial burden, she said.“Bird Alliance of Oregon has long advocated for restoring and redeveloping brownfields,” Berman said. “And now, we have an opportunity to put that in action while providing a valuable community asset and green space that will be accessible to the public.”— Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change, the clean energy transition and other environmental issues. Reach her at gwozniacka@oregonian.com or 971-421-3154.Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com

Animals
Climate
Education

Even simple bacteria can anticipate the changing seasons

Cyanobacteria exposed to shorter days are better at surviving cold conditions, showing that even simple organisms can prepare for the arrival or summer and winter

A scanning electron micrograph of Synechococcus cyanobacteriaEYE OF SCIENCE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Despite being among the simplest forms of life on Earth, cyanobacteria are able to anticipate and prepare for the changing seasons based on the amount of light they are exposed to. It has been known for more than a century that complex organisms can utilise day length as a cue for future environmental conditions – days get shorter before it gets colder, for example. Phenomena like migration, flowering, hibernation and seasonal reproduction are all guided by such responses in plants and animals, known as photoperiodism, but it has never been seen in simple life forms such as bacteria until now. Luísa Jabbur, then at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and her colleagues artificially exposed Synechococcus elongatus cyanobacteria to varying day lengths and found that those that experienced simulated short days went on to be two to three times better at surviving ice-cold temperatures, indicating they had prepared for winter-like conditions. By testing shorter and longer periods, the researchers determined that it takes four to six days for the response to develop. These organisms spawn a new generation in a matter of hours, meaning the cells must be passing along the day-length information to their descendants. However, the researchers don’t yet understand how this information is transmitted. Cyanobacteria, which capture energy from sunlight through photosynthesis, have existed for more than 2 billion years and are found almost everywhere on Earth. “The fact that an organism as old and as simple as a cyanobacterium can have photoperiodic responses suggests that this is a phenomenon that evolved much earlier than we might have imagined,” says Jabbur, who is now at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK. The team also looked at how patterns of gene expression changed in response to varying day length. Their results suggest that photoperiodism probably evolved by co-opting existing mechanisms to combat acute stresses such as bright light and extreme temperatures. These findings also have implications for the evolution of circadian rhythms, the biological clocks that regulate day-night cycles, says team member Carl Johnson at Vanderbilt University. “I think we have always assumed that daily clocks evolved before organisms could measure day/night length and thereby anticipate the changing seasons,” he says. “But the fact that photoperiodism evolved in such ancient and simple organisms, and our gene expression results implicate stress response pathways that probably evolved very early in life on Earth, suggest that photoperiodism might have evolved before circadian clocks,” says Johnson.

Animals
Energy
Science

How a bat disease may have led to the death of more than 1,000 kids

Read more

Bats have a bad reputation, but they deserve better. The flying mammals are nature’s pest control, swooping over America’s farmland every night to feast on swarms of insects that would otherwise chew through crops.But many of the country’s bat populations are on the decline, wiped out by a devastating fungus that attacks the insect eaters in their sleep.Now, a new study suggests that decline in bats has come at a ghastly cost to human beings.An analysis published Thursday in the journal Science suggests farmers have increased their use of pesticides on crops in response to the population collapse of bats, potentially leading to the deaths of more than 1,000 human infants through intoxication from the chemicals. Past research has linked exposure to pesticides with negative health outcomes, including childhood asthma and death.The finding, though an indirect observation, is a potentially poignant demonstration of the benefits society derives from nature — and, in turn, of the deadly cost to humans when biodiversity is lost.Follow Climate & environment“This study estimates just a few of the consequences we suffer from the disappearance of bats, and they are just one of the species we’re losing,” said Bard College biology professor Felicia Keesing, who was not involved in the study. “These results should motivate everyone, not just farmers and parents, to clamor for the protection and restoration of biodiversity.”Around the world, nature — and by extension, people — are in trouble. Hundreds of thousands of plants and animals are at risk of vanishing forever due to habitat destruction, climate change and other human activities, an extinction crisis potentially on par with the asteroid that wiped out most dinosaurs. In response, nations have promised to protect roughly a third of land and oceans to maintain ecosystems essential to human society.Over the past few years, researchers have revealed many of the hidden ways healthy ecosystems help people thrive. A surge in wolves in Wisconsin resulted in fewer cars colliding with deer, for instance, while a decline in amphibians in Central America led to an uptick in malaria cases.An attack on batsFor bats, the trouble started about two decades ago, when biologists found a cave in Upstate New York littered with bat carcasses. Their noses were covered in white fuzz, as if each bat had done a line of cocaine. A fungus — one imported from Europe or Asia, perhaps on a hiker’s boot — was attacking the bats during their winter slumber.The deadly disease was dubbed white-nose syndrome. It quickly spread across the country, reaching 40 states. The fungus doesn’t infect humans, but that doesn’t mean it is leaving them unscathed. While the damage to bats themselves is clear — the pathogen has wiped out more than 90 percent of some species — the broader effect of the loss of the voracious insectivores on the entire ecosystem was unclear.To suss out that impact, Eyal Frank, an environmental economist at the University of Chicago, compared insecticide use and human infant mortality rates in U.S. counties where the fungus has been spotted to those where it has yet to be found.Frank found that between 2006 and 2017, farmers increased their use of pesticides by about 31 percent in counties where bats were dropping dead due to disease.Knowing that pest-killing compounds can spread through the air and water beyond farms and have negative health effects after they enter people’s bodies, he also analyzed infant mortality rates in each county and saw a nearly 8 percent spike in places where bats were hit by the disease. Frank tested to see if his results were somehow explained by other factors, including the opioid epidemic or unemployment, and saw no effects. “I kicked a lot of different tires.”“Bats are a fantastic example of a species that we like to keep a distance from, but are really impactful in terms of the role they play in ecosystems.,” Frank said.An ‘eye-popping’ effect on peopleFrederik Noack, an environmental economist at the University of British Columbia, found the findings credible and showed how technological solutions such as pesticides are often a poor substitute for the services that nature provides. The study estimated that white-nose syndrome cost farmers about $27 billion in total.But he added that study still leaves unanswered questions for further research, including how babies are exposed to insecticides, where insect-eating bats are concentrated across the country and why the study found no effect on other health outcomes such as birth weight.“Given the large effects, we should investigate the pathways through which pesticides affect birth outcomes. So far, it is unclear how people get exposed to pesticides,” said Noack, who co-wrote a policy analysis that accompanied Frank’s research.Keesing, the Bard College biologist, noted the study didn’t directly measure changes in bat or insect populations and said she would like to see more field research.“Without seeing the underlying data, I can’t evaluate the strength of the evidence supporting these linkages, but the impacts estimated here are eye-popping,” she said.Other scientists are now racing to figure out a way to stop the spread of the fungus, deploying ultraviolet lights on cave walls and administering vaccines to bats themselves to snuff out the disease.“It is not only the mega charismatic species that are warm and fuzzy and evoke a desire to hug and cuddle with them that provide value and benefit to us as people,” Frank said.

Animals
Chemicals
Climate

Suggested Viewing

Wings of Hope

“Wings of Hope,” is a film chronicling the re-discovery of a population of wild Harpy Eagles in the Maya Mountains of southern Belize. It details the history of the Belize Foundation and Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) and UNC Wilmington initiative born from this discovery – the Integrated Community-based Harpy Eagle and Avian Conservation Program. Created by Emmy-award winning filmmakers, Richard and Carol Foster of Wildlife Film Productions, this 20-minute documentary is rich with breath-taking footage of adult and juvenile Harpy eagles and other wildlife and vistas found in the pristine tropical forests of the Bladen Nature Reserve. Over the seven year duration of the project, the Fosters followed local people involved as they transition from trainees to conservationists and as their lives are changed through their efforts to save this rare bird and its diminishing habitat.

Animals
Nature
Conservation

Flying With Monarchs

Flying With Monarchs is a short dance film celebrating the beauty of Monarch butterfly migration.

Dance
Music
Animals

Earthfile - Elephant Protection

How many elephants are there across Nigeria? Some Nigerian conservationists estimate that there are only 300, others believe the number is less than that. In recent years there have been many reports of hunters killing elephants across the country. A combination of climate change (which has reduced amounts of fresh water the elephants need), poaching, human-elephant conflict and deforestation is a major challenge. ‘Elephant Protection’ is a 30minute documentary featured on ‘Earthfile’- Channels Television’s environment and Development Programme. It focuses on the current problem climate change has caused for the elephants, in terms of habitat loss and the cause of the human-elephant conflicts in Nigeria. It also looks at the efforts of conservationists (trained professionals and those without formal education) in the protection of the elephant population. It talks about their successes and failure, and how humans can live in harmony with the elephants. For this story, Omo Forest, Ogun state, Southwest Nigeria and Yankari games reserve in Bauchi state in Nigeria's NorthEast were visited.

Animals
Conservation
Documentary

The Invisible Mammal - The Bat Rescuer

Bats are struggling to survive, specifically in North America, where white nose syndrome is causing a sharp decline of certain species. Pertinent issues: climate change, habitat destruction, what can humans must do to prevent extinction.

Animals
Climate
Extinction

Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish

Sockeye, a species of wild salmon, is born in Kamchatkan waters and spends its entire life in the Pacific Ocean. Only once does it return to fresh waters - to give offspring, start the circle of life, and die. It is an inexhaustible resource that feeds billions of people on the planet, restored every year! But soon, we may find ourselves facing the unimaginable: humans will exhaust the inexhaustible!

Animals
Food
Extinction

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