Hooray for the little guy. Er, the prickly little guy. Watch this single porcupine defend himself against an entire pride of hungry lions. It will restore your faith in nature, and maybe even in being the underdog every now and then.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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The post You Won’t Be Able to Take Your Eyes Off of This Porcupine [Video] appeared first on EcoSalon.

Kate Good from One Green Planet put it best when she wrote that humankind, more than any other species has the ability to mold and shape the world. And while that has resulted in many accomplishments, the downside is becoming evermore apparent. It’s a mass extinction alert. 

Scientists have reported that plant and animal species are going extinct at a rate that’s nearly 1,000 times faster than normal. And as a result, scientists and conservationists are declaring that the 6th mass extinction is upon us. But the difference between this mass extinction and those of the past, is that humans are to blame.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, planet Earth has lost 50 percent of its wild animal populations in the past 40 years. Whether on land in rivers or the ocean, humans are diminishing and extinguishing their existence.

“If half the animals died in London zoo next week it would be front page news,” Professor Ken Norris, ZSL’s director of science said to The Guardian. “But that is happening in the great outdoors. This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live.”

The data was collected by calculating 10,000 different populations, covering 3,000 species total in a “Living Planet Index” that reflects 45,000 known vertebras. In all, 37 percent of loss is due to animal exploitation, 31 percent habitat degradation, 13 percent to habitat loss, 11 percent to other, and 7 percent to global climate change.

“We have lost one half of the animal population and knowing this is driven by human consumption, this is clearly a call to arms and we must act now,” Mike Barratt, director of science and policy at WWF said to The Guardian.

Whether it’s forest elephants in central Africa, where poaching rates now exceed birth rates, turtles drowning in fish nets as a result of unsustainable fishing practices, or the now 35,000 walruses that have come ashore in Alaska because the ice they once found refuge on has melted–these massive declines are due to humans consuming FAR more than is sustainable. In fact, we would need 1.5 planet Earths to consume at the current rate.

But there are steps that you personally can take to make a huge difference in stopping this mass extinction including cutting out meat considering that 22 percent of global carbon emissions come from meat production. Stop deforestation by cutting out palm oil, which is found in many places that might surprise you including organic and vegan products. Stop eating seafood because overfishing is killing our oceans. And finally, spread the word. Read more here.

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Vast, open landscapes, clear blue skies and plenty of space for wild horses to run free: The image is a quintessential part of the American West. Yet with changing environments, those wild spaces and the ability of animals to live and roam are under threat.

This week, officials began a roundup of about 2,500 wild horses from public and private lands in Nevada, positing that the 850 square miles of land is overpopulated and could become unlivable to wildlife and livestock in the next four years. The mustangs will be placed for adoption or moved to holding facilities in the Midwest.

The roundup is part of a greater effort by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to remove thousands of mustangs from public lands across the West in order to protect wild horse herds and the lands that are essential to their livelihood.

Unfortunately, the roundup has raised concerns from animal protection groups. Two helicopters have been used in the roundup to move the horses to corrals, which horse defenders say is inhumane and risks injury, and even death, to the animals. Timing is another factor; opponents to the round up hold that executing a roundup in winter exposes the horses to risk of respiratory illness. There are also complaints regarding BLM’s transparency when it comes to how the horses are treated during roundups.

Earlier this month, In Defense of Animals called the Nevada roundup illegal, asking a federal judge to block the plan. Despite their efforts, the roundup was not called off. BLM contends that without removal, the land will no longer be able to provide the horses with enough water or foraging space.

IDA doesn’t just have protesters on the ground; the organization has filed an official lawsuit against the government.

“We are on strong ground in charging that the BLM’s policy of stockpiling tens of thousands of horses in the Midwest, off their rightful Western ranges, is contrary to law, the intent of Congress and the will of the American people,” says William J. Spriggs, the attorney who filed the case on behalf of IDA.

But for now, the roundup continues.

Photo credit: RickC

The post Roundup of Wild Horses in Nevada Continues Despite Protests and Lawsuit appeared first on EcoSalon.