The President of Kenya just signed a new anti-poaching bill into law - woo hoo!  Read about it here.

So, my mind is blown - there are now five tapir species, instead of four.  Don't know what a tapir is?  Well, you should!  I've always described them as miniature elephant-pig-deer, but they are actually relatives of horses, zebras and rhinoceros, and one of my favorite animals.  Currently, four species live in Central and South America and one lives in Southeast Asia.  I used to work with Brazilian Tapirs at the Houston Zoo - where I worked with Nick, who was the inspiration for my only tattoo (pictured left - on my right shoulder).  He and his mate, Casaba, had many offspring and enjoyed swimming in their pool while munching on browse, getting cantaloupe treats and painting (like below).

The article below - about the Kabomani Tapir - is very well-written and detailed.  I recommend reading it - it's almost unfathomable to think that a new species was under "our" noses the whole time.  And this is not one of the ole "we're splitting one species into two species" deal - it has been distinct for a long time.

                    http://news.mongabay.com/2013/1216-hance-new-tapir-kabomani.html

It's hard to imagine living in a country without rhinos - for some in Africa, it might happen within our lifetime.  But for others - in Chile - they are experiencing the magic of having rhinos for the first time.  The Santiago Times link is down, but here is a short snippet from another website.

During times of turmoil and civil uprising anywhere in the world, animals are often neglected - whether they are domesticated or exotic.  There was the 2012 story of the massacre at the Okapi Conservation Center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - 6 people and 13 okapi were killed by rebels.  I am not saying animals are more important than people, or that they are as important.  I am only saying they are often forgotten, and this is unfortunate.

With the ongoing unrest and violence in Egypt, this story - about the zoo animals in Cairo - has been released.  This reminds me of an awesome graphic novel by the man who wrote for Lost and Under the Dome - Brian K. Vaughn - called Pride of Baghdad.  It is a fictionalized account of he real life story of four lions that escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during the American invasion of Iraq.  You can purchase it on Amazon here.

Here's an update on the baby rhino, written by my lovely co-worker, Jen.  Check out her personal website - Art and Rhinos.

P.S. Jasiri is 9 months old now.  She is only 1 month old in the photo above.

Kidding!  I like elephants...but I love rhinos.  Here's a link to an interesting article explaining the effects of elephant (over)grazing on other herbivores - specifically rhinoceros.

Indian rhinoceros born via artificial insemination!

I would love to work with Indian rhinoceros (a.k.a. greater one-horned rhinoceros)!  I'll have to sneak it into next year's budget.

On a related note, I've totally been gloved up like that before...but we weren't doing AI.  :o)

An interesting article showcasing drones - on second thought, I guess it's still spying.  But it's good spying.

http://www.ryot.org/u-s-drones-will-protect-rhinos-by-combating-poachers/180025

This man is crazy.  And also awesome.
Read about a man attempting to complete an uphill ultra marathon in a 22 pound rhino costume!