endangered species

Big Giver Gets A Monkey Named In His Honor

Plenty of big givers get a building named after them but it's not every day that a philanthropist gets his own monkey. Philanthropy.com tells the story of Jon Stryker and Rhinopithecus strykeri, the newly discovered species of monkey that bears his name. Stryker, a philanthropist and founder of the Arcus Foundation, which protects great apes, was given the honor by the charity that identified the creatures in Myanmar this summer.

Stryker, who has a great interest in primates, was touched by the gesture. Sadly, Mr. Stryker's monkey is endangered. Fauna and Flora International says that just 330 of the monkeys are alive now and that increased hunting is putting the monkey at risk. In local dialects this animal is called mey nwoah, 'monkey with an upturned face.' Its snub nose collects water when it rains, causing the monkey to sneeze. It also has a relatively long tail, approximately 140 per cent of its body size. No photographs exist of the monkey, so the charity commissioned an artist's rendering. The Philanthropy.com article reports that Fauna and Flora International was worried what Stryker's reaction would be to the look of the unusual monkey. Happily, he calls them "the most beautiful monkeys I have ever seen."

Tags: arcus foundation, endangered species, flora and fauna international, jon stryker, monkey

Epicures Rejoice - UN Lifts Beluga Caviar Ban

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

The world's finest beluga caviar will be available once again following an agreement by five producer countries on export quotas for the luxe delicacy, the United Nations' watchdog on endangered species has announced. Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan agreed at a meeting in Tehran on new quotas which will be in effect through February 2011, the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species said in a statement. A temporary ban on wild caviar was imposed in 2001 due to a depletion of stocks amid high levels of poaching and illegal trade in the Caspian Sea. In 2002, countries sharing a stock of sturgeon automatically had zero quotas unless they reached a consensus on a sustainable level of exports. Trade in beluga was halted last year as the countries failed to agree on quotas. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan still have zero quotas, but Iran can now produce 800 kg, Kazakhstan 1,500 kg, and Russia 700 kg. Expect it to cost a small fortune if you're lucky enough to get your hands on some.

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Tags: beluga caviar, Caspian Sea, caviar, delicacy, endangered species, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, sturgeon, United Nations

NY Billionaire's Yacht Seized Over Endangered Animals

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

A $26 million yacht with Versace interiors owned by cab driver-turned-fertilizer king Tamir Sapir - who lives in Manhattan's famed Duke-Semans mansion (above) - was seized by customs officials in Miami this week over trophies made from the skins of endangered animals. The yacht, named the Mystère, was found to contain zebra skins, a jaguar skin rug, Bengal tiger and African lion heads, cigar boxes covered in elephant hide, a reticulated python cigarette holder, and large carved ivory tusks, the Miami Herald reports.

Sapir, an emigré from Russia whose $1.4 billion fortune is now mainly invested in real estate, will get the yacht back minus the gruesome décor after paying a $150,000 fine. Sapir bought the historic seven-story Duke-Semans mansion across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Doris Duke's relatives for $40 million after a single walk-through, and is now said to be spending $10 million on renovations including - get this - a gallery for his world-class collection of ivory. He is ranked at No. 522 on Forbes' Richest Americans list.

Tags: animal skins, AnimalSkins, billionaires, Doris Duke, DorisDuke, Duke-Semans mansion, Duke-semansMansion, endangered species, EndangeredSpecies, Forbes, Miami, Tamir Sapir, TamirSapir, yacht

Snow Leopard Vodka

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

We already learned that you can drink wine to save hummingbirds, how about vodka to save the snow leopard. Snow Leopard vodka is a new vodka made with spelt grain in Poland. The vodka will give 15% of the profits to the Snow Leopard Trust, an organization which protects the future of this endangered feline. The vodka has launched in London and is available in bars and at the Harvey Nichols Wine Shops for £36.

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Tags: endangered species, snow leopard, snow leopard vodka, SnowLeopardVodka, vodka

Drink Wine, Save Hummingbirds

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Need a new reason to drink wine? How about the cute little fellow on the right. Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin, California has partnered with The Hummingbird Society to create a limited "Threatened Species" blended wine. The hummingbird is already the symbol of the winery and this fall they will release the Juan Fernández Firecrown Hummingbird Series wine, a Bordeaux blended wine is named after the Juan Fernández Firecrown. The wine costs $25 per bottle and 15% percent of sales on each bottle will be donated to the Hummingbird Society for preservation of the Juan Fernández Firecrown.

[via Avenue Vine]

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Tags: california wine, clos la chance, ClosLaChance, endangered species, hummingbird, wine, winery

The Caviar Ban Goes Global

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

A few months ago the United States banned beluga caviar now the New Scientist reports that the worldwide trade in wild caviar has banned. The major caviar-producing countries were unable to prove to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that their stocks of wild sturgeon are sustainable. The ban does not apply to farmed sturgeon. A 30% decline in wild sturgeon stocks in 2004 led to the ban which will affect Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Ukraine.The hope is that a ban on caviar will help save the endangered fish and stop illegal poaching. Countries that want to export sturgeon products have to show that their catch and export quotas don't put fish in peril. Importers are responsible for making sure their imports are legal and have to have registration systems for processing and repackaging caviar.

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Tags: beluga, caspian sea, caviar, endangered species, russia, sturgeon