Journal of Biodiversity & Endangered Species

China has a history of using wildlife or for their parts and products, but now the sustainability use of endangered medicinal wildlife face challenges. Understanding the behavioral change and making effective behavioral change approaches and strategies are essential to strengthen demand reduction efforts on endangered wildlife products in China. The work described how we can make approaches and strategies to change consumer behavior to do this.

In the past, Musk and Tiger Bone Plaster (Tiger Bone Plaster for shorter) was one of most common nonprescription Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Since 1993, China banned all trade in tiger bones and its derivatives in 1993. Musk deer were up-listed as Category I State Key Protected Wild Animal Species in China in 2002. The plaster manufactures changed the prescription of Tiger Bone Plaster and used synthetic musk and herb medicines and changed the name of Tiger Bone Plaster to “Musk and Bone Strengthening Plaster” but packages of some brands of the plasters still carry a tiger’s image on it. Thus, consumers still consider the plasters as “Tiger Bone Plaster” because of the tiger image on the package. To investigate the consumer perception and behaviors of “Musk and Bone Strengthening Plaster”, we surveyed 418 citizens in Beijing in 2014. We found that 43.78% of respondents alleged that they had used “Tiger Bone Plaster”. When we inquired, almost all of respondents confirmed that the plasters they had used were “Musk and Bone Strengthening Plaster”. Presumably, tiger’s image on the plaster package produces a conditional stimulus to the consumers. Consumers preferred buying the plasters packed with tiger’s image printed on the package. In fact, no people had really consumed Tiger Bone Plaster in this investigation. For the sake of protecting tigers, we argue the manufacturers to remove the tiger image from the “Musk and Bone Strengthening Plaster” according to the regulations of CITES.

The calculation of genetic distances of 55 human populations belonging to four great human races considering loci of proteins, enzymes and blood groups, and construction the dendrogram of these populations distinguished some relationship of German, Slavic and Finnish-Ugric populations. So, Russians are close by genetic distances with Poles, Iranians, Komi, Chuvashes, Udmurtians, Nentses and Ossetians. Germans are close with Serbs, Moldavians, Hungarians, Croatians and Czechs. The calculation of genetic distances of 35 Slavic, Finnish and Germanic populations, and constructing the dendrogram confirmed these results. The ancestors of Russians were migrated from places of first differentiation in Asia across the circumpolar area, and before were lived on the North of Siberia. Ancient German populations were migrated in Europe across the South of Siberia, probably by the same way as Hunnu in future time. The investigation of settlements of ancient Caucasoids in Central Asia probably discovered place of living of ancient German populations. The studying of mt DNA of rural Russian population in Yaroslavsky region discovered all haplogroups of Russians and even Caucasoids (H, W, I, U, X, T1).

Mitigating human elephant conflict remains a major conservation and livelihood challenge across the elephant (Loxodonta africana) range states. Chilli-based methods for deterring elephants from raiding fields are being used by subsistence farmers in Southern Africa, but there is concern that these methods may not be effective, are too expensive and labour intensive to implement and that there is poor uptake by farmers. As part of an ongoing study examining these issues, we present our assessment of the effectiveness of chilli as a component of Community Based Conflict Mitigation in deterring elephants from raiding crops in Southern Zambia. Chilli-based deterrent methods namely the chilli fence and chilli briquettes were evaluated in protecting maize (Zea mays) crops. We monitored conflict incidences in the chilli fence protected plots and those in unprotected (control/reference) plots and those protected by a simple fence. We also monitored human-elephant conflict incidences in the plots protected by chilli briquettes against those in the control plots in order to assess the effectiveness of the mitigation measures. A total of 46 Human Elephant Conflict incidences were recorded across the study site between January and April 2009, with the highest incidences recorded in the month of February. We compared the number of plants destroyed by elephants and the number of attempted raids in both the test and control plots. In all the trials we noted that chillibased methods repelled elephants and provided protection for the crops as they experienced significantly less damage. We argue that chilli based deterrents assessed in these trials are effective in repelling elephants and do add deterrent value in mitigating human elephant conflict.

The highlands of Ethiopia are inhabited by the culturally and economically significant mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni, an endemic spiral horned antelope. The natural range of this species has become highly fragmented with increasing anthropogenic pressures; driving land conversion in areas previously considered critical mountain nyala habitat. Therefore, baseline demographic data on this species throughout its existing range are needed. Previous studies on mountain nyala demographics have primarily focused on a confined portion of its known range where trophy hunting is not practiced. Our objectives were to estimate group size, proportion of females, age class proportions, and calf and juvenile productivity for a sub-population of mountain nyala where trophy hunting is permitted and compare our results to recent and historical observations. We collected four years of demographic data using direct point counts in a controlled hunting area and summarized the data using the R statistical software. Our results show that estimated proportion of females (0.63; 0.56-0.69) was similar to recent studies of non-hunted populations, but group size (3.74; 3.34-4.13), juvenile productivity (0.47; 0.35-0.62) and age class proportions (calves: 0.17 juveniles: 0.19 adults: 0.64) were considerably different. Our results are more similar to historical accounts than those in a national park. We demonstrate that the mountain nyala's population structure and health varies across its range and may relate to the different management strategies and policies. We recommend using similar methods for remaining under surveyed sub-populations of mountain nyala to inform conservation actions at the landscape scale.

Bear bile, as a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been used by TCM practitioners for millennia. Currently, there are arguments about bear farming as a tool for the conservation of wild bear. We designed questionnaires and surveyed citizens and college students in Beijing to elicit their perceptions and preferences toward wild or farmed bear bile and their substitutes. We found that most of students (57.37%) and citizens (38.99%) preferred substitutes rather than wild or farmed bear bile, due to “conservation of wild bears” and “cruelty in bile extraction from farmed bears”. Furthermore, under certain conditions, price and curative effects could be influential factors that alter purchase decisions of interviewees, and wild bear bile can be totally substituted by cheap and effective synthetic substitutes. So the success of a policy of “supply-side conservation” remains certain under the right conditions. The public of Beijing has recognized the importance of wildlife protection and their growing moral responsibilities for nonhuman animals might help reduce the threat to wild animals from medical needs.

This analysis presents study of the impact of drilling muds on the oil reservoir rocks specifications, and also the interactions between the clay minerals existing within the formation with the drilling muds. For minimization and interference of formation harm ensuing from drilling muds, and formation minerals, drilling muds were ready in such some way that they give the muds that are used according to the daily mud report of the South Company. These muds are H2O mud, Ferrochrome Lignosulfonate (FcLs). About a hundred core plugs were ready from seven wells and for 3 fields of the Zubair formation from depths of over (3000) meters. The core plugs were cut in size to regarding one in. (2.54 centimeters) diameter and 3 centimeters length. They were cleansed, dried, and so subjected to petrophysical tests that were (porosity, porousness, saturation, and pore size distribution by the capillary pressure), X-ray diffraction, and also the petrographical analyses. The results of the experimental work showed that the clay minerals in formation increase the formation harm, and reduce the oil permeability. Additionally, the results showed that the treatments of drilling muds might cut back formation impairment. This was accomplished through create bridging system with completely different barytes additions seventy, 140, 200, 280 lb/bbl to H2O mud. This bridging system creates an efficient waterproofing of impervious filter cake, thereby inhibiting continual losses of little solids and dust filtrate into the formation. Finally, relationships for various oil permeability's are obtained for predicting harm in oil permeability's as a result of completely different drilling muds.

Tritrichomonas craniate may be a production and restrictive concern for beef producers within the Western USA. Historically preputial scrapings are collected, refined in enriched media, and examined microscopically. PCR techniques are a unit currently getting used extensively to verify culture results or as a complete take a look at the organism. This technology offers the advantage of identifying the infective Tritrichomonas foetus organism from different non infective dirty organisms. The samples were collected, cultured, evaluated and analysed by qPCR.

Blood O2-store in diving animals is increased by great numbers of large erythrocytes which carry enhanced hemoglobin contents. In seal and dolphin, resting hemato (HCT) and/or Red Blood Cell (RBC) indices were elevated (HCT: seal: 50 (47/51); dolphin: 45/50); MCH: seal: 35.8 (34.4/37.3); dolphin: 41/40); MCHC: seal: 33.9 (33.4/36.0); dolphin: 35.6/36.6), and RBC volume was increased (seal: 101 (99/110); dolphin: 115/110 fL) compared to terrestrial animals and man. However, WBV increases in parallel with the HCT. In seal, we therefore calculated the range in which the desired HCT effect is not weakened by an increase of WBV; we plotted the theoretical oxygen transport capacity (WBV*HCT-1) against the HCT. A quadratic regression showed that the resting HCT was higher than the optimal HCT value (at 11.6 s-1: 31%; 40.5 s-1: 37%; 267 s-1: 45%; all: p<0.05). This may facilitate blood stasis during a dive, when HCT is further increased through splenic release of RBC. Flow curves of seals showed shear thinning (11.6/500: seal: 1.98 (1.87/2.11), indicating that the blood texture changes with shear rates. RBC deformability in seals was pronounced (elongation index (ectacytometry) at 60Pa: females: 32, 29; males: 24, 24), but aggregability was low (aggregation indices M0: 3.15 (1.6/4.8); M1: 13.3 (8.7/18.8)), and therefore intermediate regarding Weddell seal (high aggregability) and ringed seal (nil). Considering the importance of aggregability on the cell free layer width in arterioles, feeding of RBC into subsequent vessels at bifurcations may be enhanced.

Drastic decline of the black rhinoceros population both in numbers and range distribution have created a puzzle on its long term survival. We developed simulation models to identify crucial anthropogenic parameters that are essential for the successful development of conservation actions of this species in Lake Nakuru National Park under different scenarios. The roles of multiple anthropogenic parameters were evaluated to assess changes affecting population declines and extinction risk. Population Viability Analysis (PVA) simulations were done using individualbased program. A baseline simulation allowed for the assessment of the status of the species based on estimates of extinction risk and population declines under current conditions of abundance and habitat availability. The baseline simulation showed that Lake Nakuru National Park subpopulation has 0.00 probability of extinction during the next seventy five years. However, continuing threats, including declines in abundance and browse unavailability, make this species highly vulnerable to any change. Sensitivity analysis of anthropogenic impacts showed that small increases in habitat loss (2%) and population harvesting (3%) had drastic effects on population decline with a 100% probability of extinction. Our findings shows the need for conservation actions aimed at preventing poaching activities, modulating translocation programs and promoting the conservation of available black rhino habitats.

Medicinal plant survey was conducted and assessed the endemic, endangered and threatened medicinal plants in Thadagamalai range of Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary during the year 2011-2013. There are 25 RET-listed species enumerated and further analysed their distribution with various threat categories both global and regional scale. Cycas circinalis is only one species were identified critically endangered and other species are endangered (8 species), vulnerable (11 species) near threatened (4 species) and least concern (one species). The data provide the information for diversity of RET-listed medicinal species to design the sustainable utilization and conservation measures.

Plants include a variety of useful substances for human beings and are widely used for treatment of various disorders. Plants are propagated mostly by their seeds but stem cutting also found to be useful for this purpose. Except of above methods some plants are also propagating through their modified root or stem found commonly inside of the soil or underground part of the plant. Some examples are Rhizome, Bulb, Tuber, corm etc. These structures are modified form and useful to regenerate the plants in favorable environmental condition. During of adverse condition these are found in resting phase and when moisture level increase new buds are produced by nodular part of them which performing efficient capability to reproducing the new plants as their parental ones. 42 Medicinal and aromatic plants underground parts were collected in different part of the Chhattisgarh and propagated in Herbal Garden in poly bags and also direct in the prepared beds. Developed new individuals of these plants in poly bags were carefully shifted to the prepared field for their further growth and development. As per need of the newly developing plants necessary facilities were provided.