Prehistoric Giant Animals May Have Been Killed by Man, Not Climate Change

Scientists have uncovered new evidence that suggests that giant prehistoric mammals like the prehistoric giant kangaroo may not have been killed by climate change after all, as has long been thought. Last week, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences argued that ‘mega-fauna’ were probably hunted to death by man on the Southern island of Tasmania. The discovery that prompted the new stance is a giant kangaroo skull found in a cave in the rainforest in the northwest of Tasmania in 2000.

From BreitBart.com:

Scientists dated the find at 41,000 years old, some 2,000 years after humans first began to live in the area.

“Up until now, people thought that the Tasmanian mega-fauna had actually gone extinct before people arrived on the island,” a member of the British and Australian study, Professor Richard Roberts, told AFP Tuesday.

He said that it was likely that hunting killed off Tasmania’s mega-fauna — including the long-muzzled, 120 kilogram (264 pound) giant kangaroo, a rhinoceros-sized wombat and marsupial ‘lions’ which resembled leopards.

Roberts, from the University of Wollongong south of Sydney, said the idea that climate change could account for the death of the animals was disputed by the fact the area had a very stable climate in the critical time period.

“Things were very climatically stable in that part of Australia and yet the mega-fauna still managed to go extinct,” he said. “So it’s down to humans of one sort or another.”

Roberts said because the large animals were slow breeders, it would not have required an aggressive campaign to see them quickly die out.

Interesting theory. It wouldn’t be surprising, would it? We humans seem pretty good at messing things up.

Link [BreitBart.com]
Photo credit: Opal Fossils of South Australia

Get Your Whacking Sticks Out: Australian MP Proposes National Cane Toad Killin’ Day

I remember watching a video about Australia’s Cane Toad scourge 17 years ago back in 8th grade science class (Great FSM does that make me feel old) and thinking “Australia is screwed, how do you fight that?”. My easy prediction is proving to be pretty spot on- Australia is screwed and getting screweder by the day. Cane Toads are taking over the country.

These large and quick growing voracious monster toads come with the added bonus of being poisonous, killing just about anything that eats it, even while they are in tadpole form. They’re fanning out across the country after being introduced back in the 30’s by farmers looking to take out grub worms and they are eating and killing everything in their path.

An Australian MP, Shane Knuth of Queensland, is now proposing to create a national Cane Toad Whacking Day (OK, so they are calling it Toad Day Out) where people would be encouraged to unleash holy hell upon their local cane toad population. A toad pogrom if you will.

The great thing is that they are getting the kids involved, giving them a good excuse to go outside and blow up, beat down, step on, cut through, and burn up toads. In my day doing that would get me yelled at and grounded- it’s about to become a national freaking holiday in Australia. God Save the Queen.

Link [Telegraph UK]

Evil Incarnate, Japanese Whalers Slaughter Mother Whale and Her Calf for “Scientific Research”

Warning: This story is disturbing, the video even more so. Watch it only if you can stomach seeing the graphic killing of whales, including a mother and her calf.

Japan has spent the last decade or so flouting international whaling laws by claiming it’s slaughter of thousands of whales a year is for “scientific research“. They spent millions of dollars lobbying the International Whaling Commission for the resumption of commercial whaling and when that didn’t work they left the IWC and formed their own pro-whaling organization called NAMMCO. Meanwhile their “scientific” whale meat is sold is grocery stores and restaurants.

Australia has taken it upon themselves to closely monitor the Japanese whaling fleet when they enter their territorial waters and to document the slaughter to gather evidence for a future case in international court.

The Australians just published some sickening videos and photos of a whale hunt that show Japan’s claim of their hunt being scientific is without merit. It’s stomach churning, but important to see to understand the barbarism of this vicious practice. Fucking Japanese whalers.

Check out Celsias and Environmental Graffiti to learn more about this very important story.