Orangutans using slang to impress

Do you sometimes face difficulties understanding people from other regions? Or do you feel cringe when you hear a group of youngsters calling each other “bro” every other sentence? Then you better don’t become an animal communication scientist. Because more and more studies are discovering the regional and slang varieties animals use in their communication. From goats to birds and even tamarins, dialects are widespread in the animal kingdom. A recent study explains the case for orangutans using slang to impress.

A major finding of the study is that the social environment of the orangutans determines the way they use communication, like for us as humans. Where there is a lower density of apes in a group, new “slang words” will be more easily adopted by the rest of the group and live longer, with these groups also having more complex repertoires. In groups with a much higher density one has to stand out more to impress, so the individuals will launch more slang words and be more original, but the dialect won’t persist as long.

The conclusions of this study are another interesting piece of information as to evolution of languages, especially in relation to how our human language evolved. Yet another reason to conserve the orangutans and other wildlife.

A conservation success story for green turtles

Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles is a key site for green sea turtles. Since 1968 a ban exists on capturing sea turtles here, and this ban, together with other efforts, seems to have a major effect on the conservation of the green turtles.

Whereas fifty years ago about 2.000-3.000 clutches of eggs were laid each year, now that number rose up to 10.000-15.000. Decades of monitoring are now showing the profits of protecting the species, with the green turtle numbers of this site contributing positively to the whole population in the region. The analysis of this monitoring was published recently.

And there was more recent good news for green turtles. Indonesia decided to create 4 new Marine Protected Areas in the Maluku province, home to the green sea turtles. This in a bid to reach its target of protecting 10% of its marine area by 2030.

Common cranes are making a remarkable comeback in Britain

The common crane disappeared from Britain for about 300 years. But around 1979 it returned. Now, reports show that 2021 was the best breeding season since the 17th century, with about 40 chicks reared. Conservationists are happy that their efforts are succeeding.

Common cranes are the tallest birds in the UK. The first record of them reappearing was in the Norfolk Broads. Throughout the years, endless conservation efforts have been taken. From restoring wetlands to reintroducing cranes. Initially with limited success, but over time with ever more associations and trusts joining, the success rates improved, such as with the Great Crane Project.

The common crane population is now at its highest level since its return, with about 200 birds.

Chimpanzee doctors: trying to heal wounds with insects

Quite some animals perform some sort of self-care, for instance dogs and cats eating grass in order to get rid of parasites. But researchers noticed something new among chimpanzees. They seem to aim to heal others too. In a recently published science article they explain how chimpanzees try to heal wounds by using insects.

The researchers observed wild chimpanzees for about 2 years in the Loango National Park. During this time they observed 22 cases of chimpanzees applying insects to a wound. In 19 cases this was as a way of self-care, whereas three cases were a chimpanzee applying the insect to a wound of another individual.

The chimpanzees will first catch the insect, then squeeze it with their lips, apply the insect and then “massage” the area around the wound a bit more. There seems to be a real correlation between the presence of the wounds and the chimpanzees applying the insects, hence indicating this could be a real intention to heal the wound. It is not clear though whether it actually works.

The giraffe population is growing

Good conservation news for the giraffes. As to the latest census, one of the most complete ever undertaken, their numbers grew with almost 20% between 2015 and now, up to 117.000 animals.

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is the organisation that is responsible for the estimate. Using data collected by researchers, associations, governments and more, they could draw the image of the giraffe conservation status in 21 countries, one of the most accurate data so far.

Out of the 4 species of giraffe, the data shows that for one, the southern giraffes, their numbers remained rather stable, whereas the three other ones grew.

Researchers believe that the growth in the giraffe population is partly due to having better data, but also thanks to conservation efforts, such as translocation of giraffes and reintroducing them into nature reserves.

How do grizzly bears behave when they are translocated to other areas?

Human-wildlife conflicts are a main aspect of conservation, especially so when dealing with the conservation of bears. Therefore it can happen that bears are translocated to other areas. But so far, not a lot of research has been done on how that influences their behaviour. A new study aims to answer that question.

As one can imagine out of our human experience, we don’t exactly behave the same when we move to a new neighbourhood. We will make more walks in less interesting areas, we will not know the best restaurants yet, and might not have discovered the dangers of the area. Many of the same things happen to the translocated grizzly bears. They move more, spend more time in low quality habitat and areas with a higher risk of danger.

But the study also brought hopeful news. Only a quarter of the translocated bears continued in conflict behaviour, and 2/3rd survived over a two-year period. Since the bears show a different behaviour exploring their new area, it is important to give them enough time to settle down and learn where and how to avoid conflicts.

Hope for New Zealand’s kiwi population

The most rewarding moment for conservationists is when they notice that their conservation actions lead to success. Something that recently happened to all those working on the conservation of New Zealand’s kiwis. After years of decline the most recent numbers are showing a different, positive trend for the kiwis.

Out of the five kiwi species, the North Island brown kiwi is doing best. With a population of about 20.000, their status was reclassified as “no longer threatened”. A very hopeful sign.

A huge amount of conservation efforts were performed to save the kiwis. From hatching eggs in captivity and releasing them later in the wild, up to keeping dogs restrained, something that has asked a lot of community involvement. An extra positive feature is that the conservation efforts for the kiwis have had beneficial effects on other species as well, with a significant drop in the amount of “threatened-nationally critical” species.

Picture credits: Stewart Nimmo, CC License.

The rhino population in Nepal is growing

A rhino census is carried out each five years in Nepal. In 2015 there were 645 greater one-horned rhinos left in the Asian country. The latest census was due in 2020, but due to the pandemic it was postponed to 2021. The results now show that the number of rhinos increased until 752, which means 107 more rhinos in a period of six years.

Rhinos in Nepal, and around the world, face a series of threats. These include habitat loss and poaching. Despite the positive news of the increase, these threats remain present. Political instability and the loss of tourism during the pandemic can strengthen these threats. This means continuous conservation efforts are needed to save this species, which is officially classified as vulnerable to extinction.

The 16% increase of the rhino population in Nepal is hopeful though, and a sign that conservation actions can lead to success. Earlier we could report that the tiger population in Nepal is growing too. Let’s hope it’s a sign of a positive biodiversity trend in the country.

How orangutan mothers help their kids to become independent

The expression “Hotel Mama” is quite commonly used in several countries. It refers to situations where human kids don’t leave the house, be it because of unwillingly lacking the necessary economic and social needs, or because their mother keeps spoiling them too much. Orangutan mothers try to prevent such situation. A recently published science article explains how orangutan mothers help their kids to become independent.

Orangutan offspring stay with their mother for an exceptionally long time, up to nine years. During this time, food acquisition is a key point of the process of growing up and becoming independent. So far, not a lot of research has been done on the role of orangutan mothers in obtaining these skills. However, the article published recently seems to indicate that orangutan mothers will share less food depending on the age of the offspring and the complexity of the acquisition.

Certain foods, for instance leaves, are easily accessible and don’t require a large set of skills to obtain. Hence mothers will be more reluctant to share them with their offspring as they grow older. For foods that require more complex techniques, for instance the knowledge of when they are ripe or the use of tools, the mothers will be willing to share them for a longer time, until they know when the offspring should be able to acquire them themselves.

It seems that the orangutan mothers use a learning process where they know exactly when their offspring should have obtained a certain set of skills, and hence they are willing to answer food solicitations depending on which skills the offspring should have obtained already.

More space for growing number of mountain gorillas in Rwanda

The conservation efforts for the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda are fruitful. But, the success is reaching its limits as the available habitat for the species is scarce. This year the Rwandan government decided that the Volcanoes National Park will be expanded with another 15 square miles of national park area and 25 square miles of buffer zone, an important win for the gorillas.

50 years ago there were only about 254 mountain gorillas left in Rwanda. But the latest count performed in 2016 reported that this number has elevated to 600.

For the mountain gorillas, a species living in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, intensive conservation projects are in place. This means they are all closely monitored and visits are very limited. Visits are only possible for the happy few that can afford a gorilla permit (which can cost up to 1500 US dollar), money that can be used to invest in the local community and the gorillas.

Increasing the available habitat for the mountain gorillas in the future will be key to further success in their conservation.