Freshwater Biodiversity
Prisoners In Bolivia Trading Rare Jaguar Parts For Fashion Items, Researchers Discover
Prisoners in Bolivia are trading in jaguar skins and other wild animal body parts to produce wallets, hats, and belts for sale in local markets. The fangs and bones of jaguars are being illegally exported for use as traditional Asian medicine.
The trade, which further threatens the future of this species, has been uncovered by researchers investigating reports of illegal trading at Mocoví prison, in Trinidad, Bolivia.
As the largest big cat in the Americas the jaguar (Panthera onca) has ecological and cultural significance in the landlocked country of Bolivia, but numbers are declining fast due to reasons including habitat loss—as well as domestic and international demand for their body parts. The illegal market exists despite the fact that jaguars have been legally protected against commercial trade internationally since 1975 and nationally since 1986.
Inmates at the Bolivian prison have been buying skins of jaguars and other animals including boa constrictor snakes (Boa constrictor) directly from traders at local markets, and then selling fashion items back again at a profit in order to provide income for their daily sustenance.
According to the researchers, Neil D'Cruze, Angie Elwin, Eyob Asfaw and Roberto Vieto, writing in the journal Oryx, large orders for the wildlife products are being received from non-Bolivian international clients.
Videos shared on social media as recently as February this year even show the director of Mocoví prison inviting the public to visit a craft fair held at the facility to buy wildlife products—including those from jaguar parts—made by the inmates.
Dr. Neil D'Cruze, Head of Wildlife Research at the International NGO, World Animal Protection said, "Our research confirms that Bolivian inmates are paid to produce jaguar wallets, hats, belts and purses from their cells. Contrary to previous anecdotal reports, the footage provided showed no evidence of inmates being coerced into this illegal activity; instead, an inmate stated that they did so willingly to 'earn a living for daily sustenance.'"
"Illegal wildlife trade is one of the most pressing threats to wildlife conservation. To support existing efforts to protect jaguars and other wildlife in Bolivia, there is a need for improved law enforcement and political will to take action against illegal activities. In addition, awareness must be raised on how wildlife products are being produced and the effect that such production has on the wildlife and the people involved."
All the information gathered by the authors of the report has been passed on to the Bolivian authorities.
More information: Going over the wall: Insights into illegal jaguar product production in a Bolivian prison, Oryx (2023). DOI: 10.1017/S0030605323000492
Journal information: Oryx
Citation: Prisoners in Bolivia trading rare jaguar parts for fashion items, researchers discover (2023, June 28) retrieved 28 June 2023 from https://phys.Org/news/2023-06-prisoners-bolivia-rare-jaguar-fashion.Html
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First U.S.-Based Canine Cancer Registry, Founded By Jaguar Health, Joins International Network To Help Advance Canine And Human Cancer Research
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 26, 2023 / Jaguar Health, Inc. (Nasdaq:JAGX) announced today that the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. (Canine Health And ReGistry Exchange) has joined the Global Initiative for Veterinary Cancer Surveillance - an international network of veterinary cancer registries with a mission to: 1) promote international collaborations in animal cancer surveillance and research; 2) create a consensus on and foster the establishment of standardized methods for animal cancer coding and reporting; 3) provide an inclusive channel to exchange information between veterinary cancer registries.
Jaguar Health, Inc., Monday, June 26, 2023, Press release picture
"The Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Team has compiled the first successful canine cancer registry in the United States and will be an invaluable addition to our international effort to track canine cancer and establish standards for animal cancer coding and reporting," said Maria Lucia Zaidan Dagli, DVM, MS, PhD, President, Global Initiative for Veterinary Cancer Surveillance (GIVCS). "Since humans and dogs share the same environments, develop many of the same cancers, and share most of the same DNA, the data being collected by the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Registry can have important applications for comparative oncology research that can benefit both humans and their canine cousins."
Jaguar Health's Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Is a first-of-its-kind national canine cancer registry compiling incidence and prevalence data to help guide canine cancer diagnosis and treatment. The registry catalogs key data points to know cancer's impact by breed, type, age, gender, and location. The Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Registry is sponsored by Jaguar Animal Health, and is cosponsored by TogoRun, a global health communications agency.
"The Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Team is eager to help fill a major research gap among the U.S. Veterinary community by tracking canine cancer incidence and prevalence data," said Jaguar Health founder, President, and CEO Lisa Conte. "We look forward to working with the Global Initiative for Veterinary Cancer Surveillance to help advance comparative oncology research that has already helped so many people and dogs recover from cancer and may one day lead to a cure."
Story continues
On June 8th, the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Registry hosted a briefing for legislative staff on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., led by co-chair of the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), Craig Clifford, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology), that provided an overview of the registry and of canine cancer in the United States. GIVCS co-coordinator, Chiara Palmieri, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ECVP, presented an overview of international standards to code canine cancers based on a universally accepted human cancer coding system. Carol Robertson-Plouch, DVM, a member of the board of directors of The Canines-N-Kids Foundation, presented the foundation's efforts to put an end to the cancers children and canines both develop, including bone and brain cancer, lymphoma and leukemia. Amy Leblanc, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology), Director, Comparative Oncology Program at the National Cancer Institute, presented an overview of the contributions that research into naturally occurring canine cancers is providing to human cancer research and drug development.
According to the National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, roughly 6 million new cancer diagnoses are made in dogs each year in the US. Dogs respond to cancer treatments in similar ways to humans and, for the most part, dogs receive human chemotherapeutic agents during treatment and suffer the same side effects as humans, such as nausea and diarrhea. The dynamics of treatment care and supportive care are remarkably similar in dogs and humans, with, for example, approximately 40% of dogs having their cancer care interrupted due to treatment-related diarrhea.
Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Scientific Advisory Board
The Take C.H.A.R.G.E. SAB includes eight leading US veterinarians specializing in canine oncology and surgery. One of the board's activities is driving adoption of a consistent canine cancer diagnostic coding system in the US and supporting the goals of the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute Comparative Oncology Program.
The Take C.H.A.R.G.E. SAB members include SAB co-chairs Clifford and Theresa (Terry) W. Fossum, DVM, MS, PhD, Diplomate ACVS; as well as Susan Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), also known as Dr Sue Cancer Vet®; Trina Hazzah, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), CVCH; Chad M. Johannes, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM, Oncology); Doug Thamm, V.M.D., Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology); David Vail, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology); and Rachel Venable, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology).
Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Website
Data from the registry is accessible to the public via an interactive, easy-to-use dashboard on the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Website, with open access for clinical practitioners and academia to all canine cancer medical record data for research purposes. The registry continues to grow as veterinary clinics and pet owners upload medical records of dogs with cancer at no cost to clinics or pet owners. The data is de-identified, anonymized, and protected following General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines to ensure participant information privacy.
About Jaguar Health, Napo Therapeutics, & Jaguar Animal Health
Jaguar Health, Inc. Is a commercial stage pharmaceuticals company focused on developing novel, plant-based, sustainably derived prescription medicines for people and animals with GI distress, including chronic, debilitating diarrhea. Our crofelemer drug product candidate is the subject of the OnTarget study, an ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for prophylaxis of diarrhea in adult cancer patients receiving targeted therapy. Jaguar Health is the majority shareholder of Napo Therapeutics S.P.A. (f/k/a Napo EU S.P.A.), an Italian corporation established by Jaguar Health in Milan, Italy in 2021 that focuses on the development of rare disease indications of crofelemer and expanding crofelemer access in Europe. Jaguar Animal Health is a tradename of Jaguar Health.
For more information about Jaguar Health, please visit https://jaguar.Health. For more information about Napo Therapeutics, visit napotherapeutics.Com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements." These include statements regarding the belief that the data being collected by the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Registry can have important applications for comparative oncology research that can benefit both humans and their canine cousins. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "aim," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are only predictions. Jaguar has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond Jaguar's control. Except as required by applicable law, Jaguar does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
Contact:
David Whited.White@togorun.Com
SOURCE: Jaguar Health, Inc.
View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/762911/First-US-Based-Canine-Cancer-Registry-Founded-by-Jaguar-Health-Joins-International-Network-to-Help-Advance-Canine-and-Human-Cancer-Research
This Baby Jaguar Was Just Born At The Zoo. He Needs A Name.
Published June 22, 2023 at 11:29 AM EDT
There is a new cat at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
But the baby boy jaguar doesn't have a name, and the zoo is seeking the public's help — plus some extra funding to provide annual medical exams and feed all the jaguars.
The Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation has pledged up to $10,000 to match donations in a naming contest. Caring for the spotted cats costs more than $10,000 a year.
A cub comes to the zooThe baby jaguar was born April 7 to first-time parents Babette and Harry, the first cub born at the zoo in almost 10 years since Khan, a male jaguar, in 2013. Before its public debut in the Range of the Jaguar exhibit, the baby jaguar remains in the cub den bonding with his mother, zoo officials said. But the cub will be on exhibit by mid to late July, depending on recommendations from the zoo's animal care team.
"For now, he's still in the den, but updated videos are being played at the exhibit for guests to follow along with his growth," zoo spokesperson Joey Bell said.
Naming suggestions should be submitted to JacksonvilleZoo.Org/NameThatJag before Wednesday. A donation is required for a suggestion to be considered. Zoo staff, including the jaguar care specialists, will choose the top finalists, which will go up for a free public vote June 29. The new name will be unveiled June 30.
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
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Catali, at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. A senior cat passesMeanwhile, zoo officials just announced that a male African lion, Catali, was "humanely euthanized due to senior-related issues." That included advanced kidney and liver disease necessitating the administration of fluids several times to help care for his age-related conditions, zoo official said.
Catali was more than 17 at the time of his passing, which is considered geriatric for a lion, zoo officials said. He sired three cubs born in 2014.
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