Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Killing with kindness?


Now we get this: "Radio tags designed to monitor endangered penguins could be killing them, say scientists". It is feared that flipper bands, used to identify the birds, cause physical damage and drag under the water.

Furthermore, research published in Nature (which is pier reviewed, so it must be right) suggests birds with flipper bands respond differently to the climate by arriving later on Possession Island, off Antarctica, than those untouched.

Dr Yvon Le Maho, of Strasbourg University, and colleagues say the value of many surveys is questionable. They say: "Responses of flipper-banded penguins to climate variability differ from non-banded birds."

I'm sorry, I know you shouldn't, but there are times when you just have to laugh. Still, beats letting the polar bears have them.

COMMENT: NEW GLOBAL WARMING THREAD