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Estonia children's charity plans to donate teddies to police
By JARI TANNER
31 March 2017

HELSINKI (AP) -- An Estonian charity plans to donate two teddy bears to every police car in the Baltic country in case officers need to comfort traumatized children.

Kaur Vahtrik, a spokesman for the Traumamommik charity, or "Trauma Teddy," said Friday that it already has raised nearly 4,000 euros ($4,270) through a crowd funding campaign, more than half of the target of 7,000 euros set for the end of April. About 1,000 teddies will be handed over to the Estonian police on June 1, International Children's Day.

He said the bears will help children "overcome traumatic experiences" that have occurred on roads, in schools or at home. About 1,000 such incidents happen in Estonia every year, of which 300 are traffic crashes. Similar campaigns have been successfully conducted in Australia and the Netherlands.

Source: AP

Beloved railroad seen in 'La La Land' chugging back to life
By JOHN ROGERS
March 1, 2017



LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Angels Flight, LA's beloved little railroad, had its cameo in the hit musical "La La Land" and now it's almost ready for its close-up.

Read more: Beloved railroad seen in 'La La Land' chugging back to life

The cave squeaker returns: Rare frog seen after decades
By FARAI MUTSAKA
4 February 2017

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- The cave squeaker is back.

Researchers in Zimbabwe say they have found a rare frog that hasn't been seen in decades. The Artholeptis troglodytes, also known as the "cave squeaker" because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962 but there were no reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that. An international "red list" of threatened species tagged them as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

Read more: The cave squeaker returns: Rare frog seen after decades

Hawaiian Monk Seal population on the rise
By Molly Solomon
January 25, 2017

New data reveals some good news for Hawaiian monk seals. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, population numbers for the endangered species are on the rise.

After a decade of conservation efforts, experts predict a brighter future for the seals. Recently released population estimates show there are now 1,400 seals throughout the Hawaiian Islands. That’s a hundred more since last year. “Breaking down that number, it’s 1,100 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and roughly 300 in the main Hawaiian Islands,” said Charles Littnan, the lead scientist with NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program.

He said the population has been increasing 3 percent each year for the past three years. “For population monitors, 3 percent after looking at some 60 years of decline is a very happy trend to see,” Littnan said. “We have an incredibly long way to go towards recovery, but the really important thing here is emphasizing hope.”

Over the last three years, juvenile survival rates have greatly improved. Historically, less than one in five monk seals survived into adulthood. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say not only did the population increase, but overall it’s looking relatively stable,” said Littnan. “It’s looking well supported by these trends and that’s really exciting.”

That uptick is largely due to action taken to disentangle seals from marine debris and rehabilitation programs for malnourished seals at a Kona seal hospital on the Big Island. Littnan believes about 30 percent of the current seal population are alive today because of these efforts. “The system has been really supportive for monk seals,” he said. “We’re hoping that with that stability in the population and this turning the corner, that will be sustained.”

But Littnan says the critically endangered species still has a long way to go to reach full recovery. Current numbers are only about one-third of historic Hawaiian monk seal population levels.

Source: Hawaii Public Radio