Although few people outside the Arctic realise it, there is still a major legal hunt for the animals in four out of the five states that host the bears: Canada, Greenland, Alaska in the US, and Russia. Native and sport polar bear hunters may be facing more restrictions due to increasing threats to bear populations. MORE

I am a vegan who has adopted a diabetic greyhound who eats vegan food ( Natural Balance ), and who is adopting a boy from Russia. China has more girls available and Russia has more boys. My better half and I both have to go to Russia 2-3 times for short trips (3-7 days). My inbox this month has informed me that November is Vegan Awareness Month! And Diabetes Awareness Month. And Adoption Awareness Month. Who knew November was such a potentially-informative month? MORE

Though hunting still plays a role and led to a bilateral treaty with Russia, ratified last September, climate change is the major threat to polar bears today. To the Editor: Re “ Bearing Up ” (Op-Ed, Jan. 5): In contrast to the arguments made by Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the scientific literature is very clear that polar bear survival is highly threatened in the wild. MORE

I came across this story about it in Russia Today, an English language Russian newsite. By the way, here's a petition to have him tried as an adult. It claims that his brother was in on the abuse as well.maybe he was the camera guy? Lovely kids. MORE

The rumor mill has it that Bouvry wants to reopen the plant to service more inexpensively developing markets for its product in Russia, China and other Asian nations. Stanwood is right near where we live in Seattle and, sadly, home to Pigs Peace Animal Sanctuary which rescues all kinds of animals. I can only imagine how they feel. From the Sky Valley Chronicle. A new report in the Staug News of St. MORE

Found in the frozen forests near Russia’s border with Korea, the cats are feared to have just 30 members left in the wild. A wonderful new series on Nat Geo WILD this Tuesday, September 13th and Wednesday, September 14. Nat Geo WILD takes viewers around the world to follow dedicated people working to save Nature’s Miracle Babies – often the last hope for critically vulnerable species. MORE

From TRAFFIC, Customs officers from Russia and China met last week to strengthen international co-operation in tackling cross-border smuggling of Tigers and other wildlife products. Tags: wildlife smuggling wildlife trafficking tigers china russia MORE

Apparently it isn't the first time the King has been shooting big game in Africa, or elsewhere (Apparently he killed a bear in Russia a few years ago too). From the Wildlife Extra News. April 2012. King Juan Carlos of Spain, Honorary President of WWF Spain, is recovering in hospital after breaking his hip in Botswana where he was on an elephant hunt. MORE

This is something I've never heard of. From BiteBack : "December 5, in Izhevsk two locks on the entrances of the fur shop were filled with glue with the help of syringe, and the key holes were plastered over with the cold welding. Two big billboards were slashed, walls and sign - pelted with paint bombs. November 27, in Sochi at the billboard of the fur shop 'The furs of Scandinavia' a slogan 'Fur = murder!' was painted. The same inscriptions appeares near the fur shops in the centre of the city. MORE

Russia won the right to host 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and major construction works are about to begin. Tags: leopard russia Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was on hand when two leopards were released into the Caucasus. While I think the gesture is nice, it appears to be more of a publicity stunt to head off environmental criticism of the 2014 Olympic Games construction. "We We are standing here and admiring your animals. MORE

Greenpeace has absolutely no voice in Russia,” said Natalia Paslavskaya, director of 2nd Fur Salon, one of the most exclusive fur boutiques in Russia that caters to the most sophisticated clientele, usually able to afford paying $250,000 for a signature fur coat and ordering a new one every year. “I’ve Tags: fur animal rights russia Apparently, it is so deeply embedded in Russian culture that everyone wants it. MORE

The most spectacular case was in Krasnoyarsk Zoo (Russia), where people could watch the life of very interesting and strange family, consisting of four puma cubs, stray dog Mary and baby-badger. It turns out that people are not the only ones, who can adopt children – animals are good at this as well. Especially it is associated with dogs, which may raise kids of other species and even of scary and dangerous representatives of wildlife! MORE

The ministry said: “This is a serious step forward to protect Russia’s biological diversity. Kudos for Russian leader Vladimir Putin for stopping the slaughter of seals. Maybe Canada can learn something from the former KGB agent and avid hunter about compassion. This decision was made largely thanks to public environmental organisations which took an active position on this issue.” Conservation groups have staged protests in 20 Russian cities this week, demanding an end to the slaughter. MORE

After eight years of fighting a strict law that virtually bans an anesthetic essential for their work, Russia's veterinarians say they have nearly reached the end of their tether. Ketamine has long been used for operating on animals throughout the world, but when it came in vogue as a party drug in the late 1990s, Russia's response was to ban the substance entirely in 2003. veterinarians russialeaving them to sometimes do procedures with nothing to numb the animals' pain. MORE

Vladimir Putin, former President and current Prime Minister of Russia, just got a tiger cub for his birthday. He was visiting a wildlife preserve in Russia's Far East and shot the 5-year-old tiger as part of a program to track the rare cats, also known as the Siberian, Amur or Manchurian tiger. Tags: tigers russia He'll be donating it to a zoo or a wildlife preserve. No word on who gave it to him and I can't imagine where it came from (torn from its mother?), MORE

I thought he would be too busy writing best selling novels, composing award winning operas or ruling Russia to enter his dogs in contests and stuff. Two of President Dmitry Medvedev's dogs won top prizes in the Eurasia 2009 dog show! Hooray! His third dog only got 2nd place, and will probably be assisting border guards near the Republic of Georgia or some other exciting place. MORE

But I'm not exactly sure why RUSSIA would ban them. Apparently, some claim about 90 percent of Canadian sales are to Russia. Russia does have its own seal hunt, but apparently they banned killings of animals under one year old. Russia and two of its neighbours have informed the World Trade Organization that they are banning the import and export of harp seal pelts – a move that animal-rights activists are celebrating as the death knell of Canada’s commercial seal industry. MORE

The Calgary Zoo is under scrutiny for yet another animal death; Convicted dog fighter Michael Vick is welcomed back to Atlanta; New Zealand is being bombarded with international protests for what many consider to be a transition to “factory farming” in Mackenzie Country; Russia bemoans that fact that it hasn't matched the US in transforming sea lions into military weapons; and a German tourist is caught smuggling 44 lizards out of New Zealand in his underwear. MORE

The two-month operation involved national enforcement agencies in six tiger-range countries (China, India, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam) and was coordinated by INTERPOL's Environmental Crime Program at its headquarters in Lyon, France. From the PR Newswire. A coordinated international law enforcement operation has led to the arrest of 25 individuals suspected of taking part in the illicit trade of tigers, one of the world's most endangered species. MORE

Canada, Russia, the US, Denmark [via Greenland] and Norway want a piece of it. Tags: canada norway national security us russia arctic WONK ALERT! The Arctic, and foreign claims to it, are discussed in this dense piece by globalsecurity.org. It will probably make your head spin. Suffice to say that untapped oil reserves are at stake. AND the Arctic is getting even more accessible due to global warming (knew it would be good for something!) MORE

Spoon-billed Sandpipers nest only in the far north-east of Russia. Really sad. The Spoon-billed Sandpiper, one of the world's most threatened birds, is rapidly heading towards extinction because young birds are being targeted for human consumption. In 2000, around 1,000 breeding pairs were known, but by 2009, the number had plummeted to just 120-220 pairs, a decline of 88%. MORE