Posted on 09/25/2002 5:27:05 PM PDT by mdittmar
A rare camel that can survive in harsh conditions and several other animals have been granted increased protection status by the United Nations, officials said Wednesday.
The Bactrian camel, the great white shark and the blind river dolphin were among the species named to the U.N. Environment Program's most-protected list.
The camels live on the edge of the Tibetan mountains and are believed to number fewer than 1,000. They are threatened by poachers and encroaching human populations whose domestic camels compete for food.
The Bactrian camel is thought to be a distinct species whose numbers will shrink by more than 80 percent in 30 years unless protected, scientist John Hare told the Convention on Migratory Species in Bonn. The convention ended a weeklong session on Tuesday.
The camel's new status will require countries to prevent the animals from being killed, caught or used for scientific research, said Veronika Lenarz, a spokeswoman for the convention.
Delegates from the 80 countries represented at the convention also threw their support behind a campaign spearheaded by Prince Charles and Birdlife International to save the albatross, some 100,000 of which are estimated to die every year when they become snared by longline fishing boats.
Striking....
Weeklong,hmmm,what are the U.S. dues payed by you and me to the u.n.?
Clinton fired a cruise missle up its ass and it still lives. Amazing.
What the f@$k,that's what frick'en camels do!
Thanks for catching that,I'm slipping.
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