Wild Spots Foundation

EarthLink e-Newsletter

(updated news, notes, information, & announcements for WSF members)

1. 2010 trip to Ecuador is set for March 6-12, 2010. This is an excellent opportunity to photograph endangered animal and plant species. Total cost from Miami $1450. Stay in our compound at the San Martin Zoological Gardens in Baños. Enjoy the incredible diversity of people and cultures, as well as the awesome beauty and eruptions of the local Volcano Tugurahua.

2. In search of the slug sucking snake. July 20-31, 2010, Cuzco + Manu Jungle Lodge in Peru. Total cost from Miami $2250. A team of American and Ecuadorian scientists working for Reptile & Amphibian Ecology International have discovered a treasure trove of previously undiscovered biodiversity in a rare and dwindling ecosystem in coastal Ecuador and the Manu area of Peru. The apparently new species include a blunt-snouted, slug-sucking snake and 30 species of rain frog. The snake belongs to a small group of serpents that specialize in eating gastropods (snails and slugs) and the closest relative of this intriguing snake is found nearly 350 miles away in Peru. Another snake, a snail-sucker, just discovered by the researchers, was previously found only as close as Panama, more than 600 miles away, and may also be a new species. The snail-sucker was first encountered by a 15-year-old volunteer working with the scientists. The new frogs have an extraordinary life-cycle. Instead of laying eggs in water which hatch into tadpoles, later to metamorphose into the adult form, they lay eggs in trees. The eggs then hatch out into miniature versions of the adults, some barely larger than a pinhead. Other animals found on the expedition include a gecko so small that it can perch with ample room to spare on the top of a pencil; three species of Lungless salamanders; and a bushmaster, which is the largest viper in the world, yet is rarely recorded, having been hunted almost to extinction in many parts of its range.

3. June 21-30, Ya'an Panda Preserve near Chengdu, China. Total cost from JFK $2950. Join Wild Spots Foundation group leader Dr. Barry W. Barker for a fascinating visit to China to volunteer in the care and feeding of Giant Pandas at Bi Feng Xia Panda Base in Ya’an. After the devastating earthquakes in Sichuan Province in May 2008, many of the pandas being kept at the Wolong Nature Preserve were transferred to Ya’an. Dr. Barker, a professor at Nova Southeastern University and Biodiversity expert states, “This once-in-a-lifetime experience provides the opportunity to participate first-hand in the care and feeding of these fascinating animals.” Volunteers will have the opportunity to visit the Panda Reproductive Center, temples, and the Chinese Opera in Cheng Du before heading to Ya’an. Two days will be spent with the pandas as a volunteer keeper with ample opportunities for photography. Duties may include gathering and delivering bamboo to the panda enclosures, as well as washing the enclosures and feeding the pandas. According to Barker, “The program at Ya’an is one of the most successful panda husbandry programs in the world and volunteers will have an incredible behind-the-scenes experience participating in the conservation of this endangered species”.

4. Kenya Photo Safari is scheduled for November 19-28, 2010. Total cost from JFK $3850. This project is open to all interested, particularly environmental science middle/high school teachers. If the reports are true, global warming is occurring at a faster rate than predicted; consequently, fragile ecosystems like the tropical savannah in Western Kenya may soon be threatened. The vast store-house of incredible species may be gone in less than 50 years. We hope to photographically document the species in this region of the world before this happens. email barkerb@nova.edu for more information.