Wednesday, February 08, 2006

happy! ... ish

What can I say? maybe there is some hope in the world. There has been a discovery of a completelty human free sanctuary in Papau New Guinea, in the beautiful tropical forest.
According to bbc.co.uk:
Summary of the team's main discoveries:
- A new species of honeyeater, the first new bird species discovered on the island of New Guinea since 1939
- The formerly unknown breeding grounds of a "lost" bird of paradise - the six-wired bird of paradise (Parotia berlepschi)
- First photographs of the golden-fronted bowerbird displaying at its bower.
- A new large mammal for Indonesia, the golden-mantled tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus)
- More than 20 new species of frogs, including a tiny microhylid frog less than 14mm long
- A series of previously undescribed plant species, including five new species of palms
- A remarkable white-flowered rhododendron with flower about 15cm across
- Four new butterfly species.

Now this makes me ahappy and worried: like so many other animals before them, they have no idea what a human is, and do not worry about their presence. I mean, one bird tried to court a female scientist, and the long beaked echidneas were picked up like babies and brought back to the camp.
They're unafraid... like the dodobird, the Steller Sea Cow, or Stellers comorant (who was clubbed to death while sitting on its nest).
It's a lovely story... but can it stay that way?

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