A Bird’s Eye View of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Occupation: Nonhuman Agency and Entangled Species

In January 2016, armed militants occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, demanding an end to government control of the Refuge and other similarly protected public lands. Public discourse about the occupation highlights ongoing tensions around land use, property rights, and government overreach. The discourse foregrounds human animal concerns and all but erases nonhuman animal agency. This essay considers nonhuman animal agency and the entanglement of humans, nonhumans, and the land as seen in the occupation and surrounding discourse. We draw from critical animal studies and feminist posthuman theory to examine how discourses of the occupation produce and reinforce a sense of human exceptionalism that elides a more useful and nuanced understanding of human–nonhuman–land relatedness and agency. The analysis shows how, in the case of the Malheur occupation, occupiers and critics alike rely on discourses of “othering” towards both nonhuman animals and other humans. We take a “birding” perspective on the occupation to show how the webs of relationality that connect humans, nonhumans, and the land might be activated as an antidote to destructive discourses of human exceptionalism.     

Why are Prices in Wild Catch and Aquaculture Industries so Different?

Through a comparative analysis of prices in capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors, the objectives of this paper are a) to investigate three the trends in prices of forage catches to feed the aquaculture species, b) to analyze the amount of fish species need to feed aquaculture species in order to assess the level of efficiency in resource use, and c) to examine the degree of economic concentration either in wild-catch industry and aquaculture sectors. The results show that prices of cultivated species are higher than prices of the same species when harvested from the sea. We explain this fact by the interplay of three forces. First, the amount of wild fish to feed aquaculture species continues to improve over time. Second, the pressure of fishing activities has not been reduced since catches of most forage fishes are declining, which induce higher prices of capture species that feed aquaculture production. Third, the level of seafood market concentration is significantly higher in aquaculture than in wild catches, which generates higher prices in aquaculture.     

葫芦岛市近岸海域水生动物重金属污染状况的监测

参考国内外有关生物残毒研究理论 ,对葫芦岛市沿岸海区 ,包括东起笊笠码头 ,西至绥中芷锚湾海滨海水中现存动物体重金属污染状况进行监测和评价。     

Metal and metalloid contamination in roadside soil and wild rats around a Pb-Zn mine in Kabwe, Zambia

Metal (Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni) and metalloid (As) accumulation was studied in roadside soil and wild rat (Rattus sp.) samples from near a Pb-Zn mine (Kabwe, Zambia) and the capital city of Zambia (Lusaka). The concentrations of the seven metals and As in the soil samples and Pb in the rat tissue samples were quantified using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, and As in Kabwe soil were much higher than benchmark values. Geographic Information System analysis indicated the source of metal pollution was mining and smelting activity. Interestingly, the area south of the mine was more highly contaminated even though the prevailing wind flow was westward. Wild rats from Kabwe had much higher tissue concentrations of Pb than those from Lusaka. Their body weight and renal Pb levels were negatively correlated, which suggests that mining activity might affect terrestrial animals in Kabwe.     

The microbial status of natural waters in a protected wilderness area

Waters derived from remote 'wilderness' locations have been assumed to be largely free of bacterial contamination and thus such, near-pristine, protected catchments, unused for agriculture, have been first in the multiple line of protection (pristine catchment-long storage-treatment-disinfection) employed by the water industry. This assumption is challenged by a bacterial survey of the waters derived from the New Cairngorm National Park, Scotland. Over 480 spot samples were taken for 59 sites between March 2001 and October 2002 during nine field campaigns each of three to five days duration. Over 75% of samples tested positive for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and 85% for total coliforms. Concentrations displayed both temporal and spatial patterns. Largest values occurred over the summer months and particularly at weekends at sites frequented by visitors, either for 'wild' camping or day visits, or where water was drawn from the river for drinking. Overall the spatial and temporal variations in bacterial concentrations suggest a relationship with visitor numbers and in particular wild camping. The implications of the results for drinking water quality and visitors health are discussed along with possible management options for the area in terms of improving the disposal of human waste.     

桐庐县富春江、分水江库区漂浮物打捞处置方案

桐庐县富春江、分水江库区漂浮物主要由水葫芦、生活垃圾、动物尸体三部分构成,结合桐庐县垃圾处理处置设施建设现状及规划,对水葫芦及生活垃圾采用机械打捞-压缩中转-烘干（仅水葫芦）-焚烧工艺,对动物尸体采用人工打捞-冷藏车运输-冷库储存-焚烧工艺。为确保水葫芦焚烧可行性,比较了烟气直接烘干和蒸汽间接烘干两种工艺,推荐采用蒸汽间接烘干。     

Can natural behavior be cultivated? The farm as local human/animal culture

Although the notion of natural behavior occurs in many policy-making and legal documents on animal welfare, no consensus has been reached concerning its definition. This paper argues that one reason why the notion resists unanimously accepted definition is that natural behavior is not properly a biological concept, although it aspires to be one, but rather a philosophical tendency to perceive animal behavior in accordance with certain dichotomies between nature and culture, animal and human, original orders and invented artifacts. The paper scrutinizes the philosophy of natural behavior as it developed in the organic movement in response to a perceived contrast between industrialized and traditional agriculture. There are two reasons for focusing on the organic movement: (i) the emphasis on “the natural” is most accentuated there and has a long history, (ii) everyday life on organic farms presupposes human/animal interplay, which conflicts with the philosophical tendency to separate nature from culture. This mismatch between theory and practice helps us see why, and how, the philosophy of natural behavior needs to be reconsidered. The paper proposes that we understand farms as local human/animal cultures, and asks what we can mean my natural behavior in such contexts. Since domestic animals adapt to agricultural environments via interaction with caretakers, such interplay is analyzed as “hub” in these animals’ natural behavior.     

Animal models of fetal renal disease

Fetal models of urinary tract disease have been used for many years and have provided unique and important insights into the pathophysiology of these conditions. This review will summarize the principal model systems used and the current directions of investigation. These models (including rabbit, opossum, sheep and recently swine) have demonstrated that in utero obstruction of the urinary tract alters renal growth, differentiation and produces stereotypical patterns of tissue response, particularly fibrosis. New molecular understanding of these processes has identified specific mechanisms that may be key elements in the development of renal dysfunction due to obstruction. These factors include the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) and its interaction with TGF-β in altering growth regulation and tissue fibrosis. These factors offer the prospect of clinical utility as markers of disease progression as well as pharmacologic therapy. Gene knockout systems have opened a new horizon of molecular models of congenital obstructive uropathy with insights into the role of the RAS in particular. It remains to be defined how closely these knockouts represent the human conditions they resemble. Continued application of fetal models of urinary obstruction, integrating large animal and knockout systems offers promise for improved diagnosis and treatment in these challenging conditions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Respect for Animal Autonomy in Bioethical Analysis: The Case of Automatic Milking Systems (AMS)

An analysis of the ethical impacts of the use of anAutomatic Milking System (AMS) is employed as a casestudy to illustrate the use of a form of bioethicalanalysis in technology assessment. The approach isbased on the Ethical Matrix, where `impacts' areassessed in terms of (lack of) respect for threeethical principles as applied to interest groups. Inthis case, only impacts on dairy cows are examined,and principally in terms of their behaviouralfreedom.In contrast to traditional milking systems, AMS, inprinciple, allow cows to present for milkingvoluntarily. So with AMS, it is claimed that dairymanagement relies on the autonomous interaction of thecow with her environment.One of the roles of bioethical analysis is to identifythe influence of rhetoric and symbolism in technologyassessment, e.g., with respect to the claimed`voluntariness' of cows' presentation. The AMS can beinstalled to allow cows three types of access, viz., i)free choice ii) rewarded access (RA) iii) obligatoryaccess (OA). Studies suggest the desire for milkremoval per se is not critical in the cow'sattendance at the AMS. Continued motivation to bemilked, required for the system to function,principally relies on RA and OA. Both RA and OA aresubject to numerous factors, such as: design of theAMS, location, etc. In turn, these can affect thecows' behavioural freedom and welfare.One of the aims of this approach is to illustrate theethical basis on which public policy is or can beformulated.     

碱性气体对鼠卵营养液M16和M2pH的影响

为了考察原核显微注射法制备转基因小鼠过程中Ｍ１６和Ｍ２鼠卵营养液的ＰＨ的影响因素,测定了不同存放条件下的Ｍ２和Ｍ１６营养液的ＰＨ,结果发现,Ｍ２ 完全开放的空气环境中放置７ｈ,ＰＨ升高２．６％（Ｐ〈０．００１）,在半封闭的实验环境中放置４ｄ,ＰＨ升高３．７％（Ｐ〈０．００１）;Ｍ１６在相对密闭的条件下放置７ｄ和１５ｄ,ＰＨ分别升高４．５％（Ｐ〈０．００１）和６．４％（Ｐ〈０．００１）,在半封闭的实