Charismatic Megafauna (Polar Bears and Sea Lions)

Charismatic megafauna (aka large animals that we humans find particularly appealing) have been taking a hard hit this month.

Six sea lions, including two endangered stellar sea lions and one California sea lion pup, died last week in trap put out by officials from Oregon and Washington. The sea lions are being trapped as part of a plan to trap, re-home and shot the sea lions accused of eating endangered salmon in the Columbia River.

Official at first thought the animals, known not only for their salmon eating, but for their performances at venues like Sea World, had died of gunshot wounds. Now they are speculating it was heat stroke that killed them. Sixty-degree temps are just fine for humans, but that's too hot for the blubbery mammals who prefer to live in cold water. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the animals in the trap could have panicked and become dehydrated.

The traps were not supposed to have been closed at the time. Permanent removal of the sea lions has been blocked until what happened to the six dead animals has been determined.

The news on the polar bear front is mixed. The good news is that after months and months of delay, the Bush administration made a decision at long last about whether to put polar bears on the endangered species list (as a threatened species). It has been two years since the Bush administration has added any species to the list. It is he first times a mammal has been added to the list because of global warming.

The bad news is, according to Greenpeace, the listing doesn't give the big fuzzy bears any more protection than they had before under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (the same act that has been "protecting" the sea lions).

The environmental group says the ruling has a "4d exemption" for the greenhouse gases which are melting the arctic ice the bears need to survive.