
If you've ever been to Yellowstone or other parks in the U.S., you've seen the signs telling visitors to keep their distance from wild animals. In Yellowstone, park authorities warn visitors to remain within 25 yards of bison and other large animals—and within 100 yards of bears and wolves. And yet, plenty of people just don't seem to listen.
The #BisonSelfie is really a thing and it’s terrifying. http://t.co/zynqrY7AgQ http://t.co/SWkNrAq2Ip— KPAX Missoula News (@KPAX Missoula News)1440020114.0
In July, a woman and her daughter attempted to snap a selfie about six yards away from a bison. The bison charged, lifting the woman up and tossing her with its head. Fortunately, she only sustained minor injuries. The woman was "the fifth person injured after approaching a bison in Yellowstone so far this season—and the third whose dangerous encounter resulted from photo-taking," reports CNN.
Though Yellowstone and other parks have come to feel like giant zoos with many lamenting the "Disneyfication" of our national parks, many visitors seem to have forgotten that wild animals are unpredictable and potentially dangerous.
"The family said they read the warnings in both the park literature and the signage, but saw other people close to the bison, so they thought it would be OK," Park Ranger Colleen Rawlings said to CNN about the attack in July. "People need to recognize that Yellowstone wildlife is wild, even though they seem docile. This woman was lucky that her injuries were not more severe."
Another example of some brazen stupidity is in this YouTube video:
If you're thinking these are isolated incidents, think again. Waterton Canyon, a recreation and hiking area in Denver, Colorado, announced that it would close to the public because too many hikers "are trying to take selfies with bears," according to The Guardian. Initially, the park announced that it would close on Aug. 28 “due to increased bear activity in the canyon.” But a Denver Water blogpost on Sept. 4 revealed that the real reason is because "hundreds, if not thousands of visitors a day are looking for that perfect wildlife shot. That’s asking for trouble."
“We’ve actually seen people using selfie sticks to try and get as close to the bears as possible, sometimes within 10 feet of wild bears,” said Brandon Ransom, Denver Water’s manager of recreation. “The current situation is not conducive for the safety of our visitors or the well-being of the wildlife.”
Lake Tahoe park officials have warned hikers to stop taking selfies with bears, as well:
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A simple search on Twitter and Instagram reveals how common it is (it's even got its own hashtag):
My first #bearselfie of 2015 & hopefully not last! #alaska #bristolbay #katmai http://t.co/ty2BoVzPG3— Louisa Chu (@Louisa Chu)1435881596.0
Great trip to Black Bear Island #bearselfie #BeAlive http://t.co/oYSoHi4wF3— Chris Keefer (@Chris Keefer)1432561090.0
Love me a good #selfie #RT 🐼 #bearselfie #smokey #chipinque http://t.co/6lUPLtgNrc— Aaron Berkowitz (@Aaron Berkowitz)1428367932.0
"@alramirezUSA #naturalselection #nature will sift out those as dumb as these pl http://t.co/G1yGOOsedz #bearselfie http://t.co/hobZwSRlS0""— DIANAETERNO111111111 (@DIANAETERNO111111111)1416249536.0
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National Geographic just published this week: How to Not Get Attacked by a Bear. Bears are making a comeback across the country "thanks to regulated hunting and increased habitat," says National Geographic. And more and more humans are living in bear territory. So bear encounters are increasing dramatically.
Just last month, a man was killed by a bear in Yellowstone. Bear attacks are still quite rare—and fatalities even rarer. Still, it's important to know what to do when you encounter a bear (hint: whipping out your camera is not step one). I highly recommend reading the National Geographic article, especially if you plan to be hiking in an area that bears frequent. And for God's sake, please stop getting so close to bears just for the sake of some likes on Facebook or Instagram.
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Wisdom the mōlī, or Laysan albatross, is the oldest wild bird known to science at the age of at least 70. She is also, as of February 1, a new mother.
<div id="dadb2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="aa2ad8cb566c9b4b6d2df2693669f6f9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1357796504740761602" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">🚨Cute baby alert! Wisdom's chick has hatched!!! 🐣😍 Wisdom, a mōlī (Laysan albatross) and world’s oldest known, ban… https://t.co/Nco050ztBA</div> — USFWS Pacific Region (@USFWS Pacific Region)<a href="https://twitter.com/USFWSPacific/statuses/1357796504740761602">1612558888.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Comparing rime ice and glaze ice shows how each changes the texture of the blade. Gao, Liu and Hu, 2021, CC BY-ND
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How ice builds up on the tips of turbine blades. Gao, Liu and Hu, 2021, CC BY-ND
While traditional investment in the ocean technology sector has been tentative, growth in Israeli maritime innovations has been exponential in the last few years, and environmental concern has come to the forefront.
theDOCK aims to innovate the Israeli maritime sector. Pexels
<p>The UN hopes that new investments in ocean science and technology will help turn the tide for the oceans. As such, this year kicked off the <a href="https://www.oceandecade.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)</a> to galvanize massive support for the blue economy.</p><p>According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the "sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem," <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019338255#b0245" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Science Direct</a> reported. It represents this new sector for investments and innovations that work in tandem with the oceans rather than in exploitation of them.</p><p>As recently as Aug. 2020, <a href="https://www.reutersevents.com/sustainability/esg-investors-slow-make-waves-25tn-ocean-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a> noted that ESG Investors, those looking to invest in opportunities that have a positive impact in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, have been interested in "blue finance" but slow to invest.</p><p>"It is a hugely under-invested economic opportunity that is crucial to the way we have to address living on one planet," Simon Dent, director of blue investments at Mirova Natural Capital, told Reuters.</p><p>Even with slow investment, the blue economy is still expected to expand at twice the rate of the mainstream economy by 2030, Reuters reported. It already contributes $2.5tn a year in economic output, the report noted.</p><p>Current, upward <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/-innovation-blue-economy-2646147405.html" target="_self">shifts in blue economy investments are being driven by innovation</a>, a trend the UN hopes will continue globally for the benefit of all oceans and people.</p><p>In Israel, this push has successfully translated into investment in and innovation of global ports, shipping, logistics and offshore sectors. The "Startup Nation," as Israel is often called, has seen its maritime tech ecosystem grow "significantly" in recent years and expects that growth to "accelerate dramatically," <a href="https://itrade.gov.il/belgium-english/how-israel-is-becoming-a-port-of-call-for-maritime-innovation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iTrade</a> reported.</p><p>Driving this wave of momentum has been rising Israeli venture capital hub <a href="https://www.thedockinnovation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">theDOCK</a>. Founded by Israeli Navy veterans in 2017, theDOCK works with early-stage companies in the maritime space to bring their solutions to market. The hub's pioneering efforts ignited Israel's maritime technology sector, and now, with their new fund, theDOCK is motivating these high-tech solutions to also address ESG criteria.</p><p>"While ESG has always been on theDOCK's agenda, this theme has become even more of a priority," Nir Gartzman, theDOCK's managing partner, told EcoWatch. "80 percent of the startups in our portfolio (for theDOCK's Navigator II fund) will have a primary or secondary contribution to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria."</p><p>In a company presentation, theDOCK called contribution to the ESG agenda a "hot discussion topic" for traditional players in the space and their boards, many of whom are looking to adopt new technologies with a positive impact on the planet. The focus is on reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment, the presentation outlines. As such, theDOCK also explicitly screens candidate investments by ESG criteria as well.</p><p>Within the maritime space, environmental innovations could include measures like increased fuel and energy efficiency, better monitoring of potential pollution sources, improved waste and air emissions management and processing of marine debris/trash into reusable materials, theDOCK's presentation noted.</p>theDOCK team includes (left to right) Michal Hendel-Sufa, Head of Alliances, Noa Schuman, CMO, Nir Gartzman, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, and Hannan Carmeli, Co-Founder & Managing Partner. Dudu Koren
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