The U.S. military should reassess its force posture in Europe and reduce its reliance on revolving door-style unit rotations, a major think tank’s analysts concluded in a Monday report.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ transnational threat team based their study on official documents, open-source materials and interviews with subject-matter experts.

The report’s authors recommend that the Army abandon the rotational armor brigade deployment model that “eats up … the Army’s force structure and long-term readiness.” Currently, two armor brigades are deployed to Europe. Instead, the report said, the service should permanently station an Armored Brigade Combat Team in Poland to replace one rotational unit and eliminate the remaining rotation altogether.

An Army Times investigation found that tank brigades and enlisted tank crew members were at higher risk of suicide than other soldiers in recent years, due in part to a decade of high operational tempo fueled by such non-combat deployments. The service once had armor brigades in Europe, but they were removed in the early 2010s.

Currently, the Army maintains a large presence of rotational forces in Europe. V Corps’ forward headquarters in Poznan, Poland oversees the three temporarily deployed brigade combat teams, which includes one light infantry brigade in addition to the two armor brigades. Other rotational forces include division headquarters, a combat aviation brigade, fires assets and sustainment units.

But the short-tour model has consequences, the report’s authors argued. They cost more money in the long-term compared to permanent bases, and they are less integrated into the continent’s culture and defense network. The deployment-based model negatively impacts soldiers, too — the authors said evidence suggests they “separate military personnel from their families,” causing “low morale” that can spawn “discipline issues and increased divorce rates.”

Army spokesperson Col. Roger Cabiness II told Army Times, however, that “forward basing of an ABCT is not a simple task.” Doing so would require diplomatic and legislative approvals both at home and abroad.

Despite efforts to reduce their operational tempo, the Army’s armor units continue to deploy at a high rate to fulfill the Europe requirements. The 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team cased its colors Monday, signifying its departure for an eight- or nine-month Europe rotation. The Iron Brigade’s new mission is beginning roughly 16 months after returning to Fort Carson, Colorado from another Europe deployment that wrapped in December 2022.

The report’s authors also recommended that the Air Force station an additional F-16 squadron in Germany; increase anti-submarine warfare capability and air defense forces; bolster stockpiles of prepositioned equipment and ammunition; and continue modernization, cyber, space and security cooperation efforts.

Source: Army Times

The post Army should permanently station armor brigade in Poland, report argues appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

HARARE, (CAJ News) – THE two-decade long rift between the United States (US) and Zimbabwe has widened.

This after America slapped some Zimbabwe individuals with a new visa restriction policy for allegedly undermining democracy.

The US Department of State did not disclose the identity of the individuals but the latest restrictions are linked to the elections Zimbabwe held in August.

A spokesperson said the US will pursue visa restrictions, pursuant to sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act, for individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Zimbabwe.

Such acts may include manipulating or rigging the electoral process, disenfranchising voters or preventing individuals from exercising their right to vote and excluding members of the political opposition from electoral processes.

The acts cited by the US also include restricting the ability of civil society organizations (CSOs) to operate and engage in democratic, governance or human rights related activities or intimidation of voters, election observers, or CSOs through threats or acts of physical violence.

These discrepancies marred the general elections in August.

The US Department of State also alleged restricted individuals’ engagement in corrupt acts, including bribery, that undermine the electoral process, interfering with the independent operation of the judiciary during its adjudication of electoral cases or abusing or violating human rights in Zimbabwe.

Family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions. Anyone who undermines the democratic process in Zimbabwe -including in the lead-up to, during and following Zimbabwe’s elections -may be found ineligible for US visas under this policy, the department warned.

The visa restriction policy, according to the department, will apply to specific individuals involved in these acts, and is not directed at the Zimbabwean people.

“The US supports Zimbabweans’ aspirations to have free and fair elections that reflect the will of the people and strengthen democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of human rights.”

Relations between the US and Zimbabwe have been strained since the early 2000s.

America accuses Zimbabwe of human rights violations and vote rigging.

However, the Southern African country accuses the US of sabotaging its economy through sanctions after Zimbabwe seized land from the minority white farmers.

Source: Caj News Africa

The post Further US Sanctions on Zimbabwe Rights Violators appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – The United States on Monday expanded a visa restriction policy on Ugandan officials to include those it believes are responsible for undermining democracy and repressing marginalized groups in Uganda, while also announcing a new visa restriction policy for officials in Zimbabwe.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the visa restrictions and mentioned, among others, the marginalization of groups like the LGBT community in Uganda and civil society advocates in Zimbabwe. Blinken’s statements did not name any official.

Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law, considered one of the harshest in the world, was enacted in May and carries the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” an offence that includes transmitting HIV through gay sex.

In June, the U.S. State Department imposed visa restrictions on Ugandan officials after the passage of the law. The State Department also previously put visa restrictions on Ugandan officials following the country’s 2021 elections, which it called “flawed.”

“Today, I am announcing the expansion of the visa restriction policy to include current or former Ugandan officials or others who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Uganda or for policies or actions aimed at repressing members of marginalized or vulnerable populations,” Blinken said on Monday.

“These groups include, but are not limited to, environmental activists, human rights defenders, journalists, LGBTQI+ persons, and civil society organizers.”

Blinken also announced a new visa restriction policy for those he said were undermining democracy in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in a disputed vote in August, which the opposition described as a “gigantic fraud” amid criticism from election observers who say the election failed to meet regional and international standards.

“Anyone who undermines the democratic process in Zimbabwe – including in the lead-up to, during, and following Zimbabwe’s August 2023 elections – may be found ineligible for U.S. visas under this policy,” Blinken said.

Source: Reuters

The post US Restricts Visas for Uganda, Zimbabwe Officials, Citing Repression appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

CNN — A US court on Tuesday sentenced a wildlife trade kingpin to 18 months in prison for conspiring to traffic hundreds of kilos of rhino horns, in a ruling conservation groups said would cause a major blow to the illicit business.

Teo Boon Ching, a Malaysian citizen nicknamed “the Godfather” by investigators, was part of a conspiracy to smuggle illegal rhino horns to international buyers, including in Manhattan, according to a news release from the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Ching, who was already under US sanctions, was arrested in Thailand last year and later extradited to the United States, the release said.

“Wildlife trafficking is a serious threat,” said Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in the release. “The substantial sentence shows the resolve of this office to use every tool at our disposal to ensure the protection of endangered species.”

Rhinos are critically endangered despite persistent efforts to save the species. Their numbers have dropped drastically due to hunting and habitat loss and mere thousands remain in the wild in Africa and Asia, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

A lucrative black market trade is driven by demand for traditional medicine in Asia – especially in China and Vietnam. Rhino horn is made of keratin – the same material found in human nails – and there is little scientific evidence it has any medical efficacy.

‘Body blow’

Prosecutors said a covert operation exposed Ching’s efforts to traffic about 219 kilograms [483 pounds] of rhino horns “resulting from the poaching of numerous rhinoceros” with an estimated value of $2.1 million.

In August 2019, at the direction of law enforcement, a source bought 12 rhino horns from Ching with money that he believed were the proceeds of other illegal wildlife trafficking and was in bank accounts in New York, officials said.

The horns were delivered in a suitcase in Thailand by those working for the wildlife trafficking organization, officials said.

Ching was arrested in Thailand on June 29, 2022 at the request of US authorities and extradited to the United States on October 7, 2022.

The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which supplied intelligence on Ching to US enforcement agents, said his jailing was a “body blow” to the illegal wildlife trade.

“Chinese and Vietnamese organized crime networks have long exploited Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries as transit hubs for smuggling illegal wildlife commodities from Africa into Asia,” an EIA statement read.

“The jailing of Teo Boon Ching and related US Treasury Department sanctions against him and his alleged trafficking organisation constitute a body-blow to their ability to function.”

In a statement, Olivia Swaak-Goldman, executive director of the non-profit Wildlife Justice Commission, said Ching’s conviction “sends a strong message that wildlife crime will no longer be tolerated.”

“His arrest and imprisonment has significantly disrupted the illegal wildlife trade,” she said.

Source: Cable News Network

The post ‘Godfather’ of Illicit Wildlife Trade Jailed in US for Trafficking Rhino Horns Worth $2 Million appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

David McCallum – the British actor who played as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, a pathologist on hit CBS TV program NCIS, has died aged 90 on Monday (25/09/2023). McCallum died on Monday of natural causes, surrounded by his family, at New York Presbyterian Hospital, CBS said in a statement.

NCIS executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North shared their memories of working with McCallum. “For over twenty years, David McCallum endeared himself to audiences around the world playing the wise, quirky, and sometimes enigmatic, Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard,” they shared in a statement. “But as much as his fans may have loved him, those who worked side by side with David loved him that much more. He was a scholar and a gentleman, always gracious, a consummate professional, and never one to pass up a joke.” 

McCallum has been active in the world of acting since the 50s. The Scottish-born actor was a gifted actor and author and beloved around the world. “He led an incredible life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and the countless hours on film and television that will never go away.”

His role in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. – in which he played a Russian agent – won him many fans, particularly young women charmed by his good looks. The series ended in 1968, but not before he received several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for playing the role of Illya Kuryakin on the show.

McCallum found roles in films including The Great Escape, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and A Night to Remember. He also guest starred on TV series Perry Mason and The Outer Limits.

His role on NCIS came after he appeared for a role in the show JAG, which led to the NCIS spinoff. NCIS itself later went on to generate other NCIS shows, including NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans.

McCallum also found work as a voice actor for children’s cartoons and video games. A statement issued by his family called him a “true renaissance man”. “He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father. He always put family before self,” son Peter McCallum said.

The post “NCIS pathologist” David McCallum dies at 90 appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

The US government has imposed visa ban on several Democratic Republic of Congo officials found culpable for trafficking endangered wildlife to China in the latest move to back conservationists.

The US State Department on Wednesday listed Cosma Wilungula Balongelwa, former Director General of the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), and Leonard Muamba Kanda, the former Department Head of the DRC Management Authority for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Director of ICCN. US also banned Augustin Ngumbi Amuri, the Director-Coordinator of the DRC CITES Management Authority and Legal Advisor to ICCN.

Balongelwa had been suspended from office in 2021 for ‘mismanagement.’ Now these individuals will no longer be eligible to enter US soil. Kanda’s wife Rose Nsele Ngokali and Wilungula’s wife, Esther Mwanga Wilungula are also “generally ineligible for entry into the United States”.

Under US law, foreign officials are generally barred from entry if authorities have credible information of their involvement that they have been involved “directly or indirectly, in significant corruption, including corruption related to the extraction of natural resources, or a gross violation of human rights”.

A statement issued by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said these officials “abused their public office by trafficking chimpanzees, gorillas, Okapi and other protected wildlife from the DRC, primarily to the People’s Republic of China, using falsified permits in exchange for bribes.”

Although they are responsible for protecting endangered wildlife such as the Congo gorilla and the Okapi, a species found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they are said to have undermined efforts to conserve the animals and were involved in “transnational criminal acts.”

They are said to have exported the animals primarily to the People’s Republic of China, using falsified permits in return for bribes.

“Their corrupt, transnational criminal actions not only undermined rule of law and government transparency in the DRC but also long-standing wildlife conservation efforts.”

The US says the move is a show of commitment to support the ICCN and those in the DRC who are working to “disrupt wildlife trafficking and promote accountability for corrupt officials and transnational criminals.”

ICCN, which is located in North Kivu, is suffering enormously from the lack of security in the province where dozens of armed groups already roam. Several guards for the ICCN and Virunga Park, which is under the Institute, in North Kivu, are regularly killed by armed individuals.

According to Méthode Uhoze, the Head of External Relations and Community Involvement at the Virunga Foundation, a local conservation lobby, seven Virunga Park security guards have been killed since the beginning of 2023.

“Nearly 200 ICCN guards have been killed in 20 years,” Uhoze said earlier this month.

The US statement did not directly link the officials to the killings.

Source: The East African

The post US Imposes Visa Ban on Congolese Officials for Trafficking Wildlife to China appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Former champion U.S. boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is in Zimbabwe to promote the sport a year after making a similar trip to Nigeria. But in Zimbabwe, Mayweather also appears to be supporting the ruling Zanu-PF party for August elections.

Mayweather’s private white jet landed Thursday in Zimbabwe, where he was welcomed and joined in dancing to African drums. The American former champion boxer told waiting reporters he was excited to be in Zimbabwe and back in Africa after his first trip to the continent in Nigeria a year ago.

“It is always great to come back to Africa. The motherland, a beautiful place, beautiful people, coming back to see my people. They embrace me with open hearts,” he said.

Like his visit to Nigeria, Mayweather’s trip to Zimbabwe was billed as promoting the sport of boxing. But his Zimbabwe trip is not without controversy.

Mayweather attended a political rally Thursday for the ruling Zanu-PF party, which critics accuse of using authoritarian tactics against opponents and mismanaging the struggling economy.

The 46-year-old former boxer is being hosted by Scott Sakupwanya, a controversial gold dealer who is running for parliament in next month’s elections on the Zanu-PF ticket.

Sakupwanya in April was named in an Al Jazeera investigative documentary, “The Gold Mafia,” that exposed a gold smuggling and money laundering ring involving top officials. A convicted gold smuggler in the documentary named Sakupwanya as Zimbabwe’s “biggest gold guy,” to which he has not responded.

Zimbabwe’s central bank froze the assets of four men named in the documentary, and the government says it is investigating the allegations.

Sakupwanya welcomed Mayweather to the Zanu-PF rally in Mabvuku, the Harare suburb where he is running for office.

“[Mayweather] is happy to be here, and wants to come again. He told me that people in America do not really know what is happening here,” Sakupwanya said. “He did not even bring his security details because he knows [Zimbabwe] is a peaceful country. He says this shows that foreigners shouldn’t talk about Zimbabwe before they come here, and they must leave politics where it’s not necessary.”

Sakupwanya gained public attention in 2020 when photos of him surfaced on social media posing with gold bars and millions of dollars in cash.

Some social media posts criticized Sakupwanya for campaigning with Mayweather, who is also known for flashing wealth, when most Zimbabweans are living in poverty.

Tendai Biti, vice president of the main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change, said: “It’s obscene, it’s immoral and it shows the wrong priorities of Zanu-PF. I hope the residents of Mabvuku are wise enough and will vote for a right candidate in the plebiscite to be held on August 23, 2023.”

Biti said Mayweather should be ashamed for becoming an implicit part of alleged illicit financial flows.

When called by VOA, a designated media team for Mayweather and Sakupwanya refused to comment on the issue.

The American former boxer is expected to fly to South Africa on Friday, and then return Sunday to visit Victoria Falls on Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia before returning to the U.S.

Source: VOA News

The post US Boxer Mayweather Stumps for Zimbabwe’s Ruling Party appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

According to the diplomat, the agreements signed in the 1980s only concern the exchange of notifications about launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), as well as large-scale strategic exercises.

“Neither one nor the other applies to this new promising system. And in general, test events of this kind do not fall under any verification mechanisms and cannot fall,” the deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a conversation with reporters.

“Poseidon” 2M39 is a project of a Russian unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with a nuclear power plant. It is being developed by the Rubin and Malachite design bureaus. Earlier, the media reported that a division of special submarines with Poseidons would be formed in Kamchatka by the end of 2024 – the beginning of 2025.

Also in Russia, testing of the new multifunctional missile system “Hermes” continues. It is designed to destroy tanks, armored vehicles, structures, surface targets and low-speed aircraft.

Source : life.ru

The post Russia Won’t Notify US of Poseidon Nuclear Drone Tests, Foreign Ministry Says appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

On the morning of June 24, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner PMC, announced that he had taken control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don and decided to reach Moscow. He accused the military leadership of the Russian Federation , including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the head of the General Staff Gerasimov, of “genocide of the Russian people” and the failure of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine and announced a “justice march”, which supposedly should help bring the leadership of the Russian military department to justice . Closer to the night of June 24, PMC “Wagner” and the Russian authorities, through the mediation of Alexander Lukashenko, reached an agreement, the march of mercenaries towards Moscow was stopped. The Russian authorities pledged to stop the criminal case against Yevgeny Prigozhin and not to prosecute the participants in the rebellion. The founder of PMC “Wagner” will go to Belarus, and the fighters of a private military company should go to field camps.

According to Baza, during the mutiny, Wagner PMC fighters shot down at least two combat helicopters and one aircraft of the Ministry of Defense. The telegram channel Rybar, close to the Ministry of Defense, claims that on June 24, more than 20 pilots who were on board the downed planes and helicopters were killed. According to the channel, we are talking about seven helicopters and planes. The propaganda publication Readovka writes about 15 dead, including eight people on board the Il-18. Telegram channel Fightbomber announced 13 dead. Channel One correspondent Irina Kuksenkova claimsthat, near Voronezh, PMC “Wagner” shot down an Il-22, on board of which there were ten people. According to her, Prigozhin, when asked about the plane, allegedly answered that “the fool PVE in the convoy shot down everything that took off.” Kuksenkova also stated that the founder of the PMC agreed to pay 50 million rubles in compensation to the relatives of the dead pilots.

The exact number of dead and injured is unknown. The Department of Defense does not comment on its losses.

Russia version

On the afternoon of June 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an appeal, calling what was happening “treason”, “mutiny” and “a stab in the back”.

“We are faced with internal betrayal and treason,” Putin said, referring to Prigozhin’s actions. He reiterated that he was “trying to organize a rebellion” and threatened that “anyone who embarked on the path of blackmail and threats” would be punished.

“Any internal turmoil is a mortal threat to our statehood. Our actions will be tough,” Putin promised.

Putin did not name Prigozhin by his last name. But he acknowledged that the work of state and law enforcement agencies in Rostov was “actually blocked.” The president used practically the same wording about “drawing him into a criminal adventure with threats” as the military department, taking his side.

“The one who organized the military rebellion, raised arms against his comrades – they betrayed Russia and will be held accountable for this,” the President of the Russian Federation also said in his address. “I will do everything to defend the country and protect our statehood, our people.”

Putin compared the actions of the Wagner PMC and the entry of their units into Rostov with the events of 1917, when Russia, according to him, also faced treason and betrayal, as a result of which “the victory in the First World War was stolen from it.”

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, in turn, expressed his conviction that this was a well-thought-out operation to seize power in the country.

By the evening of June 24, information appeared that Alexander Lukashenko had held talks with Yevgeny Prigozhin, they had reached an agreement to stop the movement of PMC fighters across Russia. Later, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov gave clarifications, saying that the criminal case against Prigozhin would be closed, and the founder of the Wagner PMC would leave for Belarus. The guarantee for his departure will be “the word of the president of Russia.” Part of the Wagner PMC fighters, who initially refused to participate in Prigozhin’s rebellion, will sign contracts with the Defense Ministry, Peskov said. Those fighters who took part in the riot will not be prosecuted “in view of their merit at the front,” the spokesman said.

Ukraine version

“Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself.” This is how President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the rebellion initiated in Russia by the founder of Wagner PMC.

“Russia has long masked its weakness and stupidity of its rule with propaganda. And now there is already so much chaos that you can’t hide it with any lies. And all this is one person who again and again scares with the year 1917, although he is generally not capable of leading to anything else. Russia’s weakness is obvious, full-scale weakness, and the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our soil, the more chaos, pain and problems it will get later,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel .

“The split between the elites is too obvious. It will not work to agree and pretend that everything is settled,” Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, wrote on Twitter.

In an interview with Current Time, he said whether Kiev could be involved in the rebellion in Russia: “Ukraine is involved exclusively in those actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that we carry out as part of offensive operations. Everything else develops naturally. We just look at it with sympathy “And we do not forget that Prigozhin is a war criminal for us. And we will demand some legal punishment for him as a result of the finale of this war.”

US version

The White House is “monitoring the situation” in Russia, and US President Joe Biden has been briefed on developments, National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said on June 24. “We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments,” Hodge said in a statement.

The next day, the American media came out with materials claiming that on June 21, US intelligence informed the military and high-ranking representatives of the White House that the founder of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was preparing to stage a rebellion against the Russian authorities. This, in particular, was written by The New York Times , The Washington Post and CNN .

Despite the fact that the essence and timing of Prigozhin’s plan became clear shortly before the mutiny, “there were enough signals to tell the leadership that something was wrong,” an American official told The Washington Post on condition of anonymity. He suggests that the US government was ready for the rebellion of the head of the Wagner PMC.

U.S. intelligence officials believe that Prigozhin had been planning a serious challenge to Russia’s military leadership for quite some time, but his ultimate goal was unclear, CNN said .

In particular, they warned congressmen about the “movement and buildup” of Wagner weapons near the Russian border. One source of the publication believes that it took at least several days to organize. But another interlocutor of journalists noted that Rostov-on-Don is very close to the front line, so, perhaps, Prigozhin’s rebellion did not require long preparations.

American officials, journalists write, believed that the main trigger for the start of Prigozhin’s rebellion was the order of the Ministry of Defense obliging PMC fighters to sign a contract with the military department. However, they addThe New York Times, US civil servants were afraid to make any statements in order not to give Moscow officials a reason to claim US involvement in the conflict. In addition, the American authorities were not interested in helping the Russian president avoid a “serious” blow.

Source : currenttime

The post Prigozhin’s Rebellion: Versions of Russia, Ukraine and the US appeared first on Zambezi Observer.

New video and photographs purporting to show ivory-billed woodpeckers flying in a Louisiana forest were published by researchers on Thursday, as government officials said they will make a final decision this year on whether the birds are extinct.

The images—grainy and taken from a distance by drones and trail cameras—offer tantalizing hints the large woodpecker may yet exist almost 80 years after the last agreed-upon sightings, in Louisiana.

Several experts said it adds to prior indications of their survival. They called on the government to drop the pending proposal to write off the so-called Lord God Bird—a nickname derived from the exclamation some viewers made upon seeing one.

But others dismissed the new research as inconclusive, including a scientist who said some of the footage clearly depicts another type of woodpecker many amateurs mistake for the ivory-billed.

The peer-reviewed research in the journal Ecology and Evolution comes from a group that’s spent more than a decade searching for the woodpeckers at an undisclosed site.

It includes drone video from as recently as October that shows a pair of birds with black-and-white coloring on the wings that researchers say helps distinguish them as ivory-billed woodpeckers.

“The last time a pair of birds was photographed would have been in the 1930s, so it’s really extraordinary on that level,” said Mark Michaels with Project Principalis, which sponsored the work and said it was being shared with federal wildlife officials.

The researchers also collected audio recordings of the woodpeckers and most of the search team had some kind of direct encounter, either seeing or hearing them, said Michaels and lead study author Steven Latta with the independent National Aviary in Pittsburgh.

An ivory-billed woodpecker would seem hard to miss with a 30-inch (76-centimeter) wingspan and a call reminiscent of a bulb bicycle horn. However, the bird’s preferred habitat is dense woodlands that can be hard for people to navigate. Many of those areas were logged early last century and the most recent agreed-upon sighting was in 1944.

There have been multiple reported sightings over decades. None fully resolved doubt, and federal officials said in 2021 there was “no objective evidence” of the bird’s continued existence.

After Project Principalis released early results of its work last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delayed the pending extinction declaration so it could take more public comment.

Federal officials want photos or videos all experts can agree on. Wildlife service spokesperson Christine Schuldheisz said the agency would “receive information on any species at any time.”

One of the study’s co-authors works at the wildlife service. A disclaimer said the research does not necessarily represent the agency’s views.

Millions of dollars have been spent on prior search efforts.

Cornell University Professor John Fitzpatrick, who was involved in a years-long search launched two decades ago in Arkansas, said the latest videos and photos when added to prior sightings provide sufficient cause to drop the extinction proposal.

“The region they are working in is highly likely to be able support ivory-billed,” he said.

Michael Collins, a scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory, said the videos show the similar but smaller pileated woodpecker, not the ivory-billed. Collins has published numerous papers on ivory-billed woodpeckers and claims to have seen them himself last decade in the Pearl River area along the Louisiana-Mississippi border.

In the new drone video showing a pair of birds, Collins said glare from the sun catches on their wings, causing them to look white.

“All of the flight characteristics are consistent with pileated woodpeckers but not ivory-billed woodpeckers,” Collins said. “This video shows a pileated woodpecker.”

Another ivory-billed expert, Geoffrey Hill from Auburn University, said Thursday’s study offers a “compelling set of evidence” that ivory-billed woodpeckers persist. But Hill acknowledged it was unlikely to settle the debate.

“People have made up their minds. Unless they get smacked in the face with a dead bird or see it on an IMAX movie, they aren’t going to change their minds,” he said.

Source : PHYS.ORG

The post Videos Show Purported Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers as US Moves Toward Extinction Decision appeared first on Zambezi Observer.