PLANET IN PERIL

The Narwhal American White Pelicans at the  Rapids of the Drowned, Wood Buffalo Park. Photo by Ansgar Walk. International officials are warning the Canadian government not enough is being done to protect the Peace-Athabasca delta — one of the world’s largest freshwater inland deltas — from the ravages of ongoing industrial development. More here.

The Guardian Oil spill disaster reduced biodiversity in sites closest to spill, report finds, as White House rolls back conservation measures. More here.

The New York Times  The largest  Antarctic   ozone hole  ever recorded on September 24, 2006. NASA. Last month, scientists disclosed a global pollution mystery:  a surprise rise in emissions of an outlawed industrial gas  that destroys the atmosphere’s protective ozone layer. More here.

The Guardian The deforestation it causes is decimating species such as orangutans and tigers - but the alternatives could be worse, finds authoritative report. More here.

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Photo by  Rémi Bigonneau UBC scientists say mammal threatened by climate change. More here.

NATIONAL OBSERVER BP Canada has spewed out 136,000 litres of a toxic mud into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Halifax during deepwater offshore exploratory oil drilling, a federal regulator says.  More here.

The New York Times Fracking in the Bakken formation of North Dakota.   Photo by  Joshua Doubek The American oil and gas industry is leaking more methane than the government thinks — much more, a new study says. Since methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, that is bad news for climate change. More here.

Science News. A pair of wild turkeys in Manitoba. A PinP photo. Researchers at the University of Guelph, Ontario have found residues of the insecticides in the livers of wild turkeys, providing evidence that this common agrochemical is being ingested by free-ranging animals. More here.

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO Researchers at the University of Waterloo may have discovered a new, pesticide-free way to limit mosquito populations in some area and reduce the spread of the West Nile virus. Story here. A more detailed version of this study can be found here.

TheNarwhal Researchers find arsenic levels in animals living near mine 20 to 50 times greater than those living away from it. More here.

PIG PROGRESS A research team has concluded that the viral disease - often considered the most deadly of all hog infections - spreads west at a speed of around 200 km per year. More here. The ear of an infected hog. ASF causes a condition called petechia - red or purple splotches due to bleeding into the skin. Photo credit - USDA RELATED: "In Hogs We Trust" - Part 3 - The consequences of animal diseases, worldwide.