ISIS Fighters Killed by Wild Boars in Iraq Before Ambushing Locals

A caged wild boar

Three fighters of the militant group ISIS have recently been killed by wild boars in Iraq while they planned to ambush tribesmen opposed to the globally ruthless terrorist organization. The attack occurred on Sunday when about eight jihadists had reportedly hid among dense reeds in the country's al-Rashad region, preparing to ambush local anti-ISIS tribesmen when a sounder of wild boars attacked the jihadists, killing three. According to Sheikh Anwar al-Assi, a chief of the Al-Ubaid tribe and leader of the local group of tribesmen who revolted after ISIS took control of the town of Hawija, the jihadists probably disturbed the animals which happen to inhabit the area as well as adjacent cornfields. This incident was confirmed by local Kurdish fighters who have teamed up with Shiite Muslim militias supported by Iran in an effort to get rid of ISIS from Hawija. The jihadists' dismembered bodies bodies were reportedly found by refugees fleeing the violence that has plagued Iraq. The news first appeared on a local news site Al-Sumaria, which cited unknown local sources and later received attention on social media as officials corroborated the event. While deaths caused by wild boars are rather uncommon in the region, the animals are known for their brutal attacks that can result in death, according to a 2006 article titled "Death by attack from a wild boar" published in the Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine.

This was one of several bizarre moments when wild animals unexpectedly attack and kill people, particularly criminals. About six years ago, an abalone poacher was attacked and killed by a great white shark in South Africa. While that was the case in which somebody deemed as a threat to wildlife was "brought to justice," this was the case in which members of an international terrorist organization inadvertently fell victim to wild animals. The ISIS has been widely known for some of the most horrendous acts of violence and mayhem in the world, which include beheadings of both civilians and soldiers, recruitment of child soldiers, sexual violence and slavery, and even destruction of cultural heritage sites. This incident reportedly came after the organization slaughtered about 25 civilians trying to escape areas under their control. Although three ISIS fighters have been killed by wild boars, there is a possibility that members of the organization will try to be more careful when conducting such brutal attacks and this could mean annihilating the wildlife which makes its home in the region where they are operating. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial to take strong measurements in annihilating this life-threatening terrorist organization once and for all.

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Scientists Discover Potential Antibiotic in Komodo Dragon Blood

Tujah, a komodo dragon whose blood contains a substance which is found to have germ-killing abilities.

A team of scientists from George Mason University have recently discovered an antibiotic in the blood of the komodo dragon. The discovery came when the scientists separated a substance in the dragon's blood that appeared to have powerful germ-killing capabilities. Influenced by the discovery, the scientists created a similar chemical in the lab and named it DRGN-1. The tests on mice with skin wounds infected with two types of bacteria indicated that DRGN-1 had three characteristics: it punched holes in the outer membrane of both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, dissolved biofilms that fasten bacteria together, and increased skin healing. The discoverers' study was published last week in the journal Biofilms and Microbiomes. Although their work was paid by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the researchers are now looking for drug-industry backing. The study's lead authors, Dr. Monique L. Van Hoek and Dr. Barney M. Bishop, are known to study monitor lizards, including komodo dragons, and crocodilians. Since komodo dragons are endangered, the researchers had to find one in captivity under care of staff members brave enough to obtain blood samples without anesthesia. Their search led them to St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park in Florida, where keepers distracted a 100-pound male dragon named Tujah while four tablespoons of blood was collected from his tail. According to Dr. Bishop, no reptiles were harmed during the process and no dragon farms would be created for collecting dragon blood. Dr. Van Hoek and her colleagues are analyzing more than forty other substances separated from Tujah's blood. In addition, komodo dragons in the wild might have more defenses against infection but the researchers are not likely to find out.    

Acinetobacter baumannii, a group of drug-resistant bacteria found in soil and water that is of tremendous threat to the human health.

This discovery is extremely crucial in medical science since more and more bacteria develop resistance to current drugs. In February, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed the most dangerous "superbugs", demanding new tools against them. These life-threatening bacteria are able to withstand current antibiotic drugs, making them a serious threat to human health. Dr. Bishop and Dr. Van Hoek have studied monitor lizards and crocodilians because they are able to survive severe wounds, including loss of limbs, in squalid environments without getting infected. The blood of the komodo dragon has recently been found to contain an antibiotic that can help people affected by Acinetobacter baumannii and other bacteria. As of now, komodo dragon blood is currently being tested for various substances that effectively fight the bacteria. This goes to show that while komodo dragons may be dangerous predators and have been linked to attacks on people, they may also help save lives of people under threat of drug-resistant bacteria. It is similar in the case of other venomous/poisonous animals whose venom/poison is scientifically proven to contain components that function as pain-killers against various life-threatening diseases, including cancer.

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Coral Bleaching Hits the Great Barrier Reef For the Second Year in a Row

A diver surveying bleached coral of the Great Barrier Reef near Orpheus Island. 

Aerial surveys have recently showed that Australia's Great Barrier Reef has been hit by severe coral bleaching for the second consecutive year. Incidences of severe coral bleaching in the reef had occurred three times in the past twenty years in 1998, 2002, and 2016. This year, however, marked the first time it has happened two years in a row. Scientists indicate that the damage is caused by increasing water temperatures due to global warming. According to James Kerry, a senior research officer of Queensland's ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, it takes about ten years for a full recovery, so mass bleaching events twelve months apart offers zero possibility of recovery for reefs damaged in 2016. He further added that it was "shocking" to see the degree of damage in a different section of the reef. Last year's damage was the worst in the northern third of the reef, while this year's damage is most serious in the middle third. According to Kerry, those areas of damage somewhat overlap so "some of the reefs now, in the northern and central section, have had a double dose of severe bleaching for two years in a row."

Composite map showing survey of coral reefs in 2016 and 2017.

Aerial footage released by the ARC Center showed large swaths of the reef drained of color. Although corals can recover if the ocean temperature returns to normal, continued stress may cause them to die. Mia Hoogenboom of James Cook University conducted several underwater assessments for the survey, and said she recorded damage to mound-shaped corals that are known to be more resistant to bleaching. The Arc Center further added that Cyclone Debbie "struck a section of the reef that had largely escaped the worst of the bleaching." A research on last year's bleaching incident showed that more than 90 percent of a 1,430-mile stretch of the reef had experienced some form of damage. A recently published study in Nature indicated that local measurements can basically do little to the reefs from bleaching. Instead, securing the future for coral reefs "ultimately requires urgent and rapid action to reduce global warming."

Photograph of bleached coral taken during an aerial survey near Cairns.

The Great Barrier Reef has long been considered one of the most iconic biodiverse hotspots in the world by scientists and researchers. However, this magnificent "garden of Eden" is under severe threat from bleaching due to global warming. This is why it is extremely crucial to take major steps to reduce global warming. If global warming continues, vast majority of life in the reef and other parts of the world would completely disappear. Therefore, the goal to prevent further bleaching of corals not just in the Great Barrier Reef, but in other parts of the world as well, is to urgent action to reduce further impact of global warming.

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$3.1 Million Worth of Rhino Horns Seized in Malaysia

Hamzah Sundang (2nd right), customs director of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, posing with recently seized rhino horns during a news conference.  

Authorities in Malaysia have recently seized about $3.1 million worth of rhino horns that were being transported from Mozambique via Qatar, marking Asia's latest seizure of products from endangered species to feed the insatiable demand for traditional medicine. Malaysia is known to be a major transport point for the trade in endangered species to other countries of Asia, even though a customs official indicated that the country was thought to have been the final destination of all eighteen rhino horns. According to Hamzah Sundang, customs director at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, officials found more than 112 lb of horns, following a tip-off, sealed in wooden crates inside a cargo warehouse. He indicated during a news conference that the horns had been transported to Malaysia via Doha, Qatar, on a Qatar Airways flight, using fraudulent documents and claimed as "Obra de arte" (objects of art). He further added that the investigations are still going and no suspects have been arrested. The office of Qatar Airways did not right away respond to a request for comment.

Incidences of the global trade in rhino horns and elephant ivory have been making international headlines lately. Usually, such incidences comprise of seizures being made of these illicit products which continue to be of high demand in Asia. For example, in January this year, 1,860 lb. of ivory tusks were seized in Malaysia. Last month, nearly $5 million worth of rhino horns were confiscated in Thailand, marking the country's largest seizure in years. Despite strict laws in banning of trade in ivory and rhino horns, especially in China, the demand continues to grow and it is being driven by international criminal syndicates that operate in secrecy. It is highly essential to crack down hard on these shadowy organizations, which monopolize in other forms of vice such as trafficking of drugs, weapons, and humans. At the same time, Southeast Asia should also take major steps in combating poaching and trade of its native wildlife. Just recently, Cambodia declared its tiger population as "functionally extinct." This shows how the poachers and other perpetrators of the illegal wildlife trade virtually operate with impunity.

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