Video Release: FMG's failed attempt to bully the Yindjibarndi people

The original posting of "FMG's Great Native Title Swindle" has been censored from Vimeo due to legal threats from FMG. It received 12,900 views in 9 days.

This was brought to our attention a couple of days ago.  Unbelievable footage of Fortescue Metals Group (FMG, an Australian iron ore mining giant) trying to pressure the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal people into agreeing to allow the miners full rights to destroy their beautiful part of the Pilbara (in Western Australia) for the next century. What makes this worse is that the Yindjibarndi claim FMG brought (paid) Aboriginal people from another part of the Pilbara to help support their motives...something they obviously didn't appreciate.

FMG has reportedly offered a $10 million a year package to the Yindjibarndi, including $4 million in cash and $6 million in employment and training packages. However, the Yindjibarndi believe this is unfair compensation, and are pushing for a 0.5% royalty from the mine, equating to $40 - 50 million a year, based on similar agreements with other mining companies in the region, such as Rio Tinto.

But at the end of the day, there will be no royalties for the real losers of the deal... the Northern Quolls, Ghost Bats and Pilbara Olive Pythons.

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• Blowing Up Australia - Iron Ore

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Rare Orchids Cost Canadian Importer $100,000 Fine

A Canadian supplier for the traditional Chinese medicine market has been fined CAN$100,000 for importing endangered orchid species. Also found during the Environment Canada raid were a range of other species used in Chinese medicine, including;

• tree ferns;
• ivory from African Elephant;
• monkey;
• bear; and
• crocodile.

It's great to see effort going into stopping a market that exploits these animals for 'medicinal' purposes. How can the tusks of an African Elephant be considered a Chinese medicine?

Link: http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2010/can100000-fine-orchid-importer/

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Amazing Discovery of Mountain Tigers in Bhutan

Exciting News: The highest living tigers ever known have been captured on motion-sensing cameras in the mountains of Bhutan.

Thanks to a tip off from local villagers, a team from the BBC set up cameras for 3 months, and on returning were awstruck by the images, bringing wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan to tears.

" the fact they can live here is just so important,
for tigers in the wild, for their future "

Not only were tigers found living in this remote valley, but footage from the cameras showed they shared it with leopards and snow leopards....no where on earth have these three big cats be found to coexist.

The discovery holds high hopes that tigers live throughout the Himalayas, at similar elevations (up to the treeline at 4,100m). Due to the fact there may be less than 3000 wild tigers, the exact location will never be revealed, to prevent the huge threat from poaching.

Too see the extraordinary videos, visit the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8998000/8998042.stm

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