*The Atlantic northern right whale is slowly recovering. Photo: NOAA Fisheries*

Every week, lots of positive things happen that can get lost in the noise of the headlines. Happy Spot has selected five encouraging news stories from other portals that inspire optimism and could have come from us.

Rare whale: optimism for the North Atlantic right whale

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest whale species in the world. By 2020, the number of animals had declined dramatically due to collisions with ships or entanglement in giant fishing nets. However, extensive conservation measures have managed to halt the decline. The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium is now even reporting a slight increase in numbers over the last four years. There are now 384 North Atlantic right whales, eight more than last year. “We know this is only a modest increase,” says scientist Philip Hamilton in a Guardian report. “But if we can maintain this trend, it will lead to real growth in the whale population.”

More females have given birth to calves, and for some, the interval between births has shortened. At the same time, there have been no deaths and fewer injuries than in recent years. With the current numbers, small changes can have a big impact, in either direction. The North Atlantic right whales therefore need further protection measures in order to recover completely. They were once nearly wiped out during the era of commercial whaling. Today, they migrate annually from the coast of Florida to the waters off Canada.

Source: Guardian

More humpback whales than before the whaling era

Humpback whales like to swim close to the coast, making them easier to hunt than other whales. During the whaling era, they were hunted to the brink of extinction. Of the 125,000 animals that once existed, more than 100,000 were killed in the first half of the 20th century alone. They have been protected in the northern and southern hemispheres since 1963, and a total ban on hunting has been in place since 1966. And this has had an effect, as a report to the Australian government shows. More than 50,000 eastern Australian humpback whales now live on the east coast of the continent, far more than before the whaling era.

In the early 1960s, only about 150 of the original 30,000 animals had survived whaling, one of the authors of the report told Australian TV station ABC News. Over the following three decades, eastern Australian humpback whales recovered somewhat, with around 1,000 animals counted. The last estimate in 2015 put the number at 25,000, and now there are twice as many. There may even be as many as 60,000. The report states that Australia's long coastline offers them numerous opportunities to raise their young.

*There are now more humpback whales in eastern Australia than there were before whaling began. The population has recovered from 150 animals to over 50,000. Photo: Unsplash*

The large number of animals is causing new problems when humans encounter whales. In Australia, boats must maintain a minimum distance of 100 meters from whales, or 300 meters if calves are present. These limits should be respected and people should not go near the whales, advises a marine biologist in the ABC report. You can let the whales come to you if they want to. And there are plenty of opportunities to see the whales.

Growth is likely to slow down or even come to a halt soon. According to the report, the humpback whale population will soon reach its so-called carrying capacity, i.e., the maximum number of animals that the sea can support.

Source: ABC News

Green sea turtles now “not endangered”

Success for turtle conservation too: green sea turtles, previously classified as “critically endangered,” are now considered “not endangered” on the global list of threatened species. Various conservation measures have contributed to this, as Christine Madden, head of the WWF's sea turtle conservation program, explains. “The bycatch of turtles has been reduced through the introduction of turtle-friendly fishing practices,” Madden explains in a WWF statement. "And through decades of collaboration with communities, important nesting beaches have been protected and restored.

The recovery of green sea turtles gives hope for animals that are still endangered or newly endangered. Currently, 48,646 of 172,620 species are threatened with extinction. Habitat loss is particularly damaging to animals, whether through deforestation or climate change. The WWF points out that major efforts and protective measures are still needed.

Source: WWF

Herpesvirus: Vaccine breakthrough for elephants

A team in the UK has achieved a breakthrough in vaccine development for Asian elephants. The vaccine targets the endotheliotropic elephant herpesvirus (EEHV), which causes a disease that is fatal to young animals. While the virus circulates in adult animals without causing disease, it often has fatal consequences, especially for elephants between the ages of two and five. This is true both in the wild and in zoos. In 2022, all three young elephants between the ages of two and eight at Zurich Zoo died within a few weeks from diseases caused by the herpesvirus. Even with the best care, there is currently little chance of saving the sick young animals. At Chester Zoo in England, five young animals died in quick succession in 2015, and another two in 2018, which spurred the search for a vaccine.

*The elephant herpesvirus EEHV threatens young elephants in the wild and in zoos. But now there is hope for a vaccine that could protect the young animals. Photo: Unsplash*

And now the team is reporting an important success. For the first time, it has been able to trigger an immune response with a vaccine that could protect young elephants from the effects of the herpes virus. In the study, elephants received two doses of the vaccine and their blood was then examined. The study was published in Nature Communications and is considered “proof of concept.”

It is still too early to celebrate the end of deaths from elephant herpesvirus, writes one of the study's authors. But it is an important step, even a turning point, toward protecting as many calves as possible in the near future. The next step is to conduct vaccination studies in zoos and in the wild to protect young animals.

Source: Independent

Fewer peanut allergies in children

For a long time, children in the US were not given peanuts until they were three years old. Then a study in 2015 led to a change in this guideline. Since then, it has been recommended that babies be fed peanut products such as peanut butter from the age of four months. According to a recent study, this has prevented peanut allergies in 60,000 children over the last ten years.

A commentary on the study points out that the results may not be representative of all children and cannot be applied to other countries. Peanuts are consumed much more frequently in the US than in other countries. According to an allergist, it is crucial that peanut products are given regularly and over a longer period of time when introducing them early on. If peanut butter is fed during the first year of life and then not given again for a long time, this could actually promote an allergy.

Source: Spiegel

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