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nes © NEWS™ polphins Dolphins UN Planetary Survival Report Sex Love 1b O°WSSAS SS O™(WSS Dolphins UN Planetary Survival Report A United Nations study saysthatplanetEarth amount of toxic and hazardous waste is being 1 ove S ex can support the six billion people expectedin _ transported across national boundaries.” the year 2000 - if economic development is World population is growing despite Masturbation, promiscuity and homosexu- balanced by environmental conservation. the deaths of over 11 millionchildren under | ality all seem to be common in dolphins, ac- The 1988 UN State of the world popula- _ the age of five Inthe developing world each | cording to results of studies of wild dolphins tion report, released in May, called for urgent year. About 100 million children under five | at Shark Bay, in Western Australia. action to preserve land, air and water. suffer protein malnutrition. The famous Monkey Mia bottle-nose “World population, now over five billion, The report said industrialised countries | dolphin herd, which has been given nick- will be six billion by the end of the century. have less than a quarter of the world’s popula- | names like Holey Fin, Puck and Bee Bee, “Nearly all of this growthis indeveloping _ tion but consume 75% of the energy. swim into shallows and allow people to feed countries, by definition those least capable of Slower growth and more even population | and touch them. ; absorbing it,” according to the report, which _ distribution can take pressure off agricultural Out in deeper water, a team of American said industrialised countries must help devel- _ land, energy sources, vital watersheds and | scientists has noted “constant sexual interac- oping nations solve population problems and _— forest areas, giving more time to plan for | tion, both heterosexual and homosexual” in develop technology that limits industrial sustainable development. China, Costa Rica, | the herd, according to US journal Science last environmental damage. Cuba, Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lankaand | June. “With care and attention to balanced pro- Thailand received praise for providing family Dolphins, like primates including chim- grams of conservation and sustainable devel- _ planning services and policies toslow popula- | panzees, have promiscuous sex-lives; females opment on the part of the international com- _ tion growth. often mate with many different males, and munity, governments, industry and all levels The report recommends developing me- | vice versa. Wild and captive dolphins mastur- of society, the Earth is capable of supporting dium-sized cities which provide better serv- | bate and male dolphins have even been re- the increasing needs of the next century," it ices torelieve the pressure. It predicts half the | ported mounting small boats. In the US, two said. world will be living in urban areas and one- | heavily-scarred males have kept constant But the study states that food produc- _ fifth of city-dwellers will reside in “mega- | company since 1975. tion worldwide must increase by3%to4% cities” of ten million or more by the year 2000. “So much of the interaction appears to be annually to feed these 6 billion people. The 10 largest cities in 1985 were: Tokyo | purely social,” says Richard Conner, a Uni- To do this, agricultural growth must be (18.8 million), Mexico City (17.3), Sao Paulo | versity of Michigan student and Monkey Mia linked to land rehabilitation, organic fertiliz- (15.9), New York (15.6), Shanghai (11.8), | team member. ers and pesticide alternatives and better water Calcutta (11.0), Buenos Aires (10.9), Rio de “The males are constantly mounting each and irrigation management, Janeiro (10.4), London (10.4) and Seoul | other and mounting females not in oestrus. Each year, the study sald, tropical for- _ (10.3). “There'll be a group of four or five males ests shrink by 11 million hectares, 26 billion In the year 2000, the report said, the 10 | and it seems like one of them goes, ‘Let's get tons of topsoil are lost and six milllon new _ largest cities will be Mexico City (25.8 mil- | Pointer!” And the other males start mounting hectares of new deserts appear. lion), Sao Paulo (24.0), Tokyo (20.2), Cal- | him with erections.” “Thirty one million hectares of forest in cutta (16.5), Bombay (16.0), New York One theory is that pairing in male dolphins Europe and North America are already af- _ (15.8), Seoul (13.5), Tehran (13.6), Shanghai | may promote co-operation in hunting and fected by acid in the air or soil, Anunknown —_ (13.3) and Rio de Janeiro. protection from attack. Reuter, AP AUS. dolphin study pioneer in the US, » Randy Wells of the Woods Hole Oceano- graphic Institute, says groups of males also work together to isolate a female and keep her with them. He has found that male botile- nosed dolphins have unusually large testes - their sperm is 300 times more concentrated than in humans and 100 times thatofchimpan- zees. “The early development of sexual behavi- our, many years before sexual maturity, sug- gests that sex is quite important in the lives of these animals,” says Wells. According to Barbara Smuts of the Uni- versity of Michigan, who has studied wild chimpanzees in Tanzania, large brain size is Telated to non-reproductive sexual behaviour in animals. Dolphins are believed to have evolved from land mammals; the ancestors of dolphins and chimpanzees are thought to have parted company 60 million years ago. Indistructible CFCs Orange Council in N.S.W..has discovered that it can’t get rid of its fluorocarbon-pro- pelled flysprays and air fresheners. Aldermen voted to destroy their 11- month supply of 156 cans, worth about $300, to help protect the earth’s ozone layer. But no- one can tell them how. A State Pollution Control] Commission officer said there is no way to destroy the cans without releasing the gaseous fluorocarbons. He said it might be possible to bum the cans in a high temperature incinerator at about 1,200 degrees centigrade. “But there isn't one in Australia,” he said. “So that’s out.” A United Nations study says that planet Earth can support the six billion people expected in the year 2000 - if economic development is balanced by environmental conservation. The 1988 UN State of the world popula- tion report, released in May, called for urgent action to preserve land, air and water. “World population, now over five billion, will be six billion by the end of the century. “Nearly all of this growth is in developing countries, by definition those least capable of absorbing it,” according to the report, which said industrialised countries must help devel- oping nations solve population problems and develop technology that limits industrial environmental damage. “With care and attention to balanced pro- grams of conservation and sustainable devel- opment on the part of the international com- munity, governments, industry and all levels of society, the Earth is capable of supporting the increasing needs of the next century,” it said. But the study states that food produc- tion worldwide must increase by 3% to4% annually to feed these 6 billion people. To do this, agricultural growth must be linked to land rehabilitation, organic fertiliz- ers and pesticide alternatives and better water and irrigation management, Each year, the study sald, tropical for- ests shrink by 11 million hectares, 26 billion tons of topsoil are lost and six milllon new hectares of new deserts appear. “Thirty one million hectares of forest in Europe and North America are already af- fected by acid in the air or soil. An unknown