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HERE, YOU'LL LEARN ALL ABOUT ZOOLOGY IN AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY (A.A.U) EKPOMA ,EDO STATE , NIGERIA..
You'll be acquinted about ZOOLOGY as a course of study,and all that it entails.The various areas of specilization and job opportunities which are available to zoologist all over the world.We would also include links to other zoological sites where you can obtain more information about Zoology.
ZOOLOGY
A division of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary.
The division of Zoology has faculty members with active research programmes in comparative anatomy, animal behaviour, cytology, embryology, parasitology, endocrinology, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neuromuscular physiology, electrophysiology of muscles and environmental physiology.
What is Zoology?
Zoology is the study of animal development, form and function. Embryologists examine the development of animals before birth or hatching, and morphologists study the structure of the organism. Animal physiologists consider the function of animals relating to their metabolism, circulation, respiration and reproduction. Zoologists also investigate the behaviour and ecology of animals. Students at the U of C often utilize the Kananaskis Field Station, and the Bamfield Marine Station during their degree programmes. The Division of Zoology also has numerous teaching and research affiliations with departments in the faculty of Medicine.
Career Prospects
The latter part of the undergraduates degree program in Zoology can be individually tailored to career aspirations. Some students, intrigued by a particular group of animals or a specific area of study, elect to pursue graduate (Masters Degree or Doctorate) studies. Other students apply for entry into professional training programmes such as medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine.
With an interest in aquatic biology some students become marine or freshwater biologists. In agriculture, zoology degrees prepare students for careers in animal husbandry. This field is also preparatory for bioengineering, biomedical engineering and education.
People interested in combining field work with their career often use a degree in Zoology to become fish and wildlife biologists. Many people who work in zoos have degrees in Zoology.
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The Department of Zoology takes special pride in its teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Courses at the undergraduate level, for example, provide a broad foundation in animal biology and allow students to pursue selected areas of interest in depth through research participation and advanced studies courses.
Zoology is one of the most popular majors for students interested in a health professions career, and the curriculum provides an excellent base of preparation for a wide variety of careers or for postgraduate study. The Zoology major program is designed to meet the needs of students who plan to enter graduate school in the biological sciences, to enter medical, dental, or veterinary college, or to work in specialized paramedical fields, environmental programs, or other careers in which zoology would serve as an academic background.
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Undergraduate Studies:
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The department encourages participation in the Honors College, the Zoological Society, and other opportunities for individualized educational enhancement. Several student clubs are sponsored by Zoology faculty members and allow students with common interests to take field trips and hear talks about career planning and other important topics. The Zoology Aid Program (ZAP) is composed of undergraduate students who volunteer to tutor other students in Introductory Zoology. It is a rewarding experience for both the ZAP volunteers and those with whom they work.
The department strongly recommends that each student work closely with his or her adviser on a regular basis since not all courses are offered every semester. Majors or prospective majors should also work with the zoology advisory office to plan a program which will meet their career goals. The advisory office can furnish information on courses, curricula and careers available to majors and will facilitate the assignment of a faculty adviser.
The Zoology Department is actively involved in the Honors Program, and many undergraduate students carry out independent research projects under the guidance of faculty members with national and international reputations in their fields.
Zoology majors may work also for the standard secondary teaching certificate in science. For information consult an academic adviser in the College of Arts and Sciences office. |
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Lyme Disease
Are You at Risk? |
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WHILE AIDS is grabbing headlines, Lyme disease is barely making footnotes. Yet, Lyme disease is spreading rapidly. In fact, a few years ago, The New York Times Magazine called it "the fastest-growing infectious disease in the [United States] after AIDS." Reports from other lands show that the disease is spreading in Asia, Europe, and South America as well.
What is Lyme disease? How is it spreading? Are you at risk?
Ticks, Deer, and You
Some 20 years ago, a mysterious increase in arthritis cases occurred in and around the town of Lyme, Connecticut, which is located in the northeastern part of the United States. The victims were mostly children. Their arthritis began with rashes, headaches, and pains in their joints. One resident noted that soon her "husband and two of the children were on crutches." Before long, over 50 people in that area were affected, and within years, thousands were suffering the same painful symptoms.
Researchers, realizing that this illness was different from other diseases, named it Lyme disease. Its cause? Borrelia burgdorferia corkscrew-shaped bacterium living in ticks. How is it spread? Strolling through the woods, a person may pick up an infected tick. The tick pierces the person's skin and injects the disease-causing bacterium into the hapless stroller. Since these infected ticks often hitchhike, feed, and mate on deer and since more people are settling in rural areas where deer are thriving, it is no wonder that the incidence of Lyme disease has been rising.
Symptoms and Problems |
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A stroll in the woods can put you at risk |
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The first symptom of Lyme disease is generally a skin rash (known as erythema migrans, or EM) that starts as a small red spot. Over a period of days or weeks, the telltale spot expands into a circular, triangular, or oval-shaped rash that may be the size of a dime or may spread over the entire width of one's back. Fever, headache, stiff neck, body aches, and fatigue often accompany the rash. If not treated in time, more than half the victims suffer attacks of painful and swollen joints, which may last for months. Up to 20 percent of untreated patients end up with chronic arthritis. Though less common, the disease may also affect the nervous system and cause heart problems.See the accompanying box
Signs of Lyme Disease
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Early Infection:
Rash
Muscle and joint aches
Headache
Stiff neck
Significant fatigue
Fever
Facial paralysis
Meningitis
Brief episodes of joint pain and swelling
Less common:
Eye inflammation
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
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Late Infection:
Arthritis, intermittent or chronic
Less common:
Memory loss
Difficulty with concentration
Change in mood or sleeping habits
One or more of these symptoms may be present at different times during the infection.Lyme DiseaseThe Facts, the Challenge, published by the National Institutes of Health. |
Many experts consider Lyme disease difficult to diagnose because its initial, flulike symptoms are similar to those of other infections. In addition, 1 out of every 4 infected persons does not develop a rashthe only hallmark unique to Lyme diseaseand many patients cannot recall if they were bitten by a tick because its bite is usually painless.
The diagnosis of the disease is further hampered because currently available antibody blood tests are unreliable. Antibodies in the patient's blood tell that the body's immune system has detected invaders, but some tests cannot tell if those invaders are Lyme disease bacteria. So a patient may test positive for Lyme disease while, in reality, his symptoms stem from other bacterial infections. The National Institutes of Health in the United States (NIH) therefore advises physicians to base their diagnosis on the history of a tick bite, the patient's symptoms, and a thorough ruling out of other diseases that may have triggered those symptoms.
Treatment and Prevention
If diagnosed in time, most patients can be treated successfully with antibiotics. The sooner the treatment begins, the quicker and fuller will be the recovery. For several months after the treatment, fatigue and achiness may persist, but these symptoms will decrease without the need of more antibiotic therapy. However, warns NIH, "a bout with Lyme disease is no guarantee that the illness will be prevented in the future."
Will that disquieting prospect ever change? A news release from Yale University School of Medicine in the United States announced that researchers have developed an experimental vaccine that may prevent Lyme disease. This "dual-action" vaccine stimulates the human immune system to produce antibodies that attack and kill invading Lyme bacteria. At the same time, it also destroys the bacteria living in the ticks that bite a vaccinated victim.
"Testing this vaccine," says Dr. Stephen E. Malawista, one of the researchers who discovered Lyme disease in 1975, "is a major development in our efforts to protect people from the potentially serious consequences of Lyme disease." Scientists hope, notes The New York Times, that in areas where fear of the disease has kept people indoors, "this vaccine will help reclaim the wilderness for human use."
Meanwhile, though, you can take some preventive measures of your own. NIH recommends: If walking through areas teeming with ticks, stay in the center of trails. Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a hat. Tuck pant legs into socks, and wear shoes that leave no part of the feet exposed. Wearing light-colored clothing makes it easier to detect ticks. Insect repellents applied to clothing and skin are effective, but they can cause serious side effects particularly to children. "Pregnant women should be especially careful to avoid ticks in Lyme disease areas," cautions NIH, "because the infection can be transferred to the unborn child" and may increase the likelihood of a miscarriage or a stillborn baby.
Once indoors, check yourself and your children for ticks, especially in the hairy regions of the body. Do this carefully because immature ticks are about as tiny as the period that ends this sentence and you can easily mistake them for a speck of dirt. If you have pets, check them before they enter the house-they too can catch Lyme disease. 
How do you remove a tick? Not with your bare fingers but with blunt tweezers. Tug gently but firmly near the head of the tick until it releases its hold on the skin, but do not squeeze its body. Then swab the bite area thoroughly with an antiseptic. Removing the tick within 24 hours, says Dr. Gary Wormser, an American specialist in infectious diseases, may save you from Lyme disease infection.
Granted, even in heavily infested areas, the chance of getting crippling Lyme disease is small. Yet, taking those simple precautions will make that small chance even smaller. Are these safeguards worth the trouble? Ask any sufferer of Lyme disease.
Tick images: Yale School of Medicine |
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Undergraduate Studies:
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Department of Biological Sciences |
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Welcome! |
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 The Department of Biological Sciences is the largest and most diverse department in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary. Members of the department are conducting research in a wide variety of topics ranging from biochemistry and molecular biology to microbiology, plant and animal physiology, evolution and population ecology.
In addition to our central facility in the Biological Sciences Building, faculty conduct their research at the Bamfield Marine Station, the Kananaskis Research Centre and a number of other national and international sites. Our faculty and programs have an international reputation for excellence in Biological Sciences, and we are proud of the achievements of our graduates.
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Each day just around dusk , a truly astonishing event takes place under the heart of Benin in Ring road (EDO STATE NIGERIA)at a distance , you might think that you see an enormous black cloud billowing from the depths of the earth. It is of note that , it's not a cloud of smoke that darkens the the early evening sky, but the mass of exodus of about 20 million free-tailed flying Bats from the depths of its caves. These bats pursue their favourite source of mael at that time of the day, insects.The night sky must contain an overabundance of ultrasonic bat insearch for nutrients the insects,this overabundance of ultrasonic bats during the early evinings form what we call" The Bat Cell". These unique mammals is equipped with a highly sophisticated system for detecting its own echoes at that time of the day there is no confusion when flying in groups .The bat are very wonderful in nature, learn to love them.
Get More Information From Zoologist Around Your Place Of Dwelling. As You Wait For More Information On This Site. 
FACT ABOUT BATS
As bats fly, they issue a continuous stream of high-pitched sounds at the rate of about 30 per second. The frequency of these sounds starts at approximately 30,000 cycles, the extreme upper limit of human hearing, and ranges upward to 60,000 cycles.
The squeaking of a roosting bat is at a much lower frequency and easily discernible to the human ear. If a bat picks up an echo from one of its sounds, it instantly speeds up the rate of discharge until the signals are coming at 50-60 per second.
The pattern formed by the echoes tells the bat of obstacles, their size, shape, and location. Bats can thus easily locate their prey, night-flying insects, as well. This is referred to as echolocation.
Wings
Bat "wings" are really leathery membranes stretched between the extremely elongated four "fingers" of their front feet, extending back to the outer portion of their hind legs. Another membrane extends from the inside of the hind legs to the tail, leaving the hind feet free for gripping as the bat hangs upside down in its roost.
Eyes
Although the bat is not blind, its eyes are best adapted to seeing in the dark, and see in only black-and-white.
Ears
Bats have greatly enlarged ears, necessary for night flying, which they keep meticulously clean with their sharp thumbs.
Feet
The thumbs of the forefoot are small, equipped with sharp claws and not connected to the membrane.
Behavior
Bats are very shy creatures and like most wild animals, avoid contact with humans while going about their business of eating, reproducing and avoiding predators. Bats vary greatly in their habits, depending on their species. Some fly in daylight, others at dusk or dawn, and still others only in the dark of night. Some are found exclusively in remote caves, others in remote caves or behind the shutters of your house. Some hibernate while others migrate long distances.
The flight of bats is not direct but undulating, somewhat like a stone skipping across a pond. As it hunts, the bat is virtually unmolested. Occasionally, one may fall prey to an owl, or a sudden storm might claim some victims, but, for the most part, the life of the bat is quite uneventful.
Although their general appearance would seem to deny it, bats are clean. When a bat returns to its roost for its upside-down sleep, it will spend as much as 30 minutes cleaning itself before settling down to sleep. Wherever it can reach with its long, pink tongue will be thoroughly bathed. Often, moistened hind feet with their fingers free of the membrane will tend to the rest of the body.
When winter comes, insects are no longer available and weather extremes make flying hazardous. The bat, having at least doubled its weight since spring, will either hibernate or migrate. Some bat migrations are known to cover as much as 1,000 miles. By late fall, one way or another , the bat has accumulated a layer of fat that will sustain it either through a winter's sleep or a marathon migration flight.
 
BY
TOMFAWEI SCOTNIEL DANIELS.
300LEVEL ZOOLOGY STUDENT
AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY(A.A.U) EKPOMA
EDO STATE , NIGERIA...
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What's New?The Department of Zoology has a primary responsibility for undergraduate and graduate instruction in fundamental aspects of animal biology, including the principles of form, function, and development, and diversity produced by animal evolution. The teaching program provides a broad coverge of basic biological processes in invertebrate and vertebrate animals at the cellular, organismic, population, and community levels. Students receive background for a variety of professional positions in the public and private sector, and for graduate programs in the biological sciences including health-related fields. The department offers the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, master of science, and doctor of philosophy degrees. Zoology faculty contribute significantly to the biology core curriculum, marine biology minor, genetics program, University Honors Program, Ocean projects and Undergraduate Research Opportunity programs, and courses at the Shoals Marine Laboratory.
There is a strong teaching and research emphasis on ecological and physiological processes in aquatic animals or ecosystems. This focus is enhanced by the geographic location of the University and the availability of facilities for aquatic research. The University provides unusual opportunities for the study of a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial animals due to its access to the seacoast and the lakes region of New Hampshire, and the presence of coastal marine laboratories, as well as estuarine and freshwater laboratories.
latest information 
WWW Virtual Library - Sri Lanka
e-mail
SRI LANKA: WILD LIFE, FAUNA & FLORA![[updated! ]](http://www.lankalibrary.com/updated.gif)
Sinharaja & Other National Parks ![[CHEETAH! ]](http://www.lankalibrary.com/cheetah.gif)
- Protected Areas of Sri Lanka
 ( by Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society )
- Sinharaja Forest
![[Sinharaja! ]](http://www.lankalibrary.com/wlife/sinharaja.jpg)
- Vignettes of Sinharaja (Sinharaja, our great tropical rain forest, by all accounts is a vast repository of national wealth. It was declared a National Heritage Wilderness Site in 1988 and a World Heritage Site in 1989.)
- Sinharaja Forest ( the only evergreen rain forest in Sri Lanka which belongs to few remaining virgin forests in the world, is home to hundreds of indigenous flora and many kinds of birds, beasts and reptiles. The Sinhajara forest, 11,187 hectares in all was declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve (MBR) in 1978 and it became a National Heritage Wilderness Area under the National Heritage Wilderness Area Act in 1988. This virgin forest was named World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1989. )
- Yala National Park
- Yala National Park (YALA is among the oldest and best known of Sri Lankas National Parks. Yala covers about 1297 Km2 or 129,700 ha. And it is the largest agglomeration of protected areas in the country. Kumbukkan Oya in the north East and Menik Ganga and tributaries on the West flow through the Park providing a source of water to the animals even during the driest months of the year. )
- Tiger Trails in Yala (Yala is now well recognised as one of the best parks in the world to observe and photograph leopards. )
- Vilpattu National Park - The biggest national park in Lanka ( 115 miles from Colombo and 18 miles from Anuradhapura, Vilpattu is the biggest national park in this country covering around 500 sq. miles. )
- The birth of a National Park: Uda Walawe ( nestles in the borders of the Moneragala and Ratnapura districts, covers an area of 30,821 hectares. The park was declared a National Park on June 30, 1972 and since then it has become a safe home and a refuge to the animals who had lost their original habitats. According to data, the highest number of wild and tamed elephants live in this park. )
- An abode in the wilderness - forest cover of Randenigala ( In the salubrious forest cover of Randenigala live the elephant, tiger, the deer, the sambur, wild boar, and the other quadrupeds along with such reptiles like the python, the cobra and the viper )
Sri Lanka Wildlife
![[Yala Leopards! ]](http://www.lankalibrary.com/wlife/leopard.jpg)
- Sri Lankan Sloth Bear ( The sloth bear (Ursus ursinus), formerly found in most dry zone low country jungles, is now confined to pockets of relatively undisturbed forest. It seems that with encroachment and the general disturbance of our forests, the sloth bear is among the first animals to disappear.)
- Interesting Wildlife of Sri Lanka ( Though Sri Lanka is very small in land area, the great diversity in habitats harbors are a rich and diverse fauna and flora, with many species endemic to the island.)
- Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society)
- Sri Lanka's venomous snakes and their habitat (Island Feature by Ariyadasa Ratnasinghe)
- Sri Lankan Lizards: kabaragoyas & Thalagoyas (Kabaragoyas and thalagoyas are common in Ceylon and are seldom found anywhere else in the world. The kabaragoya is large, the size of an average crocodile, and the thalagoya smaller - a cross between an iguana and a giant lizard..)
- Sri Lanka: the New Global Amphibian Hotspot ( Sri Lanka is home to more than 250 species of frogs, a density of 3.7 species per 1,000 sq. km. This puts the island well ahead of the former record holder, Costa Rica, which has 2.8 species per sq. km. This represents about 7 per cent of the worlds known frog species )
- Reptiles & amphibians list for Sri Lanka ( by The American Museum of Natural History, US )
- Sri Lankas amphibian diversity ( By Rohan Pethiyagoda & Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi - Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka)
- Ulpotha - A VILLAGE IN THE JUNGLE
- The Pearl of the Indian Ocean - National Geographic - January 1997
Sri Lankan Elephants
- Pinnawela: Sri Lanka's Orphanage for jungle jumbos (There are now 53 residents at the Pinnawela orphanage, which opened its doors on February 17, 1975, with only six beasts.)
- Pinnawela elephant orphanage (Upto the middle of 1998 there have been fourteen births, eight males and six females at Pinnawela, with one(1) second generation birth early 1998.)
- Minneriya elephants (Geographically, Habarana is the most convenient and central location for those who want to visit the archaeological sites in Anuradhapura, Polonnnaruwa, Dambulla and Sigiriya.)
- Elephant lore - in myth, legend, religion and war (Island Feature by Ariyadasa Ratnasinghe )
- Human Elephant Conflict - Problems and Solutions ( Experts believe that at the turn of the 19th Century there were 20,000 elephants in Sri Lanka. The present population is less than 3,500 elephants. In 1998 alone over 350 elephants were killed in Sri Lanka. At this present rate of mortality the prognosis for the Sri Lankan elephant is indeed bleak. - Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society )
- Non-consumptive use of elephants in Sri Lanka (The human-elephant conflict appears to have replaced poaching as a major cause of elephant mortality in Sri Lanka. Elephant populations in the wild have been reduced substantially in the past 50 years, during which between 1500 - 3000 elephants may have been killed in the wild. )
- The elephant transit Home (Set up in 1995 as a pilot project by the Department of Wildlife Conservation to look after the abandoned baby elephants till they are able to take care of themselves.)
- 'Ath Athuru Sevana': The elephant transit Home (Twenty-nine baby elephants, all determined to be the first in the feeding line, 'trumpeting for their breakfast', were a sight that brought instant 'ahhhs' to the lips of the few lucky humans who were permitted to be present.)
Sri Lankan Leopards
![[The Leopards! ]](http://www.lankalibrary.com/wlife/leopard2.jpg) "Of the four species of wild cats found in Sri Lanka, the leopard is the largest. No information exists for all the species of cats in regard to their population, distribution and status. There is also small scale poaching of all the species of cats for their skins, teeth and meat.- slwcs"
- Sri Lanka - Own Endemic Lepords
- Sri Lankan leopard Project (In Sri Lanka the current population of leopards in the island is unknown. What is known is however is the numbers of these elusive animals have decreased substantially over the last century.)
- Cat News: leopards in Sri Lanka (Charles Santiapillai reports that the leopard Panthera pardus kotiya in Sri Lanka is now "clearly endangered" and that existing protected areas are unlikely to support more than 600 animals.)
- Sri Lankan leopards in Yala (Fierce but beautiful, they are the pride of the jungles of Sri Lanka. Growing to about six to seven feet in length and weighing from 75 to 170 pounds, they are feared by all save perhaps the elephant.)
Sri Lankan Birds & Bird Watching
- New bird discovered by Sri Lankan ornithologist (A previously unknown species of a bird (a type of owl) has been discovered recently in Sri Lanka - the first such discovery in 132 years)
- A Birdwatcher's Guide to Sri Lanka
- Endemic Birds in Sri Lanka (via mysrilanka.com) (26 birds have been identified as endemic birds of Sri Lanka. Most of this birds are threatened by rapid destruction of forest and drying off of water flows. )
- Birds of Sri Lanka - Picture Gallery (© Forestry and Environment Society 1998-2001)
![[Owl ! ]](http://www.lankalibrary.com/wlife/owl.jpg)
- Little-known Oriental bird: Red-faced Malkoha ( The large-billed and boldly patterned malkohas are restricted to the Oriental region, and are represented in Sri Lanka by Blue-faced Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus viridirostris, Sirkeer Malkoha, P. leschenaultii, and Red-faced Malkoha, P. pyrrhocephalus.)
- White-browed Bulbul: Common and voluble but shy ( Bulbuls are medium-sized birds with short, round wings, medium or long tails, short sturdy legs and soft plumage. They belong to the family Pycnonotidae that is represented by six species in Sri Lanka.)
- Flamingo Serenade (Among the190 odd species of migrant birds that grace our shores during the bird migration season (September - June), the Greater Flamingo can be ranked as one of those stately migrant birds. )
- Watching seabirds on the West Coast of Sri Lanka ( In favourable years as many as 400,000 birds fly southwards during daytime - well within sight of land. )
- Yala's unique bird hide (Built strictly according to environmental regulations this unique bird hide, claimed to be the first to be constructed by a hotel chain in this country. )
- Bundala - a wetland of international importance ( Bundala is a haven for migrant and resident birds, and is home to over 20,000 migrant birds. According to 'A Guide to Bundala' by Channa Bambaradeniya, a total number of 383 plant species are found while 324 species of vertebrates are also found, 11 being endemic while 29 are nationally threatened species.)
- Birdwatcher's Trip Reports to Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Fishes, corals & Sea Life
FAUNA & FLORA![[Nil Mahanel flower! ]](http://www.lk/flower.gif)
- Nil Mahanel flower - The National Flower of Sri Lanka
A Flood of Man-Made Chemicals
THIS century could well be called the age of chemistry. Man-made chemical compounds have changed our lives. Our homes, offices, and factories are filled with aerosols, artificial sweeteners, cosmetics, dyes, inks, paints, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics, refrigerants, synthetic fabricsthe list could fill volumes.
To satisfy the world's demand for these products, the annual global production of chemicals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), amounts to about $1.5 trillion. WHO reports that some 100,000 chemicals are now on the market and that from 1,000 to 2,000 new ones are added each year.
However, this flood of chemicals invites questions regarding how they affect the environment as well as our own health. Clearly, we are sailing into uncharted waters. "We are all part of an experimental generation, and the full effects will not be known for decades to come," said one doctor.
More Chemicals, More Risks?
The people most often affected by chemical pollutants, observes WHO, are "poor, illiterate people with little or no access to appropriate training or basic information on the risks posed by chemicals to which they are exposed directly or indirectly every day." This is especially true of pesticides. But we are all affected by chemicals.
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Some 20 percent of California's water wells, says the book A Green History of the World, have pollution levels, including pesticides, above official safety limits. "In Florida," the book adds, "1,000 wells have been closed because of contamination; in Hungary 773 towns and villages have water that is unfit for consumption, in Britain ten per cent of aquifers are polluted above World Health Organization safety limits and in parts of both Britain and the United States tap water cannot be given to new born babies because of high nitrate levels."
Mercury is another useful but potentially toxic chemical. It finds its way into the environment through sources ranging from industrial smokestacks to billions of fluorescent lights. Similarly, lead can be found in many products, from fuel to paint. But like mercury, it can be toxic, especially to children. Exposure to leaded emissions may shave up to "four points from the I.Q." of the average child, says one report from Cairo, Egypt.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, each year some 100 tons of mercury, 3,800 tons of lead, 3,600 tons of phosphates, and 60,000 tons of detergents enter the Mediterranean Sea as a result of human activities. Understandably, the sea is in crisis. But it is not alone. In fact, the United Nations declared 1998 the International Year of the Ocean. Worldwide, all oceans are in trouble, particularly because of pollution.
While chemical technology has given us many helpful products, we use and dispose of many of them at considerable cost to the environment. Have we, as one newspaper columnist recently said, made ourselves "hostages to progress"?
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- Belli: A fruit which keeps disease at bay (belli is believed to possess genuine healing properties )
- Biological diversity of Sri Lanka ( A nortworthy feature of Sri Lanka's biodiversity is the remarkable high proportion of endemic species among its flora and fauna: 23% of the flowering plants and 16% of the mammals in the island are endemic )
- Namal Uyana: One of the world's largest beds of 20 million years old fossilized plants (Namal Uyana The sanctuary at Ulpothagama, Madatugama famous for its pink quartz mountain could be the home of one of the world's largest beds of fossilized plants. Initial beliefs are that the fossils could date as far back as 20 million years or more.)
Here I might add an entry whenever I make an update to my web site. Where appropriate, I'll include a link to the change. For example:
11/1/01 - Added new photos to Vacation Album page.
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Please get in touch with any comments or reactions to my site.
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![[The Elephants! ]](http://infolanka.com/photo/wild/w8.jpg)
