Poachers threaten rare wild-growing venus flytrap

January 25, 2012 By EMERY P. DALESIO , Associated Press

(AP) -- The venus flytrap's struggle for survival in the wild along coast of the Carolinas faces an added threat from poachers looking to make a buck by uprooting and selling them.

North Carolina wildlife enforcement officer Matt Criscoe says three people were arrested this week and charged with uprooting an endangered species without permission, a misdemeanor. Criscoe says they took about 200 plants, which they expected to sell for about 10 cents apiece.

A spokeswoman for the nonprofit group The Nature Conservancy says that roadside stands sell the plants for about $15 each.

The species grows wild only in the within about 100 miles of the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina.

©2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Rank 1 /5 (1 vote)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Manufacturing genes to attack flu virus

An international research team has manufactured a new protein that can combat deadly flu epidemics.

Biology / Biotechnology

created 8 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history

(AP) -- Richard Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history. Not that the avowed atheist has any doubts himself.

Biology / Evolution

created May 26, 2012 | popularity 3.4 / 5 (21) | comments 97

More plant species responding to global warming than previously thought

(Phys.org) -- Far more wild plant species may be responding to global warming than previous large-scale estimates have suggested.

Biology / Ecology

created May 22, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (14) | comments 18 | with audio podcast

For monogamous sparrows, it doesn't pay to stray (but they do it anyway)

It's quite common for a female song sparrow to stray from her breeding partner and mate with the male next door, but a new study shows that sleeping around can be costly.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Thousands of shellfish found dead in Peru

Thousands of crustaceans were found dead off the coast of Lima following the mystery mass death of dolphins and pelicans, the Peruvian Navy said Friday.

Biology / Ecology

created May 26, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (7) | comments 7


Stunning image of smallest possible five-ringed structure

Scientists have created and imaged the smallest possible five-ringed structure – about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair – and you'll probably recognise its shape.

'Unzipped' carbon nanotubes could help energize fuel cells, batteries

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at ...

Change in developmental timing was crucial in the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds: study

At first glance, it's hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that ...

Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture

When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.

T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, study shows

By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement ...

Land and sea species differ in climate change response: study

(Phys.org) -- Marine and terrestrial species will likely differ in their responses to climate warming, new research by Simon Fraser University and Australia’s University of Tasmania has found.