During Mozambique’s civil war from 1977 to 1992, around 90 percent of the elephants in what is now the Gorongosa National Park were poached for ivory to finance the conflict. This widespread slaughter led to rapid evolution in the span of one generation. Before the conflict, less than a fifth of female elephants were born […]
Trophy hunters in Africa used to refer to a “Big 5” of wild animals that were particularly dangerous to kill: elephant, rhino, leopard, Cape buffalo and lion. Now, a new initiative seeks to transform the Big 5 concept into a celebration of life, not death. In a bid to raise awareness of the importance of […]
When marine biologist Daniel J. Madigan was working on a research project around Isla San Esteban, Mexico, he heard rumors of illegal shark poaching occurring off the Gulf of California. At the time, eight fishermen illegally caught and killed as many as 14 great white sharks, Hakai Magazine reported. After contacting the poachers and examining […]
By Richard Thomas Joseph Biden was elected to office as the world continues to struggle with a global pandemic that has killed more than a million people and wreaked devastating economic havoc. The pandemic has highlighted how humankind’s abuse of our planet and the irreversible loss of the biodiversity and ecosystem services upon which we […]
By John R. Platt A porcupine’s diet is wide, varied, and a little hard to digest. A lifetime of grasses, herbs, bark and other vegetation can leave little bits of indigestible matter behind in a porcupine’s digestive tract, where they occasionally congeal into a hard ball called a bezoar. That sounds uncomfortable, but a porcupine’s […]
By Sharon Guynup The Brazilian Amazon is hemorrhaging illegally traded wildlife according to a new report released Monday. Each year, thousands of silver-voiced saffron finches and other songbirds, along with rare macaws and parrots, are captured, trafficked and sold as pets. Some are auctioned as future contestants in songbird contests. Others are exported around the […]
More than 350 elephants have died in Botswana since May, and no one knows why. Poaching has been ruled out, because no tusks have been removed from the elephants’ bodies, but it is possible the animals are dying of a disease that could spread to the human population. “Yes, it is a conservation disaster — […]
Four poachers in Uganda were arrested for killing one of the country’s rare silverback mountain gorillas, according to CNN. Rafiki was one of Uganda’s best known and most beloved gorillas. The 25-year-old gorilla was part of the famed Nkuringo gorilla group that lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and is popular with tourists. Mountain […]
By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Christopher O’Bryan, Duan Biggs, and Raymond Jansen Pangolins are one of the most illegally trafficked animals on the planet and are suspected to be linked to the current coronavirus pandemic. Pangolins are also one of the world’s most threatened species but new efforts are underway to reintroduce pangolins to parts of […]
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