First, a black dot appears in the distance. More dots join, forming meandering lines across the newly white icescape. “Then all of a sudden, you hear the first calls,” photographer Stefan Christmann says. That’s when it really hits him: “Wow. The birds are coming back.” It’s late March in Atka Bay, in Antarctica’s Queen Maud […]
Author: Supertrooper
Eastern Gulf’s Protections from Oil Drilling Set to Expire
The eastern Gulf of Mexico has been protected from oil and gas drilling for decades, most recently by the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. Unfortunately, the ban is scheduled to end on June 30, 2022, and without renewal or replacement, this long-protected area could be open to drilling. In fact, the Interior Department’s […]
Trump Administration Denies Endangered Species Protection for Pacific Fisher Across Most of Species’ Range
PORTLAND,Ore.— The Trump administration today denied Endangered Species Act protections to Pacific fishers from Northern California to the Canadian border, but granted them endangered status in the southern Sierra Nevada. The decision reversed a 2019 proposal to list fishers as threatened throughout their West Coast range. “The Trump administration’s denial of protection for fishers is […]
Petition: Ban Fur Farms in the U.S.
There have been investigations exposing fur farms in Finland, France, and other countries, but there are also still fur farms in the United States. Despite the progressive efforts of states like California to ban fur trapping, the nation still allows fur farms. According to Four Paws, “The U.S. is the fifth largest mink farming country […]
Dogs trained to protect wildlife have saved 45 rhinos from poachers in South Africa
A pack of dogs that trained to protect wildlife have already saved 45 rhinos from poachers in South Africa. The dogs, who range from a beagle to bloodhound, began training from birth and learnt how to handle all the pressures of real operations before working at 18 months-old. Sean Viljoen, who is based in Cape […]
‘They never intended to conserve it’: Outcry as loggers gut Cambodian reserve
In late February, conservationist Kheng Khou tried to enter Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, which he routinely patrols with other members of the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN). Instead, he and his colleagues were denied access and threatened with arrest. Local authorities told them they couldn’t enter because they didn’t have permission from the Cambodian Ministry […]
Fight to reunite Orca with family after being held captive in tank for 50 years
Conservationists hope to reunite an orca with her family in the ocean after she was held in captive in a concrete tank for 50 years. Corky was caught off the coast of Canada in 1969 aged four and is now the oldest and longest held killer whale in the world. Marine biologists have found her […]
In Quarantine, I Finally Understood the Magic of Birds
The cardinal was my gateway bird. Eight weeks ago, and newly quarantined at my in-laws, I joined my husband and five-year-old son at a nature preserve. They’d come for birds, equipped with binoculars and cameras; I’d just wanted out of the house. Not long into the walk, the wind picked up and misty rain started […]