Populations of marine mammals, birds, reptiles and fish have dropped by about half in the past four decades, with fish critical to human food suffering some of the greatest declines, the WWF warned on Wednesday. In a new report, the conservation group cautioned that over-fishing, pollution and climate change had significantly shrunk the size of […]
Author: Supertrooper
Why the Arctic’s Big Mosquito Problem Is Getting a Lot Worse
When the wind drops and the endless summer sun bakes the ponds that dot the frozen tundra, some of the Arctic’s most ferocious predators emerge and form menacing blizzards that darken the horizon – and everyone’s mood. “It is the talk of the town when the Arctic mosquitoes are out,” says Lauren Culler, a postdoctoral […]
POLL: Can African trophy hunting support conservation?
The recent media frenzy over the killing of two named lions in Zimbabwe has brought undue focus to African big game hunting. While conflicting versions of exactly what happened prevail, we will let the legal system determine first if these actually were illegal acts and secondly where guilt lays. The media coverage predictably spawned global […]
POLL: Should raptors be culled to protect racing pigeons?
Feathers are flying in the bird world. Potential changes to the law, following a campaign by pigeon fanciers to reduce attacks on their pets by raptors, have met with opposition from the RSPB. The Raptor Alliance, a body representing many of the UK’s 42,000 pigeon owners, is writing to MPs warning that an “iconic traditional […]
Human activity ‘driving half of world’s crocodile species to extinction’
As many as half of the world’s 27 species of crocodilian face being wiped out due to human activity, although the most feared variety, the saltwater crocodile, faces a brighter future, according to a new book by a veteran crocodile researcher. Land use changes, pollution, culling and feral animal invasions mean that many crocodile species […]
4 Ways Polar Bears Are Dealing With Climate Change
The Arctic predators—which depend on constantly diminishing amounts of sea ice to catch marine mammals such as seals—are declining in number, and fast. There are fewer than 25,000 polar bears left in the wild, according to the nonprofit organization Polar Bears International. Near the southern Beaufort Sea (map), for instance, the population has dropped about […]
Results of the Best Photo of the Week Ended 12 Sep 2015
We are delighted to announce the results of our latest photo competition. Glenn Perrigo wins First Prize for his brilliant composition “Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Texas Thistle”. Dana Allen wins Second Prize for his outstanding capture “One Small Leap”. Third Place goes to Noushka Wildlife for “Wolf Intimacy”. See detailed results below: (click on thumbnails for […]
POLL: Should the grey squirrel be culled to protect the red squirrel?
The last safe haven for red squirrels on the English mainland is under unprecedented threat from an invasion of grey squirrels. Conservationists protecting the native reds in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, say sightings of grey squirrels on the fringes of the forest have escalated in recent months and there have been more than a dozen greys […]