RIO DE JANEIRO — On May 24 this year, Ugo Vercillo woke up to a piece of amazing news: two parrot fledglings, born in the wild in Curaçá municipality, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, had taken flight for the first time. These weren’t just any parrots; they were Spix’s macaws (Cyanopsitta spixii), one of […]
Category: News
Painted Lady Butterflies Travel 2,600 Miles Across the Atlantic
Painted lady butterflies, scientifically known as Vanessa cardui, are known for their impressive migratory feats. These insects are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. A recent study published in June by Nature Communications has unveiled astonishing details about their migration patterns, revealing that these butterflies travel thousands of miles across oceans. According to […]
Man Caught Smuggling Over 100 Live Snakes in Trousers into China
A traveler was apprehended by customs officers while attempting to smuggle over 100 live snakes into mainland China, according to a statement from the country’s customs authority. The incident occurred as the unidentified man tried to cross from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. Customs officers discovered that the man had hidden six canvas drawstring bags, sealed […]
Romania to step up cull of brown bears after hiker killed
Romania’s parliament has approved the culling of almost 500 bears this year in an effort to control the “overpopulation” of the protected species after a deadly attack on a hiker sparked nationwide outcry. The country is home to 8,000 brown bears, according to the environment ministry, Europe’s largest brown bear population outside Russia. Bears have […]
Washed-Up Whale May Be One of the World’s Rarest
The spade-toothed whale holds the title of the world’s rarest whale species, with no live sightings ever documented. This mysterious creature, which roams the vast southern Pacific Ocean, remains an enigma to scientists who have little knowledge about its population, diet, or habitat. However, a recent discovery in New Zealand may offer a breakthrough in […]
Shaking hiker films scarily close encounter with grizzly bear
You can hear the fear in this female hiker’s voice as pleads with a grizzly not to come any closer; “Please don’t come here. Thank you, please go,” she quivers with a politeness that’s at odds with the scary encounter. And yet she captures it all on video. Brave? Daft? Or just how we’re hard-wired […]
Thai tiger numbers swell as prey populations stabilize in western forests
The tiger population density in a series of protected areas in western Thailand has more than doubled over the past two decades, according to new survey data. Thailand is the final stronghold of the Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti), the subspecies having been extirpated from neighboring Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam over the past decade due […]
Australian Animal Sanctuary Ends Koala Cuddling Amid Animal Welfare Concerns
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia, known as the world’s first koala sanctuary since its opening in 1927, has announced that it will end its long-standing practice of allowing visitors to cuddle koalas. This change, effective from Monday, comes in response to visitor feedback and growing calls from animal welfare organizations to outlaw the […]