Nowadays, when you are snorkeling in the Hawaiian Islands, unless you are in a protected area, you may be faced with the fact that the very marine animals have left the building. I returned to the Big Island to go snorkeling after 15 years and was shocked at the absence of beautiful reef fish that […]
Category: News
I thank my lucky stars for the rosellas that led to my career in ornithology
A flash of colour that takes my eye at the age of 10 in 1968 and learning that it is an Adelaide rosella. Reaching the edge of a vast swamp north of Birdsville in 1982 thinking, “This is perfect habitat for grey grasswrens. They must be here.” And they are! Right at the edge of […]
Fire and forest loss ignite concern for Brazilian Amazon’s jaguars
In August 2019, an unprecedented number of fires ripped through the Brazilian Amazon, sparking worldwide interest in reports of burning rainforest. In fact, the majority of blazes were on land that had already been stripped of forest. According to a report from the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), at least 1,250 square kilometers […]
Can we save the bees? Absolutely. Let’s start with the native species (commentary)
My name is Krystle Hickman. I’m a photographer, community scientist and public speaker based in Los Angeles, California. My photography revolves around three things: bees, the plants they visit and their ecosystems. As a community scientist I note behavior, times, dates and weather when out photographing bees and their flowers. Over many years, my notations […]
Bali Park Leaves Elephants to Starve to Death
An elephant park in Bali left its elephants to starve to death after Covid restrictions forced it to shut down. The Bali Elephant Camp offered a wide range of nature-based activities as well as elephant-related attractions, including elephant rides. When tourism stopped due to the pandemic, the park was forced to close its doors and […]
Can birdwatching really improve our mental health? The science says yes
We all know that spending time in nature is enjoyable, but now there’s increasing evidence that wildlife – and birds in particular – have a profound positive impact on our mental wellbeing. We delve into the latest discoveries from the fields of biology, economics and psychology. Over the past 18 months, everyone I know turned […]
California surfer’s ‘measly punch’ fends off great white shark attack
Surfers at a beach in Sonoma county, California, used a surfboard strap as a tourniquet to save a man whose right leg was bitten by a great white shark. Eric Steinley was attacked as he surfed about 50 yards from shore at Salmon Creek beach last Sunday, but managed to alert others in the water. […]
Norwegian Whaling Season Wipes Out 575 Minke Whales
Norwegian whaling season has officially ended and resulted in a record killing of 575 minke whales – the highest number of whales killed in the past five years. Last year the kills amounted to 503. Vanessa Williams-Grey, policy manager at WDC, said “This is nothing short of ecocide. Killing hundreds of minke whales is utterly […]