A major analysis of hundreds of species of animals has revealed the huge toll the world’s booming wildlife trade is taking on the natural world. Without urgent action, the world is facing “rampant trade-induced declines” of mammals, birds and reptiles, the authors of the research said. In places where the wildlife trade is active, species have […]
With no natural predators to worry about, jaguars (Panthera onca) roam the forests of South and Central America. This feline is found in 18 countries, but only 4% of its critical habitat is effectively protected. The lack of protection has allowed its habitat to be destroyed and fragmented, the main reason why this emblematic species […]
Thousands of saffron finches are being snatched out of South American forests and sold in Brazil for use in brutal, illegal fighting rings. Lax wildlife laws have made it difficult for authorities to crack down on the lucrative trade, leaving traffickers and ring runners undeterred. Dozens of tiny yellow birds chirped as they flitted from […]
A blue whale in Chile was caught on animation through a new study. Researchers tracked a whale moving through a busy gulf surrounded by ship traffic. In the animation, the animal looks hectic as it moves between traffic. While blue whales spend time feeding in the South Pacific Ocean, a new study published in Scientific […]
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) shared the results of an uncover investigation into a wildlife killing contest in Indiana. The local fire department held a weigh-in for animals killed in December 2020. Participants spent two days killing as many animals as possible and then dragging them to the final event to be […]
Humans aren’t the only ones feeling anxiety about environmental destruction. As forests shrink, small mammals are also feeling stressed, and we can tell by their fur. A team of scientists collected fur samples from 106 small rodents and marsupials in six forest fragments in the Atlantic Forest of Paraguay. After grinding each fur sample into […]
A British trophy-hunting boss is offering deals to shoot endangered animals which he boasts are “plentiful” during the Covid crisis. Carl Knight, 47, who runs Take Aim Safaris, makes the claim in his grisly sales pitch to 3,000 potential customers, including fellow Britons. He urges clients to travel to South Africa, which is in the grip […]
The experimental fencing had gone up to keep the rabbits out, but the ground inside the conservation area at Yathong in central New South Wales had still been nibbled and munched bare. “It was completely denuded,” says Prof Mike Letnic. “It was like a moonscape.” The culprit? Australia’s most ubiquitous marsupial: the kangaroo. “There’s this perception […]