Researchers have discovered a new potential route for the spread of an aggressive strain of bird flu to Australia, linked to the behavior of certain migratory birds. These birds, known for stealing food from other species, could inadvertently transmit the virus as they travel across borders. Australia remains the only continent that has not yet […]
Category: Wildlife
As bears fatten up this fall and enter CT homes at record levels, wildlife officials urge caution
Ah, fall in Connecticut. It’s a beautiful time of year: bright leaves and crisp air coalescing into the perfect backdrop for a season of harvest and, if you’re a hungry black bear, hyperphagia. Wait, hyper-what? “Hyperphagia” is science-speak for what wildlife officials more casually call the annual “power-eating marathon” of Connecticut’s black bears. And these […]
Rock climbers help Yosemite peregrine falcons back to the skies as conservation scheme scales new heights
Once on the brink of extinction, Yosemite’s iconic peregrine falcons are now thriving thanks to the cooperation of climbers. No longer endangered, the number of peregrine breeding pairs has skyrocketed from just eight in 2009 to 17 today, all thanks to a 15 year collaborative recovery scheme involving climbers, the National Park Service and the […]
Petition: Tell the Bronx Zoo to Provide Proof of Happy’s Health and Relocate Her to a Sanctuary
Happy the Elephant is a majestic Asian elephant who has lived in captivity almost her entire life. While she has been forced to live alone for the last 13 years in the Bronx Zoo, she has reportedly not been seen in public since July 2024, raising serious concerns about her health and well-being. Happy deserves […]
Genetic Tracing Links SARS-CoV-2 With Animals at Wildlife Market
The virus behind COVID-19 appears to have first leapt to humans from captive wildlife at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, and now a new study identifies specific animals that likely carried the virus. The new analysis – of metagenomic RNA data collected shortly after the market was shut down – also supports accumulating evidence […]
‘Australia’s next rabbit plague’: calls for feral deer in Victoria to be considered a pest instead of wildlife
Land holders and managers along with landcare and environment groups want Victoria to remove protections for feral deer, as booming populations wreak havoc on agriculture and the local environment. Jordan Crook, from the Victorian National Parks Association, said recognising deer as pests – alongside foxes, rabbits and pigs – would bring Victoria in line with […]
Zimbabwe’s Elephant Culling Plan Ignites Debate During Drought Crisis
Zimbabwe is set to cull 200 elephants in response to an ongoing drought that has resulted in severe food shortages. The decision, announced by the country’s wildlife authority, aims to manage the growing elephant population, which has reached levels the government considers unsustainable. According to Zimbabwe’s environment minister, the country has “more elephants than it […]
Why are Cape fur seals in South Africa infected with rabies?
In May this year, a seal at a popular beach in Cape Town, South Africa, bit five surfers in a matter of minutes. The surfers laughed it off with characteristic nonchalance, but seal experts were concerned because this extremely unusual behaviour seemed part of what was becoming a pattern. Six days earlier, on the other […]