A dangerous parasitic illness once thought to be confined to Latin America has now been confirmed in California. Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and spread by the triatomine “kissing bug,” has raised alarms among public health experts who warn it could soon reach the Bay Area. The World Health Organization estimates that […]
Octopuses prefer to use different arms for different tasks, scientists find
While some humans find they have two left feet on the dancefloor, octopuses manage to coordinate eight highly flexible arms across a host of behaviours, from foraging to den-building, or moving around the seafloor. Now researchers say they have completed the most comprehensive study of its kind, not only identifying the actions and small motions […]
Legal capture of endangered manta ray sparks bipartisan outrage in Florida
Florida authorities have agreed to review the issuing of special permits allowing companies to capture endangered creatures to sell, after an outcry over the netting of a huge manta ray for an aquarium in Abu Dhabi. The review comes after a viral video released on 12 July showed a boat crew capturing a giant manta […]
Petition: Don’t Let African Grey Parrots Vanish – Demand Action Now
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has just taken a historic step by granting full legal protection to African Grey Parrots, making it a crime to capture, kill, sell, or transport them. This is a huge win for one of the most intelligent and social bird species in the world, but it will mean nothing […]
Fiji ant study provides new evidence of insects’ decline on remote islands
Island-dwelling insects have not been spared the ravages of humanity that have pushed so many of their invertebrate kin into freefall around the world, new research on Fijian ant populations has found. Hundreds of thousands of insect species have been lost over the past 150 years and it is believed the world is now losing […]
Tourist Sparks Outrage After Pouring Beer Down Elephant’s Trunk
An elephant never forgets—and neither does the internet. A Spanish tourist who filmed himself pouring beer down an elephant’s trunk at the Ol Jogi Conservancy in Kenya is now facing international backlash and investigation by local authorities. The man, who posts as Skydive_Kenya on Instagram, quickly deleted the video after it went viral, but not […]
Petition: Stop the Cruel Turtle Smuggling Trade Threatening U.S. Species
Hundreds of turtles across the U.S. are being ripped from the wild and stuffed into socks, diapers, or boxes labeled “toys” – all to fuel a cruel international trade. Recently, a smuggler in Brooklyn pleaded guilty after attempting to ship 850 turtles worth $1.4 million to Hong Kong. Many of these animals were Eastern box […]
Petition: Stop Florida’s Cruel Black Bear Hunt
Florida’s black bears were once on the brink of extinction. Through decades of effort, their numbers have slowly grown, but now, state officials have voted to allow a brutal hunting season for the first time in a decade. This December, 187 bears could be killed in just 23 days. Hunters will be allowed to use […]