Chopping vegetables in my kitchen on a winter afternoon, I was startled by the sound of rustling branches and loud coughing coming from my back yard. I walked outside tentatively, prepared to face a fence-hopping intruder. Instead, after a few minutes of listening to evenly timed wheezes, I spotted it – a small brushtail possum, […]
Petition: Ban Marine Mammal Captivity in the U.S. Now
The people of Mexico have made it clear: they want to protect marine mammals‘ rights and end all forms of exploitation for human entertainment! That’s why Mexico’s lawmakers just passed an incredible landmark piece of legislation that will ban the use of any marine mammals – including but not limited to dolphins, killer whales, and […]
Man caught smuggling 850 rare turtles worth more than $1 million in socks
A man has admitted that he attempted to smuggle over $1 million worth of protected turtles from the US to Hong Kong by packing them in cartons marked “plastic animal toys.” Wei Qiang Lin, a Chinese national who lives in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in New York to attempting to export more […]
Conservationists warn of targeted poaching behind Sri Lanka’s leopard killings
POLONNARUWA, Sri Lanka — Wildlife conservationists have sounded the alarm that leopard poaching in Sri Lanka is being carried out more systematically than previously thought, following the arrest in early August of a group of suspected hunters carrying a freshly skinned carcass in Maduru Oya National Park. Conservation activist Sethil Muhandiram says there’s specific demand […]
Seed-dispersing animals are in decline, impacting forests and the climate: Study
A lot of attention has been paid to the decrease in bee populations and other pollinators, but a recent review article makes the case that we should be equally alarmed by the declining numbers of seed-dispersing animals, which are crucial for growing healthy forests. “Both are important and should be taken into account in restoration […]
Why have blue whales stopped singing? The mystery worrying scientists
Whale songs are far removed from the singing that humans are used to. Unlike our musical sounds, those produced by whales are a complex range of vocalisations that include groans, clicks and whistles and that can sound like anything from the mooing of a cow to the twitter of a bird. These vocalisations can be […]
Alligators Are Thriving in Fort Worth Wetlands
According to CBS Texas reporter Nicole Nielsen, researchers at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge are tracking a surprising local success story: alligators are nesting in North Texas, and they’re here to stay. Once thought to be a rare sight, these reptiles are now a steady presence, with experts estimating around 70 to 100 […]
Buoyant, the size of a lentil and almost impossible to recover: how nurdles are polluting the oceans
When a Liberian-flagged container ship, the MSC Elsa 3, capsized and sank 13 miles off the coast of Kerala, in India, on 25 May, a state-wide disaster was quickly declared. A long oil slick from the 184-metre vessel, which was carrying hazardous cargo, was partially tackled by aircraft-borne dispersants, while a salvage operation sealed tanks […]