This story was produced in collaboration with Bellingcat. JAKARTA — A new report by Mongabay and independent journalism organization Bellingcat has uncovered several Facebook groups selling protected species in Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. In a Facebook group whose Indonesian name translates to “West Bogor Animal Selling and Trading Forum,” […]
Elusive Nightjar Populations Doubled in 5 Years, a ‘Remarkable Comeback’ Conservationists Say
The population of one of England’s most-elusive birds is flourishing again thanks to conservation efforts in the south of the country. The nightjar, sometimes called the nighthawk, becomes active at twilight, and they’re famous for their chortling calls and fantastic camouflage. Their numbers declined some 51% between the 1970s and 2000s after substantial forest loss. The […]
Ginormous king penguin colony filmed on remote Atlantic island. The sound of it is ear-splitting
The sight of a seemingly endless gaggles of penguins is only one of the mind-boggling elements of an Antarctic voyage. Another is the ear-splitting cacophony of said colony. Although not all of us will be lucky enough to hear this din for ourselves, a recent video taken by adventurer Chris Long brought it to life perfectly. “That’s quite a […]
World Frog Day: New species described amid threats to amphibian survival
March 20 is World Frog Day. Frogs and toads have inhabited Earth for hundreds of millions of years, but 40% of amphibians species are now at risk of extinction, according to the latest conservation assessments. Every year, roughly 150 new amphibian species are described. But many are immediately listed as threatened or endangered due to habitat loss, disease and […]
Surgeons Perform First-Ever Surgery for Critically-Endangered Monkey Weeks Before She Gave Birth
GNN often stays abreast of births among the Chester Zoo’s incredibly diverse residents of rare and endangered species, but few have ever been cuter or rarer than this Roloway monkey. Chester Zoo is one of only two places in the UK that Roloway monkeys can be found, a spokesman said, and the breeding population there supports the […]
Captive-bred Panamanian golden frogs released to the wild
Since 2009, no one has seen a Panamanian golden frog in the wild. These bright yellow frogs disappeared completely when an amphibian fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, swept through Panama reaching El Valle de Anton, the last stronghold of golden frogs. Researchers at the Smithsonian Institution predicted these declines based on the pattern of disease spread, but […]
“As the great whites move in for the kill, the seals do something astonishing.”
In the waters off Robberg, South Africa, Cape fur seals benefit from powerful ocean currents that bring in plentiful amounts of fish. The Robberg Peninsula is home to thousands of this seal species, which is endemic to South Africa, who don’t need to swim out too far for a meal. However, the huge shoals of fish also […]
Belugas facing euthanasia at shuttered Canada theme park may find new homes in US
For about three decades, beluga whales and bottlenose dolphins greeted more than a million annual visitors to Marineland of Canada. In the sprawling 162-hectare (400-acre) theme park, located a stone’s throw from the world-famous Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada, dozens of cetaceans enthralled visitors — splashing, spyhopping and leaping in their concrete-lined tanks. Marineland’s peppy jingle, […]