Japanese whalers have already harpooned and slaughtered over 50 minke whales this year in an area of the Ross Sea in Antarctica that is off-limits to fishing. They have done this by labeling their slaughter for “scientific purposes.” The hunting of whales for profit has been banned since 1986 but Japan, Iceland and Norway have […]
Yemen Thrush – Tanoumah
Whilst birding the Tanoumah area in summer 2016 I saw a good number of Yemen Thrushes Turdus menachensis including a pair of adults feeding a very young juvenile on the ground. I am not certain if the bird could fly as it was very young but the parents were in close attendance and hopefully it […]
Judge delays public grizzly bear hunts as he considers federal protections
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the opening of the first public grizzly bear hunts in Wyoming and Idaho in more than 40 years, as he considers whether the government was wrong to lift federal protections on the animals. The US district judge Dana Christensen’s order came just two days before the states prepared to […]
Fall Migration Update, and Hawk Ridge Weekend!
I was in Peru for a week, and between preparing for the trip and getting ahead on work deadlines, I’ve not been able to keep up with fall migration here. Even 4,000 miles away, in the jungles and cloud forest of darkest Peru, I was getting emails about huge numbers of Blue Jays coursing over […]
Nearly 90 Elephants Found Poached in Botswana
Conservationists are mourning the loss of 87 elephants whose bodies were discovered during an aerial survey in Botswana. The elephants were discovered during a months-long aerial census being conducted for the government by Elephants Without Borders, which called the discovery an “unprecedented” level of poaching in the country. “I’m shocked, I’m completely astounded. The scale […]
Dunlin
I’ve seen a few pictures recently on Facebook of Bluethroats in gardens so concluded that the passage is peaking and set off to Fornebu this morning with high hopes of gaining good views (and my first sighting this autumn) of one of my favourite birds. My hopes were not to be fulfilled with there continuing […]
The death dealer: Russian surgeon makes $1m a year charging tourists £16,000 to kill lions, £42,000 for white rhinos and £421,000 to slay critically endangered black rhinos
A Russian surgeon has boasted about how he has built a £1.2 million-a-year business offering wealthy tourists the chance to hunt elephants, rhinos and lions as trophies. George Ragozin, who is nicknamed the ‘crazy Russian’ by his clients, offers trophy-seeking foreigners packages that include shooting beasts of their choice, alongside accommodation, food, beer and wine […]