“The Mass Mortality Event was devastating. In a few short weeks, something strange wiped out more than 60% of the species’ global population”

“The Mass Mortality Event was devastating. In a few short weeks, something strange wiped out more than 60% of the species’ global population”

In May 2015, more than 200,000 seemingly healthy saiga antelopes in the central steppes of Kazakhstan suddenly dropped dead. For the animals, and those charged with their conservation, the Mass Mortality Event was devastating. In the space of a few short weeks, something wiped out more than 60 per cent of the species’ global population, and more than 80 per cent of […]

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Millionaire big-game hunter, 75, is trampled to death by herd of FIVE elephants while stalking antelope with shotgun

Millionaire big-game hunter, 75, is trampled to death by herd of FIVE elephants while stalking antelope with shotgun

Armed with a shotgun and tracking a rare species of antelope, Ernie Dosio, 75, was killed after stumbling across the animals in dense vegetation in Gabon. The carcass collector had been moving through thick undergrowth with a professional hunter when the pair unknowingly walked into the herd. The animals were said to be so well […]

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Amid conflict and poaching, tech helps boost mountain gorilla numbers

Amid conflict and poaching, tech helps boost mountain gorilla numbers

The population of the world’s last mountain gorillas has rebounded by 73% since 1989, allowing the subspecies to be reclassified from critically endangered — one step away from extinction — to endangered. But they remain imperiled, with about 1,063 left. They live in just one place: the Greater Virunga Landscape that straddles Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic […]

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What’s the fastest land mammal in the Americas? Meet the speed demon that could outrun a cheetah in a long-distance race

What’s the fastest land mammal in the Americas? Meet the speed demon that could outrun a cheetah in a long-distance race

The Americas, which encompasses North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, has a huge variety of landscapes – and therefore animals. From imposing mountains to desert plains and tropical beaches, these habitats provide a home for all sorts of creatures. But have you ever wondered what the fastest land mammal in the Americas is? […]

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A South African reserve shows how carbon can catalyze rewilding conservation

A South African reserve shows how carbon can catalyze rewilding conservation

TSWALU KALAHARI RESERVE, South Africa — From high on a promontory in the Korannaberg Mountains, a mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) peers down to the west across the green-dappled plain below, the sun rising behind. In the distance, wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) hunt in the veld, verdant after early rains. And nearby, white rhinos (Ceratotherium […]

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“It looks like a porcupine, but has a bird-like beak, a pouch like a kangaroo and lays eggs like a reptile.” 10 weirdest, bizarrest mammals on the planet

“It looks like a porcupine, but has a bird-like beak, a pouch like a kangaroo and lays eggs like a reptile.” 10 weirdest, bizarrest mammals on the planet

Nature defies expectation, with animals boasting strange body parts or survival techniques. From the four-headed penis of the echidna to the pink shell of the pink fairy armadillo, there’s plenty to raise an eyebrow at. Here are some of the weirdest mammals on the planet. Weirdest mammals Echidna (Tachyglossidae) At first glance, the echidna might look like […]

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