Animal rights campaigners are gearing up for protests and petitions aimed at persuading the French government to ban the hunting of Alpine marmots. Open season on the rodents, members of the squirrel and groundhog family, begins in September, a few weeks before they go into a long winter hibernation. Although the marmot is not a […]
Tag: badgers
How to stitch a massive wildlife corridor through the Rocky Mountains
BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada — On a sunny Thursday in May, Kent Kebe had to scrape yet another bighorn sheep carcass off Highway 93/95 running through Radium, British Columbia. The necropsy confirmed what Kebe, the village’s protective service manager, already knew: A car collision killed the ram. Roadkill deaths hit this community hard. Residents love their […]
“This was a disaster for native wildlife that had few defences. This small, agile predator can find its way into the narrowest burrow”
A mink eradication plan in the High Weald of Sussex is proving so successful that Defra has given the go ahead to extend the project across southern England from the Kent coast to the Dorset border. It raises the realistic prospect that this invasive aquatic mustelid – a diminutive relative of otters, badgers and weasels – may be removed from […]
It looks like a wolf, acts like a wolf – but don’t be fooled this is no wolf…
Unlike the hapless Wile E. Coyote of Looney Tunes fame, the real-life version is an intelligent and highly successful animal. Once associated with North America’s prairies and deserts, the coyote now turns up almost everywhere, even city streets, thanks to its remarkable ability to thrive alongside people. Its appetite for rubbish and even pets can provoke a […]
Is this the world’s most aggressive animal? Just the size of a fox, this badass raids beehives, steals from lions, shrugs off snake venom and never backs down…
Also known as the ratel, the honey badger is famous for its seemingly fearless and aggressive attitude to other animals, even larger predators such as lions and leopards – but does the honey badger live up to this infamy, and if so, just why is it so aggressive? What is a honey badger? The honey […]
Golden eagles poised for reintroduction in England
After more than 150 years, golden eagles could be set to return to England, as a study is expected to confirm there are enough suitable sites to support the reintroduction of the UK’s most iconic bird of prey. Golden eagles, which can have a wingspan of more than 2 metres, are occasionally seen in areas […]
Air pollution filters help scientists produce first UK wildlife survey using eDNA
As the UK’s Big Butterfly Count reaches more than 100,000 submissions, an international group of scientists have produced the first national survey of biodiversity using an entirely different approach. Instead of looking for species by eye, they took advantage of the samplers around the UK that constantly measure toxic metal particles in the air, and […]
Concern over ‘cruel’ fox traps on Black Mountain
A wildlife conservationist has spoken of his “heartbreak” after finding makeshift fox traps on Belfast’s Black Mountain. Aaron Kelly said the traps were made out of old shopping trollies and hidden on privately-owned land overlooking the city. One was baited with a dead magpie on a lever which would slam the trapdoor shut behind any […]