La Campana National Park, located in Chile’s Valparaíso region, is considered a jewel. It’s a biodiversity oasis in one of the most densely populated areas of the country. Inside the park live plant species from the north, central and even south of Chile, although the latter are accustomed to higher humidity than this area provides. […]
Tag: chile
Most endangered cat in Americas found living on outskirts of Chilean capital
Teetering over an arid cliff face above the sprawling Chilean capital, Bernardo Segura reviews the footage from the camera trap and lets out a yell of excitement as the images reveal a flickering striped tail. On the screen displaying the conservationist’s latest video capture is an Andean cat – the most endangered feline in the […]
Chile’s Last Circus Elephant is Retired to a Sanctuary!
Ramba the elephant spent 50 years all alone in a circus. The Asian elephant was first forced into circus life in Argentina and later in Chile. In 1997, she was “confiscated” from a circus called Los Tachuelas because she was suffering abuse and neglect. Despite being “confiscated,” she actually had to stay with the circus, […]
Meet the man who is biking across the Andes to save birds
You’ve probably heard of a ‘Big Year’. That’s when birdwatchers go out and try to see as many birds as they can in one year. What you probably haven’t heard of is a Big Green Big Year, or BIGBY. That’s when a birder tries to see as many birds as they can by Green Birding […]
Chile Rejects Mining Project to Protect Humboldt Penguins
A mining operation that could have earned Chile billions of dollars has been rejected by the country’s government due to concerns over its potential impact on wildlife — threatened penguins, in particular. Chilean company Andes Iron had put forward a proposal to extract millions of tons of iron and copper from the Coquimbo region in […]
Two new iguanid lizard species from the Laja Lagoon, Chile
A team of Chilean scientists discover two new species of iguanid lizards from the Laja Lagoon, Chile. The two new species are believed to have been long confused with other representatives of the elongatus-kriegi lizard complex, until recent morphological analysis diagnosed them as separate. The study was published in the 500th issue of the open […]
Chile: Owls drafted in to fight deadly hantavirus
The nocturnal birds are predators of the long-tailed pygmy rice rat, carriers of the contagious disease which has killed 15 since February. In a summer which has seen the deadliest outbreak of hantavirus in five years, the National Forestry Service (Conaf) is looking to ramp up the deployment of one of its most unusual weapons […]
Storm-petrel breeding in the Atacama desert
Seabirds, especially pelagic species, are more threatened than most other bird groups with similar numbers of species. Among them,Storm-petrels (family Hydrobatidae) are diverse and widespread in the Pacific Ocean.Markham’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma markhami) is common in the Humboldt Current, including pelagic and coastal waters of Ecuador, Peru, and Chile between 18°N and 30°S. Only a couple […]