For more than a decade, wildlife biologist Tiasa Adhya has spent many a day (and night) in a small wooden boat, silently gliding through dense vegetation in the wetlands and mangroves of West Bengal, scanning the banks for signs of a rarely seen wild cat – the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus). “Fishing cats are fascinating […]
Mention the word “shark” to most people, and they will most likely think of a cruel, bloodthirsty monster along the lines of those portrayed in “Jaws” or the “Sharknado” series. When the word “shark” is used to describe a human, it carries negative connotations of deceitfulness and cunning. We seem to have developed an idea […]
At the beginning of the 1990s, while observing the large trees of the Amazon ceding ground to the scrub-like vegetation of the Cerrado, in a process driven by human activity, Brazilian scientist Carlos Nobre conceived of the hypothesis that a process of savannization of the world’s greatest tropical forest was underway. Thirty years later, a […]
A group called Defend Ballona Wetlands has sued the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW). Molly Bassler, a Climate Reality Project leader with the Los Angeles chapter, and Robert van de Hoek, a wildlife biologist, are joining it in the suit. The litigants are challenging the CDFW’s approval of a project they say would […]
Big cats require big home ranges. In February 2016, a young male Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) walked from Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in western Thailand to Kayin state in Myanmar. After crossing mountains, rivers, roads and national borders over the course of its 170-kilometer (105-mile) journey, he ventured out of the forest into […]
A bill introduced in California would end trophy hunting of black bears in the state, according to news from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Introduced by State Sen. Scott Wiener, it would be the first of its kind in the United States. The ban would set an exceptional precedent as well as […]
Renewable energy development is a critically important part of the fight against climate change. Unfortunately, we also know that wind energy development has a substantial negative impact on birds. But just how many birds are killed by wind turbines? A Google search can turn up a wide array of answers to this question, with a […]
Chances are, the works of the world’s insects touch your lips every day. The coffee or tea you savor, both are insect pollinated. Apples, oranges, cabbages, cashews, cherries, carrots, broccoli, watermelon, garlic, cinnamon, basil, sunflower seeds, almonds, canola oil — all are insect pollinated. Honey, dyes, even some vaccines require insects to come to fruition. […]