Did you know there’s a rat poisonous enough to kill an elephant? Lophiomys imhausi, also known as the crested rat, the maned rat, and the African crested rat, is a deadly rarity says Aoife Glass. The crested rat is the only known poisonous rodent, and the only known mammal to sequester plant toxins for use as […]
Tag: elephants
More people, farms, and drought could mean more elephant conflict in Southern Africa
A growing human population, expanding croplands, and drier conditions driven by climate change within protected areas could significantly intensify human-elephant conflict in Southern Africa, a recent study finds. Southern Africa is home to almost 300,000 African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana), with many populations rebounding after decades of poaching. The region is also seeing rapidly expanding farms and […]
Kenya investigates mysterious deaths of 15 elephants in Amboseli
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is investigating the deaths of 15 elephants in the Amboseli savannah ecosystem, near the border with Tanzania. KWS told Mongabay that some preliminary laboratory investigations have found a toxic substance in the dead elephants. The animals were found between June 24 and July 24, 2026, at the Kimana Sanctuary and Kuku Ranch, […]
First sighting of African wild dogs in Malawi national park in more than 10 years
Four African wild dogs were recently spotted in Kasungu National Park in Malawi, making it the first confirmation of the endangered species in the park in more than a decade. The wild dogs appear to have travelled hundreds of kilometers from a park in eastern Zambia to reach Kasungu. Matthew Becker, chief executive of the […]
Can harpy eagles attack humans? Amazon case rekindles scientific debate
In a remote area of French Guiana, a 29-year-old woman was attacked by a harpy, considered the world’s largest eagle, in October 2023. In an area with extensive tracts of preserved forest, such interactions between humans and wildlife are extremely rare but garner widespread media attention and scientific interest. A recently published study highlighted this […]
Are elephant graveyards a real thing? Is there any truth in the legend elephants go to a special place to die?
The story goes that an elderly or sick elephant, knowing that death is near and not wanting to be a burden to its family and friends, will slip quietly away from its herd and head off alone to a special place, where many others have gone before, to end its days amongst the bones of its […]
Petition: Wild Animals Are Still Suffering in Circuses and Fairs Across the United States
Imagine being ripped from your family, confined to small, dirty enclosures and transported to strange places. You are forced to perform painful and unfamiliar tasks, dances, and movements. If you resist, you are beaten, screamed at, or another horrific form of intimidation. Your captors get paid while you waste away, psychologically broken and physically brutalized. […]
Herculean Effort to Restore Mozambique’s Rhino Population Succeeds with 61 Animals Moved There
9 female white rhino have been reintroduced to one of Mozambique’s southern national parks as part of a mammoth undertaking to bring back species the country has lost. Mozambique was the victim of one of Africa’s worst post-colonial power struggles, during which time they lost virtually all of several large animals during a civil war […]