The South African government has made a landmark decision to end the nation’s captive lion breeding industry. This includes closing down facilities that offer touristic experiences like canned hunting and lion petting, and halting the commercial use of captive lions and their derivatives. News of this decision was made public May 2, when the government […]
Tag: elephants
Death of a Sri Lankan icon highlights surge in elephant electrocutions
COLOMBO — He may have had short tusks, but at nearly 3 meters (10 feet) tall, Revatha was the dominant bull in his home range of Kalawewa in Sri Lanka’s North Central province. Other bull elephants that challenged him for dominance found themselves no match for his might; some even died in their ground-rumbling jousts […]
Turning the Spotlight on Asia’s Smallest Feline—the Elusive Rusty-Spotted Cat!
Weighing a mere 2 pounds (almost 300 times smaller than a tiger)—the Rusty-spotted cat is one of the smallest cat species in the world. However, what they lack in size, they make up for in being fierce hunters! The Rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is endemic to the dry deciduous forests, scrubs, and grasslands of India, […]
The Secret Footage of the N.R.A. Chief’s Botched Elephant Hunt
Wayne LaPierre has cultivated his image as an exemplar of American gun culture, but video of his clumsy marksmanship—and details regarding his Rodeo Drive shopping trips—tells another story. After the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in 2012, Wayne LaPierre, the head of the National Rifle Association, told Americans agitating for new gun regulations, […]
Elephant Hunts For $70,000 to Fund Zimbabwe National Parks
Zimbabwe plans to sell the right to shoot as many as 500 elephants for as much as $70,000 per animal to help fund the upkeep of its national parks. The hunting season, which takes place over the southern hemisphere winter, will resume this year after the coronavirus pandemic scuppered plans to have elephants shot by […]
Farmers move to occupy a critical elephant corridor in Sri Lanka
UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK, Sri Lanka — Earlier this month, more than 300 people gathered near the borders of the Dahaiyagala Wildlife Sanctuary in Sri Lanka’s Uva province armed with axes, long knives, ropes and handheld hoes called mamoties. Their apparent intention: Take control of sanctuary lands and expand their farms. Triggered by a rumor that […]
The Last Giraffes on Earth
The giraffe is nearly down. Two men have stretched a thick black rope in front of the animal, to trip her up. The giraffe hits the rope, and the plan seems to be working until she gains a second wind and breaks into a fresh run. Her body sways backward and forward like a rocking […]
Negligent Truck Driver Kills Elephant
According to Wildlife SOS, an elephant was killed on a road in India. 40-year-old Lakshmi was killed by a negligent truck driver in Rajasthan. Wildlife SOS heard about the accident and rushed to her aid. A veterinary team went to the elephant with medical equipment. The team concluded that her condition was critical due to […]