Environmentalists are urging the Trump administration to reverse a decision to freeze funding for important conservation work aimed at protecting iconic at-risk species, which includes anti-poaching patrols for vulnerable elephants and rhinos. The Center for Biological Diversity sent a notice of intent to sue to the administration on Wednesday over the funding cuts. “The Trump […]
Tag: elephants
Petition: Stop TripSavvy From Promoting Cruel Elephant Rides
Despite overwhelming evidence of the suffering that elephants endure when they’re used for rides, TripSavvy still fails to inform travelers about the cruelty inherent in elephant rides—including those at India’s Amber Fort, where abuse is well documented. Elephants used for rides at Amber Fort—many of whom have been found to be injured, ill, and elderly—are […]
Most Conservation Funding Goes to Large, ‘Charismatic’ Vertebrates Instead of Lesser-Known, Threatened Species: Study
Larger, dynamic animal species like rhinoceroses and elephants get a lot of well-deserved attention. But they also get the lion’s share of global conservation funding, leaving threatened species that are not as well-known to fend for themselves. A 25-year study led by researchers at University of Hong Kong (HKU) has found that, of the nearly […]
How a Nepali border village learned to live with migratory wild elephants
BAHUNDANGI, Nepal – The heavy thud against the glass window sent Krishna Bahadur Rasaili’s heart racing. Stepping outside, he saw his granary lay in ruins, and an elephant was feasting on his hard-earned paddy harvest. For years, this has been a terrifying reality in Bahundangi, a village along Nepal’s eastern border with India along the […]
How to Wage War on Poaching, According to a Former South African General
For years, South Africa’s wildlife has been under attack. Some of the country’s most iconic species, including rhinos, elephants, and lions, are being systematically slaughtered by poachers, who are funded and supported by criminal gangs. These animals are killed for their parts — their horns and tusks and claws and bones — which are then […]
Despite Biotech Efforts to Revive Species, Extinction Is Still Forever
I was crouched on the ground, 50 feet from an aurochs. At least it looked like one. Eight generations of back-breeding had resurrected an animal reminiscent of the giant bovine that crashed from Earth’s biota in 1627. The coal-black beast had the forward-facing horns of the long-extinct aurochs. It had the same muscular shoulders and […]
Shrinking trees and tuskless elephants: the strange ways species are adapting to humans
From the highest mountains to the depths of the ocean, humanity’s influence has touched every part of planet Earth. Many plants and animals are evolving in response, adapting to a human-dominated world. One notable example came during the Industrial Revolution, when the peppered moth turned from black and white to entirely black after soot darkened […]
Young Boy Found Alive After Spending 5 Days Surrounded by Lions and Elephants in Game Park
A missing boy has been found alive after spending nearly a week alone in a northern Zimbabwe game park filled with lions, elephants and other wild animals, local officials said. On Wednesday, Jan. 1, Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of Zimbabwe’s parliament, shared news of the “true miracle” on social media. “A boy missing & found […]