The Chinese government announced today that it will “eventually” shut down its legal domestic ivory market. The move, which surprised conservationists, could provide a major boost in efforts to stop the mass killing of elephants for their ivory. The announcement came during a public event where 662 kilograms of contraband ivory was destroyed. Zhao Shucong, […]
Tag: endangered species
Will Big Game Hunters Trade Bullets for Tranquilizer Darts?
On a cold morning in late February, Chip Wagner stalked an African bongo, an endangered antelope with a striking striped coat. Only Wagner wasn’t in Africa; he was on a hilly game ranch in South Texas. And he wasn’t using his usual bow, but a dart gun, which he had never shot before. “It’s like […]
12 Extraordinary Pictures Show Animals Headed for Extinction
On Endangered Species Day, there are thousands of species that may not be around for long. The term “endangered species” usually brings to mind charismatic animals—fluffy pandas and majestic tigers. But there are thousands of lesser-known species that are in greater danger of disappearing. These animals, categorized as “critically endangered” by the International Union for […]
Emirates Airlines Bans Hunting Trophies of Lions, Rhinos
The world’s biggest international carrier joins South African Airways in banning transport of trophies of exotic wildlife such as elephants and rhinos. Emirates Airlines will stop carrying hunting trophies of elephants, rhinos, lions, or tigers on its planes, the company announced this week. The decision is meant as a step “to eliminate illegal trade and […]
Poll: Should Rhinos be Hunted to Support Conservation
Despite fierce and widespread criticism, numerous petitions, a lawsuit and even death threats, controversial Texas hunter Corey Knowlton’s mission to hunt down a black rhino in Namibia has been fulfilled. Accompanied by a CNN camera crew and two government trackers, and armed with a high-powered rifle, Knowlton shot and killed an old rhino bull in […]
South African Airways bans all wildlife trophies from flights
Trophy hunters may need to find another flight home, as South African Airlines (SAA) has announced a new ban on any wildlife trophies from their flights. “Hunting of endangered species has become a major problem in Africa and elsewhere with the depletion to near extinction of wildlife that once roamed in prolific numbers. SAA has […]
30 illegal orangutan pets seized in West Kalimantan
Thirty orangutans being kept as household pets in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province have been seized and placed in a rehabilitation center, local conservation authorities report. Sustyo Iriyono, head of the province’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), said he was relieved that the push to save the creatures, conducted jointly with International Animal Rescue (IAR), was […]
Conservationists turn tiny New Zealand island into bold wildlife experiment
Rotoroa Island, off the coast of New Zealand is tiny, at just 82 hectares (200 acres), but don’t let its diminutiveness fool you: big things are happening here. Over the past few years the island has become the site of a quiet, but grand, conservation experiment. What would happen if you populated an island with […]