Horrific images show lions like ‘walking skeletons’ rescued from zoo in Nigeria Shocking footage has revealed the state of some captive lions which have been likened to “walking skeletons” at a zoo in Nigeria. The clip shows the lions lying down in their cages, looking emaciated with their bones on show. The footage was taken […]
Tag: illegal trade
Stray juvenile lion shot dead by the Uganda Wildlife Authority for killing and eating people’s livestock
On April 8, 2022, Uganda Peoples Defence Forces soldiers shot and killed a stray juvenile lion that had spent days murdering and eating people’s livestock in many communities in the western Uganda region of Kagadi (UPDF). The lion was shot during a combined operation combining Uganda police, the Uganda Police Force (UPF), and the Uganda […]
Many hunters leave hippos’ corpses behind and return home with just 12 teeth as their “trophies.”
Hippos are one of the most recognizable creatures on the planet, with their barrel form, massive teeth, and jaws that can expand to nearly 180 degrees. Hippos are also a keystone species because their behavior, as “ecosystem engineers,” helps form and preserve landscapes and ecosystems while also promoting biodiversity. Their presence is vital to the […]
Moving African rhinos: what it takes to translocate an endangered species
Rhino translocations have become a critical tool in the arsenal for the protection of these endangered animals. Recently, 30 white rhinos were flown into Rwanda from South Africa and introduced into the Akagera National Park, in what was the single largest rhino translocation. It was carried out through a collaboration between the Rwanda Development Board, […]
Gorilla baby boom sparks hope in DRC, but threats to great apes persist
As a clear morning dawned on May 18, 2021, a baby was born. She was a gorilla, born to the Mapuwa family, one of 10 gorilla families in Virunga National Park, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A month later, news broke that another gorilla, Mafuko from the Bageni family, was born on June […]
Fake it till you save it? Synthetic animal parts pose a conservation conundrum
Twice a year, thousands of members of South Africa’s Nazareth Baptist Church clothe themselves in spots and walk to their holy grounds in KwaZulu-Natal province to take up a dance. Following the swell of horns and the pounding of a drum, more than 1,500 male dancers move together, their stamping feet and upraised arms swinging in […]
Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade: Animal populations fall by 62% where wildlife trade occurs, study reveals
A major analysis of hundreds of species of animals has revealed the huge toll the world’s booming wildlife trade is taking on the natural world. Without urgent action, the world is facing “rampant trade-induced declines” of mammals, birds and reptiles, the authors of the research said. In places where the wildlife trade is active, species have […]
Ivory by any other name: Illegal trade thrives on eBay, study finds
Two miniature sculptures sold on eBay in December 2020: a tiny egg with a chick hatching through the shell, and an intricately carved man in traditional Japanese dress with a rat perched on his shoulder. The egg sold for $195 and the figure for $1,345. But there’s a problem. Both objects are made from a […]