A multi-national research team has developed a rapid DNA identification method to help customs inspectors detect illegally traded wildlife products, beginning with sharks. The DNA testing protocol, published last month, detects nine of 12 commonly traded shark species quickly enough to enable officials to determine whether a shipment requires further inspection. These sharks have small […]
Tag: killing
Scottish ministers urged to honour pledge to protect beavers
Wildlife experts have said wild beavers in Scotland are being trapped and shot because ministers have broken promises to make them a protected species. A group of 17 prominent ecologists and conservation bodies have signed a letter to the Guardian urging the Scottish government to honour its pledge two years ago to legislate to protect […]
POLL: Should the Alberta coyote hunting contest be stopped?
An annual contest that encourages hunters to kill as many coyotes as they can in one day will be going ahead on Saturday, despite threats against the organizer. The DKD Coyote Tournament will be holding its fifth annual competition just outside of Edmonton — the event’s Facebook page says the location of the check-in will […]
Coalition Speaks Up to Stop National Wildlife Killing Contest
Animal advocates are taking action to stop a barbaric coyote killing contest, which is one of the first to take this cruelty nationwide. These contests, which are also known as drives, tournaments or derbies, reward people of all ages with cash prizes and weapons for killing the biggest and most animals. Sadly, coyotes, who have been […]
POLL: Should the MOTV trophy hunting channel be closed down?
My Outdoor TV (MOTV), an online channel that debuted last weekend in the United Kingdom and is already available in the United States, may sound like it celebrates nature and the great outdoors, but that is very far from the case. No, the programming on MOTV – which costs $9.99 a month and is being […]
Yellowstone wolf’s killing raises questions
The November killing of a Yellowstone wolf outside the park has generated “hundreds” of emails and phone calls to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials suggesting that the hunt was not lawful. So far, FWP has found no wrongdoing. “There’s no indication it was killed illegally,” said Adam Pankrantz, the FWP warden captain based in […]
POLL: Should this protected species continue to be slaughtered to the point of extinction?
More than 32,000 badgers were killed in England this autumn during the annual cull, which is intended to reduce tuberculosis in cattle. Government officials claimed the culls were effective and starting to reduce prevalence of the disease in cows. But independent scientists said the officials were cherry-picking data and making up targets as they went […]
POLL: Should Mauritian flying foxes be culled to protect farmers’s fruit trees?
The culling of fruit bats in recent years to protect crops in Mauritius has pushed the species closer to extinction, and now the government is planning to do it again. One problem, scientists say, is that killing bats might not boost harvests. Until now, growers and the government have been operating on the assumption, based […]