Your report on the river otter’s return to New York City’s Bronx River after a century’s absence (19 August) is genuinely wonderful news – proof that patient ecological restoration works. But it sits uneasily alongside a fact rarely mentioned: New York state still permits the trapping and killing of hundreds of river otters every year, […]
Tag: otters
“This was a disaster for native wildlife that had few defences. This small, agile predator can find its way into the narrowest burrow”
A mink eradication plan in the High Weald of Sussex is proving so successful that Defra has given the go ahead to extend the project across southern England from the Kent coast to the Dorset border. It raises the realistic prospect that this invasive aquatic mustelid – a diminutive relative of otters, badgers and weasels – may be removed from […]
Powerful swimmers with massive heads, thick necks, and paws like sledgehammers, these diving big cats hunt below and above the water. Watch them in action
It was said that it couldn’t be done: the terrain was too dangerous; the floods would wipe out the cameras; the system was too unpredictable. But the truth is, no-one had really tried Andi Cross tells Melissa Hobson. We were headed to Porto Jofre, known for its wild jaguars, to help the Jaguar Identification Project (JIP) complete a […]
Capybara Cafes Are Fueling A Dangerous Trend In The Exotic Pet Trade
According to a recent report from the Guardian, cafes across Asia are turning exotic animals into props for selfie culture, and experts say the trend is pushing the illegal pet trade to new heights. In Bangkok, visitors can now pay to cuddle capybaras, the gentle giants native to South America, even though these rodents belong […]
Mystery of the missing bait: clever coastal wolf raids crab traps
It’s the sort of mystery that leaves ecologists hungry for answers: A submerged crab trap inexplicably hauled out of the depths, ripped open and the bait trap emptied – a few teeth marks the only clue that some sort of predator may be to blame. It took almost a year and a set of remote […]
36 extraordinary, astonishing bird facts, including a bird that has killed humans, a bird that likes to get drunk and one that can fly backwards
Did you know flamingoes are pink on the inside as well as the outside? Or how about the wild bird that’s over 70 years old? And have you ever wondered why woodpeckers don’t get concussion from their never-ending pecking? We’ve rounded up some of the most extraordinary facts about birds and their fascinating world….. 32 […]
Beasts of the Sea: the tragic story of how the ‘gentle, lovable’ sea cow became the perfect victim
Iida Turpeinen is the author of Beasts of the Sea, a Finnish novel tracing the fate of a now-extinct species: the sea cow. Similar to dugongs and manatees, the sea cow was only discovered in 1741 by the shipwrecked German-born naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller but by 1768 it had already become the first marine species […]
Taylor Swift Fans Raise Millions for Otter Conservation After Viral T-Shirt Moment
When Taylor Swift wore a vintage Monterey Bay Aquarium T-shirt featuring two sea otters during The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, no one expected it would spark a wave of donations — but that’s exactly what happened. According to People, the California aquarium reissued the shirt for a limited fundraiser after Swift’s outfit went […]