Virunga National Park is Africa’s oldest and most biologically diverse protected area. Virunga’s Senkwekwe Center is home to critically endangered mountain gorillas. The orphaned gorillas have been in the care of the park rangers at Virunga since they were babies. They are often hunted and poached, and when left as orphans, they are cared for […]
Tag: poaching
Former Hornbill Poacher Becomes a Wildlife Ranger
In Indonesia, a moving experience with a bird caused a wildlife poacher to have a change of heart. Khaedir used to poach endangered hornbills in the Indonesian Leuser rainforest, according to a BBC report. Khaedir turned to poaching as a means of supporting himself financially, feeling he had no better way to earn money. But […]
Petition: Will India Let This Great Bird Go Extinct?
The great Indian bustard may become the first bird to go extinct in India since the country gained independence in 1947. In 1960 the bird was already recognized as a legally protected endangered species, but its population was estimated to be just 1,250 individuals – and dropping fast. Fearing that the species would decline even […]
Petition: Support the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act
A new piece of legislation has been proposed that could mark a monumental step in wildlife protection and change the landscape and availability of illegal wildlife trade. The Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2019 was proposed by Congressman John Garamendi and co-sponsored by Congressman Don Young at the end of January. The act was […]
Outrage over trophy hunter who paid $110,000 to kill rare mountain goat
An American man reportedly shelled out $110,000 to hunt and kill a rare mountain goat while on a recent expedition trip in Pakistan’s northern Himalayan region of Gilgit-Baltistan.. Bryan Kinsel Harlan, a trophy hunter from Texas, was photographed on Tuesday kneeling and smiling behind the butchered goat. “It was an easy and close shot,” Mr […]
Hotspots of exploitation: where are species under greatest threat?
By now, almost everyone knows that many rhinoceros species around the world are threatened with extinction because of commercial overexploitation for their horns, which are sold on the black market. Likewise, all pangolin species have been pushed to the brink of extinction, particularly by hunting for their meat and scales. Unsustainable exploitation is the greatest […]
Suspected totoaba poachers shot by authorities in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez
Three suspected totoaba poachers were reportedly shot yesterday by Mexican marines following a confrontation over illegal gillnets that had been confiscated. According to local news outlet Fronteras, the governor of the Mexican state of Baja California, Francisco Vega, has confirmed that three people were injured in a shootout between suspected poachers and Mexican marines early […]
Bird that solved migration mystery now illegally killed on its journey
The White Stork is one of seven flagship birds in our Flight for Survival campaign to raise awareness of the scope and scale of the illegal killing of migratory birds. It’s fitting that the White Stork Ciconia ciconia is kicking off our Flight for Survival campaign, because this species actually helped scientists to discover the […]
