The outlook for eastern Africa’s mountain gorillas is growing brighter, as a recent census released on Dec. 16 shows that the subspecies’ numbers have risen since 2011. Scientists believe there are now at least 1,063 mountain gorillas living in the wild. Tara Stoinski, the CEO and chief scientific officer of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, […]
Tag: poaching
Botswana cancels hunters’ licences for killing elephant
Botswana has cancelled the licences of two professional hunters who shot dead a research elephant. Michael Lee Potter and Kevin Sharp had voluntarily surrendered their hunting licences, a government statement said. Botswana lifted a ban on elephant hunting in May, citing growing conflict between humans and the animals. However the elephant, which was shot last […]
A Philippine conservation park juggles funding needs with animal welfare
ILOILO, Philippines — A pig growled in pain. I walked up to the enclosure of sharp, rusty metal grill to see a Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons), known locally as baboy talunon, crouched on the ground, with another pig biting its back. The wounded pig squealed again and ran around the enclosure. “The wounded pig […]
British troops move black rhinos to Malawi
British troops have helped to move a group of critically endangered black rhinos from South Africa to Malawi to protect them against poaching. Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles moved 17 of the animals, which are hunted for their horns, in the hope they can be better protected. They were transported by air […]
Outrage over ‘unethical’ Botswana elephant hunt
The killing of five elephants, one wearing a research collar, by a wealthy hunting party in Botswana’s Ngamiland has outraged the local community in which the hunt took place. They insist that hunting is not the solution to human/animal conflict – one of the main reasons given by President Mokgweetsi Masisi for allowing it. They […]
Community conservation agreements a lifeline for Uganda’s grey crowned cranes
KABALE DISTRICT, Uganda — Ten years ago, grey crowned cranes (Balearica regulorum) had become a rare sight along the highway connecting the Ugandan capital, Kampala, to Rwanda. Across the birds’ entire range in East and Southern Africa, the cranes’ populations had declined steeply. But efforts to restore their wetland habitats in Uganda are succeeding, and […]
Four tiger foetuses found in Indonesian ‘poacher’ arrests
Five people in Indonesia have been arrested for poaching after authorities found the skin of a protected Sumatran tiger and four foetuses in a jar. Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, with fewer than 400 believed to be left in the wild. It’s not clear if the foetuses were taken from the adult tiger whose skin […]
Brave Kruger Ranger Single-Handedly Takes Down Five Armed Poachers
A brave park ranger single-handedly apprehended a group of ‘five heavily-armed suspectedrhino poachersin the Kruger National Park (KNP) this weekend’. The gang had five fresh rhino horns in their possession as well as a high-calibre hunting rifle, ammunition and other equipment used for poaching. Their vehicle has been impounded as part of the investigation.The incident […]
