MANILA — Knowledge of the Philippine pangolin, the only pangolin species in the country, is scant. Sightings of the animal are rarer still. But unlike other pangolin species around the world that teeter on the brink of extinction, a new study suggests that with the appropriate conservation measures, the Philippines’ endemic pangolin still has a […]
Tag: poaching
Helicopter airlifts orphaned baby rhinos found next to their slaughtered mothers
An emergency helicopter service is rescuing rhinos that get injured or orphaned by heartless poachers. Since its launch in 2018, Rhino 911 has been called out hundreds of times. Baby rhinos airlifted to safety included one-month-old Lottie, found desperately trying to suckle from her slaughtered mum. Pilot and co-founder of the South African charity, Nico Jacobs, said: […]
A good year for the Philippine eagle in 2020, but not for its supporters
MINDANAO, Philippines — Efforts to conserve the critically endangered Philippine eagle, one of the rarest raptors in the world, soared high even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the global havoc wreaked by the health crisis, the year 2020 ended on a high note for eagle conservationists, with at least two eagle families sighted in the […]
Petition: Demand Government Officials Help Save Pangolins
Although pangolins are one of the most trafficked animals in the world, most people hadn’t heard of them prior to the pandemic, when scientists found that pangolins at a wet market in Wuhan, China were likely responsible for coronavirus. These scaly mammals are so shy and gentle that they curl up in a ball when […]
Decapitated bear found amid ‘frenzy of poaching’ in Oregon, officials say
Oregon officials are concerned about a “frenzy of poaching” after a black bear was found decapitated. A decapitated bear was discovered outside of Veneta in October, and multiple other animals have been poached in the same area of Lane County, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said Friday in a news release. “This […]
Snare traps decline, but still pose a threat to Leuser’s Sumatran rhinos
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — For the rhinos of Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, snare traps set by poachers are a key factor that threatens to drive them closer to extinction. The Leuser Ecosystem is one of the last refuges of the critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Fewer than 80 of the animals are believed to remain […]
Lemurs might never recover from COVID-19 (commentary)
The DreamWorks version of Madagascar is exactly that, a fantasy. The island nation is no unpeopled paradise teeming with dancing lemurs, as depicted in the animated Madagascar film. On the contrary, almost all of its lemur species are being driven to extinction by humans. This World Lemur’s Day, it is worth pointing out that the […]
Poaching of wild songbirds so lucrative criminals are monitoring nests
The poaching of wild songbirds has become so lucrative that criminals are monitoring nests in a bid to circumvent the law, according to a senior garda. A sealed ring on a songbird traditionally suggested it was born in captivity and could legally be sold. But according to Supt Martin Walker, poachers have started stalking birds […]