Many internationally traded species are on the verge of extinction in their native countries. In some cases, traded animals have managed to escape — or have been deliberately introduced — into new locations, forming feral populations. These secondary, often thriving, populations could hold hope for the survival of endangered species in their native ranges, suggests […]
Tag: poaching
POLL: Should the slaughter of Borneo’s pygmy elephants be stopped?
Even the planet’s smallest elephants, tucked away on the island of Borneo, are no longer immune to the global poaching crisis for ivory. On New Year’s Eve, wildlife officials in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, found the bones of a beloved male elephant, nicknamed Sabre for his unusual tusks that slanted downwards like the extinct sabre-toothed tiger’s […]
China to shut down its ivory trade by the end of 2017
China will shut down its domestic ivory trade by the end of 2017, according to an announcement made today by the Chinese government. The announcement comes more than a year after China’s President Xi Jinping and United States President Barack Obama pledged to enact “nearly complete bans” on the import and export of ivory, an […]
Giraffes facing extinction after devastating decline
The world’s tallest animal is at risk of extinction after suffering a devastating decline in numbers, with nearly 40% of giraffes lost in the last 30 years, according to the latest “red list” analysis. The authoritative list, compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has also added more than 700 newly […]
Innovative technology creates safe haven for rhinos
An innovative new technology might be able to protect rhinos like never before. Unveiled last week, the new system integrates a set of technologies — Wi-Fi, thermal cameras, biometrics, closed-circuit televisions, and sensors — to create a security network across an entire game reserve. What makes it so promising is that it helps rangers react earlier, […]
Video: The Ivory Game – timely account of elephants’ death throes
It is obviously more than a game and this documentary directed by Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani – and exec-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio – showing on Netflix, brings a new urgency to an old subject: the ivory trade, which is threatening the world’s elephants. This threat has not been cancelled or brought under control, as […]
World on track to lose two-thirds of wild animals by 2020
The number of wild animals living on Earth is set to fall by two-thirds by 2020, according to a new report, part of a mass extinction that is destroying the natural world upon which humanity depends. The analysis, the most comprehensive to date, indicates that animal populations plummeted by 58% between 1970 and 2012, with […]
Hounds hot on the heels of poachers in rhino country
“I am ready to die for conserving the rhino,” says Wisdom Makhubele. But the brave young ranger now has another weapon in the war against rhino poaching: the extraordinary nose of tracking hounds. The trained dogs can run poachers to ground far faster than people, sometimes even being set free in packs and followed from […]