Introduced foxes, dogs, cats, rats, and other predators kill millions of native animals every year, but what if they were conditioned to associate this prey with food that made them ill? A team of international researchers have shown the potential to do just that, burying baits containing capsules of levamisole, a chemical that induces nausea […]
Tag: Predation
Albatross populations are declining due to invasive mouse species
New research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, shows long-lived species may suffer greater impacts from predation than was previously thought. Researchers have utilized a sophisticated population model, which is not constrained to analyzing only breeding pairs, to shed light on decades-long confusion surrounding the impact of invasive mice on the critically endangered Tristan […]
Lions deal blow to giraffe numbers by targeting young, study finds
Lions put a damper on the number of young giraffes that survive to maturity, according to a new study, raising concerns about a species that has recently slipped into decline. “It is thought that lions preferentially target giraffe calves in the wild, and there is anecdotal evidence of this,” biologist Zoe Muller said in a […]
POLL: Should outdoor cats be prevented from killing birds?
More than 1 million native Australian birds are killed across the country by cats every day, new research shows. The study, published in the journal Biological Conversation, estimates feral cats kill 316 million birds a year, while pet cats kill 61 million birds annually. More than 99% are native. “Everyone knows that cats kill birds, […]
POLL: Should we prevent our cats from killing birds?
The only sure way to prevent pet cats from killing birds is to keep them inside or to walk them outdoors on a leash. These methods are encouraged by veterinarians, animal welfare groups and environmentalists. Yet, less than half of the estimated 73 million cats in the United States live indoors according to the National […]
Piping Plovers Here and There
In June 2013 during my Conservation Big Year, when I still needed to see an endangered Roseate Tern, I learned that I had a good chance of seeing one or more feeding at Popham Beach State Park in Maine. Sure enough, I saw one there—the only Roseate Tern I saw all year—but that listing conquest […]
The most beautiful crocodile photos we’ve ever seen
Photographer and dive instructor Ricardo Castilo might have been looking for sharks when he dipped into the cold, clear waters of Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen National Marine Park, but what he got was a toothy predator of a different sort: a 12-foot (3 metre) crocodile. The huge reptilian wasn’t showing any signs of aggression, […]
Norway landmark ruling sees five jailed over wolf hunting
Five men have been sentenced to prison in Norway for organising an illegal wolf hunt, in the country’s first prosecution of such a case. The group’s ringleader was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison, while four others were ordered to serve between six months and a year. They all denied the charges. […]