Eight out of 14 critically endangered black rhinos have died after being moved to a reserve in southern Kenya, wildlife officials have revealed, in what one conservationist described as “a complete disaster”. Preliminary investigations pointed to salt poisoning as the rhinos tried to adapt to saltier water in their new home, the Kenyan Ministry of […]
Tag: Rhino
8 Lion Cubs Killed in Suspected Poison Attack
Wildlife authorities found 11 lions dead from suspected poisoning in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, in the southwest of of the country, on April 10. The dead lions, eight of them cubs and the other three adult lionesses, were part of a pride that also included three males. The pride had been filmed along with […]
Chinese man caught smuggling five rhino horns is jailed by Dutch court
A Dutch court has sentenced a Chinese man to a year in jail for smuggling five rhino horns and four other horn objects worth about €500,000 ($613,000) in his luggage. The man was caught by customs officials at Schiphol airport in December as he traveled through Amsterdam on his way from South Africa to the […]
Mammals of Kruger Park
In my last post from South Africa, I will share some photos of mammals and reptiles we encountered in Kruger Park. Even though we did not find any surprising animals, it was exciting to see large numbers of common mammals. After the low densities we had experienced in Hluhluwe, Kruger Park felt like the Real […]
Everyday Extinction: An Instagram Campaign Raising Awareness of Species Extinction
The current rate of biodiversity loss has thrust the world into a sixth extinction event and much of the blame falls on humanity, as does the responsibility for combating the severe losses. Raising public awareness on the rapid extinction of species is one of the most important actions we can take. In response to this […]
POLL: Should South Africa strictly enforce its anti-poaching legislation?
It’s been one delay after another in the case against South African alleged rhino poaching kingpin Dumisani Gwala and his two co-accused. The reported reasons run the gamut—changes in venue, changes in magistrates, changes in defense counsel, and requests by Gwala’s defense attorney for more time because of a lack of preparation. The trio was […]
POLL: Should big-game and canned, trophy hunting be banned?
Trophy is a documentary about the highly commodified and macabre ultra-luxury sport of “canned” trophy hunting, in which legally restricted big-game hunting events in various African countries are auctioned off for colossal sums to rich people, often from the United States. These smug types want to play at being the great white hunter but have […]
Rhino poacher sentenced to 18 years in prison
A court in Malawi has convicted and sentenced a rhino poacher to 18 years in prison for killing an adult female black rhinoceros. Two of his accomplices were also handed sentences of ten and eight years each. The recent 18-year sentence might serve as a deterrent to would-be poachers, some experts say. In July this […]
Poachers Target Rescued Circus Lions in Worrying New Trend
It was a fairy tale ending when 33 lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia were airlifted to a sanctuary in South Africa in May 2016. Setting foot on the sandy soil after years of abuse, they must have felt they were in paradise. Right from the start, two of the male lions, José […]
POLL: Should there be a total ban on trade in rhino horn?
September 22 was World Rhino Day. Rhinos were once widespread across Asia and Africa and even in Europe, where they are depicted on cave paintings. Today their situation is precarious. The world population of the northern white rhino now consists of three individuals. Sudan, the last surviving male, is now beyond breeding age. He and […]
