Cockfighting has been illegal in Costa Rica for more than a century, but this violent tradition persists underground across the country. To make the birds deadlier, their owners often tie razor-sharp blades to their legs, known as gaffs or cockspurs. Aside from the roosters, which get seriously injured or killed during fights, another species has […]
Tag: sea turtle
With Sea Turtles in Peril, a Call for New Strategies to Save Them
Sea turtles were already navigating the oceans when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. But these ancient creatures face an uncertain future. All seven sea turtle species are currently endangered or threatened, notes Christine Figgener, a German-born conservation biologist who has been working in Costa Rica for the past 16 years. The number of nesting females on […]
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release: A Sea Turtle Success Story to Kick off 2024
“Mojo,” a 500+ pound leatherback sea turtle, stranded on Miami’s South Beach just before the new year. He’s estimated to be 30 to 35 years old. According to NOAA, leatherback sea turtles are the largest turtles in the world. They’re the only species lacking scales and a hard shell and have existed in their current […]
10 Common Practices in Maintaining Lagoon Biodiversity
Here’s a fact: 13% of the world’s coastlines are lagoons. Because of that, they present one of the highest biological productivities in marine life. Teeming with species, they provide homes for fish gliding through rippling seagrass, birds skimming the glittering surface, dolphins spinning joyously, ancient sea turtles returning to their nest, and many tiny creatures […]
How Plastic Affects Animals and Harms Them
Since the advent of plastic in the early 20th century, its production has surged tremendously, leading to a staggering accumulation of waste. By 2019, the world had produced around 460 million metric tons of plastic, contributing to approximately 7 billion metric tons of waste over time; tragically, a large portion of this waste ends up […]
The weird creatures coming to beaches as Wales becomes ‘more like the Med’
Sightings of unusual and exotic marine species will become more common on Welsh coasts as sea temperatures rise, a marine biologist has said. Over the coming years, warm-water sharks, turtles and jellyfish will visit in greater numbers and for longer periods if current trends continue. Some creatures may pose a greater risk to beachgoers, prompting […]
June 16 is World Sea Turtle Day
A planet itself Under the sea Magic and miracles Swimming free Let us protect this vision In its symmetry The waters belong to its Inhabitants Not to humans, we So today and always Blessed are we by sea turtles So we cannot let them Towards extinction, Hurtle
South coast
Today I worked with NPA marine rangers on seabird identification near Ashkelon. There were no proper seabirds around, so we made do with gull identification. Can’t get any better than that. We spent a bit of time inside Ashkelon NP, then checked for some gull rafts inside the coal depot. At one secluded spot a […]