Early findings from the largest ever aerial survey of African wildlife—the Great Elephant Census (GEC)—are proving that big data can make a big difference when it comes to saving the world’s largest land mammal. The Africa-wide census, funded by Microsoft billionaire Paul G. Allen, took off in February 2014 with the objective of gaining a […]
Tag: tanzania
In Tanzania, a horrific fishing tactic destroys all sea life
Strewn in the shallows of the Indian Ocean off Tanzania lie shards of dead coral reefs. Why? Because poor Tanzanian fishermen are using explosives, illegally, to kill hundreds of fish in seconds. Blast fishing, as it’s called, not only destroys large numbers of fish directly—but indirectly as well by killing coral and the rich array […]
First Pan-African Otter Training Workshop held in Tanzania
The latest Red List update by IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, has placed an alarming 12 of the 13 species of otter worldwide showing a declining population, with the North American river otter the only one shown as “stable”. Of those 13, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to three species: The spotted-necked otter (Lutra […]
Tanzania turns a blind eye to poaching as elephant populations plunge
For tour guides in Tanzania, the results of a continental elephant census showing that the country had lost two-thirds of its herd in five years and become Africa’s ivory trading hub came as no surprise. They’d tried to prevent tourists from seeing the melting skins and drying bones littering the Selous ecosystem in southern Tanzania […]
Why Are Most of Tanzania’s Elephants Disappearing?
Tanzania’s elephant population has plummeted by more than 60 percent during the past five years, the country’s government announced this month. Elephants in this East African country—a major, if not the world’s biggest source of illegal ivory—were estimated to number only 43,330 at the end of 2014, down from 109,051 in 2009. Tanzania’s Minister of […]
Video: Discovery of the Mysterious Kipunji Monkey in East Africa
Travel West, and the valley changes from grassland to true African jungle. Here, in the little-known mountains of southern Tanzania and Rwanda, live many unique animals, including the Kipunji monkey which was only discovered in 2005. This video was first published by BBC Earth on 16 Jan 2015.
Africa’s Lions May Be Deemed Threatened in U.S. – Will It Help?
The African lion—thousands of miles away but beloved by Americans—might become protected under U.S. law, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday. The proposed new rule would list lions as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. If approved, the law would make it illegal to kill or hunt captive lions in the U.S. without […]
Photos: slumbering lions win top photo prize
The king of beasts took this year’s top prize in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which is co-owned by the Natural History Museum (London) and the BBC. The photo, of female lions and their cubs resting on a rock face in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, was taken by Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols, […]