In Germany, robot lawnmowers have become more common, often turning on in the evening to trim yards without human supervision. But this futuristic practice also means there aren’t any people to make sure the lawnmowers’ sharp blades don’t hurt innocent wildlife. And in fact, hedgehogs are emerging as a primary victim of these machines. Hedgehogs […]
Tag: threatened species
Chinese court cases reveal most trafficked rhino horns come from Southern Africa
Rhinoceroses, one of the largest groups of animals on the planet, are fighting a battle for survival because of a prized body part: their horn, which they use to defend territories, assert dominance and protect their young. But people use this keratinous horn as medicine, adornment and decoration. In traditional Chinese medicine, it’s believed to […]
Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal declared Endangered
Emperor penguins and Antarctic fur seals are both now categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List previously categorised Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) as Near Threatened but satellite images suggest that around 10 per cent of the population (more than 20,000 adults) was lost between 2009 and 2018. The population is expected […]
Shooting restricted for six British wild birds to halt population decline
Hunters will be banned from shooting a rare and beautiful duck under new proposals to halt the decline of six British wild birds. The new rules would restrict the shooting of species including the distinctive woodcock, and the striking pintail, goldeneye and pochard ducks, all of which are classed as under threat and have seen […]
Facebook shuts Indonesia groups after Mongabay and Bellingcat report illegal wildlife trade
This story was produced in collaboration with Bellingcat. JAKARTA — A new report by Mongabay and independent journalism organization Bellingcat has uncovered several Facebook groups selling protected species in Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. In a Facebook group whose Indonesian name translates to “West Bogor Animal Selling and Trading Forum,” […]
Forget gender wars! These bizarre birds have had equality sorted for some 44 million years – watch them in action
The strange-looking Picathartes have lived in the Congo for 44 million years. Bald-headed birds that mate for life and breed in the rainy season, they build their nests out of mud on the underside of overhanging rocks on a cliff or cave roof to stay dry. This has also earned them the alternative name of rockfowls. The ground-loving birds have intriguing ways of […]
‘Taking back the desert’: can Australia’s small marsupials learn how to live alongside their predator, the feral cat?
In the middle of the Australian outback’s arid deserts, many of the country’s distinctive small marsupials – the bilbies, bandicoots and quolls – have been missing for a century or more, wiped out by land clearing and the hunting prowess of feral cats. Felis catus – introduced by European invaders and settlers – was too […]
Australian bushfires leave wildlife facing increased predator risk, decades of recovery
Simultaneous wildfires since December 2024 have left Grampians, Little Desert and the Great Otway National Parks in Australia devastated. Scientists say it will take decades for plants and wildlife to recover. Michael Clarke, emeritus professor of zoology at La Trobe University in Melbourne, told Mongabay by email the area burnt in Little Desert alone is […]