When satellite imagery of the Brazilian rainforest shows lush, dense forests, most of us likely expect that those trees are packed with wildlife. But what if what we are actually seeing is an empty forest? According to a recent study published in Conservation Letters, this possibility is already becoming a reality in the pre-frontier areas […]
Tag: threatened
POLL: Should the international trade in geckos be stopped?
For many species threatened by the illegal wildlife trafficking, such as rhinos, elephants, tigers, and bears, debates persist as to whether a legal trade in their parts and products can reduce smuggling. But increasing evidence suggests that a legal trade instead acts as a conduit for the illegal trade. For instance, recent studies showed that […]
Mountain lion kitten spotted near Los Angeles fuels conservation hopes
Conservationists are celebrating after sighting a young mountain lion they did not know existed amid a tiny, threatened population of the animals in the hills around Los Angeles. Wildlife experts were amazed both that they had not previously spotted the animal and that it was alive at all. The kitten survived a spate of recent […]
POLL: Should the ban on fox hunting be relaxed in the UK?
More than 300 hunts gathering for Boxing Day met on Saturday amid growing parliamentary opposition from Conservative MPs to repealing the ban on hunting foxes with packs of hounds. The traditional outings, expected to attract around 250,000 riders and supporters, are usually portrayed by the Countryside Alliance as a symbol of mass protest against the […]
Will 2016 Be a Breakthrough in the Fight to Save Elephants?
Just outside Arusha High Court in northern Tanzania one morning in November, the five men waited for the magistrate to call their names. All had been charged with killing elephants. This was the fourth preliminary hearing for a suspected head poacher and his accomplices since their arraignment more than a year ago. The younger ones […]
The Maned wolf: saving South America’s unfortunately-named canid
The Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is by all accounts a bizarre creature. Nicknamed a “fox on stilts,” it is perhaps best known for its once-heard-never-forgotten “roar-bark.” A single look at this strange, gangly and rather scruffy creature, with its bobbing gait and bat-like ears — with the body of a wolf, face of a fox, […]
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo threatened by urban sprawl
It’s been a familiar sight around Perth for decades — flocks of Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos winging their way to their evening roost sites. Enjoy them while you can. Updated research from BirdLife Australia shows that flocks are getting smaller as the population of these large, white-tailed, black-cockatoos declines each year. “Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos are found only in […]
‘Catastrophic’ decline: nearly 99% of African grey parrots wiped out in Ghana
African grey parrots are known to be smart, talented mimics. Alex, one of the most well-known African grey parrots in the world, could mimic over 100 human words, differentiate between various shapes and numbers, and would even wish his trainer “goodnight”. Predictably, these birds are extremely popular as pets. But their popularity has taken a […]