The exact origin of coronavirus, which is currently sweeping the world, is not clear. Scientists have said they believe it might come from the consumption of pangolins, some people say bats, and others say snakes. But one thing is clear — it’s a zoonotic disease that emerged from consuming animals. And before cultural differences or […]
Tag: wildlife trafficking
Keeping gorillas safe amid COVID-19 concerns
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, gorilla conservation teams are working to ensure that Africa’s endangered mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), and the people who protect them, remain safe. Gorillas are vulnerable to human diseases, and can experience these diseases in more severe forms. Mountain gorillas have died from the common cold. So with the first […]
Petition: 51 Endangered Star Tortoises Saved From Smugglers and Released in the Wild!
Recently, fifty endangered star tortoises were saved from smugglers and released into the wild with satellite tags on them to track their survival. The amazing rescue mission is a result of efforts by the Forest Department and Wildlife SOS. The animals were smuggled from India to Singapore Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka and a representative […]
Conservationists set the record straight on COVID-19’s wildlife links
The World Health Organization has categorized the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a pandemicin light of its spread around the world. Ever since the first cases emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December, there’s been much speculation — and misinformation— about the origins of the virus. And while scientists suspect it may have […]
Trump’s Trophy Hunting Council Disbanded After Legal Defeat
The Department of the Interior (DOI) has disbanded a controversial council that promoted big game hunting after a judge ruled that environmental groups could challenge the legitimacy of the council in court, as The Associated Press reported. The DOI told a federal judge on Friday that the International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC) had ended its […]
Safari Club International Where Donald Trump Jr. Auctioned a Hunt is also Involved in Trading Body Parts of Endangered Animals
Recently, Donald Trump Jr. drew backlash from animal activists for auctioning a “dream hunt.”The highest bidder won a Safari Club International hunt with him and his son in Alaska, to kill Sitka black tailed deer and sea ducks. It was enraging and devastating that he was promoting killing animals for fun in this way, and […]
Illegal pangolin trade may have played a part in coronavirus outbreak
The death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak, the disease now called COVID-19, crossed the 2,362 mark this week as confirmed cases surpassed 78,000, but it remains unclear how the virus arrived into human populations. Bats are widely believed to be the source of the new virus. Some findings suggest it did not jump from […]
A Philippine conservation park juggles funding needs with animal welfare
ILOILO, Philippines — A pig growled in pain. I walked up to the enclosure of sharp, rusty metal grill to see a Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons), known locally as baboy talunon, crouched on the ground, with another pig biting its back. The wounded pig squealed again and ran around the enclosure. “The wounded pig […]
