A tiny lizard found only on one tiny Caribbean island has seen a dramatic 1,500% increase in its population, after just a few years of island restoration efforts. In 2018, researchers estimated there were fewer than 100 individuals of the critically endangered Sombrero ground lizard (Pholidoscelis corvinus) on the small hat-shaped Sombrero Island, part of […]
UK to ban bee-killing pesticides but highly toxic type could still be allowed
Bee-killing pesticides are to be banned by the UK government, as ministers set out plans to outlaw the use of neonicotinoids. However, the highly toxic neonicotinoid Cruiser SB could be allowed for use next year, as ministers are considering applications from the National Farmers’ Union and British Sugar. This powerful pesticide poisons bees by destroying […]
Warming Winters Threaten Florida’s Unique Scrub Jay
Florida’s iconic scrub jay, the only bird species found exclusively in the state, is facing new challenges linked to global warming. A recent study published in Ornithological Advances highlights how rising temperatures are complicating efforts to conserve this already endangered species. For decades, Florida scrub jay populations have dwindled due to habitat destruction caused by […]
Fentanyl Found in Dolphins Raises Environmental Concerns
A surprising discovery has highlighted a troubling link between human pharmaceuticals and marine life. Researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi recently identified traces of fentanyl and other drugs in the blubber of bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, signaling a growing environmental issue. The finding came after a routine boating survey in September 2020 […]
The state of lions, leopards and hyenas in Uganda
The first comprehensive population estimate of Uganda‘s lions, leopards and spotted hyenas in almost two decades has revealed that lion numbers in the country are extremely low. Leopards (Panthera pardus) are holding on across the country, and hyenas are faring well. In a collaboration involving more than 100 conservation stakeholders, researchers used spatial capture-recapture methods […]
Zoo Worker Killed by Tiger in Romania
A tragic incident occurred at Pitești Zoo in Romania when a 52-year-old janitor was fatally attacked by a tiger on Monday, December 9. The man had entered the tiger’s enclosure to clean it, but did not adhere to the proper safety protocols, which led to his death. Judicial sources revealed that the tiger bit the […]
Bighorn sheep could face deadly avalanches
As snow cover declines with a warming climate in the Sierra Nevada, bighorn sheep could actually be facing more deadly avalanches. This could have population impacts on the genetically distinct Sierra Nevada subgroup, which is only made up of 350 bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierra). Researchers recently simulated future climates in the area to find […]
Gum-eating Tanzanian monkey is AWOL, fueling extinction fears
For more than a year, there have been no confirmed sightings of the critically endangered southern patas monkeys in their last known refuge, in western Tanzania. In 2021, fewer than 200 of these lithe-limbed primates, Erythrocebus baumstarki, were thought to remain in the open woodlands of this region, and scientists now fear the species is […]