I’d never seen a flying rhino before. Then again, I’d never visited the lowland rainforest of Borneo. This is the main stronghold of the rhinoceros hornbill, one of the largest and most imposing of its bizarre family. So when a huge black-and-white bird flew out of the forest canopy, I was suitably impressed. I was […]
Shorebird populations drop globally, some by a third: Report
Sixteen shorebird species have been reclassified to higher threat categories as the global population of migratory shorebirds across the world saw a substantial decline, according to the latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Conservation partnership BirdLife International, which helps examine the status of the world’s birds for the IUCN Red List, […]
Endangered Sea Turtle Completes Incredible 5,000-Mile Journey Back to Gulf of Mexico
A rare Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, one of the smallest and most endangered sea turtles, recently completed a remarkable return to the Gulf of Mexico after being found thousands of miles away in Europe. This resilient turtle, affectionately named Boeier after the boat that rescued her, had an unexpected adventure that spanned over 5,000 miles […]
South African tiger farms illegally smuggling body parts, says charity
The largest tiger farms outside Asia are operating freely in South Africa, facilitating the illegal smuggling of tiger body parts, according to a report by an animal welfare charity. Research by Four Paws, which is campaigning to shut down South Africa’s big cat industry, found 103 places in the country where tigers were kept in […]
Local groups drive creation of new Puerto Rico marine protected area
The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico recently gained a new marine protected area off the island’s central north coast. The MPA, named Jardines Submarinos de Vega Baja y Manatí or the Vega Baja and Manatí Underwater Gardens, spans 202 square kilometers (77 square miles) and is the culmination of a 16-year effort by a coalition […]
Freedom for Escaped Monkeys Sparks Debate on Animal Rights
Recently, 43 rhesus macaques managed to escape from the Alpha Genesis research facility in Yemassee, South Carolina, after an enclosure door was accidentally left open. Alpha Genesis, known for breeding and supplying monkeys for research, has faced similar incidents in the past. The facility was fined $12,600 by the USDA in 2018 for previous escapes. […]
Country diary: Even just a glimpse of a crested tit is a gift
It’s been a mild autumn this year, with perhaps only one morning with a light frost so far, and the temperatures have remained above freezing even into November. The year’s moving inexorably on, though, and you can feel it in the pinewoods, where the gloaming starts even earlier than in the open. In among the […]
Bobcats are back, and they’re helping protect people from zoonotic disease
A bobcat, with its characteristic reddish fur and black markings, trots across a snow-covered field in central Oregon, in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, hunting birds at the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery. It could almost be mistaken for a giant domestic cat, except for its massive legs, a shorter neck than any house feline, ears […]