Woodside Energy’s plan to drill for gas off Western Australia’s north-west coast could significantly damage “exceptional” coral reefs and it may be impossible to reduce the risk of an oil spill to an acceptable level, according to advice from the state’s independent environmental watchdog. A draft letter from WA’s Environmental Protection Authority written in 2023, […]
It’s the size of a Labrador, looks like a bear crossed with a pet cat, chuckles like a human – and smells like popcorn
Often mistaken for a strange bear-cat hybrid, the binturong is a secretive mammal native to Southeast Asia’s dense rainforests. With its shaggy black fur, prehensile tail and unmistakable buttery scent, this arboreal creature is both peculiar and captivating. What is a binturong? The binturong (Arctictis binturong), sometimes known as the ‘bearcat’, is neither bear nor […]
Bangladesh’s hornbills face hunting risk during breeding season
Hornbills are being targeted during their breeding season in Bangladesh, with rescue records over the last several years showing a concentration of cases between May and August, when the forest dwellers are nesting, breeding and raising chicks. Analyzing rescue data from the Forest Department and Bangladesh Police, Mongabay found at least 26 birds, including 14 […]
Watch the gut-wrenching, heart-stopping moment a prairie dog defending his pups from being devoured by a deadly and hungry snake – will they survive?
Prairie dogs may have a reputation for being full of chatter and looking adorable, but their calls are actually an incredibly complex alarm system for their towns (and other animals) – and they’re much fiercer than they first seem. Black-tailed prairie dogs are protected from predators such as birds of prey and coyotes while in […]
New Trump rule allows hunters to bait bears in Alaska with doughnuts, bacon and more
A new Trump administration rule allows hunters to bait bears on federal lands in Alaska with bacon, doughnuts, meat scraps or other human foods typically used to help kill the trophy animals at close range. Opponents say the practice will cause bears to be more aggressive around humans, and allege that the rule change is […]
It drinks an animal’s tears – and has a terrifying way of getting them
Not all moths are harmless buffoons dashing themselves into porch lights and clumsily scattering pollen as they flit from flower to flower. The Madagascar tear drinking moth (Hemiceratoides hieroglyphica) has no compunction about plunging its barbed proboscis into the eyes of slumbering birds in a quest for vital nutrients. Researchers documented three cases of the […]
World Snow Leopard Day: Community action and new science foster coexistence with humans
Snow leopards range across Asia’s rugged mountains, where they face mounting threats from climate change, declining wild prey, and retaliatory killings from local herders. Today, on Oct. 23, International Snow Leopard Day, we look back at recent Mongabay reporting highlighting how innovative science, climate-ready habitat, and community-centered conservation are helping these big cats share mountain […]
“We were literally running for our lives. If one of us had tripped, there was nothing we would have been able to do”
Axel Gomille is a photographer and filmmaker from Germany. His work has appeared in BBC Wildlife magazine and shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year. He has also published several books. How did your career start? I’ve been interested in wildlife since I was a child. For my 7th birthday, I asked for – and was […]