In Brazil‘s Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, Paul Raad crouched in the undergrowth, scanning the ground for signs of jaguar activity. He wasn’t looking for the big cats themselves; instead, the veterinarian from São Paulo State University (UNESP) was searching for fresh jaguar feces. Spotting a recent sample, Raad carefully collected it, stored it […]
Consciously uncoupling: what drives rates of animal divorce?
In 2011 a shock celebrity break-up garnered headlines around the world – not the separation of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, nor Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, but the sudden, inexplicable rupture between Bibi and Poldi, two 115-year-old Galápagos tortoises at Happ reptile zoo in Austria. After nearly a century as a couple, the female, […]
Bangladesh adopts new technology to fight wildlife crimes
The Bangladeshi government’s forest department recently added surveillance drones to their arsenal of conservation tools. Wildlife inspectors started using this technology to prepare a dragnet around a poaching hotspot with an aerial view. In mid-November, Abdullah As Sadeque, a wildlife inspector of the forest department’s Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU) who is assigned to catch […]
1,329 Rare Snails Once Believed Extinct Reintroduced to Island off Morocco
More than 1,300 critically endangered land snails have been released in the Ilhas Desertas (Desert Islands) archipelago off the Moroccan coast. The reintroduction of the tiny molluscs to their native habitat followed the rescue of two obscure species of the snail from the edge of extinction, reported The Guardian. The snails hadn’t been recorded for […]
Phew, turtle doves: ban on annual shoot raises hopes for endangered bird
There are signs of hope for the turtle dove, one of the most endangered birds that has been plummeting towards extinction in Britain. After a temporary ban on the annual shoot of the migratory birds as they pass through France, Spain and Portugal, which began in 2021, there has been a remarkable 25% increase in […]
Two Endangered Right Whales Entangled in Fishing Gear off Massachusetts
Two North Atlantic right whales, a critically endangered species, have been seen entangled in fishing gear off the coast of Massachusetts. With fewer than 400 of these whales remaining, the sighting is raising serious concerns among conservationists. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the whales—an adult and a juvenile—were observed southeast of […]
Fate of endangered monkey hinges on Brazilian city’s planning policy
The fate of one of the world’s most threatened primates will be on the line in the coming months when Brazilian authorities decide whether to incorporate the pied tamarin into the urban planning policies of Manaus. Conservationists say the inclusion is crucial not just to protect the critically endangered monkey but as an indicator of […]
Road to recovery: Wild animals staging a comeback in 2024
Conservation news is often heartbreaking, with reports of dramatic biodiversity loss globally year after year. But in 2024, there were several reasons for cheer as well, with conservationists finding that certain species, once at the brink of extinction, are making a comeback. Here are five species that researchers confirmed were showing hopeful signs of recovery […]