When customs officials at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port opened a shipping container flagged for inspection in February 2026, they expected to find sea cucumbers and instant noodles as indicated on the consignment paperwork. Instead, they found 3,053 kilograms (6,730 pounds) of dried pangolin scales destined for Cambodia. It was among Indonesia’s largest seizures of the […]
“I was caught between a muscular puma and an enormous, agitated serpent. This was far from ideal.”
Wara abruptly halted. Her cushion-sized paws were firmly planted in the leaf litter and the great muscles in her forelegs were rippling. Her ears, with their distinctive white markings, stood to attention as she focused on what appeared to be nothing more than a motionless tree. I appealed to her to move on as we […]
Persian leopards hang on in the Caucasus despite landmines
There have been few sightings of the endangered Persian leopard in the Caucasus region over the past 20 years: just three in Georgia and 10 in Armenia. But scientists and conservationists are alert to one Persian leopard in particular, whom they’ve named Aren and who is presumed to have journeyed 240 kilometers (150 miles) through […]
It’s a cat – but it’s a strange cat with long legs and a tiny head. It can leap 10 feet high, go off like a rocket at 50mph and has the weirdest ears ever
Caracals are creatures that cultivate anonymity. A sleek and mysterious wild cat, is known for its striking appearance and agile hunting skills. What is a caracal? A caracal is a medium-sized beautiful wild cat with a sandy coat and some freckling (often faint) on the belly and the insides of the legs. It has large, […]
“Before I had a chance to shout for help, a monkey jumped on my head and picked out the wasps in my hair one by one”
I’d woken up at the crack of dawn in Puerto Nariño; a glorious Colombian jungle town nestled on a bend of the Amazon River, says Vicky Maskell. It was another hot day, and the deep earthy smell of the jungle lingered all around me. I was there to celebrate my birthday – a rather hasty […]
Results of the Best Photo of the Month October 2026
We are delighted to announce the results of our latest photo competition. Diana Rebman wins First Prize with her outstanding image ‘Tufted Coquette Feeding on Flower‘. Jess Findlay wins Second Prize with “Sea Otter”. Third Prize goes to Dennyw with ‘Blue Tit Imitating the Caped Crusader’. Please give kudos to the photographers by leaving comments […]
“For one agonising moment, we huddled and dangled at their mercy…”
Four white rhinos, each weighing over two tonnes and with a shoulder height of up to six feet, stood shoulder to shoulder, huffing, stomping their front feet and kicking up clouds of dust. They were close enough that, though they have notoriously bad eyesight, even they could have read the trainee name tags on our […]
Endangered turtles and ‘exceptional’ coral at risk from Woodside’s gas drilling in WA, watchdog says
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, […]