Even cockroaches have personalities
When I was ten, I acquired my first dog. Rani was a Doberman Pinscher—tall, lean, and a huge pushover. She was wonderfully friendly, but sadly misunderstood her whole life, regularly…
Citizen scientists help demystify Serengeti’s wildlife with photos
Africa's Serengeti conjures up romantic images of millions of migrating wildebeest and zebras, prides of lions feasting on their prey, and hyenas prowling in the background. But not everyone is…
Could big data turn us into ocean protectors instead of abusers?
Plastic and other threats in the oceans: Turning data into action The devastating tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 washed away millions of tons of plastic debris into the…
Sundarbans still reeling from effects of December oil spill
Emergency research finds devastating impacts of oil spill in the world's largest mangrove forest A crocodile wades into oil-tainted waters in the Sundarbans. Photo by: Arati Kumar-Rao. Last month, an…
Camera traps capture rare footage of wild bonobos (video)
Bonobo from still of camera trap video. Courtesy of: Terese Hart. Bonobos, our ape cousins, love peace. Unlike chimpanzees, also our close relatives, bonobos are known to resolve conflict through…
To collect or not to collect? Experts debate the need for specimens
Modern day expeditions face a collection dilemma as scientists consider ethics and endangerment A tray of Eriocnemis (a genus of hummingbird) specimens, Swedish Museum of Natural History - Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet,Stockholm,…
Rediscovered in 2010, rare Indian frog surprises by breeding in bamboo
Raorchestes chalazodes. Photo by: Seshadri K. S. For a long time, this rare white spotted bush frog lived a secretive life: the Critically Endangered Chalazodes bubble-nest frog (Raorchestes chalazodes) was…
Genetic sleuthing reveals grisly details of historic whale hunting
Past whaling may have resulted in lost cultural knowledge for world's biggest mammals Relict whaling and sealing ships at Grytviken, South Georgia. Photo by: Liam Quinn/Creative Commons 2.0. In 1904,…
When cute turns deadly – the story of a wildlife biologist who was bit by a venomous slow loris, and lived to tell the tale
Deadly nature of slow loris bite--even without teeth--should turn people off from keeping these primates as pets Slow lorises are YouTube stars. A quick search on the website will greet…
The only solution for polar bears: ‘stop the rise in CO2 and other greenhouse gases’
Steven Amstrup will be speaking at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo in San Francisco on October 11th, 2014. In 1773, an expedition headed by Constantine John Phipps, the Second Baron…
Did the world’s only venomous primate evolve to mimic the cobra?
The slow loris may have evolved its venom as a mimic to deadly spectacled cobras A slow loris in a venom pose. Photo by: Andrew Walmsley. The bite of a…
Meet the newest enemy to India’s wildlife
Cars versus leopards: big cats and other animals face decline due to rising traffic. A big cat crosses the Mysore-Mananthavadi Highway as commercial vehicles look on. Photo credit: Vikram Nanjappa.…
Conservationists use social media to take on Peru’s booming illegal wildlife trade
The illegal wildlife trade has long been ignored in Peru, but changes are afoot Young bear's feet confiscated from the witchcraft market. Photo credit by Noga Shanee/NPC Illegal wildlife trafficking…
Scientists name new endangered species after the company that will decide its fate
Aerial view of cement quarry and limestone hill home to a number of species found nowhere else including a new snail. Photo by: Ong Poh Teck/Basteria. Scientists have discovered a…
Elephants under the sea: awkward-looking fish modify the coral-reef ecosystem in mixed ways
The decidedly odd-looking bumphead parrotfish is listed as Vulnerable. Photo by: Kurt Gross. Bumphead parrotfish are noisy feeders. They break off large branches of corals using their powerful beaks, grind…
Shot Egyptian vulture leads conservationists to bizarre black-market for bird parts
Captive Egyptian vulture adult. Photo by: Carlos Delgado/Creative Commons 3.0. The hunt Around 11 AM on Thursday, 27 February 2014, Angoulou Enika was lying hidden in the tall grass on…
Using Google Earth to protect uncontacted tribes in the Amazon rainforest
Aerial photo of uncontacted tribe in Brazil. Photo courtesy of the Government of Brazil. In 2008, images of an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil created ripples. With…
Ever heard of the hirola? New survey shows world’s rarest antelope holding steady
An hirola in Tsavo East National Park. Photo by: James Probert. In 2008 and 2009, severe droughts killed numerous elephants, hippos and rhinos in Kenya's Tsavo East National Park. But…
New species has its anus behind its head
An image of the new species showing the lack of eyes. This specimen had its flesh cleared and researchers stained the bones to show the skeleton. Photo courtesy of: Chakrabarty…
Zero-deforestation commitments pose acute challenges for commercial giants in the palm oil industry
Nothing can ruin the intensely enjoyable experience of digging into a spoonful of the delectable hazelnut spread, Nutella, than turning over the can to examine its ingredient list. Right there,…
Epidemic of elephant calf kidnapping hits Sri Lanka, say conservationists
In Sri Lanka, an underground wildlife racket has been simmering for a while. And a recent incident has brought it to a boil. On the night of May 1st, a…
Scientists release odd-looking, Critically Endangered crocodiles back into the wild (PHOTOS)
Among the largest and most endangered crocodilians in the world, the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is on the verge of extinction today. This harmless fish-eating crocodile has fewer than 200 adult…
Bambi in the 21st Century: roe deer not adapting to climate change
Once almost extinct in parts of Europe in the late 17th century, the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) eventually bounced back, and how: today, it is one of the most widespread…
Saudi Prince kills two percent of global population of endangered bird
In a three week hunting safari between January 11th and 31st of this year, Saudi Arabian Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his party allegedly shot down…
Small monkeys take over when big primates have been hunted out in the Amazon
The successful end of a monkey hunt by an indigenous tribe in Suriname results in a howler monkey for dinner. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. The barbecued leg of a…
Kala: the face of tigers in peril
In 1864, Walter Campbell was an officer in the British Army, stationed in India when he penned these words in his journal: "Never attack a tiger on foot—if you can…
Europe approves vet drug that killed off almost all of Asia’s vultures
Critically Endangered Indian vultures (Gyps indicus) hanging out in their nest at Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. Photo by: Yann/Creative Commons 3.0. When Europeans first arrived in North America, they exterminated three…
Several Amazonian tree frog species discovered, where only two existed before
We have always been intrigued by the Amazon rainforest with its abundant species richness and untraversed expanses. Despite our extended study of its wildlife, new species such as the olinguito…
A Turtle’s Tale: researchers discover baby turtles’ kindergarten (photos)
Young loggerhead sea turtle with satellite tag released in the Gulf Stream off the coast of southeast Florida. Photo by: Jim Abernethy. Kate Mansfield, at her lab in the…
Cocaine: the new face of deforestation in Central America
In 2006, Mexico intensified its security strategy, forming an inhospitable environment for drug trafficking organizations (also known as DTOs) within the nation. The drug cartels responded by creating new trade…
Special series
Forest Trackers
- Indigenous community in Peru losing forests to timber, drug, land trafficking
- Bolivian protected areas hit hard by forest fires
- The protected area that isn’t: Bolivia’s Ñembi Guasu beset by fires, farms, roads
- New oil refinery ‘a huge disaster’ for Nigerian forest reserve
Oceans
- Fishers in Flores Sea opt to limit harvest of overexploited sea cucumbers
- As shark numbers plummet, nations seek ban on devastatingly effective gear
- Illegal bottom trawling widespread inside Mediterranean marine protected areas
- Will shipping noise nudge Africa’s only penguin toward extinction?
Amazon Conservation
- To be effective, zero-deforestation pledges need a critical mass, study shows
- Indigenous youths lured by the illegal mines destroying their Amazon homeland
- U.N. report calls for the ban of mercury trade and its use in gold mining
- Following the impacts of palm oil alliance: Violated regulations and penalty proceedings
Land rights and extractives
- To replace Western food imports, Cameroon gives community lands to ‘no-name’ agro-industry
- Indigenous youths lured by the illegal mines destroying their Amazon homeland
- About 72% of gold miners poisoned with mercury at artisanal mining sites in Cameroon
- ‘We go in and take Indigenous lands back from cattle ranchers’: Q&A with activist Pablo Sibar
Endangered Environmentalists
- Worries and whispers in Vietnam’s NGO community after activist’s sentencing
- Scientists call for end to violence against Amazon communities, environmental defenders
- Indigenous advocates sense a legal landmark as a guardian’s killing heads to trial
- In Brazil, an Indigenous land defender’s unsolved killing is the deadly norm
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo
- After 20 years and thousands of trees planted, Kalimantan’s veteran forester persists
- Aziil Anwar, Indonesian coral-based mangrove grower, dies at 64
- A utopia of clean air and wet peat amid Sumatra’s forest fire ‘hell’
Conservation Effectiveness
- Mangrove forest loss is slowing toward a halt, new report shows
- ‘South Asia needs its own tiger plan’: Q&A with Nepal’s Maheshwar Dhakal
- Nepal was supposed to double its tiger population since 2010. It tripled it
- In prioritizing conservation, animal culture should be a factor, study says
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- Tunnel collapse at dam project in orangutan habitat claims yet another life
- Sulawesi nickel plant coats nearby homes in toxic dust
- Indonesia’s grand EV plans hinge on a ‘green’ industrial park that likely isn’t
- Java communities rally as clock ticks on cleanup of ‘world’s dirtiest river’
