Tsavo National Park, Kenya (AFP) Feb 13, 2011 – A slowdown in the increase of Kenya’s elephant numbers is raising fears among conservationists that hard-fought gains in saving the animals may be reversed amid growing demand for ivory. An aerial census conducted in the east African country’s largest elephant sanctuary last week showed a drop […]
RICHMOND, Vt.— A fast-spreading fungus responsible for the deaths of more than a million bats in the United States has now reached a second Midwestern state. Wildlife officials in Indiana confirm that two bats found in the southern part of the state have the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease that has […]
By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com January 27, 2011 An interview with Ian Craigie. The big mammals for which Africa is so famous are vanishing in staggering numbers. According to a study published last year: Africa’s large mammal populations have dropped by 59% in just 40 years. But what is even more alarming was that the study […]
By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com January 24, 2011 Since the 1980s, Liberia has lost 19,000 elephants to illegal poaching, according to Patrick Omondi of the Kenya Wildlife Service speaking in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. The poaching of Liberia’s elephants has cut the population by 95% leaving only 1,000 elephants remaining. “Though, Liberia opposes trade in […]
By Rob HastingsWednesday, 26 January 2011 In a remarkable feat of endurance, a polar bear has been tracked swimming for nine days continuously in a desperate bid to reach new ice floes, covering 426 miles in the process. The bears are excellent swimmers and are known to travel long distances in search of seals. But […]
By Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff WriterSunday, January 23, 2011 A record number of sea otter bodies were found on California coastlines last year, a trend that leaves scientists and conservationists concerned for the future of the furry ocean animals. About 304 carcasses were found in 2010, according to preliminary numbers released by the U.S. Geological […]
By John Platt Jan 13, 2011 11:15 AM Rhinoceros poaching in South Africa hit an all-time high in 2010, with 333 animals slain for their valuable horns. That’s nearly triple the 122 rhinos killed in the country in 2009. Most of the poached rhinos were southern white rhinoceri (Ceratotherium simum simum). The most prolific type […]
By Sajjad Tarakzai (AFP)31 December 2010 KUND, Pakistan — Disaster struck out of nowhere. The flash floods were so sudden that wardens at one of Pakistan’s most famed parks could do nothing to save their animals. Leopards, deer and bears all drowned as the murky waters quickly engulfed them. Kund park, a tourist spot located […]
By Darryl Fears, Washington Post Staff WriterTuesday, December 21, 2010; 10:59 PM The killing season has begun. Hordes of bats recently flew into abandoned mines and caves across the region for their annual winter hibernation – and more than likely, wildlife biologists said, tens of thousands won’t fly back out. A flesh-eating fungus has stalked […]
By OLIVER MOORE, Globe and Mail UpdateThursday, Dec. 23, 2010 9:48PM EST At its peak, the George River herd was a spectacle to rival Serengeti migrations. Huge numbers of caribou swept through Labrador each winter, providing native groups with a crucial source of food and cultural identity. Less than 20 years ago, the herd was […]