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endangered animalslatest news & developments
There are far more African forest elephants than conservationists previously thought — not because the critically endangered species is recovering, but because scientists are now able to count them more accurately.

DNA surveys reveal far more African forest elephants than previously known

A new IUCN report shows African forest elephants are more numerous than previously believed, not due to recovery, but thanks to groundbreaking DNA-based surveys that have…

Botha’s Lark pictured in recently burnt grassland

Rediscovery of South Africa’s most endangered bird sparks hope

Fewer than 340 Botha’s Larks remain in the wild

For the first time in 170 years, a leopard has been photographed in the West Coast National Park

West Coast National Park sees historic leopard return after 170 years

The return underscores the importance of wildlife corridors, habitat protection and coexistence with local communities

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers on patrol at the Meru National Park.

Why Kenya’s proposal to execute convicted poachers is a bad idea

Kenya has proposed the death penalty for wildlife poachers. Jeremiah Asaka argues why it won’t solve the problem of poaching.

Up the pole: Women are shamed into silence when they dare to talk openly about their need for sexual pleasure.
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New tech is revolutionising ecology, conservation

From tiny sensors that can be fitted to animals, to swarms of remotely-piloted drones, researchers have a host of new ways to study the natural world

The Southern Ice team hopes to capture icebergs that have drifted northward to Gough Island

Hunters should stop using lead bullets and help save the vultures

A new threat to vultures is emerging: lead poisoning from ammunition used by game hunters

Romeo

Romeo the lonesome frog is feelin’ the love

A campaign to raise $15 000 by Valentine’s Day to fund a search for Romeo’s Juliet before he croaks generated $25 000

Australian dogs trained to sniff out endangered species

The dogs — of varying breeds — have been found to have "very high" early detection rates of 50-70 percent accuracy in discovering the samples.

GP Gangsta Foundation members

Poachers nabbed with SA’s scaly treasure

The pangolin is the world’s most hunted and illegally traded mammal

But the Botswana government has cast doubt on the tally of recently killed elephants in the country, saying the “statistics are false and misleading.” (AFP)

Zimbabwe forges ahead with plans to export elephants

The Zimbabwe national parks authority says it will raise money from elephant sales to fund its operations, despite meeting resistance.

The poachers poison vultures because they alert nature conservation authorities to the presence of a fresh carcass.

International ‘red list’ shows 3 SA bird species under threat

Bird Life South Africa says the International Union for Conservation in Nature’s 2012 red list shows three bird species in SA are under threat.

Gateway estates are springing up around three major roads linking Fourways through Kyalami to Midrand.

Estate plan threatens wetland

An envisaged road to serve commercial interests in Northern Gauteng will destroy endangered frogs’ breeding ground environmentalists have said.

Arrest of wildlife butchers boosts anti-trafficking efforts

Wildlife agencies clamping down on multimillion rand animal and by-product black market.

Harry Potter blamed for India’s owl crisis

Harry Potter fans have been blamed for the demise of wild owls in India as children seek to emulate the boy wizard by taking the birds as pets.

Robben Island rabbits on the run

Bottom line is: We’ve changed the world around us, sometimes disastrously and irreparably. Someone has to take responsibility for the mess we’ve made.

Happy birthday, Mr Putin, here’s a tiger!

On Friday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin showed off his latest birthday present: a rare two-and-a-half-month-old Siberian tiger.

Rhino horns land two men in hot water

Two men have been found guilty of unlawful possession of rhino horns by the Middelburg Regional Court.

Hello, hello: New iguana found on Fiji

A new iguana has been discovered on Fiji, adding to the mystery about how these colourful lizards ended up in the South Pacific, zoologists said.

‘Suddenly, two hairy-nosed otters!’

Field researchers have sighted the hairy-nosed otter, the world’s rarest, in a national park in southern Vietnam.

No more monkey business

Outlook for monkeys, apes and other primates has dramatically worsened. Nearly half of all primate species are threatened with extinction.