What do the coronavirus and the extinction of endangered species have in common? With the current outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), global attention has been drawn to the significant health risks posed by eating wild animals. COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2 in short. Originating in Wuhan in Hubei, China early December…
Roan antelopes are Africa’s second largest antelope species. Their populations are stable and growing in some African countries, but in others – like Kenya –they’re threatened with extinction. To address this, the Kenya Wildlife Service is launching a recovery plan. Johnstone Kimanzi sheds light on why their numbers are declining and what can be done…
For years, the dama gazelle has been of great concern to the international conservation community. This beautiful, uniquely adapted but also heavily poached species of the Sahel has suffered a long decline and now stands at the brink of extinction. Despite the risks and extreme rarity of the species, the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) mobilized…
We are in the midst of an elephant poaching epidemic across the African continent. Fueled by a growing middle class in Asia that is hungry for ivory status symbols, these iconic and intelligent mammals are being slaughtered for their tusks at an alarming rate. While there has been a lot of media focus on savannah…
Across Laikipia County in central Kenya, large wild herbivores, including endangered species like the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra and African wild dog, coexist alongside rapidly growing numbers of people and associated livestock. A Biological Conservation study published this month reveals that whether wild herbivore species thrive or decline in Laikipia is linked mainly to the abundance of livestock…
GUINEA, WEST AFRICA – The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA)—the largest alliance of wildlife centers in Africa—has announced the launch of Action for Chimpanzees (AFC), a program to curtail the illicit trade of western chimpanzees for bushmeat and the pet trade, and prevent their impending extinction. By forging collaboration in West Africa and worldwide, AFC combines policy with direct action…
Uganda’s Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities and the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration reveal that the number of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in the 340-square kilometer transboundary protected forest have increased to 459 from an estimated 400 in 2011 This announcement brings the global wild population of mountain gorillas to 1,063 when combined with the published…
Over the past few decades, South Africa has seen a dramatic conversion from livestock or crop farming to wildlife ranching – known locally as game farming. The result has been a rapid rise in areas enclosed by game fences and a high demand for wildlife. Animals are increasingly being traded privately and at wildlife auctions….
Social networking, even between competing species, plays a much bigger role in ecology than anyone previously thought, according to three biologists at the University of California, Davis. “There’s mounting evidence that different species pay attention to each other in the wild, especially if they share predators,” said Mike Gil, postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis. “The…
The Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ZNSPCA) has been denied access to the country’s captive elephants, reportedly about to be sent to captive facilities in China. This suggests that welfare concerns are being ignored. The ZNSCPA is constitutionally permitted to access any part of the country if they suspect cruelty…