African Wildlife & Conservation News
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Ecology of fear: Cascading impacts of local extinction of large-carnivores in an African savanna ecosystem
A team of Princeton ecologists took advantage of a rare opportunity to study what happens to an ecosystem when large carnivores are wiped out. "Large carnivores play a critical, and disproportionate, role in their ecosystems, and their populations are declining...
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Roads make development and conservation clash in the Serengeti
New or upgraded roads in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem around Serengeti National Park will not reduce growing pressure on the ecosystem, a study shows. A proposed Northern Serengeti all-weather tarmac road that will bisect Serengeti National Park, a World Heritage...
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A chimpanzee cultural collapse is underway, and it’s driven by humans
Language, music, and art often vary between adjacent groups of people, and help us identify not only ourselves but also others. And in recent years rich debates have emerged and spawned research into culture in non-human animals. Scientists first observed chimpanzees...
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400,000 African pangolins are hunted for meat every year – why it’s time to act
Pangolins, a group of unique African and Asian scaly mammals, are considered to be one of the most heavily trafficked wild mammals in the world. They are hunted and traded for their meat, scales, and other body parts, and used as traditional medicines in parts of...
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Solving the mystery of Serengeti’s vanishing wild dogs
In 1991, a strange thing happened in the wilds of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti, a World Heritage Site, is home to a spectacular range of carnivores, from lions to cheetahs and more. And with more than 1.5 million zebras, wildebeests and gazelles...
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The more male gorillas look after young, the more young they’re likely to have
Paternal care – where fathers care for their children – is rare among mammals (that is, animals which give birth to live young). Scientists have identified more than 6,000 mammal species, but paternal care only occurs in 5 to 10% of them. Humans fall into that...
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Size Matters: Forest Elephants Important For Ecosystems And Humans In West Central Africa
A new review paper finds that the loss of Africa’s forest elephants has broad impacts on their ecosystems, including hitting several tall tree species, which play a key role in sequestering carbon dioxide. Forest elephants disperse large seeds, keep the forest canopy...
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The fossa, Madagascar’s rare top predator, caught on camera
Mention wildlife on Madagascar and the first thing listeners probably picture is the island’s famed lemurs. As many people know, these unique primates are found nowhere else, and are the most endangered group of mammals in the world. But few people realize that...
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Rhino horn must become a socially unacceptable product in Asia
At current rates of loss to poaching, rhino species will be extinct within our lifetimes. The big problem is demand for their horn from Asia. The market for rhino horn is moving from “traditional” medicine to “investment value” as jewellery and other processed...
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The fate of unique species in Tanzania’s coastal forests hangs in the balance
Tanzania is known for its tapestry of lush forests, expansive grasslands and tropical beaches, and abundant and diverse wildlife. Its coastal forests are part of the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa biodiversity hotspot – a place recognised for its wealth of wildlife...
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