Reporter’s Journal: The Lesser Fish
Apr01

Reporter’s Journal: The Lesser Fish

In Fiji’s capital city of Suva, middlemen buy directly from the fishers. The majority of the fish arrive early Saturday morning, indicating many of the reef fish are caught at night while many fish are asleep, making them easy targets for spearfishers.  In the past, larger quantities of fresh fish was available daily. Now the sellers make fewer catches stretch across the week. The overwhelming concern about the region’s...

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Reporter’s Journal: The forests of Uganda
Mar26

Reporter’s Journal: The forests of Uganda

In late January through early February I traveled to Uganda as part of the first Mongabay Special Reporting Initiative (SRI) to report on “the next big thing in tropical forest biodiversity conservation.” I’m a world traveler, and I have a special passion for tropical rainforests — having seen them in Australia, the Peruvian Amazon, Asia, and Central America. Africa was my last continent to visit (OK, does...

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Nelson Mandela, elephants and youth
Jan07

Nelson Mandela, elephants and youth

Commentary by Isabel  S. Abrams Most people think of Nelson Mandela as a fighter for racial equality in South Africa. To me, he is also a powerful advocate for protecting wilderness and empowering youth. In 2002, I was in the audience at the World Conference on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa where I heard Mandela address delegates from more than 100 nations. “Many don’t want (conservation areas) set aside for...

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Bouba the (Andean) bear joins the WCS Queen’s Zoo
Nov21

Bouba the (Andean) bear joins the WCS Queen’s Zoo

The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only endemic bear on the continent of South America.  The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable to risk of extinction, with habitat loss and hunting as drivers behind its dwindling numbers.  This elegant species is sometimes referred to as the spectacled bear due to occasional markings around the eyes that resemble glasses. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo has welcomed an...

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Meet Max: the 285 lbs baby
Nov07

Meet Max: the 285 lbs baby

A 285 lbs baby Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), that is. Max was on his feet in just a few minutes and entertaining his keepers and elephant family with his independent and playful nature. Max is now three weeks old and zookeeper Stefan Groeneveld said: “[He] has come on so much in just three weeks and is already showing an independent streak. He’ll happily leave his mum’s side to go and play in the paddock with the rest of the...

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World’s largest (harmless) bat inspires Halloween-worthy tales in the Philippines
Oct31

World’s largest (harmless) bat inspires Halloween-worthy tales in the Philippines

By Simon Bradley and Tammy Mildenstein It’s Halloween time again, and around much of the world people are decorating with images of ghosts, vampires, witches, black cats, and, of course, bats. For the superstitious, there may be nothing scarier than the flying foxes of the Philippines, whose 2-meter wingspans make them the largest bats in the world! In keeping with a popular fear and mistrust of nocturnal animals, Philippine flying...

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A jungle day-trip: studying brazil nuts in the Peruvian Amazon
Oct30

A jungle day-trip: studying brazil nuts in the Peruvian Amazon

By Eleanor Warren-Thomas The day begins at around 5 a.m., when the sounds of motorbikes revving, dogs barking, wood being chopped and shouting men start to permeate the room. I haven’t needed to set my alarm for weeks. I am here to help run a project on Brazil nut harvesting from lowland rainforests in Madre de Dios, in the Peruvian Amazon. Brazil nut collection from these forests forms a huge part of many people’s livelihood in this...

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Indonesians working together to save Sumatran tigers
Oct29

Indonesians working together to save Sumatran tigers

Reader contribution by Matthew S. Luskin Indonesians are committed to ensuring the persistence of Sumatran tigers. The gamut of island-wide conservation efforts was discussed this week in Padang, West Sumatra, during the annual meeting of HarimauKita (harimau means “tiger” in Indonesian), which brought together a consortium of stakeholders for Sumatran tiger conservation. Members worked late into each night to coordinate and evaluate...

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Sparing a thought for maleo birds on World Egg Day
Oct10

Sparing a thought for maleo birds on World Egg Day

By Simon Bradley / Save Our Species IUCN Friday, October 11th is World Egg Day, when agribusiness promotes the consumption of eggs as a healthy source of protein. When it comes to one of Indonesia’s national icons however, the Endangered maleo bird (Macrocephalon maleo), conservationists such as the Alliance for Tompotika Conservation (AlTo) an SOS – Save Our Species grantee, are trying to discourage the practice of eating its...

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New York attempts to save one of the world’s largest salamanders
Sep23

New York attempts to save one of the world’s largest salamanders

By Phyllis Sena The WCS’s Bronx Zoo is joining the fight to save the world’s largest salamander, the Eastern Hellbender, by teaming up with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Buffalo Zoo in reintroducing 38 of these animals into wild streams in the state of New York. Juvenile eggs were collected from the Allegheny River drainage at the start of the program, and they were raised off-location...

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Goodbye, Gus: Central Park says goodbye to famous polar bear
Sep05

Goodbye, Gus: Central Park says goodbye to famous polar bear

Gus was visited by more than 20 million zoo goers in the 24 years he graced the waters of The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo. Sadly, Gus, the adult male polar bear, passed away last week at the age of 27. “Gus was an icon at the Central Park Zoo and a great source of joy for our visitors and staff,” said Jim Breheny, WCS Executive Vice President of Zoos and Aquarium. “He was an important ambassador for his...

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Sneaky Snakes in Indonesia
Sep05

Sneaky Snakes in Indonesia

A shocking 449 species of reptiles call Sundaland home, of which 249 are endemic to the region. Indonesia has an extremely high level of biodiversity, which is most likely due to the great size and tropical archipelago make-up of the land. The Indonesian fauna is so vivid, that the colors of these snakes actually camouflage them into the background. Each of these snake’s coloring has evolved to blend in with where it tends to...

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Lynx triplets make their appearance at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Aug13

Lynx triplets make their appearance at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

By Natalie Millar At eight weeks old, the three lynx kittens Ruby, Amber and Opal finally made themselves known to the public, playing in the enclosure under the watchful eye of mother, Maja. Lynx litters usually remain inside a den constructed by the female until they’re big enough to venture outside, at around seven weeks old. With their characteristic ear tufts, the playful lynx kittens are frequently spotted napping on logs...

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Endangered Malayan tapir baby born at Minnesota zoo
Jul25

Endangered Malayan tapir baby born at Minnesota zoo

Last Saturday, a female Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus) was born at the Minnesota Zoo, the first baby tapir for the zoo in over 20 years. “Malayan Tapirs are an endangered species and every birth is important to the population,” said Tom Ness supervisor of the zoo’s Tropics Trail at the Minnesota Zoo, located in Apple Valley. The only tapir species found outside of Central and South America, Malayan tapirs are...

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Oh deer: world’s smallest deer born at Queen’s Zoo
Jul25

Oh deer: world’s smallest deer born at Queen’s Zoo

By Alexander Holmgren The first week of July marked one of the as the World’s cute as the worlds smallest deer was born in the Wildlife Conservation’s Society Queen’s Zoo. The doe, a member of the endangered Pudu species (Pudu puda) weighs approximately one pound at birth and will only grow up to be twenty pounds as an adult. The Pudu are one of nature’s most extraordinary creatures. The Pudu is the smallest deer species in existence...

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Rare ginger monkey born
Jul23

Rare ginger monkey born

By Lacey Avery The ZSL London Zoo is home to a newborn François langur (Trachypithecus francoisi), one of the world’s rarest monkeys. Baby Chúa, whose name means “princess” in Vietnamese, is bright orange and described as having a crown-like tuft sticking up on her head. While both parents are black in color, four-week old Chúa’s fiery tinted fur is characteristic of François langur babies and will transition to black in six months to...

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Penguins and people alike enjoy the sunset at Whipsnade Zoo
Jul17

Penguins and people alike enjoy the sunset at Whipsnade Zoo

By Brandon Allen The black-footed penguins at the Whipsnade Zoo have a truly enviable spot; perched at the top of the Chiltern Hills, they enjoy a mesmerizing sunset every evening.  This view is not unlike the stunning sunsets that black-footed penguins experience along the rocky shores of South Africa and Namibia, their natural habitat. Visitors were able to join the penguins in enjoying the sunset Saturday, June 29th at Whipsnade...

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Capturing Wildlife
Jul12

Capturing Wildlife

By Erika Skogg “You conserve what you know, you don’t conserve what you don’t know.” I thought of this biology quote as I photographed along side Fernando, one of the Humboldt Society’s Ornithologist, as he pulled a shimmering green hummingbird out of the mist net. Strung between skinny silver poles around eight feet tall, the black mesh nets hung through the forest trails. They stood parallel to the forest, winding 100 feet down the...

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Rare newts in Prospect Park Zoo may be extinct in the wild
Jul05

Rare newts in Prospect Park Zoo may be extinct in the wild

By Phyllis Sena The Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York City, is now home to five critically endangered Kaiser’s spotted newts (Neurergus kaiseri). These black, white, and orange amphibians are found only in a five-square-mile region in Iran. Severe habitat loss and the illegal trade of these rare amphibians has driven the species to possibly be extinct in the wild, and they are officially ranked as critically endangered by the...

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A Chimpanzee Birthday Bash
Jul02

A Chimpanzee Birthday Bash

By Brandon Allen Koko the chimp celebrated her 40th birthday this month at the Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England.  The zookeepers set out piñatas and wrapped treats, like tomatoes and yogurt, for the beloved chimpanzee.  These presents not only help Koko celebrate her birthday but also “keep her stimulated and encourage her to be inquisitive” according to Keeper Kathy Doherty.  Koko, the oldest chimp and resident of Whipsnade,...

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