Update: interview on toxic pesticide used to kill wildlife (and endangering people) in Kenya

An interview in four parts with Paula Kahumbu, Executive Director of WildlifeDirect, provides detail and context on the use of the neurotoxic pesticide Furadan to kill lions and birds en masse in Kenya. Lions are down to around 2,000 individuals in Kenya. Kahumbu, recently awarded an Emerging Explorer by the National Geographic, and WildlifeDirect are working to pressure the government to estimate the environmental and human cost of...

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Toxic pesticide used to kill birds by the thousands (warning: video is graphic)

A new video from WildlifeDirect shows the brutal impacts of the neurotoxic pesticide Furadan being used intentionally to kill entire flocks of birds, which are later sold as meat. Ducks, pigeons, and storks are often targeted. The process is brutal. “Based on a survey I did in 2009, 6,000 birds were killed every month. Tens of thousands are killed every year. I’m very concerned and I think man is at risk too–that is...

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Wangari Maathai muses on trees, activism, and God (radio)

Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Green Belt movement, Wangari Maathai, started a tree-planting campaign to create a better world for the impoverished and marginalized people of her native country, Kenya. For such views, she faced threats of assassination, violence, and censorship from the government. Now 71, Maathai speaks to Krista Tippett, the host of the radio show On Being, about the importance of trees, how ecology and...

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Photo: abused cheetahs returned to the wild

An adult cheetah, which had been smuggled and abused for the illegal pet trade, returns to the wild in Tanzania. Photo by: Annette Simonson. Few people realize that cheetah’s, one of Africa’s great cats, are a target of the global wildlife trade. Yet these speedy predators are sought as exotic ‘pets’, especially in the Middle East. As apart of this illegal pet trade, three adult cheetahs were recently seized at...

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Activism: alternatives to the Serengeti road
Apr06

Activism: alternatives to the Serengeti road

Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Tanzania. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. The NGO Serengeti Watch has released a petition urging the Tanzanian government to cancel plans to build a road through the northern portion of Serengeti National Park, which scientists say will hugely impact the...

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Photo: black-and-white colobus hanging out

A black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis) in Kenya. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.

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Photo: silhouetted ibis
Feb20

Photo: silhouetted ibis

Hadeda ibis in a tree in Kenya. This species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.

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Photos: Loita-Purko Masaai in Kenya
Feb16

Photos: Loita-Purko Masaai in Kenya

Photos from Loita-Purko Masaai communities in the Loita hills of Kenya. On the western edge of the Great Rift Valley, the Loita hills rise to approximately 2600 meters. Including rainforest and rich wildlife, the hills provide the Masaai people with medicinal plants, honey, fresh water, and grazing. All photos by Rhett A. Butler. To see more photos of the Loita...

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Activism: alternative route would save Serengeti from road

Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Wildebeest herd in Tanzania. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. The Tanzanian government is planning a road through the Serengeti despite protests from scientists, conservationists, and tourism companies. Opponents warn that the road bisecting the ecosystem will imperil the Serengeti’s...

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The unmissable Shoebill
Dec06

The unmissable Shoebill

A shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in Uganda. This swamp-loving large bird is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, hunting, and nest disturbance. Researchers estimate that there are around 5,000-8,000 left in the wild. Populations in the Sudan still need to be determind, however. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of Uganda’s...

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Hairy elephant-relative with baby
Dec02

Hairy elephant-relative with baby

This bizarre animal, resembling a rodent, in Kenya is a southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus). Although the size of rabbit, the hyrax is actually closely related to the elephant and belongs to the Afrotheria clade that includes not only elephants, but manatees, sengis, tenrecs, and aardvarks. Four species of hyrax survive today. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of...

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Small antelope on Mount Kenya
Oct17

Small antelope on Mount Kenya

A Suni (Neotragus moschatus), a small East African antelope, photographed on a trek up Mount Kenya. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2007. To see more photos of Mount Kenya.

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Turkana woman
Oct12

Turkana woman

A Turkana woman. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2007. The Turkana of northern Kenya are semi-nomadic livestock herders inhabiting a harsh dry region, particularly susceptible to drought and therefore climate change. Surviving in a land of famine, the Turkana have long been marginalized by Kenyan government and society. To see more photos of the...

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