Endangered Species

Silent Spring Was Published Back In 1962 — Flying-Insect & Bird Populations Have Still Fallen Precipitously Since Then

Rachel Carson’s influential book Silent Spring, which documented the effects of the indiscriminate widespread use of pesticides on the environment, was published back in 1962, nearly 60 years ago now. Since that time, the book has often been cited as one of the drivers behind environmental action and regulation of various kinds. Following the release, […]

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World’s Total Animal Numbers Dropped ~50% Over Last Few Decades, Research Finds

The number of individual animals in the world — amongst birds, amphibians, mammals, and reptiles, etc. — has been reduced by as much as 50% over the last few decades, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found. To put that another way, the last few decades, since

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One Of The World’s Last “Giant Tusker” Elephants (Satao II) Killed By Poachers

One of the last giant tusker elephants in the world, named Satao II by conservationists, was killed in Kenya earlier this year by poachers. He had apparently been (very likely) killed with a poisoned arrow near the boundary of the Tsavo East National Park in Kenya in January. Satao II was named after a famous

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Forest Elephant Populations Have Seen An ~80% Decline In Central Africa’s Most Important Preserve Because Of Poaching

Forest elephant populations in Central Africa’s most important nature preserve, Gabon’s Minkébé National Park, have declined by between 78^ and 81% over recent times as a result of poaching, new research from Duke University has found. So, even in Central Africa’s largest nature preserve, poaching is still enough of a problem that forest elephants are

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Giraffe Numbers Have Fallen By ~40% Over The Last 30 Years, IUCN Reports

In conjunction with the decline of practically every other megafauna animal still in the world, giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) numbers have fallen by around 40% over just the last 30 years, according to new data from the IUCN. To put that quantitatively — there were between 151,702-163,452 giraffes in 1985; and around 97,562 giraffes in 2015.

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Ring-Tailed Lemurs Declining Rapidly, Now Fewer Than 2,500 Left, Research Finds

The iconic ring-tailed lemur of Madagascar (the only place that the primates known as “true lemurs” have ever existed) is rapidly headed towards extinction, according to new research from the University of Victoria in British Columbia and CU Boulder. The research found that as a result of growing levels of: habitat destruction, deforestation, open-pit mining,

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First Atlantic Ocean Marine Monument Designated by USA

Permanently protecting nearly 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains, the first national marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean was designated by President Barack Obama on September 15, 2016. Formed millions of years ago by extinct volcanoes and sediment erosion, seamounts and sea canyons are some of the oldest and most mysterious locations on

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Tanzania Has Lost Two-Thirds Of Its Elephants In Just The Last 4 Years

Tanzania has lost two-thirds of its elephant population in just the last 4 years, as a result of growing demand for ivory and the increasing professionalism of poachers, according to recent reports. Elephant numbers in the African country stood at around 316,000 individuals in 1976 (based on aerial surveys); 13,084 in 2013; and 8200 in

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Sixth Mass Extinction Has Arrived, Confirms Stanford

Declaring that the sixth mass extinction has arrived, Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich confirms that species are disappearing off the face of Earth faster now than at any time since the mass extinction of dinosaurs. Calling for “fast action to conserve threatened species, populations and habitat before the window of opportunity closes,” Ehrlich and his team

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Siberian Tiger Family Caught On Film — Adult Female, Adult Male, & Three Cubs

An entire family or Amur Siberian tigers was recently captured on film via a camera trap set up by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Russia Program — in partnership with the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve and Udegeiskaya Legenda National Park. The images mark the first time that an adult male, an adult female, and cubs (in this

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Extinct Animal Not Extinct — Bird Last Seen In 1941 ‘Rediscovered’

An ‘extinct’ animal known as the Jerdon’s babbler (Chrysomma altirostre) has been found to not actually be extinct after all, after being ‘rediscovered’ by researchers working in Myanmar. I guess this means that even if you’re declared extinct, that perhaps you’re not necessarily actually extinct…. Well if you’re lucky anyways… And being a small, easy

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20-25% Of All Well-Known Marine Species Headed Towards Extinction, Research Finds

A significant proportion — 20-25% — of all well-known marine species are headed rapidly towards extinction, new research from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences has found. The new work — which made use of the most comprehensive conservation data available for both marine and non-marine organisms — demonstrates that marine

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Endangered Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee Subspecies Will See Population Plummet, Research Finds

One of the most endangered primates, and the most endangered chimpanzee subspecies in the world — the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) — is likely to see its numbers plummet over the coming years, according to new research published in BMC Evolutionary Biology. As it stands currently, there are around ~6,000 individuals of this subspecies

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Giant Forest Hogs, Baboons, Agile Mangbeys, Crested Guinea Fowls, & Aardvarks (Camera Trap Footage From Bili Forest)

Another day, another batch of fascinating videos taken by camera-trap in the Bili Forest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rather than forest elephants this time, or leopards eating/destroying cameras, we’ve got a variety of different animals to show — from giant forest hogs, to agile mangbeys, to olive baboons, to crested guinea fowl,

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Forest Elephants (Loxodonta Cyclotis) Caught On Camera Trap In Remote Bili Forest

Some wonderful footage of wild forest elephants living in the remote Bili Forest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently came to my attention. They’re really quite interesting, I definitely recommend that you give them a watch. These videos are coming to us via the Lukuru Foundation. The foundation’s YouTube page features similar footage

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28,000+ Endangered Lemurs Illegally Trafficked As Pets In Madagascar — Survival Of Multiple Species Threatened

More than 28,000 endangered lemurs (across a variety of different species) are currently illegally kept as pets in the only country that they exist in, Madagascar, according to a recent study. Even important public figures, and also those who are supposed to enforce the ban, were apparently found by the study to keep them as

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Salamanders Threatened With Extinction Via Emerging Disease Spread By Wildlife Trade

European and American salamander species could very well cease to exist thanks to an emerging disease spread by the international wildlife trade if there’s nothing done to stop it, according to new research from the University of Maryland. The new disease — caused by a fungus brought to Europe from Southeast Asia — is already

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17 Critically Endangered Juvenile Siamese Crocodiles Released Into Wild

Seventeen critically endangered juvenile Siamese crocodiles were just released into an area of protected wetland in Lao PDR by the Wildlife Conservation Society, according to recent reports. The relatively small (20-39 inches) 1-2 year old crocs were raised in protected facilities managed by local communities working with the WCS. The aim of the project being

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Shape-Shifters, Vampires, And Chimeras Under The Sea (video)

Where did that octopus emerge from? (Gallo TED talk) Having recently visited Fabien Cousteau’s Mission 31 under the sea and a water creature from long ago (Lyrarapax unguispinus), we thought it might interest you to revisit what’s hiding deep in the oceans today. For this, we turn to a classic video from oceanographer David Gallo: “Underwater

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Watch Cousteau Ocean Climate Study LIVE in June! (videos)

Fabien Cousteau, ocean explorer and grandson of famed Jacques-Yves Cousteau, began a historic subsea mission on Sunday. He’s studying ocean impacts of climate change (especially acidification, which occurs as the sea absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide), effects of plastic and other pollution on marine life, and overfishing of marine resources, which diminishes the ocean’s biodiversity. You

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Even Deep Sea Fish May Be Facing Extinction Via Environmental Destruction, Researchers Warn

Even the strange and bizarre animals that inhabit the deep-ocean aren’t safe from human activity — with many of the more vulnerable of them possibly facing extinction in the near-term via said activity, researchers are warning. In addition to the highly destructive effects of deep-sea trawling, the environment of the deep ocean has also regularly

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National Climate Assessment Pulls No Punches About US Options

(All figures are from the 2014 National Climate Assessment draft.) Later today (Tuesday, May 6), at 8 a.m. EDT, the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee of experts meets by conference call to approve the final version of the Third National Climate Assessment. The gist of their message, as Suzanne Goldenberg of The Guardian

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Endangered Jaguars Gain 1,194 Square Miles of Critical Habitat in Southwest

One of the most majestic endangered species in the American Southwest, the jaguar, may get a little bit of breathing room, in the form of habitat protection across 764,207 acres (1194 square miles) of southern Arizona and New Mexico. Thanks to the work of the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), the US Fish and Wildlife

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90% Of Lemur Species Approaching Extinction — New Action Plan Devised By International Team

True Lemurs, found only on the isolated island of Madagascar, are the most endangered mammalian group on the planet — more than 90% of all known lemur species are rapidly approaching extinction, primarily as the result of deforestation and habitat loss. Previous conservation efforts have been generally ineffective, so how do you prevent their extinction?

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Nothing Says Valentine's Day Like the Mating Call of an Endangered Species

If you’re looking for truly unique gift for your lover this Valentine’s Day, you might have to get a little primal. For the environmentally minded, the sounds of some of the Earth’s most endangered species might be a fitting reminder that we have a responsibility to the animal kingdom, and there’s no better place than

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New & Extremely Rare Species of River Dolphin Discovered in Brazil

Imagine: You are a zoologist on a research expedition, exploring the remote riverine ecosystems in some of the remotest parts of the Brazilian Amazon river basin…You have heard rumors from the local tribes people of a large, strange, long-nosed creature that inhabits the waters here (it’s bad luck to kill a such a creature)…You know

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New Lawsuits Seek to Grant Chimps And Highly Self-Aware Animals ‘Legal Persons’ Status

[UPDATED: Jan. 14, 2015; see UPDATE NOTE below] On Monday morning, December 2, an animal rights group called the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) filed a lawsuit in the Supreme court of New York. The goal of the lawsuit — the first of three planned —  is to persuade the court that chimpanzees (and other highly

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