Worldcrunch
From elephant ivory crucifixes to rhino horn handles for Muslim ceremonial daggers, sacred wildlife products fuel an overlooked driver of the illegal trade. This unbridled demand is pushing some species toward extinction, forcing faith leaders to reconcile devotion with biodiversity conservation.
American crayfish, introduced to Spain in the 1970s, have decimated Iberian crayfish populations. However, experts debate reintroducing Iberian crayfish, as they too may not actually be native to the region.
At El Eco reef, scientists are gathering clues about elkhorn coral’s resistance to rising temperatures.
The public can view caged wildlife in these locally managed preserves under federal laws allowing for ecotourism ventures. But the parks do more harm than good, experts say.
Scientists are testing new tools to spot the origin of cheetahs poached from the wild and smuggled for the pet trade.
China’s Premier Li Qiang has offered to send Australia two new pandas during his visit to Adelaide Zoo, as “friendly messengers of China-Australia relations.” It’s the latest example of China’s enduring and unique “panda diplomacy.”
Colombia has just approved a ban on bullfighting — but many traditions based on animal suffering are still authorized around the world. From whaling in the Faroe Islands to traditional Chinese medicine, we take an international look at where the conversation stands on rituals that involve animal cruelty.
No single, unified list exists of all species cataloged by humans. Some scientists want that to change.
A government mega-project could push the country’s big cats closer to extinction — an outcome that would have devastating ripple effects on the local ecosystem.
Human-made shelters don’t always keep creatures out of harm’s way. Can technology help design a better protect birds and possums?
Threatened with extinction, these little creatures, often feared, nonetheless provide us with significant ecological services.
The Smart Green Bees project aims to tackle the bee crisis by repopulating Spain with a symbolic 47 million native bees, one per every Spaniard. The challenge will be ensuring the project is done responsibly.
Scientists are increasingly seeing evidence of “dark extinction” in museum and botanical garden collections.
Perhaps it was looking to make a statement about the carbon footprint of the food industry, or maybe it was hoping to hop up the Eiffel Tower some day. No one will ever know why (or how) the tiny Guadeloupean frog clung to a banana for 6,400 kilometers to land in Europe, but the odd […]
An outright ban on wildlife trade may exacerbate the situation. Could carefully controlling these animal markets be the best answer?
In northwestern Laos, Chinese businesses dominate the Ton Pheung district, a special economic zone that has become a hub for all kinds of trafficking.
Trappers and traffickers are threatening many endangered species in Indonesia, perhaps none more so than the Bali starling, an exquisitely-feathered songbird that can fetch as much as $400.
A Siberian tiger released into the wild by Russian President Vladimir Putin has attacked a henhouse in northeastern China, raising concerns that farmers may now have to hunt it down, according to Chinese media reports quoted by the AP. The official Xinhua news agency says the animal, known as Kuzya, was believed to have eaten […]
MYITKYINA — This is a sacred place for all Burmese people. The confluence of the Mali and N’Mai rivers, known as Myitsone in Burmese, forms here in Burma’s northernmost state of Kachin. The converging rivers form the Irrawaddy river, which flows north to south over more than 2,000 kilometers. It’s a vital artery that the […]
On the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, this kid was helping his street-vendor dad to sell fruit bats — to be eaten as a supposed cure for asthma. The bats are now on the endangered species list, and the government has recently taken steps to put an end to their sale.