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Last weekend, Bolivian officials announced an investigation into the poisoning of 35 endangered condors in a small rural community. Andean condors are one of the largest flying birds in existence and their numbers have been consistently declining.
Why This Matters: We’ve reported many times on the ongoing biodiversity crisis — scientists predict we will lose one-third of all species by 2070.
Continue Reading 449 wordsA massive natural gas drill rig has broken ground on an exploratory well just miles upstream of Namibia’s Okavango Delta, one of the world’s largest protected wetlands and a crucial migratory route for the largest remaining elephant population, National Geographic reported.
Why This Matters: ReconAfrica, an oil and gas exploration company with German, Canadian, and American stakeholders, has licensed 13,200 square miles of land in Namibia and Botswana.
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by Amy Lupica, ODP Contributing Writer Monday, Botswanan officials announced their findings following an investigation into the sudden and mysterious deaths of 356 elephants. The investigation found that neurotoxins caused by an algal bloom in a large rain puddle poisoned the animals. However, many conservationists remain skeptical, largely because the government has yet to release […]
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According to the World Wildlife Fund, behind every piece of ivory—whether it be a full tusk or carved trinket—is a dead elephant. Poachers kill about 20,000 elephants every single year for their tusks, which are then traded illegally in the international market to eventually end up as ivory trinkets. This trade is mostly driven by […]
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Wildlife sanctuaries, game reserves, and national parks in Asia, Africa, and South America have closed during the COVID-19 pandemic as borders have been shut, visas restricted and quarantines enforced to limit the spread of the virus.
Why This Matters: Globally this drastic reduction (80% in most places) translates into losses of trillions of dollars and millions of jobs to local communities for whom this is their only income, and these declines in travel are expected to last at least a year.
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While we’ve seen the headlines of animals reclaiming cities and roaming wild as humans are stuck indoors, COVID-19 lockdowns have not been entirely beneficial for wildlife. In fact, in many regions of the world (like India, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America) poaching has increased. As the Independent explained, “the sudden fall in tourism income […]
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