Africa: The Last Great Bulls – Inside Botswana’s Silent Struggle Over Its Elephants
Article written by Adam Cruise Originally published by All Africa, 2 December 2025 Cape Town — When Dr Mike Chase banks the small survey plane over northern Botswana’s mopane woodlands, he can see the country’s wildlife story written in the dust below. Carcasses — some months old, others more recent — lie scattered along ancient elephant […]
Unsustainable elephant hunting is a growing economic risk for Botswana, says report
Article written by Don Pinnock Originally published by Daily Maverick, 1 December 2025 When poaching amplifies the effect of higher hunting quotas, it is bad news for the future of Botswana’s elephant population and its contribution to the economy, according to research just in. Botswana – home to the world’s largest remaining population of African […]
Rhinoceros horns worth $1.13m and other animal parts seized at Changi Airport in record haul
Article written by Koh Xing Ying Originally published by Asia One, 18 November 2025 A record 35.7 kg of rhinoceros horns, along with about 150 kg of other animal parts, was seized during a routine transit inspection at Changi Airport on Nov 8 (Saturday). The 20 pieces of rhino horn, valued at about $1.13 million […]
Not only lionesses: another part of the animals was seized from a private zoo in Khmelnytskyi
Article written by UNN Kyiv Originally published by UNN, 21 November 2025 Prosecutors, together with animal rights activists, seized some animals from a private zoo in Khmelnytskyi. Two lionesses, a fox, a raccoon dog, and a badger were transferred to the Center for the Rescue of Wild Animals. Animal rights activists, together with prosecutors, seized […]
Advocates want to give bears rights in South Lake Tahoe sanctuary city proposal
Article written by Tara Campbell Originally published by ABC 7 News, 21 November 2025 After a tense summer of bear break-ins in South Lake Tahoe, wildlife advocates say it’s time for a new approach to try and keep both its beloved black bears and people safe. “What we’d like to do is make the City […]
Conviction Shows Nigeria’s Efforts Against Pangolin Trafficking are Paying Off, Officials Say
Article written by Nathalie Bertrams Originally published by OCCRP, 19 November 2025 Pangolins have the regrettable distinction of being the world’s most trafficked mammals. But the recent conviction of a man in Nigeria — formerly the world’s hub for smuggling the scaly ant eaters — shows progress against wildlife trafficking. Nigeria’s recent conviction of a […]
War could wipe out critically endangered gorillas forever
A few months ago, we reached out for much-needed help: critically endangered gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were at risk of being wiped out forever. Caught between warring groups, they were inching closer to doom. With our supporters’ help, we raised half the funds we needed to provide critical monitoring tools to […]
European wildcats could be seen again in England for first time in 100 years
Article written by Steven Morris Originally published by The Guardian, 18 November 2025 Two-year study finds area of woodland in Devon to be ideal habitat to support a controlled release of the creatures The prospect of European wildcats prowling in southwest England has taken a leap forward after a two-year study concluded a reintroduction was […]
These lions are safe from war – but now, they need water
When lion cubs Zorya and Mira dragged their tiny, broken bodies through the wreckage of war on the Ukraine frontline, it seemed almost impossible that these terrified, severely injured infants would ever find safety. We helped care for them for over a year in a temporary Ukrainian shelter – and recently, our supporters helped us […]
Spanish photographer captures world’s first ever white Iberian Lynx on camera
Article written by Javier Iniguez De Onzono Originally published by Euro News, 30 October 2025 The genetic anomaly testifies to the good progress of the Lynx pardinus conservation plans in the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula, after releases began in 2011 when the species was on the verge of extinction. The white ghost of […]
Poachers are killing animals YOU helped save
Last year, you helped us provide life-saving water for thousands of wild animals caught in a dreadful drought in Botswana. Now, a new danger is threatening their lives: a recent surge in snaring. This horrifically cruel poaching method leads to brutal death for wildlife – all to feed the insatiable demand for animal parts. Lions […]
Here is why for the first time in their lives, 11 captive wild cats are free from human cruelty
When authorities raided a so-called ‘conservation center’ in the UK, they discovered a truly shocking scene: lions, lynxes and other wild cats were being kept in horrific conditions, malnourished, neglected and yet still forced to perform for paying visitors. Our partner, WildSide Exotic Rescue, saved 11 of the cats from being euthanized, and supporters like […]
Why do bats spread so many diseases? They’re evolutionary marvels.
Article written by Andrew Paul Originally published by Popular Science, 14 October 2025 Survival of the fittest doesn’t always mean smartest, fastest, or strongest. There are way more bats than you might think. Second only to rodents, bats make up around a fifth of all mammals, with over 1,500 species of winged nightflyers. But it’s […]
These critically endangered pangolins will die without your help
Every year, thousands of critically endangered species are ripped from the wild and slaughtered for their body parts. Pangolins, bears, tiger cubs, primates and countless other wild species suffer this gruesome fate. Other animals are shamefully abused and torn from their mothers’ sides as infants; terrified, bereft and enslaved as ‘pets.’ Almost no wild animal […]
Cheetah cubs destined for illegal trade in exotic pets rescued in Somaliland
Article written by The Associated Press Originally published by Seattle Times, 2 October 2025 Eleven cheetah cubs were rescued from illegal trade in Somaliland in what a conservationist said was “one of the largest confiscations of the species.” NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Eleven cheetah cubs were rescued from illegal trade in Somaliland in what a conservationist described […]
Man jailed after killing Spotted Eagle Owl in Cape Town, South Africa
Article written by Angelica Rhoda Originally published by Cape{town}Etc, 7 October 2025 A Cape court found 38-year-old Gustigu Mthini guilty of four charges after he beat a protected Spotted Eagle Owl on the Sea Point Promenade on 16 February 2025. The attack was filmed and shocked people who were nearby. The Cape of Good Hope […]
Frail Asian elephant is permanently scarred after 30 years of hard labor
A few months ago, we told you the story of Boon Dee – a Thai elephant forced into 30 years of back-breaking labor in the tourist camps of Pattaya. Day after excruciating day, this poor animal carted endless loads of tourists on her aching back. By the time she was rescued by our partner, Wildlife […]
Angus, an orphaned otter, was found crying for his mother
When otter pup Angus was just one month old, he was found terrified, emaciated and alone on the side of the road in Limpopo, South Africa, desperately crying for his mother and snapping in fear at those trying to rescue him. No one knows what happened to Angus’s mother, but it is likely she was […]
High hopes that new Lappet-faced vulture chick can help rebuild species numbers
Article written by Morgan Van De Rede Originally published by Eyewitness News, 29 September 2025 On Heritage Day, a new chick hatched for the first time in four years. A newly hatched Lappet-faced vulture is now expected to play a critical role in rebuilding population numbers of the critically endangered species. On Heritage Day, a […]
Snares are killing Zimbabwe’s elephants. This vital equipment can save them
It was a gut-wrenching scene: a frantic mother elephant standing guard over her helpless calf, who had been caught in a deadly snare. Desperate and distressed, the pair were vulnerable to predators and poachers alike – and with the baby unable to move, it was only a matter of time before tragedy struck. As soon […]
From the frontline to freedom: Three lions rescued from Ukrainian war zone find sanctuary in South Africa
South Africa, 15 September 2025 In a monumental and logistically challenging operation, Animal Survival International today announced the successful relocation of three lions – a lioness named Cleopatra and two cubs, Zorya and Mira – from war-torn Ukraine to a permanent sanctuary in South Africa. After a demanding journey spanning thousands of miles and navigating […]
Rare ‘super tusker’ elephants are being relentlessly hunted for their tusks
Every year in East Africa, thousands of cross-border elephants migrate between Kenya and Tanzania – including fewer than 30 ‘super tuskers’ – which are about to be wiped out for good. These rare bull elephants – the last remaining in the region – have enormous tusks that each weigh over 100 pounds (45 kilograms), and […]
Lions rescued from the Ukraine war have ONE CHANCE to get to safety.
Right now, preparations are underway to evacuate three terrified lions from the war in Ukraine to a safe sanctuary in South Africa. After months of careful planning, we are finally ready to fly the animals – a lioness and two cubs rescued from the war – to safety in South Africa. Securing the relocation of […]
This infant flying fox is fighting for life after falling from his mother
Tragically, baby flying fox Onyx was orphaned when he lost his grip on his mother and fell from her body. He was tiny and just a few weeks old. Infants like Onyx are born blind, hairless and completely reliant on their mothers. Becoming separated is bewildering, terrifying and, in most instances, fatal. The odds of […]
Vulture capitalism: how black markets for black magic threaten African vultures
Article written by Nico Arcilla and Abiola Sylvestre Chaffra Originally published by Cambridge Core blog, 26 August 2025 Many species of vultures in Africa and Asia have exhibited precipitous global declines in recent decades. In Asia, vulture declines have been linked to unintentional poisoning by the veterinary drug diclofenac, which is highly toxic to vultures […]
Devastating – 22-year-old critically endangered black rhino killed by poachers in Zimbabwe
After nearly two decades without a single poaching incident, our anti-poaching partner in Zimbabwe recently suffered a horrifying loss. Gomo, a 22-year-old black rhino, was brutally killed in a meticulously planned poaching attack. Within just 15 minutes, poachers had breached an electrified fence, shot Gomo – whose name means ‘Mountain’ in the Shona language – […]
‘Rhino baron’ John Hume in court for 964 ‘fraudulent’ horn permit deals
Article written by Tony Carnie Originally published by The Daily Maverick, 19 August 2025 South African “rhino baron” John Frederick Hume built up the world’s biggest private herd of more than 2,000 rhinos, betting to make a fortune by selling their horns legally to traders in the Far East. But his dreams turned sour roughly […]
Last call to have your name honored at new vet clinic for abused tigers
For almost 20 years, Rambo the tiger lived in a concrete cell in Thailand, sentenced to life imprisonment for tourists’ entertainment. The first thing he did upon being rescued was take a swim. For five blissful hours, the Bengal tiger – a species known to love water – experienced the joy of swimming for the […]
Lizard Island coral death reaches 92 per cent after 2024 bleaching event, study finds
Article written by Stuti Mishra Originally published by The Independent, 08 July 2025 Last year’s bleaching was part of a global marine heatwave that hit tropical reefs across the planet Almost all of the surveyed coral at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef died after last year’s bleaching event, a new study found, revealing […]
Extreme tourism congestion at Serengeti River crossing imperils lives of wildebeest
We are deeply disturbed by recent social media coverage showing extreme congestion of game-watching vehicles and tourists during the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti National Park. Wildlife tourism should never occur at the cost of the animals’ wellbeing. It is unacceptable that hundreds of vehicles and thousands of tourists blocked key access points for animals, […]
Poachers are decimating critically endangered rhinos in South Africa.
Today, I want to share a truly heartbreaking fact: 95% of all rhinos have been wiped out by humans. There are only around 27,000 rhinos left in the wild. If we allow the slaughter to continue, these majestic animals could vanish in our lifetime. Rhino horn has long been in high demand across Asia, prized […]
Cyborg bees to be Chinese military scouts
Article written by Allegra Mendelson Originally published by The Telegraph (July 10, 2025) Scientists direct where insects fly by inserting controllers in their brains How it works: The brain-controlling device, weighing 74mg, is strapped to the bee’s back Scientists in China are turning bees into cyborgs by inserting controllers into their brains and deciding where they […]
War threatens the last remaining gorillas in the Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has endured decades of conflict and broken peace deals. This year, war erupted again, leaving millions displaced and thousands dead. Amid the chaos, critically endangered gorillas face a terrifying fight for survival, because they are at risk of being POACHED for their meat. In the chaos of war, endangered […]
England wildlife regulator chair ‘enthusiastic’ about lynx rewilding
Article written by Patrick Barkham Originally published by The Guardian (June 30, 2025) Views on apex predators are still polarized, says Natural England head, as activists apply for trial release in Northumberland The head of the government’s wildlife regulator has said he remains enthusiastic about reintroducing lynx to Britain and would be “absolutely delighted” if […]
Study reveals surge in illegal arachnid trade via Facebook in Philippines
Article written by Keith Anthony Fabro Originally published by Mongabay (June 30, 2025) New research by wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC reveals a thriving online trade in live tarantulas and scorpions in the Philippines, with more than 16,000 arachnids found offered for sale on Facebook in 2020 and 2022. Most traded species are nonnative, but native […]
Lions butchered in Zimbabwe as poaching surges.
A horrifying poaching incident has shaken Victoria Falls, a small tourist town in Zimbabwe. An adult male lion was found caught in a deadly snare. Injured but alive, he was darted, treated, and released back into the wild – but there was a much more gruesome discovery waiting nearby… The brutalized remains of a lioness […]
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes endangered status for seven pangolin species
Article written by The Washington Post Originally published by The Washington Post (June 18, 2025) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it plans to declare seven species of pangolin endangered, a move meant to stiffen penalties for those who poach and smuggle “the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal.” The pangolin, which looks like […]
Pangolins Should Receive Endangered Protections, U.S. Officials Say
Article written by Catrin Einhorn Originally published by New York Times (June 16, 2025) The armored mammals are trafficked for their scales and meat. Pangolins—strangely adorable, scale-covered creatures believed to be the most heavily trafficked mammal in the world — should receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, federal officials said Monday. The animals are […]
Will you help protect these two rhino orphans from poachers.
When two mother rhinos were mercilessly slaughtered for their horns in South Africa, their infant calves were left starving, vulnerable and alone. In the first 90 days of 2025, 103 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa. Infants Nola and Cathy could be next – if we do not help them today. Our partner, […]
Capuchin monkeys caught abducting baby howlers
Article written by Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell / Konstanz Originally published by Max Planck Institute (May 25, 2025) Cameras on a remote island in Panama captured the origin and spread of a bizarre “fad” To the point Animal abduction: On Panama’s Jicarón island, biologists documented five male capuchin monkeys carrying at least eleven […]
We’re close to translating animal languages – what happens then?
Article written by David Farrier Originally published by The Guardian (June 1, 2025) AI may soon be able to decode whalespeak, among other forms of communication—but what nature has to say may not be a surprise Charles Darwin suggested that humans learned to speak by mimicking birdsong: our ancestors’ first words may have been a […]
Reps pass wildlife protection bill
Article written by Abdullah Lamino Originally published by Radio Nigeria (May 28, 2025) The bill will now proceed to the Senate for concurrence. A major milestone has been reached in Nigeria’s fight against wildlife trafficking and habitat destruction as the House of Representatives passed the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2024, at its third […]
Baby pangolin found clinging to her dead mother’s body
Between 2010 and 2021, over 200 tons of pangolin parts were seized in wildlife crimes linked to Nigeria. That’s at least 800,000 slaughtered pangolins. Today, this number will be closer to one million. Hundreds of thousands of pangolins are poached every year. They are the most trafficked mammal on earth. Today, they have […]
Poachers have killed more than 100 rhinos in South Africa this year, most of them in national parks
Article written by Euronews Green Originally published by Euronews (May 6, 2025) South Africa has the largest rhino population in the world, with an estimated 16,000 to 18,000 animals. Poachers in South Africa killed more than 100 rhinos in the first three months of this year, most of them inside national parks, highlighting an ongoing […]
This magnificent jaguar cub was discarded in a dumpster
Khali was a helpless cub when she was found abandoned in a dumpster in Santa Rosa del Yacuma, Bolivia. Torn from her mother and terrified, she cowered from her rescuers, confused, anxious and starving. Khali’s mother was likely killed to feed Bolivia’s brutal illegal trade in jaguar bones. We’ll never know for sure, but we […]
Two teens and 5,000 ants: how a smuggling bust shed new light on a booming trade
Article written by Peter Muiruri Originally published by The Guardian (Apr 24, 2025) Two Belgian 19-year-olds have pleaded guilty to wildlife piracy – part of a growing trend of trafficking ‘less conspicuous’ creatures for sale as exotic pets Poaching busts are familiar territory for the officers of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), an armed force tasked […]
Orphaned rhino calves in Africa need critical milk formula to survive.
Poachers relentlessly hunt rhinos for their horns. Hunters shoot them and mount their heads on walls. Their natural habitats are disappearing faster and faster every day. For South Africa’s rhinos, almost nowhere is safe. Now, one of the few sanctuaries looking after orphaned, abandoned and injured rhino calves has run out of space and funds. […]
At 97, Endangered Tortoise Becomes Oldest First-Time Mom of Her Species With Four New Hatchlings—and Potentially More on the Way
Article written by Sarah Kuta Originally published by Smithsonian Magazine (Apr 4, 2025) Proud parents Mommy and Abrazzo are both nearly 100 years old, but they’re contributing to Galápagos tortoise conservation at Philadelphia Zoo The world’s population of critically endangered Galápagos tortoises just got a little bigger. This week, Philadelphia Zoo is celebrating the hatching […]
After 30 years of cruelty and abuse, this traumatised, blinded elephant has one final wish.
For almost 30 years, Boon Dee was forced into back-breaking labor in the tourist camps of Pattaya, Thailand. The poor animal carried endless busloads of tourists on her aching back, day after painful day. By the time she was rescued by our partner, Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), Boon Dee was emaciated, nearly blind in […]
China removes pangolin medicine from pharmacopoeia in 2025 edition
Article written by World Animal Protection Originally published by World Animal Protection (Apr 8, 2025) China’s 2025 Pharmacopoeia removes Guilingji, a traditional medicine containing pangolin, marking a step toward wildlife protection. In a promising development for wildlife protection, China has removed Guilingji, a traditional medicine containing pangolin ingredients, from the upcoming 2025 edition of the […]