Category: Wildlife Trade

Ringleader of global monkey torture network, ‘The Torture King’, was charged

Article written by Joel Gunter and Rebecca Henschke Originally published by BBC News (Apr 5, 2024) A ringleader in a global monkey torture network exposed by the BBC has been charged by US federal prosecutors. Michael Macartney, 50, who went by the alias “Torture King”, was charged in Virginia with conspiracy to create and distribute animal-crushing videos. Mr Macartney was one of three key distributors identified by the BBC Eye team during a year-long investigation into sadistic monkey torture groups. Two women have also been charged in the UK following the investigation. Warning: This article contains disturbing content Mr Macartney, a former motorcycle gang member who previously spent time in prison, ran several chat groups for monkey torture enthusiasts from around the world on the encrypted messaging app Telegram. The groups were used to share ideas for custom-made torture videos, such as setting live monkeys on fire, injuring them with tools and even putting one in a blender. The ideas were then sent, along with payments, to video-makers in Indonesia who carried them out, sometimes killing the baby long-tailed macaque monkeys in the process. According to charging documents, Mr Macartney, who lives in the US state of Virginia, is accused by prosecutors of collecting funds from his chat groups and distributing videos depicting the “torture, murder, and sexually sadistic mutilation of animals, specifically juvenile and adult monkeys”. Mr Macartney has cooperated with investigators from the Department of Homeland Security and agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges. He will formally make a plea later this month and is facing up to five years in prison. Speaking to the BBC Eye investigations team last year, Mr Macartney confessed to his role in the torture network, describing himself as the “king of this demented world”. “I was the man,” he said. “You want to see monkeys get messed up? I could bring it to you.” Mr Macartney also described the moment he joined his first Telegram monkey group. “They had a poll set up,” he said. “Do you want a hammer involved? Do you want pliers involved? Do you want a screwdriver?” The resulting videos were “the most grotesque thing I have ever seen”, Mr Macartney said, and yet he went on to become a key player in the monkey torture groups. The BBC understands that more charges are expected to follow soon for other key players in the monkey torture network. At least 20 people were placed under investigation last year globally, following the BBC’s investigation. Three participants have already been charged in the US, including Mr Macartney. Two torturers were arrested and jailed in Indonesia, and three women have been arrested in the UK, two of whom have been charged. Holly LeGresley, 37, of Kidderminster and Adriana Orme, 55, of Upton-upon-Severn, were charged last month with publishing an obscene article and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. Ms LeGresley and Ms Orme were high-profile members of the online torture groups. Ms LeGresley, who went by the screen name “The Immolator”, was a moderator in a group run by Mr Macartney and was involved in commissioning some of the most extreme videos. In the US, two others have been charged with the same counts as Mr Macartney. David Christopher Noble, 48, a former US Air Force officer who was previously court-martialed and dismissed from the military, and Nicole Devilbiss, 35. They are both facing up to five years in prison.

Scotland’s snare ban “an important day for animal welfare”

Article written by Dave Pickering Originally published by North Edinburgh News (Mar 22, 2024) Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill passed Scotland’s wildlife will benefit from increased protection thanks to a new law passed by the Scottish Parliament yesterday. The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill includes a range of measures that will help tackle raptor persecution, and ensure that the management of species on grouse moors is done so sustainably and with animal welfare as a priority. The Bill: bans the practice of snaring in Scotland bans the use of glue traps to catch rodents gives greater powers to Scottish SPCA inspectors to tackle wildlife crime introduces a new licensing framework for grouse moors strictly regulates the use of muirburn, the controlled burning of vegetation on peatland Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said: “This Bill is a significant step in our wider journey to ensure Scotland’s environment is managed sustainably. “People who live and work on our land have shown that it’s possible to manage wildlife. They have shown that muirburn, which is a key approach to helping manage wildfires, can be undertaken responsibly and in a way that protects biodiversity. “We have struck the right balance between improving animal welfare, supporting rural businesses and reinforcing a zero-tolerance approach to raptor persecution and wildlife crime.” Cats Protection says Scotland’s ban on snares is a turning point for animal welfare and will prevent cruel and horrific deaths being inflicted on pets and wildlife. The UK’s largest cat charity has been campaigning for an outright ban on snares throughout the UK and says it is delighted Scotland is taking a step forward to protect cats and other animals from unnecessary suffering with the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill. Alice Palombo, Advocacy and Government Relations Officer for Scotland at Cats Protection, said: “The introduction of this law is an important day for animal welfare in Scotland, and will put an end to the cruel and horrific deaths that snares inflict on pets and wildlife. “Whether it’s domestic pet cats, feral or community cats, or any other animal captured in them, snares cause incredibly distressing injuries, often leading to animals suffering long, painful deaths. “Those animals which do manage to free themselves, or are found and released, cannot be considered lucky as they will most likely suffer life-changing injuries requiring extensive veterinary treatment. “We are delighted that Scotland has introduced an outright ban on snares, recognising the indiscriminate suffering they cause. These outdated, inhumane and cruel traps have no place in a modern, caring society.” The Bill was also welcomed by cat owner Marion Brownlie, of Aberdeenshire, whose pet cat Harry was found collapsed in a field with horrific injuries last year. Harry’s injuries were so appalling that she at first believed he had been “cut in two” when he was discovered close to his home in St Cyrus. It is thought the ginger-and-white moggy may have been trapped in the snare for five agonising days before he was able to drag himself to safety. Having confirmed his injuries were caused by a snare, vets carried out surgery to repair a deep wound running from hip to hip across Harry’s abdomen. He was later able to return home but needs to be confined to a cage for rest during his recovery. Marion said: “Harry had been missing for five days when we found him collapsed in a field and it was like something from a nightmare – I was afraid to pick him up as it looked as though he’d been cut in two. “He must have been in agony, but somehow he was still alive and after lots of veterinary treatment and rest he pulled through. “No animal deserves the pain and suffering that these inhumane devices inflict, and I’m incredibly relieved that they have finally been banned.” Major blow to the grouse shooting industry as Scottish Parliament passes reform Bill Grouse moor management is to be regulated for the first time as snaring animals is also banned The Scottish Parliament has now passed a Bill to license grouse shooting, to tackle illegal wildlife persecution on grouse moors. The killing of Scotland’s birds of prey has been associated with grouse moor management for decades and campaigners hope that this legislation will tackle the ‘national disgrace’ of raptor persecution. The passing of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill (by 85 votes in favour to 30 votes against) means that if a wildlife crime takes place on a grouse moor it could lose its licence to operate. It also means that heather burning (known as muirburn) will also be licensed and restricted on peatlands which are considered a vital carbon resource. Meanwhile environmental and animal welfare campaigners are celebrating the Bill’s banning of snares: the animal traps which they deem as ‘cruel and indiscriminate’. Responding to the grouse moor reform bill, Max Wiszniewski, the Campaign Manager for REVIVE, the coalition for grouse moor reform said: “This Bill marks a significant intervention into land management practices in Scotland and finally regulates a controversial industry that’s responsible for environmental destruction, that restricts economic opportunities for rural communities and that kills hundreds of thousands of animals so a few more grouse can be shot for sport. “While it doesn’t go far enough to end the ‘killing to kill’ on grouse moors, banning snares – the cruel and indiscriminate traps that are common on grouse moors – is an important win for animal welfare against an industry that was desperate to keep them. “The extra protection of peatlands is welcome but with three quarters of Scots against moorland burning for grouse shooting, the Parliament still has some catching up to do. “Nevertheless, this legislation will hopefully go some way to tackling the persecution of Scotland’s birds of prey, something that our first First Minister Donald Dewar called a ‘national disgrace’ in 1998.”

Endangered pangolins need dedicated intensive care unit to survive.

Nigeria is a perilous country that even humans are scared of. Can you imagine just how terrifying it must be for a pangolin? Small, shy, and prized for their body parts, pangolins are deliberately and mercilessly hunted in a country teeming with wildlife criminals, leaving them with few spaces to hide. A dedicated safe space for these endangered creatures and their tiny pups is critical to their protection in Nigeria. But we really need your help to build it. With your support today, we will set up the first dedicated pangolin intensive care unit (ICU) and nursery in Nigeria. Can rescued, newborn pangopups count on you right now? Nigeria is listed as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the United States’ Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking, a designation that officially recognizes the high-level corruption that is fueling the abominable illegal trade. Safe spaces for wild animals here are few and far between. It is not their fault they are born in a violent country where all manner of cruel and unusual crimes are able to flourish. It is up to us as concerned custodians of our planet’s wildlife to do something to help protect pangolins. Credit: Pangolins International We MUST get pangolins out of the hands of blood-thirsty criminal gangs. Building the country’s first-ever dedicated pangolin nursery is CRITICAL to their survival – and YOU can help make it happen. In the chaotic capital of Lagos, there is a desperate need for a safe, peaceful clinic in which pangolins and their babies can recover after being rescued from cruel poachers and death-filled meat markets. Our partner, Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative (GWCI), works on the ground to save pangolins from the ruthless poaching industry. Many of GWCI’s rescues are babies, as pangopups are considered “worthless” to poachers and are usually discarded as if they were nothing more than rubbish. Construction has stalled on a critical pangolin nursery and ICU in Lagos due to lack of funds. Credit: GWCI The ICU and nursery will be fully equipped with everything needed for dedicated, specialized critical care of these fragile pups, as well as all adults found alive. Pangopups need a safe, sterile, and quiet place to recover, one that is separate from other species. This prevents the spread of disease and is particularly essential in their early stages of life when their underdeveloped immune systems are highly susceptible to infection. To complicate things further, they also need a specialized milk formula to survive. Completing the ICU and nursery will give them the best possible chance of survival on their difficult road to recovery. Once fully healed, our partner releases rehabilitated pangolins onto privately owned land that is monitored and protected day and night by a robust anti-poaching team. Established by Animal Survival International and run by our dedicated partner, this new clinic in Lagos will be completely dedicated to emergency care, treatment, rehabilitation and long-term shelter for pangolins in Lagos. It will be a place where they can finally be free and safe while they recover from the horrors they have endured at the hands of poachers. Every minute is CRUCIAL when rescuing animals in critical condition and can make the difference between life and death. Many pangolins rescued by GCWI are in critical condition: dehydrated, malnourished, and in severe shock. These fragile animals are notoriously difficult to treat and keep alive, particularly when they have been mutilated by cruel snares and traps. To make matters worse, in many life-threatening emergencies, so much valuable time is lost navigating through hours of gridlocked Lagos traffic; and tragically, the time lost can spell death for these helpless creatures. The pangolin ICU and nursery will be built in Lagos, close to pangolin rescue hotspots, cutting down on travel time and dramatically increasing their chances of survival. Credit: Pangolins International The project is already underway but has stalled due to lack of funds. Please help us complete this VITAL hospital and safe haven for pangolins. Construction of the ICU and nursery has begun, but our partner is out of funds. If we can raise $20,000 (roughly £16,000), we can complete the building and furnish it with the vital veterinary supplies and equipment we need to help save pangolin lives and pull them back from the brink of extinction. The longer it takes to complete the project, the more animals will die – so please, donate as much as you can immediately, and let’s work together to complete Nigeria’s first dedicated pangolin ICU and pangopup nursery.

UK government overturns plans to phase out badger cull

Article written by Helena Horton Originally published by The Guardian (Mar 14, 2024) ‘Sunak now wants all the badgers dead,’ says ecological consultant Tom Langton The government has U-turned on its plans to phase out the badger cull, with proposals to exterminate the vast majority of some local populations across much of south-west and central England. Ministers plan to introduce controversial targeted culling, also known as “epidemiological culling” or “epi-culling”, whereby populations of badgers can be reduced to almost zero in some areas where cattle are deemed to be at high risk of contracting bovine TB (bTB). Tom Langton, an ecological consultant and badger expert, said: “Sunak now wants all the badgers dead.” He said the consultation launched by the government on Thursday included “chilling plans to kill 100% of badgers in bovine TB affected areas, an increase on the limit previously imposed since culling started in 2013”. The cull, which has failed to get support of eminent scientists over more than a decade and has caused some badger populations to go locally extinct, was initially going to be phased out under plans announced by the then environment secretary, George Eustice, in 2021. After campaigning from farming unions, the government has announced it will continue to issue licences to shoot badgers. Langton criticised the proposed introduction of epi-culling, saying it “is based on a single ‘model’ trial in Cumbria where over 1,100 badgers were shot dead between 2018 and 2022, but where a published report states no demonstrable benefit was achieved in terms of reduced TB breakdowns in cattle herds. It is also based on incompetent misunderstandings by government scientists of their own findings and the misbriefing of their minister.” It is believed ministers wish to create a point of difference with the Labour party, which has said it would stop the cull, in an attempt to retain seats in rural areas. Recent polling by the Country Land and Business Association shows the majority of Conservative MPs in the most rural areas are at risk of losing their seats to Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the upcoming general election. Langton said: “This looks like a last-chance grab at getting widespread culling back in place so it is difficult for Labour to scrap it.” Ministers say that they do plan to end culling eventually, but have not given an end date. They said problem areas included “much of south-west and central England, where there are high levels of infection in cattle and where evidence suggests badgers are part of the problem in the spread of disease to these herds” and that culling will continue in these targeted areas until the disease situation has been deemed to have improved, after an annual review by the UK’s chief veterinary officer. When this happens, culling will stop and badgers will be vaccinated to end the disease. The government cites peer-reviewed evidence from the first 52 areas where badger culling was conducted, which shows a reduction in rates of bTB breakdowns in cattle by 56% on average after four years of culling. But independent scientists have challenged this analysis, highlighting the presence of so many different variables and the absence of any scientific control. Peter Hambly, executive director of the Badger Trust, said: “The UK government needs to protect our native wildlife while focusing on dealing with the scourge of bTB where it matters: within the cattle herd. This approach is best for cattle, farmers, taxpayers, wildlife and the wider community. “We urge individuals, communities, and stakeholders to work together to tackle this disease, which importantly can only be done by demanding its accurate management. The UK government appears only to listen to stakeholders with vested interests and is fixated on a badger-focused policy that affects all of us and our right to nature. We must speak up to protect it.” Steve Barclay, the environment secretary, said: “Bovine TB has taken a terrible toll on farmers, leading to the loss of highly prized animals and, in the worst cases, valued herds. “There are no easy answers in the battle against TB, but badger culling has proved highly effective and needs to remain a key part of our approach. Our strategy has led to a significant reduction in this insidious disease, which we will continue to cull in areas where the evidence confirms it is required, as well as making use of vaccinations.” On comments about Sunak’s attitude to badgers, a government spokesperson said the aim of the new policy was not to remove all badgers, but to lower the badger population to reduce infection, and that full extinction would not happen.

Sixteen bear cubs rescued from home in Laos

Article written by France 24 Team Originally published by France24.com (Mar 24, 2024) Sixteen undernourished Asiatic black bear cubs have been found in a home in Laos capital Vientiane by a conservation charity, the largest rescue of the year. The clutch of cubs, also known as moon bears after the white crescent of fur across their chests, are classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of endangered species. Across Asia, thousands of the animals are kept as pets or farmed to extract their bile for use in costly traditional medicine. Wildlife conservation charity Free the Bears said they found 17 cubs in the private home in Laos early last week, but that one of them had already died. “When we arrived at the house there were bear cubs everywhere,” said Fatong Yang, animal manager with the charity. The group found ten males and six females, weighing between 1.3 to four kilograms and believed to be around two to four months old. “Cubs this small are extremely vulnerable. In the wild their mothers would never leave them and we suspect the mothers were killed by poachers,” Fatong said in a statement over the weekend. Charity head Matt Hunt said the organisation would have to bring in experts from Cambodia to cope with the number rescued, surpassing a 2019 mission when five cubs were saved in the country’s north. “This is the most bears we’ve rescued in a single year and we’re only three months into 2024,” he said. Free the Bears said that police were alerted to the house after a neighbour heard the cries of one of the cubs. One Laotian person has been taken into custody, the group said, while police continue to search for the owner of the property. The cubs have been transferred to Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary, Free the Bears said in a statement, where they will be bottle-fed and closely monitored. Hunt added that they were “so happy sixteen of the seventeen are alive and have a second chance to live a life free from fear and suffering”.

Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in trophy hunting row

Article written by Guardian staff and agencies Originally published by The Guardian (Apr 3, 2024) President Mokgweetsi Masisi voices anger over Berlin’s opposition to the import of trophies over poaching concerns Botswana’s president has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany amid a dispute over the import of hunting trophies. Earlier this year Germany’s environment ministry raised the possibility of stricter limits on the import of hunting trophies over poaching concerns. But a ban on the import of hunting trophies would only impoverish Botswanans, Mokgweetsi Masisi told German daily Bild. The African leader argued that conservation efforts have led to an explosion in the number of elephants and that hunting is an important means to keep them in check. Botswana banned trophy hunting in 2014 but lifted the restrictions in 2019 under pressure from local communities. The country now issues annual hunting quotas. Herds of elephants were causing damage to property, eating crops and trampling residents, Masisi told the German paper. “It is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about our affairs in Botswana. We are paying the price for preserving these animals for the world,” he said. Germans should “live together with the animals, in the way you are trying to tell us to”. “This is not a joke,” said Masisi, whose country has seen its elephant population grow to some 130,000. Botswana, home of the world’s largest elephant population, has already offered 8,000 elephants to Angola and another 500 to Mozambique, as it seeks to tackle what Masisi described as “overpopulation”. Officials in March also threatened to send 10,000 elephants to London. “We would like to offer such a gift to Germany,” Masisi said, adding that he would “not take no for an answer”. A spokesperson for the environment ministry in Berlin said Botswana had not raised any concerns with Germany on the matter. The ministry remained in talks with African countries affected by import rules, including Botswana, the spokesperson said. “In light of the alarming loss of biological diversity, we have a special responsibility to do everything to ensure the import of hunting trophies is sustainable and legal,” she said. Germany was one of the largest importers of hunting trophies in the European Union, she said. African elephant hunting trophies already require import authorisation under current rules, she added. Discussions within the EU on harsher import restrictions are focused on extending the list of protected species, she said.

Cruel and needless — the grim truth about wildlife farming exposed in new report

Article written by Don Pinnock Originally published by The Daily Maverick (Apr 1, 2024) A generation ago, farming with animals like lions, rhinos and crocodiles would have seemed bizarre. Today, millions of wild animals are raised on farms to supply a burgeoning demand for pets, parts and meat. Breeding wild animals for profit is cruel and poses a threat to humans, according to a report by World Animal Protection. But what’s startling is the NGO’s estimate of the numbers — about 5.5 billion animals from around 487 wild species worldwide. Wildlife farming is fuelled by commercial industries like the pet trade, fashion, tourism and traditional medicine. The report, “Bred for Profit”, says some breeding operations replenish their stocks from the wild, others from poaching. The report points out that wild animals do not adapt to being farmed like domesticated animals. These have been captive for thousands of years and have undergone permanent changes to their behaviour around humans. Wildlife farming took off in the late 20th century as the demand for wildlife and wildlife-derived products grew. Since then, the industry has boomed. Consumers and traders seek wild animals or their parts as pets, entertainment attractions, decorations, ornaments, fashion items such as fur, leather, feathers, as an ingredient in perfumes (including deer or civet musk), luxury food, musical instruments and traditional medicine. This rising demand, says the report, may be due to the growing human population and increasing economic prosperity as well as the commercialisation, in the media, of wild animals. The growth of online marketplaces may also be providing consumers with increased awareness and access to the wildlife trade. The pet trade is huge and includes demand for birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Favoured are parrots, lizards, snakes, tortoises, frogs and sugar gliders. Tourist activities involving captive wild animals include swimming with dolphins, elephant rides, watching dolphins, sea lions, big cats or elephants perform, and direct interaction with wildlife such as posing for selfies, petting or feeding. Breeding for profit Wild animals bred for use in tourism are also exploited by other industries. Many lions bred for cub petting and “walking with lions” in South Africa are later used for “canned” trophy hunting or killed so their bones can be sold for use in traditional medicine or tiger-bone wine. Traditional Asian medicine can include body parts from bears (gallbladder and bile), deer (antlers or musk), pangolins (scales), tigers (bones and paws), rhinos (horns), turtles and snakes, geckoes, sea horses and many other animals. The researchers found that over 20,000 bears, 5,000 tigers, 8,000 lions, hundreds of thousands of seahorses and millions of turtles are bred on farms for traditional medicine. Many parts of farmed wild animals are used as fashion items. These include feathers and down (usually from ostriches, ducks and geese), fur (mainly mink, raccoons, chinchillas, sables and foxes) and leather from the skins of reptiles (mainly crocodiles and snakes). The report says that when commercial industries become economically unviable, animals are culled in vast numbers. In 2020, Europe was the second largest producer of fur, farming 37.8 million mink, foxes, raccoons and chinchillas. The level of culling in response to the danger of Covid is not known but was considerable. The largest producer of these animals is China, with over 50 million farmed mink, foxes and raccoons. A census of Vietnamese wildlife farms in 2015 found that 1,907 farms housing 158,093 animals from 45 species were no longer operating because market prices had dropped. The fate of these animals is unknown. While conditions in cattle feedlots, piggeries and chicken hatcheries often find their way into the public eye, wildlife farms tend to fly below the radar. Big numbers Millions of crocodiles in 47 countries are farmed for their skins and meat. More than 300 million turtles are farmed in China alone. Nearly 100 million foxes, mink and raccoons are farmed in 27 countries. Almost 9,500 deer farms hold more than 452,000 sika deer. Bear farms hold 24,000 Asiatic bears on farms across China, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and South Korea. Tigers were found to be farmed in their thousands in several countries, including South Africa. Between 8,000 and 12,000 lions are kept on 366 farms in South Africa. Millions of ostriches are recorded on farms in over 20 countries. There was little information on the size of wildlife farms, although one report from Vietnam documented 4,099 farms containing more than 996,000 animals from 175 species. Of these farms, at least 24 held more than 5,000 animals. The largest farm contained almost 54,000 crocodiles. A third of species recorded on farms are considered near threatened, vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Disease warning Zoonotic diseases are infectious and can spread between animals and people, especially when wild animals are in close proximity to humans. The report warns that wildlife farms create opportunities for disease transmission because of the high concentrations of animals, poor hygiene and regular human contact for husbandry purposes. It says zoonotic disease outbreaks are thought to cause over two million human deaths a year, and substantial human illness. They also hit financially: the Covid pandemic — undoubtedly of wildlife origin — is estimated to have cost the global economy as much as $16-trillion. Of the zoonotic diseases in human populations between 1940 and 2004, 72% were of wildlife origin. There are no global regulations governing pathogen screening for traded wildlife, but in lions alone, 63 pathogens have been recorded. Value to conservation Some conservationists, the report says, argue that wildlife farms could benefit conservation by providing competition on the market and reducing the incentive to take wild animals for money. There is, however, very little published evidence to support this. “Wildlife farming could negatively affect wild populations because wild-caught animals are sometimes used to supplement captive ‘stock’ when farmed products cannot meet consumer demand, and because farms can struggle to breed wildlife in captivity. “Wildlife farms can also open the door to criminal activity, such as the laundering of wild-caught animals

Give today, and we will MATCH your donation.

Today, we are imploring you to consider the plight of fragile, helpless flying foxes in Seychelles – animals with bodies barely bigger than your palm – who are maligned, hunted, ripped from their families, and needlessly slaughtered for gruesome “traditional” foods. Flying foxes need YOU today – and if you help right away, your gift will be DOUBLED. Read on… Widely misunderstood and ruthlessly hunted for their flesh, flying foxes are in deep peril. Right now, they are dying in their droves across the island of Mahé in the Seychelles. Credit: Protect Paradise Seychelles They are desperate for YOUR help. Using the poor excuse of “tradition,” flying foxes are caught and killed for “bat curry,” a dish with no place in a society with an abundance of ethical food sources. Hunters string crude fishing lines and hooks high up in trees, and when the unsuspecting flying creatures forage for fruit, they get trapped in these barbaric contraptions. Helpless babies die still clinging to their mothers or fall from their mothers’ bodies to die slowly on the ground. Animals not killed outright by the nets are butchered with knives. Those who don’t partake in this culinary catastrophe are often disinterested in halting this brutal practice, as the animals are seen as little better than pests. Credit: Anna Buckley To make matters exponentially worse, this is far from the only threat facing the species on Mahé. A growing human population means fewer food sources and increasing environmental threats. Their habitats are destroyed, fruit trees are replaced by urban blight or harvested for human consumption, and bright city lights leave them disorientated, lost and prone to accidents. Frequently, they fly into power lines, killing them or leaving them fatally injured.The rampant killing of helpless flying foxes is heartbreaking. Please show these gentle, sweet flying foxes that YOU care! Also known as fruit bats, flying foxes are intelligent, social creatures who often live in family groups. Pups are totally reliant on their mothers as infants when they weigh less than a small apple and stay with their mothers for up to one year. There is a glimmer of hope for these mammals: your matched donation today, and our dedicated partner on the ground, Protect Paradise Seychelles (PPS). This hardworking organization rescues orphaned, injured and displaced flying foxes, among many other species, and helps to save as many lives as they can. They need extra support NOW, because it is “orphan season.” Credit: Protect Paradise Seychelles A very kind donor has pledged to MATCH your donation to flying foxes today, empowering you to make EVEN MORE of a difference! A generous-hearted ASI donor with a special interest in flying foxes has pledged to MATCH every donation made towards these special mammals, up to a total of $4,000 (roughly £3,160). That means whatever you donate will effectively be DOUBLED, so your contribution will go twice as far! As PPS’ rehabilitation center fills with injured, orphaned souls needing help during the species’ birthing season, this compassionate pledge – combined with your donations – has the power to help save so many more lives! Credit: Protect Paradise Seychelles PPS desperately needs an X-ray machine to accurately diagnose and treat injuries. It will make a LIFE-SAVING DIFFERENCE to flying foxes, and your MATCHED DONATION will help us provide it! Failing to protect flying foxes could have devastating consequences for life on Earth. These winged mammals disperse seeds and pollinate flowers to sustain forests and promote healthy growth. In turn, forests support thousands of species of fauna and flora, and are crucial in combating climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air. Without forests, the impact of dramatically changing weather events would become even more severe, turning rains into floods and dry spells into droughts. Our very life on Earth depends on healthy forests – and forests depend on creatures like flying foxes. We know you care about our beautiful planet and every wild animal that calls it home. We know that you won’t let these helpless little creatures down! Please donate as much as you can now. Every donation up to $4,000 (roughly £3,160) will be MATCHED! That means the time to give is right now.

South Africa approves end to captive breeding of lions and rhinos

Article written by Don Pinnock Originally published by Daily Maverick (Mar 30, 2024) After nearly a decade of inquiries, reports and a parliamentary colloquium, the government has approved an end to captive breeding of lions and rhinos. Cabinet has agreed to end the controversial captive breeding of lions and rhinos. It approved a Policy Position submitted by Environment Minister Barbara Creecy to close lion facilities and end commercial exploitation of lions and ‘canned’ hunts. Cabinet also agreed to phase out intensive management and captive breeding of rhinos and to enhance the conservation of wild leopards. It also agreed to limit the live export of lions, elephants, leopards and both rhino species to only habitats within Africa. This effectively curbs the growing Asian demand for zoo specimens. On the export of rhino horn and ivory, the policy says South Africa would work to support international trade, only when “conditions became favourable”. It does not specify what these conditions are, but does provide a local platform upon which the contested CITES ban on export can be debated. It says there is “no immediate intention to trade in rhino horn.” According to a media statement by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, the policy “will transform practices within the wildlife industry that are not conducive to animal well-being and promote conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in general, and these species in particular. “This will enhance South Africa’s position as a megadiverse country and leader in the conservation and sustainable use of these iconic species.” The policy is the result of nearly a decade of inquiries, reports, a parliamentary colloquium and increasing local and international abhorrence of ‘canned’ lion hunting which was highlighted in a shocking film flighted in 2015 called Blood Lions. These inquiries include the Rhino Committee of Inquiry (2015), the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Lion Colloquium on lion breeding (2018), the High-Level Panel Report on lions, rhinos, elephants and leopards (2021) and the White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable use of South Africa’s Biodiversity (2023). More recently, the collapse of rhino farmer John Hume’s breeding programme left the fate of around 2,000 rhinos at risk until it was saved through a purchase for relocation by the NGO Africa Parks. The fate of his considerable stockpile of horns is unknown. The acceptance of the Policy Position coincides with the release for discussion by the Environment Department of a Biodiversity Economy Strategy. This proposes to grow areas under conservation — called mega living conservation landscapes — from 20 million hectares to 34 million hectares by 2040, an area equal to seven Kruger National Parks. The strategy envisages an increased focus on tourism in these landscapes as well as more Big Five animals available for fair-chase trophy hunting. It also envisages an expansion of recreational and traditional hunting, wild meat harvesting and fishing, and the increased use of indigenous plants and insects for food. The plan massively extends areas under a form of protection. The banning of captive-bred lion farming raises the issue of what to do with around 10,000 lions. A departmentally appointed panel has been discussing this since its appointment last year and its recommendations are due for release shortly. Captive-bred lions cannot be rewilded because of genetic inbreeding, poor condition of many and because lions are social animals which are taught to hunt and survive in open systems by a pride. There seems to be three options: euthanise, open them for hunting or fund their care in sanctuaries. It’s likely that a mix of these solutions will be considered. The Policy Position calls for enhanced conservation of wild rhinos and elephants under private, community and state ownership, an acknowledgement that private ownership of wildlife – unique to South Africa – has been a conservation success story. It makes a clear distinction between intensive wildlife farming and wild ranching, which would include private game reserves. It says the captive lion industry involves intensive and selective breeding, handling, hunting of captive or captive-bred lions and lion bone and other derivative trade. “This threatens South Africa’s reputation as a leader in the conservation of wildlife and as a country and destination with iconic wild lions. “Although some operators may implement acceptable standards of welfare, there are major animal welfare contraventions in the industry in general. This policy objective seeks to ensure duty of care towards lions.” The Policy spells out the steps required: Halt domestication of lions in controlled environments; End exploitation of captive and captive-bred lions; End the captive breeding of lions, including through sterilisation; Close captive lion facilities; Develop an exit process in respect of the disposal of lions in existing captive facilities; Monitor the impacts on breeding of other cat species, and ensure that poor lion practices are not transferred to other species; Improve security for wild lions to prevent a shift to illegal killing for derivatives from wild lion populations; Expand the number and distribution of extensive wildlife systems containing free-roaming lions; Address the future employment of workers in the industry; Develop enabling regulatory tools for ending the keeping, breeding, handling, and trade in captive lions and their parts and derivatives, hunting of captive and captive-bred lions and establishment of new captive lion facilities. Implementing these actions, says the Policy Position, will result in closure of the captive lion industry.

Red panda found in luggage of smuggling suspects at Thailand airport

Article written by Rebecca Ratcliffe Originally published by The Guardian (Mar 7, 2024) Bangkok customs officers arrest six after finding 87 animals, including lizards, birds, a monkey and snakes Thai customs officials have arrested six Indian nationals for attempting to smuggle dozens of wild animals, including a red panda and cotton-top tamarin monkey, out of the country. Officers found 87 animals, including monitor lizards, birds and snakes, packaged inside the suspects’ checked luggage at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. They were trying to fly to Mumbai. Thailand is one of the world’s major hubs for illegal wildlife smuggling, a multibillion-dollar transnational trade, due to its rich biodiversity, location and infrastructure. Smugglers use Thailand to transit animals to be sold in China and Vietnam, and recent years have seen an increase in trafficking to India. “We have found out that the animals include 29 black throat monitor lizards, 21 snakes, 15 birds, including parrots – a total of 87 animals. The animals were hidden inside the luggage,” the customs department said in a statement on Wednesday. Photos released by the department showed a red panda – an endangered species that is about the size of a domestic cat, with a bear-like body – peeking out of a wicker basket. A cotton-top tamarin monkey, which is a critically endangered species, according to the ICUN red list, had been placed in a plastic box. A Sulawesi bear cuscus, which is classified as vulnerable, was inside a basket that had been taped shut. Snakes and lizards were packed away in cloth bags and plastic food tubs. If found guilty, the suspects could face a maximum of 10 years in jail or a fine of four times the amount of import duties. In February, a Mongolian man was arrested at the same airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle Komodo dragons, pythons and more than 20 live fish out of Thailand. Kanitha Krishnasamy, the south-east Asia director for Traffic, an NGO focused on the illegal wildlife trade, said there had been a “very active and persistent level of trafficking of live animals between south-east Asia and south Asia”, especially since the resumption of air travel after the lifting of Covid lockdowns. She said: “The incredible number and diversity of species being smuggled between south-east Asia and south Asia is mind-boggling. In the most recent case you have wild species from South America all the way to the Himalayas and Indonesia. “Airlines and the transport sector play a crucial role, as frontliners who come across these bags being loaded on to a plane or sent as cargo. They have the ability not only to detect but collaborate with enforcement agencies to identify the parties involved in the trafficking chain.”

Orphaned elephant calf Phabeni needs special milk formula to survive!

When Phabeni was just four months old, he was spotted wandering alone near the Kruger National Park in South Africa, with his mother and herd nowhere in sight. Credit: HERD Our partner, HERD, raced to his rescue. They found the little calf covered head-to-toe in wounds and showing signs of severe starvation and dehydration. Judging from his condition, it is likely Phabeni had been alone for at least several days. To put it in perspective, elephant calves are much like human children, totally reliant on their mothers throughout their infancy and juvenile years. They will usually stay with their mothers until they are around 16 years old. Alone and helpless without mothers, suckling elephant calves will usually die within DAYS of being displaced or orphaned. Credit: HERD Phabeni is lucky to be alive – but he needs YOUR help to ensure his survival. Our partner is a dedicated elephant orphanage that provides around-the-clock care and specialized nutrition to elephant calves orphaned through poaching or snaring. The team currently cares for 17 rescued elephants. Credit: HERD Phabeni, the newest rescue, arrived emaciated, dehydrated, injured, and traumatized. But with YOUR support today, the little calf can pull through. The most urgent need for Phabeni right now is a special milk formula. It closely mimics his mother’s milk and is CRITICAL to his survival. Credit: HERD Orphaned elephant calves are at their most vulnerable during the first few weeks following their rescue and are highly dependent on the correct nourishment, care, and companionship. Expert elephant carers monitor Phabeni around the clock, but what he really needs now is enough special milk formula to help him grow. With your support today, we CAN give Phabeni this chance. Phabeni will need milk for the next four to five years and will need help throughout this time. Elephant calves are extremely sensitive, and a gradual milk-weaning process must be followed. Rushing the weaning process could be fatal. Credit: HERD It is critical that we provide Phabeni with a special milk formula that replicates the vital nutrients he would have received from his mother. Please help Phabeni now! If we can raise $7,000 (£5,540), we can provide enough special milk formula for orphaned elephant calf Phabeni for the next THREE months. Your donation will also cover crucial medication and veterinary care to help the baby elephant recover from his wounds. Credit: HERD Extensive studies have shown that elephants feel emotions including grief, joy, love, and compassion. Can you imagine the heartbreak of poor orphaned calf Phabeni, who tragically became separated from his mother and was forced to endure the dangers of the wild alone?  As social beings used to the tight fabric of a family, elephants need other elephants for their well-being and survival. Once fully healed, HERD’s orphans are gradually introduced to the Jabulani Herd – a unique and close-knit family of 17 rescued and orphaned elephants from Zimbabwe and South Africa, who are always accepting of new calves. Phabeni has constant companionship and comfort in the form of Lammie, his surrogate sheep mother… Credit: HERD Please, extend your compassion to the orphaned elephant calf Phabeni. Your support is critical in providing him with the care he needs to survive and be reintegrated into a new, loving herd. Help us make a lasting impact on little Phabeni’s life by donating generously to Animal Survival International today!

More than 400,000 songbirds killed by organised crime in Cyprus

Article written by Phoebe Weston Originally published by The Guardian (Mar 6, 2024) Report links rise in birds trapped for human consumption to cuts in anti-poaching resources in area of British military base More than 400,000 songbirds were trapped and killed in Cyprus last autumn as part of a recent increase in wildlife crime, according to a new report. Organised crime networks use decoys and speakers playing birdsong to lure these small birds – including garden favourites such as robins and sparrows – to land in bushes or orchards, where they catch them with “mist” nets or branches covered in glue. They are then sold via the hidden market to restaurants to be eaten as a local dish called “ambelopoulia”, which consists of pickled or boiled songbirds. The report, drawn up by BirdLife Cyprus with support from the RSPB and the Committee Against Birds Slaughter (Cabs), found that 435,000 birds were killed this way in autumn 2023 alone. While the number caught has been trending downwards over the past decade, last year marked an increase of 90,000 from 2022. Martin Hellicar, the director of BirdLife Cyprus, said: “Despite the very good progress made in recent years, this autumn was a reminder that this can be quickly reversed if enforcement resources are not maintained.” Cyprus is a stepping stone for many birds on huge autumn migrations between their breeding grounds in Europe to overwintering grounds in Africa each year. Blackcaps, flycatchers, chiffchaffs, willow warblers, reed warblers and Cetti’s warblers are among those being targeted, many of which are in steep decline in the UK. The practice of trapping songbirds for human consumption was outlawed in Cyprus in 1974 but it continues to be carried out on an industrial scale. Twenty years ago, more than 2 million birds were caught like this every year, with more than 10 million killed in the 1990s. Since then, law enforcement authorities in Cyprus have been working with BirdLife Cyprus, Cabs and the RSPB to reduce the number of birds killed. Authorities found that more than 4.5km of netting was being used to trap birds. Much of the increase came from the British military base in Cyprus – the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) – where there was a 41% increase in nets out than during the previous year. The resources of the SBA anti-poaching unit were reduced significantly at the start of the autumn 2023 trapping season. The report said: “This season was a good case study of what can happen when police resources are removed/redirected from illegal trapping enforcement and deterrence action.” Mark Thomas, the head of RSPB investigations, said organised trappers are continuing to make huge profits for little risk. “We cannot allow the progress we have made to be undone and the shocking levels of songbird killings to return to the abhorrent levels we once saw,” he said. Thomas added that police resources were needed to keep bird trapping levels low. “For two decades, our international partnership has shown that we can work together to tackle this criminal activity through direct action on the ground backed up by enforcement action,” he said. “However, this autumn shows that more still needs to be done, particularly in the Republic of Cyprus.” Hellicar said BirdLife Cyprus has been growing an awareness-raising campaign that aims to “achieve a change in the hearts and minds of the local culture, from eating to protecting and appreciating them [birds]”. “This is an even greater challenge to overcome, but we are committed to continuing and confident that eventually we will see a positive behavioural change in favour of bird conservation,” he added.

Woman who welcomed eight foxes into her home now uses them as therapy animals to help domestic abuse survivors

Article written by Molly Powell Originally published by Independent UK (Feb 5, 2024) At the end of 2022, Nicole began using her foxes as therapy foxes. A woman who rescued eight foxes from fur farms that now sleep in a twin-size bed in her home now uses them as therapy foxes in women’s shelters and youth rehabilitation programmes and claims many “resonate” with the foxes’ “story of survival”. Nicole Navarro, 43, who works part-time on a tourist boat and lives in Key Largo, Florida, with her eight foxes, Libby, Louie, Reef, Kai, Coral, Jasper, Ridley and Penny, began rescuing the animals in 2020 after she got laid off in the pandemic. Nicole says all of her foxes were “deemed undesirable” by fur farmers, as they had “some sort of physical defect”, such as missing tails or toes, but claims this is what “ended up saving their lives”. Nicole’s foxes have 24/7 access to a room in her house, with luxuries such as air conditioning and a bed, as well as a huge enclosure outside with “enrichment activities”, and Nicole spends most of her days off playing with them, and feeding them their diet of chicken, duck, rabbit and turkey, which costs 800 dollars (£625) a month. At the end of 2022, Nicole began using them as therapy foxes, where she puts them in a harness, allows people to stroke them and tells the foxes’ stories of going from being bred to kill to living a happy life, which she finds “extremely rewarding” as she has “experienced intense trauma” in her past. Credit: Collect/PA Real Life Nicole said: “When I take the foxes to the sessions, I find that the people really resonate with the foxes’ story of survival. “Often these people are victims of domestic abuse and in a way, have been in a similar position.” Nicole first fell in love with foxes in 2018 when she was volunteering at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Key West, Florida, which had an animal farm. She explained: “In 2018, two foxes were surrendered and even though I had a lot of experience with different species of animals throughout my life, I grew up on a very large horse farm in western Pennsylvania, I had never had up close personal experience with foxes. “And I just sort of became completely infatuated with the species and then started learning more about their backgrounds – most foxes here in the United States can be traced back to fur farming and it’s illegal to capture, obviously, wild animals out of the wild and turn them into pets.” From then on, Nicole started contacting fox rescue centres throughout America about potentially rescuing them in the future, and in March 2020, one of her contacts asked her if she was ready to take some foxes that were being surrendered from a fur farm. Nicole thinks her foxes have improved her mental health. Credit: Collect/PA Real Life She said: “I quickly scrambled to raise money because at that time, the Florida Keys completely shut down since we’re tourism based so I got laid off, and it became a bit of a lockdown project.” Two months later, she welcomed Louie and Libby, foxes from a fur farm, into her home and since then, she has adopted another six foxes. She said: “All of the foxes were deemed undesirable meaning the fur farmer would not have been able to kill them and sell them because they had some sort of physical defect. “So some of the foxes I have don’t have tails, some of them are harmed by their mother at a very young age so they’re missing parts of their tail and Reef is even missing some toes. “So all the foxes I have here have some sort of thing that was deemed imperfect by the farmer, but it’s actually what ended up saving their lives.” Nicole keeps them all in two large enclosures outside and they even have 24/7 access to a room in her house. Nicole first encountered foxes when she was volunteering at an animal farm. Credit: Collect/PA Real Life She said: “They have a twin-size bed that they sleep on and there’s no electrical wires or anything they can chew on or harm themselves with. “It gets pretty warm here so the room is air conditioned… and they all have outdoor enclosures with ramps and platforms and enrichment activities, toys and tunnels. “So they are really given everything they need to use the natural instincts they have – they’re not domestic in any way, shape or form.” Nicole explained her daily-routine to look after her furry friends, saying: “I get up fairly early and I do a spot clean of the enclosures. “I feed them a little breakfast – they eat rabbit, duck, chicken, turkey, I do offer them fruits and vegetables, but they rarely go for it. “I sit back there with them, I interact with them, I play with them.” At the end of 2022, Nicole began using her foxes as therapy foxes. Nicole started rescuing her foxes in lockdown. Credit: Collect/PA Real Life She said: “I reached out to a women’s holistic trauma recovery programme and just sort of proposed the idea of bringing a fox to meet the women and sharing the foxes’ stories of survival – going from certain deaths to living on an island in Florida. “When I take one of my foxes into the sessions, I put him in a harness and a little leash, but I don’t train him on a leash. “I tell his story and then welcome people to pet him or play with him, but it’s amazing, as soon as I put the harness on him his personality changes – he’s so calm and relaxed and we’ve never had any issues with him.” From there, Nicole has expanded her sessions. She said: “The Florida Keys Children’s Shelter saw what we were doing with the women and asked if they could start bringing children here to meet the

South African jailed after being caught at Changi Airport in Singapore’s largest seizure of rhino horns

Adapted from original article written by Lydia Lam Originally published by Channel News Asia (Jan 26, 2024) The rhino horns that were seized were worth about S$1.2 million in total. SINGAPORE: A South African man who was caught at Changi Airport while trying to transport 34.7kg of rhinoceros horns to Laos was sentenced to two years’ jail on Friday (Jan 26). Gumede Sthembiso Joel had pleaded guilty to one charge each of transporting 18 pieces of white rhinoceros horn and two pieces of horns from the rarer black rhinoceros into Singapore without a valid permit. The rhino horns were worth about S$1.2 million (US$895,400) and were intercepted in October 2022. It was Singapore’s largest seizure of rhino horns. Based on the two different species, the prosecution tried to ask for 37 months’ jail, quoting the case of Xavier Yap Jung Houn, where the sentences for the killing of two sons ran consecutively as they were distinct acts. However, District Judge Eddy Tham on Friday ruled that the situation was different in this case, as Gumede engaged in a single “transaction” when he checked in both bags containing both types of horns. Judge Tham said this was akin to a drug trafficker, who was found with a packet of drugs that was analysed and later found to contain more than one type of drug. In those cases, sentences are typically ordered to run concurrently, explained the judge. He sentenced Gumede to concurrent jail terms – 24 months for the white rhino horns and 14 months for the black rhino horns. Judge Tham also stated that Gumede was not involved in the acquiring and packing of the horns. Instead, he had shown up at the airport in South Africa, where he took the cargo from his accomplice, a South African man called Jaycee Israel Marvatona. Gumede sat in the dock listening to proceedings quietly, narrowing his eyes at various points while his lawyer, Ms Stephania Wong from Rajah & Tann, acted for him. The Case Gumede, 33, knew Jaycee was involved in the illegal rhino trade. They exchanged WhatsApp messages about rhino horns and the sale of the horns. After failing to recruit another man to join him on the flight to Laos through Singapore, Gumede took a Singapore Airlines flight from South Africa and transited in Singapore in October 2022. He had checked in two bags containing cardboard boxes that held the horns. Fifteen minutes before his connecting flight to Laos was to leave, a baggage screening officer at Changi Airport spotted organic material shaped like horns in the two bags. Gumede was escorted to an inspection room, where the boxes were opened in his presence, revealing the 20 pieces of rhino horn. DNA analysis revealed that the horns came from 15 southern white rhinos and one black rhino. Of these, the samples were linked to 11 female rhinos, whose reproduction could have been halted as a result. The horns, which Jaycee had purchased from illegal poachers in South Africa, were meant to be sold to a person known as Jimmy in Laos. For bringing in [the horns of] endangered species without the required permits, he could have been jailed for up to two years per charge, fined up to S$50,000 per species, or both.

Track pangolins 💪 Stop poachers!

Five critically endangered pangolins, including a tiny baby and a very sick adult, have just been rescued in the nick of time from a horror meat market in Lao, Asia. Pancake the critically endangered pangolin receiving life-saving care at LCTW. Anti-poaching devices will enable our team to apprehend poachers in their tracks. Credit: LCTW The animals were rescued during an investigation into the illegal wildlife trade in the country, which sees hundreds of thousands of animals slaughtered every year for bogus “traditional medicine”, jewelry, trinkets, and unfounded virility potions. The pangolin poaching crisis is REAL, and if we do not act NOW, the species could be gone forever. We have a plan to help. Sick, starving and dehydrated, the fragile animals were rushed to the care of our partner, the Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife (LCTW). Credit: LCTW All the rescued pangolins are of the critically endangered Sunda and Chinese sub-species, relentlessly hunted for their meat, skins and scales in Asia. It is estimated that 80% of Sunda pangolins have been wiped out by poaching, while the population of Chinese pangolins is expected to plummet by 80% by 2040. You will be relieved to know that LCTW works closely with law enforcement to rescue pangolins and bring poachers to book. Credit: LCTW The rescued creatures were all saved in the capital of Vientiane during an undercover investigation. A sixth was later saved by local government authorities. As this important investigative and prosecution work continues, the plight of the six rescued animals is currently critical. Image for illustrative purposes only. Credit: Wikipedia Pancake, a Chinese pangolin, is receiving intensive care after arriving terrified, starving and dehydrated. She was named ‘Pancake’ because she lies so flat – clearly weak and severely traumatized after her horrendous ordeal. The other survivors – all Sunda pangolins – include a baby, juveniles and adults. The infant pangopup is still suckling from its mother, and all are receiving critical care at the sanctuary. We have a way to help our partner NAB POACHERS and protect pangolins from being poached – please, help us implement it now! Once the pangolins have recovered from their nightmare ordeal, they will be released back into their natural environment. Credit: LCTW We know you will agree that they MUST be protected at all costs once released. That is exactly what we plan to do with your help today. If we can raise $15,000 (around £11,880), LCTW can fit each of the pangolins with hi-tech tracking devices prior to their release, which will immediately alert the team if a pangolin is snared or caught by a poacher as it is being transported. These advanced tracking solutions are already being used to great success by our anti-poaching partners in Africa. Should a pangolin be caught, the device will send an instant alert to its exact location, enabling the team to race into action, rescue the animal, and catch the perpetrators. The devices also monitor the animals’ breathing, heart rate and pace of movement to alert the team immediately to anything out of the ordinary. If enough money can be raised, our partner will also be able to install hidden devices throughout the forest that detect the presence and exact location of any mobile phones entering the area – almost guaranteed to be hunters or poachers. An immediate alarm will be sent, and the on-site team will be dispatched to thwart the poachers in their tracks. It is the advanced protection pangolins urgently need – AND DESERVE – right now. Credit: LCTW It is not enough to rehabilitate pangolins – we MUST ALSO track poachers and keep pangolins safe in the wild! Will you help critically endangered pangolins today? Your support now will help us protect pangolins in Lao – so please be part of the solution! Donate right away, and help us give pangolins their safety and freedom – and poachers the penalties they deserve!

New research uncovers disturbing pattern in the decline of African raptors: ‘It’s a wake-up call’

Article written by Jenny Allison Originally published by The Cooldown (Feb 15, 2024) In these areas, protections “exist in name only.” A recent study reported that raptors across Africa are suffering a significant population decline. But what alarmed researchers the most is that these losses are happening both inside and outside of national parks. What’s happening? A team of researchers surveyed populations of 42 species of raptors in four regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists in these regions have collected raptor population data since 1969, so the team was able to calculate accurate changes — and they were devastated by the results. It’s “shocking,” said Dr. Darcy Ogada, one of the study’s authors. She reported that 88% of the surveyed species had declined significantly in the past several decades, and 69% are now either threatened with extinction or at least more endangered than previously thought. Certain species, like the secretary bird and the martial eagle, have declined by 85 to 90%. The reasons behind these declines are numerous, with habitat loss being the leading cause. Raptors are also threatened by poaching, electrocution, wind turbines and other technology, power lines, and the changing climate. “We’re looking at really iconic species in Africa that are declining significantly,” Dr. Ogada said. “It’s a wake-up call.” Why is raptor loss so concerning? Birds of prey are critical to their ecosystems for several reasons. They serve as apex predators, keeping other populations under control. As scavengers, they prevent disease from spreading, and they recycle nutrients back into the environment. More broadly, they serve as key indicator species: If a bird of prey is thriving, it means that small vertebrates are thriving, which indicates that plant life is thriving. “Losing [these birds] is going to have major trickle-down impacts to the rest of the ecosystem,” Dr. Ogada said. Additionally, perhaps the most concerning find was that these losses were significant both outside and within national parks. One explanation for this, Dr. Ogada suggested, is the existence of Africa’s “paper parks.” In these areas, protections “exist in name only,” and both a lack of funds and lack of management are a “major problem for wildlife.” What’s being done to protect raptors? Many research and conservation groups are working to combat the losses. One way they’re doing so is by updating conservation statuses. Dr. Stuart Butchart of BirdLife International explained that those statuses help “set action priorities by governments and other stakeholders, such as working with local communities to protect land, increasing efforts to protect raptors, and making sure that new infrastructure – like wind turbines – are installed with minimal impacts to birds.” Gaining local buy-in is also crucial in accomplishing conservation objectives, which is why the researchers launched a new educational mentorship initiative, the African Raptor Leadership Grant, which is aimed at African scientists across the continent.

Kenya’s black rhino numbers quadruple since 1984

Article written by Annelie Coleman Originally published by Farmer’s Weekly (Wed, Feb 7, 2024) Black rhinos in Kenya were on the brink of extinction three decades ago, but their numbers have since quadrupled from 240 in 1984 to 966 in 2024. This recovery has been ascribed to sharpened-up security that has brought more poachers to justice over the past three decades. Kenya’s black rhino numbers have increased so fast that they are now overcrowding sanctuaries in the country. One of the remedies to prevent overpopulation includes relocation, with 21 eastern black rhinos recently being relocated to the Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia County. According to a report published by EIN Presswire, the last rhino in Loisaba was killed 50 years ago by poachers. “It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the reintroduction of rhinos to a landscape where they’ve been absent for 50 years,” said Tom Silvester, CEO of the Loisaba Conservancy. “It is a mark of Kenya’s conservation success. Some [11 736ha] have been set aside for the rhinos’ new sanctuary.” The recent relocation was led by Kenya Wildlife Services. The animals, which can weigh up to 1,400 kg, were moved by truck to their new home. Supporting the project were the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the Nature Conservancy, the Elewana Collection, and Space for Giants. The rhinos came from Nairobi National Park, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. “The reintroduction of the eastern black rhino to Loisaba is a testament to our collective ability to enact meaningful change for Kenya’s iconic wildlife and be a force for nature,” said Dr. Max Graham, CEO of conservation organisation Space for Giants. Because of heightened security and success in bringing poachers to justice, Kenya is now home to the third-largest rhino population in Africa, after South Africa and Namibia. Research has shown that Kenya needs a stable number of 2 000 eastern black rhinos for the species to survive in the face of threats to their survival. The EIN Presswire report said the key to success has been Kenya’s efficiency in safeguarding keystone species like rhino in protected areas. Black rhinos were solitary animals, and without enough room to disperse, they could not be encouraged to breed. With some of Kenya’s existing 16 sanctuaries nearing maximum capacity, there was an urgent need to create new ones offering ideal conditions, such as the right habitat, effective security, and strong support from neighbouring communities.

Sick lion cubs are STILL waiting for your help!

Today, Issam and Kelly really need your help. This is their story… Every year, thousands of wild animals are trafficked around the world. The Middle East and North Africa are hotspot transit points for the trade. Animals are bred and sold to zoos or to be “exotic pets” for the rich – sent to unknown fates that bear no resemblance to their natural environment. Credit: Animals Lebanon Lion cubs Issam and Kelly have been saved from wildlife traffickers in Lebanon – potentially one of the largest animal trafficking operations ever intercepted in Lebanon. The state of these infant lion cubs will leave you AGHAST! Authorities stopped traffickers at an army checkpoint north of Lebanon, 90 minutes outside Beirut. To their horror, they discovered 1,500 caged exotic birds – many already dead – and two terrified lion cubs hidden among them. The two-month-old cubs, frozen from fear, were hidden in small plastic cat boxes with no food or water, and were drenched in their own urine. Credit: Animals Lebanon All the animals were confiscated by the police, and the traffickers were arrested. After veterinary examinations, the birds – both wild-caught and captive-bred – were able to be released back into the wild or sent to specialized organizations. But both cubs, who are believed to be siblings, were severely underweight and exhibited signs of malnutrition and abnormal development. They were in a shockingly bad way. Heartbreakingly, due to the extent of human-inflicted abuse, Issam was unable to walk normally. Credit: Animals Lebanon The development of both infant cubs was severely stunted due to the conditions in which they were kept captive. Issam’s disabilities were particularly severe. The muscles in his back legs had not developed properly, and his legs were not strong enough to support him. It was utterly tragic to see – a helpless eight-week-old cub struggling to walk. His mobility problems were caused by being confined in a small plastic crate for who knows how long – combined with a lack of proper care, nutrition and exercise – all of which the cubs would have received had they not been stolen from their mother and their natural way of living. Issam and Kelly will need intensive rehabilitation, as well as expert care, for the rest of their lives. Credit: Animals Lebanon The cubs were placed with an animal welfare organization in Lebanon until the right sanctuary could be found. That is where our partner, Drakenstein Lion Park in South Africa, stepped in. Now, they need YOUR SUPPORT TODAY to recover! Please, help now! Drakenstein Lion Park has committed to giving the cubs a lifelong home at their sanctuary where no breeding is permitted, and where wild animals live free from physical visitor interaction in semi-wild spaces. The lifelong care for both cubs will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars over 20 years. If we can raise $7,300 (around £5,732 ), we can help ease the long-term financial pressure on our partner for an entire year, so they can continue rescuing wild animals in serious trouble. Credit: Animals Lebanon Please help give these rescued cubs the life they truly deserve after their terrible abuse at the hands of humans. We partner with ethical big cat rescue facilities to give rescued wild animals the lives they deserve after being born into cruel and abusive situations. The reality, is that when “exotic pets” are bred and confiscated outside of their indigenous countries, many have nowhere to go and may end up in zoos… or worse… euthanized. This is an outcome we at ASI will ALWAYS fight to avoid, and thus it is of critical importance that we support our ethical sanctuary partners. Credit: Animals Lebanon Please help us to ensure that there will ALWAYS be a safe home for helpless, orphaned wild animals rescued from the hands of cruel humans. Donate right away to help our partner support Issam and Kelly’s long-term care and give these animals the peace, security and safety they deserve. Without your support today, we cannot help rescue all the other Issams and Kellys out there who, without us, would be subjected to a truly horrific fate.

Why is Sri Lanka losing its elephants?

Article written by The Vantage Take Originally published by The Firstpost (Thu, Feb 8, 2024) As Sri Lanka stands at a crossroads, the government faces a dual challenge of preserving its flagship species while safeguarding the livelihoods of its people When traversing the landscapes of Sri Lanka, one cannot ignore the omnipresence of the elephant. Embedded deeply within the nation’s cultural and religious tapestry, these majestic creatures have served as symbols of power, prosperity and spiritual significance for over two millennia. From intricate art to architectural marvels, the elephant motif pervades every aspect of Sri Lankan life, making it a central figure in the country’s identity. Cultural and religious significance Historically, elephants held a revered status, often serving as prized possessions of kings and symbols of royal authority. Employed in warfare and celebrated for their strength and opulence, they symbolise more than mere beasts of burden. In Buddhist beliefs, elephants hold deep religious significance, embodying wisdom and sacredness. Their presence in folklore and religious ceremonies further solidifies their esteemed position in Sri Lankan culture. Guardians of ecosystems Beyond their cultural importance, elephants play a crucial ecological role as keystone species. They shape habitats, maintain ecosystem balance and support the survival of numerous other species. However, their survival is increasingly under threat due to human-induced pressures on their habitats. Facing a looming extinction Despite their revered status, Sri Lanka’s elephant population is in a state of peril. Over the past century, their numbers have dwindled significantly, with a sharp increase in deaths recorded in recent years. Human-animal conflict, driven by habitat loss and encroachment, stands as the primary reason behind the alarming rise in elephant fatalities. While efforts to protect elephants are paramount, it is essential to acknowledge the human toll of these conflicts. Farmers, striving to safeguard their livelihoods, resort to lethal methods to deter elephant raids, exacerbating the crisis. Moreover, encounters with elephants pose a significant risk to human lives, with casualties reported annually. To mitigate the crisis, concerted efforts are needed on multiple fronts. Firstly, expanding protected areas for elephants is crucial to safeguarding their habitats and ensuring their long-term survival. Additionally, promoting sustainable agricultural practices that mitigate human-elephant conflicts can help alleviate pressure on both elephants and farmers. A dual challenge As Sri Lanka stands at a crossroads, the government faces a dual challenge of preserving its flagship species while safeguarding the livelihoods of its people. Failure to act decisively could result in the irreversible loss of this iconic symbol of Sri Lankan heritage. With concerted efforts, however, there remains hope for a future where humans and elephants coexist harmoniously, preserving the rich cultural and ecological heritage of the island nation. 

South African rhinos: Poaching on the rise in new hotspot

Adapted from original article written by Kyle Zeeman Originally published by BBC.com (Feb 27, 2024) South Africa’s battle to defeat rhino poaching has taken a turn for the worse with the numbers killed rising in 2023. Last year, 499 rhinos were hunted, an increase of 51 from the previous year, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said. South Africa is home to most of the world’s rhinos. The country has some 2,000 black rhinos, considered to be “critically endangered”, and around 13,000 white rhinos, classed as “near threatened”. Looking back over 10 years, poaching has fallen sharply from 2014 but has increased more recently. Rhino horns have been in huge demand in Asian states such as China and Vietnam, where they are used in traditional medicines. The majority of animals killed last year were in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal province. The Kruger National Park, which had previously been a hotspot for poaching, saw a reduction of more than a third in 2023. The success in dealing with poaching at Kruger, the biggest game park in South Arica, had led to criminal groups moving elsewhere, Ms Creecy told journalists. “The increase is very concerning,” a spokesperson for the company that runs Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, Musa Mntambo, told the BBC. Poaching groups “often struggle to spot rhino in the Kruger and so come here where they are more visible”, he added. Last year, the government allocated $2.1m (£1.7m) to improving fencing in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Mr Mntambo said several other steps had been taken to fight poaching, including hiring more than a dozen more patrollers and acquiring a new surveillance helicopter. “We have seen a decrease so far this year and we are hopeful that poaching will decrease in the coming months. By February last year we had 30 rhinos poached. This year we have 22.” Ms Creecy said her department had undertaken an extensive de-horning programme, making the rhinos less attractive to poachers. It has also gone on an anti-corruption drive to prevent park officials from colluding with gangs. Jamie Joseph, head of environmental group Saving the Wild, has been a long-time critic of the government’s anti-poaching measures. She predicted that poaching would continue to increase unless there was better intelligence gathering on the gangs. “There is only one thing that will save that park and that is if they start running intel, set up ambushes and make arrests. Otherwise nothing is going to change,” she told the BBC. But Ms Creecy applauded the country’s specialist policing unit, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, for its work in convicting 45 rhino poachers and traffickers last year.

German zoo sparks outrage with plans to cull some of its 45-strong tribe of baboons and feed them to captive predators after contraception failed to stop the primates breeding

Article written by Miriam Kuepper Originally published by Mail Online (Fri, Feb 9, 2024) Nuremberg Zoo now has 45 apes in the monkey house, but it was designed for 25. A German zoo has sparked outrage with plans to cull some of its 45-strong tribe of baboons and feed them to captive predators after contraception failed to stop the primates from breeding. The director of the Nuremberg Zoo, Dag Encke, announced the ‘sensible’ plan to kill off nearly half of the baboon population in the zoo – to allegedly ‘ensure the survival’ of the species. Zookeepers even tried putting the protected Guinea baboons on contraception, but this ‘didn’t work’ as the monkeys kept replicating and the population continued to grow, according to a statement by the zoo. The Nuremberg Zoo now has 45 apes in the monkey house, but this was designed to hold only 25 animals. This lack of space resulted in additional stress for the primates and more arguments between these otherwise social animals, which increasingly often end in blood. The healthy baboons which will be killed for conservation will either be handed over to science or fed to predators in the zoo. The latter caused outrage among animal rights activist groups like PETA Germany. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified Guinea baboons as endangered and said they should be kept in zoos for species conservation. The Guinea baboons live in protected areas in several West African countries, but because the population there has also surged, there is no space to relocate Nuremberg’s primates to African countries either, Encke explained. The zoo even tried to rehome the primates to a monkey sanctuary, but they already have a waiting list of more than 200 confiscated animals waiting for a new home. ‘No one from the zoo thinks what is being done is good. But it is sensible,’ Encke said. The surge in the zoo’s baboon population could endanger their survival, as the primates are getting too old and are having too few offspring due to the overcrowding in the monkey house, the zoo directed added. If there were too few offspring, this would in turn destroy the social structure within the group. ‘Breeding and killing animals is a vicious circle created by zoos themselves. This can only be broken if plans are drawn up to stop breeding and close zoos, instead of discussing the possible killing of animals – no matter what species it concerns,’ PETA biologist Yvonne Würz said in a statement. ‘Killing public favorites such as primates, lions or giraffes is considered less acceptable than killing ungulates, which are often used within zoos as food for other animals,’ Würz added. ‘The Nuremberg Zoo has also repeatedly killed animals in the past – including animals that belong to endangered species, for example Mendes antelopes. ‘This once again shows how much the zoo audience is being deceived by the supposed species protection argument. ‘In the case of the Guinea baboons that are now to be killed, the zoo even openly admits that releasing them back into the wild is not possible or wanted.’ PETA Germany said in the statement that it would like to file criminal charges against those responsible at the Nuremberg Zoo if baboon are killed. It would have to be carefully examined whether those killings are an exceptional case under federal laws that allow them as a ‘last resort’. The decision is ‘a declaration of bankruptcy,’ James Brückner from the German Animal Welfare Association told BR24. He added that the zoo had ‘cultivated’ the overpopulation of the baboons for ‘years’ and was only now doing something about it. But killing the primates now was ‘irresponsible’, and Brückner suggested that either Nuremberg Zoo or a different zoo should make room for the animals.   Banner: The director of the Nuremberg Zoo, Dag Encke, today announced the ‘sensible’ plan to kill off nearly half of the baboon (pictured) population in the zoo – to allegedly ‘ensure the survival’ of the species

We could lose pangolins forever.

The rate at which pangolins are disappearing from our planet is truly horrifying. Up to 2,7 million of these critically important mammals are mercilessly hunted every year for the illegal wildlife trade. Credit: Umoya Khulula Archie, an infant Temminck’s pangolin in South Africa, is a survivor of this sickening scourge. His mother, tragically, was not so lucky. In a wicked act of wildlife cruelty, mother pangolin Sarabi was beaten about the head with a spade as she tried to protect her infant baby from poachers. It ultimately killed her. Sarabi was poached from the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa, and suffered a terrible head wound when poachers attempted to uncurl her with a shovel. Their frenzied attack on this helpless, fragile creature fractured her skull and gouged out a big piece of flesh. They were most likely trying to force her to uncurl as she was tightly wrapped around her newborn infant, desperate to keep him safe. Credit: ASI/Dejan Radic After a successful sting operation, Sarabi was confiscated from the poachers and rushed for medical treatment. But the abuse she had endured was just too much, and heart-breakingly, she died as a result of her extensive injuries, stress and trauma. Her baby, Archie, was just six weeks old and weighed 280 grams (less than 10 ounces) when he was left orphaned. Sarabi’s baby, Archie, was entrusted to our partner, Umoya Khulula Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Tzaneen, South Africa, for life-saving care. At just six weeks of age, his survival was uncertain – especially as he lost 35 grams between the time he was confiscated and when he arrived in our partner’s care. That is a massive amount of weight for such a tiny creature. Archie’s mother, Sarabi, receives a CT scan. Despite efforts to save her, she succumbed to her terrible head wound. Credit: Umoya Khulula Archie received expert 24/7 care, began to suckle, and gained weight. He now weighs 11 pounds (5 kg), and once he reaches 12 pounds (5,5 kg), he will be released into a protected reserve where he can be kept safe and monitored while still enjoying life in the wild. Our partner is currently seeing some of the WORST cases of cruelty towards pangolins. It costs an average of $5,000 (around £3,980) to medicate and rehabilitate each one that survives… THIS is why it is CRITICAL we fight to save every one. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world, relentlessly hunted from the wild for their meat, skins and scales. The animals are consumed as a delicacy in Asian countries like Vietnam and China, while their skins are turned into bags and belts. As for their scales, some people believe they can cure ailments, even though this has never been proven by science. Pangolin tongues may be dried and carried as good-luck charms; their fetuses consumed as aphrodisiacs. Credit: WCRU/ZXZhang Because of sickening, widely held misconceptions about pangolins in Asia and Africa, it is easy to see why this timid nocturnal creature is being hunted to the brink of extinction. Help us rescue and save every pangolin life we can! All eight species of pangolin are threatened with extinction, with three being listed as critically endangered and perilously close to being wiped out. Archie is almost ready to be released, but our partner has other pangolins in its care that urgently need critical treatment and care in order to survive. Sweet Pea, a rescued pangolin who weighs less than 9 pounds (4 kg), desperately needs supplementary feed and continued long-term rehabilitation in order to regain her strength. Without the support of people like you, she will not have a fighting chance. Can Sweet Pea count on you today? Credit: Umoya Khulula For every $5,000 we raise (around £3,980), we can help save the life of a pangolin and give hope to the entire species. Given the alarming pace at which pangolins are hurtling towards extinction, EVERY PANGOLIN LIFE COUNTS. So please, be as generous as you can right now. The survival of the species relies on the survival of each individual pangolin – and you have the power to help save lives now.

Researchers make unexpected discovery in rhino dung at national park in Nepal — here’s what experts found

Article written by Kaiyo Funaki Originally published by Yahoo News (Feb 19, 2024) Nepal’s monsoon season shuts down Chitwan National Park to visitors every year from June to August, but the residual effect of flooded rivers leaves unwanted items that threaten the one-horned rhinoceros that inhabit the forest. What’s happening? A study found macro pieces of plastic in 10% of the 258 rhino feces samples collected from 2020-22. The rhinos were exposed to the plastic after flood waters receded, leaving areas where the creature feeds covered with trash. Locals in Chitwan dump their garbage in landfills situated on the banks of the Narayani River, which allows it to get swept away by heavy rains. Additional pollution comes from tourists and locals who litter in public areas of the forest. The ingested waste the researchers discovered included plastic balls, soft drink bottle caps, chewing tobacco sachets, polythene bags, product packaging, and masks. “Chewing tobacco sachets were the most pervasive compared to other items,” said Balram Awasthi, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. However, the researchers surmised that the prevalence of plastic in rhino fecal matter was likely higher than what they reported because they only “documented visible particles and did not usually search entire dungs.” Why is plastic in rhino feces concerning? The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List considers the one-horned rhinoceros vulnerable, with around 2,200 left in the wild. A 2021 census conducted by Nepal lists 752 one-horned rhinoceros in the country’s wildlife sanctuaries. Though it’s unclear what the long-term effects of plastic ingestion are for the species, Awasthi noted it “could cause problems with their digestion, metabolism, and reproduction.” It may have also been the primary driver of rhino deaths in Chitwan. “We only looked at plastic that could be spotted with the naked eye. There may be smaller plastic particles that are doing the damage,” he added. Amir Sadaula, a veterinarian at Nepal’s National Trust for Nature Conservation, couldn’t confirm whether plastic ingestion had killed rhinos in the area but said that it could block digestive processes or leach toxic chemicals into the animals’ bodies. The research team also found that 18% of the dung samples from the inner, restricted zone of the park contained plastic — three times higher than that of the samples collected from the fringe areas where people live and visit. That likely means the rhinos are transporting plastic from one zone to another, creating an additional problem for other species in the ecosystem. Regardless, plastic pollution continues to be a pervasive issue for creatures around the world. Autopsies of camels, orcas, and bears have all revealed plastic waste in their systems. What’s being done?  The conclusion of the study called for comprehensive waste cleanup programs after monsoonal floods to prevent plastic garbage from polluting the areas where rhinos and other creatures forage. Awasthi also suggested sustainable waste management systems for towns upstream to prevent trash from affecting rhino habitats.

Thai police to charge two over pet lion spotted cruising in Bentley

Article written by Yvette Tan Originally published by BBC News (Thu, Jan 25, 2024) Police in Thailand have arrested a woman whose pet lion was pictured going on a joyride in the streets of Pattaya. A video that has now gone viral shows the chained lion cub seated in the back of a white, open-top Bentley. The lion was being driven about by a Sri Lankan man who has since left the country, and is believed to be a friend of the woman, Sawangjit Kosoongnern. While it is not illegal to own a lion in Thailand, it needs to be officially registered. Authorities in Thailand said Ms Sawangjit claimed to have bought the animal from a Thai man in Nakhon Pathom province, who successfully facilitated its delivery to Pattaya. However he failed to have his facility checked by officials before doing so, which made both the transfer and ownership of the animal illegal. She is therefore facing charges of possessing a controlled wild animal without permission, which carries a penalty of a year’s imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 baht ($2,800; £2,200). Police were also reportedly looking to charge the Sri Lankan man, who had kept the lion in his rented pool villa, but were unable to as he is no longer in Thailand. He was due to be charged with bringing a controlled wild animal into public places, which carries jail time of up to six months and a fine of 50,000 baht. The man who sold the lion to Ms Sawangjit will also face charges of moving an animal without permission. Officials say there are currently 224 lions in Thailand that are legally owned. Banner credit: BBC News

Africa’s rhinos are headed for extinction.

Africa’s poaching crisis is spiraling out of control, wiping out rhino populations and other irreplaceable wildlife species across the continent. Shockingly, at least one rhino is killed by poachers EVERY DAY in South Africa alone. As you read this, at least one and often many more magnificent rhino, blissfully unaware of the impending danger, is destined to be brutally butchered for its horn in the next 24 hours. Fueled by the insatiable greed of largely Asian markets, rhinos are relentlessly slaughtered for their horns sold and used in unfounded traditional Chinese medicine. The closer rhinos edge to extinction, the more “valuable” their horns become. Credit: Reuters Without any exaggeration, the situation is dire. Black rhinos are listed as critically endangered, with only 6,100 individuals remaining. White rhinos are decreasing rapidly, with less than 17,000 left in the wild. We MUST ramp up our anti-poaching efforts to prevent rhinos from becoming extinct in the wild. Our team has a vital secret weapon in the fight against criminals. Our partner, Care for Wild (CFW), is the largest orphaned rhino sanctuary in the world and specializes in the rescue, rehabilitation, and protection of orphaned and injured rhinos. CFW operates 24/7 anti-poaching patrols to protect the rhino population in the Greater Barberton Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga. These patrols, by expert rhino guards, are supported by canine and mounted units and carried out with near-military precision. The canine and mounted units consist of four highly trained dogs and 14 horses that play a pivotal role in protecting rhinos by patrolling fence lines, securing perimeters, and detecting potential threats. The dogs possess remarkable tracking abilities, detecting scents and footprints and even detecting the presence of snares and firearms. Horses navigate challenging terrains with ease, cover greater distances than foot patrols, and provide rangers with a much higher field of vision. Using such anti-poaching patrols essentially DOUBLES the impact of rangers on the ground. These dogs and horses are the unsung heroes in the ongoing battle against poaching, and they need YOUR help today. Please help provide essential care to vital dog and horse anti-poaching units in South Africa. These four-legged heroes help keep rhinos alive. The dogs and horses work in tough conditions, negotiating rugged terrain and the fierce African sun. It is vital that they get the best possible care, including dental and veterinary care and vaccinations against rabies, tetanus, and horse flu. Plus, emotional support and love are so important for animals whose lives are dedicated to helping other animals. If we can raise $12,000 (£9,500), we can cover the next round of dental and veterinary health check-ups and vaccinations for the heroic four-legged anti-poaching teams. Funding their care will show your IMMENSE appreciation for the animals’ dedication and your recognition of their work in the fight against rhino poaching. They deserve every bit of support we can give them! Please donate NOW! Together, we can ensure that the anti-poaching paws and hooves on the ground at CFW are in the best possible health to continue their heroic work for endangered wildlife species. So please join us in our mission to help save rhinos and protect their heroes by donating as generously as you possibly can to Animal Survival International today.

World’s first IVF rhino pregnancy could save a nearly extinct subspecies

Article written by Catherine Duncan Originally published by Smithsonian Magazine (Fri, Jan 26, 2024) Only two northern white rhinos remain, but the new reproductive breakthrough may pull them back from the brink of erasure In a first, scientists have achieved a rhinoceros pregnancy through in vitro fertilization (IVF)—an innovative technique that could be the key to saving the northern white rhino. The critically endangered subspecies is on the brink of extinction, with a living population of just two individuals. Researchers with the BioRescue project conducted the procedure with a southern white rhino, a closely related subspecies, by transferring a lab-made rhino embryo into a surrogate mother in Kenya. Though the mother died seventy days into her term, after succumbing to an unrelated bacterial infection, her pregnancy has opened the door for the northern white rhino’s restoration. Tissue harvested from the embryo revealed it was the result of the IVF procedure, providing the crucial “proof of concept” that the technique could be applied to restore other rhinos, says BioRescue project coordinator Jan Stejskal to National Geographic’s Dina Fine Maron. “To achieve the first successful embryo transfer in a rhino is a huge step,” Susanne Holtze, a scientist at Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Germany, tells BBC News’ Rebecca Morelle and Alison Francis. “Now I think with this achievement, we are very confident that we will be able to create northern white rhinos in the same manner and that we will be able to save the species.” The northern white rhino population has been decimated amid aggressive poaching, driven by rampant demand for the animals’ horns. The only individuals left—two elderly females—live under strict surveillance in Kenya, reports CNN’s Jessie Gretener. “This animal played a crucial role in a complex ecosystem before it got extinct for a while,” says Thomas Hildebrandt, head of the project, to the Washington Post’s Rael Ombuor and Ami Vitale. “It lived in the landscape and architecture of central Africa—bringing back the northern white rhino to this ecosystem will help to heal the ecosystem.” But returning the species to the wild is no easy task. The last male northern white rhino died in 2018, and neither of the remaining females are capable of carrying pregnancies. Still, preserving the rhinos has rallied international support. Through IVF, BioRescue hopes to take a lab-grown northern white rhino embryo and implant it into a southern white rhino, which will carry the fetus and help repopulate the critically endangered species. The organization’s recent IVF success was the first phase of this process and an effort that spanned years and borders. The team retrieved sperm from a southern white rhino in Austria, collected egg cells from a southern white rhino in Belgium, fertilized the samples in vitro in Italy and finally transferred the two embryos to the surrogate mother in Kenya, according to CNN. It took 13 attempts to achieve a sustained pregnancy through IVF, reports BBC News. “It’s very challenging in such a big animal, in terms of placing an embryo inside the reproductive tract, which is almost two meters inside the animal,” Holtze tells the publication. The challenges don’t stop there. As BioRescue turns its attention to transferring a northern white rhino embryo into a surrogate mother, they will have limited attempts to reach success. Only 30 of these embryos exist, harvested from the eggs of one of the remaining females and the preserved sperm of the now-deceased male. Now, the team is racing against time, as scientists hope that any new northern white rhino calves can live among the remainder of their kind, meaning “they need to be born before the two remaining females die,” writes National Geographic.  “These animals learn behaviors—they don’t have them genetically hard-wired,” conservation ecologist David Balfour, chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s African rhino specialist group, tells National Geographic. “We’re really skating on the edge of what’s possible… but it’s worth trying.” Two southern white rhinos, named Arimet and Daly, are the likely surrogates for the embryos, reports the Washington Post. BioRescue will continue to use southern white rhinos as surrogates until the northern subspecies can breed independently—which, if all goes according to plan, will likely occur in the next 10 to 15 years. “I think the situation for the northern white rhino is quite privileged for the embryo transfer because we have a closely related recipient—so their internal map is nearly the same,” says Hildebrandt to BBC News. The long-term success of the project, however, will hinge on a series of breakthroughs. For one, IVF across a subspecies has never been attempted before. Scientists at BioRescue also hope to create more rhino sperm and eggs from stem cells, which could in turn produce additional embryos—an incredibly experimental technique, according to BBC News. Yet in the face of uncertainty, the BioRescue team remains optimistic—and steadfast. “One thing we have to understand is that behind the extinction of the northern white rhino is man. It’s not because of evolutionary pressure, it was greed, it was the consumption of the rhino horn,” says Stejskal to BBC News. “So, in a way, we are responsible, and if we actually have a technique that can assist us to save them, then I think we have a responsibility to use it and try to save them.” Banner credit: Tony Karumba/AFP

Belgium bans hunting trophy imports, activists want Europe to follow

Article written by Christian Levaux and Marta FIorin Originally published by Times Live (Wed, Feb 7, 2024) Belgium has banned the import of hunting trophies such as lion claw bottle openers and ashtrays made from elephant feet, a move campaigners hope will be followed by other European countries. Belgium’s parliament voted in late January to ban the imports from a range of rare or threatened animals including alligators, lions, tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses, various turtles, orangutans, lemurs and northern hairy-nosed wombats. Belgian environment minister Zakia Khattabi told Reuters the Belgian ban was more symbolic than significant because licences could be issued by other EU countries. “It’s a political signal … because we know that today, on a European scale, few countries ban as ambitiously as Belgium,” she said, adding there were bans in Finland and the Netherlands and France was working on one. The European parliament called, in October 2022, for a ban on the import of trophies derived from species listed by CITES, an international agreement that aims to ensure that trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. EU law says an import permit is required for trophies of threatened or rare species, and checks should also be carried out on trophies from a wider range of wild animals. Ruud Tombrock, executive director at the Humane Society International, an animal protection organisation, said 25,000 animal trophies had been imported into the EU from 2014 to 2022, of which about 500 were into Belgium. “And those were trophies in particular from cheetahs, polar bears and the hippopotamus,” he said. Tombrock said industry arguments that trophy hunting was essential for the conservation of species and that local communities benefited were wrong. Instead, he said it was often that healthy animals were taken out and the main beneficiaries were foreign nationals organising trips and local elites.

Urgent help needed to save a young elephant from DEADLY SNARE!

A young elephant in Zimbabwe with a deadly snare wrapped around his head, neck, and left ear needs your help right away. Credit: KAWFT With each passing day, the snare tightens its grip around the animal’s throat – and without our immediate intervention, his life could be cut painfully short. Please help get our emergency rescue team to him right away! Our team is ready and waiting to remove the snare and save Masimba – meaning “Strong” in Shona – but we must raise the funds to charter a helicopter and dart him for treatment… …If we do not act FAST, he could die. Read on… Young male elephant in excruciating pain needs your urgent help! Please help us raise funds for an URGENT snare removal for an elephant in terrible pain! Time is of the essence! Credit: KAWFT Our partner in Zimbabwe, Kariba Animal Welfare Fund Trust (KAWFT), spotted the 15-year-old male in the vicinity of the Lake Kariba region and immediately noted a snare wound tightly around his head, left ear and throat. The wire from the snare is trailing roughly 13 feet (four meters) to the ground, and as it tightens more each day, it is likely causing Masimba immense pain. He cannot move his left ear at all due to the restriction. Elephants’ ears are critical to their wellbeing, which means this young bull is in SERIOUS trouble right now. The primary role of African elephants’ ears is not only for hearing, but for thermoregulation – ensuring the animal maintains an optimal body temperature in hot weather. As the elephants flap their ears, they create a cooling breeze. Moreover, blood vessels close to the surface release heat, further cooling the animal. With summer temperatures in Lake Kariba currently reaching – and sometimes exceeding – 95°F (35°C), this function is critical to the animals’ overall health. Elephants also use their large ears to deter predators, spreading them out to appear even larger to deter potential threats. For illustrative purposes, it’s hard to get close to injured elephants as they are extremely protective of each other.  Credit: KAWFT The ONLY way to RAPIDLY and effectively remove the snare is by darting Masimba from a helicopter. Once he is tranquilized, our team can rush in and remove the life-threatening trap. We need funds for the chopper right away – please help! With your help, our team has effectively removed snares from elephants in Zimbabwe in the past. With your support now, we can do it again. It is too dangerous to approach Masimba on foot; particularly as he is part of a large herd with highly protective mother elephants and their calves. It is critical we hire a helicopter from which to dart the animal and that we MOVE fast. If Masimba is not darted and treated SOON, the snare could begin slicing into his trachea, cutting off his air supply and killing him. Please help us raise $10,500 (£8,316) to charter a pilot and helicopter, and hire a wildlife vet to carry out this critical rescue operation FAST. Snare injuries cause excruciating pain and slow animals down, making them more vulnerable to poachers. Left untreated, they can be deadly. Credit: Steve Edwards: CATERS NEWS 1 A successful snare removal could see him living happily for another 20 to 25 years – but if we do not help right away, his life may be cut tragically short as the wire cuts ever closer to his trachea and inhibits breathing. Please, open your heart to an elephant in great need right now. Donate as much as you can to Animal Survival International today.

Smoked monkey and whole sharks: the suitcase smugglers feeding Europe’s hunger for bushmeat

Article written by Phoebe Weston Originally published by The Guardian (Thu, Feb 1, 2024) Customs officers and scientists are working together to combat the highly lucrative illicit trade in wildlife meat that is helping to push some species to extinction At Brussels airport, customs staff are digging into suitcases and cooler boxes full of charred meats and fish. There are boxes of flies with shrivelled dead caterpillars and juicy live ones. It is 6am, and they are checking all hold luggage from four morning flights – three from Africa and one from China – in an attempt to stem the flow of illegal meat from wildlife making its way into Europe via this major transit hub. There is a lingering smell of dried seafood. Staff here are used to finding all kinds of creatures in baggage, from a 1.5-metre basking shark folded inside a box to a whole smoked monkey. But most meat comes dried, smoked, charred and chopped, so it is hard to identify it. In some cases, that’s probably the point. A hunk of meat being confiscated could be from a cane rat, catfish, monkey or pangolin – or it could just be a bit of beef. Researchers estimate 3.9 tonnes of bushmeat a month is smuggled through this airport, including bits of elephants, pangolins and crocodiles, and demand for bushmeat has become one of the main drivers of wildlife trafficking. The trade in some species has created a “significant extinction threat” to some wildlife populations, particularly in Asia, Africa and South America, according to the first global assessment of hunting’s effect on terrestrial mammals. Millions of people around the world rely on bushmeat as a source of local protein. However, it is increasingly being funnelled into a lucrative organised trade, providing luxury goods to an international market which pushes prices up. Credit: The Guardian A recent Europe-wide effort to tackle it, Operation Thunder, resulting in more than 2,000 seizures of endangered animals and protected timber during a law enforcement crackdown in October. The illegal wildlife trade is one of the most profitable areas for organised crime and is continuing to grow, Interpol warns. It also poses a significant risk to human health. Researchers tracking personal baggage through Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport have found entire sheep and calves wrapped in plastic and placed in holdalls, which had apparently been slaughtered just before boarding. These were not protected species, but the movement of animal carcasses and products risks the creation of novel infectious diseases, as well as spreading existing ones, such as mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) and Ebola. There is no easy way of testing for pathogens on these bits of meat in an airport, even if officials knew which pathogens to look for. “Covid was a warning shot,” says Sandrella Morrison-Lanjouw, a biosurveillance researcher from Utrecht University. “Contaminated meat from a wet market in Africa can be in Europe in less than eight hours, but we won’t find what we are not looking for.” Credit: The Guardian The scale of the illegal bushmeat trade is unknown, but scientific reviews suggest it is becoming increasingly commercialised, with more demand in overseas cities and urban centres as well as rural areas. Within Africa, reports from countries including Angola and Nigeria suggest there is increasing demand in big cities, with more people dependent on the trade for income. As customs staff dig through the bags in Brussels, they confiscate all meat, as well as all fish that is not dried or gutted, free from insects and weighing less than 20kg (44lb). Usually, confiscated meat is incinerated, as it is too costly and complicated to find out what these animals could be. This makes it impossible to provide scientific data on the extent of this trade via airports. Authorities say some individuals fly in every week, with as much as 80kg of luggage. “For them, it’s an income,” says Maarten Weyters, team leader of Brussels airport customs checks. Most planes do not undergo full checks on the baggage, as this one has. Credit: The Guardian In 2023 Weyters says, his team found 56 items of wildlife listed as endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), including pangolin, coral and crocodile. “I think most of them know it’s illegal,” Weyters says. “It’s also illegal where they live.” Today is relatively quiet: 10 seizures, adding up to 75kg of contraband wildlife. Meat is found concealed under dried fish or bags of vegetables and herbs, and is often wrapped in black binliners. In many packages, the meat is already decaying, dotted with maggots and flies. These can pose a risk to biodiversity, introducing insect pests and potential pathogens to new environments. “Very little is known about the true volume of this meat,” says Morrison-Lanjouw, who has written extensively on unregulated meat imports. The level of transparency at Brussels is unique, she says – very few airports in Europe will let researchers study what is happening. The issue is a “biosurveillance blind spot for the EU”, she adds. A key problem is identifying the meat quickly, so law enforcement can intervene. To get around this, researchers take a portable DNA testing unit to the airport – the first time such a device has been used to test bushmeat in a European airport, they believe. The technology needs to be as rapid and simple as possible, says Emily Patterson, a PhD researcher in forensic DNA analysis at Leicester University. “The ideal scenario is someone with minimal training could do all of this.” Credit: The Guardian Wearing hazmat suits, Patterson and Morrison-Lanjouw prick meat samples and pass them through the MinION, a machine developed by an Oxford University spin-off to extract DNA. The kit can fit inside a suitcase and identify samples within eight hours. One man casually announces he is carrying duiker, an African antelope, including one 500g joint that he says he could sell for $30 (£24). The DNA sequencing test shows that the two species he had were bay duiker and Maxwell’s duiker, both species listed in Cites’ Appendix II, meaning trade must be

If the captive big cat industry in South Africa is left to thrive, species harm will be irreparable

Article written by Sarah Locke Originally published by Daily Maverick (Tues, Jan 23, 2024) Only when South Africa commits to implementing a phase-out of the entire captive big cat industry, with time-bound goals and objectives, can it begin to piece together its reputation as a global leader in conservation The situation for South Africa’s huge captive lion population has not improved, despite Minister Barbara Creecy announcing that the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, under her leadership, would phase out captive lion breeding in 2021. Since then, a ministerial task team of experts has been strategising pathways for a voluntary exit from the industry and recently it presented its findings to various stakeholders. The task team’s recommendations range from humane euthanasia of compromised lions, trading of lions, and transformation of facilities into “lion safe havens” that would be specific — for example, allowing no breeding or interaction with people except for veterinary care. While the impact of these recommendations is not currently clear, not least because the task team has not yet shared how many facilities have come forward (or with how many lions), what is clear is that in the two years since Creecy’s announcement, the captive lion population, which some believe to range between 10,000 to 12,000 strong, continues to see many animals languish in often inappropriate conditions. It should be noted that the ministerial task team’s evaluation based on permit records estimates just under 8,000 lions kept in 348 facilities. The animals are considered part of an extremely lucrative business model that exploits individuals in captivity, threatens wild populations or vulnerable wild species and encourages illegal wildlife trade. The big cats are intensively bred, meaning cubs are removed from their mother for tourists to pay for the opportunity to interact with the big cats either by bottle feeding cubs, petting, or taking selfies with them. Premature removal from their mother means she can be bred again far sooner than is natural. When the cats grow too large for the “up-close-and-personal” interactions, they are often sold on to other farms, sold for the pet trade, or exported where they could then be used directly in traditional medicine or as breeding stocks on big cat farms for the purpose of traditional medicine, or as luxury goods items in the form of skins or jewellery. The animals may be used in trophy hunts, where a hunter will only take the trophy, and the bones may subsequently be stockpiled or enter the illegal trade. The United Nations Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (Cites) Trade Database shows the huge scale of the legal trade of live lions and their body parts from the country. Lucrative exports Between 2011 and 2020, South Africa exported over 25,000 lion parts and just under 2,000 live lions. Among the top importers of live lions during this time period were China and Thailand, which were reported to receive 557 and 166 lions respectively. With regards to the destinations of lion body parts exported from South Africa, Laos received 5,174 and Vietnam received 4,687 — this includes skeletons, bones and bodies. These countries are places where the use of big cat parts in medicinal and luxury goods items are in high demand and where there are known to be extensive illegal wildlife trade networks. The scale of live lion trade and bone trade seems to substantiate the understanding that where trade restrictions have tightened around the use of tiger parts for use in traditional medicine and as luxury goods items as their wild populations have plummeted over the years, other big cat species, such as lions, are being used to substitute the demand. According to the Cites Trade Database, South Africa is now the largest exporter of big cats and their parts from anywhere in the world, which is believed by many to contribute to the decline of wild big cat populations, contrary to the regard the country holds in terms of its leadership status in its wildlife conservation efforts. The scale and welfare concerns of the industry have historically received international outcry and backlash, and in 2019, a moratorium was imposed on the export of lion skeletons and bones from South Africa. Despite this moratorium and Creecy’s 2021 decision, the captive lion breeding industry has not diminished. Creecy’s call for a voluntary exit is believed to have had only a few volunteer farmers come forward interested in exiting the industry. Instead, it is predicted that some are stockpiling skeletons for a time when the moratorium is lifted or are exporting lions to more loosely regulated neighbouring countries or provinces. Suggestions are that some export live animals to bypass the moratorium, meaning those animals are then “processed” abroad. In July of this year, it was reported that 10 lions were exported from South Africa to Laos, a country known to have its own historic issues of big cat farming (tigers), where the use of big cat parts in medicinal and luxury good items are in high demand and where there are known to be extensive illegal wildlife trade networks. Experts are concerned that the lions are to be used to substitute the demand as tiger farms have been illegal in Laos since 2016 and the country has no more wild tigers. Another concern is that the South African lion industry now targets tigers, which are non-native to South Africa and are a Cites Appendix 1 listed species, and as such, they should be protected by the highest level from international trade. Yet in South Africa, an unknown number of tigers are being commercially bred, often in the very same enclosures as lions. This is despite Cites Decisions and Resolutions (Res. Conf. 12.5) stating that countries with intensive operations breeding tigers on a commercial scale shall implement measures to restrict the captive population to a level supportive only to the conservation of wild populations, and that tigers are not to be bred for commercial purposes or traded for their parts and derivatives. Facilities that do breed tigers must be registered with the Cites Secretariat,

Asian wildlife sanctuary forced to SHUT, placing endangered animals in peril.

Bound, butchered for their meat, or forced to live as captive chained “pets.” This is the reality for thousands of wild animals in the Asian country of Laos – and now, you have an opportunity to help rush some to safety. Read on… Wild animals, some just infants, are stolen from the wild and kept in cramped, filthy cages as “pets” or to be sold at markets for their meat and body parts. Credit: LCTW Wild animals rescued from Asia’s BRUTAL meat and pet trade are TRAUMATIZED, INJURED and DESPERATE for SAFE sanctuary. Please, help give them life-long protection they deserve! Our partner, the Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife (LCTW), rescues hundreds of wild animals every year from bushmeat markets, illegal traders, and cruel people who keep them chained in squalor as pets. Two infant monkeys cling to each other after being rescued by our partner. Credit: LCTW There are 250 creatures at the sanctuary. When we visited in December, we saw these animals, including critically endangered pangolins, langurs and white-cheeked gibbons, were happy and thriving, with superb care and enclosures that mimic their wild habitats. But now they have to go. Until now, LCTW has been able to treat, care for and shelter its animals at their beautiful, spacious sanctuary… …In a terrible blow to the animals, the sanctuary’s landowners want their land back – by JUNE! Our partner is racing to prepare a new sanctuary while continuing their critical rescue work for other wild animals. These screenshots, showing pangolin scales (left) and slaughtered wild animals (right), show social media being used for the illegal trade of wildlife. Translation: “Traders traders, which customer wants to buy a variety of wild animals, can order. Contact the dealer to see the actual items. Wild animals for sale daily.” Credit: LCTW The sanctuary move is a massive undertaking made more so because existing rescue work never stops! This means the animals need help right now if they have any chance of a safe future. Many rescued wild animals can never be released back into the wild because of the extent of their injuries and the severity of their trauma. They need a safe, spacious sanctuary to live in peace… There are just four months to turn this wild area into habitable spaces for its rescued wild animals. Credit: LCTW The challenge is constructing species-appropriate enclosures for all 250 wild animals in their care – and THIS is where you come in. From the smallest infant pangolins to the largest Asiatic bears and critically endangered Siamese crocodiles, every rescued animal needs a safe, appropriate enclosure. We have just sixteen weeks to help them build these – a very narrow window in which to complete a huge, expensive amount of work for the animals. Crittica, a critically endangered Chinese pangolin, and her baby, were rescued and rehabilitated. Credit: LCTW If we cannot help complete the enclosures by the deadline of JUNE, the animals will have to remain in cramped transport cages until the money CAN be raised. This would be DEEPLY TRAUMATIZING for all of them. Please, help us raise the money to provide them a new haven. Baby binturongs – also known as bearcats – are vulnerable carnivores who are poached for Chinese “medicines”, for their fur, and for the pet trade. These two infants were rescued by our partner. Credit: LCTW Each enclosure costs from $10,000 to $20,000 (around £8,155 to £16,300). They are costly but WORTH IT for animals who have lived chained, beaten, and caged for years – if not their whole lives. We CANNOT let them go back into cages! Credit: LCTW The very least they deserve is a safe home, with spacious enclosures, grass and trees to enjoy, and sun on their backs. Will you help give them that?

Bay of Biscay: France temporarily bans fishing to protect dolphins

Adapted from article written by Megan Fisher Originally published by BBC News (Sat, Jan 20, 2024) France has announced a temporary ban on almost all commercial fishing in the Bay of Biscay to protect dolphins. It will start on Monday and run until 20 February affecting fishing grounds off the country’s Atlantic coast. French marine experts CIEM estimate around 9,000 dolphins die in the bay each year after being accidentally caught in fishing gear. Local fishermen say the ban is “absurd” and fear losing money – but the government has promised compensation. Last year the country’s top administrative court, the State Council, ordered the move after environmentalists called for better protection for the marine mammals. The ban, lasting about a month, is the first since the end of the World War Two, according to news agency AFP. Fishing will cease almost entirely during the ban covering an area from Finistere in Brittany to the Spanish border. Boats longer than 8m (26.2ft) will be affected with reports suggesting this could mean around 450 French vessels are out of action. Some in the industry estimate they could lose millions of euros in revenue but the French government has promised compensation. Minister Christophe Béchu told TF1 TV that up to 75% of losses would be covered and paid “as quickly as possible”. Fisherman Raymond Millet, from La Rochelle on the west coast, says vessels 9 to 11m (29.5ft to 36.1ft) long “are not the kind of boats that fish for dolphins”. “It’s absurd to stop businesses like this for a month.” Others say compensation promised by officials is insufficient while French fishing industry body CNPMEM denounced “extremist NGOs” and claimed the marine mammals are “not endangered”. Environmentalists say animals can become entangled or wrapped in things like nets, ropes and lines from fishing vessels. Smaller species often die immediately, says the International Whaling Commission, as they are unable to get to the surface to breathe. Larger animals can end up towing heavy ropes, buoys or nets for weeks, months or years before their deaths, the IWC added. Philippe Garcia, head of marine conservation group Défense des Milieux Aquatiques, said fishermen should observe the ban. “If the fishermen don’t play along, it’s counter-productive for them,” he said, as dolphin deaths would strengthen the environmentalists’ case.

New report calls for an immediate end to cruel and ineffective badger culling

Adapted from an article originally published by Born Free (Tues, 9 Jan, 2024) Badger Trust’s important new report emphasises the need for a collaborative and evidence-based approach to tackling cattle TB. Around a quarter of a million badgers have been killed in England since 2013 in licenced cull zones that now cover roughly a third of England’s land area, as part of the Government’s strategy for tackling bovine TB in cattle. The Badger Trust has today released a comprehensive report entitled: ‘Tackling Bovine TB Together: Towards Sustainable, Scientific and Effective bTB Solutions’, which calls the cull “an assault on a native species unmatched in British History”. The report details the history of bovine TB and government attempts to control it, emphasising that government policy in England over recent years has been heavily biased against badgers. In the past, stringent cattle-based controls have led to significant reductions in bovine TB. Indeed, the disease was almost eradicated from the UK national herd in the 1960s before badgers were even identified as being susceptible. The scientists who conducted the Randomised Badger Culling Trial, which took place from 1998 to 2005 to establish the impact of culling badgers on disease in cattle, concluded that badger culling would make “no meaningful contribution to reducing TB in cattle”. Many independent studies have subsequently questioned the efficacy and ethics of culling. In Wales and Scotland, policies that do not include badger culling continue to show success in reducing and containing cattle TB. As Professor David MacDonald from Oxford University points out in his commentary, published alongside Badger Trust’s report, the evidence that culling badgers is necessary or effective in controlling the spread of bovine TB among cattle is, at best, equivocal. He questions the ethics of continuing the culls, given the consequences for the welfare of badgers, the health of the wider ecology, and the considerable cost to the taxpayer. Professor MacDonald concludes that “…in 2023, much as in 2007, it is hard to see that killing badgers will make a meaningful contribution [to TB control in cattle].” In spite of this, the Westminster Government, which is responsible for bovine TB policy in England, continues to insist that badger culling is a necessary ‘tool in the box’. A government consultation on introducing so called ‘epidemiological culling’, where badgers would be eliminated altogether in areas surrounding a cluster of bovine TB outbreaks in cattle, is widely anticipated.

Starving, chained tigers and leopards are running out of time for rescue.

We have just helped rescue 15 elderly and sick tigers and leopards from a condemned breeding mill in Thailand and likely helped save them from death. But there are up to 15 critically endangered Indo-Chinese leopards and sick and elderly tigers that still need rescue right now or face life in a zoo (if they survive). These are wild creatures who have lived chained and beaten their entire lives. Credit: ASI/Debby Querido We are racing against the clock to help raise funds to get the old, sick cats to safety – it is their LAST CHANCE FOR SURVIVAL! Please HELP NOW! Credit: Debby Querido Last year, we told you that a horror big-cat breeding facility in Thailand had been shut down, and its resident cats were in urgent need of relocation to our partner sanctuary. We were there in December when the first 15 rescued big cats arrived at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT). Some were so sick, weak, tortured and emaciated that even one more day’s delay in their relocation could have made the difference between life and death. Our team was shattered to see the state of the big cats rescued from a condemned breeding facility in Thailand… … BUT… … MORE TIGERS and LEOPARDS REMAIN THERE – we MUST GET THEM OUT! Credit: WFFT/Amy Jones Two leopards and 13 tigers have now arrived at our partner’s rescue center in Phetchaburi in varying states of malnourishment and illness, BUT more remain at the breeding facility – animals quite possibly like Salamas. Salamas spent some 20 years in isolated captivity – likely relentlessly bred, malnourished, abused and chained. The state of Salamas – a tiger who should have walked tall and proud – broke us all. Lying on hay in an observation room at WFFT, her body was so sunken she looked like a floor rug. When she finally mustered the strength to stand, we could count every bone in her body. Astonishingly, the WFFT team had not sedated Salamas before relocating her, afraid her body would not withstand sedation. Instead, they had gently encouraged her out of her prison cell into a transport crate – and she complied. She could barely lift a paw. Salamas was in such a shocking condition, the fight to save and care for her continues a month after her rescue. Credit: ASI/Debby Querido While her full history will never be known, it is likely Salamas lived alone in a concrete cell for around 20 years. She had never felt the sun on her back or grass beneath her paws. She would have had every one of her babies snatched from her right after birth – cubs are used as photo props for tourists, and then ultimately sold to trophy hunters or killed for their “valuable” meat and bones – and never given the opportunity to live free as a wild animal should. Despite being kept captive and thus entirely reliant on her keepers, it is clear she did not receive the critical medical care and nutrition she needed. With your support right now, we can help Salamas pull through AND save the big cats just like her, who are still desperate for a lifeline. Credit: Ryan Moehring/USFWS Please, donate now! The Thai authorities have granted our partner permission to rescue the next group of tigers and leopards, though they have not specified how many. What we know for sure is that the more we raise, the more we can save. How many more like Salamas are desperately clinging to life as you read this? One of our greatest concerns is that the owners of the facility are simply letting the animals waste away, as there is no longer any financial benefit to keeping them alive, as their operations have been shut down. There is no knowing just how much the animals have suffered and continue to suffer, but the pictures speak a thousand words. Some of the big cats still awaiting rescue from a condemned breeding facility in Thailand. Credit: VietnamNet We MUST rush to raise the necessary funds for the next round of relocations, NOW! The Thai big-cat trade that will turn your stomach… Thailand is notorious for keeping wild animals captive. Big cats are bred to be tourist attractions, or for their body parts used in “traditional Chinese medicines.” Whiskers are worn as “protective” charms, and the animals’ penises are peddled as “sexual tonics.” Skins are trophies, worn as ostentatious shows of wealth. Credit: Reuters In the most stomach-churning cases, infant tiger cubs are boiled alive, as sick people believe the greater their fear and pain when dying, the more “potent” the effects of consuming them will be. Majestic big cats reduced to skin and bone deserve happiness and freedom at last. Please, donate now and help us give them the second chance they deeply deserve! At our partner sanctuary, rescued big cats – who tragically lack the survival skills to return to the wild – live in spacious, grassy enclosures with water features, stimulation and company. They receive expert veterinary care and nutrition, and are finally able to live as close to how they would in the wild as possible. It is the very least they deserve after decades of abject suffering. Credit: WFFT Please help us get the next group of captive cats to safety right away. The more we raise, the more animals we can save, so donate as much as you possibly can today.

Digitized records from wildlife centers show the most common ways that humans harm wild animals

Article written by Tara K. Miller and Richard B. Primack Originally published by The Conversation (Wed, Nov 22, 2023) At hundreds of wildlife rehabilitation centers across the U.S., people can learn about wild animals and birds at close range. These sites, which may be run by nonprofits or universities, often feature engaging exhibits, including “ambassador” animals that can’t be released – an owl with a damaged wing, for example, or a fox that was found as a kit and became accustomed to being fed by humans. What’s less visible are the patients – sick and injured wild animals that have been admitted for treatment. Each year, people bring hundreds of thousands of sick and injured wild animals to wildlife rehab centers. Someone may find an injured squirrel on the side of the road or notice a robin in their backyard that can’t fly, and then call the center to pick up an animal in distress. We study ecology and biology, and recently used newly digitized records from wildlife rehabilitation centers to identify the human activities that are most harmful to wildlife. In the largest study of its kind, we reviewed 674,320 records, mostly from 2011 to 2019, from 94 centers to paint a comprehensive picture of threats affecting over 1,000 species across much of the U.S. and Canada. Our findings, published in the journal Biological Conservation, point to some strategies for reducing harm to wildlife, especially injuries caused by cars.  Tracking the toll Humans are responsible for the deaths and injuries of billions of animals every year. Bats and birds fly into buildings, power lines and wind turbines. Domestic cats and dogs kill backyard birds and animals. Development, farming and industry alter or destroy wild animals’ habitats and expose wildlife to toxic substances like lead and pesticides. Extreme weather events linked to climate change, such as flooding and wildfires, can be devastating for wildlife. Most Americans support protecting threatened and endangered species, and recognize that human activities can harm wildlife. But it is surprisingly difficult to determine which activities are most harmful to wildlife and identify effective solutions. Information from wildlife rehab centers across the U.S. can help fill in that picture. When an animal is brought into one of these centers, a rehabilitator assesses its condition, documents the cause of injury or illness if it can be determined, and then prepares a treatment plan. Wildlife rehabbers may be veterinarians, veterinary technicians or other staff or volunteers who are certified by state agencies to treat wildlife. They follow professional codes and standards, and sometimes publish research in peer-reviewed journals. A growing data pool Until recently, most wildlife rehab records existed only in binders and file cabinets. As a result, studies drawing on these records typically used materials from a single location or focused on a particular species, such as bald eagles or foxes. Recently, though, rehab centers have digitized hundreds of thousands of case records. Shareable digital records can improve wildlife conservation and public health. For example, the Wildlife Center of Virginia has worked with government agencies and other rehab centers to establish the WILD-ONe database as a tool for assessing trends in wildlife health. This will be an exciting area of research as more records are digitized and shared. Threats vary by species Using this trove of data, we have been exploring patterns of wildlife health across North America. In our study, we identified key threats affecting wildlife by region and for iconic and endangered species. Overall, 12% of the animals brought to rehab centers during this period were harmed by vehicle collisions – the single largest cause of injury. For great horned owls, which are common across the U.S., cars were the most common cause of admission – possibly because the owls commonly forage at the same height as vehicles, and may feed on road kill. Other threats reflect various animals’ habitats and life patterns. Window collisions were the most common injury for the big brown bat, another species found in many habitats across the U.S. Fishing incidents were the main reason for admission of endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, which are found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast. Toxic substances and infectious diseases represented just 3.4% of cases, but were important for some species. Bald eagles, for example, were the species most commonly brought to centers with lead poisoning. Eagles and other raptors consume lead ammunition inadvertently when they feed on carcasses left in the wild by hunters. In southern Florida, hurricanes and floods resulted in spikes in the numbers of animals brought to rehab centers, reflecting the impact of climate-driven extreme weather events on wildlife health. About one-third of animals in the cases we reviewed were successfully released back to the wild, though this varied greatly among species. For example, 68% of brown pelicans were released, but only 20% of bald eagles. Unfortunately, some 60% of the animals died from their injuries or illnesses, or had to be humanely euthanized because they were unable to recover. Spotlighting solutions Our results spotlight steps that can help conserve wildlife in the face of these threats. For example, transportation departments can build more road crossings for wildlife, such as bridges and underpasses, to help animals avoid being hit by cars. Wildlife management agencies can ban or limit use of ammunition and fishing gear that contain lead to reduce lead poisoning. And governments can incorporate wildlife into disaster management plans to account for surges in wildlife rescues after extreme weather events. People can also make changes on their own. They can drive more slowly and pay closer attention to wildlife crossing roads, switch their fishing and hunting gear to nonlead alternatives, and put decals or other visual indicators on windows to reduce bat and bird collisions with the glass. To learn more about animals in your area and ways to protect them, you can visit or call your local wildlife rehab center. You can also donate to these centers, which we believe do great work, and are often underfunded. The scale of threats facing wild animals can seem overwhelming, but wildlife rehabbers show that helping one injured animal at a time can

Illegal wildlife trade survivors need YOU!

In South Africa, hundreds of thousands of indigenous wild animals are brutally slaughtered each year to feed the insatiable demand for their flesh, fur, teeth and bones. Jackals are a threatened species due to hunting, habitat loss and agriculture. Credit: FreeMe Wildlife Bushbabies, black-backed jackals, servals and caracals are some of the vulnerable species at the mercy of the despicable illegal wildlife trade. The animals are stolen from the wild and sold as exotic pets or ruthlessly slaughtered and dismembered for their body parts, to use in ritualistic magic and traditional medicine. Can you imagine the sheer terror of these poor animals (many of them babies), torn from their natural habitats and condemned to a life of captivity, or worse, subjected to savage slaughter for their body parts? A burnt genet undergoes treatment. Credit: FreeMe Wildlife We cannot comprehend such cruelty – but rest assured that we are helping to save as many of these tortured creatures as we possibly can from the clutches of cold-blooded criminals. Together with our partner, FreeMe Wildlife (FMW) in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, we are on the frontline of the fight to rescue scores of threatened wildlife species from cruel and brutal persecution for the illegal wildlife trade. Credit: FreeMe Wildlife FMW works alongside the local authorities to confiscate animals from wildlife traffickers and provides around-the-clock, long-term care to rehabilitate them before they are ready to be released into safe, protected wild areas. Our team plays a critical role in safeguarding wildlife. But the animals we care for desperately need your support today. Genets are among the many animals our partner takes in. Credit: FreeMe Wildlife In the past five years, the number of rescued wild creatures admitted to FMW has DOUBLED. The life-saving rehabilitation facility is now at FULL CAPACITY and faces the heartbreaking prospect of having to turn away animals in need. We must not let this happen. Thousands of vulnerable and injured wild animals need help and we ask you make a donation to care for them until they can return to the wild. …Animals like Obi (‘Heart’), Jamba (‘Celebrate’) and Dumi (‘Inspire’) – three orphaned three-month-old black-backed jackal pups rescued after their mother was killed. Alone and defenseless, the pups had been saved from ruthless slaughter for their fur. Credit: FreeMe Wildlife The jackal pups are LUCKY to be alive. Without our rescue team, they would be dead! Obi, Jamba and Dumi are just a few of the countless wild animals FMW saves from the illegal trade: around 100 animals are rescued by our partner every month and they have to care for them for a year before they can be released in the wild. Credit: FreeMe Wildlife The animals need more space at the haven. If we can raise $7,600 (around £6,000), we will construct additional enclosures for orphaned, injured and traumatized bushbabies, jackals, servals and caracals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. Please donate now! We really need your help to save as many animals as possible. Most require months of specialized care and rehabilitation before being released. By building more enclosures that closely mirror natural habitats, we will ensure rescued wildlife receive the best possible care they need to survive, heal and thrive in the wild once more. Credit: FreeMe Wildlife Please, will you help provide safe spaces and critical care for rescued wild animals who desperately need our support? They stand little chance of survival without YOU, so please donate as generously as you possibly can now.

Right now, criminals are “shopping” for wild animals!

Sickeningly, over the holidays, poaching skyrockets in Africa – as Asians “go shopping” in Africa for sought-after rhino horn and other animal parts. These are especially popular as gifts and shows of excess during Christmas and the Chinese New Year. We are ramping up our efforts to help thwart poachers in their tracks. Did you know that THIS is the MOST DANGEROUS time of year for wild animals? Credit: Brent Stirton Is this the SICKEST “holiday shopping” you’ve ever heard of? Asian markets “SHOP” for rhino horn and other animal parts in Africa as Christmas and the lunar new year approaches! Credit: V.L Williams Please, help us prepare our anti-poaching teams for the onslaught! Every year, at least 20,000 African elephants are poached for their tusks. This holiday season, we are working harder than ever to ensure our anti-poaching teams are equipped and ready to intercept poachers before disaster strikes: Bumi Hills Anti-Poaching Unit (BHAPU) in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, which protects the lake elephants and other vulnerable wildlife in this poaching hotspot.  Matetsi Anti-Poaching Unit (MAPU), which makes 95% of its arrests along the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, along with its expertly trained K9 team. Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary (CFW) in South Africa, which runs a highly skilled anti-poaching team and K9 unit that protects rhinos and other wildlife in Mpumalanga. Nearly 10,000 rhinos have been poached in Africa over the past decade. Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) anti-poaching team, which patrols the vast 293,000 hectares of the AENP in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Wildlife criminals don’t take the holidays off – and neither do we! Credit: ASI/Taryn Slabbert You can rest easy this holiday season knowing that we are putting your donations to immediate use… …bolstering our anti-poaching teams across multiple projects in Africa… Credit:Carl De Souza/AFP …preparing to thwart poachers in their tracks… ….and KEEPING ANIMALS SAFE FROM CRIMINALS! Together with our partners, we are making great progress in our anti-poaching work. BHAPU has not lost a single elephant to poaching in the last seven years… Credit: Steve Edwards/Caters News MAPU has stamped out poaching in the entire Matetsi Private Game Reserve since 2021 – once a wasteland of butchered carcasses… Care for Wild’s anti-poaching unit includes ex-military personnel using the most advanced surveillance equipment available today… The AENP anti-poaching unit uses drones to home in on criminals within the park’s borders, apprehend them, and ensure they face the full might of the law. Recently, we helped them fit advanced AI-tracking devices to elephants in a particularly vulnerable part of the reserve… Credit: ASI/Zara King BUT! None of these teams would be able to continue their LIFE-PRESERVING work for wildlife without your support. Your support throughout 2023 has helped enable these teams to perform their crucial role in protecting wild animals – but they cannot continue during this critical holiday period and into 2024 without your support. Our teams need fuel for their patrol vehicles and boats, supplies for their K9 units, including cooling jackets for summer, and more AI-enabled tracking devices for elephants and other animals vulnerable to criminals. These teams can only be as strong as their equipment. Credit: ASI This season, we need to keep our feet on the ground, with our anti-poaching teams doing everything in their power to protect animals 24/7. You have the power right now to help ensure this! So please, donate as much as you possibly can right now, and help us continue our work to protect the precious wild animals of Africa against ruthless criminals.

KZN game reserves under attack in South Africa

Article written by Tamlyn Head Originally published by Zululand Observer (Wed, Dec 13, 2023) The numbers are in and paint a bleak picture of rhino poaching in KZN The numbers are in and paint a bleak picture of rhino poaching in KZN. As at 5 December, the total number of rhinos poached in the province’s reserves this year was 295. This staggering figure is compared with 244 last year and just 102 in 2021. While Covid restrictions, which were fully lifted only in July 2021, could account for the low poaching numbers that year, the spike this year is worrying. With Kruger National Park stepping up anti-poaching efforts, poachers’ eyes have turned to KZN reserves, both public and private. According to the NPO Dogs4Wildlife, 29 rhino have been poached in the last 40 days alone. “[This year’s figures are] a 20.9% increase from 2022 and a 189.2% increase from 2021,” said the NPO. Banner image: Dave Savides

Long thought to be extinct in Kenya, giant pangolins are now being helped back from the brink

Article written by Peter Muiruri Originally published by The Guardian (Mon, 20 Nov, 2023) In 2018, sightings of these solitary, nocturnal animals were recorded in Kenya for the first time in half a century. Now conservationists are working with farmers to create space for them on the land When Fred Telekwa settled on his farm inside Nyakweri forest, in western Kenya, four years ago, his main worry was how to prevent elephants and buffaloes from destroying his crops. The nearby Maasai Mara game reserve housed a huge amount of roaming wildlife. “Two or three elephants can clear an acre of cabbages in one night. I had no choice but to put up an electric fence to ward off the animals,” he says. But the fence had unintended consequences. One morning in November last year, Telekwa woke up to the sight of a giant ground pangolin that had been electrocuted as she tried to reach a termite mound. She was pregnant. And her death left Telekwa distraught. “I am one of those people who have supported the conservation of pangolins in this forest. How could one die within my land? I am yet to get over the loss,” he says, stroking the wire with a wooden staff. “That was the first and last time I ever saw a pangolin. In fact, had she not been electrocuted, chances are I would not have seen her.” A solitary, nocturnal, scaly-clad animal that looks like a huge, slow-moving pine cone, the endangered giant ground pangolin was believed to be extinct in Kenya. Their rediscovery, through a scattering of sightings in 2018, was cause for cautious celebration among conservationists. Now, the fight is on to ensure this tiny population survives. Pangolins are highly endangered, and their numbers are declining rapidly. They are considered the world’s most trafficked animals – especially to Asian markets, where their meat is seen as a delicacy and their scales are sold as a cure for conditions including hangovers and liver problems, and to help mothers breastfeed. There is no scientific evidence that pangolin scales have any medicinal value. Nevertheless, the wildlife protection organisation Traffic estimates that in 2021 alone, 23.5 tonnes of pangolins and their body parts were trafficked, and 1 million of the animals have been poached over the past decade. In Kenya, little is known about the giant ground pangolins’ population – including how many live in the country’s forests. Before 2018, it was assumed that the pangolin was locally extinct, as the last-known sighting was in 1971 in western Kenya. Today, local conservationists estimate there are only between 30 and 80 left in the country. Since last year, the Pangolin Project has been working with landowners around Nyakweri forest to create space for these animals, a tall order considering that most, like Telekwa, are farmers who are clearing the forest for farming and erecting electric fences to keep away wild animals. Within the forest lie bags of charcoal, freshly felled trees, neatly arranged logs and charcoal kilns – clear indicators of the loss of forest cover, a key habitat for the giant ground pangolin in Kenya. “There are so many threats that make the giant ground pangolin a priority,” says Beryl Makori, the project manager. “We are losing the forest ecosystem following land demarcation to individual pieces,” she says. “There is also a measure of poaching because we have found some pangolins without scales after being electrocuted.” Reducing or stopping deforestation is crucial if the few remaining giant ground pangolins in Kenya are to survive in the wild. Already, about 23 landowners, representing at least 60 households, have come together to form the Nyekweri Kimintet Forest Conservation Trust, covering almost 2,020 hectares (5,000 acres). Peter Ole Tompoy, 70, heads the conservancy that protects the Nyakweri forest and hopes to persuade more landowners to sign conservancy leases and give the giant pangolins a fighting chance. “Maasai are pastoralists. Previously, we didn’t have these land demarcations and would move all over looking for pasture. Now the demarcation has divided the land,” says Tompoy, who, despite his passion for conservation, has never seen a pangolin. Some landowners say the lack of an alternative livelihood to farming has held them back from fully embracing conservation. Musuak Ole Kakui grows maize on 30 of his 80 acres. “An acre gives me 20 to 25 bags of maize. A bag sells for 5,000 Kenyan shillings [£27] – or 100,000 an acre,” he said. “Conservation may not earn my family a similar amount.” According to Araluen “Azza” Schunmann, director of the Pangolin Crisis Fund, addressing the needs of local people is crucial to making conservation work. “Community-led conservation is central to saving endangered species and creating coexistence between wildlife and the people living alongside wildlife,” she says. “For wildlife to thrive, the people of the region need to thrive as well.” In the meantime, the Pangolin Project has been raising awareness in the community with a small team of young men making the rounds of homesteads and helping landowners to remove the lowest strands of electric fences, which are the most dangerous threat to the animals. So far, these “pangolin guardians” have spoken to about 1,800 households, says Claire Okell, founder of the Pangolin Project. “The community will have a sense of ownership if these pangolins are protected within their area.” Although pangolins have received a lot of attention as the world’s most trafficked mammals, “this knowledge has not translated into a robust conservation drive”, she says. Now it is a race against time to save the pangolin, says Makori. “I feel we are protecting the last of the pangolins. We will give all it takes for a protected habitat with a viable population.”

Rhino poaching survivor needs your help!

When Ike was just a few years old, he was spotted wandering the Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa with both his horns viciously hacked off. Credit: HERD The park’s anti-poaching team raced to his rescue, and as they approached the young white rhino bull, they saw he had also been slashed across his back with a panga – a machete-like blade used in Africa to stab, hack and kill. It was clear he had been savagely attacked by poachers who left him for dead – but they had not counted on Ike’s tremendous will to survive. Can you imagine the terror and trauma this tragic young rhino must have experienced as poachers relentlessly hacked at his body while he was still alive? Credit: HERD With his horn bed severely damaged and his back chopped up, Ike needed life-saving care. He was rescued and treated by expert wildlife vets and our partners, Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) and Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development (HERD), and named him “Ikanyega” – meaning “trust” in Setswana. During his protracted treatment and recovery, a remaining piece of horn began to grow rapidly. The team decided to surgically remove the stub to prevent another attack by poachers. Although Ike had been recovering well, things have NOW taken a turn for the worse… Credit: HERD A few weeks ago, on their routine rounds, our partners noticed that an area of horn that is regrowing has become infected. It is likely that Ike incurred a run-of-the-mill injury, but because the horn site is already compromised, a raging infection has developed, attracting flies. Flies, seeking out cool, moist respite from the African heat, lay eggs in wounds like these, which means Ike is in serious trouble: the eggs will hatch, and the resultant maggots will begin to eat away at Ike’s infected horn area. HERD needs to treat the area, and they must do it FAST. Ike faces a FRESH, painful hurdle after his long road to recovery: an infected horn bed on the verge of becoming infested with maggots! Credit: HERD Please help us rush treatment for his wound right away! Ike is just one victim of a poaching crisis that threatens all five rhino species around the world. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists the white rhino as near threatened and decreasing, with less than 17,000 left in the African wild. Rhinos have been relentlessly slaughtered for the illegal wildlife trade, as their horns are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and are also considered aphrodisiacs and symbols of status and wealth. Credit: Daily-Maverick Our partners work tirelessly to help protect the species, which is why they opted to remove Ike’s horn regrowth. Every individual is critical to the species, and that is why we MUST rush our support to Ike right away. Credit: HERD Ike has suffered immensely in his short life. Butchered for his rhino horns and left for dead, he overcame the odds to survive, only to face death again. With your support right now, we will be able to cover the costs of Ike’s emergency treatment and monitor him closely as he recovers. This brave animal has survived a horrific poaching attempt to have a second chance at life – please, don’t allow this infection to rob him of that! If we can raise $5,000 (around £3,950), we can cover the cost of Ike’s expert treatment by a team of experienced wildlife vets, as well as veterinary medication and supplies to treat the infection. Our team will monitor him closely over the coming weeks and ensure that he is fit and healthy to rejoin his herd in their safe, protected area. Credit: Getty Can Ike count on you today? People have shown him the very worst of humanity – now, we have the chance to show him the best. Please donate as much as you possibly can right away, and together, we can give Ike the happy future he deserves.

Lion breeding facility SHUT DOWN. The survivors need you.

A breeding facility that imprisoned 70 wild animals in appalling caged conditions has been shut down. We need YOUR help to get the animals out of their unsuitable enclosures. Credit: Lions Foundation We’re reaching out to you today because we know we can always count on you to be there for wild animals – especially those who have suffered terribly at the hands of humans. 70 wild animals saved from a zoo and breeding facility must get OUT of their tiny cages and enclosures. Please help now! Credit: SAPS Our partner, the Lions Foundation in South Africa, has bought a cruel breeding center where, for years, several different species were bred for commercial gain. Newborn animals, including lions and leopards, were snatched from their mothers and habituated for human entertainment, like petting zoo experiences. Adult animals, particularly big cats, were sold for trophy hunting, private owners, zoos or for their body parts to be used in unproven traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It was sheer hell for animals who ought to have been living free in the wild. After the facility was shut down, you helped us rush critical veterinary care to the animals. Now that their most immediate medical needs have been addressed, we must do everything we can to get them larger enclosures. Hugo, (center) before he was rescued by the Lions Foundation. Credit: Lions Foundation SHOCKING: Lions, caracals and a leopard are among 70 animals rescued from a ghastly breeding facility. Help give them a second chance at life! Lions Foundation rescues wild animals from circuses, zoos, private ownership, and breeding facilities – animals who have experienced the very worst of human cruelty – and gives them lifetime sanctuary in large areas that emulate the wild. This image is not from the ex-breeding facility, but a zoo where a now-rescued lion was being held. Credit: Lions Foundation Animals like Hugo – an elderly lion rescued from a German circus. He and four other lions were all used for cruel entertainment, and all his siblings met tragic ends: two of his brothers were euthanized due to growth problems as a result of improper veterinary care. Two others developed tumors and were put to sleep. Hugo, the last survivor, has now found safe sanctuary at Lions Foundation, where each day, he comes to eat and then disappears into the big enclosure and rests, enjoying his retirement as he deserves. For illustration purposes only: Simba, a lion rescued by the Lions Foundation from a zoo in Serbia. Credit: Lions Foundation The 70 animals rescued from the breeding facility will now be able to enjoy the same freedom as Hugo – if we can raise the funds for larger enclosures. Wild animals will remain at the ex-breeding facility, but their quality of life will be enhanced, and no more human interaction will be allowed. They URGENTLY and DESPERATELY need larger enclosures to experience the freedom they’ve NEVER had. Please, will you help them? As you can imagine, rescuing 70 wild animals is an expensive undertaking – but we know you will agree it is worth it for animals who deserve so much better than lives in captivity. For illustration purposes only: Another image of Simba, who was rescued from a zoo, shows just how awful the illegal pet trade for entertainment and breeding can be. Credit: Lions Foundation Help us give them spacious enclosures and comfortable, happy lives. If we can raise $20,000 (around £16,400), we can help Lions Foundation build carefully designed predator enclosures to give their newly rescued lions, jackals, caracals, leopard and hyenas room to roam, enjoy the sunshine and live a life as close to the wild as possible. It will also help create appropriate spaces for their rescued porcupines, meerkat, civets, servals, African wild cat, painted dogs, Cape genet, aardwolf and water mongoose, all among the 70 recently rescued. They so badly need and deserve a place to call home. Help them put the memory of the awful breeding facility behind them.

The alternative ivory sources that could help save elephants

Adapted from the article written by By Krupa Padhy Originally published by BBC.com (Mon, 11 Sep, 2023) Despite international bans, thousands of African elephants are illegally killed each year for their tusks. Could finding a human-made alternative be the answer? My parents often talk about their safari honeymoon to the Serengeti National Park in 1972. Mum reminds me that they didn’t have “fancy cameras with zoom lenses back then” and that the photos that adorn their album were taken on a basic camera. Among them, are herds of elephants close enough to make any wildlife photographer jealous. More than 1.3 million elephants roamed Africa at the end of the 1970s. Today, there are around 450,000. And as mum said upon our return to Serengeti 20 years ago: “It’s nothing like it used to be.”  At least 20,000 African elephants continue to be illegally killed each year for their ivory tusks. In 1989, international trade in ivory was banned by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites),  but elephant populations have continued to suffer. A resurgence of demand from unregulated markets in Asia and Africa has been a significant driver. And it’s not just elephants who are at risk. Earlier this year, the UK government announced plans to extend the 2018 Ivory Act to other animals and marine life. Pending a vote in the UK Parliament, it will mean the sale of ivory from the tusks and teeth of killer whales, hippos, walruses, narwhals, and sperm whales will also be banned. The good news, however, is that a new market is opening up for man-made ivory, as well ivory-like materials from plants. Ivory, or “white gold” as it is sometimes called, has been one of the most valuable and sought-after global commodities in history. Ivory is a material of luxury, which has been turned into jewellery and weaponry, musical instruments and figurines. It has a catalogue of properties that few other materials can boast: beautiful, durable, homogenous in appearance and easy to carve while retaining a high level of shine. For that reason, evolutionary biologist Fritz Vollrath believes that we should stigmatise the trade of ivory poaching, but acknowledge that the material is coveted for a reason. “Whilst we need to guard against it being a common commodity ending up on mantelpieces, there is something in the material properties,” says Vollrath. “It has a certain touch to it, different to plastic. There’s something there in the ivory that is special.” To meet this demand without harming animals, Thaddäa Rath is one person trying to create a synthetic alternative. Together with her team at the University of Vienna in Austria, she has created a high-tech ivory alternative called “Digory”. The material can be 3D-printed and polished to create deceptively authentic carvings. Rath and her team were looking to mirror the optical and aesthetic properties of ivory whilst achieving a similar strength and density. In addition, they wanted to mimic a visual structure within ivory called Schreger lines, similar to wood. Digory is created using synthetic resin and calcium phosphate particles which are 3D-printed layer by layer into a desired shape. The material is then colour-matched (keeping in mind ivory is translucent), stained and polished to create a believable imitation of natural ivory. Rath recognises there are plenty of challenges when it comes to commercialising Digory. Interest from the likes of jewellery makers and knife handlers has been steady , but she believes it has huge potential by offering a low-carbon, fast and straightforward manufacturing process with convincing results. Despite mimicking the properties of ivory, Digory’s chemical structure is nothing like it, unlike the creation of synthetic ivory by a Max Planck group of scientists in Germany in 2019. The original idea to create synthetic ivory came from the desire to replace the ivory veneers of piano keys Using a phosphate-based composition, Dieter Fischer, Sarah Parks and Jochen Mannhart tried to closely reproduce the chemistry of a real ivory tusk – so much so that they say it is sometimes hard to distinguish between real ivory and their artificial version. Natural ivory is a bone-like material largely made of a mineral called dentine, which lies underneath the enamel of a tooth.  And whilst human teeth are used for eating, ivory tusks are teeth that have emerged beyond the lips, giving elephants an evolutionary advantage. The researchers behind the synthetic ivory mixed particles from a bio-mineral called hydroxylapatite into dissolved gelatine, which is formed from collagen (the organic component of ivory). “What we did not try to reproduce is the microstructure of the tusk, because it turned out that the functional properties we were interested in like touch and grip didn’t depend on the nanostructure,” explains Mannhart. The original idea to create synthetic ivory came from the desire to replace the ivory veneers of piano keys. When recognising the potential of what they had created, the team’s ambition grew, and the material is now being commercialised under a company called Ivortec. “The motivation morphed over time from piano keys to replacing plastics and addressing the microplastic issue. It’s about having a material that is really green, biodegradable and not resource-intensive instead of plastics,” says Mannhart. Others are looking closer to nature when it comes to ivory alternatives. On a stall in St Alban’s market in England, Alison Williams has seen her colourful jewellery business The Happy Elephant grow from strength to strength since it launched in 2020. Nothing surprising there as quirky beads are a standard feature of a weekend bazaar – only Alison’s jewellery is created using tagua, also known as vegetable ivory. “Because of the story of it, people are blown away by what they see and feel,” she says. Tagua was first documented by Westerners in the late 1700s, when two Spanish botanists stumbled across it in the eastern foothills of the Andes, as explained in the book Strange Harvests. They assumed they’d discovered an ivory tree (the scientific name for tagua is Phytelephas, which literally translates from Greek as “plant elephant”). It was so convincing that as its use became more extensive in the 19th Century, the only way to

Wildlife biologist explains bat myths

Article written by Karen Shih Originally published by Phys.Org (Wed, 24 Oct, 2023) It’s officially spooky season: Nights are creeping in earlier. A fall chill has descended. Skeletons and witches and jack-o-lanterns dot every street. So you can expect to see swarms of bats swooping overhead as you greet trick-or-treaters, right? “Unfortunately, the month when we finally stop and think about bats, they’re not as available to see in this area,” said University of Maryland wildlife biologist Shannon Browne, Ph.D. ’21, a bat expert and lecturer in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology. Instead, they’re most active in the summer, when their preferred prey, insects, are plentiful. Browne remembers watching bats dive around her aunt’s swimming pool in Bowie, Maryland, for sips of water. For her doctoral dissertation, she examined bat populations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Delaware to determine the habitats where they’re most active. She discovered that suburban neighborhoods are the favored sports for some of Maryland’s vulnerable bat species, especially during fall mating season. Now, she’s using these findings as she serves as an expert witness on how highway projects or building construction, such as widening the American Legion Bridge and adding toll lanes to I-270, could destroy bat habitats. Browne explains why they’re (mostly) not little Draculas, where they actually sleep, and why you do want them flittering around your backyard during the swampiest months. Myth: They’re after your blood Out of the 1,400 bat species in the world, just three are vampire bats—and they don’t live in Maryland. Instead, they prefer the warm, humid climates of Central and South America, and their preferred meal sources are large, domestic animals like cattle, horses and pigs. “They are super cool and very specialized,” Browne said. With special grooves in their teeth, they create a small nick in the skin. Their saliva has an enzyme that allows blood to continue flowing instead of clotting. Research on these palm-sized bats could help lead to treatments for strokes and other human diseases, Browne said. Myth: They always live in caves During the warmer months, bats can roost in many areas: tucked into the loose bark of a tree, behind a leaf, hanging from the eaves of a church or curled up in the rafters of an abandoned barn. The 10 species that live in Maryland are tiny, weighing as little as a nickel and as much as a quarter, and are about the size of a hand with their wings extended. During the winter, half these species migrate south, and the others head into caves to hibernate. “Caves offer a great winter hibernating habitat,” said Browne. With constant humidity levels and temperatures a degree or two above freezing, they offer a safe environment where bats can huddle together or on their own, out of the elements and protected from predators. Myth: They can’t see While bats are famous for using echolocation, they do have some vision. Echolocation requires a lot of energy, so they use it judiciously. “They’re basically screaming at an extremely high frequency,” she said. They have to think, “Is it worth my effort, the calories, to explore this thing that may be food, or to decide if this is an obstacle or predator I need to avoid, or a potential mate I should explore?” They can use their limited vision to supplement echolocation as they travel familiar paths, she said, much like a human can commute home without stopping to carefully read every road sign. Myth: They’re just scary sky rats Bats get a bad rep for carrying rabies (in fact, less than 1% do), but they play an important role in the ecosystem. In Maryland, they’re one of the primary predators of pests like mosquitoes, stink bugs and crop-destroying beetles. Just one little brown bat, a species common in the state, can eat 1,200 insects in an hour. In other parts of the world, they pollinate plants like bees and feed on fruit and disperse seeds like birds to help rejuvenate entire forests. Bats are under threat themselves, not only from human-induced habitat loss, but from White-nose Syndrome, a fungus that has killed nearly 7 million bats across the country since 2006. Wind turbines also cause mortalities in migrating bats and birds. “We don’t need to fear them. They are not trying to harm us,” Browne said. “They’re just going about their lives and raising families, just like we are.”

We reveal the global investors in traditional medicines made with endangered wildlife

Article written by EIA International Originally published by EIA International (Tue, 23 Oct, 2023) A new EIA UK investigation has found the body parts of threatened leopards and pangolins being used as ingredients in at least 88 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products Manufactured by 72 Chinese companies and licensed by the National Medical Products Administration of China, some of those identified also contain tiger and rhino, in contravention of recommendations made by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The facts are contained in the new EIA report Investing in Extinction – How the global financial sector profits from traditional medicine firms using threatened species.  EIA has also identified 62 banks and financial institutions – many of them Fortune 500 companies and household names – based in Australia, Canada, the EU, Japan, Switzerland, the UK and USA which have invested in three publicly listed Chinese pharmaceutical groups manufacturing nine of the products stated to contain leopard and/or pangolin. They include AXA SA, BlackRock Inc, BNP Paribas SA, Citigroup Inc, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Legal & General, the Royal Bank of Canada and UBS AG (see below for the full list). Many of the investors are signatories to the Principles for Responsible Investment or are members of the International Corporate Governance Network, which has publicly expressed concerns about biodiversity loss and species extinctions. And seven are members of The Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife (UfW) Financial Taskforce, which was launched in 2018 to stop the trafficking of wildlife. They are BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Credit Suisse (now owned by UBS), Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Wells Fargo (which recently divested); it is likely the UfW was unaware of their investments. EIA Legal & Policy Specialist Avinash Basker said: “The use of highly threatened animals such as leopards, pangolins, rhino and tigers in traditional medicine products disregards CITES recommendations made by the international community to protect these species. “This is use on an effectively industrial scale which can only push these species ever-closer to extinction, simultaneously sending mixed messages to consumers, fueling demand for their parts and derivatives and tainting the global reputation of TCM.” “It’s particularly disappointing to see so many major banks and financial institutions effectively endorsing this damaging exploitation, especially as so many have pledged to do otherwise. If their environmental credentials are to have any credibility, they need to divest from TCM manufacturers using threatened species at the soonest opportunity.” Leopards and pangolins are threatened with extinction and are among the most trafficked mammals on the planet; both are listed on CITES Appendix I, which prohibits international commercial trade in them, their parts and derivatives. EIA’s extensive research found no publicly available nor verifiable information on the source of the leopard, pangolin, rhino or tiger derivatives being used in the products identified in Investing in Extinction. Basker added: “We strongly urge the Government of China to fulfil CITES recommendations and prohibit the use of the body parts of leopards, pangolins, tigers and rhinos from all sources for all commercial purposes in its domestic markets.” * Full list of companies named in the report, by country (* denotes in the Fortune 500 highest revenue-generating companies in the USA; † denotes in the Global Fortune 500 highest revenue-generating companies in the world) Australia Sunsuper Fund (Brisbane) Bermuda Lazard Ltd (Hamilton) Canada HSBC Global Asset Management Canada (Vancouver) Manulife Financial Corp (Toronto) † Royal Bank of Canada (Toronto) † Denmark Danske Bank A/S (Copenhagen) Investeringsforeningen (Copenhagen) Finland Lahi Tapiola Asset Management Ltd France Amundi Asset Management (Paris) AXA SA (Paris) † BNP Pribas SA (Paris) † Credit Agricole Group (Paris) † Germany Allianz SE (Munich) † Deutsche Bank (Frankfurt) † Ireland Mediolanum International Funds Ltd (Dublin) Mercer Global Investments Management Italy Azimut Holdings SpA (Milan) Japan Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (Tokyo) † Luxembourg Robeco Luxembourg SA Casa 4 Funds Lux European Asset Fund Rock Management Co SA Norway KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS (Oslo) Switzerland Credit Suisse Group (Zurich) Now owned by UBS † Pictet Funds SA (Geneva) Swiss Rock Asset Management AG (Zurich) UBS AG (Zurich) † Zuercher Kantonalbank (Zurich) UK Abrdn Plc (Glasgow) HSBC Holdings Plc (London) † Legal & General (London) † Prudential Plc (London) USA Allspring Global Investments Holding (San Francisco) American Century Cos Inc (Kansas City) AssetMark Inc (San Francisco) Bank of New York Mellon Corp (New York) * Black Rock Inc (New York) * Charles Schwab (San Francisco) * Citigroup Inc (New York) * Dimensional Fund Advisors (Austin) Dodge & Cox (San Francisco) Eaton Vance Corp (Boston) Federated Hermes Inc (Pittsburgh) Fidelity International (Boston) FlexShares Trust (Chicago) FMR LLC (Boston) Franklin Resources Inc (San Francisco) * Geode Capital Management LLC (Boston) Global X Management Co LLC (New York) Goldman Sachs Group Inc (New York) * Invesco Ltd (Atlanta) Krane Fund Advisors (New York) LWI Financial Inc (San Jose) Northern Trust Group (Chicago) * Principal Financial Group (Des Moines) * SEI Investments Co (Philadelphia) State Street Corp (Boston) Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America (New York) Thrivent Financial (Minneapolis/St Paul) Vanguard Group (Philadelphia) Voya Investment Management LLC (Atlanta) Wells Fargo & Co (San Francisco) * Wisdom Tree (New York)

Labour party promises to halt the badger cull in England

Article written by Kelly Henaughen Originally published by The Scottish Farmer (Sun, 21 Oct, 2023) Labour has vowed to end the badger cull in England if elected. Badgers are being culled to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (bTB) because it spreads to cattle and can eliminate entire herds, causing severe problems for farmers. In April, figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs showed more than 210,000 badgers have been killed since the cull began in 2013. The shadow farming minister, Daniel Zeichner, said: “I’ve spent a long time looking at this. The 2018 Godfrey review, the last piece of work done by the government, found that badger culling is not the answer. We’re going to make England bovine TB free by 2038 but with a range of measures that do not include culling.” Labour’s stance is in stark contrast to the approach of the Conservative government. Although her predecessor, George Eustice, promised to phase out the cull by 2025, the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, said her department would continue the cull. She said recently: “But I’ve been very clear in England. I’m not going to be held by some artificial deadline that has already been put in place. We will keep culling for as long as it is the best way to do that.” Zeichner said of Coffey’s comments: “Coffey is trying to make this some kind of dividing line issue, but it’s a false promise. I speak to a lot of farmers and unlike her, I don’t just tell them what they want to hear, I have to have answers. The better promise is to eliminate bovine TB. I think we should be moving to a different approach because we’ve been culling for quite a long time, and it’s still a big issue and we’re still spending £80m a year on compensation, so it’s not exactly working is it?” He added: “We also talk too much just about badgers – it isn’t only about badgers. The mental health issues that come up on this, I’ve met quite a few people, and they’ve absolutely convinced me that this is probably one of the most distressing issues people in the countryside come up against. So I’m hugely sympathetic to that. But I actually want to beat it. And we can do that with vaccines and biosecurity measures.” Ruth Jones, the shadow nature minister, said her experience as a member of parliament in Wales had shown that the badger cull could be brought to an end with a vaccination scheme. Asked if she would vaccinate badgers to eradicate bTB and end the cull, Jones said: “We’ve got some good news on the badgers. It is a massive issue because unless you fund the vaccines we aren’t going to eradicate TB and it’s really, really important we do that. We are doing it in Wales and we will do it across the UK.” In Wales, there is no cull. While there was a targeted cull in Pembrokeshire in 2009 under the Plaid Cymru-Labour coalition government, the Labour Party ended the general cull in 2012. Since then, badgers have been killed in small numbers under individual licences if they are shown to be diseased. Instead, the government has focused on vaccination for badgers and enhanced biosecurity measures for cattle. This has been found to reduce bTB levels effectively without culling. Dr Mark Jones, the head of policy at the Born Free Foundation and author of a paper on the efficacy of the badger cull, welcomed the news. He said: “The government would have you believe that badger culling has played a major part in this decline and is placing a great deal of emphasis on an as yet unreviewed study it has commissioned that relies heavily on complex modelling and comes with many caveats. However, bovine TB has been declining in England since before badger culling began. “The administration in Wales is doing a good job of bringing bovine TB down without culling badgers. We are urging all political parties to commit to following this lead, and ending the cruel, costly and ineffective culling of badgers in England, focusing instead on cattle-based measures and the introduction of cattle vaccination.”

Two pangolins are DEAD in awful circumstances.

In the past month, we were alerted to some of the most horrific acts of wildlife crime: a pangolin covered in oil and burn wounds after being transported in a car engine by poachers. A pangolin dumped in a pit toilet by heartless criminals. A pangolin and her unborn baby stolen from the wild by thoughtless students for “educational” purposes, only to suffer terribly in captivity. Credit: Ashleigh Pienaar In South Africa, the plight of pangolins has reached unprecedented and heart-wrenching heights. The relentless threats of accidental electrocution, habitat loss and rampant poaching for the illegal wildlife trade are pushing vulnerable and endangered pangolin populations to the brink of extinction. They desperately need every bit of help they can get – and they need it right now. We must ACT NOW to protect pangolins. Credit: TRAFFIC Two pangolins in our partner’s care died within DAYS of each other. Our partner in South Africa, Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre, alerted us to two particularly horrendous cases of abuse. Paul suffered a vicious snare wound on his leg and arrived covered in human excrement. Sadly, he did not survive the severe infection that followed. Credit: Umoya Khulula Paul, an eight-year-old Temminck’s ground pangolin, arrived covered in human excrement, riddled with infection to a vicious snare wound on his leg. He had been abducted from the wild and dumped in a putrid pit toilet, likely hidden by poachers. After festering in feces for days on end, Paul quickly became severely infected, dehydrated, and emaciated. Despite intensive veterinary care and daily tube feeding after being rescued, Paul was not strong enough to overcome the infection that riddled his small, weak body. Tragically, he was not the only tortured pangolin to lose his life last month. As she fought to break free from her cage, Nova experienced severe claw damage which sadly led to necrosis. Credit: Umoya Khulula Shockingly, Nova – a PREGNANT female pangolin – was snatched from freedom by students and kept CAGED at a local educational institution, just to be poked and prodded at like an experiment. Nova gave birth not in her natural wild environment, but in a cruel cage. The case is currently being investigated by local authorities. A heinous “experiment” cost both Nova and her newborn baby their lives. The situation for pangolins like Paul and Nova is beyond horrific. With your help right now, we can fight to prevent more pangolins from suffering and dying needlessly. Credit: AP Can they count on your help right now? Together with our partner, we are on the frontlines of the battle. Umoya Khulula specializes in the care of sick and injured wildlife, and they receive up to five severely compromised pangolins every month. Our team is experienced in rehabilitating pangolins, even though these sensitive creatures are notoriously difficult to treat, particularly when they have endured prolonged captivity. Tragically, we often encounter scenarios where the survival of rescued pangolins remains beyond our reach. Credit: Umoya Khulula If we can raise $6,000 (£4,900), we will help cover the cost of specialized veterinary treatment and rehabilitation for the rescued pangolins in Umoya Khulula’s care. Please, donate RIGHT NOW and help us reach vulnerable animals who have a slim chance of survival without YOU. Most rescued pangolins require months of specialized care before they can be released into safe, protected areas. When they are ready for release, satellite and telemetry tags are fixed and they are accompanied to the release site for “soft release.” They are monitored for a minimum of six months to a year to ensure their successful reintegration into the wild. Credit: Umoya Khulula Your donation today can make a significant difference in our efforts to save pangolins from suffering and extinction. With your support, we can provide the care and treatment necessary to give these creatures a fighting chance to survive, heal and thrive in safe wild spaces, where they belong. Please, donate generously to Animal Survival International NOW.

World Lemur Day highlights the plight of Madagascar’s critically endangered primates

Today is World Lemur Day but tragically, there is little to celebrate. Lemurs – endemic to Madagascar and some of the world’s oldest living primates – are under terrible and constant threat. Climate change, habitat destruction and the illegal trade in bushmeat and exotic pets is rapidly driving their populations to extinction. Madagascar is home to 70 species of lemurs found nowhere else on earth, except for small neighbouring islands. DNA-based evidence suggests that lemurs first appeared on the island 40 to 50 million years ago, and flourished until human activity burgeoned just 2,000 years ago. Coal mining, illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture have led to major deforestation and habitat loss, leaving lemurs confined to just 10% of the land they once roamed. The critically endangered indri lemur, famed for communicating through song, has been of particular concern to us. We are working to help ensure that these beautiful creatures can continue to leap through canopy treetops and sing their songs in a safe and protected environment. Our partner L’homme et l’Environment, a French non-governmental organization that works on lemur conservation and long-term reforestation, recently rescued a breeding pair of indri lemurs whose previous habitat had been destroyed by slash-and-burn agriculture. The pair were relocated to the Vohimana forest where they (and their future offspring) will be carefully monitored by dedicated forest guards who, through your support, we armed with vital GPS trackers and communication devices. Scientists estimate that the probability of extinction for critically endangered species will be more than 50% over the next 50 years. While the exploitation of lemurs is punishable by law, the animals remain in grave danger of becoming extinct, with 31% of all lemur species now critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Working with our partners on the ground, we aim not only to support lemurs through protective and reforestation efforts, but also to help prevent hunting by educating local communities about the crucial role the species plays in maintaining Madagascar’s ecosystems. Considered ‘creators of the forest,’ lemurs spread seeds through their droppings, which grow into trees and offer shade and shelter for a wide range of animals. On this World Lemur Day, please join us in fighting for the survival of our planet’s precious remaining lemurs by donating to ASI now, and supporting our efforts to preserve this important species.

Regulations tabled to block new lion breeders and protect wide range of wild creatures in South Africa

Article written by Don Pinnock Originally published by Daily Maverick (Wed, 20 Oct, 2023) The Environment Department has called for public comment on its intention to block future lion breeders and prevent the exploitation of a long list of animals, birds, insects, fish and plants. Environment Minister Barbara Creecy says her department intends to prohibit the establishment and registration of new lion captive breeding, commercial exhibition or rehabilitation facilities or sanctuaries. In a government notice she has called for public comment. She has also published for comment draft regulations on the protection of a wide range of species and an explanation of restricted activities with respect to them. Thirty days have been given for comment before the regulations become law. The moves are in line with increasing pressure from the minister to curb cruelty towards wild animals which began in 2018 with a Parliamentary Colloquium on Captive Lion Breeding which was seen to be harming South Africa’s conservation image. A high-level panel followed in 2019 on the management, breeding, hunting and trade of lions, elephants, rhinos and leopards. It recommended the end of captive lion breeding or using their parts for commercial purposes. This led to a 2023 white paper on the sustainable use of biodiversity which defined the notions of well-being and sustainable use of wildlife. A specialist panel of experts was then formed to propose steps for the closure of captive breeding facilities and a notice was issued seeking information on voluntary closures. This was largely ignored, but the squeeze has now tightened with proposed prohibition on new breeding facilities. The million-dollar question, of course, is what steps can be taken on the future of between 10,000 and 12,000 lions presently in captive breeding facilities as they are unfit to be released in the wild. The Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) regulations, which were withdrawn following a court challenge, have been redrafted and reissued, covering the permitting of all forms of captive breeding, game farms, scientific use and wildlife translocation. Big protection list In terms of the National Biodiversity Act, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has also listed and specified the form of protection for 269 species. These are deemed critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or threatened. It has, for the first time, listed non-indigenous species which are listed as Appendix 1 by the UN wildlife trade organisation Cites. The new list includes newly threatened species and deletes some that no longer meet the criteria for listing. It also seeks to curb hybridisation. Mammals that classify for protection are only those which do not come from captive breeding facilities and include the well-knowns such as black and white rhinos, lions, elephants, cheetahs, sable antelope, leopards, pangolins, hyenas and aardvarks. African wild dogs and riverine rabbits are unconditionally protected. Any movement of black or blue wildebeest, tsessebe, blesbok, bontebok or any subspecies of zebra to areas where hybridisation is possible will be forbidden. The restrictions also seek to protect (largely from theft by exporters) baboon spiders, 17 species of stag beetle, the geometric and speckled tortoise, a number of snakes and geckos, five species of scorpion, 21 species of bird including several vultures and eagles, and a range of freshwater fish. The longest list is plants, including many species of euphorbia, lily, protea, clivia and all species of cycad. They are restricted from removal from the wild and in many cases also their sale or propagation. The department is awaiting comment on its draft policy issued on 19 September 2023 to end captive lion breeding, close down facilities and sterilise existing populations. The policy paper added that the government will not promote the sale of rhino horn or ivory through the international wildlife trade organisation Cites until certain conditions are “fully addressed”. How the industry which relies on the breeding and sale of these species views these moves will be the topic of an article to follow. Proponents of animal welfare will be concerned about how the sustainable use of these species will be enhanced without killing them. The discussion will undoubtedly raise considerable dust.

Nigeria burns $1.4m-worth of pangolin scales in anti-trafficking stand

Article written by Wedaeli Chibelushi Originally published by BBC News (Tues, 17 Oct, 2023) It is the first time the nation has publicly destroyed seized wildlife products for this reason. The pangolin is one of the world’s most trafficked mammals – their scales are in high demand in traditional Chinese medicine. Nigeria is a major transit hub for African pangolin scales and other wildlife products trafficked to Asia. “These seized items represent the past we leave behind, but the destruction signifies the future we are determined to build for our planet,” Environment Minister Iziaq Adekunle said before the burning took place in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. “The destruction of these seized items is a powerful statement of our resolve to protect our environment, conserve our wildlife, and combat the illegal trade that drives species to the brink of extinction.” Almost four tonnes of pangolin scales were destroyed alongside seized leopard, python and crocodile skins. The agency had confiscated the scales in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and a pan-African alliance named the Elephant Protection Initiative. In August, the leaders of a global wildlife trafficking gang were convicted for smuggling pangolin scales after a four-year investigation and a trial in Nigeria. And last year, Nigerian customs officials seized 1,613 tonnes of pangolin scales and arrested 14 people, Nigeria’s Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency said. Photo Credit: Born Free USA Pangolins are the only mammals in the world to be covered in scales, which are made from keratin, the same substance found in human fingernails. Four species live in Africa, across countries in the the south, east and centre of the continent. The creature is near extinct in Nigeria, so pangolins smuggled from there are likely to be from other countries, UNODC said. Asia is home to the other four species, although they have been totally wiped out in the continent’s vast south-east region. According to animal charity Wild Aid, up to 200,000 pangolins are thought to be taken from the wild every year. It is not known how many are left globally – the animals are notoriously difficult to monitor because they are shy and nocturnal. According to UNODC, seizures of pangolin scales increased tenfold between 2014 and 2018.

Sumatran rhino birth offers glimmer of hope for species almost hunted to extinction

Adapted from article written by Heather Chen Originally published by CNN (Tue, 3 Oct, 2023) A critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros calf has been born in a national park in Indonesia, the third successful pairing between a local female rhino named Ratu and Andalas, a former resident of Ohio’s Cincinnati Zoo The unnamed female was born on Saturday at the Way Kambas National Park on southern Sumatra island, Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry said on X, formerly Twitter. Environment and forestry minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said it was “happy news not just for Indonesia but the rest of the world.” Sumatran rhinos were once found in great numbers across Southeast Asia but fewer than 80 remain in fragmented areas across Indonesia, according to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF). The calf’s birth represents hope for a species threatened with extinction due to illegal poaching and habitat loss. Photos shared by the forestry ministry showed the newborn calf, weighing about 27 kilograms (60 pounds), covered in black hair and looking bright-eyed next to her mother. In one picture, Ratu was seen giving her baby a gentle nudge. Within 45 minutes of her natural birth, the calf was able to stand and began feeding from her mother within four hours, the ministry said. Hope for the species Sumatran rhinos are the world’s smallest rhinos, standing at roughly 4 to 5 feet tall (about 1.5 meters), with an average body length of around 8.2 feet (2.5 meters). They are more closely related to extinct woolly rhinos than other rhino species and are covered in long hair. Sumatran rhinos typically live in dense tropical forest, both lowland and highland, on Sumatra and are generally solitary in nature, according to IRF. Females give birth to one calf every three to four years and gestation periods can last between 15 to 16 months. Habitat loss has driven them to occupy smaller areas of the Indonesian jungle and conservationists are concerned about the survival of the species. “As this reclusive species seems to disappear further into dense jungles, direct sightings have become rare and indirect signs like footprints are getting harder to find,” the IRF said. “The beacon of hope for the species is the breeding program at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary… that has produced three calves and continues its breeding efforts to create an insurance population of rhinos.” The species was declared locally extinct in neighboring Malaysia in 2019. A 25-year-old female named Iman died of cancer on November 24, 2019 at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary. Her death came months after Tam – the last surviving male rhino – succumbed to organ failure, officials said.