The last known female Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle laid 188 eggs this year, but none of them will be hatching.
A disappointment for turtle conservationists: The world’s only known pair of critically endangered Yangtze giant soft-shell turtles (Rafetus swinhoei) have failed to reproduce for the second consecutive year. 81-year-old “China Doll” is the last known female of the species and her 101-year-old partner is one of possibly three known males.
According to a 2008 study (Jelks et al), nearly 40% of freshwater species in North America are either at risk of disappearing or have already vanished. Representing some 761 distinct species, 230 are deemed “vulnerable”, 190 are threatened, 280 are endangered, and 61 are extinct (or extinct in the wild). These numbers represent a 90+% increase over a 1989 assessment of freshwater species. And these trends are consistent with assessments in Europe.
Still in the mood for International Tiger Day? Enjoy a photo gallery of gorgeous tigers - and 10 fascinating tiger facts.
One day hardly seems like enough for endangered tigers. To celebrate International Tiger Day a bit longer, here is a gallery of gorgeous tiger photos - and ten fascinating tiger facts. Enjoy!
Communities of all sorts are being disturbed by the fires in California. As another result of climate change, bird communities are expected to see some big changes in other ways, according to a new report released on September 1.
A sad discovery in Huelva province: The body of a female Iberian lynx was found on the road between Almonte and El Rocío.
This is unfortunately the third Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) killed in Andalucía this year - and the second in just two weeks. In March, a female - pregnant with two kittens - was run over in Doñana. She had also been shot.
In an intense international rescue and anti-poaching operation, 46 black rhino have been moved to safer areas - and eight poachers have been killed - in Zimbabwe.
Thanks to coverage by international media, public support, and international pressure from CITES, the International Rhino Foundation’s (IRF) Crisis Zimbabwe awareness campaign has reportedly raised more than $120,000 in emergency funds to rescue 46 black rhino from vulnerable areas in Zimbabwe. And since May, eight poachers have been killed during armed confrontations with police, compared to seven known rhino poaching losses in the Lowveld.
Authorities fear that the killing of Sheila the tiger at Jambi’s Rimbo Zoo is a shocking new development in the illegal wildlife trade. The tiger’s skin, along with body parts in demand for traditional Asian “remedies”, were taken from the tiger’s enclosure.
Officials noted that even the tiger’s blood had been collected.
For centuries, the Tasman booby, Sula tasmani, was believed to be extinct. Until now, that is. With the help of modern technology, a team of researchers from New Zealand and Australia have discovered the “extinct” booby is in fact a subspecies of the living Masked booby, Sula dactylatra fullagari.
It is estimated that man has been in Oceania for up to 125,000 years. The land was there before man. And for a long time a balance has been found between man and nature. Perhaps that balance was achieved because man and nature were not separate entities, but one and the same. However, in the recent past, that balance has been disturbed by population and consumption. Man became an invader rather than an aboriginal. And with that, habit loss for other species has been a concern. And now life isn’t what it used to be in Oceania.
It is such an invasion, not just by humans, but species of both flora and fauna that threatens aboriginal life in Oceania. A new study, which was published in the international journal Conservation Biology expresses the need for governments to act quickly in order to halt the loss of biodiversity and the extinction of species.
Last Tuesday, amazed keepers discovered a clutch of unhatched eggs in his “bachelor” pen in the Galapagos Islands.
No wonder they were amazed - a team of scientists have been doggedly coaxing the sullen creature to mate since 1993, when they introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies into his pen. Until now, George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise had shown little interest in his companions. But at age 90, George, now said to be in his sexual prime, was finally spurred into action.
In yet another shocking example of the large-scale illegal wildlife trade throughout Asia, the frozen carcass of a baby tiger was found in the trunk of a taxi cab on its way to a buyer in Hanoi.
Driven by the demand in long-standing illegal wildlife markets throughout Asia, the tiger population in Vietnam is nearly gone. It is estimated that fewer than 200 tigers remain in the Truong Son Mountain Range.
Tigers are often hunted by locals living in poverty in Truong Son areas. In major cities, where illegal wildlife trade is active, tiger parts, meat, skin, and bones command high prices.
