By Rhishja Larson •
January 4, 2010
12 suspected rhino poachers and rhino horn buyers have been arrested in Kenya following the killing of a female Southern white rhino on a private ranch.
A manhunt in central Kenya has resulted in the arrest of 12 suspected rhino poachers and rhino horn buyers, after a 10-year old female Southern white rhino was shot at the Mugie rhino sanctuary on December 28, and her horns brutally hacked off.
The rhino’s horns were recovered in the arrest, along with $8,500 USD in cash.
By Rhishja Larson •
December 20, 2009
Four of the world’s only known eight Northern white rhinos have arrived in Kenya to begin new lives at Ol Pejeta Conservancy - the last hope to save this critically endangered rhino subspecies.
Good news - and a sigh of relief! Sudan, Suni, Najin and Fatu have landed safely in Kenya after being flown from ZOO Dvůr Králové to their new home. The return of the rhinos to Africa is considered the last chance at preserving the genetic material of the Northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a rhino subspecies poached to extinction in the wild.
By Rhishja Larson •
December 17, 2009
Four of the world’s eight surviving Northern white rhinos are about to be flown from ZOO Dvůr Králové in the Czech Republic to Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
This weekend, Northern white rhinos Sudan, Suni, Najin, and Fatu will begin the journey of a lifetime: A new life in Kenya - and the last hope for one of earth’s rarest creatures.
By Rhishja Larson •
December 1, 2009
The largest ever transnational operation targeting wildlife crime across Africa has resulted in the arrests of over 100 people and the seizure of more than two tons of ivory.
INTERPOL has announced that the success of “Operation Costa” - Africa’s largest ever transnational wildlife crime operation - was due to the coordinated efforts of police, national wildlife, customs and national intelligence officers across Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
By Jake Richardson •
November 23, 2009
The lion cub pictured above is named Gabriella and lives at an animal orphanage in Nairobi. The Pride of Kenya website reports she lives there because she was left parentless due to a human-lion conflict. (Presumably this explanation means her mother was killed by humans). The post about her goes on to say that her life expectancy in captivity is about 22 years.
According to reports, little Kimutai, a three-year-old child from Kenya, died hours after ingesting carbofuran, an odorless pesticide used to control insects on many crops including rice, beans, bananas, pineapple, coffee and vegetables.
But the highly toxic pesticide, sold under the name Furadan and manufactured by Farm Machinery and Chemicals Corporation (FMC), is also used by cattle herders for different reasons. Furadan is often added to carcasses in order to poison and kill lions, hyenas and other wildlife that prey on livestock.
By Rhishja Larson •
November 3, 2009
Tanzania is reportedly preparing to ask CITES to lift the trade ban on elephant ivory, much to the dismay of its EAC neighbors, conservationists, and members of the tourism industry.
In a move that would surely undermine East African conservation efforts, Tanzania has taken up the position that a sanctioned sale of elephant ivory would provide much-needed financial support to the country’s anti-poaching measures.
This comes as a shock to the East African Community (EAC), considering that last year’s sanctioning of a one-off ivory auction is to blame for igniting a scourge of rampant elephant killings throughout Africa - particularly Kenya.
By Rhishja Larson •
October 20, 2009
Thanks to the controversial approval of a one-off ivory sale, illegal trade in ivory has been reinvigorated - and 100 elephants a day are being slaughtered.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) approved a one-off elephant ivory auction in 2008 of 119 tons (108 tonnes) - representing over 10,000 dead elephants - and this decision is believed to have stimulated the growing illegal ivory market.
By Lucille Chi •
October 19, 2009
Yearly, 1.8 million people will die due to waterborne diseases. Sadly, most of these deaths are children under the age of 5, at rate of 5000 children a day. There is a way to reverse and end this tragedy.
The Water Solution is available and saving lives in Africa. Imagine a small, portable, straw-like device that hangs around the neck of a child and each straw can save a child’s life for one year.
“WATER IS LIFE!” a child exclaims as he sees his siblings live instead of die. Genius inventions like these are changing the world on a global scale — saving lives and bringing children and families back into healthier states.
By Rhishja Larson •
October 19, 2009
A novel conservation project in Kenya’s Maasailand is employing the lion’s greatest enemy to conserve, rather than kill, lions.
In Maasailand, the biggest threat to lions is retaliatory and traditional spearing by Maasai warriors. However, an innovative approach to lion conservation is now paying Maasai warriors to protect lions.
By Rhishja Larson •
October 15, 2009
Today’s elephants are under increasing pressure from habitat loss (due to explosive human population growth), poaching for ivory, and illegal trafficking.
Asian elephants are classified as endangered, and their population is declining. African elephants are considered near threatened, but a resurgence in elephant poaching is taking its toll.
To help raise awareness for these magnificent mammals, here are 12 things you didn’t know about elephants - and a compilation of beautiful photos (with baby elephants who will steal your heart)! Enjoy!
