Banks can help fight illegal wildlife trade but their failure to identify the financial footprints of poaching syndicates results in lost opportunities to disrupt trade – new research
Category Archives: Natural history
Serval
With its long limbs, spotted coat and characteristic spring-loaded pounce, the serval is one of the most striking cat species in Africa
Tuli
Botswana’s Tuli is a place where the wind carries stories of the past, whispering over rocks, around baobabs and across the vast wilderness
New pack of African painted dogs released
Endangered African painted dogs – a new pack has been released into the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Reserve in another conservation milestone for the species
Recreational hunting: 50 years of scientific research
Trophy hunting: Massive meta-analysis on recreational hunting fails to find answers to the crucial questions of the polarising hunting debate
Chobe River lions face an uncertain future
Lions in the Chobe River area face an uncertain future – pressured by human farmers to the north and a lack of new blood from the south
Elephant range is just a fraction of its potential
Africa’s elephants occupy just 17% of their possible range, their historical areas fragmented by human activity. There is potential for expansion – new research
The restoration of Gorongosa National Park
Gorongosa: A long-lost doctoral thesis by an ecologist far ahead of his time helps unleash the massive potential of Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
African grey parrots in traditional medicine
African grey parrots are targeted for medicinal and spiritual practices in West Africa. The trade is a significant threat to grey parrots – new research
Giraffes vs lions
Lions vs a mother giraffe and her baby. This exceptional photo gallery by Kenyan guide James Nampaso showcases real wild Africa
PROTECTING PARADISE – Mauritius
Mauritius – an island beach paradise that also offers volcanic mountains, ancient forest & incredible biodiversity – the perfect green safari
It’s true – elephants are thriving in Namibia
Counting elephants is not easy. It itakes experience, skill and funding. The good news: elephants are thriving in Namibia.
Forest elephants – vanishing ghosts
Forest elephants have finally been granted species status (something scientists have known for decades). With this has come the appalling IUCN classification of ‘critically endangered’
Mandrill – a colourful character
The mandrill is a colourful, tool-using, socially complex monkey that lives in groups called hordes in the forests of western Central Africa.
Elephant hunting – Botswana grants 287 licenses
Botswana elephant hunting: The Botswanan government has granted 287 licenses after the previous season was disrupted by Covid
Translocating lions does not reduce conflict – research
New research from Botswana shows that translocating lions in conflict with livestock owners is expensive and results in high lion mortality, repeat offences and very little reduction in human-lion conflict.
African canids – 11 fascinating species
Today, 11 African canids, from excitable African painted wolves and shrewd jackals to the tiny fox species, hunt the continent’s desert, alpine grassland, savanna and woodland.
Kasanka Bat Migration – an astonishing natural wonder
The Kasanka bat migration in Zambia is the largest mammal migration on planet earth. It’s a spectacular must-see for nature lovers
Fairy circles – ghostly footprints of dead Euphorbias
Fairy circles – Euphorbia toxins are responsible for the bizarre fairy circles that have baffled and fascinated scientists – new research
Laikipia – land of staggering natural beauty
Laikipia in Kenya – a land of staggering beauty & biodiversity – a mosaic of wildlife conservancies, ranchlands & commercial farms
SEEK and ye shall find – elephant identification
Elephant identification is a difficult task – but a new system based on ear patterns is making the task easier – research by Elephants Alive
Rhino poaching in Botswana – is pride hampering prevention?
Is political pride hurting efforts to stop rhino poaching in Botswana? Reports from the field suggest that rhino poaching in Botswana has reached crisis point while the government denies this is the case.
The rhino Cryovault – frozen in time
If all the money, time, blood and sweat fails to save our wild rhinos, Hemmersbach has a solution. The rhino Cryovault holds repositories of rhino DNA, gametes, and tissues preserved indefinitely.
The story behind the Namibian elephant auction
Namibian elephant auction: We look at the background, reasons and context of the controversial sale by auction of 170 wild-caught elephants
Compensation for damage-causing animals near Kruger NP
Compensation given for damage causing animals on the western boundary of the greater Kruger National Park – a contested and emotive issue
African Wildcat
African wildcats are one of Africa’s “Secret 7” – tough little cats are just as untamed and fierce as their iconic big cat cousins
Does the farming and legal trade of wildlife do more harm than good? New study
Farming and legal trade of wildlife could increase demand for wildlife products and so be negative from a conservation perspective – research
KGALAGADI
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park offers one of the most intimate immersions in nature imaginable – free from the trappings of modern life
Meet the world’s smallest chameleon
This dwarf chameleon is officially the world’s smallest chameleon, measuring just 22mm. Found only in Madagascar, this is Brookesia nana
Aardwolf
The aardwolf is one of the most specialised carnivores on the planet – eating termites – and the undeniable black sheep of the hyena family
Did fences cause the elephant deaths in Botswana?
New study examines whether fences could have impacted the elephant deaths in the Seronga region of Botswana in mid-2020.
Unravelling the elaborate sex lives of spotted hyenas
High-ranked male spotted hyenas are more reproductively successful than their low-ranked rivals – hormone and behaviour analysis reveals why.
Kruger rhino populations plummet – latest official stats
Rhino populations in the Kruger National Park have plummeted to an estimated 3,529 white and 268 black rhinos – due to poaching & drought
MAKULEKE
Between two rivers and three countries, Makuleke Contractual Park in northern Kruger is a spectacular biodiversity and historical hotspot
Of ivory, elephants, shipwrecks and slaughter
Ivory recovered from 500-year-old shipwreck reveals details of the ivory trade and how it has devastated forest elephant populations.
Cape Parrot
This is Africa’s rarest parrot. The Cape parrot is found only in small fragmented patches of the remaining mistbelt forests in South Africa
Spotting elephants from space
Artificial intelligence and satellite images can help conservationists count elephants from space, says new research.
Madikwe Game Reserve
Madikwe Game Reserve is a malaria-free safari haven and conservation success story that benefits people, wildlife and the ecosystem
Dwarf giraffe seen in Namibia and Uganda
Researchers have recently published a paper describing two dwarf giraffe in separate populations in Namibia and Uganda
Stories in the night sky
For centuries, African myths and legends have been recorded in the positions of the celestial bodies in the night sky. Starry starry night
Operation Twiga V
15 ‘Critically Endangered’ Nubian giraffes translocated from Murchison Falls to Pian Upe in Uganda – part of ongoing giraffe range expansion
The extinction business – South Africa’s cold-blooded reptile trade
South Africa’s amphibian & reptile trade is a growing industry that is unregulated, unsustainable, and unethical – says report
Arch-enemies? New research on lions vs hyenas
Lions vs hyenas is the ultimate African drama. New research has shed light on the dynamics between these two apex predators
RHINO
Africa’s 2 rhino species are the most numerous of the world’s 5 species. Here is everything you need to know about black and white rhinos
Female banded mongooses incite violence for better mating opportunities
Female banded mongooses lead their groups into deliberate conflict with rival groups to increase their chances of mating – research
The Edge of Existence and human-wildlife conflict – we interview James Suter
The Edge of Existence tells the story of human-wildlife conflict on the western boundary of Tanzania’s Serengeti. We interview the filmmaker
HWANGE
Zimbabwe’s oldest and largest national park, Hwange is a safari paradise that hosts large populations of elephants, lions and wild dogs
Confiscated parrots fly free again over DR Congo forests
39 poached & confiscated African grey parrots released in eastern DR Congo after being rehabilitated at Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Centre
Forest elephants going hungry as climate change stops trees from fruiting
Forest elephants are losing body condition – most probably due to climate impacts on forest tree fruit production – say researchers
Chacma Baboon
The baboon is one of the largest monkeys in the world, with human-like cunning and 4cm canines that rival those of leopards
