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Oct 042016
 
Revealed: the criminals making millions from illegal wildlife trafficking

A major investigation into global wildlife crime today names for the first time key traffickers and links their illegal trade to corrupt officials at the highest levels of one Asian country. The investigation, published by the Guardian, exposes the central role of international organised crime groups in mutilating and killing tens of thousands of animals […]

Oct 032016
 
China accused of defying its own ban on breeding tigers to profit from body parts

China has been accused of deceiving the international community by allowing a network of farms to breed thousands of captive tigers for the sale of their body parts, in breach of their own longstanding ban on the trade. The Chinese government has allowed about 200 specialist farms to hold an estimated 6,000 tigers for slaughter, […]

Oct 022016
 
Wheatear exodus

It’s always great to see the first Wheatear of the year as they arrive in the spring and great to see them gathering for the mass exit too. I hope these guys do well on their epic migration and look forward to their return next spring.        

Oct 022016
 
Terns follow record warm temperatures in 'shock' migration

Eyebrows would be raised if American crocodiles, found on the southern tip of Florida, decided to relocate to New York’s Fifth Avenue or Moroccan camels suddenly joined the tourist throng outside Buckingham Palace in London. Yet this is the scale of species shift that appears to be under way in Alaska. In July, researchers in […]

Oct 012016
 
Last of the Egyptian Nightjars – Jubail

The last few Egyptian Nightjars are still present in Jubail although I suspect this will be last time I see them this year. I saw five birds in different locations during the day, but they normally leave in early September. Wader numbers continue to build with large numbers of Common Ringed Plovers seen and smaller […]

Oct 012016
 
Should shooting stags be allowed during the rut?

La chance me sourit pour l’image ces jours-ci mais elle ne sourit pas aux cerfs porteurs de beaux bois. Non seulement les chasseurs ont droit à 3 jours de battue pendant le brame par semaine, mais aussi à des tirs sauvages ou à l’affût tous les jours. Je suis montée sans trop croire aux possibilités […]

Sep 302016
 
Autumn Migration

Raptor and passerine migration is now well and truly underway in my region of Japan. The Chinese Goshawks have finished and now it is the turn of the Oriental Honey Buzzards, Grey-faced Buzzards, Eurasian Sparrowhawks and smaller numbers of Northern Hobby and Japanese Sparrowhawk. The Eurasian Kestrels have just arrived at Isahaya, along with the […]

Sep 302016
 
POLL: Should Namibia's cape fur seal trade be banned?

Namibian Sunshine isn’t what you might think. It’s oil derived from the blubber of the Cape fur seal, advertised online as rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and allegedly more readily absorbed by the human body—given its mammalian source—than fish oil. Since 2005 Namibia has exported almost 33,000 gallons of sunshine, nearly a third to China. […]

Sep 292016
 
Peru! Traveling to Fight Climate Change

Every year, two million people from around the world head to Peru specifically to visit Machu Picchu. Some of them want to see South American wildlife and enjoy a wonderful experience at one of the genuine wonders of the world, but their visits don’t require protection of anything outside of this area. Indeed, the sheer […]

Sep 292016
 
New Zealand kea, the world's only alpine parrot, faces extinction

The world’s only alpine parrot is at threat of extinction in New Zealand as numbers plummet in the face of threats from non-native predators and human development. The kea is the world’s only mountain-dwelling parrot and also one of the most intelligent species of bird known for their playfulness and novelty-seeking nature. The birds, which […]