“As a climate change-induced drought wears on, it’s putting more pressure on wildlife, livestock, and people.”
wildlife
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, our editors recommend notable features and essays by Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Justin Heckert, Gloria Liu, Sharon Levy, and Mychal Denzel Smith.
How the Yurok Tribe Is Bringing Back the California Condor
Condor 746, on loan from a captive breeding program in Idaho, traveled to California in spring 2022. He’s the first California condor in over a century to reach the ancestral land of the Yurok Tribe, and made the journey to mentor four young birds in a condor facility in Redwood National Park. Condors are very […]
‘Scared Into Silence’: Former Workers Allege Abuse, Safety Issues at B.C. Environmental Organization
In the beginning, working for the Pacific Wild Alliance, a British Columbia-based environmental nonprofit, was a dream for some of its employees. But underneath it all — the gorgeous wildlife photo campaigns, the adventures set in pristine backdrops — was an unsafe and toxic work environment. This investigation digs into the organization, particularly the behavior […]
The Lion King of Los Angeles
Growing up in Los Angeles as a Latino child interested in science, Miguel Ordeñana didn’t really have any role models to look up to. Now, as a wildlife biologist, his research on P-22, the famous mountain lion of Griffith Park, is important and inspiring. Ordeñana is an advocate for landscape connectivity and a more inclusive […]
The Internet Has a Rat Poison Problem
“How online sales of highly regulated, super-toxic rodenticides exploit gaps in the law and imperil wildlife.”
Did a Legendary Trout Really Ride the Rails from California to Missouri?
“Scientists use DNA to solve genetic puzzles in waters around the world. But in Crane Creek, the mystery got deeper.”
The Elephant Who Could Be a Person
“In the courts, elephant personhood is a keystone argument, the argument on which all other animal-rights and even environmental arguments could conceivably depend.”
To Catch a Turtle Thief: Blowing the Lid Off an International Smuggling Operation
“When a padded envelope at the Calgary airport started to move, officials jumped into action.”
How Trafficked Cheetah Cubs Move From the Wild and Into Your Instagram Feed
Criminal networks in Somaliland smuggle cheetah cubs out of Africa to wealthy buyers in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and other Gulf countries.