WASHINGTON — Nearly a quarter of animals living in rivers, lakes and other freshwater sources are threatened with extinction, according to new research published Wednesday. “Huge rivers like the Amazon can appear mighty, but at the same time freshwater environments are very fragile,” said study co-author Patricia Charvet, a biologist at Brazil’s Federal University of … Read more
Only a month after Thailand’s adorable baby hippo Moo Deng was unveiled on Facebook, her fame became unstoppable both domestically and internationally. Zookeeper Atthapon Nundee has been posting cute moments of the animals in his care for about five years. He never imagined Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s newborn pygmy hippo would become an internet megastar … Read more
Wildlife researchers are optimistic for the future of the critically endangered Vancouver Island marmot species, after they counted a record 86 wild-born pups this summer. The Vancouver Island marmot, which is endemic to its namesake, is one of the country’s most endangered species. The Marmot Recovery Foundation estimates there were fewer than 30 in the wild about 20 years … Read more
For decades, licensed hunters have killed hundreds of Colorado mountain lions every year to control the state’s population of the elusive feline. Voters in November will decide whether to ban the practice, along with the trapping of bobcats. That prospect has set off a deluge of competing claims about what will happen if big-cat hunting … Read more
During the summertime, it’s routine for Everton resident Susan Johnson to go to her backyard and check on her milkweed plants in the garden. Milkweed plants are the only host plant for monarch caterpillars. It provides the nourishment the monarch needs to transform into an adult butterfly. Without it, the monarch cannot complete its life … Read more
An initiative that would ban the hunting and commercial trapping of mountain lions and other wild cats will be on the statewide ballot in November. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Wednesday that the measure backed by wildlife advocates had garnered more than enough signatures to qualify for the Nov. 5 election. Backers turned … Read more
As It Happens7:10Not only are Komodo dragon teeth razor sharp; they’re also iron coated Not only do Komodo dragons have serrated, razor-sharp teeth that constantly replenish themselves — they’re also iron-coated, according to a new study. It’s the same protective coating found in the mouths of beavers. But while the industrious dam builders use their … Read more
A woman from China has been arrested at a Vermont lake bordering Quebec for trying to smuggle 29 eastern box turtles, a protected species, into Canada by kayak, according to border patrol agents. Wan Yee Ng was arrested on the morning of June 28 at an Airbnb in Canaan, Vt., as she was about to … Read more
More than 45,000 species are now threatened with extinction — 1,000 more than last year — according to an international conservation organization that blames pressures from climate change, invasive species and human activity such as illicit trade and infrastructural expansion. The International Union for Conservation of Nature released its latest Red List of Threatened Species … Read more
Over 45,000 species are now threatened with extinction — 1,000 more than last year — according to an international conservation organization that blames pressures from climate change, invasive species and human activity such as illicit trade and infrastructural expansion. The International Union for Conservation of Nature released its latest Red List of Threatened Species on … Read more
