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
The Y chromosome, which determines the sex of human and other mammal babies, is slowly degenerating and may disappear within a few million years, raising fears of extinction. However, a 2022 study on the Sry-deficient Amami spiny rat suggests that humans might evolve a new male-determining gene, offering hope of survival despite the Y chromosome‘s … Read more
They lurk in the murky depths of some of Alberta’s biggest rivers, living fossils from when giant lizards strode the earth. But a prominent fisheries biologist fears the province’s lake sturgeon may finally share the fate of the dinosaurs because of growing pressure on water resources. “The more you shrink the area in which a … Read more
As It Happens6:42When India’s vulture population collapsed, half a million human deaths followed: study Vultures may not be the most popular animal in the world, but the work they do is essential for human life, a new study has found. New research attributes 500,000 human deaths in India over the course of five years in the … Read more
Jasper National Park is beloved for its breathtaking mountain landscapes — and the special opportunity to see iconic animals such as elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, grizzly bears and, with luck, endangered woodland caribou. But this week, as thousands of visitors and locals alike fled raging wildfires that ripped through the park and its town, … 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
Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is recommending the adoption of an emergency decree to protect the boreal caribou in Quebec as some herds cross the “threshold of near-disappearance.” The Pipmuacan, Val-d’Or and Charlevoix woodland herds could soon be subject to federally imposed protection measures. In a letter addressed to Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette, Guilbeault writes that he intends … Read more
A rare species of cycad, E. woodii, is the only example scientists have ever discovered – a male plant living a lonely existence in South Africa’s Ngoye Forest, in 1895. Ngoye is an ancient coastal scarp forest that is protected by the oNgoye Forest Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. E. woodii is now considered extinct in the … Read more
SANTIAGO: The flamingo population in Chile’s Los Flamencos national reserve is dwindling and scientists are trying to find out where the long-legged, pink-plumed birds are going. “The number of flamingos we’re seeing is much lower than two years ago,” said Guillermo Cubillos, head of the conservation and investigations unit for Chile’s National Zoo. Cubillos said … Read more
As It Happens108:20:00Honeybees invaded a reporter’s home, and upended everything she thought she knew about them It started with a single bee. Sarah Kliff, a New York Times reporter, was working from home in Washington, D.C., a few weeks back, when she found a bee buzzing in her window. “I thought it had just gotten … Read more
