Zimbabwe's endangered black rhinos are finally making a comeback
Rhinoceros populations are beginning to recover in the species' native Zimbabwe, indicating that conservation efforts are bearing fruit, according to animal conservationists. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission's African Rhino Specialist Read More...
The Gorilla Guardian Club converts poachers into protectors
Eight years ago, the Ebo Forest Research Project was launched by scientists from Cameroon and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Its overarching goal is to protect the Ebo forest, a 1,500 square kilometer (580 square miles) area in the Congo Basin, and its inhabitants, which include rare primates Read More...
Elephant-friendly alternative to ivory can be 3D-printed to restore art
Although there has been a ban on international ivory trading since 1989, tens of thousands of elephants are still poached for their tusks every year, a trend that’s slowly pushing some endangered species to the brink of extinction. A team of scientists has recently developed a high-quality ivory Read More...
This electric motorbike could help protect endangered wildlife in Africa
Rangers working to prevent poaching in Africa often use motorbikes to patrol protected areas. The vehicles, however, run on gas-guzzling engines that require expensive and inaccessible gasoline. On top of that, the loud motors make it virtually impossible to sneak up on poachers. A new partnership Read More...
Motion sensor uses AI to recognize when wildlife is running from poachers
Scientists at the University of Twente in the Netherlands are mixing motion sensors with machine learning to create a powerful tool that could help combat wildlife poaching. Motion sensors have already given conservationists the ability to track the whereabouts of endangered animals, but this new Read More...
Rhino poaching drops by 50 percent in South Africa thanks to lockdown
Other than sea turtles with threatened conservation status, other endangered species around the world have also benefitted from diminished human activity during the pandemic. The number of South African rhinos killed by poachers fell by half in the first half of the year as the coronavirus outbreak Read More...
Wildlife forensics: Inside the quest to save pangolins from poachers
Pangolins are thought to be the most trafficked animal in the world, and yet, we know relatively little about them. We know the pangolin, which is the only scaly mammal in the world, has a body covered with razor-sharp, overlapping keratin plates. When attacked, it rolls into an armored ball with Read More...
Rhino poaching numbers fall for fifth consecutive year in South Africa
South Africa’s Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries revealed this week that the number of rhinos poached has fallen for the fifth consecutive year. According to the department, 594 rhinos were poached last year. That's still a painful number to read, but it does represent a sizable Read More...
Could fake rhino horns help stop the poaching of endangered rhinos?
Despite stronger anti-poaching teams and bans on the trade of rhino horn, this illegal business still continues to this day. In search of a new way to protect endangered rhinos from poaching, scientists have found a way to make a fake rhino horn that looks and feels just like the real one using Read More...
Elephant and rhino populations rebound in Tanzania after crackdown on poaching
Iconic African animals including elephants and rhinos have long been targeted by organized criminal networks that are feeding an insatiable demand for ivory and rhino horn in Asian countries. But strategic anti-poaching government action may just be key to tackling the problem. In Tanzania, for Read More...