Wildlife

Reported

Artificial Snow Can Harm Wildlife, but Some Ski Resorts Have Found Another Way

Climate change is decimating natural snow and, in turn, changing the habitats near ski resorts.

Climate•7 min read

Reported

More Than 600 Species at Risk From Forever Chemicals

While the health impacts of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, or PFAS, are well known in humans, a new study reports how they affect a wide range of wildlife species.

Climate•8 min read

Explainer

Which Animals Are Most Affected by Climate Change, Explained

We’re nearing or have already arrived at the 6th Great Extinction — only this time, the crisis is manmade.

Climate•9 min read

Reported

A New Program Cleaning Up Crab Traps Is a Start – But Is It Enough?

Abandoned traps catch roughly 3.3 million crabs each year, on top of decimating seagrasses, coral and endangered whales.

Climate•4 min read

Reported

Colorado Plans To Reintroduce Wolves, but Is It Enough To Protect Them?

Ranchers are paid up to $15,000 per dead cow, and the state is authorized to kill wolves if wild prey numbers dip below a set threshold.

Climate•6 min read

Reported

7 Wildlife Species at Risk From the Willow Project

Scientists warn the Willow Project not only damages the atmosphere but also threatens vulnerable wildlife — here are 7 examples.

Climate•8 min read

Analysis

Want to Sequester Carbon? Save Wild Animals

Gray wolves, elephants, wildebeests and sea otters are a few of the species that can help sequester carbon and mitigate global warming.

Climate•5 min read

Reported

The Way We Eat Is Killing Manatees

Experts warn the Florida manatee is at risk of mass starvation as farm pollution continues to wipe out their primary food source.

Climate•5 min read

Analysis

Wildlife Wins From Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Act

A bounty of much-needed new federal funds will help reconnect habit for freshwater and terrestrial animals.

Climate•8 min read

Reported

How Climate Change Killed Thousands of Migratory Birds

Researchers call this effect "weather whiplash" but say sanctuaries and sustainable land strategies could help.

Climate•2 min read

Reported

How Animals May Have Conquered Snowball Earth

We know there were animals during Earth’s chilliest era. The question is, what did they look like?

Climate•5 min read

Reported

How Much Has the COP15 Biodiversity Conference Achieved for Wildlife?

At COP15, world governments are at a crossroads.

Climate•6 min read

Explainer

Cattle Ranching Is Actually Terrible for Biodiversity

Over 1.5 million cattle graze on public lands to the detriment of biodiversity — wiping out native wildlife and destabilizing ecosystems.

Climate•12 min read

Reported

Grouse Hunting Persists Despite Record of Damage to Wildlife and Environment

Grouse hunting kills hundreds of thousands of animals each year in the U.K. and releases 260,000 tons of carbon.

Climate•5 min read

Reported

Hawaii’s Cats Are in Danger

Companion animals and the state’s feral cat population are at risk.

Climate•5 min read

Explainer

In Captivity, Dolphins Live Shorter, Less Natural Lives

In the wild, dolphins spend their lives surrounded by other dolphins. But in captivity, life looks very different, and their health often suffers as a result.

Climate•8 min read

In Central America, Local Communities Help Parrot Species Avoid Extinction

The illicit trade in wild birds, particularly scarlet macaws and yellow-naped parrots, has put many native species at risk of extinction.

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

Sixth Great Extinction Isn’t Getting the Attention It Deserves

The climate and biodiversity crises are equally important and entirely interconnected. But experts say the media isn't giving biodiversity the attention it deserves.

Climate•6 min read

Perspective

How Drones Could Help Us Coexist With Wildlife

Human-wildlife conflict is on the rise. Drones offer us a kinder future for wildlife management, one that protects both people and animals.

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

The Future of Beavers Depends on Learning Lessons From the Past

For years, Scottish farmers saw the native beaver population as a menace. They learned it’s much easier to work with nature’s problem solvers than against them.

Climate•7 min read

Perspective

The Great American War on Wolves

Keegan Sentner takes us into the heart of a centuries-long conflict designed to eradicate wolves from the American West.

Climate•6 min read

Feature

How Animal Trafficking Became One of the Most Lucrative Industries on the Planet

Animal trafficking is considered to be one of the most profitable illegal activities in the world. Monkeys, tigers, and pangolins are all heavily trafficked.

Climate•9 min read

Analysis

Aquatic Animal Welfare Is Important Part of Fight for Sustainability

New report released by the Aquatic Life Institute underscores the importance of aquatic animal welfare in achieving global sustainable development goals.

Climate•2 min read

Analysis

Scientists Call for Solving Climate and Biodiversity Crises Together

A new report highlights the importance of confronting climate change and biodiversity loss together. Solutions that take both issues into account have the best chance of success.

Climate•6 min read

Feature

Can a Wildlife Refuge Help a Community’s Fight for Environmental Justice?

In Albuquerque’s South Valley, activists are happy for more green space but worry about how gentrification will affect their local ecosystem.

Climate•7 min read

Perspective

How the Pandemic Is Changing Our Relationship with Nature

COVID-19 has revealed the deep interconnectedness of our planet, where an outbreak in China can lead to curfews in California.

Climate•7 min read

Reported

In China, Traditional Remedies for COVID-19 Are Fueling the Wildlife Trade

The sale of wildlife for human consumption was made illegal in most of China following the outbreak of COVID-19, but thanks to loopholes in the legislation, the wildlife trade is…

Climate•9 min read

Feature

Who Killed Cachou? Brown Bear’s Unusual Death Ignites Controversy

As with many other human-wildlife conflicts, this story involves the usual suspects: livestock farmers, environmental organizations, and a regional government caught in between.

Climate•7 min read

Feature

Conservation or Culture: The Fight for Nigeria’s Future

Meet the Nigerians who are challenging tradition: from innovative plant-based chefs to conservationists who rescue wildlife from meat markets and poachers, allowing them to thrive in safety.

Climate•6 min read

Reported

Australian Officials Use Bushfire Recovery Effort to Cover Up Mass Killing of Wild Horses

Environmental officials in Australia are manipulating population data and using COVID-19 scare campaigns to eradicate the Heritage Brumby population. Can they be stopped?

Climate•8 min read

Reported

Coronavirus Pandemic Threatening Last of the Great Apes

COVID-19 did not originate in humans, nor is it infecting just our species. The virus further jeopardizes great apes while continuing to wreak havoc in our own societies.

Climate•7 min read

Perspective

Elephant Poaching Is a Humanitarian Crisis, Too

Most conservation efforts fail to address poverty as a primary cause of the poaching crisis. Poachers can make more money from one kill than most sub-Saharan Africans earn in an…

Climate•9 min read

Perspective

Why Is Palm Oil Such a Problem Now?

Palm oil has revolutionized the way we produce a variety of foods and cosmetics. But most people are unaware of how destructive this "magical ingredient" is to the natural environment.

Climate•10 min read

Reported

When Natural Disaster Strikes, Wildlife Pays A Heavy Price

The Australia bushfires killed an estimated 1.25 billion wild animals. Emergency-preparedness plans still often ignore the needs of wildlife populations during and after natural disasters.

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

Australia’s Landscapes of Fear

Peter Hylands reports from Australia, where the killing of kangaroos is commonplace and the population estimates and hunting permits just don't seem to match.

Climate•6 min read

Perspective

Traditional Conservation Science is a Pathological Disorder: Just Stop Killing Animals

Under the false pretense of conservation, wildlife departments routinely disregard the need to protect all animal life by permitting hunters to kill any animal they define as “pests.”

Climate•4 min read

Review

Read This Book: Pulphead

The story of "La·hwi·ne·ski: Career of an Eccentric Naturalist" from John Jeremiah Sullivan's Pulphead: Essays (FSG 2011) gives voice to the more romantic side of humankind's quest for knowledge and…

Climate•2 min read

Reported

Can Animals Adapt to Climate Change?

It's getting so hot out that Africa could lose up to 50% of its bird and mammal populations by the end of the century. Species loss in the Americas could…

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

Read This Book: Poached

Wildlife Alliance/Flickr Journalist Rachel Love Nuwer reports from the front lines of the cruel trade of the world’s most exotic creatures in Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking…

Climate•1 min read

Perspective

Read This Book: The Ravenmaster

Tell me about the last raven you saw. How close did you get? How much did you really see? In The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens in the Tower…

Climate•1 min read

Perspective

Read This Book: The Truth About Animals

Let’s talk about sloths. Lucy Cooke founded the Sloth Appreciation Society with one thought in mind: Being fast is overrated. Her book The Truth About Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos,…

Climate•1 min read

Reported

Puffins Don’t Have Enough Food to Eat

If seawater temperatures in Iceland increase by just one degree, which it has since the last cold cycle between 1965-1995, the ability of each species to survive the winter changes,…

Climate•1 min read