The Conservation Corner with the Watering Hole
One of the most breathtaking and incredible migrations on the planet is made by a creature you might not expect: the monarch butterfly. It is a sight to behold. Unable to survive the cold winters of North America, millions of these incredible butterflies travel 50-100 miles a day to reach the forests of central Mexico at […] More
This unusual, armadillo-like creature is the most trafficked animal on the planet — even more than rhinos and elephants — and now South Africans are trying to save it. Two conservation organizations recently announced plans to build a “pangalorium,” a pangolin refuge in Johannesburg that will help care for African pangolins seized by customs officers until […] More
Sudan, the last male northern white rhino — and perhaps the most famous rhino in the world — died on Monday, leaving his subspecies one step closer to extinction. He was 45 years old and had been suffering from age-related health issues and infections that left him unable to stand, causing his keepers to make the […] More
If you’ve ever seen a piece of coral someone’s brought back as a souvenir from an island vacation, you know what coral looks like when it dies. The process through which coral turns completely white is called bleaching, and it’s the first step toward the death of a reef. Essentially, the coral gets stressed — […] More
A rare Malaysian moth species that was previously known only from a 130-year-old specimen has been rediscovered by Polish researchers. The Oriental blue clearwing (Heterosphecia tawonoides) doesn’t look much like most moths. It mimics a bee, in both appearance and behavior, to avoid predators. The clearwing has elongated scales on its legs that look like […] More
Snow leopards are no longer officially an endangered species — but that doesn’t mean the cat is out of the woods yet. Scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which maintains a “red list” of endangered species around the globe, recently reclassified the leopard species as “vulnerable,” because there are actually more snow […] More
Millions of donkeys across the world are being killed to fuel the demand for a traditional remedy in China. The donkey skin remedy, named ejiao, is produced by boiling down the skin to obtain gelatin, which many of its buyers believe can treat blood conditions and promote general health. When not used to remedy blood disorders, […] More
The controversial practice of hunting and killing animals for sport has long outraged conservationists and animal lovers. But a ban on commercial hunting may do more harm than good, says one activist. Speaking at a TEDx Copenhagen event, conservationist Mikkel Legerth who co-created the Modisa Wildlife Project in Botswana, claimed that the country’s ban on […] More
A red-tailed hawk chick that was “adopted” by bald eagles has survived against the odds. The chick was initially spotted in an eagle’s nest in Sidney, British Columbia in June. Experts say that this hawk has beaten the odds; in general, hawks and eagles are considered enemies, and its chances of survival were extremely low. […] More
This peculiar creature, the horseshoe crab, saves lives every single day (and has probably already saved yours)! Horseshoe crabs are somewha primitive-looking marine invertebrates with a tough external skeleton. They thrive in shallow ocean waters and will come to shore periodically to mate. You’ve probably seen one if you frequent the beaches of the US East Coast. Image: […] More
The Ili pika might be the cutest animal in the world. The teensy mammal, which looks something like a cross between a hamster, a bunny and a teddy bear, was first discovered in China’s Tianshan Mountains in the early 1980s. A scientist named Li Weidong found the first Ili pika in 1983 while studying infectious diseases […] More
Predators will start becoming even fiercer as global temperatures rise, says a study that looked at how warmer conditions could affect diversity and competition between species. According to a paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, warmer temperatures could cause ravenous animals to wipe out smaller prey, upsetting the delicate ecological balance of […] More
