Tag archives for wildlife
Posted by In the last three years I’ve worked tirelessly meeting people in the field of cheetah conservation both at home in California and in the countries where the cheetah still roam their natural habitat. From the ambassadors of their species in the United States to the wild cats of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, the journey…
Studies Link Warming to Increased Weather Extremes
Posted by Tim Profeta of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University on March 28, 2013 A new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) finds global temperatures to be one of the best predictors of hurricane activity. In fact, the PNAS study found that a one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) rise in global temperatures could multiply the frequency of Katrina-like storms by two to seven times. In the Arctic, melting sea ice—which reached its sixth lowest…
Everything Changes, Land Use to Climate: Monthly Grassland News Update
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on March 16, 2013 
THIS MONTH: Land Conversion for Biofuels, Climate Change on Tibet’s Grasslands, Pesticides and Grassland Birds, Rare Antelope Collaring In an effort to increase awareness of grasslands issues and encourage you to fall in love with our world’s prairies, American Prairie Reserve compiles a news roundup each month. These stories will introduce you to the organizations working to restore…
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The Great Lakes are the largest supply of freshwater in the world, and more than 36 million people depend on them for drinking water. As a result, monitoring and maintaining the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem is an urgent priority. Of the diverse organisms inhabiting freshwater systems, fishes are familiar to scientists and laypeople…
Posted by Tiger Tourism: Can Travel Help Save These Big Cats?
Posted by IZILWANE on February 20, 2013 Tigers are one of the most charismatic and beautiful animals on earth. They are the world’s largest cat and can live across a wide range of habitats, from mountains to coastal wetlands. Most of the world’s tigers live in India within the borders of a number of national parks and tiger reserves; but their numbers…
Rebound, Decline and Reintroduction on the Plains: Grasslands News from January 2013
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on February 13, 2013 
IN THIS POST: Wood Bison in Alaska, Text Messages Versus Poachers, South American Tapirs, Linking Prairie Dogs and Grassland Birds, India’s Blackbuck, Biodiversity and Exotic Animals in Europe, Grasslands National Park – In an effort to increase awareness of grasslands issues and encourage you to fall in love with our world’s prairies, American Prairie Reserve compiles…
5 Surprising Facts About Rare Species
Posted by Guest Blogger on January 24, 2013 
By Eric Dinerstein, author of The Kingdom of Rarities What if the organisms that populate the natural world—from whales to weevils—were classified not by their evolutionary relationships but by their relative degree of rarity? Imagine a way of looking at the world where we divide the ark into representatives of two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Common…
Posted by Many of the indigenous species of the Yucatan Peninsula are slowly disappearing. These range from the formidable jaguar to the colorful motmot and countless animals that play important roles in their habitats. Not only are these species indicators of the health of the planet, but they have also been fundamental icons of power, sacredness, purity,…
Fire, Ferrets and Falcons: Grasslands News from December 2012
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on January 16, 2013 
In an effort to increase awareness of grasslands issues and encourage you to fall in love with our world’s prairies, American Prairie Reserve compiles a news roundup each month. These stories will introduce you to the organizations working to restore this endangered ecosystem, demonstrate the diversity of the plains and showcase the many different approaches to grassland…
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The large number of mature and experienced African elephants being killed illegally for their ivory is exposing younger surviving elephants to a higher risk of mortality from predation and other risks, wildlife conservationists said today.
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I’ve written some about roadkill over the years. (Yes, I know someone who collects fresh roadkill and prepares it for her family, but that’s not what I mean.) Unfortunately, for many people, the only interaction they have with wildlife is seeing it belly up on the side of the pavement. Roadkill is a tragic loss…
South African Rhino Poaching Hits New High, Group Says
Posted by Dan Stone of National Geographic Magazine on January 11, 2013 
Despite ongoing protection efforts, rhinoceros poaching continues its sharp increase.
Brazil, Australia, India and Beyond: Grasslands News from November 2012
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on December 17, 2012 
In an effort to increase awareness of grasslands issues and encourage you to fall in love with our world’s prairies, American Prairie Reserve compiles a news roundup each month. These stories will introduce you to the organizations working to restore this endangered ecosystem, demonstrate the diversity of the plains and showcase the many different approaches…
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Yvonne de Jong and her team are in search of the desert warthog and common warthog- yes, the lovable ‘Pumba’ from the ‘Lion King’- in northern Kenya.
When the African penguin made a comeback to the South African mainland in the 1980s, most people were thrilled that the embattled bird was again breeding in places other than on a few rocky islets off the coast of Cape Town. Fences and viewing platforms were erected to protect the penguins from tourists flocking to…
Top 10 Ecotourism Spots in the Great Plains
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on October 19, 2012 A survey of 51 representatives from tourism companies, state agencies, nonprofits and others has confirmed what many prairie enthusiasts already know: the Great Plains region is home to some of the country’s best kept ecotourism secrets. The Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently released the results of their two-phase survey,…
Why Don’t You Call it Scat, Meriwether?
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on October 16, 2012 
I have read numerous journals from 19th century explorers, fur trappers, and government officials for my research project with American Prairie Reserve this summer (previous posts here and here). The hope was that these sources would provide anecdotal insights into historic wildlife populations from Montana’s prairie ecosystem. In fact, these sources have been indispensable…
Plain Wonderful: Grasslands News from September
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on October 12, 2012 
[Fall light show on American Prairie Reserve. Photo: Dennis Lingohr] Are prairie landscapes loved the least? Grasslands are the least protected ecosystem in the world despite the fact that they cover a quarter of the Earth’s surface. Some might say they are the least sexy, too. After all, can grasses really compete with dramatic…
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A new study of coyote relationships has found that the only “tail” they chase is probably their own (or the Road Runner’s. Meep! Meep!) A recent study of urban coyotes shows that these canine cousins are loyal to their mates and never stray. Not ever. The surprising bit? This fidelity is helping coyotes to…
Top Predator on the Plains: Wolf, Bear or Human?
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on September 24, 2012 
Looking back in time, who was the top predator of the American prairie ecosystem? Wolves, grizzly bears… humans? As I continue my research of historic wildlife populations in northeastern Montana (read my first post here), it is important to consider how changes in human populations were affecting the ecology of this area. There was a…
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The migration of globally endangered Egyptian vultures is under high-tech surveillance Eastern Turkey environmental organization KuzeyDoga celebrated September 1 International Vulture Awareness Day at Turkey’s first vulture restaurant in Igdir with another first for Turkey’s vultures. first vulture restaurantOn August 17, we started satellite-tracking globally endangered Egyptian vultures for the first time in Turkey, in collaboration with Turkey’s Ministry of Forestry…
Should Conservation Look Back? Examining Historic Wildlife Populations of America’s Serengeti
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on August 15, 2012 
“Immense” was the word Meriwether Lewis used repeatedly to describe the abundance of wildlife on the prairie during his transcontinental expedition with William Clark from 1804 to 1806; “We saw immence quantities of game in every direction around us as we passed up the river: consisting of herds of Buffaloe, Elk and antelopes with…
Predator Dinner Party? Badgers and Coyotes Work Together on the Prairie
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on July 20, 2012 Over the last century, biologists have worked hard to document a rather odd pair of hunting buddies: the coyote and the badger. While the nature of their relationship has been debated – is it truly symbotic or merely more efficient? – it is a fascinating natural phenomenon to observe. Of course, the interaction between the…
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Train the Chesapeake Bay retriever has a dirty job—finding the poop that Argentina’s forest carnivores have left behind.
