India’s high demand for exotic pets leads to rise in animal smuggling
Six live animals have been seized from the checked-in luggage of a passenger in Chennai, in a case that highlights a growing trend for smuggling rare species into India and loopholes in its wildlife laws. Airport officials found five dwarf mongooses and a common spotted cuscus, a marsupial that lives in Australia and New Guinea, […]
What an elephant’s brain reveals about its trunk
Elephant trunks are incredibly strong but very dexterous—they can lift more than 700 pounds, yet also pick up a single blade of grass. The massive mammals use these long noses to eat, drink, smell, trumpet and breathe. Now, researchers have studied the elephant facial motor nucleus—the part of the brain responsible for controlling muscles in […]
Pork industry lawsuit draws new attention to cruel conditions in North Carolina
Motorists passing through parts of southeastern North Carolina can smell the presence of industrial hog farms. But few get to see—or would want to see—how the hogs are raised for slaughter. That lack of visibility is by design. Seeing factory farming involving any animals tends to spoil the appetite and consumer demand. North Carolina and […]
World close to ‘irreversible’ climate breakdown, warn major studies
The climate crisis has reached a “really bleak moment”, one of the world’s leading climate scientists has said, after a slew of major reports laid bare how close the planet is to catastrophe. Collective action is needed by the world’s nations more now than at any point since the second world war to avoid climate […]
‘Fishless fish’: the next big trend in the seafood industry
In the middle of San Francisco, there’s a pilot production plant for Wildtype, one of a handful of cell-cultivated seafood companies in the U.S. Inside, it’s growing sushi-grade coho salmon in tanks similar to those found in breweries—no fishing or farming required. Depending on whom you talk to, fishless fish could be the next big […]
Profit, pain and puppies: Inside the rescue of nearly 4,000 beagles
The first beagle out that day had brown eyes and a chunk missing from his left ear. His tail was a nub. It went from tan to white, then disappeared, maybe bitten off in a fight or caught in a cage door. The 1-year-old had never been given a name—just an identification code, ‘CMG CKA,’ […]
Alaska canceled snow crab season for the first time ever because all the crabs are gone
For the first time in history, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has canceled snow crab season due to the dwindling numbers of crabs available. This decision follows a report released in August that showed that snow crab abundance in Alaska is on a steep decline, with stocks down 90 percent in the last […]
Right to Rescue: Jury acquits animal rights activists who saved piglets at Smithfield factory farm
In a major victory for animal rights, a jury in Utah has acquitted two animal rights activists who each faced up to five-and-a-half years of prison time for rescuing two sick piglets from Smithfield’s Circle Four Farms, one of the world’s largest pig farms. During the 2017 rescue operation, activists with the group Direct Action […]
Animal populations experience average decline of almost 70% since 1970, report reveals
Earth’s wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years, according to a leading scientific assessment, as humans continue to clear forests, consume beyond the limits of the planet and pollute on an industrial scale. From the open ocean to tropical rainforests, the abundance of birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles […]
Bird populations in decline across U.S., Mass., some species near ‘tipping point’
Bird populations are declining rapidly in the U.S., including 22 species that live in or pass through Massachusetts, according to a report. The U.S. State of the Birds 2022 report introduces a “tipping point list,” identifying 70 species at risk of becoming endangered. These species have already declined by at least 50% and could lose […]
U.S. officials “Red-List” lobsters to help critically endangered whales
Lobster nets and pots have become such a threat to the survival of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales that the crustaceans have been “red-listed” as seafood to avoid by a major fish sustainability guide. Fewer than 340 of these whales exist today, including only 80 breeding females. The population is estimated to have dwindled […]
Scientists plan the resurrection of an animal that’s been extinct since 1936
Almost 100 years after its extinction, the Tasmanian tiger may live once again. Scientists want to resurrect the striped carnivorous marsupial, officially known as a thylacine, which used to roam the Australian bush. The ambitious project will harness advances in genetics, ancient DNA retrieval and artificial reproduction to bring back the animal.
