The Archives

Cao vit gibbon
02.13.09 | Permalink | Comment?

A few cao vit gibbons were spotted, mother with infant, recently on the Chinese-Vietnam border. There are estimated to be only around 110 of these left in the wild.
[via The Guardian]
Elephants of the Sahel in danger
12.12.08 | Permalink | 1 Comment

According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, the once 3,500 strong population of elephants in the Zakouma National Park of the Sahel region of Chad (Census 2006) has been decimated by ivory poachers to a mere 1,000 animals, as seen by a recent “MegaFlyover”. Sadder still, this very population of animals was at a similar level [...]
2008 Leaky Prize
11.04.08 | Permalink | Comment?

The Leakey Prize was established in 1990 to reward intellectual achievement and express appreciation for research performed with courage and perseverance in the fields of ape and human evolution. The intention of the award is to honor a scientist for achievement transcending the boundaries of his or her discipline and linking widely differing branches of [...]
Virunga in trouble
10.29.08 | Permalink | Comment?

On October 26th, rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo overtook the headquarters of Virunga National Park, home to the last of the world’s wild mountain gorillas. Many researchers, rangers and civilians have fled the area for safety, and no effective action has been taken by the UN “peacekeepers.”

[Video from National Geographic]
If you haven’t had [...]
Species, conservation and the politics of science
10.16.08 | Permalink | Comment?

Conservation is tricky, not merely because of the political hoops that need jumping through, but without funding and framing no amount of evidence will give even the opportunity for results. Sometimes, however, we get lucky and have another layer of difficulty added to the conservation cake: the politics of science. An article published today in [...]
Galapagos in trouble
10.13.08 | Permalink | Comment?

It appears as though the Galapagos Islands are in a bit of trouble; the environmental footprint of the tourist industry there has become an environmental wrecking ball, and fingers are being pointed like no other. In response, the authorities are going on the offensive and removing all “illegal” migrants from the islands, to which they [...]
Carcharhinidae automictic parthenogenesis
10.11.08 | Permalink | Comment?

From the most recent issue of the Journal of Fish Biology comes news of a virgin birth.
Researchers D. D. Chapman (Pew Institute for Ocean Sciences, University of Miami), B. Firchau (Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center), and M. S. Shivji (Guy Harvey Research Institute, Nova Southeastern University) have found evidence of automictic parthengogenesis in Carcharhinus [...]
Pathogens and climate change
10.08.08 | Permalink | Comment?

The Wildlife Conservation Society just released a very powerful, and extremely relevant, brochure on wildlife-human disease threats as exacerbated by the forces of human induced climate change (pdf) at the recent IUCN World Conservation Congress. According to health experts at the WCS, the increasing fluctuation in precipitation levels coupled with increasing temperatures place at risk [...]