Category Archives: Wildlife

More than half of koalas relocated to NSW forest died in failed government attempt at reintroduction

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Exclusive: Translocation and deaths of seven out of 13 koalas in April, with some showing signs of septicaemia, not made public by state government

An attempt by the New South Wales government to reintroduce koalas to a forest in the state’s far south has failed after more than half of the moved animals died, including two with signs of septicaemia, and the remaining marsupials were taken into care.

The translocation and deaths of seven out of 13 koalas in April were not made public by the government, prompting questions about whether something went wrong with the project and calls from the NSW Greens for a review.

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Risotto rice under threat from flamingoes in north-eastern Italy

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Farmers are seeking ways to fend off birds who are stirring up soil in flooded paddy fields in Ferrara province

An unusual bird is ravaging crops and infuriating farmers in north-eastern Italy: the flamingo.

Flamingos are relatively recent arrivals in the area, and have settled into the flooded fields that produce rice for risotto in Ferrara province, between Venice and Ravenna.

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Bee attack leaves dozens of people injured in French town

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Three were in critical condition but have since improved after incident in Aurillac, south-central France

A unusual attack by bees in the French town of Aurillac has left 24 people injured, including three who were in critical condition but have since improved, according to local authorities.

Passersby were stung over a period of about 30 minutes on Sunday morning, according to the prefecture of Cantal, in south-central France. Firefighters and medical teams treated the victims, while police set up a security perimeter until the bees stopped their attack.

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US to breed billions of flies and dump them out of aircraft in bid to fight flesh-eating maggot

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Program mirrors earlier successful mission to fight new world screwworm fly, whose larvae can infest living tissue

The US government is preparing to breed billions of flies and dump them out of airplanes over Mexico and southern Texas to fight a flesh-eating maggot.

That sounds like the plot of a horror movie, but it is part of the government’s plans for protecting the US from a bug that could devastate its beef industry, decimate wildlife and even kill household pets. This weird science has worked well before.

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‘Tiny melodies’: musician uses moths’ flight data to compose piece about their decline

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Ellie Wilson’s piece titled Moth x Human assigns different sounds to the species on Parsonage Down in Salisbury

They are vital pollinators who come out at night, but now moths have emerged into the bright light of day as co-creators of a new piece of music – composed using the insects’ own flight data.

Ellie Wilson composed Moth x Human in a protected habitat on Parsonage Down in Salisbury, Wiltshire. She assigned each of the 80 resident moth species a different sound, which was triggered when it landed on her monitor.

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Woman likely bitten by shark at New York’s popular Jones Beach

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Woman’s injuries were not life-threatening, and officials were unable to find the likely young sand tiger shark

A 20-year-old woman was likely bitten by a juvenile shark while waist-deep in the surf at a suburban New York beach, according to state officials.

The unidentified woman suffered minor lacerations to her left leg and foot after being bitten Wednesday at Jones Beach state park on Long Island. She was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to a release from state parks officials.

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Bear roaming runway halts flights at Japanese airport

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A dozen flights cancelled at Yamagata airport as attempts to chase furry trespasser away continue

Authorities at a Japanese airport are locked in a “stalemate” with a black bear which has been roaming the runway despite attempts to chase it off, forcing air traffic controllers to cancel a dozen flights.

The bear first appeared at northern Yamagata airport in the early hours of Thursday, and officials immediately shut operations down, causing delays.

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Lithuanian hunters refuse to kill bear that ambled around capital for two days

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Government issued permit to shoot young female who entered Vilnius, despite only small number left in Baltic country

A young female bear caused a stir after wandering out of the forest and into the leafy suburbs of the Lithuanian capital.

For two days, the brown bear ambled through the neighbourhoods of Vilnius, trotted across highways and explored backyards – all while being chased by onlookers with smartphones and, eventually, drones.

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Canada’s security operation for G7 summit faces unorthodox threat … bears

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Apex predators are one of several large and unpredictable animals concerning officials in foothills of Rockies

Security preparations for G7 summits normally involve the elite close protection afforded to world leaders, and then a series of of concentric defences against street demonstrations and protests.

Not in the Rockies.

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Ant no stopping us now: insect with potent bite continues march across US

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Experts say Asian needle ant ‘not especially dangerous’ but warn some people have gone into anaphylaxis

Last year, Dan Suiter, a professor of urban entomology at the University of Georgia, received at least three calls from people who had been stung by an Asian needle ant – or knew someone who had been – and went into anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.

While there is no new evidence on the continued spread of the ants in the US – detected now in 20 US states – Suiter and his colleagues are determined to raise public awareness of the risks the species poses.

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Otters posing for selfies in Japanese cafes may be linked to illegal trade, experts warn

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The DNA of rare small-clawed otters in captivity in Japan has been matched to wild populations in poaching hotspots in Thailand

Posing for selfies on the laps of excited visitors, the otters of Tokyo’s animal cafes have learned to play their part in their online stardom. In thousands of social media videos, the aquatic mammals wriggle through the outstretched hands of adoring customers who reward their attention with food.

But the booming demand has raised major concerns among conservationists, with a study published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice linking the small-clawed otters in animal cafes in Japanese cities with wild populations in poaching hotspots in Thailand.

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Campaigners hail plan to ban bottom trawling in half of England’s protected seas

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Environmental groups welcome government proposals to clamp down on destructive fishing practice

Environmental groups have welcomed government proposals to ban the destructive fishing practice known as bottom trawling in half of England’s protected seas.

The plan, to be announced on Monday by the environment secretary, Steve Reed, came before a UN summit in Nice to tackle the ocean’s failing health. It follows pressure from conservationists and the release of a David Attenborough film featuring rare underwater footage of the devastation to the seabed caused by bottom trawling in British waters.

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Dehorning rhinos reduces poaching by 80%, study finds

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Cutting off the animals’ horns more effective than traditional protection methods such as rangers and costs less, say experts

Cutting the horns off rhinos causes a large reduction in poaching, according to a new study, which raises questions about the effectiveness of expensive anti-poaching techniques used to protect the African mammals.

Poaching for horn is a significant threat to the world’s five rhino species. The substance, which is similar to human fingernails, is commonly used for traditional medicine in China, Vietnam and other Asian countries. Dealers in the hidden market will pay tens of thousands of dollars for the horns, which are falsely believed to be effective at treating fevers, pain and a low sex drive in traditional medicine.

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‘Nothing left’: Irish whale-watching company closes amid ‘overfishing’

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Sprat fishing has disrupted the food chain and diverted humpback, minke and fin whales as well as dolphins

A whale-watching company has abandoned tours off Ireland’s southern Atlantic coast and declared the waters an empty, lifeless sea.

Colin Barnes, who ran Cork Whale Watch, announced he was closing the company because overfishing of sprat has disrupted the marine food chain and diverted humpback, minke and fin whales as well as dolphins.

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Oregon zoo owner arrested after raid finds drugs, guns and $1.6m

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Police also find widespread animal mistreatment, relocating 310 of the 450 animals and euthanizing three

Oregon police have arrested a zoo owner on drug charges following a police raid at the facility earlier this month that found drugs and widespread animal mistreatment.

The Coos county sheriff’s office said that Brian Tenney, the owner of West Coast Game Park Safari, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of methamphetamine possession, manufacturing and attempted distribution. He was later released as the district attorney’s office awaited more information, a staff member at the Coos county jail said when reached by the Associated Press.

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Nearly extinct ‘forgotten antelope’ photographed for first time in DRC

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Upemba lechwe considered one of world’s rarest large mammals with fewer than 100 thought to remain

A photograph of Africa’s “forgotten antelope” has been published for the first time as the elusive creature dives towards extinction.

Fewer than 100 Upemba lechwe are thought to remain, with an aerial survey in the Kamalondo depression of the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo having recorded 10 individuals.

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Labour blocks proposal for ‘swift bricks’ in all new homes

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MPs had previously backed Conservative amendment to ask developers to provide hollow bricks for endangered birds

Providing every new home with at least one “swift brick” to help endangered cavity-nesting birds has been rejected by Labour at the committee stage of its increasingly controversial planning bill.

The amendment to the bill to ask every developer to provide a £35 hollow brick for swifts, house martins, sparrows and starlings, which was tabled by Labour MP Barry Gardiner, has been rejected by the Labour-dominated committee.

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Bees face new threats from wars, street lights and microplastics, scientists warn

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University of Reading report says conflicts including war in Ukraine among 12 most pressing threats to pollinator

War zones, microplastics and street lights are among the emerging threats to the bee population, according to scientists.

Bee experts have drawn up a list of the 12 most pressing threats to the pollinator over the next decade, published in a report, Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Conservation of Global Pollinators, by the University of Reading.

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Ten dead in ‘brutal’ attacks by Isis-linked militants on Mozambique wildlife reserve

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Thousands have been displaced and conservation work halted as series of killings jeopardises decades of work in Niassa, one of Africa’s biggest protected areas

One of Africa’s largest protected areas has been shaken by a series of attacks by Islamic State-linked extremists, which have left at least 10 people dead.

Conservationists in Niassa reserve, Mozambique, say decades of work to rebuild populations of lions, elephants and other keystone species are being jeopardised, as conservation operations grind to a halt.

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Glossy black cockatoos could be pushed towards extinction in Victoria if burns go ahead, experts warn

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Fire in black sheoak forest of East Gippsland would destroy the birds’ food supply, conservationist says

Glossy black cockatoos could be pushed towards extinction in Victoria if planned burns of 13,000 hectares of forest go ahead, ecologists and conservationists warn.

The Victorian government is being urged to abandon the burn, which is intended to reduce bushfire risk.

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