Posts by Patrick Kinsella
Whale and winghead sharks heading for existential abyss, and imminent extinction looms over orangutans
Human behaviour is pushing several species right to the very brink of extinction, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently warned. The organisation, which monitors the world’s most vulnerable populations, has just listed whale sharks and winghead sharks as ‘Endangered’, while Bornean orangutans have been added to the ‘Critically Endangered’ section … Continued
Drones to open fire on ferrets…with peanut butter-smeared sweets
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has come up with a unique plan to try and save a community of highly endangered of black-footed ferrets in Montana: they’re going to use a drone to shoot M&Ms at them. The sweet treats will be coated in a mixture of peanut butter and a vaccine that … Continued
Escaped lynx on the loose around Dartmoor could be caught by a recording of his mum
A lynx that escaped from Dartmoor Zoo on Thursday is still on the loose in rural Devon, and searchers are planning to use a recorded call of its mother to try and lure the wild cat out of hiding. The two-year-old cat, called Flaviu, is a Eurasian lynx. He arrived at Dartmoor on Wednesday, after being … Continued
Nature's kidneys are knackered—World's worst mangrove die-off recorded in Australia
The worst ever recorded incident of mangrove die-off has recently taken place around the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia, with warm waters caused by climate change combined with El Niño to blame for the devastation. Over 700km of coastline has been affected by the ecological catastrophe, which will have a serious knock-on impact on … Continued
The animal lover’s guide to surviving Brexit
The UK is leaving the EU, so what does that mean for the beasts of Britain? Two weeks after the monumental decision was made, Love Nature attempts to make some sense of what the future might hold Amid all the acrimony, arm flailing and desperate wailing that has followed the British people’s controversial decision to … Continued
Man ends up in fist fight with a bear
A 61-year-old Canadian man has walked away from a dust-up with a 130kg big momma black bear with just a few scratches after responding to the incensed animal’s attack by punching it in the nose. Rick Nelson from Sudbury in Ontario was walking his dog near Lake Panache at the weekend, when he came across … Continued
Destination spotlight: Wild Croatia
On the forested flanks of the Snježnik massif in Risnjak National Park, it’s possible—if serendipity is on your side—to spy brown bears foraging amid the trees, to spot a lonely lynx prowling across the rocks and hear wild wolves howling. You could be in a corner of Canada, but you’re not. This is slap bang … Continued
'Roger Juno, welcome to Jupiter.' Probe begins exploring the brutal environment of our biggest neighbour
At six minutes to midnight on the fourth of July (Eastern Standard Time), the collected cast and crew at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, went totally wild. The exploratory probe Juno had just successfully gone into orbit around Jupiter, having navigated into one of the most hostile environments in our solar system—and it was … Continued
Jumbo relocation project begins in Malawi, as 500 elephants pack their trunks and move on
The small southern African nation of Malawi is about to literally pick up 500 huge elephants from one side of the country and drop them in another, in one of the most ambitious wildlife relocation projects the continent has ever seen. The giant-moving mission—which is being managed by not-for-profit Johannesburg-based group African Parks, in collaboration … Continued
Antarctic ozone hole healing up
Amid a deluge of frankly disturbing and depressing climate-related news, it’s a welcome relief to be able to report a environment-related success story, but that’s what we have for you here, with scientists saying in the last few days that the hole in the ozone layer is getting smaller. According to the journal Science, the … Continued
Honeymooning scientist discovers giant venomous amphibious centipede
Some people have to accept that their partners are married to their work, but the new wife of scientist George Beccaloni may have been sightly miffed when the most exciting thing to happen during their honeymoon to Southeast Asia was the discovery of a 20cm-long centipede that can swim and inflict an excruciatingly painful bite. … Continued
Diving into the depthless deep of Earth's shallowest seas
When looking at the natural world, it often seems that we human beings love nothing more than staring wide-eyed into the abyss, or gazing up at the depths of outer space, desperately straining to try and make out something mysterious and interesting in the inky gloom of a possibly endless void. But perhaps we’re overlooking … Continued
'Spectacular' baby bird wings from the time of the dinosaurs found preserved in amber
The wings of two birds that lived among the dinosaurs have been discovered in top condition in Myanmar (Burma). Described in the journal Nature Communications, the tiny wings have been perfectly preserved in amber, after their owners—a brace of baby birds exploring their habitat—became fatally stuck in the ultra-sticky sap of a tropical tree some … Continued
Among gorillas—A journey into the lives of the enigmatic lowland gorillas of Dzanga Sangha National Park
Nestled in the northern part of the Congo Basin, Dzanga Sangha National Park in the Central African Republic is a refuge for some of the most iconic species in the much-troubled region, ranging from forest elephants and bongo antelopes to the charismatic stars of an excellent film Primeval Forest Adventure—Among Gorillas. Lowland gorillas are on … Continued
Aussies don't want killer sharks hunted down
A study conducted by the University of Sydney in the immediate aftermath of two fatal shark attacks in Western Australia this month, has revealed that the vast majority of locals do not want to see sharks hunted down and destroyed after such incidents. The west coast of Australia has experienced the highest rate of shark-bite … Continued
Meet Monique, the unique hen sailing around the world
He may be living every freedom-loving explorer’s ultimate dream, as he sails singlehanded around the world, but Guirec Soudee is possibly the most hen-packed man on the planet. Because, while the 24-year-old Frenchman might own the only pair of hands aboard his yacht Yvinec, he isn’t travelling solo: he has a pretty companion in the … Continued
Peake blinder: Astronaut returns to Earth facing vision impairment, dizziness and a colossal cosmic hangover
After six months on the International Space Station (ISS)—during which he completed almost 3,000 orbits of Earth, ran a marathon and became the first Brit to do a space walk—Major Tim Peake returned to his home planet on Saturday. The touch down went smoothly, but experts say the astronaut will be experiencing sensations akin to … Continued
Multiple alligators killed after boy's death in Orlando Disney resort
Five alligators were captured and killed in the immediate aftermath of a tragic death involving a two-year-old boy at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, it has been revealed. According to reports, at around 9pm on Tuesday evening, the boy—who has been named as Lane Graves—waded into about a foot of water at the edge … Continued
Common markets. Exploring the ethics and idiosyncrasies of live animal markets, near and far, old and new
A friend of mine recently came across a live owl for sale in a market in Bali, South East Asia. The nocturnal bird was scrunched up in tiny cage, left out in the brutal heat and unforgiving sunlight of the day. Incensed at seeing such a magnificent creature being kept in the most miserable circumstances, … Continued
Rogue bear with taste for human flesh blamed for four fatal attacks in Japan
People are being warned not to stray into the forest in Japan’s Akita prefecture, a mountainous area in the north of the country’s main island Honshu, after the discovery of four bodies in the last few days. The victims are believed to have been fatally attacked by bears—with some speculating that one rogue animal could … Continued
Criminally caught whale sharks released back into the ocean
Two whale sharks, recently discovered being illegally held in underwater cages off the coast of Kasumba Island in eastern Indonesia, have been released back into the sea this week. The sharks, which are protected under Indonesian and international law, were only 12-feet when they were illegaly caught by megafauna smugglers, but they can grow to … Continued
Tasmanian town wrapped in web after thousands of spiders fall out of the sky
It has been raining spiders in a small Tasmanian town, after severe flooding prompted the arachnids to resort to an unusual escape method known as ballooning. Local trees and bushes are now covered in a vast web of silk in Westbury, near Launceston on the Australian island state, and within the folds an unimaginable number … Continued
Back from the brink: the Mauritius kestrel
In the land of the dodo, endangered endemic species such as the Mauritian kestrel are pulling out of a dramatic death dive to star in an extraordinary story of last-gasp survival. Wander into any gift shop on Mauritius, a verdant green droplet on the vast blue canvas of the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, and … Continued
Exploring the haunt of the ghost bear
Starting in the vast, roadless, volcano-pockmarked Katmai National Park and Preserve in southwest Alaska, where earthquakes happen on a daily basis and gigantic grizzlies roam around at the very apex of the food chain, the stunning new film The Search for Ghost Bears takes viewers on a jaw-dropping journey to the cloud forests of British … Continued
Frequent fliers: Arctic terns smash world record for the planet's longest migration
Arctic terns nest in their noisy thousands on the Farne Islands in the UK, and twitchers and scientists have long observed the birds disappearing over the southern horizon at the end of every summer, but until now they didn’t know where they were heading. The enigma has just been solved thanks to the invention of … Continued
Two humans and one shark dead after a bloody week in the waters of Western Australia
A female scuba diver has been killed in shark attack in Western Australia, the second such fatality on beaches peripheral to Perth during the same week, after a surfer died as a result of having his leg bitten off on Tuesday in an attack in Mandurah, just south of the West Australian capital. The two … Continued
