Ever pondered on what the planet's priciest plants might be?
As well as being an essential source of food, oxygen and medicine, plants provide habitats for all kinds of animals, help to regulate our climate and assist the water cycle. There’s no doubt that we need these incredible organisms to survive. However, in the eyes of humans, certain plants are more important than others, and … Continued
Contenders for the cow: Other animals we’ve tried to milk (and why the cow is still tops)
Milk forms part of a healthy diet in humans. It is a great source of calcium—essential for keeping our bones and teeth strong—and protein, which we need for our bodies to grow and repair themselves. Vitamin B-12, vitamin A, vitamin D and potassium are all good for us and are present in milk, and the … Continued
We're cooking on the wild side this weekend with these exclusive new nature shows
How do you enjoy the world’s great wild spaces when the only resources available to you are those that Mother Nature provides? That’s the topic of Cooking in the Wild, an exclusive new show to the Love Nature streaming app. Each week instructor in survival techniques John C. invites a renowned French chef out into the wild on a quest to … Continued
Hero firefighters save animals from Dubai inferno
Dubai firefighters risked life and limb last week to rescue several animals from the burning Sulafa Tower—one of the world’s tallest residential buildings—in an extraordinary measure of selfless public service. The heroic firefighters worked quickly whilst the blaze raged up and down the 75-story building, making numerous return trips to save the many dogs, cats, birds, and … Continued
'If only more people knew that it exists'—Meet Africa's critically endangered ghost cat
The fastest land mammal on Earth once ranged across 25 million square kilometers, from South Africa to Morocco and Iran to India. Now, the iconic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a shadow of its former self. Beset on all sides by vanishing prey, declining habitat and increasing poaching, and human-wildlife conflict, the future is at best … Continued
Man in the Moon's right eye punched in by planet-sized asteroid
One of our moon’s most visible features, a vast crater known as Mare Imbrium (Sea of Showers) to serious sky scourers, but more commonly as the right eye of the ‘Man in the Moon’, was created by a massive asteroid more than 250km across, according to a new study. Multiple generations of children and adults … Continued
Space and food (for thought)
Space. Whether you see it as the final frontier or the ultimate resource, how we use space is a challenge that will ultimately determine the destiny of the human race—not to mention the future of every other living thing we share this big round rock with. Not so much because we’re exploring the outer elements … Continued
How to go with the tide
It’s WWF Water Wednesday, when Love Nature television explores the unique characteristics, natural history, environmental challenges and threats facing waters and aquatic species in Canada and around the world, hosted by WWF-Canada president and CEO David Miller. Tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT watch Two Oceans, and read on about intertidal zones. We sometimes talk about “the water’s … Continued
10 amazing space missions you never knew about
Few things excite the human imagination like space travel. Missions to walk on the moon, land probes on speeding comets, or drive robots across Mars are undeniably thrilling, and remind us of just how far we’ve come from our humble primate roots. While the most electrifying missions are splashed across the headlines every few years, … Continued
Hunting scandal erupts in Tanzania as safari snuff movie makers given new license to kill
A year after the killing of Cecil the lion by a wealthy American dentist prompted revulsion and condemnation around the world, trophy hunting in Africa is again in the news, with the Tanzanian government accused of leasing land to a disgraced safari company backed by a ultra rich member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, for … Continued
This disturbing video shows why you should never visit a wild animal circus
Warning: some will find the above video distressing. In 2015, an eyewitness visited Suzhou, China—which encompasses more than 300 circuses—to go undercover inside 10 different circuses and animal training facilities. What they documented is eye-opening, heart-wrenching and disturbing. Behind-the-scenes footage, published today for the first time by PETA, shows bears forced to stand on two legs or face … Continued
Inside the lofty realm of the regal sea-eagles
From the wintery depths of bleakest Siberia, to the secluded seaside coves of north-west Scotland, an iconic bird of prey has been making an incredible comeback. For the two centuries preceding the 1970s, white-tailed eagles had been undergoing dramatic decline and local extinctions across many regions of western, central and southern Europe. But come the 1980s, the … Continued
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
Friends, not food—Why we need to help save UK sharks
Thought UK waters were free from sharks? Think again. In fact, over 30 shark species can be found along the British coastline, amongst them some of the largest, fastest, rarest and oddest sharks on the planet. Sadly, over half of these magnificent species are under threat—but there are plenty of ways in which marine wildlife … 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
Exploring the often uphill battle of orphaned owl rescue
Here at Love Nature, we have a special appreciation of the wilder side of life on this planet. That’s why we so wholeheartedly admire organisations and individuals worldwide who dedicate themselves to helping orphaned or injured animals. While many wildlife rehabilitation facilities treat the whole gamut of local critters that surround them, some have pursued … Continued
Success at Russian breeding grounds lightens grief over chick deaths
Thirty spoon-billed sandpiper chicks have been hatched by conservationists in Russia over the weekend. The good news follows the tragic death last week of the world’s first captive-bred spoon-billed sandpipers. The Russian chicks have been hatched from eggs taken from the wild by experts from WWT and Birds Russia, as part of a strategy known … Continued
Mighty monsters—Here's 5 utterly petrifying prehistoric sharks
Sharks first appeared on Earth at least 420 million years ago. That’s nearly 200 million years before the first dinosaurs. All these years of evolution have given the many shark species we see today extraordinary abilities, ones that have enabled some to become the ultimate marine predators. Yet the sharks that no longer roam the oceans … Continued
28 facts about echidnas you may not know
What is an echidna? They’re like a cross between an ant-eater and a hedgehog, with their long snout noses and quills. However, echidnas are not closely related to either animal and pretty much stand alone as one of two egg-laying mammals on Earth (the other being the platypus). So what exactly makes the echidna so … Continued
Tiger shark on the hunt
Tiger sharks are known to devour just about anything they can get their jaws on. Their list of edibles include fish, jellyfish, cephalopods, mollusks, sea snakes, dolphins, sea turtles, dugongs, seals, sea birds, rays and even other sharks! They are also known to scavenge on dead whales, or attack and eat injured whales. Tiger sharks … Continued
The strange world of river sharks
Worldwide there are more than 500 recognised species of sharks and that number is continuing to grow as new species are discovered lurking in the depths of the world’s oceans. Encompassing everything from the well known great white and hammerhead sharks, to little known oddities such as the deep-sea dwarf lanternshark or the enormous plankton … 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
Latest from the field at the Elephant Orphanage Project
Game Rangers International are a charity working hard protect Zambia’s threatened wildlife. Love Nature is currently making two shows with GRI, focusing on its Elephant Orphanage Project, which is involved in rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing orphaned elephants back into the wild. For more information, please visit our Make a Difference page. UPDATE FROM THE FIELD With the … Continued
An insightful probe into the planet's 10 most incredible plants
Plants might just surprise you. If you’re like most people, you find it easy to think of impressive animals—tigers, elephants, maybe something obscure like giant squid—but what about incredible plants? Sure they can’t run and they’re not cute and cuddly, but being literally rooted to a single spot they have had to evolve some remarkable … 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