Death on the steppes: The saga of the saiga antelope
This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Saiga Conservation Alliance. They are a network of researchers and conservationists that are working in several countries in the Saiga’s range to save this beautiful animal. With its distinctive, almost Muppet-like nose, the saiga has a face you can’t forget. But, as a mysterious mass … Continued
Doggie detectives: How canines are becoming the new conservation superstars
Some of those irksome traits you tell your pooch off for—like sniffing out table scraps for a late night snack—are actually the basis of amazing conservation projects all over the world. Over the last few decades researchers have been trying to come up with less invasive sampling techniques, but it’s no easy feat to … Continued
The ingenious technology being used to prevent wildlife roadkill
Wildlife and cars just don’t mix. As human populations continue to encroach on important animal habitats, the construction of roads means that more species are getting hit by vehicles than ever before. And animals aren’t the only ones who need to be worried—high speed collisions with large creatures can also prove fatal to drivers … Continued
10 surprisingly easy New Year’s resolutions that'll help save the planet
When the new year rolls around and you start planning your resolutions, don’t settle for half-baked fitness goals and unrealistic work targets. By committing to just a few small life changes, you could make a real difference to the future of our planet. Have a green 2017 by taking on these simple but environmentally-friendly New … Continued
Back to the wild: Inside the RSPCA’s wildlife rehabilitation programme
Each year some 16,000 injured, sick or orphaned wild animals pass through the doors of the RSPCA’s four wildlife hospitals, while hundreds of thousands more receive care at other wildlife centres throughout the UK. All kinds of creatures can find themselves in need of rescue, but according to Llewelyn Lowen, RSPCA Wildlife Scientific Officer, certain … Continued
10 of the world’s most at-risk monkey species
Monkeys are among our favourite animals, with their comical antics and sometimes human-like behaviour. But some of our closest relatives are at risk of extinction, facing threats from human activities. As their populations decrease, they are placed in even greater danger because they are at risk of inbreeding or the chance of a natural disaster … Continued
Against all odds: The incredible story of the Amur tiger
‘Saving the tiger is a test; if we pass, we get to keep the planet.’ Those were the wise words of American writer and environmentalist Marjorie Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) who truly understood the significance of conserving this most beautiful and powerful of species, the tiger (Panthera tigris). There is only one species of tiger but … Continued
Eyes in the sky: The incredible technology helping save Asia's wildlife
Drones can be an affordable and time-saving tool in wildlife conservation A few years ago, two young wildlife biologists were struggling to study Orangutan nests in the dense jungles of northern Sumatra in Indonesia—one of the most threatened rainforests on Earth. Locating the primate nests hidden high up on treetops in the dense forest was … Continued
How can we reconnect children with the natural world?
Not so very long ago, roaming through the woods, climbing trees, building dens and generally having a wild time would have been considered part and parcel of a normal, healthy childhood. But within a matter of decades, the wild child has become a critically endangered species. These days, just one in 10 children ever play in … Continued
Innovation for conservation: 5 technologies that are saving species
Since the new millennium, technology has advanced at a rate never before seen in the history of humankind. Yet so far we have only made relatively small steps when it comes to applying these new advances to the most pressing issue of all: the health of our planet. Today we teeter at a critical tipping … Continued
5 easy ways you can help animals by using modern technology
Passionate about helping the world’s most amazing animals? There are all sorts of things you can do, simply, quickly and by using the vast array of modern technology already at your disposal. Smartphones, social media sites and a single click of your computer mouse have all become powerful tools in the fight to save our … Continued
How do you stop a legendary Japanese wildcat from becoming roadkill?
Since big cats get the lion’s share of fame worldwide, you may have never heard of the Iriomote cat, also known as the Iriomote–yamaneko. The size of a large house cat, this cryptic and resourceful wild feline exists only on a tiny Japanese island and numbers a mere 100 or so individuals. Whether or not … Continued
The strange tale of the American woodpecker that came back to life, at least for a little while
As North America’s mighty Mississippi River meanders southward to its terminus in the Gulf of Mexico, it creates a range of spectacular wetland habitats unlike anywhere else on Earth. Bayous, swamps, and bottomland hardwood forests thrive on the fertile alluvial soils of the Mississippi floodplains, which are saturated by regular to near-permanent flooding. These primeval … Continued
What would YOU do if the government seized your land?
What would you do if a giant energy corporation decided to build a controversial oil pipeline right across your land? For David Daniel, a Texas landowner and environmentalist whose property was chosen as a construction site for TransCanada’s country-spanning Keystone XL pipeline, there was no question about the right course of action. He had to … Continued
Larger than life: Graham Spence, co-author of The Elephant Whisperer, reflects on the achievements of charismatic conservationist Lawrence Anthony
When Lawrence Anthony decided to save the lives of seven ‘troublesome’ elephants by giving them a home on his South African reserve, he wasn’t sure what would follow. But he knew it would be a great adventure. Anthony’s exploits with the elephants on ‘Thula Thula’ have been immortalised in the page-turning bestseller, The Elephant Whisperer. … Continued
The RSPB just pulled out of a government plan to save England's rarest bird of prey
The RSPB has pulled out of the UK government’s plan to save the country’s most endangered bird of prey, the hen harrier, declaring the controversial campaign a failure, and the charity is now calling for grouse shooting estates to be licensed, saying that is the only way to save the harrier from disappearing from England. … Continued
Lobster lovers save Larry, the 100-year-old crustacean, from becoming lunch
A lobster believed to be over 100-years-old has been saved from the cooking pot by a coordinated effort in Florida. Larry, as the crustacean has been named (after the Lobster lifeguard at Bikini Bottom’s beach in Spongebob Squarepants), had been reserved for a family feast by customers at Tin Fish, a seafood restaurant on Sunset … 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
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
Meet the real magic rabbit from Pokémon Go
As Pokémon Go gamers go bananas around the world, reportedly putting themselves and everyone else in danger by hunting for Jigglypuff and company whilst walking and even driving, Love Nature has attempted to track down a real life Pikachu. And regardless of your thoughts on Pokémon, we think you really might want to see this… According … 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
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
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
Sad news for spoon-billed sandpipers
This was one half of a pair of critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper chicks—the first ever bred in captivity—but sadly neither survived for more than 60 hours. Each weighed only a few grammes and was barely bigger than a bumble bee. Seven eggs were laid in total at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, of which … Continued