Wildlife News

[This Day] The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) organised workshops tagged 'Regional Common Action Plan on Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) in Abeokuta and Kano to improve awareness on the Illegal Wildlife Trade issue with vulture as target species.

[The Conversation Africa] Leopards are among the most widespread carnivores today, living in a wide range of habitats, from deserts to rainforests, and from the lowland plains to the mountainous highlands.

[Daily Maverick] While rangers fight rhino poachers, SANParks is trying to save medicinal plants from extinction.

[Namibian] FORESTS in Africa, including in Namibia, are shrinking.

[East African] African elephants occupy just 17 percent of the range of land they could due to human pressure and killing of elephants for ivory, warn researchers.

[The Conversation Africa] We have all heard the mantra that dolphins and whales (cetaceans) are highly intelligent animals. Some claim they're on par with great apes and humans - maybe even smarter. But where does this concept come from?

[GroundUp] Endangered Cape toad at centre of dispute as government approves 'crucial' new Noordhoek road link

[RFI] Botswana was due to open its hunting season as planned on Tuesday with 287 licenses to shoot elephants, which were placed last month on a list of endangered species.

[Nation] Africa's protected areas are threatened as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to undermine conservation efforts.

[Nation] An increase in human-wildlife conflict has been reported in parts of Taita Taveta raising fears of food insecurity due to invasions on farms.

[WHO] Leading experts engaged in the science-policy interface of public health, biodiversity, and climate change will collaborate in an innovative initiative led by the WHO and IUCN to help guide decision makers toward a healthier, greener and more sustainable future as they navigate the challenges of the post-COVID-19 era.

[Daily News] THE world's leading conservation organization - WWF has donated a vehicle worth 172m/ to Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF) to support the government in raising awareness on the importance of environmental conservation.

[Daily News] MIKUMI national park is Tanzania's fourth-biggest national park. It's additionally the most open from Dar es Salaam. With confirmed wildlife sightings, it makes a perfect safari goal for those who are busy and have less time to travel, two days or more can get you an opportunity to explore the splendor of Mikumi national park.

[RFI] Young gorillas over the age of two that lose their mothers are still able to survive, and even thrive as relatives and group members rally round to ease the loss, a ground-breaking new study in Rwanda has revealed.

[The Herald] HEALTH Ambassador First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday fought back tears when she visited Mrs Anna Maswani (30) of Chitungwiza at Pari- renyatwa Group of Hospitals who sustained serious injuries following an elephant attack at Musamba Fishing Camp in Kariba.

[Ethiopian Herald] COMPILED BY STAFF REPORTER

[The Conversation Africa] Two big decisions have been made in the last few weeks in relation to African elephants that will have major implications for the survival of the giant mammals.

[VOA] Gaborone -- Authorities in Botswana say the elephant hunting season will go ahead as planned, despite a world conservation body listing African elephants as endangered. Botswana's government argues its elephant population - the world's largest - is growing too fast and leading to human-wildlife conflict.

[AIM] Maputo -- A poacher who was caught in Mozambique's largest conservation area, the Niassa National Reserve (REN), in the far north of the country, has been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment.

[UCT] Based on brain-to-body size ratio, manta rays could be considered the most intelligent fish species in the ocean. But does their behaviour confirm this physiological hypothesis? A collaborative study conducted by researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Macquarie University, the University of Papua and the Marine Megafauna Foundation suggests that the answer to this question may lie in the devil fish's horns.

[Seychelles News Agency] More anti-poaching patrols are taking place on Aride island and its surrounding waters through an agreement between the Island Conservation Society (ICS) and the Seychelles Coast Guard.

[Ethiopian Herald] ADDIS ABABA- The recent wildfires in the national parks and forests are human caused fires, so disclosed the Wildlife Development and Conservation Authority.

[Ethiopian Herald] COMPILED BY STAFF REPORTER

[New Era] Omuthiya -- An Otjiwarongo-based police constable and a pastor of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church were arrested on Friday in Omuthiya after they were found in possession of a rhino horn.

[The Conversation Africa] Humans have been over-exploiting African elephants for centuries. More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman Empire's demand for ivory led to the extinction of genetically distinct elephant populations in northern Africa. But in recent times, population increases among southern African elephants and declines across the rest of the continent have made it hard to clearly assess how threatened the species is overall.

[The Conversation Africa] Madagascar has many "mini" creatures. These include a recently discovered group of miniaturised frogs as well as the discovery earlier this year of the smallest reptile on earth - the Brookesia nana, or nano-chameleon, which is the size of a paperclip. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Dr Mark D. Scherz, an amphibian and reptile specialist who focuses on Madagascar, to explain what causes these animals to miniaturise.

[Daily Maverick] There is no end in sight to the instability at the once-renowned nature conservation agency.

[Nyasa Times] Elephants from Nkhotakota Game Reserve have destroyed crops in villages bordering the reserve leaving 72 households food insecure.

[DW] African elephant populations have decreased dramatically over the past decades, due to the illegal ivory trade and habitat loss, an NGO has said. Conservationists say only 415,000 elephants remain on the continent.

[VOA] Gaborone, Botswana -- Botswana is to issue nearly 300 elephant hunting licenses next month for the first full hunting season since a ban was lifted in 2019. Coronavirus travel restrictions disrupted the hunting season last year in Botswana, home to the world's largest elephant herd.