Wildlife - Geographical Magazine

Scimitar-horned Oryx in Chad, a successfully reintroduced species by the Zoological Society of London

Wildlife

With zoos shut due to Covid-19, conservation suffers

Dec 15, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

Zoos do a lot more than welcome excited visitors; closures due to the pandemic are affecting conservation work worldwide

Wildlife

WildEast encourages people to commit 20 per cent of any land they own to nature recovery

Dec 08, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

WildEast, a grassroots community initiative, is encouraging volunteers to commit 20 per cent of any land they own to nature recovery

Primates have a long history in the bushmeat trade – a market closely linked with the emergence of 'zoonotic' infections

Wildlife

The dangers of bushmeat: Interviewing hunters and consumers

Dec 02, 2020

Written by Katie Burton

With growing global awareness of the risks of hunting and consuming bushmeat, a group of researchers decided to speak to those who do it

Brent geese feed on the mud flats of the Thames Estuary near Southend-on-Sea in Essex

Wildlife

Restoration projects invite wildlife back to the Thames Estuary

Nov 24, 2020

Written by Ann Morris

The Thames Estuary has long been home to heavy industry, rubbish dumps and drained marshes, but restoration projects are inviting wildlife back in

An adult pin-tailed whydah, one of the species featured in a new study exploring parasitic mimicry in whydahs and indigobirds

Wildlife

Imposter syndrome – parasitic finch chicks display startling powers of mimicry

Nov 18, 2020

Written by Katie Burton

Whydahs and indigobirds, collectively known as the vidua finches, show an amazing ability to mimic the chicks of other birds in a parasitic display of Darwinian evolution

Nine thousand Eurasian lynx are now estimated to roam certain European countries. Photo: Tomas Hulik

Wildlife

Bringing back the beast: rewilding projects are expanding European carnivore ranges

Oct 23, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

Rewilding projects across Europe are working to expand populations of carnivores and restore ‘self-regulating’ nature on the continent. In the face of the double-trouble of limited space and a lot of people, proponents are coming up with new ways to…

Fire salamanders are a routinely traded species across much of Europe

Wildlife

Wild salamanders under threat from Bsal, a fungal infection

Oct 20, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

Scientists are racing to prevent a deadly disease that kills salamanders from reaching the crucial populations of the USA

Wildlife

Dossier: the silent chorus – declines in the bird world

Oct 14, 2020

Written by Mark Rowe

Birds are a much-loved component of the natural world, serenading us each morning and filling the skies with life. Yet, like many animals, birds are in decline and it isn’t just the rare, flagship species that are in trouble

Wildlife

China's Belt and Road Initiative threatens already fragmented tiger habitats

Sep 21, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

Since 2006, tiger habitats have shrunk by more than 40 per cent due to forest encroachment. Now, China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is set to become the largest human development project in industry. But what impact will the new…

Sun sets over the Gorongosa National Park

Wildlife

Back from the brink: rewilding restores wildlife of Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Aug 19, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

Left denuded and depleted of wildlife following a decades-long civil war, the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique has reinvigorated its biodiversity through a trophic rewilding programme

Wildlife

Hen harriers are dying on the UK’s grouse moors, conservationists argue it’s time for change

Aug 17, 2020

Written by Mark Rowe

Can the UK find a way to protect vulnerable birds of prey on its grouse moors?

Officials in Guangzhou, China, destroy confiscated ivory stocks. Ivory is commonly trafficked internationally, but border officials are often unable to confirm the identity of a given product. Ivory, rhino horn and other wildlife products can slip through the cracks

Wildlife

DNA sequencing device could rapidly detect illegal wildlife products

Jul 17, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

A portable DNA assay could revolutionise the way border officials examine suspected wildlife products, and the methods conservationists use to identify wildlife samples in the field

In Brazil, a jaguar comes down to the water. Strong swimmers, jaguars are often found near water and prefer tropical rainforest and swampland habitats

Wildlife

Fangs and skin: Illegal wildlife trade endangers Latin America’s jaguars

Jul 02, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

Increasing reports of seized jaguar fangs and skin suggest that demand for jaguar parts has grown in the past decade, particularly in China. As relations between Latin America and Asia strengthen, criminologists and conservationists are concerned that a formal market…

Wildlife

The show can’t go on: the fight for an EU-wide ban on wild animals in circuses

Jun 22, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

Four ex-circus lions discovered in France are due to be re-housed at Born Free, invigorating the call for EU-wide ban on wild animals in circuses

Wildlife

How a blind black rhino became an ambassador for his species

Jun 02, 2020

Written by Jacob Dykes

In the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Munu – a blind black rhino – has become an ambassador for his species, opening the world’s eyes to the critical conservation philosophy that ‘every rhino matters’

Wildlife

Dossier: hunting and human-wildlife conflict

May 22, 2020

Written by Mark Rowe

Hunting is a topic that attracts polarised viewpoints. But as Mark Rowe demonstrates, when it comes to limiting human-wildlife conflict and to wider conservation measures, it’s not always so simple

Wildlife

The pros and cons of a four-footed fire prevention squad

May 16, 2020

Written by Dawn Starin

From the US to the Mediterranean, herds of goats are used to rid the earth of grasses and shrubs that could be a fire hazard – but should this practice be encouraged?