Bangladesh police kill six alleged tiger poachers From BBC Asia Six suspected tiger poachers have been shot dead in a gunfight with Bangladeshi police at a hideout in the world’s largest mangrove forest. Police seized three tiger pelts which they said were from animals that appeared to be freshly killed. … Continue reading
Four-legged snake ancestor ‘dug burrows’ By Jonathan Webb Science reporter, BBC News A 113-million-year-old fossil from Brazil is the first four-legged snake that scientists have ever seen. Several other fossil snakes have been found with hind limbs, but the new find is estimated to be a direct ancestor of … Continue reading
Watch This Ex-Circus Lion Feel Grass For The First Time by Morenike Adebayo iflscience.com Let’s face it – we’re all looking forward to retirement and crossing off a lot of firsts from that mounting to-do list. For one lucky ex-circus lion, this meant for the first time feeling grass … Continue reading
Children ‘more likely to confide in pets than siblings’ From the BBC By Sean Coughlan Education correspondent Children who are facing adversity, such as illness or parents splitting up, are more likely to confide in their pet than brothers or sisters, according to research. Matt Cassels at Cambridge University says far … Continue reading
The hitchhiking snakes of the Caribbean BBC By Rob Crossan Aruba For a long time no-one could understand how Aruba’s boa constrictors spread across the island so quickly. Then they realised – the snakes could easily travel miles by hiding under car bonnets and hitching a lift. This might be the … Continue reading
Anti Poaching CSI Kenya opens anti-poaching forensic laboratory From the BBC The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has opened a forensic laboratory to boost the fight against poaching. The information gathered should help in prosecuting suspected poachers as cases can collapse because of weak evidence. The laboratory will build … Continue reading
$7 million could save Madagascar’s lemurs Jeremy Hance mongabay.com Last year, scientists released an emergency three-year plan that they argued could, quite literally, save the world’s lemurs from mass extinction. Costing just $7.6 million, the plan focused on setting up better protections and conservation programs in 30 lemur hotspots. However, … Continue reading
News from Elsewhere… … media reports from around the world, found by BBC Monitoring Japan: Feral cat adoption planned to save seabirds Cat lovers are being asked to help save seabirds in Japan by giving new homes to feral kittens, it’s reported. About 90% of the streaked shearwater seabird … Continue reading
Conservation concern for UK insects By Helen Briggs BBC Environment Correspondent More than 30 British insect species have been newly classified as in danger of extinction, due to pollution and habitat loss. Members of two groups of insects have been placed on the official “red list” of endangered … Continue reading
Plan Bee: New measures to protect pollinators By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News The British government has made an agreement with landowners including Network Rail and the Highways Agency to restore bee-friendly habitat throughout England. It is part of a 10-year National Pollinator Strategy. But some conservation groups say … Continue reading
