poaching

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>

2011: Deadly Year for Elephants
 2011: Deadly Year for Elephants 

2011: Deadly Year for Elephants

Ivory seizures represent at least 2.5K dead

(Newser) - This year will ring out as one of the deadliest for elephants since ivory sales were banned more than two decades ago. Officials seized tusks from a record 2,500 elephants, and while some of those could be from long-dead animals, the news still isn't good. "As most...

Western Black Rhino Extinct
 Western Black Rhino Extinct 

Western Black Rhino Extinct

Another rhino species at the point of no return, IUCN says

(Newser) - The western black rhino, one of four subspecies of black rhino, is now a thing of the past, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List." The group has declared the black rhino species native to West Africa extinct and says another rhino species,...

Sharks Massacred Off Colombia

An estimated 2,000 discovered with missing fins in sanctuary

(Newser) - Divers have discovered the bodies of some 2,000 sharks, many with their fins cut off, in Colombian waters. The apparent slaughter of Galapagos, silky, and hammerhead sharks occurred in a giant wildlife sanctuary around the island of Malpelo off the country’s coast, the Guardian reports. The divers, who...

Florida Wildlife Officers Nab Poachers Via Facebook

People just can't resist the urge to brag about their illegal kills

(Newser) - Florida wildlife officials have a great new weapon in the search for those who kill wildlife illegally—vanity. It seems people just can't resist bragging on Facebook about that fish they snagged out of season or the gator they shot, reports the Orlando Sentinel . In fact, the state wildlife...

Feds Make $1M Ivory Bust
 Feds Make $1M Ivory Bust 

Feds Make $1M Ivory Bust

Philadelphia dealer accused of bringing one ton of tusks to US

(Newser) - Tusks from large numbers of elephants killed by poachers in west and central Africa ended up in the hands of a Philadelphia art dealer, federal investigators say. The dealer is accused of paying a co-conspirator to travel to Africa, buy raw ivory for carving, and stain it so the specimens...

Poachers Will Spend Next 4 Deer Seasons in Jail

Father and son have to report for 90-day sentences each year

(Newser) - A father and son in Oregon who pleaded guilty to poaching deer—a lot of deer—have gotten a unique punishment: They have to report to jail on the first day of hunting season for the next four years and remain locked up for 90 days each year, reports the...

Wild Tigers Could Be Extinct in 12 Years

Population has dwindled to just 3,200

(Newser) - Tigers could vanish from the 13 countries where they still roam wild unless urgent action is taken to safeguard habitats and deter poaching, experts warned at a "tiger summit" in St. Petersburg today. In only 100 years, the tiger population has dwindled from an estimated 100,000 to about...

Buffalo Kills Zimbabwe Conservationist

Wounded animal attacks veteran conservationist Steve Kok

(Newser) - Veteran Zimbabwe conservationist Steve Kok has been killed by a wounded buffalo he had spent days tracking. The buffalo—one of the most aggressive creatures in the African bush—had partially severed its leg in a poacher's trap and surrounding communities had been warned the animal was highly dangerous, the...

Rancher Poisoning Rhinos' Horns to Stop Poaching

Lethal plan seeks to stem demand from China

(Newser) - The owner of a game reserve in South Africa is planning to poison the horns of his rhinos in a bid to deter their slaughter by poachers who've killed more than 150 this year alone. Ed Hern is hoping that by making the horns deadly to humans when consumed, he...

Black Market Booming for Bear Paws
Black Market Booming for Bear Paws

Black Market Booming for Bear Paws

Smugglers using relaxed rules at Russia-China border

(Newser) - For Russians living near the Chinese border, there's a new easy way to make a quick ruble: selling bear paws. The two countries have relaxed border controls to encourage trade and travel, but in doing so have created a bizarre smugglers' market for animal body parts. Frogs, tiger bones, deer...

Chinese Duo Get 10 Years for Stoning Snow Leopard

Big Cat was attacking their sheep

(Newser) - A pair of Chinese herdsmen who trapped and stoned to death a rare snow leopard for attacking their sheep have been sentenced to up to ten years in prison. Wildlife officials estimate that only 4,000 snow leopards exist. They live in the rocky mountains in central and southern Asia....

Rhino Poaching Soars
 Rhino Poaching Soars 

Rhino Poaching Soars

Asian demand for rhino horn fueling poaching crisis

(Newser) - Rampant rhino poaching is thwarting efforts to protect the animal around the world, according to a report from a group of conservationists. The organization blamed a decline in effective law enforcement for a surge in poaching in South Africa and Zimbabwe over the last few years. Demand for rhino horn...

Siberian Tigers Vanishing
 Siberian Tigers Vanishing 

Siberian Tigers Vanishing

Population may be down to mere hundreds

(Newser) - The last remaining wild population of Siberian tigers is rapidly declining, researchers warn. A study of a portion of the tiger's range found just 56 tigers when the average of the last decade had been 95. Researchers blame the decline on poaching and habitat loss, and believe only a few...

Elephants on Verge of Extinction

Illegal hunting could kill off African population in 15 years

(Newser) - Within 15 years, African elephants could be extinct as a consequence of rampant ivory poaching, conservation experts say. Africa's elephant population numbers just 600,000, and that number appears to be dwindling by about 38,000 a year. That’s faster than the birth rate. One animal welfare group is...

Microsoft Pinching Apple Employees to Staff Stores

Managers enticed with higher salaries and sent back to poach sales people

(Newser) - Microsoft’s planned expansion into the brick-and-mortar retail sector will be staffed at least in part by…Apple Store employees, reports the Loop. The software giant is hiring away Apple managers with higher salaries, sources tell the tech blog. Those managers in turn are trying to bring aboard Apple's top...

Namibia's Ivory Sale Raises Poaching Fears

Legal auction could lead to more poaching

(Newser) - Namibia kicked off two weeks of ivory auctions yesterday, marking the first time in almost a decade that the elephant tusks have sold legally, reports the Times of London. Seven tons brought $1.18 million from Chinese and Japanese buyers, and 108 tons—the equivalent of 10,000 elephants—will...

EBay Bans Ivory Sales
 EBay Bans Ivory Sales 

EBay Bans Ivory Sales

Total ban announced ahead of report showing site fuels trade in wildlife products

(Newser) - EBay will introduce a total ban on ivory sales after the holidays in a bid to prevent elephant poaching, Ars Technica reports. The company banned international sales of ivory on its site in 2007 but critics say it did little to halt the trade in illegal ivory. Conservationists estimate 20,...

Numbers Soaring, S. Africa Mulls Elephant Cull

In 13 years since killing ban, overpopulation posing serious threat

(Newser) - South Africa's 1995 ban on culling elephants has proven wildly successful—perhaps too successful, writes Karen Lange in National Geographic. As the population has skyrocketed from 8,000 to 13,000 in the years since, starving elephants are now ravaging vegetation and taxing the nation's ecosystem, forcing experts to consider...

Illegal Poaching Funds Militant Groups

US lawmakers to probe $10B wildlife trade in hearings this week

(Newser) - Shipments of African contraband such as ivory, tiger parts, and rhino horn are funding militant groups and perhaps terrorists, Newsweek reports. After the theft of $1.3 million in ivory in Chad last year and a reported rise in contraband smuggling, US lawmakers have become interested: A House hearing on...

Nations Unite to Save Gorillas
Nations Unite to Save Gorillas

Nations Unite to Save Gorillas

10-year effort is the first to help dying species

(Newser) - Three African nations where the world's last 720 wild mountain gorillas live are finally working together to save the critically endangered animal, the Guardian reports. Until the 10-year plan was announced last week, mistrust and conflict had kept Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo from collaborating as another 10 apes were...

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>