The current plans to de-extinct and re-wild the dodo calls into question the motivation. And there are ethical issues as well. I always think that if humankind wants to de-extinct species such as the dodo or the Tasmanian tiger or indeed the woolly mammoth, it …
NEWS AND OPINION: Most species of shark and rays living on coral reefs are facing extinction according to a study conducted by Dr Samantha Sherman and colleagues of Simon Fraser University in Canada. She said: “Many species that we thought of as common are declining …
China has owned up and declared that two gibbon species living in China are extinct in the wild: the Yunnan lar (white-handed gibbon) and the northern white-cheeked gibbon. The Times reports that their calls were last heard more than a decade ago and the last …
If ever you had doubts about the way evolution works to create a camouflaged coat to enhance the prospects of survival of the world’s wild species, this photo should dispel those doubts. Some people still don’t believe in evolution. But it’s entirely factual because the …
The regent honeyeater is a very attractive Australian songbird. For thousands of years and for generation after generation they have sung beautifully to attract females. The males learn their song from older, adult males. Because there are so few honeyeaters left juveniles are unable to …
The great auk was persecuted to extinction by humankind many years ago. Excessive hunting was the main cause and it is said that the last great auk living on the British Isles was stoned to death. The bird became extinct entirely when fishermen hunted down …
Keeping monkeys as pets causes suffering for the animals and it endangers their survival in the wild. The UK government is preparing to announce that anybody who buys, sells and breeds pet monkeys will face a significant fine. In the UK there are about 5,000 …
The charity Rewilding Britain has advised that the UK habitats of many wild species need to be joined up to allow them to travel north by up to 3 miles per year because of global warming. Travelling north allows them to move to a cooler …
NEWS AND VIEWS: Sir David Attenborough is supporting a campaign by more than 100 conservation groups to get countries to commit, in total, £390 billion ($500 billion) annually to protect wildlife. Today there is a virtual UN biodiversity summit meeting. The UK’s Prime Minister is …