Posts by Laurel Neme
The WildLife Podcast: Vultures, Corinne Kendall
In this episode, Laurel Neme and Jeff Barbee delve into the world of vultures—what they are, why they’re important, the threats they face, and what happens if we lose them. Guest: Dr. Corinne Kendall, conservation biologist and Southern Africa Program Director for The Peregrine Fund. Vultures are big, high-flying birds that can soar on thermals…
Read MoreMongabay.com: With a target on their bellies, can California’s sturgeon survive?
California’s green sturgeon and white sturgeon face numerous threats from dams, harmful algal blooms and overfishing. White sturgeon are highly prized for their eggs, which are made into caviar. Their numbers have dropped so precipitously that they’re now being considered for protection under the California Endangered Species Act. The state banned commercial sturgeon fishing in…
Read MoreThe Revelator: Giraffes for Peace
In a world that feels increasingly at odds, Kenya’s Baringo giraffes showcase how a common cause can unite communities. BY LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED March 26, 2025– On the shores of Lake Baringo in Kenya’s Rift Valley, an unusual common denominator has helped bring peace to two warring communities after generations of fighting: the love of…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Elephants may call each other by name, a rare trait in nature
African savanna elephants communicate more like humans than previously thought, new research shows—opening up new possibilities for elephant cognition. BY LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED June 10, 2024– Since she started studying African savanna elephants in 1975, biologist Joyce Poolenoticed that sometimes an elephant would call out to their kin. Sometimes, a bunch would answer, and other…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Do elephants bury their dead calves?
Five young Asian elephants were found mostly covered in tea plantation ditches in India’s Bengal region. But some experts question if they’re evidence of true burial practices. BY LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED May 31, 2024– While scientists have long known African savanna elephants likely mourn their dead, little has been reported about such emotions in wild…
Read MoreThe New York Times for Kids Magazine: Give Vampire Bats A Chance
By Laurel Neme The New York Times For Kids Magazine October 29, 2023 NIGHT FALLS. Creatures of the dark awaken. A vampire rises from a crypt, turns into a bat and flies off in search of its next victim. … That’s the classic tale we have been told. Vampires aren’t real, of course. But…
Read MoreThe New York Times for Kids Magazine: FORGET GROUNDHOGS. Here are three animals who actually CAN predict the weather
By Laurel Neme The New York Times For Kids Magazine January 28, 2024 On Feb. 2, the country will watch as Punxsutawney Phil leaves his burrow in Pennsylvania and heads out into the daylight. You know the drill: If he sees his shadow, bundle up for six more weeks. If he doesn’t, look forward…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Hundreds of elephants mysteriously died. We may finally know why
A massive die-off of the endangered species has been happening in sub-Saharan Africa since 2020. Until now, the culprit was unknown. BY LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED Dec. 5, 2023– When hundreds of African savanna elephants dropped dead in Botswana’s Okavango Delta in 2020, conservationists were alarmed. As the death toll rose—from dozens in March to more…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Canadian oil company pauses controversial drilling in Namibian wilderness
ReconAfrica has stopped drilling in the Okavango Delta watershed—for now— leaving in its wake lost jobs and environmental concerns BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED June 27, 2023– Standing at the border post between Botswana and Namibia, next to the looping streambed of the Okavango River, Max Muyemburuko waved goodbye. As chairperson of Namibia’s…
Read MoreNational Geographic: They ripped through a protected wilderness to find oil. Instead, they found trouble
Canadian driller ReconAfrica, facing lawsuits and investigations, has left angry communities and fractured landscapes in the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta watershed. BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED March 28, 2023– For the Canadian company hoping for an oil bonanza in the watershed of the wildlife-rich and visually spectacular Okavango Delta, 2022 was another grim year,…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Snares: Low-tech, low-profile killers of rare wildlife the world over
BY LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED Aug. 18, 2022– Snares are simple, low-tech, noose-like traps that can be made from cheap and easily accessible materials such as wire, rope or brake cables. Easy to set, a single person can place thousands, with one report warning that snares “are a terrestrial equivalent to the drift nets that have…
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