Posts by Laurel Neme
Coral Reef Opera
From JeffCorwinConnect Citizen Blog: If you ever wanted ideas for a new soap opera, coral reefs would be the place to go. These colonies of tiny living animals not only provide vital ecological services, such as protecting shorelines, but are also home to some of the most diverse-and strange-creatures on the planet. Dive a few meters below…
Read MoreOperation Jaguar: Poaching and Human-Wildlife Conflict
From JeffCorwinConnect Citizen Blog: By Laurel NemeApril 8, 2011 Twenty years ago Brazil’s most notorious jaguar hunter, Teodoro Antonio Melo Neto, also known as “Tonho da onça” or “Jaguar Tony,” swore off poaching after logging 600 kills. The foe-turned-jaguar-ally began helping conservation agencies track the elusive cats for their monitoring and research and his dramatic…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Wildlife Rescue in Cambodia, Nick Marx
Nick Marx of Wildlife Alliance talks about rescuing wildlife from illegal trade in Cambodia. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme that since 2001, the Cambodian government has cracked down on the illegal wildlife trade with the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team (WRRT), an inter-agency wildlife crime investigation and counter-trafficking unit of the Forestry Administration and Royal Gendarmerie of Cambodia operating with technical…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Lead Toxicity in Patagonia’s Waterfowl, Marcela Uhart
Marcela Uhart, Wildlife Conservation Society’s field veterinarian in Patagonia, Argentina, talks about the impact of lead ammunition on wildlife. She reveals to “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how spent ammunition remains in the environment where it can then be ingested by animals, especially waterfowl. Because they have no teeth, these birds swallow stones and seeds whole to help…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Wildlife Filmmaking from Belize Jungle Studio, Carol Foster
Carol Foster talks about wildlife filmmaking. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme, how she and her filmmaker husband, Richard Foster, have constructed a special studio in the jungle of Belize that allows them to film wild behavior that would not otherwise be possible. For instance, they’ve captured a baby cantil viper wriggling the green tip…
Read MoreAdvocate Aims to Stop Elephant Slaughter in Chad
Chad is one of the poorest country’s in the world, with 80 percent of its population living below the poverty line. It’s suffered years of civil strife, and unrest in neighboring countries like Sudan often spills over and adds to the nation’s instability. To make matters worse, 200,000 refugees have fled the violence in Darfur…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Elephant Poaching in Chad, Stephanie Vergniault
Stephanie Vergniault, Founder and Executive Director of SOS Elephants, talks about elephant poaching in Chad. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme that the situation is spiraling out of control. In just two-weeks, in February 2011, 20 elephants were killed in Chad for their ivory. All were killed outside of protected areas, making them easy targets. Vergniault notes…
Read MoreRise in Elephant Poaching: Blame Asian Demand or Complicity of Wildlife Officials?
Hardly a week goes by without another report of a major seizure of smuggled African elephant ivory. Just a week ago, on March 30, Thai customs officials seized two tons of elephant ivory (247 tusks) worth $3.3 million hidden in a ship’s hold that had traveled from Kenya. The director of the Kenya Wildlife Service…
Read MoreWinged Obsession: New Book Sheds Light on Little Recognized Target of Wildlife Smugglers
“Butterfly collectors with the financial means will do whatever necessary to obtain the specimens they want,” says Jessica Speart, author of the new book Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World’s Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler. For some, it’s like stamp collecting. For others, it’s the equivalent of collecting a Renoir or Van Gogh. In detailing the US…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Winged Obsession, Jessica Speart
Jessica Speart, author of Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World’s Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler, discusses illegal trade of rare butterflies. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about the real-life characters in her book: Yoshi Kojima, the world’s most wanted butterfly smuggler, and the rookie US Fish and Wildlife agent, Ed Newcomer, who finally brings him down.…
Read MoreElephant Killing by GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons Spurs Debate
The killing of an elephant who had been raiding farmers’ crops during a hunting expedition in Zimbabwe by GoDaddy.com CEO Bob Parsons (who posted a video of the hunt) has prompted an outcry from opponents. PETA notes that is is canceling its account with Go Daddy and calls for others to do the same. Competitors, such as…
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