Posts by Laurel Neme
First Rehabilitated Orangutan Releases Coming in May
To follow on to some of my recent stories on orangutans and the Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation center — good news! After a decade of teaching orphaned orangutans how to be wild, the center just received official permission so that they can now proceed with their release back into the wild. A big victory for…
Read MoreWildlife Inspectors on the Front Lines
FWS Wildlife Inspectors are the unsung heroes in the fight against wildlife trafficking. You can check out more about their work in my book Animal Investigators, or a piece I helped put together for Nightline, or a recent Washington Post article.
Read MoreNational Wildlife Health Center Investigates Mass Bird Deaths
Exams at the National Wildlife Health Center showed the mass die-offs in Arkansas were a result of impact trauma. No blunt force object but rather collisions. They found no evidence of poisonings or pesticides. Scientists are thinking the culprit was commercial-grade fireworks that went off. The Louisiana bird die-offs are still being investigated, but initial information…
Read MoreNew Year’s Resolutions to Make a Difference for Wildlife
What are your New Year’s resolutions for actions to help wild animals? I’m consistently struck by how powerful we, as consumers, can be — and consequently how important it is to educate ourselves about where the products we buy come from. For example, most of us don’t realize that 50% of the products on our…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Detection Dogs for Conservation, Megan Parker
Megan Parker, Executive Director and co-founder of Working Dogs for Conservation, talks about using detection dogs for wildlife conservation. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how she trains dogs to detect wildlife samples, including plants, animals, seeds and scat. The dogs are often able to uncover what wildlife biologists can’t easily see or find, and they do…
Read MoreNancy Bazilchuk reveals reindeers’ special adaptations
Nancy Bazilchuk reveals reindeers’ special adaptations as she describes her dramatic cross country ski trek across Hardangervidda Plateau in one of Norway’s most famous national parks in search of this elusive animal. Traveling the same route that nearly defeated legendary explorer Roald Amundsen, she tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about the slow seasonal waltz from east…
Read MoreIntergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) established
The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which was established yesterday, is a new international body that will help catalyze a global response to the loss of biodiversity and recognize the the economic importance of forests, coral reefs and other ecosystems. Its creation sets up an IPCC-like platform to bridge the gulf between…
Read MoreMy radio station to be featured on tonight’s news
Tonight a news piece about my radio station-The Radiator-will be on ABC22 at 7pm & Fox44 at 10pm (& again tomorrow AM). Focus is on passage of the Local Community Radio Act. Station manager Jim Lockridge & others talk about how awesome it is to bring local programming to a radio station like ours…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Tapirs & Saving Scarlet Macaws, Sharon Matola, Part 2
Sharon Matola, founder and director of the Belize Zoo, discusses her work with tapirs and her fight to save Belize’s last scarlet macaws. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how her fight to stop the Challilo hydroelectric dam on Belize’s Macal River, which threatened numerous rare species, including the country’s last scarlet macaws, resulted in the government branding her…
Read MoreSharon Matola on Tapirs and Saving Scarlet Macaws
Published: Monday, 20 December 2010 22:25 Written by Laurel Neme This episode of The WildLife is close to my heart (from my MDB Treasury days). Sharon Matola (Belize Zoo founder) discusses how and why she fought the Challilo Dam – a fight she unfortunately lost since the impacts have been severe (and everything she’d predicted). We also…
Read MoreWealth Drives Illegal Wildlife Trade
Contrary to popular belief, it is no longer poverty that drives poaching of rare and endangered species and the illegal wildlife trade but rather wealth. If it’s rare, people want it–and use that product to show off their wealth. As a result, demand for luxury goods — from ivory to tiger bone wine to…
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