Posts by Laurel Neme
Video Profile of USFWS Wildlife Forensics Lab
Al Jazeera’s David Mercer visited the USFWS Wildlife Forensics Lab in Ashland, Oregon and put together this piece that shows how wildlife forensics helps fight crimes against nature.
Read MoreDNA profiling for Wildlife Crime in Australia
Wildlife authorities in Western Australia now apply the same DNA profiling techniques used in human forensics. Criminals involved in wildlife crimes are often extremely well-organized and intelligent, and they use new technology in innovatives ways. But wildlife law enforcement is catching up and adapting human DNA profiling techniques to wildlife. Increasingly, scientists can tell where a…
Read MoreWhales Suffer from Sunburn
Thinning of ozone layer means that whales are now suffering from sunburn. They must surface to breathe but don’t have fur or feathers for protection, plus they’re unable to use behavioral adaptations, like hiding in the shade. New research using skin biopsies from blue, fin and sperm whales from the Gulf of California show skin…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Special Agent Basics – Training for Wildlife Law Enforcement, Sheila O’Connor, Part II
US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Sheila O’Connor reveals what it takes to work in wildlife law enforcement. In the second of a two-part interview, Special Agent O’Connor tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about the specialized training officers go through. (Part I last week focused on her adventures stopping wildlife crime—from tarantulas to tigers.) …
Read MoreMongabay.com: Undercover for Animals: On the Frontline of Wildlife Crime in the US
By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.com November 03, 2010 US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Sheila O’Connor revealed the inside story of working in wildlife law enforcement to Laurel Neme on her “The WildLife” radio show and podcast. In the first of a two-part interview, Special Agent O’Connor talks about her adventures stopping wildlife crime—scoping out…
Read MoreAnimal Planet: Busted: Is Brazil’s ‘Jaguar Tony’ a Traitor and Poacher?
Guest Blog for Animal Planet’s “Animals in the News” blog 10/19/2010 Guest blogger Laurel Neme, author of the book Animal Investigators, wildlife conservationist and host of radio show The WildLife, offers insight into how a jaguar poaching ring was recently busted. Twenty years ago Brazil’s most notorious jaguar hunter, Teodoro Antonio Melo Neto, also known as “Tonho da onça”…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Life of a Wildlife Special Agent, Sheila O’Connor, Part I
US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Sheila O’Connor reveals what it’s like to work in wildlife law enforcement. In the first of a two-part interview, Special Agent O’Connor tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about her adventures stopping wildlife crime—from tarantulas to elephants. (Part 2 next week will focus on what it takes to…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Hawaii’s Reef Fish & Aquarium Trade, Robert Wintner aka Snorkel Bob
Robert Wintner gives an insider’s view of the fishes he knows on Hawaii’s coral reefs. He reveals to “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme why Hawaii’s coral reefs are so special, how the marine aquarium trade threatens their future, and how Maui County’s recent legislation could lessen the negative impact. Did you know the Hawaiian cleaner wrasse, a…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Operation Jaguar: Busting a Poaching Ring
From Mongabay.com By Laurel A. Neme, special to mongabay.comOctober 03, 2010 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 ally of the jaguar then convinced environmental and research institutes, such as the non-governmental organization…
Read MoreThe Wildlife: Hawaii’s Aquarium Trade, Rene Umberger
Rene Umberger, dive master and activist, discusses the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii and its impact. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme that every year, over 30 million fish are plucked from their coral reef homes for use in the aquarium hobby, with over 1,500 species targeted. Nearly all, 98 percent, of these saltwater aquarium animals…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Bear Behavior & Emotions, Else Poulsen, Part II
Else Poulsen, bear expert and author of the book SMILING BEARS, shares her insights into bear behavior and emotions through stories about some of the bears she has known. She also details to “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how she uses this knowledge to improve the lives of bears in captivity in this second of a two-part…
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