Posts by Laurel Neme
National Geographic: Exclusive Look Into How Rare Elephants’ Forests Are Disappearing
Wildlife Watch In violation of a moratorium, oil palm grower clears vital habitat in Indonesian biodiversity hot spot. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED March 8, 2017 A high-stakes game playing out in a remote biodiversity hot spot pits the palm oil industry against the ecological integrity of the last place on Earth where critically endangered Sumatran elephants, tigers,…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Innovative technology creates safe haven for rhinos
28 November 2016 / Laurel Neme Unveiled last week, the new system integrates a set of technologies — Wi-Fi, thermal cameras, biometrics, closed-circuit televisions, and sensors — to create a security network across an entire game reserve. The new technology system — called Connected Conservation — is a joint initiative between two international technology companies: Dimension Data…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Justice for Rhinos–When Will it Come?
Nothing prepared me for the venom in his eyes. While not directed at me, nobody in the courtroom could escape the anger seeping from his pores. Through a twist of fate, I was in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), a province on the eastern coast of South Africa, on September 19, the day the trial of a suspected…
Read MoreNational Geographic: What to Expect at CITES: A Sneak Peak at Upcoming Endangered Species Meeting
2016-10-19 Even for experienced eyes, sifting through the roughly 200 documents to be considered at the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) is a challenge. CITES protects about 5,600 animal species and 30,000 plant species through restrictions on commercial trade, and much discussion at…
Read MoreHuffington Post: Schoolkids Write Book About Orphaned Orangutan
Henry Kurzawa and Maeve Igoe, PS 107 5th graders, celebrate the successful rescue of orphaned orangutan Budi while reading their newly published book. Photo courtesy of Ericka Novotny. THE BLOG 07/28/2016 Laurel Neme Author and freelance journalist Writing in “first person orangutan” isn’t easy. Just ask 10-year-old Caroline Mulcahy, a fifth grader at P.S. 107…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Schoolkids Write Adorable Book About Orphaned Orangutan
Henry Kurzawa and Maeve Igoe, PS 107 5th graders, celebrate the successful rescue of orphaned orangutan Budi while reading their newly published book. Photo courtesy of Ericka Novotny. Wildlife Watch A book about the plight of Budi the orangutan, who was taken from the wild and sold as a pet, is written and…
Read MoreNational Geographic: How GPS Can Help Save the World’s Most Endangered Sea Turtles (2)
First posted on 2016-07-14 Wildlife Watch How GPS Can Help Save the World’s Most Endangered Sea Turtles Tracking hawksbill turtles by satellite is yielding information crucial to the fight to save them from poachers, traffickers, and hunters. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED July 14, 2016 Hawksbill sea…
Read MoreNational Geographic: How GPS Can Help Save the World’s Most Endangered Sea Turtles
Wildlife Watch Tracking hawksbill turtles by satellite is yielding information crucial to the fight to save them from poachers, traffickers, and hunters. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED July 14, 2016 Hawksbill sea turtles, named for their pointed beaks, are teetering on the edge of extinction. With populations down to perhaps 10 percent of what they were…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Unknown, ignored and disappearing: Asia’s Almost Famous Animals
Often called the most beautiful of the monkeys, the Red-shanked Douc langur of Southeast Asia hasn’t benefited much from its good looks. It is barely known to the public or most conservationists and is Endangered. Photo by Art G. on flickr CC BY 2.0 The Sumatran rhino, like the orangutan and tiger, is an example…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Hong Kong Starts Countdown to Ivory Trade Ban (2)
First posted on 2016-06-27 Wildlife Watch Hong Kong Starts Countdown to Ivory Trade Ban Hong Kong’s five-year plan for closing its ivory market will eliminate a legal loophole exploited by smugglers. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED June 27, 2016 Chinese police stand guard over ivory that was seized from a boat arriving from Hong Kong in March.…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Hong Kong Starts Countdown to Ivory Trade Ban
Hong Kong’s five-year plan for closing its ivory market will eliminate a legal loophole exploited by smugglers. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED June 27, 2016 Today Hong Kong has taken a major step forward in phasing out its ivory trade. The government submitted its proposed plan to the Legislative Council, which began debating the details. This is a…
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