Asia
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 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 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…
Read MoreMuse Magazine: Advocates for Elephants – Kids on Different Continents are Working to Protect Pachyderms
by Laurel Neme, published in MUSE magazine Read this story as a pdf – Advocates for Elephants – Kids on Different Continents are Working to Protect Pachyderms
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
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: Palm Oil’s Human Cost Alleged in New Report
Indonesian plantations are accused of exploitative labor conditions and other harmful practices by a coalition of nonprofit groups. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED June 8, 2016 Palm oil has oft been criticized for its alleged destructive impact on the environment—including clearing of tropical forests and peat swamps, destroying critical habitat for endangered species like orangutans, and contributing…
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