Poaching
The (NEW) WildLife Podcast (Episode 10): Gorillas with Gorilla Doctors’ former executive director Kirsten Gilardi
The Wildlife Podcast Episode 10: Grand Gorillas: Meet the doctors mending the magnificent guardians of Africa’s rainforests Deep in Africa’s wild, rainforest-covered volcanic mountains is one of planet earth’s greatest conservation success stories. For the last forty years a group of dedicated veterinarians has brought one of our most iconic beasts, the mountain…
Read MoreThe (NEW) WildLife Podcast (Episode 8): Sloths with Proyecto Asis’s Adriana Aguilar
The Wildlife Podcast Episode 8: The Everything Sloth Show Want to know why you should never wake a snoozing sloth for a selfie? Ever wonder what this cuddly-looking creature’s quiet genius is? Hint hint- it has to do with poop! Adriana Aguilar never planned to run a wildlife sanctuary, but then love’s spark also…
Read MoreThe (NEW) WildLife Podcast (Episode 2): Lion Conservation with Panthera’s Andrew Loveridge
Lions: The keystone species of the African savanna Did you know every lion has their own roar, much like a name, particular to that lion only? In this episode, Laurel Neme and Jeff Barbee learn fascinating details about African lion conservation with noted researcher Andrew Loveridge. We discuss the importance of lion ecology and…
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 MoreThe Revelator: Giraffes for Peace
In a world that feels increasingly at odds, Kenya’s Baringo giraffes showcase how a common cause can unite communities. BY LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED March 26, 2025– On the shores of Lake Baringo in Kenya’s Rift Valley, an unusual common denominator has helped bring peace to two warring communities after generations of fighting: the love of…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Oil Drilling, Possible Fracking Planned for Okavango Region—Elephants’ Last Stronghold
Hundreds of oil wells could come to cover a huge expanse in Namibia and Botswana, in what has been called possibly the “largest oil play of the decade. BY JEFFREY BARBEE AND LAUREL NEME PUBLISHED OCTOBER 28, 2020 – National Geographic JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Conservationists and community leaders in the spectacular Okavango wilderness region of Namibia and Botswana…
Read MoreNational Geographic: This ‘Rhino Court’ Had 100 Percent Poacher Convictions. Why Was it Closed?
Some conservationists and activists in South Africa are concerned that criminal syndicates are making it even more difficult to protect rhinos from poachers. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED AUGUST 18, 2020 This ‘Rhino Court’ Had 100 Percent Poacher Convictions. Why Was it Closed? “GO NOW! THE spoor is fresh!” Sandra Snelling, an operations manager for South African…
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 MoreNational Geographic: New Alarm System May Stop Poachers In Their Tracks
New Alarm System May Stop Poachers In Their Tracks A multipronged high-tech system installed in a South African reserve has helped cut the number of poached rhinos to zero. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED April 27, 2018 When you’ve heard a shot, it’s already too late. In all likelihood the rhino is dead, and the best…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Why Has This Rhino Poaching Trial Been Delayed 17 Times?
As poaching in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province rises, conservationists say more should be done. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED November 13, 2017 It’s been one delay after another in the case against South African alleged rhino poaching kingpin Dumisani Gwala and his two co-accused. The reported reasons run the gamut—changes in venue, changes in magistrates, changes in defense…
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…
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