The Wildlife Blog
ABC Nightline Video: Animal CSI: Lab Targets Illegal Species Traffic
Laurel has been featured on national and local media outlets, including ABC’s Nightline and NPR’s Science Friday. Video now available from ABC’s Nightline segment “Animal CSI: Lab Targets Illegal Species Traffic—Desire for Rhino Horns, Monkey Faces and More as Medicine Drives Thriving Black Market” For more about Laurel’s ABC Nightline segment, please view initial post:…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Nature in Iraq, Anna Bachmann and Hana Ahmed Raza
Anna Bachmann, Director of Conservation for Nature Iraq, and Hana Ahmed Raza, their mammals specialist, discuss wildlife and nature in Iraq. They tell “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how, after 35 years of wars and sanctions, Iraq’s environment is in dire need of care and attention. In order to rebuild the country’s natural foundation, more information is…
Read MoreMongolian Cancels Plan to Allow Snow Leopard Hunt for Science
Here’s proof that speaking out works! Following a plan by the Mongolian government to issue permits to kill four snow leopards (Panthera uncia) for ‘scientific research,’ an international outcry by conservationists prompted the government to cancel the proposed hunt. Mongabay.com reports that well-known biologist and Vice President of the big cat conservation organization, Panthera, Dr. George Schaller, praised the decision,…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Pet trade, palm oil, and poaching: the challenges of saving the ‘forgotten bear’
By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.comMarch 20, 2011 This interview originally aired May 17, 2010. It was transcribed by Diane Hannigan. Siew Te Wong is one of the few scientists who study sun bears (Ursus malayanus). He spoke with Laurel Neme on her “The WildLife” radio show and podcast about the interesting biological characteristics of this…
Read MoreBill Introduced in NY to Ban Commercial Trade in Bear Bile & Gallbladders
On Monday, March 14, a bill to protect bears from profiteering by banning the commercial trade in their gallbladders and bile (which is used in traditional Asian medicine) was introduced in New York. Like my home state of Vermont, New York shares the dubious distinction of being one of only five states that allow trade…
Read MoreThe WildLife: The Dark Side of New Species Discovery, Bryan Stuart
Bryan Stuart, curator of amphibians and reptiles at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, talks about the dark side of the discovery of new species. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about his experience following his scientific discovery in Laos of a warty salamander (Paramesotriton laoensis) with striking markings. Shortly after describing the previously…
Read MoreStandards for Wildlife Forensics
When the 2009 National Academy of Sciences report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, criticized the scientific reliability of certain forensic techniques, such as fingerprint analysis, that is commonly used to fight human crime, wildlife forensic scientists feared the findings might also undercut their testimony in courts of law. In response,…
Read MoreCustoms Enforcement Initiative Seizes Massive Volume of Illicit Wildlife Products
Over 22 tonnes and 13,000 pieces of protected wildlife covering 31+ species were seized during a a trans-regional operation to combat cross-border trade in great apes and other wildlife. This recent enforcement initiative was coordinated by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and conducted under the Swedish-backed Project GAPIN (Great Apes and Integrity), which aims to…
Read MoreExpansion of Bear Bile Production by Chinese Firm?
A blog from The Wall Street Journal notes that Gui Zhen Tang Co., one of China’s largest bear bile production facilities and southern China’s largest bear farm, recently raised $11 million to expand its business in the traditional medicine market. An article in the UK’s Telegraph notes that local media reports of the company’s plans to be listed on…
Read MoreRango: Film May Have Unintended Impact and Spur Pet Trade
On March 4, the animated feature film, Rango, starring Johnny Depp as the movie’s star–a pet chameleon who ditches his pet lizard tank and winds up in Dirt, a Mojave desert town–opens. While the movie may very well delight viewers, it may also spark a spike in sales of these exotic reptiles as pets. Trends in…
Read MoreCoral Reef CSI
The international Coral Reef CSI program is now under the auspices of the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL). Designed in 2006, the Coral Reef CSI program trains authorities to use forensic science strategies underwater. It has worked in thirteen countries and trained over 300 marine protected area resource managers, enforcement officers, academics, and litigators in underwater evidence collection.…
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