The Wildlife Blog
Wildlife Forensics Photos by Jim Chamberlain
Want an inside look at the US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Lab? Jim Chamberlain, one of the folks working at the the lab, took this great series of photos. See: http://www.wildlifeforensics.org/AAAS/
Read MoreThe WildLife: Belize Zoo & Jaguar Rehabilitation, Sharon Matola, Part 1
Sharon Matola talks about the “best little zoo in the world,” the Belize Zoo, and its jaguar rehabilitation program. Often referred to as the “Jane Goodall of jaguars,” Matola describes to “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme her work with “problem” jaguars who have killed livestock and how she trains them to be less aggressive. She notes that typically her rehabilitated jaguars…
Read MoreVietnam Officials Plan to Sell Confiscated Tiger Parts
There’s more debate about legal trade stimulating illegal trade in wildlife products – this time vis-a-vis tigers. Vietnamese officials plan to auction over six pounds of ‘tiger paste’ confiscated from traffickers. While Vietnamese law prohibits the possession and trade of any and all tiger parts and products, an apparent loophole would allow its legal sale.…
Read MoreFun Facts from the Jungle: Orangutans
Did you know orangutans don’t like the rain? They don’t complain but instead show that necessity is the mother of all invention and fashion roofs and umbrellas out of leaves. My interview with Michelle Desilets, Executive Director of the Orangutan Land Trust, on “The WildLife” radio show divulges the interesting biology and habits of orangutans. Bet…
Read MoreDoes Legalizing Trade Help or Hurt?
Would legal trade in farmed tiger products increase or decrease poaching of wild tigers? The topic, which is explored in this Mongabay.com article, has been at the forefront of many discussions at CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) meetings, and is coming up again as government officials from tiger ranges states and conservationists prepare to meet…
Read MoreContradictions in the case for legalizing sales of rhino horn
The debate on whether legalizing a product from an endangered species–like rhino or ivory–increases or decreases poaching rages on. This article in South Africa’s The Times argues for farming rhinos, dehorning them and selling rhino horn stockpiles in order to stop poaching. The argument is: why kill a rhino for just one horn, when you could get…
Read MoreTiger Summit Briefing
The International Tiger Forum will take place Nov 21-24 in St. Petersburg, Russia, capping a year-long process to get high-level political support to move tiger conservation forward and double the number of tigers in the wild. Learn more at this Nov 16 pre-summit briefing by World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC International.
Read MoreVideo 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: Bird Strikes & Feather Identification, Marcy Heacker
Marcy Heacker, a wildlife forensic scientist at the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab in Washington, DC, discusses wildlife forensics, bird strikes and feather identification. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how her analysis helps airports manage wildlife to enhance airline safety and also talks about how she and the other forensic scientists at the lab helped analyze the…
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