The WildLife Radio
Does 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 MoreThe WildLife: Wildlife Filmmaking, Chris Palmer
Chris Palmer, veteran filmmaker and author of Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom (Sierra Club Books, 2010), exposes the dark side of wildlife filmmaking. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about his experiences in wildlife filmmaking, its conservation impact, and how audiences are deceived as filmmakers take shortcuts to 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 MoreGood news in India for convicting head of wildlife trafficking ring
The conviction rate for wildlife crimes is less than 2% in India, which is an important source & market for illegal wildlife products.The recent judgment against Sansar Chand, who was previously convicted in 1982 and is alleged to be involved in 57 other cases, is remarkable because the court recognized the different nature…
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: Special Agent Basics – Training for Wildlife Law Enforcement, Sheila O’Connor, Part II
US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Sheila O’Connor reveals what it takes to work in wildlife law enforcement. In the second of a two-part interview, Special Agent O’Connor tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about the specialized training officers go through. (Part I last week focused on her adventures stopping wildlife crime—from tarantulas to tigers.) …
Read MoreMongabay.com: Undercover for Animals: On the Frontline of Wildlife Crime in the US
By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.com November 03, 2010 US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Sheila O’Connor revealed the inside story of working in wildlife law enforcement to Laurel Neme on her “The WildLife” radio show and podcast. In the first of a two-part interview, Special Agent O’Connor talks about her adventures stopping wildlife crime—scoping out…
Read MoreAnimal Planet: Busted: Is Brazil’s ‘Jaguar Tony’ a Traitor and Poacher?
Guest Blog for Animal Planet’s “Animals in the News” blog 10/19/2010 Guest blogger Laurel Neme, author of the book Animal Investigators, wildlife conservationist and host of radio show The WildLife, offers insight into how a jaguar poaching ring was recently busted. Twenty years ago Brazil’s most notorious jaguar hunter, Teodoro Antonio Melo Neto, also known as “Tonho da onça”…
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