News
We bring you the latest from around the World in wildlife and conservation news.
Meet The Meerkat
Meerkats are carnivores that are very cat like though they are part of the mongoose and civet family. You can tell a meerkat by its ability to stand on its back feet, their short flat ears and long bodies. The coat of a meerkat can be brown, orange, silver or gold. They also usually have dark patches of fur around their eyes.
Chimps Are Violent And Its Not Because Of Humans
For decades anthropologists have observed wild chimpanzees go crazy and attack one another through a series of coordinated assaults. Scientists did not know until very recently whether the violent behaviour in chimps was as a result of their interaction with human beings or whether it was part of their basic nature. A study conducted over 54 years suggests that chimpanzees are innately aggressive and the behaviour is not linked to human interference.
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Gorilla
The gorilla is a large ape that lives in Africa. There are two types of gorilla. The first sub species lives in the mountain regions located in central Africa and is commonly known as the mountain gorilla. The other subspecies is known as the lowland gorilla and lives in the dense and flat forests of western and central Africa. Whilst both types of gorilla have a lot of similarities, there are also some key differences:
Acidifying Oceans Affect Sharks in Strange Way
A new study suggests that acidified ocean water produced by carbon emissions is causing sharks to swim much longer compared to when they swim in more typical less acidic water, especially during the night time.The findings of the study are particularly worrisome considering the effects of fossil fuel consumption by human beings will only serve to make ocean water more acidic. If the consumption of fossil fuels continues, sharks and other marine species are going to face even more challenges in the future, particularly when nearly 25 per cent of all shark species are already at risk of extinction.
Dog Refuses To Leave Dead Owners Side
It is often said that a dog is man’s best friend, and here is a story that illustrates that saying. Recently a dog refused to be parted from his dead owners side and stayed by his grave for over two weeks in Chennai India.Tommy the dog became heartbroken after his owner Bhaskar Shri died in a car accident on August 2nd. Bhaskar adopted Tommy five years ago and since then, the pair became inseparable. According to Bhaskar’s mother, Tommy used to accompany Bhaskar to the various construction sites where he used to work.
Chinese Zoo Welcomes Rare Birth Of Panda Triplets
A southern Chinese Zoo has celebrated the extremely rare birth of surviving panda triplets which is the first time this has ever happened.The triplets were born to a mother named Juxio and arrived on July 29th but the Chimelong Safari Park where the triplets were born only announced the birth on August 13th because they were worried the triplets may not survive. Panda cubs have very high rates of mortality the zoo said in a statement.
Killing For Ivory Could Drive African Elephant Into Extinction
Demand for ivory has produced a drastic reduction in the number of African elephants with poachers hunting more elephants faster than they can reproduce according to a new study. The study also found that poaching deaths have affected over half of all elephant families in the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya.In 2011 eight per cent of the African elephant population was wiped out, or an estimated 40,000 elephants making it the worst year on record since 1998. In the absence of poaching, the elephant population in Africa would grow by about 4.2 per cent each year.
Study Tries To Understand How To Improve Captive Rhino Breeding
European Zoo’s may be about to experience a renaissance in Rhino reproduction as researchers seek to improve the success rate of these animals mating in captivity according to a new study.The Black Rhino is endangered because it is illegally hunted for its horn and also has a very low birth rate in captivity the researchers said.In order to find out why some species of captive rhinos breed very easily whilst others never reproduce, English researchers undertook a detailed study of 39 captive rhinos which constitute roughly 90 per cent of the European rhino population.