Feature stories on or about endangered species
19 Apr 2008
WWF camera traps yield eight rare Far Eastern leopards
Russia - Scientists have succeeded in capturing images of eight individual Far Eastern leopards in a census carried out jointly by WWF Russia and Institute for Sustainable use of Nature Resources (ISUNR) in the vicinity of Kedrovaya Pad` nature reserve Russia. Often called the ‘golden reserves’ of Russia, the Far Eastern Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is an extremely rare species of wild cats in the world.
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17 Apr 2008
A tale of two places – restoring rhinos to their ranges in Assam, India
The glory of Manas was damaged by a violent local agitation that began in 1989 to carve out a separate Bodo homeland within the Indian federation. An armed struggle caused massive upheaval and destruction of the Park’s infrastructure, including destruction of anti-poaching camps, roads and bridges and killing of forest staff.
As of April 2008, the rhinos are back and there is a strong economic incentive for local communities, including the local ethnic community of the Bodos, to make sure the rhinos thrive. “When tourists come, they want to see animals – it will be helpful to have the rhinos,” adds Dhan Chandra Doley, a local forest guard. » Read more
17 Apr 2008
Hot, dirty and rewarding – moving rhinos in Assam
"The tranquilizing team changed tactics. They now started stalking the rhino on foot, using the elephants as cover. In the next half hour that ensued, the first rhino, a male, was tranquilized. After fifteen minutes of tracking, the rhino grew sluggish and his hind legs started sinking. A vet then approached this animal and gave him a second shot of tranquilizer. But as soon as the dart hit him, the animal was up on his feet and running again!" » Read more
20 Mar 2008
Chance sighting gets Fiji its first satellite tagged turtle
By Jone Niukula and Sanivalati Navuku*
Fiji researchers have been attempting for more than two years to satellite tag a turtle, a key ingredient in finding out migration patterns around the vast waters and multiple island groups of the Pacific.
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13 Mar 2008
Will a young tigress make it into the wild?
Russian environmentalists are trying hard to rehabilitate a rescued tiger cub so as to bring her back to her natural habitat the Ussuryskaya taiga.
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06 Mar 2008
Elephant flying squad celebrates new members
By Syamsidar Syamsidar
Tesso Nilo National Park, Sumatra – Communities on the fringes of Sumatra’s Tesso Nilo National park mixed tradition and conservation on March 1, with a party to name and welcome the newest members of the WWF’s Elephant Flying Squad.
In Riau Province, the flying squad are four adult elephants and eight mahouts patrolling an area along the National Park boundaries, keeping wild elephants away from local communities and teaching villagers non-lethal ways to protect their crops.
30 Jan 2008
Cambodian conservation work – not just a man’s world
By Porny You
Women are working as hard and sweating as much as the men in WWF conservation programs in remote areas of Cambodia.
In WWF-Cambodia’s Srepok Wilderness Area Project (SWAP), in the country’s eastern plains, Khmer, foreign and local indigenous Phnong women play a vital role in preserving the Mondulkiri Protected Forest (MPF). » Read more
08 Jun 2007
Waiter, there’s a shark fin in my soup!
Love them or loathe them, as top predators, sharks play an important role in the marine ecosystem — their decline is symbolic of all that’s gone wrong in the oceans as a result of mismanagement and greed. Find out more about shark conservation and fisheries management.
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24 Apr 2007
Kiwis of the Sea: New Zealand dolphins under threat
Endemic to the coastal waters of New Zealand, Hector's and Maui's dolphins are increasingly threatened by fisheries bycatch, marine pollution and boat disturbance. Find out more about protecting the world's most endangered dolphin species.
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26 Mar 2007
Keeping the river clean: Chambal River, India
India's Chambal River is ranked as one of the country's cleanest rivers. But increased habitat destruction, pollution and poaching is threatening the river's freshwater species. Find out more about protecting the Chambal and the gharial, one of the world's most endanagered freshwater crocs. » Read more
