Hotter temperatures and decreased rainfall increase stress on elephants older than 40 by reducing the amount of food available and prompting migrations, according to a modeling study based on 50 years of data in the Greater Virunga region of East Africa. The risks add to the threat of poaching and an increased conflict with humans...
Tag: wildlifeconservation
$1.6 billion ‘mega’ windfarm under threat over Tasmanian devil concerns
A massive $1.6 billion windfarm project is under threat over a seemingly small detail that has some up in arms. A $1.6 billion “mega” windfarm project is under threat over its potential impacts to a healthy population of Tasmanian devils. The controversial project proposed for the remote, privately owned, Robbins Island in Tasmania’s far northwest...
Climate change is affecting bears, and humans need to learn more to avoid conflicts
In 1967, two simultaneous grizzly bear attacks in Montana’s Glacier National Park launched an era of research into human-bear conflicts. Studies showed the importance of stopping two specific bear behaviours: food conditioning and habituation to people. Those pioneering findings translated readily into advice and policies, saving many bear and human lives. Read more: theconversation.com Photo: unsplash.com
Human noise pollution drives monkeys to rely on communication by scent
When their vocal calls get drowned out by traffic and other human noises, monkeys living in the Amazon Rainforest resort to sending smell-based messages nearly twice as often as usual. “Right in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, you’ve got an extremely biodiverse rainforest with a massive city in the middle of it,” says Jacob Dunn at...
Climate change: Thousands of penguins die in Antarctic ice breakup
A catastrophic die-off of emperor penguin chicks has been observed in the Antarctic, with up to 10,000 young birds estimated to have been killed. The sea-ice underneath the chicks melted and broke apart before they could develop the waterproof feathers needed to swim in the ocean. The birds most likely drowned or froze to death....