Researchers who detected that detecting environmental DNA, or eDNA, in two zoos say the technique could one day be used to look for endangered species in remote locations in the wild.
Roach researched animal misbehaviors for her new book, Fuzz. Though animals are all but charged with crimes when they run afoul of human values, she learns, they often have the last laugh.
The 15 Asian elephants — some mature and others still young — left a nature reserve near China's border with Myanmar and Laos more than a year ago and have been northward bound ever since.
Dr. Amir Khalil, a veterinarian with Four Paws International, says the "world's loneliest elephant" is settling into his new home in Cambodia. Khalil sang Sinatra's "My Way" to help calm Kaavan.
Kenya's elephant population has more than doubled since the 1980s, and one national park is currently having a 'baby boom' thanks to a relief from drought and a drop in poaching.
Thailand has nearly 3,800 domesticated elephants, most kept in camps. There are fears that many will suffer during what is expected to be a time of prolonged severe economic hardship.
The government is revoking a ban on elephant hunting. Some say that's good news for the tourist business and local farmers who say the animals trampled their crops. Others aren't so sure.
Fewer than 400 licenses will be granted annually, the government of Botswana said Thursday. Conservationists are decrying the decision as horrific and unethical.
A government group recommends elephant hunting resume within limits, and also calls for the animals to be slaughtered for meat used in pet food production.
The cartels that run the ivory trade try to cover their tracks — among other things, they smuggle tusks from the same elephant separately. But DNA testing can help find patterns.
Permits for sport-hunted elephant parts imported from some nations will be evaluated "on a case-by-case basis." The move ends an Obama-era ban on a practice President Trump has called a "horror show."
Esmond Bradley Martin's innovative work as a conservationist and investigator made him one of the global authorities on elephant and rhino poaching. He was found at home with stab wounds to his neck.
Chinese officials fulfilled a previous pledge banning the domestic sale and processing of ivory within its borders. The ban follows a similar measure implemented by the U.S. in 2016.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said hunting programs in those countries can aid conservation efforts. But those who oppose the policy change point to a decline in Zimbabwe's elephant population.
Theunis Botha was leading a hunting group when the elephant charged and lifted him up in the air. At that point, a member of Botha's party fatally shot the animal.
Rodrigue Katembo has quite a resume: child soldier, park ranger, undercover agent, friend of gorillas and elephants, and now Goldman Environmental Prize winner.
Africa's elephants have been poached by the thousands for their tusks. Many of those tusks are then smuggled to China, one of the largest markets for the banned material.
A week after China said it was cracking down on sales of ivory, the national carrier, Air China, said it would no longer allow shark fins to be transported as cargo on its flights.
OK, so they're not using Fitbits. But zoos across America are using software to minutely track the activity, behavior and physiology of captive elephants, and using that data to improve zoo life.
