Kampala — A court in Uganda has given a lifetime prison sentence to a man convicted of illegally trafficking wildlife products, but the verdict leaves wildlife officials and human rights activists at odds over whether it fits the crime. On Thursday, Oct. 20, the Ugandan Standards, Utilities, and Wildlife Court sentenced Pascal Ochiba to life […]
Tag: Wildlife
Rubavu, Northwestern Rwanda — Every morning, Valerie Mukamazimpaka, a businesswoman selling various food products from Rubavu, a district in Northwestern Rwanda, wakes up early morning to cross “Petite Barrière,” one of the busiest border crossings with the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The mother of three takes advantage of the ‘Jeton,’ a daily authorization […]
Birds are profoundly important animals. As predators, pollinators, seed dispersers, scavengers and ecosystem bioengineers, the world’s 11,000 species of birds play critical roles in the food chain and therefore the existence of animal life. They have also shaped the advancement of human societies culturally, philosophically, artistically, economically and scientifically. Birds feature prominently in the history […]
Where are the areas on earth with the most biodiversity? The answer might surprise you. It’s places cared for and protected by indigenous peoples. This is because the way of life of native groups are intertwined with the rhythms and flow of their surroundings as their source of sustenance. Despite having been removed from most […]
Windhoek — Authorities in Namibia say a Chinese man jailed for smuggling rhinoceros horns has escaped from prison. Chinese national Wang Hui is on the run after he escaped from the Windhoek Correctional Facility, where he had been serving a 15-year sentence for the illegal export of controlled wildlife products. Hui and three other Chinese […]
The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), the African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) are all highly threatened species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has identified poaching, habitat loss, and human-elephant conflict as threats common to the species. Addressing threats to elephants requires public and political will to take […]
Kampala, Uganda — A new bird sanctuary for the endangered African grey parrots was opened at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) also known as Entebbe Zoo. The shs37 million aviaries were funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and are specially built as an outdoor facility covering 200 square metres. The facility currently […]
Editor’s Note: The first part of this article by Dr. Theodore Papenfuss was published in the June 4, 2022 issue of Eritrea Profile, under the topic ‘What do you know about snakes in Eritrea?’ After dark, I walked out of the Barentu Tree Nursery at the edge of the town. Our vehicle was parked next […]
And what you can do to encourage them to live in your garden Until early 2022, there were 19 described species of chameleons in South Africa. That number has now changed, with three new species described, taking the total to 22. There are two typical chameleons (Chameleo) and 19 dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion) species. There are […]
South Africa has demonstrated its commitment to protect the black and white rhino populations through partnerships that have resulted in species conservation over the years. “At present, the private sector is conserving about 60% of South Africa’s national herd. Therefore, government takes building partnerships and relationships of utmost importance in the conservation of this iconic […]
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — At least 320 cattle and 250 goats have been killed by drought in Tanzania’s northern region of Kilimanjaro between July and September, authorities said late Tuesday. David Laizer, chairperson of Mawala village in Moshi district, said the animals belonging to livestock keepers in the village were killed for lack of […]
Nairobi, Kenya — Kenya’s wildlife authorities have launched a free mobile phone app that allows users to track sightings of rare mammals to help authorities protect them. The Mammal Atlas Kenya, or Makenya, allows any user who spots a wild mammal to identify it and log the location. Kenya is home to nearly 400 species […]
The stock of sea cucumbers in Seychelles is depleting by 30 percent due to various factors, including climate change, according to the results of a recently conducted survey. The aim of the survey organised by the Seychelles Fishing Authority was to assess the abundance of all sea cucumber resources, not just those that are commercially […]
EIGHT wild cheetahs that left Namibia for India on Friday were released into the Indian wild by the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The cheetahs arrived on Saturday and were released into the Kuno National Park wildlife sanctuary, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This comes after Namibia and India signed […]
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, masking has been one of the key public health measures put in place to combat the disease. Since March 2020, billions of disposable surgical masks have been used around the world, raising the question: What happens to all those used masks? As researchers in single use plastic and microplastic pollution, the […]
A buffalo carcass, killed by snaring and then laced with highly toxic poison, was found by patrolling rangers near Punda Maria in the northern Kruger National Park (KNP) on 11 August 2022, resulting in the death of 108 vultures died after they fed on it. Species poisoned included 104 Critically Endangered White-backed Vultures, one Critically […]
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Rwanda: Kagame Receives Prince Harry
President Paul Kagame, on August 22, received Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, who is in the country on a working visit in his capacity as the President of African Parks. African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that manages national parks and protected areas on behalf of governments and in collaboration with local communities […]
INDIA has rejected three of the cheetahs translocated from Namibia last month. – This comes after Namibia agreed to translocate eight cheetahs to India, following the signing of an agreement by the two countries on wildlife conservation and sustainable biodiversity utilisation. Cheetahs were officially declared extinct in India in 1952. According to The Times of […]