As we reported in December 2004, a young mountain gorilla was confiscated from four poachers by Rwandan police and the Rwandan Office of Tourism and Parks (ORTPN), during an undercover operation to intercept an illegal poaching incident. The young…
In late July, when four gorillas of the Rugendo Group were found killed in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, two other gorillas -- a mother and her four-month-old baby -- were unaccounted for. At the end of last week, the…
Rangers in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have arrested two men in possession of a dead juvenile mountain gorilla. The arrests were made on September 25th after an undercover investigation of a ring of suspected gorilla…
In my previous blog post, I promised to provide details about the recent human-lion conflict incident in our study area in which a male and a lioness from one of our study prides called Altipiano were speared to death because of predation on…
Rangers of Virunga National Park Evacuate, while Infant Mountain Gorilla in Rwanda Dies From Snare
VIRUNGA HEARTLAND, July 18, 2012 -- Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC's) Virunga National Park shows no sign of…
The world’s most trafficked mammal may vanish before many people have ever heard of it. The pangolin, a shy and scaly animal, resembles an armadillo and is found in both Africa and Asia. All eight species, four found on each continent, are…
In the lead-up to World Ranger Day, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) explores and celebrates the stories of selfless men and women who have committed their lives to ensuring wildlife and wild lands thrive while keeping people at the center of…
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on July 10, 2020 released the findings of the second edition of the World Wildlife Crime Report dubbed ‘Trafficking in Protected Species’ via a webinar due to the ongoing global pandemic.
The…
Zimbabwe, a land blessed with breathtaking biodiversity and rich ecosystems, holds incredible economic growth and sustainable development potential. However, conventional methods of measuring economic success fail to recognize the value of the…
Ruth Gathii, a student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, is among the winners of a competition that encourages innovation to achieve sustainable development goals. Ms. Gathii won second-place at the annual #MyLittleBigThing…
President Obama’s Announcement on Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Comes at Critical Time as Elephant and Rhino Poaching Reach Record Highs in AfricaNAIROBI, Kenya, July 01, 2013 — U.S. President Barack Obama announced today in a press conference with…
During U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Tanzania, and subsequent press conference, on Monday, he dropped the big announcement that the United States government would be putting efforts, and $10 million, toward …
The recent remarks by Botswana President H.E. Mokgweetsi Masisi regarding the potential export of elephants to Germany have ignited a long-overdue debate that the world has evaded for far too long. Regardless of whether his comments were perceived…
Since March 2020, the world had been treated to the captivating journey of 15 elephants — six adult females, three adult males, and six juveniles — who wandered over 500 kilometers from their home, a nature reserve called Xishuangbanna in China’s…
Much of what we know of elephants today — behaviors that suggest a rich emotional life, lifelong ties among family members, sophisticated communications, high intelligence, and so much more — is due to the groundbreaking field research of Cynthia…