Environment

Crocodiles can climb trees – researchers

(Reuters) – Most people entering crocodile territory keep a wary eye out on water and land, but research suggests they need to look up. Though the reptiles lack obvious physical features to suggest this is possible, crocodiles in fact climb trees all the way to the crowns, according to University of Tennessee researcher Vladimir Dinets. Researchers in the climbing study observed crocodiles in Australia, Africa and North America. The study documented crocodiles climbing as high […]

Prince Charles And Prince William Release “Unite For Wildlife” Video

(Reuters) — Prince Charles and his son Prince William have joined forces to create a video message supporting the campaign to stop the illegal wildlife trade. The release of the video on Sunday (February 9) marks the start of a week of activities by the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge to highlight the devastating effects of the trade. They talk about the unprecedented levels of killing of endangered species, such as elephants, which are killed at a rate of […]

Disappearance of wildflowers may have doomed Ice Age giants

(Reuters) – Flower power may have meant the difference between life and death for some of the extinct giants of the Ice Age, including the mighty woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros. Scientists who studied DNA preserved in Arctic permafrost sediments and in the remains of such ancient animals have concluded that these Ice Age beasts relied heavily on the protein-rich wildflowers that once blanketed the region. But dramatic Ice Age climate change caused a huge […]

Thousands protest vs Western Australian government’s shark culling programme

Thousands of people protested at various beaches across Australia on Saturday (February 1) to voice opposition to the Western Australian Government’s controversial shark culling programme. Up to 6,000 people gathered at Cottelsoe Beach in Perth holding up placards and chanting “rights, rights, rights for great whites.” At Manly, one of Sydney’s surfing beaches, about 2,000 people turned up to show support for the sharks. “We are surfers, we are divers, we walk the beach, we love the beach, we love the […]

Last polar bear in Africa grieves after partner dies

Africa’s last polar bear mourns partner’s death. Courtesy Reuters/ Photo grabbed from Reuters video  (Reuters) — Wang, the only polar bear in Africa, has taken the death of his life-long partner very hard, tearing up toys and grass in the enclosure they shared, and two weeks after his loss he is still grieving. The 30-year-old Geebee was found dead on January 13 in the pool of her Johannesburg Zooenclosure after a heart attack. The two had been partners since […]

U.N. appoints former NYC Mayor Bloomberg cities, climate change envoy

(Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday appointed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as his special envoy for cities and climate change, in a bid to build momentum ahead of a planned U.N. summit meeting in September. Ban said Bloomberg will assist him in “consultations with mayors and related key stakeholders, in order to raise political will and mobilize action among cities as part of his long-term strategy to advance efforts on […]