VOLUME 82
By Dr Daniel Stiles Key Takeaways * Ant trafficking is emerging as a serious new wildlife crime, especially in East Africa. * The trade is driven by booming demand for exotic pet ants in Asia and beyond. * Smuggling ants can cause real ecological harm, including colony collapse and invasive-species risks. * Kenya
VOLUME 81
In this sobering field patrol, Eugene Troskie of the Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) investigates an area identified by a collared hyena. What begins as a routine follow-up leads to another stark reminder of the damage caused by wire snare lines. The team discovers the remains of an adult
VOLUME 80
The Kilombero Valley is a Ramsar-listed wetland in the Rufiji River Basin and is one of Africa's most important ecosystems. It holds hundreds of bird species, several endemic reptiles, and around 75 percent of the world's puku antelope. When commercial fish poaching operates in a
VOLUME 79
Derek Littleton runs the Lugenda Wildlife Reserve (LUWIRE) within the Niassa Special Reserve in Northern Mozambique. In this video, he explains the intricacies involved. Running a game reserve is far more complex than just managing wildlife; it requires navigating intricate security challenges, building community relationships, and overcoming massive logistical hurdles.
VOLUME 78
This episode follows the Lake Albert Safaris anti-poaching team on patrol in Uganda's Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve. The reserve currently has nine anti-poaching staff, with plans to roughly double that number as game populations grow. Recruitment happens from within. Aston Sparks, a director of the company, relies
VOLUME 77
The Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) focuses its anti-poaching efforts in the bushland around the Kruger National Park. Eugene Troskie from PNHF has noticed a disturbing trend in recent years where lions are being targeted for their bones to supply the Asian traditional medicine trade. To kill a lion,
VOLUME 72
By Dr Daniel Stiles A recent publication by Lindsey et al. reviewed evidence for lion population changes, targeted illegal killing and body parts trafficking incidents in parts of Africa. Although the article admits that “no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study", it nevertheless concludes that “Lions
VOLUME 70
Fred Kiiza, Chief Warden of Murchison Falls Conservation Area, Uganda's largest protected area, explains the poaching challenges his team faces and the role of the Joint Operations Command Centre (JOC) in combating wildlife crime. Wire snare poaching remains the primary threat, with Uganda Kob as the main target
VOLUME 65
By Prof Brian Child Key Takeaways: * Wildlife has been miscast as a public good. * The governance regimes for wild resources no longer match their economic characteristics. * Treating wild species as public goods results in an inequitable allocation of costs and benefits. * Benefits are global, but costs are local. * Rhino owners
VOLUME 65
By Dr Daniel Stiles Captive big cat collections from around the world, among the poaching threats now facing big cats, are being hoovered up by one mega-zoo in India that calls itself Vantara – ‘Star of the Forest’ in Hindi. Looking only at five big cat species that are held
VOLUME 65
In the northwestern waters of Lake Victoria, 84 islands tell a story of paradise vanishing. These are the Ssese Islands in Uganda, Africa, where 66,000 people reside at the intersection of economic development and environmental distress. The largest island, Bugala, stretches over 40 kilometers. For generations, the Baganda people
VOLUME 65
The Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) is a non-profit organization based in Phalaborwa, South Africa, situated on the border of the Kruger National Park. Phalaborwa is uniquely positioned as the only town with a gate into Kruger National Park within its town limits. PNHF focuses on assisting nature reserves