Weekly round-up: November 22

The world’s only known white giraffe has been fitted with a GPS tracking device in a bid to protect him from poachers. The giraffe’s striking colouring is caused by leucism, a rare genetic trait – a female and her calf with the same condition were killed by poachers in March. Conservationists hope that by monitoring

Weekly round-up: November 15

A new species of monkey has been identified in Myanmar – but with an estimated population of 199 to 259 individuals, is also at risk of extinction. Scientists discovered the Popa langur (Trachypithecus popa) during an expedition researching another species, Phayre’s langur, which is also endangered. The only previous example of a Popa langur had

Weekly round-up: November 8

DNA analysis has proven Australia’s greater glider population is formed of three distinct species, not one. The greater glider, a nocturnal possum-sized marsupial capable of gliding up to 100m, is found the length of Australia’s eastern seaboard, from the Great Dividing Range in Queensland to the national parks of Victoria. For years two subspecies of

Weekly round-up: November 1

The rediscovery of two species was announced this week, the Voeltzkow’s chameleon and giant fox-spider, not seen since 1913 and 1993 respectively. A number of Voeltzkow’s chameleons were found on an expedition in northwestern Madagascar, where the reptile was last seen more than a hundred years ago. The team’s study, published this week following their

Weekly round-up: October 25

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has launched an initiative in south-east Asia to help protect four species of endangered gibbon.  Announced on International Gibbon Day, October 24, the €460,000 IUCN Save Our Species support fund will focus on the Cao Vit and Northern white-cheeked gibbon, both critically endangered, and the Northern yellow-cheeked

Weekly round-up: October 18

The Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven wonders of the natural world, has lost half of its corals in the past 30 years, a new report shows. Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies studied populations along the length of the 1,250-mile reef between 1995 and 2017, finding the numbers

Weekly round-up: October 11

A team of scientists has developed 3D-printed, GPS-enabled decoy sea turtle eggs and successfully planted them in nests to help trace illegal trafficking. One decoy – or InvestEGGator – was planted in 101 different nests along four beaches in Costa Rica, of which 25 per cent were taken. Illegally removed or trafficked clutches were located

Weekly round-up: October 4

The Big Butterfly Count 2020 recorded the lowest average number of butterflies since its inception 11 years ago, despite a record-breaking number of counts submitted by the public. More than 1.4 million butterflies and two species of day-flying moth were counted between July 17 and August 9, with the lowest average per count down 34

Weekly round-up: September 27

A study by scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture Forestry Service have predicted that planting new trees in understocked forests could increase the nation’s annual carbon sequestration capacity by 20 per cent. At present, approximately one per cent of understocked federal woodland is reforested annually.Publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The

Rolling with wild horses

In 1994 photographer Roberto Dutesco made his first visit to Sable Island, a small sand bar in the Atlantic home to some 500 wild horses. It was a journey that would change his life, and lead him from the world of fashion to conservation. By Katherine Fidler There is a mystery to Sable Island born