insert_link 2 Africa Largest frog in more than 100 years discovered in Africa By Bertie Jacobs A new species of African bullfrog has been discovered in northeastern Namibia, southern Angola, southwestern Zambia and northwestern Botswana. It is the largest frog species discovered in more than 100 years. The largest specimen found is 210 millimetres long and weighs 1 kilogram. Once there were three, now there are four. Professor Louis du Preez, from the North-West University (NWU) in South Africa, and […] todayMarch 25, 2024 79 2
insert_link Environment Impunity for Cambodia’s exotic pet owners as trade outpaces legislation By Gerald Flynn On the outskirts of the western Cambodian city of Pursat, some 180 kilometers, or 110 miles, north of Phnom Penh, tourists and travelers stream out of minivans parked in the forecourt of a PTT gas station. The Cambodian subsidiary of Thailand’s state-owned oil and gas conglomerate, PTT stands out as one of the country’s more modern gas station chains, sporting retail outlets popular in […] todayMarch 12, 2024 37
insert_link Africa Nigeria risks losing all its forest elephants – what we found when we went looking for them By Rosemary Iriowen Egonmwan, University of Lagos and Bola Oboh, University of Lagos Nigeria is one of 37 African countries where elephants are found in the wild. Savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) can be found in the north and forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) in the south. It’s not clear how many elephants there are in Nigeria. Eighteen years ago, the African Elephant Study Report estimated that there were […] todayMarch 12, 2024 13
insert_link Environment Male dominance isn’t the default in primate societies, new study shows A Müller’s gibbon. All five species of gibbons that were evaluated were classified as non-male-dominant. Image by JJ Harrison via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). By Tina Deines via Mongabay It’s a man’s world when it comes to ape societies — at least, that’s been the prevailing assumption for years. But some recent research is shaking up how we think about this group of primates to which humans belong. Rebecca Lewis, a professor […] todayMarch 5, 2024 18
insert_link Environment Nile Basin farmers grow food forests to restore wetlands and bring back a turtle By David Njagi via Mongabay In the 44 years Naomi Rita Sitati has lived in Bukirimo village in western Kenya, she has known only one system of farming, which her community has depended on for generations. Cultivating sugarcane as the only crop in large plots is a common practice in the region, which is part of the larger Nile Basin, and Sitati was happy with it. Apart from creating jobs for […] todayFebruary 29, 2024 21
insert_link Environment By Anna Dulisse via Mongabay On an island chain in the middle of the Indian Ocean lies an invaluable treasure: “white gold.” While it may not be a gem to proposition a prospective fiancée with, it does protect the ocean’s most biodiverse ecosystem: coral reefs. Casey Benkwitt, a research fellow at Lancaster University in the U.K., says she couldn’t be more thrilled about it. “It’s exciting to learn and show something […] todayFebruary 29, 2024 12
insert_link Environment We’re losing species faster than we can find them De Winton’s Golden Mole, found in June 2021. Photo courtesy of JP Le Roux. By Liz Kimbrough via Mongabay “We did it!” Doka Nason shouted as he stared at the screen of a camera trap in Papua New Guinea. He and his team had just captured a long-sought image: that of the black-naped pheasant-pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis insularis). Believed to be extinct, this rare ground-dwelling bird was photographed as part of […] todayFebruary 28, 2024 19
insert_link Africa Norwegian salmon farms gobble up fish that could feed millions in Africa A salmon farm in Finnmark, Norway. Image by Ninara via Flickr (CC BY 2.0). By Francesco De Augustinis via Mongabay Norwegian salmon farms are taking huge amounts of wild fish from West Africa, mining the food security of the region, according to a report from the U.K.-based NGO Feedback. The analysis comes as the industry faces a wave of public opposition after revelations of high mortality rates and the sale of fish […] todayFebruary 28, 2024 19
insert_link Africa Bees bring honey and hope to a forest reserve in Nigeria Image of a honeybee by Andrea Fabiani Ph via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). By Orji Sunday via Mongabay Nightfall at the Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve field station is clad in the whispers, chirps and trills of insect song. Flames from the burning wood in the fire pit pierce the darkness as flashlights held by field assistants and patrollers reveal a river of fog flowing over the surrounding grassland and […] todayFebruary 27, 2024 39
