People readily help each other. We donate blood and food or help old people across the street. Among non-human animals this propensity to help is very rare. There are a few observations of helping behaviours in non-human animals. For example, vampire bats provide food to other group members and save them from starvation. In more […]

Animals have shockingly been left to starve in the Bloemfontein Zoo, and some have already tragically died from hunger, since the Zoo was closed on 17 December 2019 by the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs (DESTEA). A description from the Bloemfontein SPCA of the conditions in which they found the animals on a recent visit […]

They’ve fought them from the air, with specialised camouflage reconnaissance teams and tactical boots on the ground, but the latest weapon in the fight against rhino poaching might not be as high-tech as you would expect… Fast, four-legged and furious – free-tracking hounds could prove to be the game-changer in the fight against poachers as […]

Thirty-two elephants in South Africa face being shot dead after two rogue bull elephants killed a conservationist trying to shepherd the herd back to a KwaZulu-Natal reserve from which they had strayed. Sources close to the KZN authorities say that a cull of the entire herd has been proposed, but no decision has yet been […]

This is a question I have asked myself many times… writes Dr Louise de Waal, Campaign Manager of Blood Lions. Petting a predator is incongruous and unnatural, so why this obsession with petting wild animals in captivity? Why do we believe it is acceptable to put our own needs well above the animal’s requirements? Is […]

Beyers Coetzee had a dream to see the elephants of Mawana Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, live out their days in peaceful co-existence… writes Louzel Lombard Steyn. He hoped to establish a reserve where ecology and community thrived. In the end, it was a dream he gave his life for. The 45-year-old conservationist was […]

South Africa’s Blood Lions documentary makers have welcomed China’s announcement of an unprecedented ban on the consumption of wild animals as food… but point out it should be permanent, and not only applicable when the world’s focus is on the threat of the new coronavirus. And it should definitely include lion bones which carry the […]

Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae) are a family of unique lizards with unusual characteristics: rapidly extendable tongues, feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, a prehensile tail, and eyes that can move independently of each other. Many species also have the ability to change the colour of their skin. There are about 213 species of chameleons […]

An exhausted Boomslang was rescued from the beach in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on Saturday… by one of SA’s top snake experts Nick Evans who said it was a first for him to discover a Boomslang on the beach! “This big, beautiful specimen was very disorientated and extremely tired from swimming in the waves. Thankfully a […]

An undisclosed number of lions attacked and killed a 21-year-old woman at a private game reserve near Bela Bela in the Limpopo province of South Africa, on Thursday afternoon. The woman has been identified as Swane van Wyk (although several local reports named her as Swans van Wyke), an animal lover who worked with lions […]

On Saturday morning I entered Kruger very early and had a breakfast appointment at Skukuza planned… writes Kurt Schultz.  Having worked in Kruger and guided and run www.kurtsafari.com for the last 10 years. I spend most of the week in an office, so weekends are my time to get my camera out and get into […]

A giraffe from Africa – destined for a breeding centre at Thailand’s biggest safari park – has tragically died after making a desperate bid for freedom. The 5 to 7 metre high giraffe had escaped shortly after landing at Bangkok’s main airport, along with a smaller giraffe (4 metres)… but authorities were only able to […]

In listing 32 wild animal species as farm animals under the Animal Improvement Act in 2019, the Department of Agriculture went against the recommendations of the government’s own scientific authority. The scientific report on wildlife breeding was called for by the former Minister of Environmental Affairs (DEFF) and authored by 14 of the country’s top wildlife scientists. […]

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), which works tirelessly to combat illegal trade and support conservation, has welcomed the decision by Chinese authorities to ban the trade of wild animals in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The EWT said in a statement on Wednesday that it is calling for the Chinese government […]

Thousands of trophy hunters from around the world will gather next week in Nevada, USA for the world’s largest trophy hunt convention, held by Safari Club International, at which “trophy hunter” Donald Trump Jr. is also scheduled to speak, according to Humane Society International, Africa. One of the hunts up for bid is apparently a […]

South Africans – from Johannesburg to Howick, East London to Clarens – have been swept away in the past couple of days by mesmerising scenes of millions of white butterflies floating through the streets and gardens of the city… all flying in a north-easterly direction. It’s the annual mid-summer migration of the Brown-Veined White Butterfly. […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) rangers apprehended 48 suspected abalone poachers on Thursday, 24 January 2020, on the Western side of the Park between Keurbooms and Salt River in Tsitsikamma, South Africa. (Watch video at bottom of page.) Once caught, suspects were taken to the nearest police station by the South African Police Services (SAPS). […]

A whale – identified as an elusive Layard’s Beaked Whale – was rescued on Friday afternoon in Struisbaai Harbour, South Africa. At first witnesses thought the beaching animal was an injured dolphin… an easy error since beaked whales have a ‘beak’ similar to most dolphin species. However, Marine Scientist Mike Meyer confirmed it was a […]

As the deadline approaches for commentary to be submitted to the UK government on its proposed Trophy Hunting ban, South Africans on both sides of the argument have submitted their comments. Saai, an organisation that protects the interests of farmers – including game farmers – in South Africa, argues that there is value in legal […]

Today marks the beginning of what promises to be a wonderful new life for 12 tigers and five lions at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) in South Africa. The big cats have been relocated after being rescued from a life of circus suffering in Guatemala by Animal Defenders International (ADI). The animals’ journey to freedom […]

A South African teenager is recovering in hospital after she was bitten by a crocodile while she was swimming in Elands River (Elandsrivier), near Swartruggens in the North West province with her two friends. According to the North West Dept of Conservation and Tourism, the 15-year-old girl – Hesmari van Loggensberg – accidentally stepped onto […]

POTCHEFSTROOM – The war on rhino poachers continues successfully with another suspected rhino poacher arrested on a game lodge near Rustenburg, South Africa, yesterday. The suspect has been identified as a police constable, and has possible links to the rhino poaching incidents that have plagued Pilanesberg. The South African Police Service (SAPS) said that the […]

A second sighting of a Great White Shark in False Bay has been made by South African National Parks (SANParks) marine biologist, Dr Alison Kock. Speaking to John Maytham on Cape Talk, Dr Kock said she spotted the Great White Shark near Macassar Beach in the False Bay area, during an aerial survey on Saturday. […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) have announced an encouraging start to the year 2020 in their anti-poaching campaign in the Kruger National Park (KNP). SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni congratulated Rangers who managed to arrest seven suspected rhino poachers in the first nine days of the year. The first group of three suspected poachers were arrested […]

LOS ANGELES – A video showing the devotion between two ex-circus lions, rescued by Animal Defenders International (ADI), has gone viral on Facebook… notching up more than half a million view (573,000) and more than 71,000 reactions so far (and counting!) Thanks to Guatemala’s ban on animal circuses, the lions have been rescued from a […]