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Success in Kenya as Fauna & Flora’s in-country partner, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, plays an instrumental role in the growth of the eastern black rhino population – which has now surpassed 1,000 individuals. As a result of this success, 21 rhinos have been translocated to Loisaba, a conservancy in Laikipia, where they will form the nucleus of a new breeding population. The mid-70s saw a drastic decline in rhinos as populations were decimated by poachers. With numbers falling from more than 20,000 to just 400 in the space of two decades, Kenya’s black rhinos were in a crisis. However, following the establishment of the Kenya Wildlife Service, commitments from the Kenyan government and continued efforts from a number of local conservancies and international organisations, including Fauna & Flora, eastern black rhino numbers have more than doubled and they are now halfway to being considered a sustainable population. However, many conservancies have now become a victim of their own success and are rapidly running out of space to accommodate these enormous mammals. Black rhinos are solitary creatures and room to manoeuvre is essential, not just for their survival, but also for successful breeding. Without appropriate space, territorial fights can break out between males – often with lethal consequences.  

“Zoos: Conservation or Exploitation?” Published June 25, 2024 “Whether they’re born into captivity or captured from the wild, here are the controversial conditions faced by zoo animals today. As kids, we visit zoos and aquariums with fascination, associating them with wonder and mystique, unaware of the industry’s negative effects. As we grow up, however, we’re forced to consider whether profiting off of captive animals is moral, and are confronted with zookeepers’ lack of regard for animals' physical and emotional well-being. Today, there are roughly 800,000 animals in the care of AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums worldwide. According to National Geographic, hundreds of zoos have been accused of mistreatment, leading to decreased self-esteem and self-destructive behaviors among animals. At the end of the day, regardless of how zoos market themselves as nonprofits or driven by education, they operate as businesses that profit from the entertainment provided by captive animals. Admission for a single day at zoos typically ranges from $20 to $60, while SeaWorld charges around $100. SeaWorld claims to have contributed more than $17 million to conservation efforts, but this amounts to just 3.2% of their annual profits.” Complete Story: https://lnkd.in/gEFKk37R #captiveconservation #AZA #weareaza #bornfree #bornfreeusa #TheConservationGameMovie

Breaking News from the Animal Kingdom 📢 A tiny invasive ant has made its way into the Kenyan Savannah, triggering a transformation in the landscape that even changed how local lions hunt! 🦁 A new study reveals the big-headed ant, originally from an island in the Indian Ocean, has upended the balance of life in Laikipia, Kenya. These ants killed off the native acacia ants, leaving whistling-thorn acacia trees vulnerable to hungry herbivores. 🐘 This decline in tree cover is bad news for lions, who need dense vegetation for ambushing prey, like zebras.🦓 GPS tracking over three years in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy showed lions adapting by shifting their hunting strategies, targeting buffalo instead of zebras. Invasive species are a growing global issue, with over 37,000 alien species spreading worldwide, often due to human activities. 🌍🚶♂️The big question: what happens next? Learn more about the change of lion’s behavior in Kenya 👉 https://bit.ly/LionsAnts #wildlife #conservation #invasivespecies #kenya #lions #nature #bigcats

Caprivi Facts: * The Caprivi is also called The Caprivi Strip and, more recently, The Zambezi Region. The Kavango Region comprises of two regions – Kavango East and Kavango West. * The width of the strip varies from about 32 km (20 mi) to 105 km (65 mi) and it is 450 km (280 mi) long. The largest settlement is the town of Katima Mulilo in the east - at the point where the Zambezi River reaches the Caprivi. * Some of Southern Africa’s most impressive rivers run through the Caprivi region, transforming this area into a lush green oasis. These include the Okavango, the Chobe and the Zambezi. * Wildlife in this area is protected by three national parks: Bwabwata National Park (created by the merging of the Caprivi Game Park and Mahango Game Reserve in 2007), Nkasa Rupara National Park (previously known as Mamili National Park), and Mudumu National Park. * Animals cross freely from Botswana and this is the only area in Namibia where you will see buffalo, hippo and crocodiles. * The Caprivi is known for its birdlife and supports over 430 resident and migratory species, including some area specials that are typically found only in the Caprivi and Okavango regions including the coppery-tailed coucal, the slaty egret, and the brown firefinch. * Over 90,000 people live in this region, about four percent of Namibia’s population. Most of these people are subsistence farmers who make their living on the banks of the Zambezi, Kwando, Linyanti and Chobe Rivers. * “Four corners of Africa” at the eastern end of the Caprivi Strip, is the place where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe meet. Read more >> https://lnkd.in/d8Zcx_PC

🌍 𝗸𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆𝗻𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Mandai Wildlife Group! Black-winged mynas hold the first position of the Conservation priority list of the IUCN SSC Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group suffering greatly from the illegal cage-bird trade. 🔎 Discover how EAZA zoos helps these birds through an EAZA Ex situ Programme (EEP) in the document below. An EEP is a joint effort of zoos and aquariums to manage healthy animal populations together. This involves exchanging animals between them, breeding and many more activities. 🤝 The roles of EEPs are defined by experts from the zoo community with their partners from the field and are gathered in a Regional Species Plan. Currently EAZA manages EEPs for over 500 different species. For more info about the Myna EEP visit the dedicated EEP page on our website ➡️ https://loom.ly/l_H3Xpc #PopulationManagement #conservation #ZooWork #EEP #SavingSpeciesTogether

It’s International ‘Prison Pony’ Day! Whether you call them 'Ponies in Pyjamas', 'Prison Ponies', or just Zebra, there’s no doubting how incredible these equines are. There are just 3 living species of Zebra in the world (and 7 sub-species) today. The species are: Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), the plains zebra (E. quagga), and the mountain zebra (E. zebra). Zebra facts: 🦓 Each Zebra’s stripes are different, just like our fingerprints. It's thought these may be used by them to identify each other. 🦓 The Grevy's zebra is Critically Endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species. The African Wildlife Foundation estimates that their numbers have declined by around 54% in the last three decades. Mountain zebra is classed as ‘Vulnerable’, and Plains zebra as ‘Near Threatened’. 🦓 Zebra evidence highly sophisticated communication skills 🦓 The stripe pattern of their coat potentially serves to confuse predators and biting insects, or to control body heat – on particularly hot days, the white stripes have been recorded as being 15 degrees (Celsius) cooler than the dark ones. 🦓 The collective noun for Zebra is a ‘dazzle’ - they are also sometimes referred to as a herd or zeal 🦓 They can live up to 20years in the wild 🦓 Their most prevalent predator are lions 🦓 Their biggest threats are anthropogenic: habitat loss, poaching, and hunting 🦓 'On the hoof' they can reach speeds of up to 65kmph 🦓 The largest herds congregate in Tanzania when they take part in the ‘Great Migration’ between July and November If you’d like to see them in the wild, let’s have a chat about adventurous and bold development expeditions in Africa (that can also include animal or habitat conservation projects). They’re something people will never forget and forever learn from. They also provide an incredible boost to people’s wellbeing! It's a win all round. Let's 'dazzle' people with something amazing!👍🏼 #InternationalZebraDay #conservation #development #personaldevelopment #developmentexpeditions #bolddevelopment #adventurousdevelopment #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leadercology #hr #csuite #africa #wellbeing #growth #experientialdevelopment #naturesdevelopmentspace

Hippopotamus have been a part of the African ecosystem for millions of years, once ranging from the Nile river valley to the Cape. However, due to poaching and widespread habitat loss, the remaining 125,000-148,000 common/large hippos are now confined to protected areas. Of the 29 countries where common hippos are still found, populations are confirmed to be declining in half of those countries & the species has gone regionally extinct in three African countries. Populations have also been impacted in areas with ongoing civil unrest; in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (a historic hippo habitat) populations have declined by 95%. Hippos face threats from human-wildlife conflict and habitat encroachment, with hundreds being shot each year to keep them out of crops and away from homes. Hippo fat and their ivory canine teeth are considered valuable. As bans on elephant ivory continue to gain support, buyers are looking for substitutes. Hippos have carveable canine teeth, and as a result, there has been an over 530% increase in hippo teeth export annually. Hippos are an incredible, ancient creature and they must be protected. Please join me in advocating for wildlife and wild places. *Hippos are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS* I was at a safe distance and right next to my vehicle when this was filmed. 🌊🌊🌊🦛🌊🌊🌊🛶🌊🌊🌊🦛🌊 #wildlifeconservation #hippopotamus #zambeziriver #lowerzambezi #hippofacts #thisisafrica #overlandingafrica #travel #adventure #respect #wildlife #conservation

👉In this week’s “Bird is the word”, we introduce you to one of the many interesting endemic species from New Zealand - the Weka (Gallirallus australia)🔎 🌏 The Weka is a large flightless bird and member of the Rallidae family with rails, gallinules and coots. Wekas are only found in New Zealand, but but their range is scattered across the country. It is sometimes confused by tourists with the more famous kiwis, but a closer look reveals that this is a different but still interesting bird. 💡 Wekas have a powerful beak, perfect for feeding on, for example, different sorts of native fruits and invertebrates but also other prey items if found. They can be active both day and night and mainly feed on the ground by scratching in the leaf litter with their beak. 📸 Today’s photo is taken on a beach on the remote Ulva Island off the southern tip of New Zealand. This island is still predator-free, meaning none of the introduced predators that have caused huge problems in many other areas in New Zealand are here, making this island a predator-free sanctuary for native birds. #Ornithology #Artificialintelligence #Biodiversity #Weka #Birdoftheweek #Spoor

Today's #international Cheetah day!! let's #celebratetogether History of International Cheetah Day As founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), Dr. Laurie Marker chose to commemorate Khayam, a cheetah she raised at the Wildlife Safari that she ran in Oregon, by establishing December 4th as International Cheetah Day in his memory. Khayam served as part of an important experiment that helped in determining whether or not captive Cheetahs can be taught to hunt and live in the wild on their own after being in captivity. After a trip to Namibia, the experiment was proven successful. However, Dr. Marker and Khayam still returned home following the experiment, after observing that local hunters were eliminating wild cheetahs as a threat to their livelihood. Driven by this encounter, Dr. Marker decided to move to Namibia to help heal the rift between farmers and the majestic cheetah. It was in 1990 that she founded the CCF. Cheetahs are incredible animals, being the fastest land mammal in the wild today. Sadly, though the numbers used to be significantly higher, there are only 8,000 of these creatures left in the wild today, a number that leaves them as Africa’s most endangered feline. Cheetahs hold their position as the world’s fastest land mammal, thanks to some tricks that have perfectly adapted them for high speed. The cheetah’s full running speed is so fast that their feet only touch the ground once every 6 to 7 meters, and their muscular tail helps to steer them like a rudder at these high speeds. Needless to say, once a cheetah has prey in their sites, there’s no running away! #use Hashtage #internatioanlcheetahday #connections #network Kirti Parashar #hr #jobseekers #motivation #inspiration #knowledge

As part of the countdown to TAFU’s Local Wildlife Day https://lnkd.in/eRXHbZ6D on the 11th of July – Species no. 9. Stay tuned – 34 more days and 34 more species until then! The Greater Whitethroat (Curruca communis) is a medium-sized warbler, around 14 cm in length, known for its grey head, white throat, and brown back. Males are more vibrant with grey heads and a white throat, while females are duller and lack the grey head. This species breeds across Europe and some parts of Asia, from the UK to central Asia. They prefer open countryside, scrubland, and hedgerows for nesting, avoiding urban and mountainous areas. Whitethroats are migratory birds, spending the breeding season in Europe and the winter in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region. They feed mainly on insects but also consume berries and soft fruits. Their song is a fast, scratchy warble, often heard from perches in their breeding habitat. Nesting occurs in low shrubs or brambles, with males constructing several nests for females to choose from. Typical clutches contain 4-5 eggs, with both parents sharing incubation duties. Despite being widespread, their populations are monitored due to habitat changes and environmental conditions in their winter grounds. So, let's aid this little creature and maintain our gardens to have dense shrubs and hedgerows and provide insect-friendly habitats! #TAFU #TAFUsLocalWildlifeDay #TAFUsLWD #LocalWildlife #Nature #Sustainability #ClimateChange #Conservation #NatureConservation #NatureLovers