Today, August 12, is World Elephant Day. Even though these largest existing land animals are loved, revered and respected by people and cultures around the world, they are actually close to the edge of extinction. The escalation of poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and mistreatment in captivity are just some of the threats to both African and Asian elephants. So, we urgently need to take action to protect these amazing (and cute!) animals. Here are 20 amazing elephant facts.
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Some good conservation news: India’s tiger numbers are going up
Matt Hayward, University of Newcastle and Joseph K. Bump, University of Minnesota
Indian tiger numbers are up, according to one of the most detailed wildlife surveys ever conducted. Tiger populations have risen by 6%, to roughly 3,000 animals.
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This “Salmon Cannon” helps native fish pass over dams
Hydroelectric dams act as obstacles for wildlife, especially migrating salmon. The Whooshh Fish Transport System, also known as the “salmon cannon,” gives fish a much-needed boost over dams so they can swim upstream to spawn.
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Wildlife crossings make animals and people safer
Wildlife crossings over (and under) the highways could make animals (both wild and domesticated) and people safer.
Our expanding network of roads are interrupting and fragmenting the territories of wild (and also domesticated) animals who need to cross our roads in search of food, water, mates, and shelter. Many are routinely struck and killed by vehicles in this most basic quest for survival.
In addition to conservation concerns, animal-vehicle collisions have a significant cost for human populations because collisions damage property and injure and kill passengers and drivers: in the United States only, collisions between wildlife and vehicles have increased by 50 percent in the most recently reported 15 years. These accidents now cost Americans $8 billion every year.
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Sea creatures store carbon in the ocean – could protecting them help slow climate change?
Heidi Pearson, University of Alaska Southeast
As the prospect of catastrophic effects from climate change becomes increasingly likely, a search is on for innovative ways to reduce the risks. One potentially powerful and low-cost strategy is to recognize and protect natural carbon sinks – places and processes that store carbon, keeping it out of Earth’s atmosphere.
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Tragic tale of a ‘man-eating’ tigress tells us so much about the climate crisis
Nayanika Mathur, University of Oxford
The way that we live on Earth is causing an unprecedented acceleration in species extinction. Now, more than half a million species “have insufficient habitat for long-term survival” and are likely to go extinct unless their natural environments are restored. But we are already seeing major problems from this intrusion, not least through an increase in human-animal conflict.
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20 Amazing Alligator Facts
Alligators are very large reptiles. An alligator is also a crocodilian – they are close cousins of crocodiles. But, unlike crocodiles – which can be found all continents except Europe and Antarctica, they are native to only the United States and China. Here are 20 amazing alligator facts.
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Top 10 Largest Crocodiles Ever Recorded
Although crocodiles are really large reptiles and can get enormous sizes, they suffer from a prevalence of “big fish” stories and over-exaggeration. In the Internet age, photographs of crocodiles often manipulated digitally to make the animal look much larger than it is. So, how big the largest crocodiles are actually? Here are the top 10 largest crocodiles ever recorded.
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UN report warns one million species at risk of extinction
We, humans, are destroying the Earth’s wilderness, very fast. Actually, we are the main (and probably the only) cause of the sixth major extinction event in the history of our planet. Now, a recent UN report says at least one million species (animals, plants, and insects) are at the risk of extinction. There will be serious consequences for life on Earth, and also for human beings.
Continue reading UN report warns one million species at risk of extinctionIt would take at least 3 million years for Earth to recover from the 6th mass extinction
Even if we stop destroying Earth’s wilderness today, it would take 3 to 5 million years for Earth to recover from the 6th mass extinction, scientists warn.
Continue reading It would take at least 3 million years for Earth to recover from the 6th mass extinction