With a bit of divine intervention, taking a few animals into Noah’s Ark might have worked to repopulate wildlife a few thousand years ago. But it certainly wouldn’t today. Captive breeding isn’t about conservation of species; it’s about conservation of zoos. And the primary work of zoos is to entertain (not educate) the public. That’s why millions of dollars are being spent on these breeding programs, rather than on protecting wildlife.
Here in the United States, on the Fourth of July we’re celebrating life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In Spain, on the Fourth of July,…
The Chinese government says shark fin soup will be phased out at state banquets. They say this will take three years to implement. By that time,…
Yes, that’s the conclusion of renowned activist Bill McKibben, who now concedes that when it comes to global warming: the floods in Minnesota that even drowned…
An animal protection group has blown the whistle on the rodeo industry with video footage of cowboys giving electric shocks to the horses as they open…
Male chimpanzees can be violent with babies who are not their own. That’s natural, but what’s not natural is when it’s brought into the confines of captivity at a zoo, where, in this case, Gracie had nowhere to go with her baby and her friends except to another part of their enclosure.
The Georgia Aquarium is planning to capture 18 beluga whales from where they live in the Sea of Okhotsk in eastern Russia, and fly them halfway around the world to put them on display in Atlanta. Their explanation for doing this would be hilarious if it were not so sad and not such an unconscionable abuse of highly intelligent animals.
By any standard, the story of a young graduate student being torn up by chimpanzees at a South Africa sanctuary that bears the name of Jane Goodall is shocking. But, like the news of a woman in New York City having her face torn off by a “pet” chimpanzee, we are singularly upset to hear of our own kind being treated this way by one of our closest cousins. Why does it get to us more than any other savage interactions with wildlife?
It’s all in the genes. And a bottlenose dolphin’s genes tell the story of just how smart these distant cousins of ours may be – smarter…
Mugly took home top honors in this Ugliest Dog Contest in Petaluma, Calif., this year. But frankly he just wasn’t that ugly. I mean, check out…
Lonesome George, the centenarian Galapagos Island turtle was found dead one morning last weekend in his corral. He was the last of his kind. George was…
It could be enormously significant for elephants in captivity in Los Angeles, in all of California, and possibly even for elephants all across the country. Whichever way…
In a world that’s under serious and increasing stress, the mission of Earth in Transition is to transform the way we relate to our fellow animals,…
For the cover story of the Canadian edition of Reader’s Digest for July, Jeff Warren heads out onto the ocean to discover what we’re learning about…
What do you call a veterinarian who only treats a single species? Answer: a physician. That’s a joke among many veterinarians, who understand very well that…
What are the proper limits of religious freedom? Marianne Thieme, leader of the Party for the Animals in the Netherlands, offers this answer: “Religious freedom stops…
“The elephant helped us walk out of Africa perhaps 60,000 years ago. We learned from tribal elders in east Africa that elephants, because they knew where…
Tom Cruise tells Ryan Seacrest he couldn’t do real comedy in his new movie without having a baboon brought onto the set: “I wanted to play…
Scientists plan to glue submersible cameras onto the seals’ backs, using the footage to prove to fishermen the animals are not harming their way of life.…