Elephants Know They’re Going Extinct

“Behind the numbers is a real tragedy of a very sentient creature, who really knows that there’s a genocide going on.” Biologist Richard Ruggiero of the…

"Blood Ivory" Tops Agenda at International Conference

The ivory trafficking business is the #1 item at the 178-nation Conference on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that’s being held this week and next in Bangkok, Thailand.

But don’t hold your breath for any significant action.

Pat Derby, Rest with the Elephants

She began as an animal trainer in Hollywood, but went on to campaign for their freedom from zoos and circuses and to establish one of the…

Zoo Ransoms Lily the Elephant

The Oregon Zoo has agreed to pay $400,000 to an elephant trafficking company in order to keep baby elephant Lily at the zoo.

Elephants Prefer National Parks

It’s like living in a gated community – even though there are no gates. You just feel better protected. Elephants in Africa are choosing, more and more, to stay within the boundaries of the Serengeti National Park, which suggests that they understand that the park area is freer of humans and that there’s likely to be less hunting within the park boundaries.

On Wildlife Murder, the Cat’s Out of the Bag

A new study makes the powerful case that cats who are left to roam out of doors are doing enormous damage to wildlife. Cat lovers and…

Yes, Lobsters Do Feel Pain

For those who like to tell themselves that it’s OK to boil lobsters alive, life just got a bit more complicated. A new study offers the…

Packing Their Trunks?

In the old and delightfully subversive children’s song, Nellie the elephant “packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus.” Could this be coming true in…

What They Say When You Slip on the Ice

Costa Rica Bans Sport Hunting

Costa Rica has become the first Latin American country to ban sport hunting. The nation’s Congress voted unanimously on the ban.

Who ‘Owns’ This Baby Elephant?

It was all smiles last week when the Oregon Zoo announced the birth of Lily, a 300-pound, super-cute, gangly baby elephant. But the smiles started turning sour as soon as the shady business dealings that underlie Lily’s future life came to light.

Farewell to a Rock Star

She was the best-known wolf in the world – one of Yellowstone’s top tourist attractions. Wildlife watchers called her as a “rock star.” She was the…

Your Favorite Big Cat

Miss PoPsicle and I watched a preview of Nat Geo Wild’s Big Cat Week, and are now trying to decide whether our top favorite big kitty…

Elephants and Slavery

The mindset that has permitted atrocities to be inflicted on humans is the same mindset that allows the abuse of animals to occur. Just as my…

Inside the World of Zoo Elephants

Zoos love baby elephants. When baby Packy was born at the Portland Zoo in 1962, people lined up for half a mile to see him. Life magazine devoted an 11-page spread to the event.
But real life for zoo elephants is a whole other story, and it’s told in this remarkable series of stories, videos and photos from the Seattle Times.

Toronto, Edmonton in Elephant Fight

Lucy the elephant at the Edmonton Zoo. The mayor of Edmonton is unhappy. He doesn’t like the fact that the Toronto city council has voted to…

"The Elephant Ate My Tickets!"

Claudia Flisi visited the Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary in Malaysia, which is helping to save Asian elephants from extinction. In order to remain open, the sanctuary encourages visitors and offers elephant rides. But this is no commercial zoo; its mission is to protect elephants who have been in captivity or who need to be relocated from forests where they are in increasing danger.