Biodiversity

"WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Whenever Amy Begaye’s extended family butchered a sheep, she was given what she considered easy tasks — holding the legs and catching the blood with a bowl. She was never given the knife. That changed recently."

"Operators of a northern Arizona golf course think they have finally found the right repellent for javelinas ripping apart their turf — chili oil."

"In 2020, 350 elephants mysteriously died in Botswana, with a further 35 dying in similar circumstances in Zimbabwe. Now scientists think they may have found the reason why".

"Two rare subspecies of leopard cat, the Iriomote cat and Tsushima cat, can be found only on the Japanese islands they’re named after. With populations hovering around 100 individuals each, the cats are the focus of Ministry of the Environment-led conservation measures."

"Some people keep dogs in their backyards. In the Florida Keys, some residents have deer the size of a golden retriever in their yards. As sea levels rise and salt water climbs higher on the islands, it's shrinking habitat for this deer — which already has an estimated population of at most 1,000."

"Climate change is pushing the Sonoran Desert to the brink, with saguaro cacti as a bellwether of the impending disaster."

"In the pre-dawn darkness of Sierra de la Culebra, Zamora, Spain, a sudden howl pierces the cold. More join in, until the baying chorus echoes all around. As the sky begins to lighten, their shapes emerge: first the alpha male, and then the rest of the wolf pack, appearing in the twilight where light and darkness merge.

"It sounds like fiction from “The Lord of the Rings.” An enemy begins attacking a tree. The tree fends it off and sends out a warning message. Nearby trees set up their own defenses. The forest is saved."