Latest news with #Re:Wild
National Geographic
11-03-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
These ancient fish swam with the dinosaurs. They may not survive us.
The river flows vast and soundless. It's December in southern Kazakhstan, and the landscape near the Syr Darya River is smudged in shades of brown and taupe—dormant grasses, silted floodplains, leafless trees. This is not the most picturesque stretch of riverbank, strewn as it is with food wrappers, bottles, a decomposing sedan. Overhead, the sun is obscured by a haze of coal- and woodsmoke. But when it comes to what Bernie Kuhajda is searching for, the spot feels perfect. 'This is the habitat we need,' says Kuhajda, an aquatic conservation biologist with the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. He's hoping to find a species of sturgeon—the Syr Darya—that's native to these waters but hasn't been seen since the 1960s, after a series of Soviet dams was built throughout the river system. Those projects blocked access to the fish's spawning grounds and forever changed the flow of the Syr Darya, which drains from the high peaks of Kyrgyzstan into what is now the remnants of the Aral Sea. If the sturgeon somehow still exists, Kuhajda thinks this silty, shallow expanse of river is where it can be found. (Critically endangered sturgeons threatened by proposed dams in Caucasus.) Some months earlier, Kuhajda had been contacted by the conservation organization Re:Wild, which administers a program to search for what it calls lost species—creatures that haven't been seen for at least a decade and could be extinct, but there's not enough data to be conclusive. The officials at Re:Wild reached out to Kuhajda knowing that he was one of a very small collection of scientists who have ever laid eyes on the Syr Darya sturgeon. As a graduate student in the 1990s, he visited museums in London, Moscow, and St. Petersburg and videotaped 27 spindled specimens, bleached white from years of storage. 'They said, 'You're the expert,' ' Kuhajda says, remembering the call with Re:Wild. 'And I said, 'Well, I've seen them dead in a jar.' '
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Officials make disturbing discovery in bus luggage compartment after receiving anonymous tip: 'Every day, similar consignments are transported along this route'
A raid on a bus in Bangladesh revealed just how deep the freshwater turtle trade goes. Last December, Bangladeshi wildlife inspectors found two crates of turtles stowed away in a bus luggage compartment thanks to an anonymous tip, according to Mongabay. The bus driver, Siddikul Islam, told Mongabay, "Every day, similar consignments are transported along this route." The bus was just the start of the story. That same month, Bangladesh's Forest Department carried out several raids on suspected smuggling locations, aided by locals who tipped off authorities. Most notably, they discovered over 1,000 live turtles in a storage warehouse. The turtles all belonged to three species protected under Bangladeshi law: the Indian roofed turtle, the Indian eyed turtle, and the Indian flapshell turtle. According to Mongabay, turtle trading was banned in the country in 1998, though that hasn't stopped smugglers. Experts suspect that the turtles are being used for meat and/or turned into trinkets. This, combined with habitat loss, has put the turtles in a precarious position. Sanaullah Patwary, director of the Forest Department's Wildlife Crime Control Unit, told Mongabay, "We need support from civic groups to stop turtle smuggling. Otherwise, these species will become extinct." These freshwater turtles are a vital part of their ecosystems. According to Re: Wild, "Tortoises and freshwater turtles are important seed and spore dispersers for many plants, trees and fungi." Without them, the ecosystem becomes unbalanced, which threatens other species in turn. This may sound like it has nothing to do with humans, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The World Wildlife Fund states that "environmental goods and services" (like medicine, food, fresh water, fuel, etc.) are worth over $30 trillion. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. When ecosystems collapse, humans' access to clean, healthy food and water becomes more and more limited. Though the turtles are just one piece of the puzzle, every creature plays an irreplaceable part on Earth. All across the world, people are doing what they can to keep endangered species and their ecosystems alive. Bangladeshi authorities, committed to conservation, are continuing to crack down on turtle smugglers. In California, the bighorn sheep population recently stabilized. Though only time will tell if the species can fully bounce back, conservationists report that this is a good sign. And in Tristan da Cunha, a South Atlantic archipelago, the future of a yellow finch called the Wilkins' bunting is looking bright thanks to creative conservation methods. Relatively small efforts like planting a native lawn or reducing your everyday plastic usage can help your local ecosystem and keep endangered and vulnerable species — like Bangladesh's freshwater turtles — alive and well. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
