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The National
03-05-2025
- The National
Ten places for animal lovers to visit, from Istanbul to Yamanouchi
Animal lovers seeking a meaningful and memorable getaway will find plenty of destinations around the world that focus on wildlife conservation and ethical encounters. From the vibrant streets of Istanbul, where community cats roam freely, to the landscapes of Chengdu, a sanctuary for pandas, these places offer unique opportunities to connect with wildlife in a responsible manner. This island state of Australia is a haven for wildlife, with unique species that include wombats, wallabies, echidnas and the Tasmanian devil. The Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary is a standout for its rescue-and-release efforts and offers guided experiences with native animals that are focused on education and conservation. There's also the Maria Island National Park, where visitors can spot animals in the wild without fences or feeding programmes, ensuring a natural, low-impact interaction. Namibia is home to some of the most progressive conservation efforts in Africa. The N/a'an ku se Wildlife Sanctuary near Windhoek rescues and rehabilitates animals, including cheetahs, leopards and baboons. Additionally, the Etosha National Park allows self-guided or guided safaris that focus on non-invasive wildlife observation. Community-based conservancies also help local populations while protecting species such as black rhinos and desert elephants. Known for its rich biodiversity and strong eco-tourism ethics, Costa Rica is one of the best places to see sloths, monkeys, toucans and sea turtles in the wild. The Jaguar Rescue Centre in Puerto Viejo, founded by two biologists, rehabilitates injured animals with the goal of eventually releasing them back into the wild. Meanwhile, Tortuguero National Park offers guided turtle nesting tours under strict regulations to avoid disturbing the animals. The country's focus on sustainable tourism makes it ideal for animal lovers who want to minimise harm. Thailand has a long history of elephant tourism, much of which has faced criticism for unethical practices such as elephant riding and forced performances. However, there are some ethical elephant sanctuaries that are open to travellers, and Chiang Mai in the north has a few to offer. Ethical sanctuaries prioritise the well-being of elephants, allowing them to roam freely, engage in natural behaviours and prohibit direct human interactions such as riding or bathing them. Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai is one such sanctuary, acting as a retirement home for rescued elephants and considered as one of the places that set the benchmark for the proper treatment of elephants in Thailand. Burm and Emily's Elephant Sanctuary, just outside Chiang Mai is another. This small family-run sanctuary prioritises elephant welfare, ensuring visitors do not touch the elephants, but allowing people to instead observe them from a nearby tower. There's also hands-on activities such as planting feed for the elephants. Known as the "City of Cats", Istanbul is a popular place for cat lovers to visit. With thousands of street cats roaming freely and sturdy animal welfare laws in place, the city's residents have a long history of caring for them, treating them as part of the urban landscape. Cats can be found lounging in cafes, on rooftops and even in historic landmarks like the Hagia Sophia. Felines are cared for by the community, with people often leaving out food and water, and small outdoor shelters for cats to cosy up in. Of course, like in many big cities, there are still some challenges, such as cultural beliefs or traditions about certain animals being unclean or unlucky, but on the whole, Istanbul is a must-visit for cat fans. Yamanouchi is famous for its Jigokudani Monkey Park, where visitors can observe Japanese macaques bathing in natural hot springs during the winter months. The monkeys are not confined but roam freely within the park, and the environment is designed to mimic their natural habitat. The park emphasises the importance of respecting the animals by encouraging visitors to observe from a distance without interfering with their natural behaviours. Feeding or touching the monkeys is strictly prohibited. Nairobi has several ethical wildlife experiences, thanks to organisations such as the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (an elephant orphanage) and Giraffe Manor, a luxury boutique hotel which houses endangered Rothschild giraffes and champions ethical practices, including offering an expansive natural habitat and giving the animals freedom to roam. Each visit also funds a donation from the hotel to conservation causes. The Kenyan capital is also home to Nairobi National Park, where visitors can see animals in the wild against a backdrop of city skyscrapers and where a portion of the park entry fee goes towards conservation. Be sure to do your research if booking to visit via a tour company, as there are many unethical operators. To guarantee that your actions only have a positive impact on the wildlife and local community, try booking a trip with Natural World or African Adventures, both of which prioritise animal welfare. Chengdu, in China's Sichuan province, is home to the giant panda and closely connected with conservation of the black and white bears making it a top destination for animal lovers who want to see pandas ethically and responsibly. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, just outside the city, is one of the top institutions dedicated to the breeding, research and conservation of pandas. Despite its love of pandas, travellers should be aware that the city has several other animal welfare issues, including a dog meat trade and a lack of adequate shelters for strays. Antarctica offers pristine and awe-inspiring wildlife encounters. It is home to species such as penguins, seals and whales, and the continent's isolation and strict conservation guidelines make it a unique destination for ethical wildlife tourism. Activities on offer include observing penguin colonies and watching seals sunbathing on a sheet of floating ice or whales breaching in the ocean. Of course, environmentalists will argue that the best course of ethical tourism in this destination is for people not to travel there in the first place, especially as the White Continent has no permanent inhabitants that might benefit from tourism-funded community development. Thankfully, given that many people still opt to travel here, tourism activities in the destination are highly regulated. The world's third-largest island is known for its beaches and biodiverse rainforest. It is also home to a variety of wildlife that includes orangutans and clouded leopards. Several conservation areas and sanctuaries across Borneo, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia) and Kalimantan (Indonesia), focus on the protection and rehabilitation of endangered wildlife. Visitors who wish to trek through the rainforests and observe orangutans in the wild can do so with reputable companies such as the Orangutan Foundation, a travel organisation dedicated to the conservation of the animals and their habitat. Avoid companies that allow feeding or touching wildlife, practices that can harm the animals. Travellers can also opt to stay at the eco-certified Borneo Rainforest Lodge, where guests can look for orangutans on guided treks and where visitor numbers are strictly limited to ensure human impact doesn't negatively affect these fuzzy orange apes.
The Guardian
06-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Is eating farmed salmon worth snuffing out 40m years of Tasmanian evolution?
Australia is justly famous as a place where ancient species, long extinct elsewhere, live on. After aeons of adversity, Australia's living fossils often survive only in protected habitats: the Wollemi, Huon and King Billy pines, the Queensland lungfish and even the Tasmanian devil (which thrived on the mainland at the same time as the Egyptians were building the pyramids) are good examples. Such species are a source of wonder for anyone interested in the living world and they should serve as a source of hope that, given half a chance, even ancient, slow-changing species can survive periods of dramatic climate change. Australia's largest repository of living fossils is arguably the cool, shallow marine waters off its southern coastline. Despite that fact that most of us enjoy a swim, snorkel or walk on the beach, the biological importance of our shallow temperate seas is almost entirely unrecognised. In 1996 Tasmania's spotted handfish became the first marine fish to be listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Found only around the Derwent River estuary, this 10cm-long Tasmanian has a cute, froggy face and hand-like fins, which it uses to 'walk' across the sea floor. There are only 14 species of handfish, and all are restricted to the cool waters off southern Australia. Most have limited distributions, several are endangered and a few are known from just a single example. But what is truly surprising about handfish is that they were once widespread. A 50m-year-old fossil was unearthed in the Italian alps. So, like the platypus and Huon pine, handfish are relics, clinging precariously to life in Australia's cool southern waters. The Maugean skate, also known as the 'thylacine of the sea', has become famous because it is endangered by salmon farming. It is also a living fossil, found only in the tannin-rich waters of Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania's west coast. The Maugean skate's relatives inhabit shallow marine waters around New Zealand and Patagonia, indicating that the species is a relic from the time, about 40m years ago, when Australia, Antarctica and South America were joined together to form Gondwana. Its predicament is forcing ordinary Australians to ask whether it's right to snuff out 40m years of evolution for a salmon bagel. The bell clapper shell, found only in the shallow waters off Australia's south-west, is a third and most surprising relic. These long and narrow chalky white shells, shaped like the clapper of a bell, remain common enough that you have a fair chance of finding a sea-washed example on a beach walk anywhere between Perth and Esperance. Yet it is a living fossil with a truly exotic history. When workers were constructing the sewers of Paris in the 19th century, they often came across fossil bell clapper shells, some of which were up to a metre long. Right across the world, from Europe to eastern Australia, bell clapper fossils abound. Yet only in Western Australia's south-west can living examples still be seen. Handfish, Maugean skates and bell clapper shells are just three charismatic species among a plethora of smaller and less spectacular marine species that have found refuge in the cool waters off southern Australia. Today the great juggernaut of climate breakdown threatens to extinguish their entire habitat. The heating caused by our emissions of greenhouse gases is not distributed evenly. The oceans are absorbing 90% of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases, and the high latitudes are warming faster than areas closer to the equator. Catastrophic changes are unfolding. Giant kelp once abounded in the shallows off eastern Tasmania. So great is the biodiversity found in groves of giant kelp that Charles Darwin called them the rainforests of the sea. Due to warming waters, in most places it's nothing but a memory. When the kelp vanishes, so does the biodiversity. Problems of simple warming are compounded by the migration of the long-spined sea urchin, which is spreading southwards as waters warm. Without the strongest efforts to eliminate greenhouse gases, it can't be long before the first of southern Australia's marine living fossils wink out. The survival of Australia's living fossils is a source of wonder and hope for me. The fact that platypus, which are little changed for 100m years, continue to survive in creeks and rivers near the largest Australian metropolises helps calm my worst fears about our future. And, while I may never see one in the wild, knowing that spotted handfish continue to walk the bay floor near the Hobart casino brings joy to my soul. I continue to believe that once Australians realise what is at stake, they will act to protect our extraordinary biodiversity. There is no doubt that good climate policy is facing a Trumpian apocalypse. Yet, like our living fossils, some bold initiatives survive, among them Andrew Forrest's 'real zero' target by 2030 for his iron ore mines. If an energy-hungry iron ore miner operating in a remote corner of Australia can abolish all use of fossil fuels in the next five years, why can't we all? Prof Tim Flannery is one of Australia's foremost climate change experts, an internationally recognised scientist, explorer and conservationist. He was named Australian of the Year in 2007 and is chief councillor of the Climate Council. He is also is a board member of Minderoo Foundation, Andrew Forrest's philanthropic vehicle
Saudi Gazette
06-02-2025
- Science
- Saudi Gazette
Scientists produce first kangaroo embryo using IVF
SYDNEY — Australian scientists have produced the world's first kangaroo embryo through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a breakthrough they say could help save other species from specimens from eastern grey kangaroos, the researchers successfully injected a single sperm cell into an egg, but said achieving a live birth would require more work and "technical advancements".The feat provides important insights into marsupial breeding and could aid efforts to improve the genetic diversity of endangered species such as the koala, Tasmanian devil, northern hairy-nosed wombat and Leadbeater's possum, lead researcher Andres Gambini houses the largest variety of marsupial mammals, but it also has the highest rate of mammal University of Queensland experiment looked at the growth of kangaroo eggs and sperm in a laboratory setting before creating embryos using a method known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).The technique, which is already used on humans and some domestic animals, was tried on eastern grey kangaroos that had died. The species was selected because it is not endangered and has existing high how iconic marsupial species are in Australia and the crucial role they play in its biodiversity, studies into their tissues have been limited, scientists say."We are now refining techniques to collect, culture and preserve marsupial eggs and sperm," said Dr Gambini, adding that such methods would play a crucial role in safeguarding "the genetic material of these unique and precious animals".IVF is being used as a tool to try and preserve endangered species the world year, scientists achieved the world's first IVF rhino pregnancy, successfully transferring a lab-created rhino embryo into a surrogate mother in Kenya. In 2018, IVF was also used to create the world's first donkey embryo. — BBC
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists produce first kangaroo embryo using IVF
Australian scientists have produced the world's first kangaroo embryo through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a breakthrough they say could help save other species from extinction. Using specimens from eastern grey kangaroos, the researchers successfully injected a single sperm cell into an egg, but said achieving a live birth would require more work and "technical advancements". The feat provides important insights into marsupial breeding and could aid efforts to improve the genetic diversity of endangered species such as the koala, Tasmanian devil, northern hairy-nosed wombat and Leadbeater's possum, lead researcher Andres Gambini said. Australia houses the largest variety of marsupial mammals, but it also has the highest rate of mammal extinctions. The University of Queensland experiment looked at the growth of kangaroo eggs and sperm in a laboratory setting before creating embryos using a method known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The technique, which is already used on humans and some domestic animals, was tried on eastern grey kangaroos that had died. The species was selected because it is not endangered and has existing high populations. Despite how iconic marsupial species are in Australia and the crucial role they play in its biodiversity, studies into their tissues have been limited, scientists say. "We are now refining techniques to collect, culture and preserve marsupial eggs and sperm," said Dr Gambini, adding that such methods would play a crucial role in safeguarding "the genetic material of these unique and precious animals". IVF is being used as a tool to try and preserve endangered species the world over. Last year, scientists achieved the world's first IVF rhino pregnancy, successfully transferring a lab-created rhino embryo into a surrogate mother in Kenya. In 2018, IVF was also used to create the world's first donkey embryo.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Australian scientists produce first kangaroo embryo using IVF
Australian scientists have produced the world's first kangaroo embryo through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a breakthrough they say could help save other species from specimens from eastern grey kangaroos, the researchers successfully injected a single sperm cell into an egg, but said achieving a live birth would require more work and "technical advancements".The feat provides important insights into marsupial breeding and could aid efforts to improve the genetic diversity of endangered species such as the koala, Tasmanian devil, northern hairy-nosed wombat and Leadbeater's possum, lead researcher Andres Gambini houses the largest variety of marsupial mammals, but it also has the highest rate of mammal extinctions. The University of Queensland experiment looked at the growth of kangaroo eggs and sperm in a laboratory setting before creating embryos using a method known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).The technique, which is already used on humans and some domestic animals, was tried on eastern grey kangaroos that had died. The species was selected because it is not endangered and has existing high how iconic marsupial species are in Australia and the crucial role they play in its biodiversity, studies into their tissues have been limited, scientists say."We are now refining techniques to collect, culture and preserve marsupial eggs and sperm," said Dr Gambini, adding that such methods would play a crucial role in safeguarding "the genetic material of these unique and precious animals".IVF is being used as a tool to try and preserve endangered species the world year, scientists achieved the world's first IVF rhino pregnancy, successfully transferring a lab-created rhino embryo into a surrogate mother in 2018, IVF was also used to create the world's first donkey embryo.
