Latest news with #wildlifeexperts
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Wonky-necked giraffe seen alive six years after he was first spotted
A giraffe with an extremely crooked neck has been found alive and healthy six years after he was last spotted in the wild. Conservationist and photographer Philip J Briggs captured the recent images of the animal near the Chyulu Hills in southern Kenya last week. The giraffe, known among wildlife experts as Wonkiito, was last seen by Briggs in 2019 and was feared dead due to his wonky neck, believed to be caused by scoliosis or an old injury. But despite his wonky upper half, the giraffe has left conservationists stunned, as his deformed neck appears to not have disadvantaged him. Wonkiito was even seen with a large group of females and calves, suggesting he may be the dominant male in the area. His continued survival through Kenya's devastating 2022 drought and in a lion-rich landscape makes his story all the more remarkable. The giraffe has become a symbol of resilience and coexistence in Amboseli, where conservation organisations and local Maasai communities work together to protect wildlife across community lands. Briggs said: 'It was surreal. I honestly didn't expect to see him again, let alone looking so strong. 'His survival is a testament to Amboseli's conservation success, built on peaceful coexistence between wildlife and the Maasai people. 'He truly still is the "Kink of the Jungle". 'Seeing him move comfortably among wildlife and Maasai livestock underscores the powerful coexistence at work here.' He continued: 'I came fully prepared to spend a week searching but found him on the first day. That was incredibly lucky. 'People who knew about his unique story from 2019 are just as amazed and inspired as I am.' Although rare, this is not the first time that a giraffe has been spotted with a wonky neck, which can be caused by fractures or pre-existing conditions.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Science
- ABC News
Darwin uni's inaugural TEDx event welcomes regional expertise to global stage
Storytelling is key to creating an engaging TED talk — but breaking down a subject you understand so deeply, to share that knowledge with the world, comes with a whole lot of nerves. Ten experts from various fields are gearing up to speak on the global TED stage for the first time, and the ABC has been given an insight into how it all works. This Saturday's sold-out TEDx Charles Darwin University (CDU) show will hear from wildlife gurus, tech experts, environmental academics, social thought-leaders and more. PhD candidate and crocodile expert Brandon Sideleau said preparing for the big event was "very much a team effort" between the university and its academics. "I sent my script to the team and they said 'that's not going to work' because I was using some [technical] terminology," he said. Mr Sideleau ditched the jargon in favour of storytelling, using real-life examples and photos to help the audience understand why crocodile attacks happen and how interactions with the predator can be limited without culling. It's a timely reminder since the reptile has already been hunted to extinction in six countries and remains "critically endangered" in others. "I'm nervous for sure, being on a stage of that scale and impact, but I'm also looking forward to getting the information out there," he said. Mr Sideleau said it was important he pointed out "just how rare saltwater crocodile attacks are" locally. Despite the fact at least a quarter of the global saltwater crocodile population lives in the Top End, Mr Sideleau's work exploring "the true extent" of fatal attacks found most of them happened overseas. He discovered, across 14 countries, there were almost 300 crocodile attacks each year — about 150 of them proving fatal. "I was noticing that that there were a lot of incidents in Indonesia especially," he said. The NT researcher found "massive differences" in attack numbers due to the need for people in developing nations to bathe, fish and collect water around crocodile habitat. "Here in Australia, almost all victims are attacked while engaging in leisure activities … compared to middle-income countries in general, 30 per cent of people are attacked while engaging in activities related to sanitation," he said. Mr Sideleau said work needed to happen to help developing nations access plumbing, water pumps and wells. CDU research fellow Sharna Motlap, who is presenting this weekend, has spoken at conferences in the past but never on the TED stage. She's also feeling nervous ahead of the big show, but has a similar story-led strategy to Mr Sideleau that she hopes will engage the audience. Ms Motlap said academic papers were "just love letters to other researchers", so she'll use storytelling to unpack complex ideas in a way the average viewer can understand. "There's this great analogy in this book [which] discusses the concept of 'the best story wins,'" she said. Ms Motlap's work, which looks to safeguard traditional dance by creating digital replicas, will be framed in an entertaining way — so the audience can expect to see video snippets from her lab and references to the famous Macarena. She said it was important to help the crowd understand the research because "it's not about the technology, it's about what it can do". In the same way Mr Sideleau's TED talk hopes to influence a better future, Ms Motlap wants to explain the benefits her project can have on future generations. She's studying the same kind of technology that was used to produce the movie Avatar but, rather than creating for entertainment's sake, her work is protecting traditional culture and knowledge. While director James Cameron's team used motion capture to make Na'vi movements reflect the actors playing the fictional blue characters, Ms Motlap has used the technology to digitise Indigenous dance. "We place reflective markers on the dancer's body and then we use the system of cameras to track the reflective markers," she said. It's a significant step forward from standard video recordings, with computer models able to calculate the angles of a dancer's joints and how force is applied to parts of their body. Beyond immortalising the movements, her research protects the Indigenous culture and knowledge associated with those dances from being lost over time. She described the territory as "a unique part of the world" and said there was plenty of excitement about the chance to share local research with a global audience.
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
British sailors warned after rare orca attack in Bay of Biscay
Sailors encountering killer whales in British waters have been warned to switch off their engines and lower their sails or risk being rammed after orcas attacked a yacht in Spain. Two sailors were saved by the Spanish coastguard after their vessel, Azurea, was attacked by the whales off the coast of the Basque country on Monday afternoon. The French yacht was rammed at about 2pm local time, two nautical miles from the Basque coast and the town of Deba. The coastguard rescued the pair, one of whom was aged 60, after they sent out a mayday distress call. Both were taken 'safe and sound' to the port of Getaria. Rescuers said such incidents were 'uncommon' so high up in the Atlantic. While such attacks are rare in the Basque Country, they are a well-known phenomenon further south in Galicia and in the 'orca alley' of the Strait of Gibraltar, where boats have been sunk. The orcas approach from the stern and hit the rudder before losing interest once they have stopped the boat in a phenomenon that scientists have struggled to fully explain. It is thought the orcas responsible for the incidents number 15 out of a pod of 50 whales. This latest incident comes the same month that wildlife experts confirmed the first ever sighting of Iberian orcas in Cornish waters. In 2023, a killer whale barged into a fishing boat near Shetland in Scotland in what was the first and so far only orca attack in British waters since the phenomenon began. 'For some unknown reason, the killer whales have developed a penchant for breaking the rudders of sailboats and once they have achieved this, they leave the boat alone,' Prof Volker Deeke, professor of wildlife conservation at the University of Cumbria, said. He told The Telegraph the incidents should not be viewed as attacks. 'During interactions, the animals remain cool, calm and collected without any of the behavioural signs of aggression such as splashing, or vocalisations,' he said. But he said it 'can not be ruled out' that similar incidents to those seen around the Iberian Peninsula could occur in British waters in the future. He added: 'UK sailors transiting the hotspots should definitely familiarise themselves with the guidance. The same guidance applies for sailors encountering any killer whales in Cornish waters.' The guidance given to sailors in the Strait of Gibraltar includes to stop the boat engine and lower the sails immediately if orcas are spotted, turn off autopilot and echo sounders and not to make loud noises in an effort to scare them away. Other advice includes avoiding hot spots in the first place and, most crucially, to stay in shallow waters of about 20 meters in depth, where orcas do not like to swim. Dr Javier Almunia, director of the Loro Parque Foundation, told The Telegraph: 'The behaviour has reduced, at least in the Gibraltar Strait, by around 90 per cent following the recommendations of the Spanish authorities.' Spain recommends that boats do not stop but instead go full speed towards shallower waters, which makes it harder for the orcas to headbutt the rudders. Dr Almunia said that if the interaction in the Basque Country was confirmed 'it can be explained by the same animals moving around the Iberian Peninsula'. 'So far there's no evidence of different pods to the ones that are visiting Gibraltar in summer are learning this behaviour,' he said in comments that will reassure British sailors. 'There's no evidence of the behaviour moving on or being transferred to a different pod.' Marine biologists believe that the whales may be attacking out of boredom. Other theories are that the whales are exhibiting territorial, defensive, or playful behaviour. It has also been suggested that a female orca called White Gladis taught gangs of the apex predators to attack the boats after being traumatised by a collision with a boat, or being trapped in illegal fishing nets. The first reports of aggressive orcas off the Iberian coast began in May 2020. In September of that year, Spanish authorities banned boats from setting sail from the country's north-western tip after 29 orca attacks were registered. At least six vessels have been sunk since 2021, including two last year. Two crew members were rescued unharmed in May 2024 when the 15‑metre sailing yacht Alboran Cognac sank in the Strait of Gibraltar after repeated ramming by Iberian orcas. In July, the British yacht Bonhomme William sank in the Strait of Gibraltar after it was attacked at night. All three on board were rescued. Two attacks in quick succession in August 2023 were the first ramming incidents involving orcas reported in waters off the Basque Country. A pod of about five orcas struck the rudder and hull of a sailboat about 20 miles north of Zumaia without causing major damage, followed by an incident involving a French trimaran travelling about 18 miles north of Ondarroa. Both boats needed only minor repairs.
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Trail cam in New York captures two bear cubs copying classic children's playground game in adorable scene
New trail camera footage from upstate New York shows two black bear cubs caught on video playing what looks suspiciously like a classic childhood game - tag. The adorable scene, recorded in a wooded area, shows one cub chasing the other through the trees before they tumble into a playful wrestling match. But while the behavior may seem like innocent fun, wildlife experts say it's actually a vital part of the young bears' development. In a Facebook post, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) revealed there's more to all that rough-and-tumble than meets the eye, saying the cubs' woodland wrestling matches 'provide many benefits to a young bear's development'. According to the agency, all that climbing and sprinting helps cubs learn how to dodge danger and stay one step ahead of predators. Wrestling serves as basic training for fighting off threats and capturing prey. Endless romping strengthens their lungs and hearts so they're ready to roam long distances in search of food, a mate, or a den to hunker down in for winter. Even memory, spatial awareness, and problem-solving skills get a boost from all the action. They may grow into hulking, 300-pound adults, but in their early months, black bear cubs spend less time lounging and more time getting wild in the woods. Cubs usually stay with their mothers for up to 17 months before venturing out on their own. The NYSDEC also included a reminder for the public: 'Although black bear cubs can be playful, it's important to remember to Be BearWise and never feed or approach bears. 'Adult female bears will defend their cubs from any perceived threat, including people who get too close. Enjoy and observe bears from a distance.' The camera that caught the clip is one of many placed across New York to monitor the state's growing black bear population, which has become increasingly visible in both rural and suburban areas. This sighting comes after an enormous grizzly bear has been captured on camera prowling through the snow near a tourist hotspot in Montana - marking the year's first sighting as the predators emerge from hibernation. The eerie footage, recorded in March evening near the town of West Yellowstone, shows the apex predator plodding through a snowstorm, moving slowly as it approaches the camera set up on the ground.
Reuters
07-05-2025
- Reuters
Kenya court convicts four ant traffickers, fines each $7,700
Samples of garden ants concealed in syringes are presented to court as two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan national appeared for the hearing of their case, after they pleaded guilty to illegal possession and trafficking of garden ants, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya,... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab NAIROBI, May 7 (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Wednesday fined four men $7,700 each for attempting to traffic thousands of ants out of the country, in a case that wildlife experts say signals a shift in biopiracy from iconic animals like elephants to lesser-known species. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. Reporting by Humphrey Malalo and Monicah Mwangi; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Toby Chopra Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab Share X Facebook Linkedin Email Link Purchase Licensing Rights
