endangered species Archives

This Beloved Animal Is Back From The Brink Of Extinction — With One Big Caveat

November 20, 2025/in Animals, Articles, Conservation, Endangered Species, Ethics, Welfare & Conservation, Home Page, Marine Life / Aquariums, The Ocean, Wild life, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

A green sea turtle in Hawaii. Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images

This Beloved Animal Is Back From The Brink Of Extinction — With One Big Caveat

Decades of protection helped these sea creatures recover. So why are some scientists worried?

Scientists who study wildlife are often the bearers of bad news — this species or that is headed for extinction for the usual reasons, like deforestation or climate change. Just last week, for example, I wrote about new science showing that two valuable coral species in Florida were mostly killed off by global warming.

But earlier this month, researchers announced something overwhelmingly positive: Green sea turtles, the iconic marine species made famous by Finding Nemo that were once at risk of extinction, have bounced back. Dramatically.

According to researchers at the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the leading authority on endangered species, the global population of green sea turtles — one of the seven sea turtle species found worldwide — is up 28 percent since the 1970s. IUCN reclassified the sea turtles from “endangered” to “least concern,” a category reserved for species that are not threatened with extinction and plentiful in the wild.

Scientists measure sea turtle populations by counting their nests on beaches. And in some regions, such as Florida, the number of them has surged in recent years. In the 1980s, for example, researchers detected only around 40 nests each year in and around Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, a protected area along Florida’s east coast. Now, they’re consistently counting more than 20,000 of them, said Kate Mansfield, a professor at the University of Central Florida who runs the monitoring program. “The green turtles have just gone absolutely, wonderfully, exponentially higher,” Mansfield told me. “I’m cautiously optimistic.”

What’s so remarkable about the recovery is that it shows conservation efforts can actually work, said Nicolas Pilcher, a sea turtle expert. These animals didn’t recover by sheer chance, said Pilcher, who formerly co-chaired the group at IUCN that determines the status of marine turtles. Their population boom followed decades of projects to minimize threats, including by restricting certain kinds of fishing gear and turning nesting beaches into protected parks. “We can do this, we can save a species,” said Pilcher, who also runs a nonprofit in Malaysia called the Marine Research Foundation.

But there are a few glaring caveats with what is otherwise great news. For one, the recovery of green turtles is not even across the planet. At the largest nesting beach in the Western Hemisphere, located in Costa Rica, the number of green sea turtle nests is plummeting, indicating that these animals still face serious threats. Plus, sea turtles live long lives, in some cases reaching 70 or more years old. That means scientists need to see these trends sustained for years to come to truly show that greens have recovered, Mansfield said.

Green sea turtle hatchlings on a beach in Turkey. Meric Aktar/Anadolu via Getty Images

When conservation actually works

Until recently — and still today, in many places — the biggest threat to green sea turtles was the consumption of turtle meat. These iconic marine reptiles were actually a popular food in the US through the early 20th century, according to food writer and historian Becky Diamond.

“Since just one turtle could feed quite a crowd (some weighed over three hundred pounds), turtle soup was frequently the featured dish on inn menus and at large feasts or festivals,” Diamond wrote in 2018. “Demand for turtle was so high that hosts would advertise these upcoming events in the city’s newspapers and sometimes even sell tickets in advance.”

But even as consumption of sea turtles waned in some countries — in part because the animals became rare and thus harder to find — other human actions continued to erode their population. Sea turtles would get caught in fishing nets, for example, and eventually drown. The construction of hotels, fancy homes, and other buildings along coastlines, meanwhile, destroyed nesting grounds and polluted them with artificial light. (Nighttime lights tend to disorient sea turtles and their hatchlings, making it harder for them to navigate and avoid danger.)

By the late 1900s, these threats had nearly wiped out green sea turtles, earning them federal protection in the US under the Endangered Species Act in 1978. A few years later, IUCN listed them as endangered globally.

Since then, however, the US government and a number of large conservation organizations — which tend to be especially focused on big, charismatic species — jumped into high gear to save green sea turtles. And their efforts apparently paid off.

There were three main conservation approaches that worked, experts told me, starting with simply protecting the beaches where green sea turtles nest. Florida’s Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge is a good example. The federal government established the refuge in 1991, which limited human development along the coast and the light pollution that comes with it. That means sea turtles can use beaches in the refuge without much disturbance. Many other nesting beaches in the North Atlantic are similarly protected, Mansfield says.

Another effective approach has focused on the commercial fishing industry, especially in the US. Thousands of sea turtles are accidentally caught each year by trawls and other fishing nets that target seafood, such as shrimp. And while sea turtles can hold their breath for several hours, they still might drown if they can’t escape. To solve this problem, scientists and fishermen developed modifications for trawl nets — known as turtle excluder devices — that give large marine animals a way out. At the same time, regulations in the US required that fishermen use circle hooks instead of J hooks for line fishing in some regions. Circle hooks are harder for turtles to fit in their mouths and swallow.

The third approach sought to limit turtle poaching for meat, still common in parts of Asia, Central America, and Africa. Often, the people who harvest turtles are simply trying to make a living. And so, what’s worked to lower hunting in these communities, Pilcher says, is when organizations provide them with an alternative source of income. In Fiji, for example, people who once collected sea turtle eggs to eat or sell are now enlisted by a conservation NGO to protect them. “They go from being the people who are eating the turtles to the people who are conserving the turtles,” Pilcher said.

Why haven’t other turtles recovered?

Not everyone was thrilled with the announcement that green sea turtles are no longer endangered. “I don’t like it,” said Roldán Valverde, a sea turtle researcher at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The takeaway that these species have recovered overshadows a much bleaker picture in one of his key research areas: Tortuguero, a national park along the northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Tortuguero is the world’s second-largest nesting beach for green sea turtles and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, he said, where researchers used to consistently count more than 100,000 nests each year. Since 2010, the turtle population has quickly declined, dipping below 50,000 nests in recent years.

The decline is linked to the harvest of sea turtles and their eggs elsewhere in Central America, especially in nearby Nicaragua, said Valverde, who is also the scientific director at a nonprofit called the Sea Turtle Conservancy. People have hunted green sea turtles in Nicaragua for generations, he said, but in the past, their fishing gear was more rustic: boats without motors, for example, and harpoons instead of nets. That meant they caught fewer animals. Now, equipped with more advanced gear, they’re able to collect a larger number of sea turtles. And while harvesting turtles is illegal in most cases, officials don’t adequately enforce the law. “The impact is significant and now beginning to show in Tortuguero,” Valverde said.

This is to say: Not all green turtles are doing well.

Neither are other kinds of sea turtles, for that matter. The six other species — from leatherback to hawksbill — are vulnerable to extinction or critically endangered. That raises an important question: Why haven’t they recovered, too?

“That’s something that keeps me up at night,” Mansfield told me, adding that the answer isn’t clear.

Pilcher suspects it’s partly luck. Many of the beaches that green sea turtles nest on happen to be in countries with stronger governance and more funding for conservation, like the US and Australia. Those places tend to afford more effective protection to wildlife.

“You go somewhere like Australia — places where the legal infrastructure is strong, robust, enforced — and those populations are massive and they have a massive impact on the overall survival of the species,” Pilcher said.

Certain sea turtle species, like the leatherback, also spend more time wandering out at sea, Pilcher said, which could leave them more exposed to fishing.

Regardless, this shows that the same threats that once nearly wiped out green sea turtles are still present today. And there are newer, complex threats, too, like plastic pollution. Millions of tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean each year — bags, bottles, food wrappers, etc. — which turtles sometime mistake for food or eat accidentally. Consuming plastic can kill them.

“Instead of chomping down on a squid or a crab, they’re chomping down on a chunk of plastic,” Pilcher said. “We’re finding many turtles that have dozens of pieces of plastic in them. That’s probably going to emerge as a major challenge in the coming years.”

Conservation successes are tenuous. Animals can be relieved of one threat only to be driven towards extinction by another. By the early 20th century, for example, the North Atlantic right whale was nearly extinct from hunting. Yet now, long after people stopped killing them for their baleen and blubber, new threats, such as ship strikes and ropes from crab and lobster fishing, are jeopardizing their existence — a reminder that the job of protecting species is never really finished.

Written by: Benji Jones

Source: Vox and WFA

Arctic Seals Edge Closer To Extinction As Sea Ice Vanishes

November 7, 2025/in Articles, Conservation, Endangered Species, Home Page, Marine Life / Aquariums, The Ocean, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

A hooded seal pup in the Netherlands. Image by Michael Bakker Paiva via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

Arctic Seals Edge Closer To Extinction As Sea Ice Vanishes

Three Arctic seal species have moved closer to extinction, as rapid sea ice loss continues to erode their breeding and feeding grounds, according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The update, released Oct. 10 during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, “uplists” the hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) from vulnerable to the higher-threat category of endangered, and the bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) and harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) from least concern to near threatened.

Arctic seals depend on stable sea ice to breed, raise their pups, rest and access feeding areas. As temperatures climb globally, they are rising about four times faster in the Arctic than elsewhere and sea ice is thinning and melting earlier every year. This loss has undermined reproduction across multiple species.

“The major driver of the declines that we are seeing is breeding habitat deterioration as a direct result of climate change,” Kit Kovacs, co-chair of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission Pinniped Specialist Group, told Mongabay. Kovacs participated in the uplisting decision.

When sea ice melts or breaks apart too soon, pups may drown, freeze or be killed by predators or collapsing ice. “Sea ice is disappearing and ice-dependent species of all sorts are threatened by these losses,” said Kovacs, a marine mammal biologist who lives in Tromsø, Norway, and travels regularly to the country’s Svalbard archipelago for fieldwork and to teach at the University Centre in Svalbard. “Recruitment of youngsters into the populations are failing.”

Moreover, she said, the retreating ice also makes it harder for seals to rest and feed, which compromises their overall health and survival.

Expanding crisis at both poles

Kovacs told Mongabay that IUCN’s current assessments of all pinniped species began in 2021 and she expects her working group to complete them in 2026. The three are part of a broader pattern observed over several assessment cycles. She noted that other ice-dependent species of various taxa already moved into higher threat categories in the previous assessment in 2015-16, and the trend is expected to continue.

Warning signs are now emerging in the Southern Hemisphere, where sea ice loss in the Southern Ocean is beginning to affect both ice-dependent predators and their prey, Kovacs said. The Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella), currently listed as least concern, may soon be classified as endangered, she said. The species has declined by more than 50% over the last three generations, a drop she said is likely linked to sea ice loss affecting krill and other ice-dependent prey.

“The impacts can be direct — or indirect — but track back to a changing cryosphere,” she said.

Global urgency, local actions

Kovacs said reversing seal population declines requires tackling the problem at its source. “The most important actions we could undertake to protect ice-dependent animals involve large-scale efforts to slow or reverse climate change,” she said.

In a news release announcing the Arctic seal uplisting, the IUCN said governments have an opportunity at the next global climate summit, coming up in November in Belém, Brazil, to “accelerate action that protects biodiversity, stabilises our climate, and builds a future where people and nature flourish together.”

Beyond the loss of sea ice, the IUCN noted, Arctic seals face additional pressures from shipping, underwater noise, oil and mineral exploitation, hunting and bycatch in fisheries. Safeguarding key habitats from human activities, reducing bycatch, ensuring sustainable hunting and curtailing noise impacts are critical to minimizing Arctic seal declines, the group stated.

Kovacs added that it’s also important to avoid overfishing species the seals and other predators rely on for food and to reduce pollution levels.

Beyond their own survival, ice-dependent seals are integral to the wider Arctic ecosystem, the IUCN noted in the news release. They serve as prey for polar bears and as a subsistence resource for Indigenous communities, while also regulating marine food webs by consuming fish and invertebrates and recycling nutrients. Scientists describe them as keystone species — animals whose survival underpins the stability of the entire marine environment.

“Protecting Arctic seals goes beyond these species; it is about safeguarding the Arctic’s delicate balance, which is essential for us all,” Kovacs said.

Citation:
Rantanen, M., Karpechko, A. Y., Lipponen, A., Nordling, K., Hyvärinen, O., Ruosteenoja, K., Vihma, T., & Laaksonen, A. (2022). The Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the globe since 1979. Communications Earth & Environment, 3(1). doi:10.1038/s43247-022-00498-3

Source: WFA & Mongabay

South Africa Sets Legal Lion Bone Exports Quota To Zero

November 5, 2025/in Articles, Captivity & Zoos, Home Page, Wild life, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

South Africa Sets Legal Lion Bone Exports Quota To Zero

South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has announced that it will not allow any legal exports of lion bones or derivatives, effectively setting the quota at zero for 2025.

This is a decision that sends a powerful signal to the captive lion breeding industry.

What the change means

The lion bone export quota determines how many lion skeletons (or parts) may be legally exported from South Africa in a given year. With the quota now set to zero, no commercial exports will be permitted under the law.

Lion bones are in demand for use in traditional medicine markets in China and Southeast Asia. Allowing legal trade can serve as a cover or incentive for illegal trade in wild-sourced lion bones or related parts. This change, therefore, is intended to cut off that potential legal pathway.

Advocacy, evidence, and pressure

This decision follows sustained advocacy and research. There has been evidence documented for years that links captive lion breeding, welfare abuses, and the illegal big cat bone trade.

Our report, Putting a stop to cruelty, lays out evidence that the industry is deeply problematic for animal welfare, conservation integrity, and public health.

“South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has sent a strong message to the captive lion breeding industry by setting the export quota for lion bones to zero.

This decision stands firm against industry pressure and marks a vital step toward ending the exploitation of lions in South Africa.

While this is a victory for lions and a decisive step toward closing the cruel captive lion breeding industry, the work is not yet over.

The next step must be for the South African government to mandate a full and compulsory end to commercial captive lion breeding, and ensure that existing lion bone stockpiles are managed and responsibly disposed of as part of this phase-out.”

– Angie Elwin, representing World Animal Protection

Americans love grizzly bears—so why do elected officials keep failing to protect them?

November 3, 2025/in Articles, Conservation, Home Page, Wild life, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

Americans Love Grizzly Bears — So Why Do Elected Officials Keep ailing To Protect Them?

Most Americans value grizzly bears and want them federally protected, a 2025 survey shows. Across the U.S., 85% of Americans support maintaining safeguards for grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act. Conservatives, rural residents, hunters and ranchers support maintaining endangered species protections by supermajorities: the rural residents of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming by 78%, conservative Americans by 81%, hunters by 82%, and farmers/ranchers by 81%.

With so much favor, some even consider the grizzly the Great American Bear. And yet, the clear meaning of the survey results—which were published earlier this year by Dr. John Vucetich, distinguished professor at Michigan Technological University, and Dr. Jeremy Bruskotter, professor at Ohio State University—are directly undermined by the harmful actions some lawmakers have taken in regard to grizzlies. They are determined to strip federal protections from grizzly bears and hand off their management to states like Idaho and Wyoming, which have terrible track records when it comes to coexistence. In advancing these reckless policies, elected officials are ignoring the explicit will of substantial majorities who want grizzly bears protected.

There are several looming threats to grizzly bears at this moment, and this is a good time for all of us to speak out in support of protecting these animals:

In July, the House Natural Resources Committee greenlit the Grizzly Bear State Management Act (H.R. 281) for a full House vote in the future. This bill, and its Senate counterpart, would direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear and also block judicial review of this action, a move that would strip Americans of their right to hold that decision accountable in federal courts. We’re also fighting to overcome an attempt to delist grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem through a policy rider in the FY26 House Interior bill (H.R. 4754).
Under the last administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had proposed a rule maintaining Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears living in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems. However, it also proposed granting ranchers and state and federal agents increased flexibility to kill grizzly bears—and the finalization of this rule could mean even more bear deaths.
The current U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director has reportedly indicated that transferring management of grizzly bears from the federal agency over to individual states is a priority, suggesting that delisting grizzlies from federal protections could be on the horizon.

All of this could not come at a worse time. This year, ranchers and state and federal agents killed Yellowstone-area grizzly bears in record numbers, and for the second year in a row. As of September 22, we know at least 63 bears were killed in 2025.

Then the government shutdown stopped the release of new data, even as grizzly bears enter their deadliest time of year, when many leave the safe confines of national parks to forage for food to survive wintertime hibernation. Outside of the safe zones afforded by national parks, bears face armed hunters and ranchers. From the 63 dead bears, we know this:

The biggest category (28%) of bears were killed to “protect” farm animals. Very few farm animals (less than 1% of states’ cow and sheep) are killed by all carnivores put together, bears included;
19% were killed as perceived threats when they came into human-dominated areas,
Of the total dead, eight (12%) were adult females, which is a significant conservation and ethical concern, especially if they had dependent cubs.

Killing bears does little to stop conflicts—but removing bear attractants does. Ranchers, landowners and recreationists can employ a wide range of tools to prevent conflicts with bears. Homeowners can bear-proof their garbage and take down bird feeders and farmers can put electric fences around vulnerable areas. Hikers and elk hunters can carry bear spray.

Without intervention, these developments could set the stage for extinction if trophy hunting of grizzlies is permitted. It would be a devastating outcome—and not just for bears and bear lovers.

Even those who do not consider themselves bear lovers can see reason for protecting these animals: Grizzly bears, as well as other charismatic species, like black bears and wolves, greatly benefit the economies of the Yellowstone-area states. A new economic analysis published by the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that in Yellowstone, grizzly bear sightings are valued at $6.9 million annually. The analysis also indicates that each grizzly bear viewing was worth about $16 per visitor and that one grizzly bear contributes $46,000 per year to Yellowstone-area economies.

A University of Montana economic study shows that in 2023 and 2024 the average total spending by tourists amounted to $5.28 billion, with Yellowstone and Glacier-area counties receiving the largest share of tourism revenues.

If states are granted the authority to manage grizzly bears, we know what fate awaits them based upon black bears’ treatment: an institutionalization of trophy hunting—year after year—with some of the cruelest methods imaginable, including hounding and baiting (which sometimes takes place during the springtime, when bears are just emerging from hibernation and are weak and most vulnerable).

It’s no wonder people care so much about bears—they are fascinating animals who feel deeply and are devoted to their families; they offer tremendous social and practical value to our wild ecosystems and national parks.

It is time to confront and stop the callous disregard of lawmakers who privilege the values of the small special interest groups who want to kill bears and other animals for trophies and bragging rights. We must all work together to protect grizzly bears from extinction.

Authors: Kitty Block and Sara Amundson

Source: Humane World For Animals

Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference

October 5, 2025/in Articles, Birds, Conservation, Event, Home Page, Rehabilitation, Vet Care, Welfare, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference

Now announcing virtual attendance for Tues 14 October!

We are excited to offer a virtual ticket that will allow registrants to access a livestream of all the conference presentations held on Tuesday 14 October (8:30am to 4:15pm GMT+2). This includes our keynote address by conservationist Anton Wolfaardt. See the agenda tab for all of the presentations planned for Tuesday. This ticket will also give you access to a recording of the Tuesday sessions after the conference has concluded. Register here!

The Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference (EOW) is an international event that brings together researchers, conservationists, policymakers, and industry to address the impact of oil spills on wildlife. It is the only global event that focuses on the planning, response, rehabilitation, release and research aspects of oil spills and their effects on wildlife. EOW aims to foster collaboration, share knowledge and exchange ideas to advance the field of oiled wildlife preparedness and response.

This year, the EOW will be hosted in Cape Town, South Africa, which presents a great opportunity to engage individuals, agencies, and organizations in that region to participate in the conference which shines a spotlight on our amazing Host Organization – The South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).

The first theme of this EOW will be the 25th Anniversary of the MV Treasure Oil Spill, the largest animal rescue effort in the world, where over 20,000 African Penguins were cleaned, rehabilitated and released while an additional 20,000 penguins were pre-emptively captured to prevent oil exposure. In fact, more penguins were cared for during the Treasure spill than exist in the wild today. Considering that fact, think about the impact those responders made on an entire species population by banding together to achieve the impossible.

The plight of the African Penguin provides our second theme: the Conservation of African Penguins. This species was recently uplisted to critically endangered status by the IUCN following a 97% decline in their population. The doomsday clock is counting down, and African Penguins are scientifically predicted to go extinct in the wild in less than 4,000 days if this alarming rate of decline continues. We need your support, your voice and international attention to this dire issue.

The final theme, which encompasses the history of the Treasure Spill and current extinction threats to African Penguins, is International Collaboration. Were it not for the heroic efforts of International Bird Rescue, International Fund for Animal Welfare, SANCCOB, and others, stepping up to the challenge of managing the world’s largest animal rescue, we might not have African Penguins in the wild today. We also aim to highlight the Global Oiled Wildlife Response System (GOWRS) network and their efforts to adopt a strategy to address global oiled wildlife response and preparedness around the world.

Registration

Click here to register!

We want to make the impact of this EOW count, so each registration includes an Adopt-a-Penguin to support SANCCOB’s African Penguin Chick Rearing Program.

See “Registration FAQ” tab for more information.

Are you a Treasure Spill Responder?

We want to hear from you! We will be looking for photos, video and personal stories from Treasure Responders, even if you are not able to attend EOW in person. We will be displaying photos, anecdotes and video testimonials from Treasure responders to share their stories and honor those that helped participate in the largest animal rescue effort in the world! Start digging through your old photos now and click here for more information.

Source: SANCCOB

Australia Approves First Vaccine To Save Koalas From Chlamydia

October 5, 2025/in Articles, Conservation, Diseases, Home Page, Vet Care, Welfare, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

Australia Approves First Vaccine To Save Koalas From Chlamydia

A vaccine to protect Australia’s koalas against chlamydia has been approved for the first time, a development that scientists believe could stop the spread of the deadly disease that has ravaged populations of the beloved endangered animal.

Chlamydia, which also affects humans, accounts for up to half of all koala deaths in the wild.

“Some individual colonies are edging closer to local extinction every day,” Peter Timms, professor of microbiology at the University of the Sunshine Coast said in a statement on Wednesday. His team spent more than a decade developing the single-dose vaccine.

Transmitted through direct contact such as mating and sometimes to offspring during birth, chlamydia can cause infertility and blindness in koalas as well as severe urinary tract infections where the marsupials end up so dehydrated that they can’t climb trees to get their food.

In some populations in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, infection rates are often around 50% and sometimes as high as 70%, Timms said.

The vaccine could reduce the likelihood of koalas developing symptoms of chlamydia during breeding age and cut mortality among wild koalas by at least 65%.

“It offers three levels of protection – reducing infection, preventing progression to clinical disease and, in some cases, reversing existing symptoms,” he said.

Microbiologist Samuel Phillips, who worked with Timms on the vaccine, told Reuters it took 15 years to refine the formula, combining three chlamydia protein targets and an adjuvant into a single dose.

That means “we don’t have to catch the koalas multiple times and bring them back to the hospitals,” he said.

Phillips said up to 500 doses were being made so that they could be rolled out by early next year, but more funding was needed to ramp up production.

“We’ve already been getting calls from wildlife hospitals asking for the vaccine,” he said.

“We estimate that they’ll need at least 1,000 to 2,000 doses per year, and that’s not including the programme to go out and try and protect koala populations.”

Development of the vaccine has been supported by A$749,000 ($495,000) from the government’s A$76 million fund to save koalas. Much of the rest of the fund has been allocated to large habitat restoration projects and the national monitoring program.

Koalas were listed as endangered in 2022 in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Australia’s national koala monitoring program estimates that between 95,000 and 238,000 koalas are left in those areas.

Another 129,000 to 286,000 koalas are estimated to live in the states of Victoria and South Australia.

Koala numbers have halved in the past two decades due to infectious disease, habitat loss, climate change and bushfires, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Written By: Christine Chen and Stefica Nicol Bikes

Source: World Federation for Animals

A New Home for African Penguins at De Hoop

September 19, 2025/in Articles, Birds, Conservation, Home Page, Rehabilitation, Safety, Welfare, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

A New Home for African Penguins at De Hoop

A special collaboration between BirdLife South Africa, SANCCOB, and CapeNature is paving the way for a new beginning for African Penguins at De Hoop Nature Reserve. This exciting programme focuses on establishing a thriving new colony by releasing young African Penguins that were rescued as eggs or chicks and carefully rehabilitated by SANCCOB. The aim is to encourage these birds to settle and eventually breed in a safe, undisturbed environment, far from the pressures of human activity. So far this year, an incredible 88 penguins have been released at the site, offering hope for the future of this Critically Endangered species.

Source: SANCCOB

From Rescue to Release: August at SANCCOB

September 15, 2025/in Articles, Birds, Conservation, Home Page, Rehabilitation, Welfare, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

From Rescue to Release: August at SANCCOB

During the month of August, SANCCOB has successfully released a number of rehabilitated seabirds back into the wild, a heartwarming reminder of the difference we can make through dedicated conservation efforts.

Among the most significant releases were 41 Critically Endangered African Penguins that had completed their rehabilitation and were ready to return to their ocean home. Each release is a celebration of recovery, resilience, and the dedicated care provided by our veterinary and rehabilitation teams.

In addition, 44Endangered Cape Gannets, 4 Hartlaub’s Gulls, and 3 Endangered Cape Cormorants, were also released, each one a symbol of hope for the future of our seabird populations.

We are happy to share that all 57 Cape Gannet chicks admitted earlier this winter have now been successfully rehabilitated and released as strong, healthy juveniles. The final four were released on 19 August, marking a proud milestone for our team.

Source: SANCCOB

The African penguin who survived against all odds

November 6, 2024/in Articles, Birds, Home Page, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

The African penguin who survived against all odds

It warms our hearts to share success stories when African penguins survive against all odds.

The above picture shows AP086 on admission (left) and after rehabilitation (right) at SANCCOB, Gqeberha.

African Penguin patient number AP086 was the 86^th African penguin to be admitted to the SANCCOB Gqeberha seabird hospital since January 2024. This tiny chick, weighing a mere 590g, was rescued from Bird Island in the Eastern Cape, after being attacked by adult African penguins. Exhausted, weak, and critically injured, AP086 was holding on by a thread when he was admitted to SANCCOB for care.

Above: AP086 in recovery, but not yet out of the woods.

AP086 was given a 50/50 chance of survival on admission on the 2^nd of July 2024, but this didn’t deter the dedicated SANCCOB team from doing everything they could to save him. After several days, his wounds started to show signs of healing; however, in mid-July, he developed a severe chest infection. He required multiple courses of antibiotics and up to four nebulization sessions per day and after 102 days in rehabilitation he fully recovered. AP086 was successfully released back to Bird Island on the 12^th of October 2024.

Above: AP086 and five other African penguins being released back into the wild on the 12th of October 2024.

Although the endangered African penguin species is in crisis, AP086’s story is one of resilience. He reminds us that no matter what obstacles are in their way, they are stronger than we think. Thank you to our wonderful supporters we couldn’t do this without you.

If you would like to learn more about SANCCOB, or help us save more penguins, please click HERE!

Ethical Giving: A Meaningful Gift

Many people search for meaningful gifts that make a difference. Rather than giving something that may contribute to landfill waste, why not choose a gift that supports wildlife conservation?

This year, you can adopt a penguin through SANCCOB, which makes a special gift for: Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas or any other special occasion. Your adoption directly supports our efforts to care for endangered African penguins, offering hope for their future.

Why Penguin Adoptions Are the Perfect Gift?

Impactful Giving: Your adoption helps feed, rehabilitate, and care for endangered African penguins.
Eco-Friendly: No packaging, no wrapping – just a thoughtful gift that reduces landfill waste while supporting wildlife.
Personalized: Each adoption includes a certificate with your recipient’s name, making it a meaningful, customized gift.

Your donation ensures that SANCCOB can continue caring for penguins in need all year round.

Above: Adoption certificate example

Sincere regards, The SANCCOB team.

Source: SANCCOB

World-First Reproductive Techniques: South African Veterinary Association Pioneers Assisted Reproduction in Rhinos to Preserve Endangered Species

July 26, 2023/in Breeding, Home Page, Vet Care, Welfare, Wildlife /by Bronwyn Hayes

South Africa, Johannesburg: The South African Veterinary Association (SAVA) has embarked on an extraordinary journey alongside Rhino Repro which aims at pioneering the world-first reproductive techniques to combat the threat of extinction facing endangered rhino species. This ground-breaking initiative aims to preserve and protect these majestic creatures through innovative assisted reproduction methods.

Driven by a deep commitment to conservation, Rhino Repro’s dedicated team of veterinarians and researchers have achieved remarkable milestones in their quest to save endangered rhinos. Leveraging their expertise and cutting-edge technology, they have successfully developed and implemented assisted reproductive techniques for rhinos, marking a significant leap forward in global conservation efforts.

Rhino Repro’s ground-breaking approach encompasses the harvesting, maturing, and fertilisation of oocytes (a developing egg), followed by embryo transfer into surrogate mothers. By optimising these techniques on Southern White rhinos (SWRs), close relatives of the critically endangered Northern White rhinos (NWRs), the team is paving the way for the future preservation of the NWR species. Their ultimate goal is to harvest oocytes from the remaining NWR females, mature and fertilise them using previously stored NWR semen, or utilise banked NWR genetic material and reconstruct embryos through nuclear transfer (cloning) and generate a large-scale supply of embryos that can be cryo-preserved or transferred to SWR surrogate mothers.

Dr. Morné de la Rey, founder of the Rhino Repro, a visionary veterinarian leading the Rhino Repro team, emphasised the importance of their ground-breaking work. “Our pioneering reproductive techniques are truly a global first, offering a glimmer of hope for the endangered rhino species. By pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge and harnessing the power of assisted reproduction, we are determined to secure a future for these majestic animals.”

Over the past five years, the Rhino Repro team has progressed from understanding the intricate reproductive anatomy of rhinos to successfully collecting and maturing oocytes from SWRs. Their state-of-the-art procedures have yielded impressive results, with an average of 5.5 oocytes collected per procedure in 2022 and a record-breaking 18 oocytes collected from a single procedure.

In addition to the critical focus on the NWR species, Rhino Repro’s innovative approaches have shown promising results for the breeding challenges faced by other rhino species, such as SWRs affected by poaching stress and orphaned circumstances. Their revolutionary techniques have provided invaluable insights into the natural reproductive cycles of rhinos and have even contributed to improving the reproductive health of individual cows, leading to successful natural reproduction in previously infertile or compromised rhinos.

The success of these world-first reproductive techniques relies on the support and generosity of the public and the wider business community. Financial contributions play a crucial role in advancing research, expanding procedures, and increasing the chances of producing blastocyst embryos.

“Preserving the endangered rhino species is not solely the responsibility of the greater team; it is a collective endeavour involving the entire veterinary community and our nation as a whole,” emphasised Dr. Paul van der Merwe, President of the South African Veterinary Association. “Together, we can pioneer world-first techniques that will safeguard the future of these magnificent creatures and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”

Source: South African Veterinary Association (SAVA)

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