Despite the species having been around for over a million years, Komodo dragons are now more at risk than ever. With the lasting effects of climate change, they’re losing their habitats to floods and rising temperatures. A cold-blooded reptile, Komodo dragons need shade to cool themselves down an...

Virunga National Park is constantly in danger. Despite being a World Heritage Site, numerous attempts have been made to exploit the region for oil. Located on the edge of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa’s oldest national park is home to over one thousand species, including one third of t...

Just over a decade ago, 13 Asian nations met at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit with an ambitious goal. The tiger population had dropped to 3 200 in 2010. They pledged to double that number by the next Year of the Tiger. As 2022 looms ahead, the tiger population has increased by the hundreds. It’s...

From as early as childhood, the stories we are told shape the way we see the world. Classic tales like The Jungle Book and Jock of the Bushveld inspired Adrian Steirn to become a storyteller. But it’s about more than just entertainment for him. “If I’m not telling stories that have a call to acti...

Adrian Steirn’s elephant portraits are turning everyday people into conservationists. Based in South Africa, this award-winning filmmaker and photographer uses his work to develop empathy for Africa’s iconic giants. “We have a responsibility to ensure that every single person who follows me, shar...

Adrian Steirn has followed lions across South Africa, chasing a distinctive shot of the ubiquitously photographed animal. On a trip to Sabi Sands, he found it. But it wasn’t what he expected. Just a few days after photographing a male from the Othawa pride, its body was found, barely decomposed. ...

Australia is home to some of the strangest creatures on Earth, and Aboriginal people have coexisted with them for millennia. But now, the country is experiencing an unprecedented mammal extinction rate. So what’s different? We look at the changes brought upon by settlers to Australia, and conside...

Will the slow and steady tortoise outlive the human race? For over 200 million years tortoises have evolved and adapted to their environment. Some have the ability to store up to 40% of their body weight in water, and others can live for a year without drinking or eating. Unfortunately, these sur...

Caribou are essential to the livelihoods and identity of indigenous communities. But this species is on the decline as the result of a changing climate, logging, and mining. Habitat loss disrupts their migratory routes, placing caribou calves in greater danger from predation. First Nations in Can...

For hundreds of years, American buffalo have been an important part of the spiritual and cultural lives of indigenous peoples, and a vital component of the Great Plains ecosystem which extends from Canada to Texas. But when settlers learned how Native Americans depended on the buffalo for surviva...

Everybody hates wasps, but what if they were the secret to our survival? Wasps are feared for being able to sting multiple times and many people believe they provide no environmental service. Yet in the future, our food security could rely on them. As we begin to see the decline of bees, wasps ar...

Over five million stray cows walk the streets of India. This creates health risks, not just for the animals, but for the people who deeply cherish them. Hindu communities in this region believe that cows are sacred and seek to protect them. But extreme poverty means that not all families can affo...

Are ravens bad omens, or are these birds simply misunderstood? Depends on who you ask. Because they scavenge and feed on carrion, they’re often linked to death. Yet the common raven is associated with life in many Native American cultures. According to the Tlingit people, long ago when the land w...

Cicadas just might be our next food source. These insects are famous for their raucous mating call, which can be heard by females up to 1.6 kilometres away, beckoning them to produce the next generation. In 2021, trillions of these bugs swarmed across the USA, the largest brood of periodical cica...

These penguins roam the streets of their hometown, confidently weaving through cars and homes. All around them, urbanisation ensues. But how have the marine birds been able to keep up with city life? Well, not only has this South African neighbourhood embraced the rather loud and flamboyant speci...

Fur has always been a fashion staple, but the only statement it makes is cruelty. The demand for animal pelt has created a violent industry that tortures and slaughters animals for their skin, fur, or feathers. Minks are most commonly targeted, but cows, foxes, rabbits, and countless other animal...

Dragonflies are some of the top predators of freshwater ecosystems. Throughout their life cycle, these insects have a voracious appetite. As nymphs, they feast on small fish, tadpoles, and mosquito larvae. But in Canada, their appetite is decreasing. During winter, salt is used to dissolve snow o...

Seagulls are synonymous with sandy beaches and the smell of the ocean. They’re also notorious food thieves, but their hunting methods are far more refined than that of a scavenger. With techniques to trick their prey like mimicking the sound of rain to bring earthworms to the surface, sourcing fo...

Cities are never good news for wildlife – but chipmunks might disagree. Amid street hawkers and skyscrapers, their populations are expanding in ways we don’t usually see in their natural habitat. Usually, chipmunks scamper about trees and shrubs in search of food which they stow away for winter. ...

Sea turtles are some of the oldest animals on the planet. Perfectly designed to travel extensive distances across the ocean, the reptiles hardly ever need to come to land. But when they do, they have a remarkable method of finding their way – through geomagnetic imprinting. Despite a lifespan of ...

Boneless. Brainless. Heartless. Timeless. These are the attributes of a jellyfish. The species is over 500 million years old and has survived multiple eras. As sea temperatures rise, jellyfish populations continue to prove their resilience by growing in never-seen-before numbers. Made of 90% wate...

We know squirrels as our fluffy neighbours, but there’s so much more to these creatures. There are over 270 species, each with their own quirks and colourings. One of the most impressive is the red squirrel. Like their relatives, they’re extreme hoarders. In summer, they forage for nuts, seeds, a...

Despite their alien-like appearance, nudibranchs are from this planet. In fact, these creatures have been roaming the ocean floor for millenia. As more scientists begin to study these creatures in depth, we are solving the mystery to their extraordinary abilities. A type of sea slug, nudibranchs ...

With a stride of 4.5 metres and the ability to move at 56 kilometres per hour, the world’s tallest mammal still can’t outrun its reality. Just less than a century ago, herds of up to 30 giraffes could be seen roaming the savannah. In recent years, the loss of their habitat has led to their declin...