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IMAGE: Porcupines are being illegally hunted and exploited throughout their range in Indonesia for local subsistence and commercial trade. They are reportedly in decline, yet there seems to be little control. view more
Credit: James Eaton
Porcupines are frequently traded across Asia, and Indonesia, home to five species, is no exception. They are targeted for a number of reasons: their meat as an alternative source of protein, their bezoars consumed as traditional medicine, and their quills used as talismans and for decorative purposes.
A new study examining seizure data of porcupines, their parts and derivatives in Indonesia found a total of 39 incidents from January 2013 to June 2020 involving an estimated 452 porcupines. The research was published in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal
Доклад ВОЗ о происхождении коронавируса заставил обратить внимание на дикую природу
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In Sumatra, a vulnerable, mythical wild goat lives an unknown life
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Study highlights urgent need to monitor legal wildlife trade to reduce emerging zoonotic diseases
With three out of four newly emerging infectious human diseases originating in animals, there is an urgent need to monitor the legal trade in wildlife, according to new research by Vincent Nijman, Professor in Anthropology at Oxford Brookes University.
Professor Nijman, who has been involved in monitoring and regulating the legal wildlife trade for over two decades, said: Covid-19 more than anything else has put a spotlight on emerging infectious diseases and how this is linked to the trade in wild animals. Few people are aware of its scale. With literally hundreds of millions of live wild animals being shipped around the world each year, it seems unlikely that diseases are spread through illegal channels only. After all, parasites, bacteria, and viruses do not read legal documents or check if they have received the correct stamp.
Fake it till you save it? Synthetic animal parts pose a conservation conundrum
by Claudia Geib on 19 February 2021
Thanks to technological advancements, it’s now possible to make synthetic versions of animal parts like rhino horn, elephant ivory, and big cat fur, demand for which is contributing to the extinction crisis.
Yet this practice is controversial, as some conservation groups assert that selling synthetic parts could actually promote more poaching.
Proponents of the strategy say more conversations are needed around this possibility, including looking at the issue from an economic perspective.
Twice a year, thousands of members of South Africa’s Nazareth Baptist Church clothe themselves in spots and walk to their holy grounds in KwaZulu-Natal province to take up a dance. Following the swell of horns and the pounding of a drum, more than 1,500 male dancers move together, their stamping feet and upraised arms swinging in perfect sync. On each dancer’s shoulders hangs