Preserving Our Planet

One of the elephants found in Myanmar with its skin removed. Sick new poaching trend As if elephants didn’t have enough to deal with due to the ivory trade, now they are being persecuted for their skin. The UK’s Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, recently announced plans to ban the sale of all ivory products. But this doesn’t affect the current poaching methods or save the 20 elephants recently killed. Why? Because in a sick new trend that has been circulating for the last 3 years or so, elephants are now being hunted in Asia only for their thick hides. The 20 were killed by poisonous darts – some of them mothers and calves. The skin was half-peeled off whilst their bodies were still warm, and their remains left in the forest to rot. Traditional beliefs across Asia have exacerbated this trend of using elephant skin to make bracelets, further decimating their declining numbers. This horrifying poaching epidemic stems from this lucrative business opportunity with claims...

A slate-grey male Montagu's harrier shows off the black wing markings . UK’s rarest raptor If you’ve never heard of a Montagu’s harrier , it’s hardly surprising: with only four breeding pairs in the UK, they are officially the rarest raptor and the rarest breeding bird with a precarious status. Found in the east and south of the country, they are summer visitors, migrating south to Africa for winter. Harriers are renowned for their exquisite aerial acrobatics, passing food in flight and performing ingenious displays during courtship. The Montagu’s agility and elegance when hunting makes them a majestic harrier and particularly spectacular to watch. To learn more about them, experts have been tagging individuals to track their migration, habits and breeding grounds.  Each pair needs special protection and their nests are kept secret, so egg poachers cannot detect them, and they can be left undisturbed.  The tagging process has also meant secretive meeti...