Blog Archives

Orangutans left-handed; chimps and gorillas are righties

Photo showing an orangutan engaged in the TUBE task. Photo used with permission of the researcher  William Hopkins. Mmm, love that peanut butter Apes are right-handed or left-handed, just like us. Not a big surprise, since they’re our closest evolutionary

Posted in Animal behavior / animal intelligence, Primates, Wildlife behavior Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New study: Hope for polar bears

Polar bear. Photo credit: wikimedia commons  Two-thirds of the world’s polar bears could disappear within 50 years due to greenhouse-gas emissions, said a 2007 report by the U.S. Geological Survey. The bears need Arctic sea ice in order to hunt

Posted in Climate change, Wildlife habitat, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , ,

We are family: new evidence of our close link to chimpanzees

Photo: wikimedia commons People are good at detecting human personalities accurately, even from expressionless mug shots. A study last year showed that we can reliably tell who is extroverted, emotionally stable, agreeable or imaginative – just from their blank and

Posted in Africa, Primates, Wildlife, Wildlife behavior Tagged with: , , , ,

Africa’s big mammal populations drop 59% in 40 years!

African elephants in Kruger National Park. Photo: Sally Kneidel Just saw a distressing news item.  In an interview published 1/27/11, scientist Ian Craigie says populations of big mammals in Africa have decreased 59% in 40 years. And those figures are

Posted in Africa, Animal welfare / animal rights, Deforestation, Ecosystems, Endangered species, Overconsumption, Primates, Resources, Wildlife, Wildlife habitat, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , ,

For orangutans, hunting may trump habitat loss as biggest threat

Most people are surprised to learn that unlawful traffic in wildlife and wildlife parts is the third biggest criminal activity in the world, after drugs and arms. The illegal hunting of great apes is so pervasive that it may threaten

Posted in Africa, Animal welfare / animal rights, Borneo, Bushmeat, Deforestation, Endangered species, Human behavior, Indonesia, Jakarta, Malaysia, Primates, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Wildlife, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why use toilet paper? No need to flush our forests

This post now on the syndicated BasilandSpice and on Google News We’re facing mass wildlife extinctions this century.  One big reason: the human population explosion and resulting habitat loss. You might be surprised to learn how our personal hygiene choices

Posted in Agriculture, Deforestation, Ecosystems, Endangered species, Indonesia, Malaysia, Overconsumption, Resources, Southeast Asia, Sustainable choices for your home, Sustainable Living, Wildlife, Wildlife habitat, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Wild tigers are in trouble

This post now on Google News and on the syndicated BasilandSpice This past August 22, a hot story popped up in headlines around the world. A 2-month-old tiger cub was spotted by x-ray in a suitcase at a Bangkok airport.

Posted in Asia, Ecosystems, Endangered species, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Thailand, Tigers, Wildlife, Wildlife habitat, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Wildlife trade rivals drug trade in profits

Text and photos by Sally Kneidel, PhD This post is also published on the syndicated BasilandSpice I recently wrote a post about Indonesia’s illegal trade in wildlife, focusing on orangutans. As one of our closest relatives, orangutans look and act

Posted in Animal welfare / animal rights, Indonesia, Jakarta, Primates, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Wildlife, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Tiny new frog discovered on Borneo – can it survive deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade?

Photo by scientist Indraneil Das of newly-discovered frog species A new pea-sized frog species has been discovered on Borneo!  Scientists from the University of Malaysia Sarawak found the tiny frogs living in and around tubular carnivorous plants called pitcher plants.

Posted in Borneo, Frogs, Wildlife, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , ,

Laws flaunted: flourishing pet trade threatens orangutan survival

This post now on Google News and on the syndicated BasilandSpice.com Pet trade threatens orangutan survival “Having a pet orangutan is a status symbol,” I was told by my Indonesian friend Ria, who lives and works in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital.

Posted in Animal welfare / animal rights, Asia, Borneo, Deforestation, Eco-travel, Ecosystems, Endangered species, Human behavior, Overconsumption, Rain forest, Resources, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Sustainable Living, Wildlife, Wildlife habitat, Wildlife survival Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What’s this blog about?

These days, I blog mostly about nature and wildlife. Even the tiniest creatures make me happy! You'll also find here lots of posts about plant-based foods, health, and ecotourism. Ecotourism can support local people who make a living through sustainable use of wildlife, habitat, and natural resources.

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Link to our other blog, Veggie Revolution

Our other blog, Veggie Revolution, focuses more on food than this one does, especially the environmental, health and humane aspects of our food choices. That blog was started in 2005 and continues today, while the blog you're reading now began in 2009. Some of the newer posts are on both blogs, but Veggie Rev has at least 260 more posts than this blog, including Sadie's travels to Morocco. In the sidebar of Veggie Rev, you'll see links to each year that can take you back to all the posts for a particular year.

Veggie Revolution blog