Since the 1980s, the giraffe population has dropped 30 percent from a population of over 155,000 to just 111,000 today. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, their population has even dropped by 95 percent in areas that were once considered “prime giraffe habitat.” The IUCN says there are only 68,293 mature individuals in the wild.

A red-tailed hawk made a stop outside a downtown Brooklyn building January 28. According to Gothamist, the hawk had lead poisoning and was rescued by a wildlife rehabilitator saving his first-ever hawk. David Karopkin had saved birds and geese before, but this was new. Heis an attorney and was trained by the NY State Department

Sandwich Tern. Photo: Danny Sauvageau/Audubon Photography Awards WASHINGTON (February 14, 2020) – Today the Commonwealth of Virginia declared that migratory birds will be protected under state law in light of rollbacks to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by the Trump Administration. The state also committed to take substantial and immediate steps to create nesting habitat

Although the population of the Eurasian lynx is quite stable right now, they are still on the IUCN red list. They mate during late winter, so late February through March and as protected animals, they should not be disturbed during their mating period. Yet, in Sweden, the government allows licensed hunts of the lynx in

Illustration: Joe Ciardiello Who’s Kenn? Simply put, Kenn is a national treasure. A renowned birder, author, and conservationist, Kenn Kaufman has spent his life dedicated to observing birds, reading about birds, writing about birds, and sharing the world of birds with others. With all that birdy knowledge in his brain, he also acts as the field editor for Audubon magazine. So, whenever we

Students of Rust College visit Strawberry Plains Audubon Center in Mississippi. Photo: Mike Fernandez/Audubon NEW YORK – Today, the National Audubon Society announced a $250,000 investment from the Walton Family Foundation to build on the success of the Audubon on Campus Chapter Program by expanding engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions

How far would you travel for love? If you were a male kakapo parrot, you’d walk the equivalent of a local 5K, as in, over three miles (and that’s not counting the walk back)! A lovesick male kakapo parrot embarks on his long stroll each night during breeding season as he tries to beat out

In what has already become one of the most catastrophic events in recent history, the fires ravaging Australia have become responsible for losses in many areas. Every year, the threat and arrival of bushfires create havoc within the country. With elevated risks occurring largely due to several contributing factors (extended drought, record heatwave), the bushfires

One key factor in keeping your feathered friend healthy is offering healthy food. Joshua_Willson/Pixabay You know that offering a healthy and balanced diet to your bird contributes to your beloved friend living a long, happy, and fulfilling life. Seed alone simply is not enough for most parrots. It is deficient in many vitamins and minerals,

Bison were over-hunted to near extinction in the past. After recovering over the course of many years thanks to the efforts of conservationists, bison are still in danger to this day. Yellowstone National Park has been a sort of refuge to bison for a long time, but government authorities annually cull bison and allow their

Mountain Bluebird. Photo: Trevor Roche/Audubon Photography Awards If you follow climate policy you may have heard about something called “natural climate solutions.” As it becomes clear that we need to not only reduce emissions, but consider ways to limit carbon in the atmosphere, natural climate solutions offer a range of tools to help us address

In 1986, the International Whaling Commission globally banned commercial whaling. However,Norway, Japan, and Iceland continue large whale hunts for commercial purposes under “objections” to the ban. Japan is often recognized as one of the countries to hunt the most whales, but Norway has actually surpassed them. According to Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), “between 2000-2015,

Belted Kingfisher. Photo: Brian Kushner/Audubon Photography Awards PHILADELPHIA – Yesterday, the Trump administration proposed a budget for fiscal year 2021 that excludes essential funding for a long list of critical conservation programs, including the Delaware River Watershed Restoration Program that conserves the Delaware River Watershed, ensuring clean drinking water for more than 13.3 million people and

Conservationists are welcoming news that the Chinese Government has temporarily banned the sale of wildlife in markets, restaurants and over e-commerce as part of an effort to contain the Coronavirus outbreak, which has already claimed 56 lives. Defined as a zoonotic disease since it’s normally relegated to wildlife, it may have originated from a snake

More than 200,000 acres of a transboundary territory for tigers, leopards, and other species have been established in the Russian Far East as a new protected area. Known as the Komissarovsky Wildlife Refuge, and created with support from WWF–Russia, the land is home to 16 species listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature

On a July day several years ago, I sat on the spine of a hill in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range on Alaska’s North Slope and watched 15,000 caribou stream around me, some just a few yards away. I could hear their clicking feet, their untroubled breathing, and their rough coughs so closely

Earlier this month, more than 200,000 signatures were delivered to the Colorado secretary of state calling for the restoration of gray wolves (Canis lupus) to be put on the 2020 statewide ballot. Collected by volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, Initiative 107 would instruct Colorado Parks and Wildlife to take public input and

Great Egrets fly near transmission lines. Photo: Camilla Cerea/Audubon One of the nation’s foundational conservation laws, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), faces yet another threat from the federal government. Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposed rule that eliminates the MBTA’s prohibition on the killing or “taking” of

American Oystercatchers and young. Photo: Jesse Gordon/Audubon Photography Awards WASHINGTON (February 6, 2020) – Audubon Chief Conservation Officer, David O’Neill appeared before a U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee today where he called for strong federal investment in coastal resilience, natural infrastructure, wetland restoration, water conservation, and responding to the threat of climate change. “With the Administration

A couple of months ago I traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to document a friendly bird-off among the Audubon Center at Debs Park, the Discovery Center, Atlanta Audubon Society, each represented by a birder: Tania Romero, Jose Santiago, and Jason Ward, respectively. The three birders and I were fellow apprentices in Audubon’s Fund II Foundation Apprenticeship Program—a yearlong, full-time

A fortuitous glimpse of a Peregrine Falcon eating a pigeon sparked Jason Ward’s fascination of birds at the age of fourteen. These days, you can (more often than not) find him leading a bird walk with a pair of binoculars and a shirt that reps his home of the South Bronx. Students in the Bronx Junior

Among North American birds, the Double-crested Cormorant serves as a sort of Rorschach test. To some, the long-necked diving birds are an overabundant scourge. They eat about a pound of fish a day, which some commercial fish producers and recreational anglers see as a threat to their livelihood or pastime. And their acidic guano can