Rodney Lewis

Another day, another dead wildlife ranger. Where is the outrage? Protecting wildlife is no longer just a case of stopping poaching by poor local villagers. Illegal wildlife crime is now estimated to be worth more than $20bn (£16bn) per year, ranked only behind drugs, weapons and human trafficking in the criminal value chain. Rangers face well-organised criminal gangs and hardened armed militia. Rebel groups often […]

Turtle murder mystery at Misery Bay solved The case of the mysterious deaths of over 71 turtles in 2013 at Misery Bay Provincial Park has finally been closed and a plan has been recommended to hopefully catch any future mortalities more quickly at the park. “The turtles most likely died due to a predation event, but I believe that the deaths may have resulted from

Land reclamation in Malaysia puts environment and turtles at risk The island of Pulau Upeh is only a few kilometres north of the UNESCO-listed city. For generations it has been the state’s major nesting site for the critically-endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), but reclamation is encroaching. Once two kilometres out to sea, Pulau Upeh is now only 600 metres offshore. The effect on the turtle

Prince Harry visits the turtle sanctuary at St Vincent and the Grenadines The prince visited the turtle conservation project at Colonarie beach on St Vincent and the Grenadines. Even since turtles have become endangered in the Caribbean, nations have allowed coastal communities to carry on hunting turtles for one month each year when they are most numerous. But from January that will no longer be

Red Cliffs project to restore burned tortoise habitat Mohave desert landscapes are not adapted to wildfire because plants and shrubs were too widely spread to carry a fire very far. However, invasive annual species such as cheat grass now provide a continuous fuel source that can fuel fires which take decades or centuries to heal. This week, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources staff along

Too hot to hatch: dry, hot weather impacting Queensland’s endangered bum-breathing turtle Researchers say it is not a pretty story for Queensland’s endangered Mary River Turtle this year, which is having an ‘extremely unusual’ nesting season. Hot and dry weather has had a significant impact on the timing of the nesting with turtles only now starting to lay their eggs, about a month later than

Sea Turtle Superheroes There’s never a dull moment. Calls for help can come at any time. “We’re 24/7,” Howell said. “We’ll go out at night to pick up turtles that have swallowed fishing hooks. We’ve had turtles entangled in shoe laces, dragging a shoe…” Whatever the case may be the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network—led by NOAA Fisheries and made up of federal, state,

Sea Turtle Doctor pioneers new science Dr. Craig Harms had planned on spending the day writing parts of a book he was co-authoring. The subject he was focused on was sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation, so it was no surprise when a sea turtle emergency put an end to his quiet plans for the day on Sept. 27, 2016. That morning, a weak loggerhead sea

Students study Malaclemys terrapin The classroom consists of tall grasses, sand, water and turtles. For second-year students at Rowan College at Gloucester County today is a rescue mission to save diamondback terrapins, a hands-on science lesson at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor. DeGraff, a biology professor who teaches the Marine Science degree program, has been incorporating the active field study into her courses for