Surfing on whale sharks, riding a moose, and mugging with bears, smart phone users do some not-so-smart, dangerous, even cruel things.
wildlife
The Citizen Science Of Critter Cams
Critter cams can add data to the scientific literature, make citizen scientists out of lots of armchair naturalists, and may help keep endangered species safe from poachers.
The Very Real War To Save Big Cats
For Alan Rabinowitz, the concept of the “battle to save wild cats” is growing less and less metaphorical by the minute. He says it's a global “counter terrorism” campaign.
Cincinnati Rhino Needed In Sumatra
8/26/2015 Ohio zoo sending “Harapan” to Indonesia in hopes he’ll mate and help save his species. By Vicki Croke In order to help save his species, Harapan, the only Sumatran rhino living outside Southeast Asia, is going home—even though he’s a big-city American-raised rhino who’s never even seen “home” before. Members of the Cincinnati Zoo … Continue reading Cincinnati Rhino Needed In Sumatra
The Half-Captive, Half-Wild Elephants Of Myanmar: A Quirky Road To Survival
11/12/14 Have Myanmar's highly endangered Asian elephants been saved in a counter-intuitive way —in part, by keeping them employed in logging camps? By Vicki Croke As President Obama touches down in Myanmar today and many people talk of human rights and democratic reform, conservationists also see an urgent agenda: the future of elephants. Here is … Continue reading The Half-Captive, Half-Wild Elephants Of Myanmar: A Quirky Road To Survival
Treetop Kangaroos? Who Knew?
9/4/2015 After 18 years of patient study, of course Lisa Dabek knew, but she never really saw exactly what they were up to ...until now. By Vicki Croke For 18 years, the very patient and determined field biologist Lisa Dabek has been traveling to Papua New Guinea to study the mysterious Matschie’s tree kangaroo. These … Continue reading Treetop Kangaroos? Who Knew?
Stalking The Night Stalkers
12/9/2013 CAPTURING TINY SAW-WHET OWLS AS THEY MIGRATE By Vicki Croke It’s 8:45 in the woods of Lincoln, MA, and we’ve got our first Northern saw-whet owl of the night. She’s no bigger than a kitten—about 7 inches tall and weighing less than a stick of butter. The brown and white ball of feathers, talons, … Continue reading Stalking The Night Stalkers
Finding Friendship In The City Of Hyenas
12/30/2015 In a place that welcomes hyenas after dark, an anthropologist ends up bonding with one of the fiercest predators on earth. By Vicki Croke Hyenas aren’t the most popular animals. In Western literature, they are depicted as giggling, cowardly, and dangerous. In almost all of Africa, where the formidable predators are known to bite … Continue reading Finding Friendship In The City Of Hyenas
Book review — ‘I Want To Know What It Is Like To Be A Wild Thing’
The New York Times Book Review Charles Foster's 'Being A Beast' By Vicki Constantine Croke It’s not easy being a theriomorph. The gods of myth never seem to break a sweat when they sprout an elephant head, goat hooves or swan’s wings. But few of us mere mortals can take on an animal’s nature so … Continue reading Book review — ‘I Want To Know What It Is Like To Be A Wild Thing’
Book review — Helen Macdonald’s ‘H Is for Hawk’
The New York Times Book Review Helen Macdonald’s ‘H Is for Hawk’ By Vicki Constantine Croke Follow @VickiCroke If birds are made of air, as the nature writer Sy Montgomery says, then writing a great bird book is a little like dusting for the fingerprints of a ghost. It calls for poetry and science, conjuring … Continue reading Book review — Helen Macdonald’s ‘H Is for Hawk’