Giant tortoise believed extinct for 100 years is actually alive
We previously shared a story about a family finding their pet tortoise alive and well in their attic after it had been missing for over 30 years. Now prepare for an equally endearing tortoise comeback story. Considered extinct for more than a century, a giant tortoise is actually alive in the Read More...
“Blue Corridors”: using science and animal instinct to save fish populations
We’ve all marveled at the intrepid salmon swimming against the current, up waterfalls, and avoiding predators to return to its native spawning grounds, or at least we’ve all seen it on a nature show. This behavior is called philopatry, an animal’s tendency to return to its area of birth, and Read More...
Endangered red wolf pups are born in the wild for the first time in years
The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina happily welcomed the birth of a litter of wild red wolf pups, an indication that there is still hope for the endangered species. Though US landscapes were once teeming with red wolves, the species suffered, as so many others have, Read More...
This sloth orphanage nurses sloth babies back into the wild
As a result of decades of deforestation and other human activities, sloths are among the most endangered mammals in the world, with only about 1,500 remaining in the wild according to the WWF. In Costa Rica, sloths are often under threat from an early age. Many orphaned cubs are a common occurrence Read More...
This app could put a stop to the illegal hawksbill sea turtle trade
“Beauty comes with a price”—a saying that rings painfully true for the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle. Among the other numerous problems sea turtles have to worry about (ocean plastic, a warming planet, and habitat encroachment to name a few), humanity’s attraction to the Read More...
Neon-orange wildflower rediscovered in Ecuador after presumed extinct
Over 97 percent of forests in the western half of Ecuador have been turned into farmland over the last decades. This extensive deforestation led to the extinction of multiple species of flora, leading conservationists to think that those plants are gone for good. A recent expedition, however, has Read More...
Rare Sumatran rhino birth brings new hope for the endangered species
Currently, there are only about 80 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild. That population, however, has just gotten a little bit larger thanks to the birth of a Sumatran rhino calf at a sanctuary in Indonesia. The mother rhino, named Rosa, gave birth to the female calf at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary Read More...
Golden eagle population soars from Scottish conservation efforts
The Optimist Daily loves reporting about the successful global efforts to restore biodiversity and protect endangered species. Whether that be the creation of a Nepalese bird sanctuary or how the Australian humpback whale has come back from endangered status, every comeback is a reason to Read More...
Nepal opens its first bird sanctuary in a win for endangered species
Good news for endangered bird species around the world as Nepal has just opened the first official bird sanctuary in the country.The protected area is home to about a dozen bird species, including the great hornbill and the Indian spotted eagle. These bird species are globally threatened. In a bid Read More...
Scientists rediscover “comical” bat species feared extinct for 40 years
Scientists have sighted a critically endangered bat species in Rwanda that was feared extinct for more than 40 years since it was last seen. While they called it a delightful discovery. The researchers who found the Hill’s horseshoe bat in Rwanda’s Nyungwe forest said the bat remains highly Read More...