Rare heath butterfly reintroduced back into the wild after 150 years
Here at the Optimist Daily, we love inspiring conservation stories involving species that return back to the places they once belonged to. Today, we have the heath butterfly as the protagonist of the latest of such comeback stories. The heath butterfly — known as the “Manchester argus” — Read More...
Once hunted into near extinction, wild donkeys return to the Danube Delta
Hundreds of years ago, the kulan, or more commonly known as the wild donkey, were established inhabitants of the Eurasian Steppe, from the Mediterranean to the east of Mongolia. Sadly for the kulan though, two hundred years of hunting and habitat loss has led to a decline of 95 percent of the Read More...
UK wildlife sees wild white stork hatchlings for the first time in centuries
In European folklore, the stork often symbolizes the birth of a new baby, but for centuries the wild white stork in the UK has failed to have babies itself. That is, until now. In what comes as great news for wildlife in the UK, wild white stork chicks have recently hatched in the UK for the Read More...
A previously extinct bird species has re-evolved itself back from the dead
A once-extinct species of bird has re-evolved back into existence and returned to the island it once colonized thousands of years ago. The Aldabra white-throated rail was reportedly wiped out around 136,000 years ago when the island it called home submerged under the ocean due to rising sea Read More...
Belgium welcomes new wolves as it becomes the “wolf crossroads of Europe”
Belgium is becoming “the wolf crossroads of Europe”, a conservation charity has said as it reported new sightings from France and Germany, while Flemish authorities separately announced the imminent arrival of wolf puppies. Over the weekend the charity Welkom Wolf announced that four wolves Read More...
Endangered monkey population to recover thanks to a forest bridge
Endemic to the Brazilian forest, the golden lion tamarin is one of the world’s most charismatic primates. Unfortunately, the spectacular monkey is also one of the most endangered mammals on the planet. Thanks to years of persevering conservation efforts, however, the species may get back on their Read More...
With tourists away, flamingos are flourishing in Albania
Be it turtles hatching undisturbed on people-free beaches or whales singing without being interrupted by shipping vessels, decreased human activity has largely benefited wildlife during the coronavirus lockdown. Albania’s gracious flamingos are no exception. With tourists home, boats docked and Read More...
Researchers and wildlife are relishing in the quiet induced by lockdowns
With flights grounded and highways free from rumbling traffic, and a general drop in human activity, the world has gone rather quiet during the last couple of weeks. And while the resulting silence may be eerie for some, it’s an exhilarating phenomenon for others, including researchers and Read More...
Successful conservation efforts offer glimmer of hope for the African black rhino
Wildlife in Africa is celebrating an important win as the numbers of African back rhinos in the wild have risen by several hundred, which is a rare boost for a species driven to near extinction by poaching. While challenges remain to protect these majestic creatures, the small increase – an Read More...
Wildlife is flourishing at Fukushima’s human-devoid evacuation areas
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was obviously a terrible event, but because the area has been free of humans for decades, wildlife in the region has been thriving. Now it seems the same is happening in Japan where a nuclear disaster took place on March 11, 2011. Documented by researchers from Read More...