Also known as the forest, Congolese, or zebra giraffe, okapi are even toed ungulates endemic to northeast part of Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. While these mammals look like a cross between a zebra, horse, and deer, they’re actually related to giraffes and those two species are the only living members of the Giraffidae family. Like their much taller cousins, okapi are … Continue reading Okapi: The Giraffe’s Elusive Forest Cousin
Found in England’s Northumbrian countryside, the Alnwick Poison Garden is often called the ‘deadliest garden in the world’ because of the plants you can find in it. The actual location of the garden has a long history at the Alnwick Castle but became one dedicated to some of the world’s most poisonous plants in 2005. Before the pandemic, this garden was visited by more than … Continue reading The Deadliest Garden In The World
Wildlife conservation is a vital field that works to protect flora and fauna species and their habitats around the world from climate change effects and human encroachment. The last 200 years has seen a drastic rise in the human population, in addition to the industrial and digital revolutions. Capitalism and wealth inequality are having an impressively negative effect on the planet, as just 100 companies … Continue reading What Is Wildlife Conservation And Why Is It Important?
Today, June 21st, is World Giraffe Day! This day was initiated to raise awareness for giraffes by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, an international science-based conservation organization that works to protect giraffes and habitats through a variety of projects. And unfortunately, these animals need plenty of help, as there are roughly 117,000 giraffes left in the wild. There are nine different subspecies and their ICUN status … Continue reading World Giraffe Day
Up until recently, most countries and organizations only recognized four ocean basins. While there is really only one global ocean that covers 71% of the earth, there are now five distinct regions and the boundaries between them have changed over human history. The five named oceans are the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern, with Southern being the newest. In addition to these ocean areas, … Continue reading The Oceans and Seas in the World
Found in the swamps and thick jungles on a few Indonesian islands, babirusas are sometimes called ‘deer pig’ (which is what babirusa translates to from Malay to English), or even ‘wild pigs with a dental problem’, which refers to the males’ interesting tusks. As wild members of the pig (Suidae) family, these animals are thought to have branched off from the rest of the pig … Continue reading Babirusas: The Wild Pigs With A Dental Problem
When we talk about environmental justice, organizations like Greenpeace or protests like #sHellNo might come to mind. But with these conversations, we also need to be talking about environmental racism, which is the placement of marginalized communities, especially communities of color, in proximity to environmentally hazardous places or effects. That has immense impacts on the health and everyday life of people in a variety of ways. … Continue reading Environmental Racism: How Climate Change Disproportionally Affects People of Color
Our ocean is incredibly important. With 97% of the world’s water, the oceans help regulate temperature, absorbs heat, and so much more. There are underwater mountain ranges and forests, gorgeous coral reefs, and iconic animals that all call the oceans home. But with plastic pollution and commercial overfishing, the waters around the United States are seeing drastic population declines. And that’s what the documentary ‘Sea … Continue reading ‘Sea of Hope: America’s Underwater Treasures’
You may not have heard of these scaly mammals but pangolins are one of the most trafficked mammals in the world. Tens of thousands of these animals are being snatched from their habitats and shipped all over the world because their scales are considered to have medicinal properties and their meat is considered a delicacy. There are eight pangolin species in the world, with four … Continue reading Pangolins – One Of The World’s Most Trafficked Animals
When I was a kid, my older cousin joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Mauritania, a country in west Africa. I thought that was incredible and spent more than a decade desperately wanting to go to the African continent. And when I was in college, I finally got the opportunity and spent three and a half months in western Kenya. It was … Continue reading My Own Trip To Kenya: The Ethical Considerations of Safaris
The Naturalist Life 