Les Kaufman, Boston University In a recent journal article, a team of biologists, medical scientists, environmental scientists and conservationists proposed a number of measures to reduce the likelihood of future pandemics, many of which originate with wild animals such as bats. They argue that spending billions of dollars per year – a fraction of theContinue reading “Video: Slowing deforestation is the key to preventing the next pandemic – but what does that cost?”
Tag Archives: Boycott4wildlife
Southern Patas Monkey Erythrocebus baumstarki
The Southern Patas #Monkey (Erythrocebus baumstarki) is an elusive, long-limbed #primate once common across northern #Tanzania and parts of #Kenya and now on the very edge of #extinction. With a lean, agile body built for speed, they are among the fastest-running primates in the world, capable of reaching speeds up to 55 km/h. Once ranging over approximately 66,000 km², their habitat has been decimated by agriculture, human settlements, and bushmeat hunting, reducing their known range by over 85% in recent decades. By 2021, estimates suggested fewer than 200 individuals remained in the wild, restricted to small populations in western Serengeti National Park and its surroundings (de Jong & Butynski, 2021).
Without urgent intervention, this striking species could be the next primate extinction in Africa. Help them every time you shop and campaign for these rare primates, every time you shop go #vegan and #Boycott4Wildlife!
Nature’s Hidden Wealth: Conservation’s Opportunity
Animals and plants constitute a very small part of our native biodiversity (roughly 5%). The vast majority – fungi, bacteria and the enormous diversity of other microscopic organisms, including invertebrates – is a massive, largely unexplored economic resource.
The best known examples of commercial uses for biodiversity are the thousands of drugs secreted by bacteria and fungi. But others are examples of what is known as “bio-inspiration” and “bio-mimicry”, where wild species provide the blueprints for products. The combination of nature and biotechnology can offer us all a tentative reason to hope for the future.
Golden-bellied Mangabey Cercocebus chrysogaster
The golden-bellied mangabey (Cercocebus chrysogaster) is an intriguing and elusive monkey endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Named for the vibrant golden hue of their undersides, these primates are known for their intelligence, complex social behaviours, and unique ecological role. Found in the remote tropical forests along the Congo River Basin, these monkeys remain poorly studied due to their limited range and secretive nature.
Tragically, the golden-bellied mangabey faces mounting threats from habitat destruction, driven by logging, mining, and agricultural expansion, including palm oil plantations. Their population continues to decline due to hunting and habitat fragmentation. Act now to protect their fragile habitat—boycott palm oil and stand against deforestation. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Monkey minds: what we can learn from primate personality
Did you know our primate cousins exhibit similar personality profiles to humans? Explore fascinating evolutionary research on primate social behaviour
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug
Saker #Falcons are majestic and powerful birds of prey that have a wide range throughout much of Southern Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa. Their plumage ranges from chocolate brown in colour to a pale sandy with brown bars or streaks and can be snow white and off-white.
This species has been uplisted to Endangered because a revised population trend analysis indicates that they may be undergoing a very rapid decline. This negative trend is a result of a range of anthropogenic factors including electrocution on power lines, unsustainable capture for the falconry and #pettrade, as well as habitat degradation throughout all three continents but especially in Africa. Help them every time you shop and #Boycott4Wildlife
Drill Mandrillus leucophaeus
The Drill is one of the most visually arresting, emotionally complex, and endangered #monkeys on Earth. Endemic to a narrow slice of rainforest in #Nigeria, #Cameroon, and Bioko Island, these intelligent primates have lost over 50% of their population in just three decades. They face a terrifying gauntlet of threats: #palmoil plantations, #hunting for the #bushmeat trade, #timber logging, and a tidal wave of new #infrastructure creation. Though rarely seen, Drills are capable of extraordinary behaviour—forming multi-species foraging alliances, mourning their dead, and navigating their crumbling world with grace and resilience. Only a few thousand of these precious #primates remain alive. Take action every time you shop, be #Vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Explainer: What is a tipping point, and why should we care?
Lately, you may have heard someone say that we have reached a “tipping point.” Recently, we have witnessed dramatic shifts in our social and economic states of being. Our ability to understand and act thoughtfully around this single concept could determine the fate of life on Earth. Help reverse the upheavals and tipping points every time you shop #Boycott4Wildlife
Rainbow Cliffs: Why Parrots in the Amazon Eat Clay
Our world holds a whole host of glorious natural spectacles, from great starling murmurations to the ethereal display of coral reef spawning. But none is more thrilling than catching a glimpse of a majestic #macaw.
Screeching their way through the #Amazon rainforest, leaving scattered fruit, broken branches, and a considerable quantity of parrot poop in their wake, #parrots are simply animals like no other. But high in the treetops, flying far above the dense, dark foliage below, how can you ensure that you see their bright colours? A safe bet is to find a clay lick.
Four-horned Chameleon Trioceros quadricornis
Protect the Four-Horned Chameleons, native to Cameroon’s rainforests, these extraordinary reptiles are now listed as Vulnerable, boycott palm oil for them!
Ariel Toucan Ramphastos ariel
Ariel Toucans are vibrant and charismatic birds of South America under threat from palm oil, soy, meat and gold mining deforestation. Take action for them!
Can we feed the world and stop deforestation? Depends what’s for dinner
It’s a tricky thing to grow enough #food for a ballooning population without destroying the natural world. And when I say a tricky thing, I mean it’s one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. Luckily for us, it is theoretically possible, and the easiest way to get there is by drastically cutting down on meat. We deforest an area the size of Panama every single year. Across the world, food is the number one cause of #deforestation, especially our taste for meat. If we all woke up #vegan in 2050, we would need less land than in 2000. We could reforest an area the size of the Amazon. 80% of deforestation is from #meat” Take action every time you shop and go plant-based #Boycott4Wildlife
African Greys: How politics killed the parrot
The African Grey Parrot of the Congo is an understated beauty sporting ash-grey plumage, which partially conceals the red flash of their short tails – not to be confused with the smaller and darker Timneh grey parrot. This species is found, as their name suggests, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), along with Kenya, Tanzania and parts of Angola. Already globally threatened, any self-described bird lover must understand jus how the political environment in the DRC is threatening this gorgeous parrot. One of the most pervasive threats for these rare birds is poaching for the illegal pet trade, which, in the past 40 years alone, has resulted in almost three million birds being snatched from their homes. That’s three million birds who will never reproduce in the wild and ensure continuity of this species. Help these birds every time you shop and be #Vegan, #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Tana River Mangabey Cercocebus galeritus
The Tana River Mangabey Cercocebus galeritus is a long-faced and slender old world monkey of #Kenya listed as Critically Endangered due to ongoing habitat destruction, dam construction, logging, and the degradation of floodplain forest ecosystems. Once protected by the Tana River #Primate Reserve, these #monkeys despite being key seed dispersers in their ecosystem are now more vulnerable than ever after the legal de-gazetting of their habitat. With only around 1,000 individuals remaining, this highly social and adaptable primate faces a devastating future unless urgent action is taken. Use your wallet as a weapon to end the destruction of their home. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat
Wildlife Photojournalist and Animal Advocate Dalida Innes
My name is Dalida Innes, I am from France originally and I live in Sydney, Australia. I love wildlife, landscape, travel photography and everything between. I am self-taught with a sincere passion for all things photographic
Adventurous spirit with camera in hand, I try to capture moments of wonder and serenity. For me, capturing images is like freezing the time and I can go back to it whenever I want. Trying to get that precise moment that your eye doesn’t have time to memorise or to remember.
Eastern Gorilla Gorilla beringei
Eastern Gorillas, the world’s largest primates are Critically Endangered in DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda. Help them survive be vegan and boycott palm oil now
Mass extinction: what is it and are we in one now?
For more than 3.5 billion years, living organisms have thrived, multiplied and diversified to occupy every ecosystem on Earth. The flip side to this explosion of new species is that species extinctions have also always been part of the evolutionary life cycle.
A mass extinction is usually defined as a loss of about three quarters of all species in existence across the entire Earth over a “short” geological period of time. Given the vast amount of time since life first evolved on the planet, “short” is defined as anything less than 2.8 million years. Right now loss of species on earth is being driven by a mix of direct and indirect human activities, such as the destruction and fragmentation of habitats, direct exploitation like fishing and hunting, chemical pollution, invasive species, and human-caused global warming. Help species survive #BoycottPalmOil be #Vegan and #Boycott4Wildlife
Yucatán Black Howler Monkey Alouatta pigra
Their range is being rapidly destroyed for palm oil and sugar cane deforestation and mining. They are also facing human persecution and hunting pressures. Yucatán Black Howler Monkeys have been classified as endangered since 2004. Help them every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
Great Green Macaw Ara ambiguus
The Great Green Macaw Ara ambiguus are the largest macaw species and in flight they are dazzling symbol of Central and South America’s vanishing rainforests. Draped in shimmering green plumage with a fiery red forehead and striking blue-tipped feathers, these parrots are key players in their ecosystem. With their powerful beaks, they crack open tough nuts, dispersing seeds that sustain the forest’s delicate balance. Yet, these vibrant giants are under siege.
Deforestation—driven by palm oil plantations, illegal logging, and agriculture—has decimated the old-growth forests they call home. Their lifeline, the mountain almond tree, is vanishing, taking with it vital macaw nesting sites. Alarmingly, Great Green Macaw populations in Costa Rica and Ecuador have dwindled to critical levels, leaving fewer than 3,500 individuals to soar freely the skies.
Fight for their survival every time you shop. Support indigenous-led conservation and use your wallet as a weapon: #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Harlequin Poison Frog Oophaga histrionica
Chocó rainforests, the harlequin poison frog is as deadly as it is beautiful. Cloaked in hypnotic shades of orange, yellow, green and black, this tiny amphibian is a master of chemical warfare—their skin is infused with powerful alkaloid toxins that can paralyse or kill predators. But despite their formidable defences, they are completely helpless against human destruction.
Once thriving in the dense, misty forests of western Colombia, this critically endangered frog is now on the brink of extinction. Illegal mining, rampant deforestation for palm oil plantations, and the relentless wildlife trade have devastated their fragile rainforest home. The same vibrant colours that warn predators away have made them a prime target for smugglers supplying the exotic pet trade.
This extraordinary species is a vital part of its ecosystem, controlling insect populations and contributing to the rainforest’s delicate balance. But unless urgent action is taken, the harlequin poison frog could vanish forever.
Protect their rainforest home. Say no to palm oil, reject the illegal pet trade, and demand stronger protections for Colombia’s amphibians. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Orinoco Crocodile Crocodylus intermedius
Endemic to the Orinoco River Basin in #Colombia and #Venezuela, the majestic Orinoco Crocodile is one of the rarest and most threatened reptiles on Earth. These intelligent, powerful apex predators once ruled vast waterways across northern South America, but today, their numbers have plummeted by more than 80% due to hunting, habitat loss, pollution, and deforestation. They are now restricted to tiny, fragmented populations across fewer than 34 rivers. #Goldmining and #palmoil #pollution pose a massive risk, imperiling these magnificent crocodiles. Urgent conservation efforts are essential to safeguard the Orinoco Crocodile from the brink of extinction. Boycott #palmoil, #soy, and #beef products contributing to deforestation. #BoycottGold4Yanomami Reject crocodile skin and be #vegan, and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Inside the colourful world of animal vision
Want to hear something trippy? Unlike other aspects of an object such as its size or mass, colour is not an inherent property. Perceiving colour is a function of an organism’s sensory system. In other words, colour is a construct of the mind. But whose minds? Aside from the human experiences of colour, other-than-human eyes perceive colour in radically different ways.
Golden-headed Lion Tamarin Leontopithecus chrysomelas
The Golden-Maned Lion Tamarin faces a battle for survival, with threats from habitat loss, particularly due to palm oil deforestation, the illegal pet trade, predation, disease, and climate change. These majestic creatures, with their striking golden manes and vibrant personalities, are teetering on the brink due to the relentless destruction of their home. But there’s hope, and it starts with us. By choosing to #BoycottPalmOil, supporting the #Boycott4Wildlife movement, and embracing a #Vegan lifestyle, we can make a profound impact. Together, we have the power to safeguard the forests, preserve the planet’s biodiversity, and ensure the survival of the Golden-Maned Lion Tamarin.
The Rarest Rhino: The Two Last Northern White Rhinos of Kenya
The rarest rhino in the world can be found wallowing in the mud at the Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy in Kenya. Constantly guarded by vigilant rifle-clad guards, these two animals have no idea that they are the last members of their kind. They are northern white rhinos – the very last northern white rhinos anywhere on Earth. They have been poached to the very edge of extinction, with virtually no hope for recovery. Could this be the saddest story ever told? Likely! Vehemently and strongly oppose all forms of trophy hunting and poaching wherever you see it and #Boycott4Wildlife
Black-faced Lion Tamarin Leontopithecus caissara
The black-faced lion #tamarin Leontopithecus caissara, also known as the Superagüi lion tamarin, is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. With a total population of fewer than 400 individuals and a fragmented, low-lying coastal habitat of #Brazil, this species is on the edge of extinction. Threats include logging, the illegal #pettrade, palm oil, #soy and #meat deforestation and urban expansion. Conservation efforts have begun, but there is still enormous work to do to protect these irreplaceable #primates. Protect this rare and charismatic #primate by taking urgent action. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan
Palm oil plantations are bad for wildlife great and small: study
#Palmoil plantations have an overall negative impact on #biodiversity, according to research released this week. The #study, published in Nature Communications, found palm oil plantations are home to fewer insect species than even intensive rubber tree plantations. A forests expert at James Cook University, Bill Laurance, said of the research: “The big message is that oil palm is bad for biodiversity, in every sense of the word — even when compared to damaged rainforests that are regenerating after earlier logging or clearing.” Make sure you take action every time you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife!
Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are one of humanity’s closest living relatives and the most widespread of all great apes, with a vast historical range stretching across 21 African countries. Despite this, they are now classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List due to catastrophic declines of more than 50% over a 75-year period, from 1975 to a projected 2050. These losses are driven by a lethal cocktail of threats: rampant poaching, habitat destruction for palm oil and logging, industrial mining, disease outbreaks like Ebola, and illegal trafficking. Subspecies such as P. t. ellioti have been reduced to only a few thousand individuals, while the once widespread P. t. verus is now Critically Endangered. Protecting them means dismantling the extractive industries that are ripping Africa’s forests apart such as the meat industry and palm oil industry. Help them when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and be #Vegan #BoycottMeat
Leopard Panthera pardus
Of all the great cats prowling the wild, few inspire as much awe and fascination as the leopard Panthera pardus. Sleek, powerful, and enigmatic, leopards are found across a staggering range—from sub-Saharan Africa, forests of West Africa and the Middle East to Central Asia and the forests of Southeast Asia. Yet this extraordinary adaptability masks a disturbing truth. The leopard is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with some subspecies such as the Amur, Arabian, and Javan leopard are on the very brink of extinction. Across their range, these elusive big cats are being driven into ever-shrinking patches of habitat, with populations decimated by deforestation, rampant poaching, prey depletion, and the relentless spread of palm oil plantations and other monoculture. Help leopards every time you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Hoge’s Side-necked Turtle Mesoclemmys hogei
The Hoge’s Side-necked Turtle Ranacephala hogei—also known as Hoge’s Toadhead Turtle—is one of #Brazil’s rarest and most endangered reptiles. Having diverged from other turtles some 80 million years ago, they are evolutionary survivors now on the brink. With fewer than 2,000 individuals thought to remain, their populations have plummeted due to #palmoil #soy and #meat #deforestation, damming, water pollution, and incidental deaths in fisheries. Once feared lost from parts of their range, new research using citizen science and extensive fieldwork has rediscovered them in previously unknown areas, sparking renewed hope. But the threats remain. Help them every time you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife, be #Vegan and #BoycottMeat
Maned Three-toed Sloth Bradypus torquatus
The Maned Three-toed Sloth live in the Atlantic coastal forests of eastern Brazil. They thrive in areas with high rainfall and no dry season. Remarkably, their reproductive habits are synced with nature’s rhythm: females typically give birth annually between February and April, while mating peaks from August to October. This species matures sexually between their second and third year and can live to over 12 years old in the wild.
As palm oil, soy and meat deforestation expands across their range – their lives are at risk. Help protect these gentle and wonderous creatures and use your wallet as a weapon. #BoycottGold4Yanomami #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife. 🦥🌳
Palm Oil Detectives 