Tootfinder

Softshell turtles, and the myths that develop around them, are powerful protectors of endangered wetlands across Asia.
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/ha-dinh-duc-guardian-of-hanois-legendary-turtle-died-at-86/

Copper boom fueling energy transition puts Earth’s wildlands at risk https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/copper-boom-fueling-energy-transition-puts-earths-wildlands-at-risk/

Copper boom fueling energy transition puts Earth’s wildlands at risk
In the high Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, you can still find the vicuña, a shy, elusive camelid, revered by Indigenous people. It has reasons to be cautious of humans. Long-prized for its fine wool, European colonists hunted it relentlessly. Flocks in the millions were reduced to 6,000 individuals by the 1960s. Indigenous-driven […]

"Major orangutan study finds Sumatran population fell nearly 20% despite slower forest loss"
#Orangutan #Animals

Major orangutan study finds Sumatran population fell nearly 20% despite slower forest loss
JAKARTA — The number of Sumatran orangutans has declined by nearly 20% in the past decade and the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan remains perilously close to extinction despite years of conservation efforts, according to a new study. The study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, also suggests that habitat loss alone cannot explain the species’ […]

Cigarette butts make up 12% of aquatic litter, global review finds https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/09/cigarette-butts-make-up-12-of-aquatic-litter-global-review-finds/

Cigarette butts make up 12% of aquatic litter, global review finds
Cigarette butts account for roughly 12% of the litter found in rivers, lakes and beaches surveyed for a recent global review. Researchers pooled data from 130 studies conducted in 55 countries between 2013 and 2024. Across all ecosystems, including both aquatic and terrestrial, researchers found on average a density of 1 cigarette butt every 4 […]

"A new cat species was just discovered. Several more may follow"
#Cats #Animals
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A new cat species was just discovered. Several more may follow
Editor’s note: Last week, the description of a “new” cat species from Bolivia made headlines around the world. The tilcayo (Leopardus tilcayo), a small spotted cat from Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forests, was described as the first new living cat species discovered in more than a century. Unlike several cats recognized as new species in recent […]

As Australia expands seismic testing, experts warn of profound effects on sealife https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/as-australia-expands-seismic-testing-experts-warn-of-profound-effects-on-sealife/

As Australia expands seismic testing, experts warn of profound effects on sealife
It was spring, 20 years ago now, but he remembers it clearly. On the deck of the Geco Resolution, wind tearing spray from the waves, Robert McCauley stood gazing out onto an ocean blackened by night. The ship had been firing seismic airguns all day, thunderous blasts punching through the water and into the seabed. […]

The Austronesian languages are one of the most diverse and dispersed language families. Their centre of origin is Taiwan, from where they spread across Southeast Asia and the Pacific and even to Madagascar. Most of the linguistic diversity is actually within Taiwan's surviving Indigenous languages, which is why the recovery of Siraya is very much to be celebrated!

A Tunisian phosphate plant that sickens children so US, Europe can get fertilizer https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-tunisian-phosphate-plant-that-sickens-children-so-us-europe-can-get-fertilizer/

A Tunisian phosphate plant that sickens children so US, Europe can get fertilizer
Dalila grew up in the Tunisian coastal city of Gabès and is accustomed to the heavy, acrid smell from the state-owned phosphate processing plant about a 10-minute walk from her home. On days when noxious fumes fill the air, Dalila rushes to tightly shut the windows and tells her children to hurry indoors. She washes […]

"Ugandans plant trees near national park to keep people out of gorillas’ habitat"
#Uganda #Animals #Gorillas

Ugandans plant trees near national park to keep people out of gorillas’ habitat
BWINDI, Uganda (AP) — In the tangled greenery of a Ugandan national park, mountain gorillas sit among the leaves, calmly carrying on as tourists trek into their forest home. Many gorilla families are used to people, but while their population grows, the forest available to them does not. Communities have planted trees for medicine, firewood […]

"First sighting of African wild dogs in Malawi national park in more than 10 years"
#Africa #Dogs #Animals

First sighting of African wild dogs in Malawi national park in more than 10 years
Four African wild dogs were recently spotted in Kasungu National Park in Malawi, making it the first confirmation of the endangered species in the park in more than a decade. The wild dogs appear to have travelled hundreds of kilometers from a park in eastern Zambia to reach Kasungu. Matthew Becker, chief executive of the […]