Fewer Americans are hunting, and that raises hard questions about funding conservation through gun sales

Every gun and bullet sold in the U.S. generates excise taxes to support conservation. But Americans are buying guns now for different reasons than in the past – and increasingly, not for hunting.

Christopher Rea, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University • conversation
March 21, 2022 ~10 min

Psychology of trophy hunting: why some people kill animals for sport

To many of us trophy hunting is repellent. But here’s a look at why killing wild animals might be pleasurable to some.

Geoff Beattie, Professor of Psychology, Edge Hill University • conversation
Feb. 3, 2022 ~7 min


When endangered species recover, humans may need to make room for them – and it's not always easy

It’s usually good news when a once-scarce species starts to recover – unless it starts getting in humans’ way. An ecologist explains how science can help predict unwelcome encounters.

Veronica Frans, PhD Student, Michigan State University • conversation
Jan. 6, 2022 ~9 min

Poland's border wall will cut Europe's oldest forest in half

A barrier built to stop human migrants will instead cut off animals and scientific cooperation.

Michał Żmihorski, Biogeography Research Leader, Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences • conversation
Dec. 15, 2021 ~7 min

Scientist at work: Endangered ocelots and their genetic diversity may benefit from artificial insemination

There are so few wild ocelots in the US that the cats are becoming inbred, with a bad prognosis for their ultimate survival. But researchers are perfecting ways to get new genes into the population.

Ashley Reeves, DVM, PhD Candidate in Comparative and Experimental Medicine, University of Tennessee • conversation
Nov. 23, 2021 ~9 min

Rhinos: scientists are hanging them upside-down from helicopters – here’s why

Helicoptering heavy herbivores across Africa is no laughing matter.

Jason Gilchrist, Ecologist, Edinburgh Napier University • conversation
Sept. 14, 2021 ~7 min

Overcrowded US national parks need a reservation system

It's hard to preserve national parks "unimpaired," as US law directs, when they're overrun with tourists who stray off paths, strew trash and harass wildlife. A parks scholar calls for crowd control.

Michael Childers, Assistant Professor of History, Colorado State University • conversation
June 1, 2021 ~9 min

Africa's 2 elephant species are both endangered, due to poaching and habitat loss

A new review of the status of African elephants finds scientific grounds for dividing them into two species, and reports that both have suffered drastic population declines since 1990.

George Wittemyer, Associate professor of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University • conversation
March 26, 2021 ~7 min


Grey squirrels: is birth control the solution to Britain's invasive species problem?

Squirrel feeders laced with contraceptives could be used to suppress grey squirrels in the UK.

Jason Gilchrist, Ecologist, Edinburgh Napier University • conversation
Feb. 3, 2021 ~7 min

Why David Attenborough cannot be replaced

Wildlife television as we know it was constructed around Attenborough. Take him away and the whole thing needs to be reinvented.

Jean-Baptiste Gouyon, Associate professor in Science Communication, UCL • conversation
Jan. 5, 2021 ~7 min

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