Zoo releases 700,000 endangered toads and spawn to save species says Fort Worth Zoo has released 690,957 endangered Houston toad eggs, tadpoles and toads into the wild.
Positive Wildlife News 2025
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equidae
Well-Known Member
Rathlin Island: RSPB hail 'record-breaking' corncrake count
The presence of six calling male corncrakes on Rathlin Island this breeding season has been hailed as a "record-breaking" milestone.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Northern Ireland (RSPB NI) has said it is the highest number recorded in recent memory and marks a huge step in the fight to protect the bird species.
Since the 1970s, the Corncrake population has declined significantly, leading to the species being red-listed in both the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The record number of male corncrakes being recorded on the island this breeding season has been largely attributed to the efforts of an ongoing RSPB NI volunteer-led project.
The Giving Corncrake a Home Project, which was launched back in 2010, helps provide tall vegetation for corncrakes to hide in.
Over the past 15 years, the charity's staff, volunteers, and local landowners have worked to recreate suitable breeding habitats for the corncrake on the island.
This includes planting nettle rhizomes to provide the early, dense vegetation cover corncrakes need to nest safely.
The project has been hailed as helping the bird return to Rathlin Island in 2014.
The presence of six calling male corncrakes on Rathlin Island this breeding season has been hailed as a "record-breaking" milestone.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Northern Ireland (RSPB NI) has said it is the highest number recorded in recent memory and marks a huge step in the fight to protect the bird species.
Since the 1970s, the Corncrake population has declined significantly, leading to the species being red-listed in both the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The record number of male corncrakes being recorded on the island this breeding season has been largely attributed to the efforts of an ongoing RSPB NI volunteer-led project.
The Giving Corncrake a Home Project, which was launched back in 2010, helps provide tall vegetation for corncrakes to hide in.
Over the past 15 years, the charity's staff, volunteers, and local landowners have worked to recreate suitable breeding habitats for the corncrake on the island.
This includes planting nettle rhizomes to provide the early, dense vegetation cover corncrakes need to nest safely.
The project has been hailed as helping the bird return to Rathlin Island in 2014.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
Successful birth of Iberian Lynxes, from reintroduced pairs, in the Murcia region of Spain (South-East of the country).
ABC on Instagram: " La Región de Murcia ha podido ver los primeros pasos de los cachorros de lince ibérico nacidos fruto de la reproducción entre ejemplares liberados en la Comunidad Autónoma dentro del proyecto ‘LynxConnect’. Tras el descubrimiento de dos crías, se ha difundido el hallazgo de una tercera, nacida en la Región. En concreto, en el vídeo difundido por la Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia se puede ver al tercer cachorro de ‘Urtsu’, una hembra liberada en febrero del año, paseando por el monte. #linceibérico #Murcia #cachorro #LynxConnect #cría #Urtsu #Lorca"
ABC on Instagram: " La Región de Murcia ha podido ver los primeros pasos de los cachorros de lince ibérico nacidos fruto de la reproducción entre ejemplares liberados en la Comunidad Autónoma dentro del proyecto ‘LynxConnect’. Tras el descubrimiento de dos crías, se ha difundido el hallazgo de una tercera, nacida en la Región. En concreto, en el vídeo difundido por la Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia se puede ver al tercer cachorro de ‘Urtsu’, una hembra liberada en febrero del año, paseando por el monte. #linceibérico #Murcia #cachorro #LynxConnect #cría #Urtsu #Lorca"
Randomname0183
Well-Known Member
Indonesia has approved new plans to begin an in-situ captive breeding program for Javan rhinoceros:
The Population Of The Javan Rhino Is Getting Scarce, Translocation Is A Step For The Preservation Of Species
The current plan is to relocate some individuals to a new site outside of the main park to try maintain enough genetic diversity for the rhinos.
The Population Of The Javan Rhino Is Getting Scarce, Translocation Is A Step For The Preservation Of Species
The current plan is to relocate some individuals to a new site outside of the main park to try maintain enough genetic diversity for the rhinos.
Kyrgyz Republic unveils 800,000-hectare ecological corridor for biodiversity
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) supported the Kyrgyz government by providing ecological modelling to help define the corridor’s borders. The area will connect the Khan-Tengri National Park and Naryn Nature Reserve, passing through several other conservation areas along the way. The corridor aims to safeguard migration and dispersal routes for key mountain wildlife species under pressure from changing habitat conditions due to overgrazing and climate change. The species include snow leopards, which are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and its prey species, such as the Asiatic ibex and the argali sheep.
Kyrgyz Republic unveils 800,000-hectare ecological corridor for biodiversity
- The largest protected area of its kind in the country will enable snow leopards and their prey to better adapt to climate change
- Grazing density will be reduced by almost one quarter, in agreement with local herders, to help restore pastures and allow wildlife to graze
- The ecological corridor could become a model for Central Asia.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) supported the Kyrgyz government by providing ecological modelling to help define the corridor’s borders. The area will connect the Khan-Tengri National Park and Naryn Nature Reserve, passing through several other conservation areas along the way. The corridor aims to safeguard migration and dispersal routes for key mountain wildlife species under pressure from changing habitat conditions due to overgrazing and climate change. The species include snow leopards, which are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and its prey species, such as the Asiatic ibex and the argali sheep.
Kyrgyz Republic unveils 800,000-hectare ecological corridor for biodiversity
Local group purchases Bear Gulch Preserve
The move ‘secures one of the largest remaining undeveloped areas in the region’
The Bear Gulch Preserve, an ecologically significant 142-acre complex of forests, grasslands, canyons and creeks near the Oregon-California border, has been purchased by the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy (SOLC).
The preserve is in the Colestin Valley, about a mile from the California border.
Local group purchases Bear Gulch Preserve - Ashland News - Community-Supported, NonProfit News
The move ‘secures one of the largest remaining undeveloped areas in the region’
The Bear Gulch Preserve, an ecologically significant 142-acre complex of forests, grasslands, canyons and creeks near the Oregon-California border, has been purchased by the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy (SOLC).
The preserve is in the Colestin Valley, about a mile from the California border.
Local group purchases Bear Gulch Preserve - Ashland News - Community-Supported, NonProfit News
Newly Acquired 540 Acres Supports Conservation, Habitat and Species Protection
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors recently approved the purchase of about 540 acres of property in North County for $5.1 million to expand its conservation efforts.
Located within a designated conservation area in Santa Ysabel, the land will expand an existing 6,900-acre preserve slated to protect habitat for sensitive species including the mountain lion, mule deer, Stephens’ kangaroo rat and Engelmann oak.
Newly Acquired 540 Acres Supports Conservation, Habitat and Species Protection – San Diego County News Center
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors recently approved the purchase of about 540 acres of property in North County for $5.1 million to expand its conservation efforts.
Located within a designated conservation area in Santa Ysabel, the land will expand an existing 6,900-acre preserve slated to protect habitat for sensitive species including the mountain lion, mule deer, Stephens’ kangaroo rat and Engelmann oak.
Newly Acquired 540 Acres Supports Conservation, Habitat and Species Protection – San Diego County News Center
“Papahānaumokuākea Is The Poster Child For The Future”: The Incredible Recovery Of One Of The World's Largest Marine Conservation Areas
Albatross were once nearing extinction here. Now, 14 million birds form the largest colony in the world.
An unhealthy ocean means an unhealthy planet, and without it, we simply wouldn’t exist. That’s just a fact, but in the same breath, a healthy ocean can lead to a more resilient planet, and a better future for every living thing on Earth. The best news of all? Given the chance, the ocean can recover at a rate, and to a degree, beyond anything we ever imagined possible. How do we know that? Because of Papahānaumokuākea.
We Protected Over A Million Square Kilometers Of The Pacific, And The Recovery Was Unlike Anything We Could Have Imagined
Albatross were once nearing extinction here. Now, 14 million birds form the largest colony in the world.
An unhealthy ocean means an unhealthy planet, and without it, we simply wouldn’t exist. That’s just a fact, but in the same breath, a healthy ocean can lead to a more resilient planet, and a better future for every living thing on Earth. The best news of all? Given the chance, the ocean can recover at a rate, and to a degree, beyond anything we ever imagined possible. How do we know that? Because of Papahānaumokuākea.
We Protected Over A Million Square Kilometers Of The Pacific, And The Recovery Was Unlike Anything We Could Have Imagined
Officials lock in nearly 7,000 acres of land for future generations: 'Adds a vital new link in the state's network of preserved natural spaces'
"The land is also providing a natural, protected habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife."
Chron, a division of the Houston Chronicle, reported that Texas is adding 6,900 acres of protected land to the state's network of preserved natural spaces.
The establishment of this protected area "presents an opportunity for the conservation and management of an ecologically unique and important habitat," said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) executive director David Yoskowitz.
The TPWD announced that the newly-protected area is called the Trinity River Wildlife Management Area, and it is the first time in nearly 20 years that the state has added a significant mass of land to its protected area. These public lands, overseen by TPWD, have a goal to protect native wildlife and habitats and create outdoor recreation opportunities for visitors.
The protected status was secured through a combination of public and private funding.
Officials lock in nearly 7,000 acres of land for future generations: 'Adds a vital new link in the state's network of preserved natural spaces'
"The land is also providing a natural, protected habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife."
Chron, a division of the Houston Chronicle, reported that Texas is adding 6,900 acres of protected land to the state's network of preserved natural spaces.
The establishment of this protected area "presents an opportunity for the conservation and management of an ecologically unique and important habitat," said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) executive director David Yoskowitz.
The TPWD announced that the newly-protected area is called the Trinity River Wildlife Management Area, and it is the first time in nearly 20 years that the state has added a significant mass of land to its protected area. These public lands, overseen by TPWD, have a goal to protect native wildlife and habitats and create outdoor recreation opportunities for visitors.
The protected status was secured through a combination of public and private funding.
Officials lock in nearly 7,000 acres of land for future generations: 'Adds a vital new link in the state's network of preserved natural spaces'
Taking Conservation to New Heights: Bolivian Subnational Protected Areas and Sustainable Nature Finance
Over the last several months, the Andes Amazon Fund (AAF) has supported some great successes in Bolivia for the creation of subnational protected areas – from the establishment of historically large municipal protected areas for the Department of Pando in Gran Manupare and Bosque Escondido de Ingavi, to the crucial expansion of the San Rafael Municipal Protected Area in the Chiquitania in an area under immense pressure from wildfires, to the establishment of Yande Yarɨ by the Indigenous government of Charagua Iyambae protecting a portion of Bolivia’s Chaco forests, among other notable results. However, with all this new legal protection comes the challenge of ensuring these areas are set up for long-term success with sustainable funding streams for their management.
Late last year I made some field visits to see some of these achievements in Bolivia firsthand with AAF partner Protección del Medio Ambiente Tarija (PROMETA). In the Department of Potosí, we visited the Cordillera Crucero – La Tranca Municipal Protected Area in the rural municipality of Cotagaita. Cordillera Crucero is a unique protected area in the Bolivian Altiplano because along with the adjacent Cordillera de los Chichas – Mochará Municipal Protected Area (of the Tupiza Municipality), it contains some of the last remaining populations of the Andean Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) in Bolivia. The landscape of Cordillera Crucero includes an interesting mixture of rolling mountains, desert, and broad forest oases amid the vast altiplano. As of April 2025, the Cordillera Crucero — La Tranca Municipal Protected Area spans 102,196 acres (41,539 hectares) thanks to a recent expansion.
Taking Conservation to New Heights: Bolivian Subnational Protected Areas and Sustainable Nature Finance - Andes Amazon Fund
Over the last several months, the Andes Amazon Fund (AAF) has supported some great successes in Bolivia for the creation of subnational protected areas – from the establishment of historically large municipal protected areas for the Department of Pando in Gran Manupare and Bosque Escondido de Ingavi, to the crucial expansion of the San Rafael Municipal Protected Area in the Chiquitania in an area under immense pressure from wildfires, to the establishment of Yande Yarɨ by the Indigenous government of Charagua Iyambae protecting a portion of Bolivia’s Chaco forests, among other notable results. However, with all this new legal protection comes the challenge of ensuring these areas are set up for long-term success with sustainable funding streams for their management.
Late last year I made some field visits to see some of these achievements in Bolivia firsthand with AAF partner Protección del Medio Ambiente Tarija (PROMETA). In the Department of Potosí, we visited the Cordillera Crucero – La Tranca Municipal Protected Area in the rural municipality of Cotagaita. Cordillera Crucero is a unique protected area in the Bolivian Altiplano because along with the adjacent Cordillera de los Chichas – Mochará Municipal Protected Area (of the Tupiza Municipality), it contains some of the last remaining populations of the Andean Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) in Bolivia. The landscape of Cordillera Crucero includes an interesting mixture of rolling mountains, desert, and broad forest oases amid the vast altiplano. As of April 2025, the Cordillera Crucero — La Tranca Municipal Protected Area spans 102,196 acres (41,539 hectares) thanks to a recent expansion.
Taking Conservation to New Heights: Bolivian Subnational Protected Areas and Sustainable Nature Finance - Andes Amazon Fund
In India, folklore is a tool that helps women save the greater adjutant stork
- In Northeastern India’s Assam, women have joined forces to save the resident greater adjutant stork (Leptoptilos dubius), known locally as the hargila, which was long considered a “dirty, smelly bird” that villagers would attack.
- The women, who call themselves the Hargila Army, incorporate the birds into their songs, prayers and weavings in order to help protect the species and spark appreciation for them.
- Since starting these efforts, the IUCN has reclassified the greater adjutant from endangered to near threatened, as the birds’ population numbers have risen.
- A new paper explores the effectiveness of incorporating the hargila into local folklore as a conservation strategy.
Cuyabeno–Yasuní Connectivity Corridor Receives Official Recognition by Ecuador’s Environment Ministry
This official designation marks a milestone in Ecuador’s efforts to strengthen a national network of connectivity corridors to safeguard biodiversity, preserve ecosystem integrity, and ensure the long-term survival of wildlife species.
Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE) has officially recognized the Cuyabeno–Yasuní Connectivity Corridor through Ministerial Agreement MAATE-2025-0021-A. This designated area, spanning approximately 2,750 km² across the provinces of Sucumbíos and Orellana, connects two of Amazon’s most important protected areas: the Cuyabeno Wildlife Production Reserve and Yasuní National Park.
Cuyabeno–Yasuní Connectivity Corridor Receives Official Recognition by Ecuador’s Environment Ministry
This official designation marks a milestone in Ecuador’s efforts to strengthen a national network of connectivity corridors to safeguard biodiversity, preserve ecosystem integrity, and ensure the long-term survival of wildlife species.
Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE) has officially recognized the Cuyabeno–Yasuní Connectivity Corridor through Ministerial Agreement MAATE-2025-0021-A. This designated area, spanning approximately 2,750 km² across the provinces of Sucumbíos and Orellana, connects two of Amazon’s most important protected areas: the Cuyabeno Wildlife Production Reserve and Yasuní National Park.
Cuyabeno–Yasuní Connectivity Corridor Receives Official Recognition by Ecuador’s Environment Ministry
Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia reach agreement on joint protected area
Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, the Minister of Tourism and Environment in the Government of Albania, Mirela Kumbaro, and the Minister of Environment in the Government of North Macedonia, Naser Nuredini, have signed in Tirana, the memorandum for the creation of a joint protected area between the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Kosovo and North Macedonia, which includes Korab-Koritniku, Sharri, Mavrova and Mali i Sharrit, all this to give more life to the largest cross-border park in Europe with an area exceeding 240 thousand hectares.
https://kosovapress.com/en/Kosovo--Albania-and-Macedonia-with-agreement-on-joint-protected-area
Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, the Minister of Tourism and Environment in the Government of Albania, Mirela Kumbaro, and the Minister of Environment in the Government of North Macedonia, Naser Nuredini, have signed in Tirana, the memorandum for the creation of a joint protected area between the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Kosovo and North Macedonia, which includes Korab-Koritniku, Sharri, Mavrova and Mali i Sharrit, all this to give more life to the largest cross-border park in Europe with an area exceeding 240 thousand hectares.
https://kosovapress.com/en/Kosovo--Albania-and-Macedonia-with-agreement-on-joint-protected-area
Protecting the Irreplaceable: Establishment of the Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo Regional Conservation Area in Cajamarca, Peru
A bird’s song rings through the newly-established Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo Regional Conservation Area. It is the sound of the Marañón spinetail (Synallaxis maranonica), a bird with gray plumage and a chestnut colored back, wings and tail, which lives in dense vines within the dry forest, often in humid ravines or near streams. Its plaintive song sounds almost like a cry for help. Perhaps it is because the Marañón spinetail is categorized as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, meaning that it faces an extremely high risk of extinction.
Protecting the Irreplaceable: Establishment of the Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo Regional Conservation Area in Cajamarca, Peru - Andes Amazon Fund
A bird’s song rings through the newly-established Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo Regional Conservation Area. It is the sound of the Marañón spinetail (Synallaxis maranonica), a bird with gray plumage and a chestnut colored back, wings and tail, which lives in dense vines within the dry forest, often in humid ravines or near streams. Its plaintive song sounds almost like a cry for help. Perhaps it is because the Marañón spinetail is categorized as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, meaning that it faces an extremely high risk of extinction.
Protecting the Irreplaceable: Establishment of the Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo Regional Conservation Area in Cajamarca, Peru - Andes Amazon Fund
Celebrating the dedication of the Nyul Nyul Indigenous Protected Area
The dedication of the Nyul Nyul Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) on the Dampier Peninsula of the Kimberly Region of Western Australia has been celebrated.
IPAs are areas of land and waters managed by First Nations groups to protect biodiversity and cultural heritage.
Celebrating the dedication of the Nyul Nyul Indigenous Protected Area
The dedication of the Nyul Nyul Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) on the Dampier Peninsula of the Kimberly Region of Western Australia has been celebrated.
IPAs are areas of land and waters managed by First Nations groups to protect biodiversity and cultural heritage.
Celebrating the dedication of the Nyul Nyul Indigenous Protected Area
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
Prague Zoo, in cooperation with the @wildcamels Protection Foundation, has long supported breeding, research, monitoring efforts. When the Dzakhyn Us breeding station could no longer meet capacity, Prague Zoo provided financial support to build a new breeding center in Toli Bulag in 2023 – with the first seven camels transferred in September 2024. In Toli Bulag the first three calfs were born in April. 
Future plans are underway to build a backup population of this crically endangered species in European zoos! Photo by Kristýna Čechlovská, Miroslav Bobek, David Broda, Prague Zoo and Wild Camel Protection Foundation Poslední divoký velbloud na světě pod ochranou @zoopraha Ve střední Asii nechráníme jen divoké koně, ale také divoké velbloudy. Velbloud divoký byl jako samostatný taxon potvrzen teprve nedávno. Bohužel, v Přísně chráněné oblasti Velká Gobi A přežívá podle posledních výzkumů přibližně jen 450 až 800 jedinců. Mezi hlavní hrozby patří ztráta přirozeného prostředí, pytláctví a křížení s velbloudy domácími.
equidae
Well-Known Member
Shoots of hope for Britain's cherished ash trees
Ash trees are fighting back against a disease that has ravaged the British countryside, new scientific evidence shows.
When ash dieback arrived in 2012, predictions suggested up to 85% of ash trees could be lost.
But now scientists have discovered that ash woodlands are naturally evolving greater resistance to the infection.
The discovery offers renewed hope that the much-loved trees will survive in the British landscape.
Ash trees are fighting back against a disease that has ravaged the British countryside, new scientific evidence shows.
When ash dieback arrived in 2012, predictions suggested up to 85% of ash trees could be lost.
But now scientists have discovered that ash woodlands are naturally evolving greater resistance to the infection.
The discovery offers renewed hope that the much-loved trees will survive in the British landscape.
How many decades have they been talking about this now? Will it ever happen though.
Portugal and Colombia detail major marine protection plans
Announcements maintain the momentum of MPA lauched this week at the United Nations Ocean Conference which was led by French Polynesia which declared some five million square kilometres of the South Pacific will now fall under greater protection.
Leaders from Colombia have joined those from Portugal and the Sao Tome & Principe in Central Africa to announce a suite of new Marine Protected Areas, including those to protect two remote coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea, a region recognised for their diverse marine life.
Portugal and Colombia detail major marine protection plans - Oceanographic
Announcements maintain the momentum of MPA lauched this week at the United Nations Ocean Conference which was led by French Polynesia which declared some five million square kilometres of the South Pacific will now fall under greater protection.
Leaders from Colombia have joined those from Portugal and the Sao Tome & Principe in Central Africa to announce a suite of new Marine Protected Areas, including those to protect two remote coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea, a region recognised for their diverse marine life.
Portugal and Colombia detail major marine protection plans - Oceanographic
Minister announces eight new marine protected areas for São Tomé and Príncipe
Fauna & Flora is celebrating the announcement of the pending designation of eight brand new marine protected areas (MPAs) by the government of São Tomé and Príncipe at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France.
The eight MPAs (six in Príncipe, two in São Tomé) will cover approximately 93 square kilometres of marine habitat in the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, a positive first step towards the country’s commitment to achieving the global goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030. The MPAs include both highly restricted areas – that exclude fishing and the collection of other living and non-living resources – as well as sustainable use zones – that are limited to artisanal (traditional) fishers using legal gears.
Minister announces eight new marine protected areas for São Tomé and Príncipe
Fauna & Flora is celebrating the announcement of the pending designation of eight brand new marine protected areas (MPAs) by the government of São Tomé and Príncipe at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France.
The eight MPAs (six in Príncipe, two in São Tomé) will cover approximately 93 square kilometres of marine habitat in the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, a positive first step towards the country’s commitment to achieving the global goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030. The MPAs include both highly restricted areas – that exclude fishing and the collection of other living and non-living resources – as well as sustainable use zones – that are limited to artisanal (traditional) fishers using legal gears.
Minister announces eight new marine protected areas for São Tomé and Príncipe