On March 9, wildlife authorities in Zambia arrested 10 people in possession of 550 kilograms (1,212 pounds) of ivory, according to the U.K.-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which provided intelligence that led to the arrests. EIA said the case highlights the impact that international cooperation can have in the fight against the illegal trade of wildlife.

In a Mar. 19 statement, the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) said police raided several locations in the capital, Lusaka, leading to the arrest of members of a cross-border wildlife crime syndicate, including a foreign national, who is believed to be the buyer of the ivory.

“Notably, some of the apprehended suspects are repeat offenders who have previously been convicted for wildlife-related crimes, highlighting the persistent challenge posed by illegal wildlife trafficking networks,” DNPW said in a statement.

 The suspects have been charged with unlawful possession of a prescribed trophy but have not yet appeared before a court.

In an email, the EIA’s executive director, Mary Rice, told Mongabay that governments are becoming more receptive to collaborating closely with nongovernmental agencies such as EIA. “There are more examples of embedded partnerships where NGOs work directly with a mandated authority to tackle illegal wildlife trade.”

These growing partnerships, which in some cases include financial support, have helped disrupt trafficking networks and secure convictions, she said. She highlighted a three-year collaboration involving EIA, Interpol, China Customs, Tanzania, Mozambique and Nigeria. In May 2017, the group busted the Shuidong ivory smuggling network, one of the key players in trafficking illegal ivory between Africa and China.

Rice also said a global network of NGOs and government agencies is building a global database of environmental crimes and their perpetrators.

She noted that while recent data from the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants project suggest that poaching is on the decline in Southern Africa, continued seizures linked to the region suggest that criminal networks are still actively trafficking ivory in that part of the continent.

She also pointed to instances in which convictions have been weakened or undermined by corruption or political interference. In Malawi, for example, wildlife trafficker Yunhua Lin was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2021, but was granted a presidential pardon in 2025. He remains in prison, however, pending charges of attempting to bribe a judge and a prison official.

Banner image: Ivory seized by Zambian authorities in March 2026. Image courtesy of Zambia Ministry of Tourism.

As John Tanui was being laid to rest in Kenya’s Rift Valley on March 25, stories and praise poured in for a man people would have loved to have lived longer.

Tanui served as a security communications officer at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya from 1995 to 2024. He helped transform the operations of the anti-poaching and ranger teams, the conservancy stated in an impact report published in 2017. He also had an impressive knowledge of wildlife and birds and often served as a guide to Lewa’s guests.

Despite decades of fieldwork, Tanui never lost his sense of wonder for wildlife. One evening, he and a visitor watched a group of lions climbing around on a fallen tree. Tanui’s awe at the lions’ agility captured the attention of the visitor, Jes Lefcourt, director of the conservation NGO EarthRanger.

“I’ve never seen him as excited as when watching the lions. That’s what true love and dedication looks like,” Lefcourt said in a statement he shared after Tanui’s death from a blood clot complication.

Tanui met and briefed many visitors, including actors, politicians and icons like David Attenborough, an English broadcaster, author and naturalist.

Commonly referred to as “Tango,” Tanui spent three decades protecting wildlife at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, but his  conservation work extended beyond Kenya, as he collaborated with international NGOs including EarthRanger and Tusk. The knowledge he gathered placed him at the intersection of tradition and innovation, as he helped to bring modern tools into ranger operations.

According to Lefcourt, Tanui’s most recent job had him traveling throughout Africa, teaching rangers and park teams.

In a social media post, Tusk offered a personal tribute. “His passion for technology, connectivity and practical innovation was immediately evident. John was a wonderful person whom we at Tusk have known for many years, and we feel fortunate to have seen him in his element: curious, dedicated and quietly brilliant.”

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy echoed that sentiment.

“Through the most challenging times, including periods of heightened poaching, Tango remained steadfast, never giving up, always pushing forward, and instilling hope and resilience in those around him. He was known for his discipline, his strength, and his unwavering dedication to duty.”

But beyond his professional legacy, Lewa said, Tango will be remembered for the person he was: A mentor. A friend. A leader who built family, not just teams.

Banner image:John Tanui, left, when he hosted the EarthRanger team in Kenya in June 2024. Image courtesy of the EarthRanger team.

From soft peach to vivid pink and purple blooms, spring arrives in a burst of color across the Northern Hemisphere. In Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, streets and parks are awash in a sea of cherry blossoms. Across the plains of Greece’s largest peach-producing region, orchards unfurl like a pink veil over the landscape, while in London parks burst into bloom. And each spring, a purple haze of blossoming jacaranda trees brightens Mexico City.

Banner image: Visitors take picture along a pathway lined with blooming peach blossoms at the Summer Palace in Beijing, China, Monday, March 23, 2026, as people enjoy the mild weather and seasonal flowers. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

With the notable exception of humans, most mammals give birth alone. But in July 2023, researchers in the Caribbean witnessed something extraordinary:  sperm whales not only attending a birth but actively helping both mother and newborn.

Some of the whales present were not even related to the mother, known as Rounder. “Kinship barriers dissolved,” notes one of two studies published on the observation.

A team from the Cetacean Translation Initiative (CETI) was in the area to record sperm whale sounds for their ongoing work to decode whale communication. Equipped with underwater microphones, drones and cameras, Project CETI president and founder David Gruber said it was “a moment of pure serendipity and luck.”

The team noticed something unusual. Sperm whales are one of the deepest-diving whales; they spend much of their lives diving up to 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) deep hunting giant squid. But on that day, all 11 whales in a group known as unit A gathered near the surface, only taking very shallow dives and communicating so frequently, “it sounded like being in a popcorn machine,” Gruber said.

“Did Rounder communicate that she was about to go into labor and call the unit together? We don’t know. We just know that they were ready and they were prepared.”

What followed is the only known example of marine mammals helping in the birth of a non-kin.

The calf emerged, tail first, and after 34 minutes was delivered to a waiting circle of whales who took turns supporting and lifting the newborn to the surface to breathe.

That help was crucial: Newborn sperm whales are negatively buoyant, meaning they are going to sink like a stone. “So, you’re giving birth to this rock in the ocean, in a mile deep water,” Gruber said.

For roughly six hours, the group actively supported the calf. Relatives, including the grandmother and aunts, helped alongside unrelated whales. The baby’s older sister played “a very significant role,” while the only male present was the least involved.

Sperm whales are already known for alloparenting, in which individuals, both related and non-kin, stay with calves at the surface while the mother hunts. This new observation suggests that such coordinated care begins at birth with “intense social interactions and collaboration that leads to what I call like a radical collaboration,” Gruber said.

CETI scientists have been observing these whales for decades. That familiarity made the study possible, Diana Reiss of Hunter College in New York, not directly involved with the study, said in a press release. “I’m not sure this unit would tolerate observers being so close in any other instance.”

The findings suggest cooperative care during birth may be an ancient evolutionary adaptation, dating back to the rise of toothed whales, some 36 million years ago.

The whole scene, representing millions of years of evolution and a reaffirmation of the social bonds that underpin sperm whale society, was over in six hours when “the baby and the mom swam off in the sunset,” Gruber said.

Banner image: A baby whale being lifted from the water. Image courtesy of project CETI.

A recent annual meeting of the fisheries regulator for the South Pacific tackled a familiar challenge: how to manage one of the world’s largest squid fisheries before mounting pressure turns it into a depleted one. The meeting produced some new safeguards, though much of the hard work still lies ahead, reports Francesco De Augustinis.

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) oversees fishing across roughly 59 million square kilometers (22 million square miles) of the South Pacific high seas, trying to impose order on a region double the size of Africa, where distant-water fleets pursue species ranging from jack mackerel to jumbo flying squid. The latter dominated this year’s talks.

Fishing for jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) has expanded rapidly over the past two decades. The number of squid-jigging vessels operating in SPRFMO waters rose from 14 in 2000 to more than 500 last year, almost all of them flying the Chinese flag. Meanwhile, reported catches have fallen markedly, from more than 1 million metric tons in 2014 to about 600,000 metric tons in 2024. Scientists worry that fishing pressure is outpacing knowledge of the stock.

In response, SPRFMO members agreed to lower the maximum number of vessels allowed to fish for squid in the region, from 766 to 651, and reduce the fleet’s combined tonnage. Dave Gershman of The Pew Charitable Trusts, attending the meeting as an observer, called the decision a recognition that the fishery needs closer oversight. Yet the measure may have little immediate effect: the current fleet is already smaller than the new cap.

A deeper problem remains unresolved. The SPRFMO’s scientific committee again failed to complete a stock-assessment framework for the species, leaving regulators without the information needed to set catch limits. Artisanal fishing groups in South America warned that delays risk undermining the livelihoods of tens of thousands of fishers who depend on the squid fishery.

The meeting also addressed mounting scrutiny of labor conditions aboard squid vessels. Investigations by environmental groups and journalists have documented violence, withheld wages and other abuses. Members agreed to expand monitoring of fishing vessels, combining human observers with electronic systems that can track activity at sea. The program will begin modestly, covering 5% of fishing days in 2027 and doubling two years later.

Additional measures strengthened port inspections and information sharing between governments to curb illegal fishing. Calls for greater transparency about vessel ownership went unanswered.

Progress elsewhere proved slower. Plans to finalize a science-based harvest strategy for jack mackerel were postponed again. Debate over bottom trawling, which can damage deep-sea corals and sponges, also ended without agreement.

For now, the SPRFMO has taken incremental steps. Whether these are enough to safeguard the region’s fisheries remains uncertain. Members have promised to revisit squid management in 2027.

Read the full article here.

Banner image: A Peruvian artisanal fisher poses with a jumbo flying squid. Image courtesy of National Society of Artisanal Fishing of Peru (SONAPESCAL).

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The veterinary staff at a Florida sea turtle hospital is getting help from space to monitor the animals they have rehabilitated. They’re particularly interested in amputees.

Using satellite tracking devices in a collaboration between the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, scientists are learning how well sea turtles can survive in the wild after losing a limb.

Amelie, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle who lost her right forelimb to a predator — most likely a shark, the center said — was taken to the beach on Wednesday for her highly anticipated release. The turtle paused for about 30 seconds, then slowly made her way into the Atlantic Ocean as onlookers cheered.

Amelie had been rescued and brought to the center by the Inwater Research Group in Port St. Lucie, Florida, seven weeks earlier after a traumatic amputation. She underwent surgery to clean and close the wound, and was treated for pneumonia while in a tank at the center. When veterinarians deemed her healthy enough to return to the sea, they glued a tracking device to her shell.

An ultrasound confirmed that Amelie is developing eggs, giving researchers another reason to track her movements.

Kemp’s ridley turtles, the rarest of sea turtle species, are more typically found on Florida’s Gulf Coast, so treating Amelie was especially significant, said Andy Dehart, the center’s president and CEO.

Amelie is actually the fourth amputee sea turtle being tracked by the enter, Loggerhead research director Sarah Hirsch said. They include a three-limbed turtle named Pyari who has traveled nearly 700 miles since her release in January, her tracker shows.

“We do know that they can be successful in the wild because we have seen them on our nesting beaches, but we really want to understand their dive behaviors, how they’re migrating once they’re back in the wild,” Hirsch said.

The satellite tags have a saltwater switch that detects when the turtle comes up to the surface to breathe, triggering the transmission of data to the satellites. Their location appears online after a 24-hour delay. To view Amelie and other turtles tracked for various research projects, visit the Loggerhead website.

“They’ve been through a lot,” Hirsch said. “They’ve gotten a lot of medical care here, and to see them be able to go back out and contribute to the population is really rewarding.”

To view Amelie and other turtles tracked for various research projects, visit the Loggerhead website.

By Cody Jackson and Freida Frisaro, Associated Press

Banner image: A rehabilitated adult female Kemp’s ridley sea turtle crawls toward the ocean during a release in Juno Beach, Fla. on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Cody Jackson)