Alysa Hansen, a graduate student at Antioch University, New England, undertook a study in northern Samburu Kenya, with funding and equipment provided by S.P.E.C.I.E.S., to answer an important question; do visual deterrent systems actually work on medium to large-sized carnivores? The Foxlight is a well-known animal deterrent, developed in Australia and now used around the […]
S.P.E.C.I.E.S. founder and director Anthony Giordano spoke to VC Reporter about his drive to save endangered carnivores and the exciting new projects planned in the near future. Read the full story at VC Reporter here.
The rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is one of the world’s smallest cat species. At a mere 2-4 pounds (1-2 kilograms), it weighs about the same as a couple of bags of sugar. This feline is only found in India, Sri Lanka, and was recently discovered in Nepal. It gets its name from the rusty colored […]
This Earth Day weekend, the Smithsonian Institution’s Earth Optimism Summit is hosting Make for the Planet, a “hackathon”. At this event, 17 multidisciplinary teams composed of coders, engineers, designers, and creative thinkers will compete using software and other technology to develop innovative solutions to challenging conservation problems. Make for the Planet is part of a […]
The Gran Chaco is perhaps not the first place you think of when you think of jaguars. A harsh and difficult terrain, it was dubbed the “Green Hell” by Paraguayan troops in the 1930s. But the Gran Chaco is an important site of conservation for jaguars in Paraguay. “The Chaco ecosystem is distributed in three […]
Native to the high mountains of Central Asia, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is as elusive as it is beautiful. Its white-grey and spotted coat blends perfectly with the snowy environment it calls home. Built with powerful hind legs, snow leopards can leap six-times the length of its body and traverse its steep landscape easily. […]
Asiatic wild dogs (Cuon alpinus), or dholes, have a bit of a reputation. They suffer a fate similar to that of wolves in North America; they’re often hunted due to the perception that they are livestock killers. Along with the loss of their natural habitat and disease transmission from domesticated animals, this bad reputation leaves […]
With a range stretching from southern Texas to south-central Argentina, the jaguarundi is designated as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, scientists are unsure whether its population is rising or falling, meaning that the species may be in more danger than is currently thought. S.P.E.C.I.E.S founder and director Anthony Giordano spoke to Mongabay about the […]
A myth roams Big Bend National Park; a myth that jaguarundis roam its thick, brushy habitat. In this story from 2010, S.P.E.C.I.E.S. founder and director Anthony Giordano is interviewed about what measure of truth may lie in the myth.