Saving weird and wonderful animals from extinction
Fewer than 100 Bengal floricans remain in Cambodia, and their genetics are starting to show it. This project uses DNA analysis to guide conservation breeding and protect what little diversity is left. Supported by Wawa, it combines fieldwork, lab science, and collaboration to give this unusual grassland bird a fighting chance.
Protecting the endangered Fitzroy River turtle means tackling extreme nest predation and boosting hatchling survival. In Central Queensland, Turtles of CQ Ltd are leading hands-on conservation, supported by the WAWA Small Grant Programme. From “bum-breathing” biology to unexpected predators, this project highlights practical, science-driven solutions for threatened freshwater turtles.
Despite Attenborough’s long-beaked Echidna being one of the most evolutionarily distinct mammals it was only discovered in 1961 by a Dutch botanist in the cyclops mountains, Papua, Indonesia.
Crossing the borders of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina lie the hot, semi-arid lowlands of the Gran Chaco. The huge area, of over 250,000 sq miles of low dry-forest and savannah, is home to 3,400 species of plant, 500 birds, 150 mammals and 220 reptiles and amphibians. The characteristics of life here vary as greatly as the regions they cover, boasting …
It is vital that modern trafficking is halted as soon as possible to ensure the Sunda pangolin’s continued existence as a species. With enough immediate action we may be able to prevent our tiny knights from going extinct, like so many animals before them.
The entirely aquatic salamander, known as the olm (Proteus anguinus), is Europe’s most impressive cave-dwelling vertebrate. Or, more accurately, it is Europe’s only cave-dwelling vertebrate.
