In the media
Of Pangolins, Bats and the Illegal Trade of Wildlife
Of Pangolins, Bats and the Illegal Trade of Wildlife
The COVID-19 pandemic has got us to think about our relationship to the natural world and specifically the animals with which we share this planet. While there is currently much speculation about the transmission of COVID-19, and the role that wild animals play (particularly pangolins and bats), it is important to understand that scientists have mapped only a fraction of wildlife viruses. Many of these have co-evolved in a vast variety of insects and animals — not just pangolins and bats. COVID-19 is the latest in a series of animal-related outbreaks that include the SARS epidemic and the MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2012.
Sights unseen, the magical miniature world of aquatic invertebrates
Sights unseen, the magical miniature world of aquatic invertebrates
Sights unseen, the magical miniature world of aquatic invertebrates
Sights unseen, the magical miniature world of aquatic invertebrates
Sights unseen, the magical miniature world of aquatic invertebrates
When it comes to the animal Kingdom, conservation is not all about everything big. Big and “furry”, big and “leather-y” or big and “scale-y” vertebrates are not the be-all and end-all of biodiversity. The smaller invertebrate beings, often alien looking, are frequently forgotten. CapeNature ecologists, however, did not forget about the aquatic invertebrates during recent river surveys, just before lockdown. Numerous river sites were visited during December 2019 and February and March 2020.