Environmental News Network

Sea Urchins Dying Off California Coast
Hundreds of dead or dying purple sea urchins have washed up into tide pools at a Southern California marine refuge center in recent days, but no one is certain what is killing them. >> Read the Full Article
Experts Think DNA Technique May Save Whales
Australian researchers said Thursday that analyzing the skin flakes of some whales could help determine their age, a development that could invalidate one argument for killing them. >> Read the Full Article
NASA Joins Search for Elusive Woodpecker
NASA used a laser-equipped research aircraft to fly over the Big Woods area of the Mississippi Delta to learn more about the ivory-billed woodpecker's potential habitat, the U.S. space agency said Thursday. >> Read the Full Article
Israelis Work to Save Pets Abandoned Because of Hezbollah Attacks
A government official says up to a few thousand pets may need to be fed or rescued, in part because hundreds of thousands of Israelis have fled northern Israel over the past three weeks. >> Read the Full Article
South Africa Whale Burning Draws Crowds of Spectators
South African officials set fire to a 34-tonne whale carcass on Wednesday, sending white smoke into the air near Cape Town as spectators clambered over blubber-strewn rocks for a closer look. >> Read the Full Article
Bombardment Unleashes Oil, Killing Fish and Turtles in Lebanon
In Lebanon, a country of Mediterranean beaches and snowcapped mountains, Israeli bombing that caused an oil spill has created an environmental disaster. And cleanup cannot start until the fighting stops, the U.N. says. >> Read the Full Article
Florida Purchases Hectares of Wilderness Inhabited by Bears, Panthers
A working ranch and tens of thousands of acres (hectares) of wilderness inhabited by bears, panthers and other species were handed over to the state Monday in Florida's biggest-ever purchase of land for environmental preservation. >> Read the Full Article
Western Toads Abundant in Northern Nevada
Northern Nevada, with its hot, dry summers and desert terrain, is hardly thought of as a paradise for toads. But that's what it's become, thanks to two wet winters and a hefty rainstorm that made puddle jumping a breeze for the amphibians. >> Read the Full Article
Controversial Thai Elephants Ready for Australia
Eight elephants, whose shipment to Australia was blocked by protesters last month, were due to leave Thailand on Sunday after their convoy managed to get away from a rally to stop them from leaving the quarantine centre. >> Read the Full Article
Global Illegal Wildlife Trade Worth $10 Billion
The global illegal trade in wild animals and plants has exceeded $10 billion a year, becoming the world's third-largest source of illicit income after drugs and guns, a wildlife conference heard on Friday. >> Read the Full Article