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Wild Data: How Animal Sensors Revolutionize Earth Observations

News Feed
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The maps illustrate the collection of temperature data throughout 2008 in Kruger National Park, South Africa, using both satellite and elephant-borne sensors. The top map presents an annual average of morning land surface temperatures captured by the Landsat 5 satellite, while the bottom map reveals air temperatures recorded at the same site throughout the year by sensor-equipped elephants. Notably, there’s a concentration of data points along the Myamvubu River.Researchers are leveraging troves of data collected by animal-borne sensors to complement satellite observations, expand weather measurements, and better understand wildlife ecology in a changing climate.Designing Earth observation systems is an exercise in tradeoffs. A satellite may be good at collecting data in fine spatial resolution, at high temporal frequency, or across a broad range of wavelengths, but not all three at once. Ground-based systems, such as weather stations, can collect a variety of data frequently, but they sample only one location and their distribution is uneven across the planet.Animal Kingdom: A Resource for Earth ObservationsThere is another vehicle for collecting Earth observations, one that can fill gaps in weather and climate data: the animal kingdom. Over several decades, tens of thousands of creatures—from storks and caribou to elephants and elephant seals—have been tagged with sensors to gather data about their habitats. These include places that are too dark, cloudy, icy, or forested for satellites to see, or are too rugged, remote, or inhospitable for humans to access. Integrating Animal Data in Climate MonitoringIncreasingly, scientists are realizing the power of animal observations to improve climate monitoring and reveal Earth processes in finer detail. “Animals are an integral component of Earth observation,” said ecologist Diego Ellis Soto, a graduate student at Yale University and NASA FINESST (Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology) fellow. In a recent paper in Nature Climate Change, Ellis Soto and colleagues lay out their case and a vision for making animal tracking data part of the standard toolkit for studying our planet.To start, consider how just one species in one part of the world can collect data with unique spatial and temporal coverage. The maps above compare temperature data acquisition by satellite and by elephant-borne sensors in a portion of South Africa’s Kruger National Park. The land surface temperature map (top) displays a yearly average of morning temperatures collected by the Landsat 5 satellite. The other map (bottom) shows air temperatures from the same location and year, recorded multiple times per day by elephants fitted with sensors. A cluster of data points appears along the Myamvubu River.Here, satellite data covers the entire area but is limited by spatial resolution, revisit time (16 days in the case of Landsat 5), and other factors such as cloud cover. Additionally, ground-based weather stations collected data at high temporal frequencies but from static points far away from the elephants’ locations. The elephant-borne sensors logged data at high frequency but sampled different territories along the animals’ voyages. The map below shows the patterns and extent of elephant movement across Kruger National Park for one year.This map shows the patterns and extent of elephant movement across Kruger National Park for the year 2008.Animals As Environmental SensorsMore than serving as walking weather stations, animals and their movement patterns can tell scientists about how wildlife interacts with the environment and how conditions influence behavior. In a 2019 study, researchers analyzed the elephant data to learn when the animals visited water sources, which says something about their strategies for managing thermal stress.“These animals are extremely biased sensors, and this bias is called animal ecology and behavior,” said Ellis Soto.Animal biases as to where and when they sample certain areas may be a feature rather than a bug. For example, they might reveal how animals respond to extreme temperatures, which is of particular interest when it comes to rare or threatened species in a changing climate.Advancements in Animal Tracking and Ecological InsightsThis sampling bias can also fill in details about the environment that satellites cannot resolve. “We can use animal movement to tell us about other Earth processes going on,” said Keith Gaddis, program manager for NASA’s Ecological Conservation program. NASA has been in the animal tracking game for decades, he noted, citing the agency’s role in developing radio collar and satellite tracking technology. (It has come a long way since the tracking of Monique the Space Elk with the Nimbus III weather satellite in 1970.)Satellites can use measurements such as NDVI, a measure of vegetation greenness, to see when plants leaf out, but they cannot detect other seasonal changes such as the emergence of seed pods. Wildlife foraging for seeds, however, could fill in this seasonal information and tell scientists about an ecosystem’s response to climate change, Gaddis said. Similarly, creatures living in snowy environments might offer details into snow coverage and melt timing through their movement patterns.“Our natural history understanding of animals will help us select which animal sensor we would use [to make these types of measurements],” said Ellis Soto. In his recent paper, he compared animal movement patterns to different satellite systems. The wandering albatross covers large areas, but infrequently—similar to Landsat. In contrast, the white stork is a central-place forager, meaning it revisits certain areas frequently during breeding season. The pattern is analogous to a geostationary satellite such as GOES.Importantly, Ellis Soto does not advocate tracking animals for the sole purpose of climate monitoring, but rather views it as a win-win scenario that also requires balancing ethical considerations. The endeavor adds value to ongoing biodiversity conservation efforts, and he sees the additional information about the environment as a “massive byproduct” of our current technology.The marine world has appreciated the value of animal observers for some time. Tiger shark “observations” have augmented remote sensing data and diver surveys in mapping the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem. And tagged elephant seals swimming in icy Antarctic waters have helped reveal how heat moves through the ocean depths. Data streams provided by marine animals have proved valuable and robust enough to become integrated into the UNESCO-led Global Ocean Observing System for long-term monitoring.Future Directions in Animal-Sensed Data IntegrationThe task now is to compile, standardize, and provide access to the full canon of animal-sensed information. A movement is afoot to create a set of essential biodiversity variables (EBVs), along the lines of the existing essential climate variables (ECVs). ECVs are datasets that contribute to the characterization of Earth’s climate and include variables such as ozone, sea ice, above-ground biomass, soil moisture, and ocean color. “The dream is that we have these [biological] products that are systematically generated in the same way we do for climate variables,” said Gaddis.Ellis Soto and colleagues also believe the pieces are in place for land- and air-based animal sensor data to become standard in Earth system and climate monitoring. Tens of thousands of animals are already being tracked, and the data, tracking technology, and analytical tools have all become more sophisticated. What’s left is more proof of concept—more examples like pigeons improving air quality forecasts—that weather and climate models are better with data from animals than without. According to Ellis Soto: “We’re in the age of fusing data sources.”NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey, and elephant-borne sensor data from Thaker, M., et al. (2019).

Researchers are leveraging troves of data collected by animal-borne sensors to complement satellite observations, expand weather measurements, and better understand wildlife ecology in a changing...

Animals As Earth System Observers Annotated

The maps illustrate the collection of temperature data throughout 2008 in Kruger National Park, South Africa, using both satellite and elephant-borne sensors. The top map presents an annual average of morning land surface temperatures captured by the Landsat 5 satellite, while the bottom map reveals air temperatures recorded at the same site throughout the year by sensor-equipped elephants. Notably, there’s a concentration of data points along the Myamvubu River.

Researchers are leveraging troves of data collected by animal-borne sensors to complement satellite observations, expand weather measurements, and better understand wildlife ecology in a changing climate.

Designing Earth observation systems is an exercise in tradeoffs. A satellite may be good at collecting data in fine spatial resolution, at high temporal frequency, or across a broad range of wavelengths, but not all three at once. Ground-based systems, such as weather stations, can collect a variety of data frequently, but they sample only one location and their distribution is uneven across the planet.

Animal Kingdom: A Resource for Earth Observations

There is another vehicle for collecting Earth observations, one that can fill gaps in weather and climate data: the animal kingdom. Over several decades, tens of thousands of creatures—from storks and caribou to elephants and elephant seals—have been tagged with sensors to gather data about their habitats. These include places that are too dark, cloudy, icy, or forested for satellites to see, or are too rugged, remote, or inhospitable for humans to access.

Integrating Animal Data in Climate Monitoring

Increasingly, scientists are realizing the power of animal observations to improve climate monitoring and reveal Earth processes in finer detail. “Animals are an integral component of Earth observation,” said ecologist Diego Ellis Soto, a graduate student at Yale University and NASA FINESST (Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology) fellow. In a recent paper in Nature Climate Change, Ellis Soto and colleagues lay out their case and a vision for making animal tracking data part of the standard toolkit for studying our planet.

To start, consider how just one species in one part of the world can collect data with unique spatial and temporal coverage. The maps above compare temperature data acquisition by satellite and by elephant-borne sensors in a portion of South Africa’s Kruger National Park. The land surface temperature map (top) displays a yearly average of morning temperatures collected by the Landsat 5 satellite. The other map (bottom) shows air temperatures from the same location and year, recorded multiple times per day by elephants fitted with sensors. A cluster of data points appears along the Myamvubu River.

Here, satellite data covers the entire area but is limited by spatial resolution, revisit time (16 days in the case of Landsat 5), and other factors such as cloud cover. Additionally, ground-based weather stations collected data at high temporal frequencies but from static points far away from the elephants’ locations. The elephant-borne sensors logged data at high frequency but sampled different territories along the animals’ voyages. The map below shows the patterns and extent of elephant movement across Kruger National Park for one year.

Elephant Movement Across Kruger National Park Annotated

This map shows the patterns and extent of elephant movement across Kruger National Park for the year 2008.

Animals As Environmental Sensors

More than serving as walking weather stations, animals and their movement patterns can tell scientists about how wildlife interacts with the environment and how conditions influence behavior. In a 2019 study, researchers analyzed the elephant data to learn when the animals visited water sources, which says something about their strategies for managing thermal stress.

“These animals are extremely biased sensors, and this bias is called animal ecology and behavior,” said Ellis Soto.

Animal biases as to where and when they sample certain areas may be a feature rather than a bug. For example, they might reveal how animals respond to extreme temperatures, which is of particular interest when it comes to rare or threatened species in a changing climate.

Advancements in Animal Tracking and Ecological Insights

This sampling bias can also fill in details about the environment that satellites cannot resolve. “We can use animal movement to tell us about other Earth processes going on,” said Keith Gaddis, program manager for NASA’s Ecological Conservation program. NASA has been in the animal tracking game for decades, he noted, citing the agency’s role in developing radio collar and satellite tracking technology. (It has come a long way since the tracking of Monique the Space Elk with the Nimbus III weather satellite in 1970.)

Satellites can use measurements such as NDVI, a measure of vegetation greenness, to see when plants leaf out, but they cannot detect other seasonal changes such as the emergence of seed pods. Wildlife foraging for seeds, however, could fill in this seasonal information and tell scientists about an ecosystem’s response to climate change, Gaddis said. Similarly, creatures living in snowy environments might offer details into snow coverage and melt timing through their movement patterns.

“Our natural history understanding of animals will help us select which animal sensor we would use [to make these types of measurements],” said Ellis Soto. In his recent paper, he compared animal movement patterns to different satellite systems. The wandering albatross covers large areas, but infrequently—similar to Landsat. In contrast, the white stork is a central-place forager, meaning it revisits certain areas frequently during breeding season. The pattern is analogous to a geostationary satellite such as GOES.

Importantly, Ellis Soto does not advocate tracking animals for the sole purpose of climate monitoring, but rather views it as a win-win scenario that also requires balancing ethical considerations. The endeavor adds value to ongoing biodiversity conservation efforts, and he sees the additional information about the environment as a “massive byproduct” of our current technology.

The marine world has appreciated the value of animal observers for some time. Tiger shark “observations” have augmented remote sensing data and diver surveys in mapping the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem. And tagged elephant seals swimming in icy Antarctic waters have helped reveal how heat moves through the ocean depths. Data streams provided by marine animals have proved valuable and robust enough to become integrated into the UNESCO-led Global Ocean Observing System for long-term monitoring.

Future Directions in Animal-Sensed Data Integration

The task now is to compile, standardize, and provide access to the full canon of animal-sensed information. A movement is afoot to create a set of essential biodiversity variables (EBVs), along the lines of the existing essential climate variables (ECVs). ECVs are datasets that contribute to the characterization of Earth’s climate and include variables such as ozone, sea ice, above-ground biomass, soil moisture, and ocean color. “The dream is that we have these [biological] products that are systematically generated in the same way we do for climate variables,” said Gaddis.

Ellis Soto and colleagues also believe the pieces are in place for land- and air-based animal sensor data to become standard in Earth system and climate monitoring. Tens of thousands of animals are already being tracked, and the data, tracking technology, and analytical tools have all become more sophisticated. What’s left is more proof of concept—more examples like pigeons improving air quality forecasts—that weather and climate models are better with data from animals than without. According to Ellis Soto: “We’re in the age of fusing data sources.”

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey, and elephant-borne sensor data from Thaker, M., et al. (2019).

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

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Don’t Think Too Hard About Gum

When you chew gum, you’re essentially gnawing on plastic.

At the turn of the 20th century, William Wrigley Jr. was bent on building an empire of gum, and as part of his extensive hustle, he managed to persuade the U.S. Department of War to include his products in soldiers’ rations. His argument—baseless at the time—was that chewing gum had miraculous abilities to quench thirst, stave off hunger, and dissipate nervous tension. But he was right: Scientists have since found that gum chewing can indeed increase concentration, reduce the impulse to snack, alleviate thirst, and improve oral health.Perhaps that’s why people around the world have had the impulse to gnaw on tacky materials—roots, resins, twigs, blubber, tar made by burning birch bark—for at least 8,000 years. Today, gum is again being marketed as a panacea for wellness. You can buy gum designed to deliver energy, nutrition, stress relief, or joint health; scientists are even developing gums that can protect against influenza, herpes, and COVID. Ironically, this new era of chewing gum is manufactured with a distinctly modern ingredient, one not usually associated with wellness: plastic.By the time Wrigley began his business venture, Americans had grown accustomed to chewing gum sold as candy-coated balls or packaged sticks. The base of these chewing gums was made from natural substances such as spruce resin and chicle, a natural latex that Aztecs and Mayans chewed for hundreds if not thousands of years. Unfortunately for 20th-century Americans, the chicozapote trees that exude chicle take a long time to grow, and if they are overtapped, they die. Plus, cultivated trees don’t produce nearly as much chicle as wild trees, says Jennifer Mathews, an anthropology professor at Trinity University and the author of Chicle. In the 1950s, chicle harvesters began struggling to meet demand. So gum companies turned to the newest innovations in materials science: synthetic rubbers and plastics.Today, most companies’ gum base is a proprietary blend of synthetic and natural ingredients: If a packet lists “gum base” as an ingredient, that gum most likely contains synthetic polymers. The FDA allows gum base to contain any of dozens of approved food-grade materials—substances deemed either safe for human consumption or safe to be in contact with food. Many, though, are not substances that people would otherwise think to put in their mouth. They include polyethylene (the most common type of plastic, used in plastic bags and milk jugs), polyvinyl acetate (a plastic also found in glue), and styrene-butadiene rubber (commonly used in car tires). The typical gum base contains two to four types of synthetic plastics or rubbers, Gwendolyn Graff, a confectionery consultant, told me.Everything we love about gum today is thanks to synthetic polymers, Graff said. Polyvinyl acetate, for example, strengthens the bubble film. “If you blow a bubble, and it starts to get holes in it and deflate, that’s usually an indicator that it doesn’t have polyvinyl acetate,” Graff said. Styrene-butadiene rubber creates a bouncy chewiness that makes gum more likely to stick to itself rather than to surfaces like your teeth. Polyethylene can be used to soften gum so it doesn’t tire out your jaw. Gums with only natural polymers “can feel like they're going to fall apart in your mouth,” Graff said.Plastic gum, though, also falls apart, in a way: Gum chewing has been linked to microplastic ingestion. In a study published in December, U.K. researchers had a volunteer chew on a piece of gum for an hour, spitting into test tubes as they went. After an hour of gum chewing, the saliva collected contained more than 250,000 pieces of micro and nano plastics—comparable to the level of microplastics found in a liter of bottled water. In a study presented at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society (which has not yet been peer-reviewed), a graduate student’s saliva contained elevated microplastic levels after she chewed several commercially available gums, including natural ones. The research on gum chewing and microplastics is still limited—these two papers effectively represent analysis of just two people’s post-chew saliva—but gum chewing has also been correlated with higher urine levels of phthalates, plastic-softening chemicals that are known endocrine disruptors.Scientists are still learning about the health impacts of microplastic ingestion, too. Microplastics find their way into all kinds of foods from packaging or contamination during manufacturing, or because the plants and animals we eat absorb and ingest microplastics themselves. As a result, microplastics have been found in human livers, kidneys, brains, lungs, intestines, placentas, and breast milk, but exactly how our bodies absorb, disperse, and excrete ingested plastic is not very well studied, says Marcus Garcia, who researches the health effects of environmental contaminants at the University of New Mexico. Some research in mice and cultured cells hint that microplastics have the potential to cause damage, and epidemiological research suggests that microplastics are associated with respiratory, digestive, and reproductive issues, as well as colon and lung cancer. But scientists are still trying to understand whether or how microplastics cause disease, which microplastics are most dangerous to human health, and how much microplastic the body can take before seeing any negative effects.The answer could affect the future of what we choose to eat—or chew. Ingesting tiny plastic particles might seem inevitable, but over the past 10 years or so, Americans have grown understandably fearful about bits of plastic making their way into our food, fretting about microwaving food in plastic containers and drinking from plastic bottles. Gum has, for the most part, not triggered those worries, but in recent years, its popularity had been dropping for other reasons. In a bid to reverse that trend, gum companies are marketing synthetic gum as a tool for wellness. Just like Wrigley, they are betting that Americans will believe in the power of gum to soothe nerves and heal ailments, and that they won’t think too hard about what modern gum really is. For anyone worried about swallowing still more plastic, after all, gum is easy enough to avoid.

Animals
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Chemicals

A marine biologist discovered something incredible in a beer bottle on the seafloor

This story was produced in collaboration with The Dodo. One morning this week, Hanna Koch was snorkeling in the Florida Keys when she came across a brown beer bottle on the sea floor. Koch, a marine biologist for Florida’s Monroe County, picked up the bottle, planning to carry it with her and later toss it […]

This story was produced in collaboration with The Dodo. One morning this week, Hanna Koch was snorkeling in the Florida Keys when she came across a brown beer bottle on the sea floor. Koch, a marine biologist for Florida’s Monroe County, picked up the bottle, planning to carry it with her and later toss it out.  Through her dive mask, Koch peered inside to make sure it was empty.  That’s when she saw an eyeball.  “There was something staring back at me,” Koch told me.  It wasn’t just one eyeball, actually — but dozens. Inside the bottle was an octopus mom with a brood of babies. “You could see their eyes, you could see their tentacles,” Koch said in a recent interview with Vox and The Dodo. “They were fully formed.” Instead of taking the bottle with her and throwing it away like she initially intended, Koch handed it to her colleague, another marine biologist, who carefully placed it back on the sandy sea floor. Based on the images and video, Chelsea Bennice, a marine biologist at Florida Atlantic University, said the animal was likely a species of pygmy octopus — making this whole encounter even cuter.  On one hand, it’s hopeful to find life — an octopus family! — living in rubbish. “One man’s trash is another octopuse’s nursery,” as University of Miami environmental scientist Jennifer Jacquet told me when I showed her the photos. Her graduate student, Janelle Kaz, said it’s actually not uncommon for octopuses to take up residence in beer bottles. “They are highly curious and opportunistic,” Jacquet said.  But it’s also a reminder that, as Florida ecosystems decline, there are fewer and fewer places for wildlife to live. Overfishing, pollution, and climate change have devastated near-shore habitats in the Keys — and especially coral reefs — in the last few decades.  The irony, Koch told me, is that she runs a state-funded project in Monroe County to create “artificial reefs:” structures, often made of concrete, to enhance the habitat for fish, lobsters, and other sea creatures. And she was actually snorkeling that morning to figure out where to put some of the structures.  “This octopus found artificial habitat to make its home,” Koch said. “I was just like, ‘Wait momma, because I’m going to put out some better habitat for you — something that someone can’t pick up and throw away.’”

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Sea Lion Bites Surfer Amid One of the Worst Outbreaks of Domoic Acid Poisoning That California Wildlife Rescuers Can Remember

Sea lions, dolphins and birds are sick and dying because of a toxic algae bloom in Southern California—and animal care organizations are overwhelmed by the scale

Volunteers with the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute in Santa Barbara, California, rescue a sick sea lion that's likely suffering from domoic acid poisoning. David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images It started as a normal surf session for RJ LaMendola. He was roughly 150 yards from the beach in Southern California, riding the waves and enjoying the peaceful solitude. But the situation quickly turned violent when a sea lion emerged from the water and charged at LaMendola. The 20-year surfing veteran tried to remain calm as he frantically paddled back to shore, but the sea lion was behaving unusually—“like some deranged predator,” LaMendola wrote in a widely shared post on Facebook. The sea lion made contact, delivering a hard bite on LaMendola’s left buttock that pierced through his wetsuit. “Never have I had one charge me, especially at that ferocity, mouth open,” LaMendola tells the Ventura County Star’s Stacie N. Galang and Cheri Carlson. “It really was out of, like, a horror movie.” Eventually, LaMendola made it back to the sand and drove himself to a nearby emergency room. After being treated, he contacted local wildlife authorities. The most likely explanation for the sea lion’s abnormally aggressive behavior? The creature was probably suffering from domoic acid poisoning, which results from toxic algae blooms. Across Southern California, authorities are grappling with one of the worst outbreaks of domoic acid poisoning they’ve ever seen. Dozens of sea lions and dolphins have been affected by the condition in recent weeks, reports the Los Angeles Times’ Summer Lin. Birds are also turning up dead, according to the Los Angeles Daily News’ Erika I. Ritchie. At least 140 sick sea lions are being cared for at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, per the Los Angeles Times, because they have a 50 to 65 percent chance of surviving if they receive treatment. Roughly another 45 are being cared for at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, reports the Los Angeles Daily News. SeaWorld San Diego has rescued another 15 this year, reports KGTV’s Jane Kim. Other sea lions have been found dead on area beaches. “This morning, we had three calls within 30 minutes of daylight breaking,” Glenn Gray, CEO of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, told the Los Angeles Daily News on March 18. “That’s the magnitude of it.” Members of the public are being urged to report any sick, distressed or dead animals they find on the beach. Beachgoers should also stay away from the animals and give them space. David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images Dozens of dolphins, meanwhile, are washing up dead or close to death on beaches. Veterinarians are euthanizing the dolphins, because they rarely survive domoic acid poisoning, per the Los Angeles Times. “It’s the only humane option,” says John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center, to the Westside Current’s Jamie Paige. “It’s an awful situation.” A similar outbreak occurred in 2023, killing more than 1,000 sea lions. But officials say this year is shaping up to be worse. The harmful algae bloom started roughly five weeks ago. During a bloom, environmental conditions cause microscopic phytoplankton to proliferate. Some species of phytoplankton produce domoic acid, which then accumulates in filter-feeding fish and shellfish. Marine mammals become sickened when they eat the affected fish and shellfish. (Humans can also get sick from eating contaminated fish, shellfish and crustaceans.) In marine mammals, symptoms of domoic acid poisoning include seizures, lethargy, foaming at the mouth and a neck-craning behavior known as “stargazing.” Biting incidents—like the one LaMendola endured—are rare, but sickened animals have been known to behave aggressively. “The neurotoxin is crippling and killing sea lions and dolphins,” says Ruth Dover, managing director of the nonprofit Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, to the Ventura County Star. The bloom likely started when cold water from deep in the Pacific Ocean rose to the surface in February. Now, it also appears to be spreading closer to the shore. Researchers are monitoring the bloom, but so far, they have no indication of how long it will last. Authorities say toxic algae blooms are getting worse and happening more frequently because of climate change, agricultural runoff and other human-caused factors. This is the fourth straight year a domoic acid-producing bloom has developed off Southern California, as Dave Bader, chief operating officer of the Marine Mammal Care Center, tells KNX News’ Karen Adams. “We don’t know what the long-term impacts will be for having so many consecutive years of this toxic bloom,” Bader adds. “But [dolphins are] a sentinel species. They’re telling us about the health of the ocean, and when we see marine life dying, and we’re seeing it in increasing levels with more frequency, the ocean’s telling us something’s off.” The ongoing outbreak is taking its toll on Southern California veterinarians, volunteers and beachgoers. The incidents are particularly heartbreaking for lifeguards, who typically comfort dying dolphins—and keep beachgoers away—until authorities can arrive. Members of the public are encouraged to report any distressed, sick or dead animals they find on the beach. And, more importantly, they should leave the animals alone. Authorities say pushing a sick creature back into the ocean will likely cause it to drown. Dolphins also become especially agitated when they’re out of the water and people are around—to the point that they can die from fear. “People need to leave them alone and not crowd around them,” Warner tells the Los Angeles Times. “Selfies kill animals, so use your zoom, and stay away.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Animals
Climate
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Deep Sea Mining Impacts Still Felt Forty Years On, Study Shows

By David StanwaySINGAPORE (Reuters) - A strip of the Pacific Ocean seabed that was mined for metals more than 40 years ago has still not recovered,...

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A strip of the Pacific Ocean seabed that was mined for metals more than 40 years ago has still not recovered, scientists said late on Wednesday, adding weight to calls for a moratorium on all deep sea mining activity during U.N.-led talks this week.A 2023 expedition to the mineral-rich Clarion Clipperton Zone by a team of scientists led by Britain's National Oceanography Centre found that the impacts of a 1979 test mining experiment were still being felt on the seafloor, a complex ecosystem hosting hundreds of species.The collection of small "polymetallic nodules" from an eight-metre strip of the seabed caused long-term sediment changes and reduced the populations of many of the larger organisms living there, though some smaller, more mobile creatures have recovered, according to the study, published in Nature journal."The evidence provided by this study is critical for understanding potential long-term impacts," said NOC expedition leader Daniel Jones. "Although we saw some areas with little or no recovery, some animal groups were showing the first signs of recolonisation and repopulation."Delegations from 36 countries are attending a council meeting of the U.N.'s International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica this week to decide whether mining companies should be allowed to extract metals like copper or cobalt from the ocean floor.As they deliberate over hundreds of proposed amendments to a 256-page draft mining code, environmental groups have called for mining activities to be halted, a move supported by 32 governments and 63 large companies and financial institutions."This latest evidence makes it even more clear why governments must act now to stop deep sea mining before it ever starts," said Greenpeace campaigner Louise Casson.While few expect a final text to be completed by the time the latest round of talks ends on March 28, Canada's The Metals Company plans to submit the first formal mining application in June.On Friday, delegates will discuss what actions should be taken if an application to mine is submitted before the regulations have been completed.TMC said at a briefing last week that it had a legal right to submit an application at any time and hoped that the ISA would bring clarity to the application process.TMC says the environmental impact of deep sea mining is significantly smaller than conventional terrestrial mining."You just have to move a lot less material to get the same amount of metal - higher grade means better economics, but also means lower environmental impacts," said Craig Shesky, TMC's chief financial officer.(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Saad Sayeed)Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

Animals
Government
Nature

In the hills of Italy, wolves returned from the brink. Then the poisonings began

Strict laws saved the country’s wolves from extinction. Now conservationists believe their relaxation could embolden vigilantesHigh on a mountain pass near the town of Cocullo in central Italy lay six black sacks. Inside were nine wolves, including a pregnant female and seven youngsters – an entire pack. They had eaten slabs of poisoned veal left out a few days earlier, dying over the hours that followed, snarls of pain fixed on their faces.Three griffon vultures and two ravens were also killed, probably alongside more animals that went into hiding, dying out of sight. Poison creates a succession of death, spreading through entire food chains and contaminating land and water for years. Continue reading...

High on a mountain pass near the town of Cocullo in central Italy lay six black sacks. Inside were nine wolves, including a pregnant female and seven youngsters – an entire pack. They had eaten slabs of poisoned veal left out a few days earlier, dying over the hours that followed, snarls of pain fixed on their faces.Three griffon vultures and two ravens were also killed, probably alongside more animals that went into hiding, dying out of sight. Poison creates a succession of death, spreading through entire food chains and contaminating land and water for years.The incident in 2023, was described as “culturally medieval” by national park authorities. “It was a bad day for the whole team,” says Nicolò Borgianni, a vulture field officer with Rewilding Apennines, who still remembers what a beautiful May day it was when the animals perished: alpine flowers poking through the grass and snow still dusting mountain peaks on the horizon from the 1,300-metre viewpoint. “But there are many cases like this one.”The bags containing nine wolves poisoned in Cocullo. No one was prosecuted for the deaths. Photograph: HandoutLike all poisoning events in this area, no one was prosecuted. The corpses were disposed of and life moved on. Now the ground is grubbed up from wild boars digging their snouts in the dirt looking for bulbs to eat.Downgrading wolf protection is a misguided decision. It offers no real help to rural communitiesIn the 1970s, wolves were on the brink of extinction in Italy, but thanks to strict protections and conservation efforts, there are now more than 3,000 of them. In many areas of Europe, farmers are having to learn to live alongside wolves again as they return to places they have been absent from for hundreds of years – and many are concerned that they prey on livestock. The story unfolding in this small valley in Italy is being repeated all over Europe. “Farmers feel abandoned by government, so they solve their problems on their own,” says Borgianni.From March 2025, the EU is relaxing its protections from “strictly protected” to “protected”, which means if wolves are perceived as a threat to rural communities, states can organise culls. Poisonings such as the one in Cocullo will remain illegal, but conservationists fear the relaxation of protections will empower vigilantes.Angela Tavone, a communications manager from Rewilding Apennines, is worried this will create more “chains of death” like the one two years ago. “Groups of farmers can feel more free to act against wolves because of the change in the EU law,” she says.Angela Tavone and Nicolò Borgianni inspect a horse skull. Photograph: Luigi Filice/The GuardianWhoever killed the wolf pack in 2023 failed to keep wolves away. Months later, another pack moved in. Nearly two years later, on that same spot, there are half a dozen wolf droppings, some just a few weeks old. The pack’s territory overlaps with mountain pastures used for cattle and sheep in spring and summer. Wild boar makes up most of the wolves’ diet here, but you can also spot hairs from cows or horses in the droppings. Borgianni estimates about 10% of their diet is livestock. One pack monitored by scientists in the region appeared to be eating closer to 70% during winter.Vultures are often the sentinels of a poisoning event. The Apennines has the highest number of GPS-tagged vultures in a single population, so observers know something is wrong if their tags stop moving. “If you investigate, you find these incidents,” says Borgianni. They are social animals and up to 60 birds can feed on a single carcass, so dozens can be wiped out quickly. Since 2021 the Rewilding Apennines team has picked up 85 carcasses across all species.An Apennine wolf pup carrying part of a red deer in Abruzzo, Italy. One poisoning event can kill a whole pack. Photograph: Nature Picture Library/AlamyPredator poisoning is an issue across Europe – and the world – but we know little about the extent of it, because animals generally die out of sight. Farmers say these apex predators threaten their livelihoods – and resolving the conflicts is complex.Down in the valley, Cristian Guido’s family farm and restaurant Il Castellaccio back on to fresh mountain pastures. Twenty years ago, when he started farming, there were not many wolves around. Two nights ago, CCTV cameras captured a pair of wolves wandering through the yard. Guido can sometimes hear them howling from the woods by the farm.Cristian Guido at his family farm and restaurant. Photograph: Luigi Filice/The GuardianFrom May, his 90 sheep go up into the hills every day to fatten on the succulent grasses, and come down in the evenings. One day last October, 18 of them didn’t come back. Guido believes wolves were to blame, perhaps chasing the sheep off a cliff.I find wolves beautiful, but I keep asking for help. It is just not possible to keep them awayThere was no evidence they had been killed by a wolf (there often is not) so he got no compensation. Now, when he takes his animals up in the morning, he doesn’t know if they will all come back. “I fear that will happen again,” he says.He is not alone. “Other farms suffered the same loss,” he says. In the past few years, half a dozen dead wolves have been hung up by roads and bus stops by people protesting at their return.“I find wolves beautiful, but I keep asking for help. It is just not possible to keep them away. And I’m aware if you shoot them, you will get more and more damage,” he says. Guido believes protections for wolves should not have been downgraded, but that farmers must be given more support.The bones of a horse in ⁨Cocullo⁩, ⁨Abruzzo. Photograph: Luigi Filice/The GuardianThis would include making compensation easier to claim and quicker to be distributed. There should be more support for farmers constructing wolf-proof fences near their properties, he believes.Research this year looking at wolf-farmer conflicts in northern Greece found wolves were often scapegoats for deep-rooted issues, such as financial challenges, poor government policies on protection of livelihoods, a changing climate, lack of services and rural depopulation. “Our findings emphasise that while wolves impact farmers, economic and policy-related factors play a greater role,” the researchers concluded. The study found fair compensation schemes were essential for coexistence.These findings are echoed by a coalition of NGOs, including BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau, which say that instead of providing support for farmers living alongside wolves, the EU has allowed them to be culled. “Downgrading wolf protection is a misguided decision that prioritises political gains over science and will further polarise the debate,” say the NGOs. “It offers no real help to rural communities.”Virginia Sciore is a farmer with 150 goats grazing on pastures in the Morrone mountains. Since 2018 she has lost five goats. “You can see in the eyes of the goats they are terrified – something happened in the mountain,” she says. Sometimes, she finds a collar or tuft of hair, but usually they disappear without a trace, so she doesn’t claim compensation. “I don’t know if it was a wolf,” she says.“The majority of farmers don’t believe in coexistence,” Sciore says. “They have stories about wolves that have been imported. They want to believe these things. People are angry and it’s projected on to the wolf.”Virginia Sciore has lost five of her 150 goats since 2018. Photograph: Angela Tavone/Rewilding ApenninesThe conflict over wolves comes amid a wider shift away from environmental protections across Europe. Last year, EU leaders scaled back plans to cut pollution and protect habitats after angry protests from farmers, as a law to restore nature was turned into a political punching bag. “It’s a low moment historically to face this issue,” says Tavone.The Cucollo incident was a turning point for the Rewilding Apennines team. In response, they created their first anti-poison dog unit. A malinois dog called Wild – who at six months old is still in training – will, in the coming months, sniff out potential poisoning incidents.As spring approaches, so too does the most dangerous time for poisoning events, as farmers look to protect young and vulnerable livestock. Catching poisoning incidents quickly is key – and Wild will help with that. Those fighting to protect wildlife are increasing their efforts. “The war is still going on,” says Tavone.The mountains around Cocullo⁩. As spring approaches, poisoning events usually spike as farmers try to protect young animals. Photograph: Luigi Filice/The Guardian

Animals
Conservation
Extinction

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