Conservation through education – sustainable & conscious living
A BBC News investigation has uncovered a huge section of the wildlife trafficking business that sells baby chimpanzees as pets for £10,000, after their families are shot dead in front of them. The well-known West African hub for wildlife trafficking, which is known as the "blue room" was uncovered by the BBC's 12 month investigation, and reveals how…
Continue reading ➞ Undercover investigation reveals chimps being sold as pets for £10,000
I gaze at this video with my hand to my mouth as thoughts race through my mind of utter disbelief and disgust. Not only can I barely believe that people across the world are still treating animals like this, considering what we know about our depleting wildlife population, but also that hundreds of tourists are…
Continue reading ➞ Children encouraged to climb on tiger to keep the devil away
The star of the Blackfish documentary, and possibly the most talked about killer whale in the world, has sadly passed away. Tilikum is the well-known and loved orca who was made famous following the controversial documentary which uncovered the truth behind the trainer and orca interaction at Seaworld, and how keeping the beautiful creatures in captivity…
Amongst all the horrific news about our ever-depleting wildlife, it is always heartwarming to hear about a positive story with a very happy ending. Couple that with the power of social media and an array of people with incredibly good souls and you will find a story that will restore a little bit of faith…
Continue reading ➞ Wildlife charity saves elephant from a life of torture
Nature is full of unpredictable surprises. And there are few things more heart-warming to watch than the unlikely friendships and bonds of two completely different species in the wild. In 2014, two ostrich chicks were bestowed upon the world-renowned wildlife organisation The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. These two sibling chicks, a female named Pea and…
During the current wildlife crisis, it is now becoming more common to see rhinos without their horns, due to the need to take extreme precautions during this desperate time, which means that cutting off a rhino's precious horn is seen as a necessary deterrent against poachers. However, are we now entering into a time where elephants…
We've all heard about the horrors of zoos and what once was a practice that we seemed oblivious to and didn't think to question, is now almost common knowledge as those thoughts of the welfare and care of those imprisoned animals creeps into our minds. Highly upsetting…
This week has brought incredible news for the natural world as the population of one of Britain's most iconic birds has reached more than 500 pairs for the first time since records began. The numbers of the golden eagles in Scotland were recorded in a country-wide survey which was carried out last year, although conservationists…
With bonfire night approaching this weekend, we're all ready and prepared for the bright and beautiful lights and sizzling sounds of fireworks erupting in back gardens and designated parks. However, something that we don't usually consider whilst we are enjoying the colourful explosions is our pets and resident animals who don't quite feel the same…
Whilst browsing a retail store today I got chatting to the store manager about my adventures in Africa during the past few years. Upon saying that I had been working at a Lion Protection Trust in South Africa, her immediate response was "awwww so you got to play with all the little lions and tigers?!"…
An official decision was made today to ban all commercial fishing in Antarctica, and so creating the world's biggest marine reserve area. The area, which is more than six times the size of the UK, will protect 1.55 million square km of the Ross Sea, and has been hailed as a "milestone for conservation".…
It has been announced that the USA has banned the imports of lion trophies that have come from captive lion populations. Following the Cites results earlier this month, which refused to uplist lions to maximum protection, failing to stop the canned hunting industry, this new decision will mean that American hunters - who make up…
"When the (Kruger) Park was proclaimed by President Paul Kruger, attitudes toward wild animals were still based on a literal interpretation of the biblical injunction that God has given Man dominion over the birds of the air and the fishes of the sea. By the time the pioneers bowed out the world was coming to…
With a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, I am very sad to say that Cites chose to ignore our pleas, as today's vote meant that it has been decided that elephants will unfortunately stay listed as Appendix II, like African lions, meaning that they will not receive the protection that they so desperately need.…
This week brought incredible news for the critically endangered, and most illegally traded animal in the world, the elusive pangolin! The majority of people have never even heard of this mammal, and many of those who have think that it is an armadillo. But pangolins are in fact the most illegally traded animal in the entire world,…
This week celebrated World Rhino Day, which is all about spreading awareness about the rapidly depleting rhino population! I recently attended a debate in London about the legalisation of the trade of rhino horn. An interesting and very often sensitive and controversial topic, I went in to the debate being firmly against the trade, but…
So what is wildlife conservation and how can we know if our money is going to the right place? With social media being at the forefront of most people's focus these days, it almost seems as if people are doing things with the sole initial intention of being able to upload the proof onto their social media…
Once again i find myself outraged but no more surprised at the carelessness of the human race causing the unnecessary end of a beautiful animal life. I am of course talking about this week's wildlife disaster that has set the internet on fire, and conservationists and animal lovers worldwide into turmoil, about the carelessness of the parents…
As I gazed at the young tawny lioness I saw how innocent she was. I saw that the world had not yet shown her all of its beauty, nor its potential dark side. I was watching her pad through the long, pale grass so carefully and silently, when suddenly a South African quail flew up…
I am extremely excited to announce the launch of a new project that I have been working on with my Producer for while - a new video-on-demand service (like Netflix) purely for natural history documentaries! The new and unique platform offers short films, documentaries and series for rent or purchase, and can be accessed worldwide. With an…
http://www.igobyplane.com/2015/06/19/where-can-i-pet-a-baby-lion-tiger-cheetah-big-cat/ I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that reading this article got my blood boiling to the highest degrees - so much so that I had to take a walk outside before angrily bashing the keys to write this post. Aside from the fact that this guy is illiterate, he is absolutely the…
This image really speaks a thousand words. This is a collection of all of the snares that have been found on the Mbube reserve of the White Lion Protection Trust, where I am currently situated. Snares, made by looped wire, are used mainly by meat hunters in South Africa, and have been said to be…
It’s currently 16:31 and 32 degrees Celsius in the Timbavati, I haven’t spoken to a real human being in about seven hours, I’ve got a raging cold from being exposed to 20 hours non-stop air-con on my way here, mix all that with having been up and active since 4.45am, and I’m feeling pretty delirious.…
By now you should all know the name Tilikum. Tilikum is the beautiful big orca who has been a resident at SeaWorld, Orlando for the past 24 years. He is the star of the brilliant shows that you have indulged in with awe, whilst thinking how incredibly lucky those killer whale handlers are to work…
According to Jess 