The giraffe is an icon of the African subcontinent, and yet, there are many gaps in knowledge about giraffes in the wild and how to best protect them. In the 21 countries where giraffe populations are found, their conservation status differs depending on the species, geography, and threats they face. Coupled with the threats of … [Read more…]
New article out today on Conservation Science and Practice: Investigating the international and pan‐African trade in giraffe parts and derivatives. Here we review the evidence and interview experts about giraffe trade, concluding in the end that ” the dynamics of legal and illegal trade and the use of giraffe parts vary throughout Africa, ranging from … [Read more…]
The trade in wildlife has received a lot of coverage in the last year but we almost never think of insects when we think of the wildlife trade. I was happy to have participated in the documentary “Cast of the Titans” that sheds light on this trade, with a particular focus on the titan beetle … [Read more…]
Laura Thomas-Walters, University of Stirling; Amy Hinsley, University of Oxford, and Diogo Veríssimo, University of Oxford A British tourist on a tropical beach poses for a photo with a cute monkey-like animal. A Vietnamese man buys some rhino-horn powder and brags to his friends about its potency. An orchid collector admires their latest purchase, a … [Read more…]
Laura Thomas-Walters, University of Kent; Bob Smith, University of Kent, and Diogo Veríssimo, University of Oxford Conservationists have been working for decades to save species such as pangolins and rhinos from illegal hunting and trading. And, with fears that the coronavirus pandemic originated from the wildlife trade, there’s never been more pressure to find solutions. … [Read more…]
A couple of weeks back I did an interview for a video explainer for Chanel 4 in the UK. It was great to have time to got into the detail and present a more nuanced perspective of the issue, beyond the headlines and soundbites that are featured in much of the press around this issue. … [Read more…]
It’s been a while since my last post. And that is because I became a dad last August! These last months have been a wonderful whirlwind of smiles, diapers and sleepless nights and I can’t wait to see what comes next! Looking back at 2019 there are two reviews published in 2019 I would like … [Read more…]
Diogo Veríssimo, University of Oxford If a piece of information is repeated often enough, it will eventually be believed, even if there is no evidence for it. One example of this features the friendly clownfish Nemo and his side-kick Dory, a blue tang fish, who you may know from the animated blockbusters Finding Nemo and … [Read more…]
I was lucky to be part of the last episode of the latest episode of the BBC’s Podcast “Costing the Earth“, which is dedicated to the impact of Chinese Traditional Medicine on Wildlife Trade. I talked about the potential impacts of the expansion of the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine around the world and the … [Read more…]
Some stories are just too alluring not to be true. On of these self perpetuating narratives suggests Harry Potter, the boy wizard that keeps a snowy owl as a pet, was leading to an increase in demand for pet owls in the UK. Even J.K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, released multiple statements asking … [Read more…]