Sam Meadows
@bysammeadows.bsky.social
Journalist. Wildlife. Conservation. Environment.
Editor of Wild Crime, a newsletter about environmental crime.
https://wildcrime.co.uk/
Also for the Times, Guardian, BBC etc
Editor of Wild Crime, a newsletter about environmental crime.
https://wildcrime.co.uk/
Also for the Times, Guardian, BBC etc
Pinned
Sam Meadows
@bysammeadows.bsky.social
· Aug 21
🌳 SIX OVERLOOKED WILDLIFE STORIES THIS WEEK
South Africa's 'Rhino Baron' arrested. He had bred the world's largest herd of 2,000 animals, but had intended to sell the horns in China and other Asian markets.
South Africa's 'Rhino Baron' arrested. He had bred the world's largest herd of 2,000 animals, but had intended to sell the horns in China and other Asian markets.
In the 1980s and 90s a deadly fungus wiped out hundreds of species of frogs across Central America. Scientists are still battling to find out more.
I reported from Panama for @mongabay.com on a new project relocating frogs.
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-p...
I reported from Panama for @mongabay.com on a new project relocating frogs.
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-p...
In Panama, poison dart frog move brings hope amid amphibians’ fight with fungus
Measuring a bit more than 20 millimeters (0.8 inches), Pratt’s poison frog (Colostethus pratti) is not the kind of frog that would get attention. Although part of the Dendrobatidae family, known for i...
news.mongabay.com
October 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
In the 1980s and 90s a deadly fungus wiped out hundreds of species of frogs across Central America. Scientists are still battling to find out more.
I reported from Panama for @mongabay.com on a new project relocating frogs.
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-p...
I reported from Panama for @mongabay.com on a new project relocating frogs.
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-p...
Peruvian police smashed a wildlife trafficking gang calling itself the Predators of the East earlier this summer. Officers raided its headquarters finding sloths and an ocelot among 1,400 live animals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars
🧵 1/
🧵 1/
September 16, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Peruvian police smashed a wildlife trafficking gang calling itself the Predators of the East earlier this summer. Officers raided its headquarters finding sloths and an ocelot among 1,400 live animals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars
🧵 1/
🧵 1/
Reposted by Sam Meadows
It's Seabird Sunday, your weekly round up of interesting links shared by users on the Seabird app (which you should join too!). First up, traveling to Thailand with @noemamag.com to explore a possible future of eating bugs:
www.noemamag.com/would-you-ea...
www.noemamag.com/would-you-ea...
Would You Eat This Bug To Save The World? | NOEMA
Insects could play a key role in the future of the human diet with their high nutritional value and low environmental footprint, especially compared to meat.
www.noemamag.com
August 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
It's Seabird Sunday, your weekly round up of interesting links shared by users on the Seabird app (which you should join too!). First up, traveling to Thailand with @noemamag.com to explore a possible future of eating bugs:
www.noemamag.com/would-you-ea...
www.noemamag.com/would-you-ea...
🌳 SIX OVERLOOKED WILDLIFE STORIES THIS WEEK
South Africa's 'Rhino Baron' arrested. He had bred the world's largest herd of 2,000 animals, but had intended to sell the horns in China and other Asian markets.
South Africa's 'Rhino Baron' arrested. He had bred the world's largest herd of 2,000 animals, but had intended to sell the horns in China and other Asian markets.
August 21, 2025 at 3:35 PM
🌳 SIX OVERLOOKED WILDLIFE STORIES THIS WEEK
South Africa's 'Rhino Baron' arrested. He had bred the world's largest herd of 2,000 animals, but had intended to sell the horns in China and other Asian markets.
South Africa's 'Rhino Baron' arrested. He had bred the world's largest herd of 2,000 animals, but had intended to sell the horns in China and other Asian markets.
Reposted by Sam Meadows
A bold “rewilding” initiative to reintroduce jaguars and turtles in Argentina raises tough questions about whose vision of nature is being restored, writes @bysammeadows.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
‘Rewilding’ in Argentina Raises Thorny Questions
Endangered jaguars and turtles are being reintroduced in the forests of Chaco province — but whose vision of nature is being restored?
newlinesmag.com
August 18, 2025 at 6:46 PM
A bold “rewilding” initiative to reintroduce jaguars and turtles in Argentina raises tough questions about whose vision of nature is being restored, writes @bysammeadows.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
Reposted by Sam Meadows
NEW: A bold “rewilding” initiative to reintroduce jaguars and turtles in Argentina raises tough questions about whose vision of nature is being restored, writes @bysammeadows.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
‘Rewilding’ in Argentina Raises Thorny Questions
Endangered jaguars and turtles are being reintroduced in the forests of Chaco province — but whose vision of nature is being restored?
newlinesmag.com
August 13, 2025 at 10:09 AM
NEW: A bold “rewilding” initiative to reintroduce jaguars and turtles in Argentina raises tough questions about whose vision of nature is being restored, writes @bysammeadows.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
newlinesmag.com/reportage/re...
🧵What is CITES and how does it work?
CITES is the international treaty which regulates the commercial trade in wild animals, plants, or animal parts.
1/
CITES is the international treaty which regulates the commercial trade in wild animals, plants, or animal parts.
1/
July 22, 2025 at 2:03 PM
🧵What is CITES and how does it work?
CITES is the international treaty which regulates the commercial trade in wild animals, plants, or animal parts.
1/
CITES is the international treaty which regulates the commercial trade in wild animals, plants, or animal parts.
1/
Operation Green Shield sweeps through the Amazon + donkey penises seized and a dog fighting ring broken up
wildcrime.co.uk/p/illegal-mi...
wildcrime.co.uk/p/illegal-mi...
Illegal miners, wildlife traffickers targeted in Amazon raids; and donkey penises seized
The two-week, multi-country raids saw more than 1,500 officers mobilised and resulted in nearly 100 arrests
wildcrime.co.uk
July 17, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Operation Green Shield sweeps through the Amazon + donkey penises seized and a dog fighting ring broken up
wildcrime.co.uk/p/illegal-mi...
wildcrime.co.uk/p/illegal-mi...
Inside the trade for the world's most trafficked animal - and the British company apparently helping it happen
wildcrime.co.uk/p/exclusive-...
wildcrime.co.uk/p/exclusive-...
Exclusive: Pangolin scales listed for sale online by British company
Pangolins are often described as the most-trafficked animal in the world and the trade in their parts is being facilitated online
wildcrime.co.uk
July 15, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Inside the trade for the world's most trafficked animal - and the British company apparently helping it happen
wildcrime.co.uk/p/exclusive-...
wildcrime.co.uk/p/exclusive-...
Another of the stars of the Netflix doc Tiger King has wound up in jail. This time for buying endangered animals 🐯 Story in Wild Crime
wildcrime.co.uk/p/tiger-king...
wildcrime.co.uk/p/tiger-king...
Tiger King star jailed for buying endangered animals for road-side zoo
Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle featured in the viral Netflix series about animal keeper Joe Exotic's feud with rival keeper Carole Baskin
wildcrime.co.uk
July 10, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Another of the stars of the Netflix doc Tiger King has wound up in jail. This time for buying endangered animals 🐯 Story in Wild Crime
wildcrime.co.uk/p/tiger-king...
wildcrime.co.uk/p/tiger-king...
Remember Cecil the Lion? He was killed by trophy hunters 10 years ago today. Lion populations remain in crisis - but it's not trophy hunting that is their greatest threat. I spoke to @pantheracats.bsky.social about the challenges facing lion conservationists.
wildcrime.co.uk/p/cecils-leg...
wildcrime.co.uk/p/cecils-leg...
Cecil's legacy: what lion conservation looks like a decade on
Ten years ago, Cecil the Lion's death at the hands of a trophy hunter caused global outrage. Conservationist Andrew Loveridge spoke to Wild Crime about lion protection and trophy hunting
wildcrime.co.uk
July 1, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Remember Cecil the Lion? He was killed by trophy hunters 10 years ago today. Lion populations remain in crisis - but it's not trophy hunting that is their greatest threat. I spoke to @pantheracats.bsky.social about the challenges facing lion conservationists.
wildcrime.co.uk/p/cecils-leg...
wildcrime.co.uk/p/cecils-leg...
Luxury handbags linked to Brazilian leather tainted by Amazon destruction, according to new
@earthsight.bsky.social investigation.
The situation for the Amazon is urgent. Brands in Europe can't shut their eyes to large-scale forest loss.
wildcrime.co.uk/p/luxury-fas...
@earthsight.bsky.social investigation.
The situation for the Amazon is urgent. Brands in Europe can't shut their eyes to large-scale forest loss.
wildcrime.co.uk/p/luxury-fas...
Luxury fashion’s hidden cost: brands linked to Amazon deforestation
Also this week: thousands of turtles rescued in Mexico, protection for pangolins, and a new home for parrots
wildcrime.co.uk
June 26, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Luxury handbags linked to Brazilian leather tainted by Amazon destruction, according to new
@earthsight.bsky.social investigation.
The situation for the Amazon is urgent. Brands in Europe can't shut their eyes to large-scale forest loss.
wildcrime.co.uk/p/luxury-fas...
@earthsight.bsky.social investigation.
The situation for the Amazon is urgent. Brands in Europe can't shut their eyes to large-scale forest loss.
wildcrime.co.uk/p/luxury-fas...
The UN Ocean Conference in 2025 could be a pivotal moment for the planet, if world leaders are bold enough to act.
My latest post looks at why the stakes are so high, and what must change in global ocean policy.
🌍 sammeadows.substack.com/p/oceans-at-...
#UNOC2025 #OceanPolitics #GlobalGovernance
My latest post looks at why the stakes are so high, and what must change in global ocean policy.
🌍 sammeadows.substack.com/p/oceans-at-...
#UNOC2025 #OceanPolitics #GlobalGovernance
Oceans at 'tipping point' and time is running out to save them
From calls to ban bottom trawling to a global push to ratify the High Seas Treaty, the UN Ocean Conference has brought oceans to the top of the global agenda
sammeadows.substack.com
June 12, 2025 at 5:43 PM
The UN Ocean Conference in 2025 could be a pivotal moment for the planet, if world leaders are bold enough to act.
My latest post looks at why the stakes are so high, and what must change in global ocean policy.
🌍 sammeadows.substack.com/p/oceans-at-...
#UNOC2025 #OceanPolitics #GlobalGovernance
My latest post looks at why the stakes are so high, and what must change in global ocean policy.
🌍 sammeadows.substack.com/p/oceans-at-...
#UNOC2025 #OceanPolitics #GlobalGovernance
Five million dried seahorses seized in just a few years. Many headed for China and Hong Kong. Many supposedly protected.
The global trade in seahorses is booming as uncovered by @projectseahorse.bsky.social
New story on a hidden marine trafficking crisis: sammeadows.substack.com/p/millions-o...
The global trade in seahorses is booming as uncovered by @projectseahorse.bsky.social
New story on a hidden marine trafficking crisis: sammeadows.substack.com/p/millions-o...
Millions of seahorses seized as global demand grows
Species spotlight: A decade’s worth of wildlife seizures reveals the vast scale of illegal seahorse trafficking, driven by demand for traditional medicine
sammeadows.substack.com
June 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Five million dried seahorses seized in just a few years. Many headed for China and Hong Kong. Many supposedly protected.
The global trade in seahorses is booming as uncovered by @projectseahorse.bsky.social
New story on a hidden marine trafficking crisis: sammeadows.substack.com/p/millions-o...
The global trade in seahorses is booming as uncovered by @projectseahorse.bsky.social
New story on a hidden marine trafficking crisis: sammeadows.substack.com/p/millions-o...
Dom Phillips was murdered for exposing criminal networks in the Amazon. Two years on, the region is still burning, politically and literally.
I wrote about Dom’s legacy and the ongoing dangers faced everyday by environmental defenders.
📖 sammeadows.substack.com/p/dom-philli...
I wrote about Dom’s legacy and the ongoing dangers faced everyday by environmental defenders.
📖 sammeadows.substack.com/p/dom-philli...
Dom Phillips’ legacy: exposing the perils of protecting the Amazon
Also this week: fishing in protected Pacific waters, otter poaching linked to Japan’s cafes, and a UK antiques dealer caught selling ivory
sammeadows.substack.com
May 29, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Dom Phillips was murdered for exposing criminal networks in the Amazon. Two years on, the region is still burning, politically and literally.
I wrote about Dom’s legacy and the ongoing dangers faced everyday by environmental defenders.
📖 sammeadows.substack.com/p/dom-philli...
I wrote about Dom’s legacy and the ongoing dangers faced everyday by environmental defenders.
📖 sammeadows.substack.com/p/dom-philli...
Danielle Kessler (@ifawglobal.bsky.social) says Trump-era aid cuts have hampered global conservation.
The pulling of key funding could have long-term consequences for wildlife protection.
Read more:
🔗 sammeadows.substack.com/p/poachers-t...
#conservation #foreignaid #wildlifetrafficking
The pulling of key funding could have long-term consequences for wildlife protection.
Read more:
🔗 sammeadows.substack.com/p/poachers-t...
#conservation #foreignaid #wildlifetrafficking
Poachers thrive as Trump’s aid cuts cripple wildlife protections
Also this week: India’s mega-zoo under scrutiny, baby orangutans seized in Bangkok, and parrots smuggled in boots at the US border.
sammeadows.substack.com
May 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Danielle Kessler (@ifawglobal.bsky.social) says Trump-era aid cuts have hampered global conservation.
The pulling of key funding could have long-term consequences for wildlife protection.
Read more:
🔗 sammeadows.substack.com/p/poachers-t...
#conservation #foreignaid #wildlifetrafficking
The pulling of key funding could have long-term consequences for wildlife protection.
Read more:
🔗 sammeadows.substack.com/p/poachers-t...
#conservation #foreignaid #wildlifetrafficking
🦀 3,000 hermit crabs in a suitcase.
Last month it was ants in Kenya. Now: 3,000 live hermit crabs found stuffed in suitcases in Japan - likely bound for the exotic pet trade.
I cover the story, and more, in my latest post from Wild Crime.
sammeadows.substack.com/p/3000-hermi...
Last month it was ants in Kenya. Now: 3,000 live hermit crabs found stuffed in suitcases in Japan - likely bound for the exotic pet trade.
I cover the story, and more, in my latest post from Wild Crime.
sammeadows.substack.com/p/3000-hermi...
3,000 hermit crabs in a suitcase: inside the week’s weirdest wildlife seizures
From Japan to Cameroon, here are the wildlife stories making headlines this week.
sammeadows.substack.com
May 15, 2025 at 6:26 PM
🦀 3,000 hermit crabs in a suitcase.
Last month it was ants in Kenya. Now: 3,000 live hermit crabs found stuffed in suitcases in Japan - likely bound for the exotic pet trade.
I cover the story, and more, in my latest post from Wild Crime.
sammeadows.substack.com/p/3000-hermi...
Last month it was ants in Kenya. Now: 3,000 live hermit crabs found stuffed in suitcases in Japan - likely bound for the exotic pet trade.
I cover the story, and more, in my latest post from Wild Crime.
sammeadows.substack.com/p/3000-hermi...
“Most of these animals die during capture or transport.”
Ilaria di Silvestre @ifawglobal.bsky.social spoke to me about the cruelty at the heart of the illegal wildlife trade - and why stronger EU policy is urgently needed.
sammeadows.substack.com/p/interview-...
#animalwelfare #wildlifecrime #EU
Ilaria di Silvestre @ifawglobal.bsky.social spoke to me about the cruelty at the heart of the illegal wildlife trade - and why stronger EU policy is urgently needed.
sammeadows.substack.com/p/interview-...
#animalwelfare #wildlifecrime #EU
Interview: 'Wildlife crime is still treated like a minor offence. That has to change'
Ilaria Di Silvestre of IFAW on how weak laws and online trade fuel wildlife trafficking - and the hidden suffering it causes.
sammeadows.substack.com
May 13, 2025 at 4:22 PM
“Most of these animals die during capture or transport.”
Ilaria di Silvestre @ifawglobal.bsky.social spoke to me about the cruelty at the heart of the illegal wildlife trade - and why stronger EU policy is urgently needed.
sammeadows.substack.com/p/interview-...
#animalwelfare #wildlifecrime #EU
Ilaria di Silvestre @ifawglobal.bsky.social spoke to me about the cruelty at the heart of the illegal wildlife trade - and why stronger EU policy is urgently needed.
sammeadows.substack.com/p/interview-...
#animalwelfare #wildlifecrime #EU
New data shows pangolin trafficking is down.
But poaching likely continues.
What’s driving these trends? I dig in here:
📖 sammeadows.substack.com/p/pangolin-t...
#conservation #pangolins #wildlifecrime @wildlifejustice.bsky.social
But poaching likely continues.
What’s driving these trends? I dig in here:
📖 sammeadows.substack.com/p/pangolin-t...
#conservation #pangolins #wildlifecrime @wildlifejustice.bsky.social
Pangolin trafficking falls; poaching and illegal mining on the rise
Law enforcement wins in Africa are bringing results, but elsewhere, armed groups, smuggling networks, and environmental crime continue to wreak havoc.
sammeadows.substack.com
May 8, 2025 at 2:24 PM
New data shows pangolin trafficking is down.
But poaching likely continues.
What’s driving these trends? I dig in here:
📖 sammeadows.substack.com/p/pangolin-t...
#conservation #pangolins #wildlifecrime @wildlifejustice.bsky.social
But poaching likely continues.
What’s driving these trends? I dig in here:
📖 sammeadows.substack.com/p/pangolin-t...
#conservation #pangolins #wildlifecrime @wildlifejustice.bsky.social
Reposted by Sam Meadows
The Gran Chaco forest is South America’s second largest after the Amazon.
But vast green expanses – home to jaguars, giant armadillos and howler monkeys – have been turned to fields of dust as loggers plunder its trees.
Dispatch 👇
www.theguardian.com/environment/... @tessairini.bsky.social
But vast green expanses – home to jaguars, giant armadillos and howler monkeys – have been turned to fields of dust as loggers plunder its trees.
Dispatch 👇
www.theguardian.com/environment/... @tessairini.bsky.social
‘A cemetery of trees’: vast green expanses turned to dust as loggers plunder South America’s Gran Chaco
Jaguars, giant armadillos and ocelots among species threatened by shrinking habitat in one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world
www.theguardian.com
May 7, 2025 at 2:22 PM
The Gran Chaco forest is South America’s second largest after the Amazon.
But vast green expanses – home to jaguars, giant armadillos and howler monkeys – have been turned to fields of dust as loggers plunder its trees.
Dispatch 👇
www.theguardian.com/environment/... @tessairini.bsky.social
But vast green expanses – home to jaguars, giant armadillos and howler monkeys – have been turned to fields of dust as loggers plunder its trees.
Dispatch 👇
www.theguardian.com/environment/... @tessairini.bsky.social
The ant smugglers I wrote about yesterday have been sentenced to one year in prison or they can pay a fine of just over £5,000. Many campaigners believe that punishments for wildlife crimes are too lenient, and will see this as an example of that.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Kenyan court sentences ant smugglers to $7,700 fine or one-year in prison
The four suspects – two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan – were arrested last month with 5,000 ants.
www.bbc.com
May 7, 2025 at 4:20 PM
The ant smugglers I wrote about yesterday have been sentenced to one year in prison or they can pay a fine of just over £5,000. Many campaigners believe that punishments for wildlife crimes are too lenient, and will see this as an example of that.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Two teenagers from Belgium find out their sentence tomorrow after being found with test tubes containing more than 5,000 ants. It's easy to think of ants as harmless, but the booming global trade could have consequences for biodiversity
open.substack.com/pub/sammeado...
open.substack.com/pub/sammeado...
Belgian teenagers face sentencing in Kenya over ant smuggling scandal
The case highlights the growing, potentially dangerous, global trade in insects.
open.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Two teenagers from Belgium find out their sentence tomorrow after being found with test tubes containing more than 5,000 ants. It's easy to think of ants as harmless, but the booming global trade could have consequences for biodiversity
open.substack.com/pub/sammeado...
open.substack.com/pub/sammeado...
This week's Wild Crime:
Pet lions in the Balkans 🦁
Netflix highlights the pangolin 📺
Spain accused of illegal fishing 🇪🇸
Click the link below for the full news roundup
sammeadows.substack.com/p/how-pet-li...
Pet lions in the Balkans 🦁
Netflix highlights the pangolin 📺
Spain accused of illegal fishing 🇪🇸
Click the link below for the full news roundup
sammeadows.substack.com/p/how-pet-li...
How pet lions became a new high-class status symbol; Netflix highlights the pangolin; and trafficking TikTok fails
Wild Crime: updates from the week in the world of wildlife trafficking and environmental crime
sammeadows.substack.com
May 1, 2025 at 3:17 PM
This week's Wild Crime:
Pet lions in the Balkans 🦁
Netflix highlights the pangolin 📺
Spain accused of illegal fishing 🇪🇸
Click the link below for the full news roundup
sammeadows.substack.com/p/how-pet-li...
Pet lions in the Balkans 🦁
Netflix highlights the pangolin 📺
Spain accused of illegal fishing 🇪🇸
Click the link below for the full news roundup
sammeadows.substack.com/p/how-pet-li...
In this week's Wild Crime:
🐜 Ant smuggling
🐯 A major big cat bust in Spain
🐧 Better legal protections for penguins
You can read and subscribe here!
sammeadows.substack.com/p/ants-in-te...
🐜 Ant smuggling
🐯 A major big cat bust in Spain
🐧 Better legal protections for penguins
You can read and subscribe here!
sammeadows.substack.com/p/ants-in-te...
Ants in test tubes, penguin protections and exotic animal cafes
Wild Crime: updates from the week in the world of wildlife trafficking and environmental crime
sammeadows.substack.com
April 17, 2025 at 8:28 AM
In this week's Wild Crime:
🐜 Ant smuggling
🐯 A major big cat bust in Spain
🐧 Better legal protections for penguins
You can read and subscribe here!
sammeadows.substack.com/p/ants-in-te...
🐜 Ant smuggling
🐯 A major big cat bust in Spain
🐧 Better legal protections for penguins
You can read and subscribe here!
sammeadows.substack.com/p/ants-in-te...
If you're intrigued to know how one goes about smuggling 320 live tarantulas onto a plane, this week's Wild Crime is one for you...
sammeadows.substack.com/p/trapped-tu...
sammeadows.substack.com/p/trapped-tu...
Trapped turtles and smuggled tarantulas
Wild Crime: updates from the week in the world of wildlife trafficking and environmental crime
sammeadows.substack.com
April 11, 2025 at 2:05 PM
If you're intrigued to know how one goes about smuggling 320 live tarantulas onto a plane, this week's Wild Crime is one for you...
sammeadows.substack.com/p/trapped-tu...
sammeadows.substack.com/p/trapped-tu...