Esther Wullschleger
@estwsl.bsky.social
Zoologist, freelance journalist on topics around nature, ecology, biodiversity and conservation / with some focus on birds / based in Switzerland (schreibe meistens in deutsch)
www.nature-themes.ch
www.nature-themes.ch
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
Conservationists in northeastern Cambodia moved critically endangered banteng to Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary using helicopters and trucks.
With populations hit by hunting and deforestation, experts say relocating isolated herds could help secure the species’ future.
With populations hit by hunting and deforestation, experts say relocating isolated herds could help secure the species’ future.
Helicopter translocation brings isolated banteng to safer grounds in Cambodia
Earlier this month, a team of conservationists translocated 16 critically endangered banteng into Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary in northeast Cambodia in a bid to boost numbers that had dwindled to…
news.mongabay.com
February 19, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Conservationists in northeastern Cambodia moved critically endangered banteng to Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary using helicopters and trucks.
With populations hit by hunting and deforestation, experts say relocating isolated herds could help secure the species’ future.
With populations hit by hunting and deforestation, experts say relocating isolated herds could help secure the species’ future.
Big Cats in Ancient Japan
Japan's ancient 'tigers' were actually cave lions, DNA evidence shows
There aren't any native lion or tiger populations living in Japan today, but this was not always the case. Fossil evidence indicates that at least one species of large cat roamed the archipelago durin...
phys.org
February 19, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Big Cats in Ancient Japan
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
The first #kakapo chick for four years hatched two days ago (on Valentine’s Day for those who like to anthropomorphise!). Here’s Tiwhiri-A1-2026 in Yasmine’s nest. 📸: Deidre Vercoe. www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-r... #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots #birds
February 16, 2026 at 12:48 AM
The first #kakapo chick for four years hatched two days ago (on Valentine’s Day for those who like to anthropomorphise!). Here’s Tiwhiri-A1-2026 in Yasmine’s nest. 📸: Deidre Vercoe. www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-r... #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots #birds
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
After decades of recovery, southern right whales are showing signs of a climate-driven decline in breeding rates, which scientists say is a “warning signal” about changes in the Southern Ocean.
#climatecrisis #auspol www.theguardian.com/environment/...
#climatecrisis #auspol www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Climate crisis linked to fall in southern right whale birth rates as researchers raise ‘warning signal’
Lead author of Australian study says breeding slowdown is linked to climate-driven changes in ‘magnificent’ whale’s foraging grounds
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:04 PM
After decades of recovery, southern right whales are showing signs of a climate-driven decline in breeding rates, which scientists say is a “warning signal” about changes in the Southern Ocean.
#climatecrisis #auspol www.theguardian.com/environment/...
#climatecrisis #auspol www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
NEW STUDY: Climate change is fueling deadly fires that threaten some of the world’s oldest living things: the ancient Alerce trees of Patagonia, which can live for over 3,000 years.
Our analysis shows that human-induced warming is making weather conditions more conducive to fire. 1/5
Our analysis shows that human-induced warming is making weather conditions more conducive to fire. 1/5
February 11, 2026 at 9:27 AM
NEW STUDY: Climate change is fueling deadly fires that threaten some of the world’s oldest living things: the ancient Alerce trees of Patagonia, which can live for over 3,000 years.
Our analysis shows that human-induced warming is making weather conditions more conducive to fire. 1/5
Our analysis shows that human-induced warming is making weather conditions more conducive to fire. 1/5
" Wenig überraschend werden die meisten der (neu entdeckten Arten) in Südamerika und Asien vermutet, aber selbst Nordamerika gilt noch als potenziell guter Fundort. "
Noch halten die Vögel Platz 2 bei der Artenvielfalt der Wirbeltiere - nach den Fischen. Doch Frösche und Co. ziehen wohl bald vorbei. #repost
Artenvielfalt: Das ist die 9000. Amphibienart
Die kleine Kröte lebt im südlichen China - und ist noch lange nicht das Ende.
www.spektrum.de
February 9, 2026 at 10:30 AM
" Wenig überraschend werden die meisten der (neu entdeckten Arten) in Südamerika und Asien vermutet, aber selbst Nordamerika gilt noch als potenziell guter Fundort. "
eine fast unglaubliche Artenschutzgeschichte
Sie krochen dem Tod von der Schippe - und erleben nun ein Comeback. #repost
Artenschutz: Schnecke überlebte Aussterben hinter einer Eisdiele
Die Weichtiere profitierten vom Tropfwasser.
www.spektrum.de
February 9, 2026 at 10:26 AM
eine fast unglaubliche Artenschutzgeschichte
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
'He adds that... one of the world’s oldest steppe reserves, Askania-Nova, [is...] in that zone and [has] fallen under occupation. “This territory will be inaccessible to us for many decades, or maybe even centuries” because it has been heavily mined, he says.'
🧪🌱
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
🧪🌱
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Nothing is sacred to them’: the race to save rare plants as Russian troops advance
With some of Ukraine’s most valuable biodiversity sites and science facilities under occupation, experts at Sofiyivka Park in Uman are struggling to preserve the country’s natural history
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:59 AM
'He adds that... one of the world’s oldest steppe reserves, Askania-Nova, [is...] in that zone and [has] fallen under occupation. “This territory will be inaccessible to us for many decades, or maybe even centuries” because it has been heavily mined, he says.'
🧪🌱
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
🧪🌱
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
Thousands of enthusiasts in online communities around the world are collecting and breeding different varieties of #isopods. Some scientists worry that the popularity of isopods and the largely unregulated market for them could pose a serious threat.
Study from @conbiology.bsky.social
Study from @conbiology.bsky.social
These Pets Are Armored, Spiky and Pricey. Poachers Want to Cash In.
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Thousands of enthusiasts in online communities around the world are collecting and breeding different varieties of #isopods. Some scientists worry that the popularity of isopods and the largely unregulated market for them could pose a serious threat.
Study from @conbiology.bsky.social
Study from @conbiology.bsky.social
Und jetzt auch in der Schweiz? www.birdlife.ch/de/content/j...
January 29, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Und jetzt auch in der Schweiz? www.birdlife.ch/de/content/j...
sad news from Australia
Fire rips though habitat of critically endangered parrot
Experts estimate 11,000 hectares of core habitat for the critically endangered parrot has been lost to a recent fire.
www.abc.net.au
January 28, 2026 at 8:55 PM
sad news from Australia
As the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 unfolds, the global importance of grasslands comes into focus, revealing what is at stake for birds and people, and how community-led conservation can secure their future. - www.birdlife.org/news/2026/01...
Rangelands and pastoralists: central to life
As the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 unfolds, the global importance of grasslands comes into focus, revealing what is at stake for birds and people, and how community-led…
www.birdlife.org
January 28, 2026 at 8:51 PM
As the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 unfolds, the global importance of grasslands comes into focus, revealing what is at stake for birds and people, and how community-led conservation can secure their future. - www.birdlife.org/news/2026/01...
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
This discovery is shedding light on how and why birds evolved, and whether they evolved powered flight just once or many times during the age of the dinosaurs
go.nature.com/49pD9YF
go.nature.com/49pD9YF
How did birds evolve? The answer is wilder than anyone thought
Nature - Discoveries in Jurassic rocks reveal that birds were adept fliers earlier than scientists realized.
go.nature.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:07 PM
This discovery is shedding light on how and why birds evolved, and whether they evolved powered flight just once or many times during the age of the dinosaurs
go.nature.com/49pD9YF
go.nature.com/49pD9YF
ancient cheetahs in Arabia
Mummified cheetahs reveal forgotten history of Arabian Peninsula - Dailynewsegypt
A Saudi-international research team has uncovered seven naturally mummified cheetahs, along with dozens of skeletal remains, preserved inside a network of caves in the Arar region near the Saudi-Iraqi...
www.dailynewsegypt.com
January 17, 2026 at 5:36 PM
ancient cheetahs in Arabia
hoffentlich so
Artenschutz: Gibt es 2026 einen Babyboom bei den Kakapos?
Vogelschützer erwarten beste Brutsaison seit Jahrzehnten
www.spektrum.de
January 10, 2026 at 4:38 PM
hoffentlich so
new-to-science species from six continents
" Some researchers estimate that less than 20% of all the species on the planet have been described, and many will face extinction before they’re named by science. "
" Some researchers estimate that less than 20% of all the species on the planet have been described, and many will face extinction before they’re named by science. "
From sea slugs to sunflowers, California Academy of Sciences described 72 new species in 2025
Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences kept busy throughout 2025. Along with collaborators from across the globe, they described 72 new-to-science species from six continents — creatures li...
news.mongabay.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:13 PM
new-to-science species from six continents
" Some researchers estimate that less than 20% of all the species on the planet have been described, and many will face extinction before they’re named by science. "
" Some researchers estimate that less than 20% of all the species on the planet have been described, and many will face extinction before they’re named by science. "
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
Some species officially bid us farewell this year. Recent IUCN assessments now list the slender-billed curlew, Christmas Island shrew, three Australian bandicoots, plants in Mauritius and Hawai‘i, and a Cape Verde cone snail as extinct.
Declared extinct in 2025: A look back at some of the species we lost
Some species officially bid us farewell this year. They may have long been gone, but following more recent assessments, they’re now formally categorized as extinct on the IUCN Red List, considered…
news.mongabay.com
December 28, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Some species officially bid us farewell this year. Recent IUCN assessments now list the slender-billed curlew, Christmas Island shrew, three Australian bandicoots, plants in Mauritius and Hawai‘i, and a Cape Verde cone snail as extinct.
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
From the first sighting of a colossal squid in the wild to a seriously goofy octopus, 2025 delivered some astounding photos from the ocean’s depths
6 Otherworldly Deep-Sea Images from 2025
From the first sighting of a colossal squid in the wild to a seriously goofy octopus, 2025 delivered some astounding photos from the ocean’s depths
www.scientificamerican.com
December 27, 2025 at 6:58 PM
From the first sighting of a colossal squid in the wild to a seriously goofy octopus, 2025 delivered some astounding photos from the ocean’s depths
more hope for this enigmatic bird
Dodo’s closest living relative spotted in remote South Pacific rainforest
Manumea’s first sighting since 2013 raises hope critically endangered species can be saved from extinction
www.independent.co.uk
December 28, 2025 at 5:24 PM
more hope for this enigmatic bird
" Die Studie zeigt, dass die heutigen Haie und Rochen die Überlebenden einer langen Geschichte voller Höhen und Tiefen sind – darunter mehrere Aussterbeereignisse, von denen man bisher nichts wusste. "
Junge Haiarten sterben häufiger aus als alte
www.news.uzh.ch
December 21, 2025 at 2:41 PM
" Die Studie zeigt, dass die heutigen Haie und Rochen die Überlebenden einer langen Geschichte voller Höhen und Tiefen sind – darunter mehrere Aussterbeereignisse, von denen man bisher nichts wusste. "
This isn’t good news. Turning microplastics into nanoplastics likely accelerates its entry into food webs and tissues.
Adaptation ≠ remediation.
news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-h...
Adaptation ≠ remediation.
news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-h...
Fiddler crabs found to hoover up and break down microplastic particles
New research has found that Fiddler crabs are playing an unheralded role when it comes to hoovering up microplastics found in the world’s mangrove forests and salt marshes. Scientists studying a thriv...
news.exeter.ac.uk
December 21, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Esther Wullschleger
The Vallarta mud turtle, the world’s smallest turtle, lives only in temporary lagoons in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, posing a huge challenge for its conservation.
By the time scientists determined they were a distinct species, just 1,000 turtles remained.
Their population has since dropped to 300.
By the time scientists determined they were a distinct species, just 1,000 turtles remained.
Their population has since dropped to 300.
In Mexico, world’s smallest turtle faces big threats from trafficking, habitat loss
It sounds like a scene out of the Ocean’s series of heist movies. Only this one didn’t happen in Las Vegas, but at a Mexican university campus surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. And it wasn’t…
news.mongabay.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:53 AM
The Vallarta mud turtle, the world’s smallest turtle, lives only in temporary lagoons in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, posing a huge challenge for its conservation.
By the time scientists determined they were a distinct species, just 1,000 turtles remained.
Their population has since dropped to 300.
By the time scientists determined they were a distinct species, just 1,000 turtles remained.
Their population has since dropped to 300.