Despite the fact that Scotland’s red squirrel numbers have dropped hugely in recent decades, it is still home to 75% of our UK population. This makes it extremely important that we ensure Scotland’s endangered red squirrels have a secure future. We’ve been funding intern George Porton, who is part of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels initiative. …

How wild are wildcats? Our wildlife faces many different threats which all come with their particular challenges. Hybridisation between a wild animal – particularly one which has very few individuals left – and a domestic animal can be really problematic to deal with. Are the wildcats in the wild, really wild? Are there any true …

Lemurs’ need for trees Across Madagascar 90% of littoral forest – that’s the forest found on the shore that has adapted to grow on the sand– has been lost due to human activities. Much of it is still under threat, mainly from slash and burn agriculture and mining projects. There are some animals which are …

In the fields and forests of Bulgaria, Nedko Nedyalkov and his team have been avidly looking for evidence of Roach’s mouse-tailed dormouse over the past year. This mouse-tailed dormouse is one of the Europe’s rarest mammal species and is only found in the border area of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. For forty years there had …

Scientists from ZSL (Zoological Society of London)’s London HogWatch programme have found hotspots of native hedgehog populations in the north and west of London, compared to the south east of the city. The research, led by Rachel Cates – an Intern funded by wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) – and supported by …

Understanding wildlife trade Wildlife trade has made headline news recently because of the part it’s played in the coronavirus outbreak. But disease is not the only threat. Species are also at risk, sometimes even of extinction. Animals such as pangolins are being captured from the wild for consumption – whether as meat or medicine – …

Studying in the rain has its challenges Conducting field research in the tropics is challenging. Working in the Peruvian Amazon during the rainy season, between November and April, is even more so. When I started studying giant otters in the Madre de Dios province a few years ago, I was advised to stick to the …

Arnaud Desbiez and his team are working in the Pantanal region, Brazil, to protect giant anteaters from habitat degradation and fragmentation as part of the Anteaters & Highways project. Giant anteaters are classified as vulnerable to extinction. Our colleague, Arnaud, wrote to us recently to describe how the recent fires in the Amazon have affected …

Briddlesford, an ancient woodland Every January, we invite a loyal group of enthusiastic volunteers to join us in Briddlesford, our nature reserve on the Isle of Wight, to help us maintain and manage the woodland for wildlife. Briddlesford is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area for Conservation. The presence of …

Amy Dickman, project leader of the Ruaha Carnivore Project in Tanzania, recently wrote to us about the success of the community camera trap programme. We are seeing real results now thanks to an enormous amount of hard work from Amy and her team on the ground working with the local communities, which brings a lot …

We’ve just received news from Bayara, our project leader and conservation partner in Monoglia, who’s working on protecting endangered snow leopards. In a recent visit she stayed with Ekra, a ranger of Turgen Mountain Strictly Protected Area, and his wife. Whilst she was there they had an extraordinary encounter. Bayara describes her stay: “I’ve just …

Danai Kontou, one of our PTES interns, is studying kelp in UK waters. Kelp are considered the forests of the ocean and provide an important habitat for many other species, forming an important part of the ocean’s biodiversity. Sadly, it is suffering a worldwide decline, as it’s vulnerable to climate change, ocean warming and acidification. …