Animal species
🛢️ Abandoned oil refinery becomes home to 3,200 species
The site hosts almost 12 percent rare, threatened or near-threatened species out of 3,200 documented species in total.
🐆 Endangered Amur leopard population increases to 130 individuals
Researchers' monitoring with over 200 camera traps shows the population is spreading across borders.
🐠 Coral believed extinct rediscovered after 24 years in Galápagos
Scientists have rediscovered over 250 healthy colonies of the coral species Rhizopsammia wellingtoni in waters around the Galápagos Islands. The coral had not been observed by researchers since 2000 and was classified as critically endangered and possibly extinct in 2007.
🐅 Thailand's tiger population has increased fivefold in 15 years
The tiger population in Thailand's Western Forest Complex has increased from approximately 40 individuals in 2007 to between 179 and 223 last year. WWF calls the increase extraordinary. Major tiger population recoveries have also been noted in India and Nepal.
🔙 Beaver returns to Portugal after 500 years
Beaver has returned to Portugal after being extinct since the end of the 1400s, confirmed through camera traps and gnaw marks. The species functions as a natural ecosystem engineer that creates wetlands and improves water quality without human cost.
🐦 Solar farms benefit bird life more than agricultural land
Well-managed solar parks have been shown to host more bird species and individuals per hectare than surrounding farmland. Solar parks that maintain a mix of habitats, uncut grass, and preserved hedges had almost three times more birds compared to nearby farmland.
🐻 Wild predators make successful comeback in Europe
The Iberian lynx, which 25 years ago had fewer than 100 individuals left, has now recovered and its status has changed from "critically endangered" to "vulnerable." Brown bears have increased by 17% to 20,500, Eurasian lynx by 12% to 9,400, and wolverines by 16% to 1,300 since 2016.
🐢 Sea turtles increasing in numbers
New research shows that sea turtle populations are increasing at 28 sites globally, while only five show declines. Conservation measures since the 1970s have transformed humans from hunters to protectors of these marine reptiles.
🐁 Scientists have created woolly mice on the path to mammoth's return
Scientists at the biotech company Colossal Biosciences have created genetically modified mice with thick, woolly fur as a step toward recreating woolly mammoths. The company plans to "de-extinct" the mammoth with the goal of birthing the first calf before the end of 2028.