Wildlife Conservation Stories

  • How the climate crisis could impact our future

    June 06, 2023

    A new report by an international body of scientists exposes the sheer gravity of the climate crisis and the increasingly severe climate impacts facing people and nature. To drive home the impacts on nature, WWF created a new version that incorporates plants and animals to highlight how climate change affects generations across all species on the planet.

    graphic showing global warming trends after 2020
  • 380 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong in 2021 and 2022

    May 22, 2023

    A color-changing lizard, a thick-thumbed bat, a venomous snake named after a Chinese mythological goddess, an orchid that looks like a Muppet, and a tree frog with skin that resembles thick moss are just five of the 380 new species described by scientists in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia in 2021 and 2022, according to a new WWF report.

    A lizard with a turquoise head and orange tail climbs down a tree trunk
  • After Australia’s devastating wildfires, camera traps capture remarkable wildlife recovering

    May 15, 2023

    With a range of on-the-ground partners, the Eyes on Recovery team deployed camera traps in eight fire-affected regions to better understand the disaster’s impacts and how species are recovering.

    A wombat and its baby look at the camera
  • WWF campaign targets wild meat consumption to protect public health and nature

    WWF ran a campaign called Zero Wild Meat targeting consumption of wild meat between October and December 2022 among urban and provincial consumers in Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR with the goal of reducing demand and consumptive behaviors.

    An animal stands on a plate with a shadow of a virus in the background
  • Rare video of tigress and three cubs in Thailand

    March 03, 2023

    Incredible footage of a tigress and her three cubs was recorded in western Thailand last year. With only 148-189 wild tigers in all of Thailand, a tiger sighting is rare and even rarer to see a tigress with three well-developed cubs.

    A mother tiger leads her three cubs through forest in Thailand
  • Trailing tigers in an Indian wildlife sanctuary

    Each tiger sighting represented a symbol of hope, even defiance. Despite mounting threats, tiger numbers in India have continued to rise steadily in the last decade. That success, we saw firsthand, is thanks in no small part to local communities and conservationists.

    Three tigers lounge in green grass in India
  • How loud is a lion’s roar? And 4 other lion facts

    Lions are mighty cats, often seen as symbols of strength and power. They also play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and sustaining biodiversity. Here are five facts you might not know about lions.

    A lion lies on the grass under the rain
  • Through droughts and displacement, Rebecca Adams builds a better life

    February 23, 2023

    In the remote Namibian village of De Riet, goat herder Rebecca Adams builds a better future while living alongside elephants and lions.

    Rebecca Adams sits outside De Riet village, Namibia
  • Conservation highlights of 2022

    December 13, 2022

    Though the world faces two existential crises—a rapidly warming planet and declining biodiversity—and continues to battle a global pandemic, conservation still made major strides toward protecting wildlife, wild places, and people in 2022.

    aerial view of Colombian mountain range
  • In a win for wild tigers, the US Senate passes major legislation against wildlife crime

    December 07, 2022

    In a major win for tigers, the US Senate passed legislation that will help prevent captive tigers from ending up in the illegal trade of their parts and products—a primary threat to big cats in the wild. The Big Cat Public Safety Act now goes to President Biden to sign.

    A tiger walks through the snow on a sunny day in China
  • How wildlife help combat the climate crisis

    November 29, 2022

    Combatting climate change helps save wildlife populations around the globe, but the reverse is also true: Wildlife conservation plays an essential role in regulating our climate. By saving wildlife, we help save the planet, including ourselves.

    Sea otter closeup of face
  • It's spooky season. Settle in with an eerie wildlife playlist.

    Settle in for a playlist that's a bit frightening. But ultimately, the world would be a lot scarier without any wildlife.

    Closeup of fox peering left
  • KAZA's first-ever coordinated aerial elephant survey launched

    October 06, 2022

    The first-ever synchronized and coordinated aerial survey of Africa's largest savanna elephant populations is underway in the five countries that make up the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). Launched in northwest Zimbabwe at the end of August, the survey is undertaken by the five KAZA partner countries—Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—and with support from WWF and other partners.

     Aerial view of the african bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) in the Qorokwe concession, Okavango Delta, Botswana
  • Critically endangered Arctic foxes successfully breed in Finland

    This is the first time in over 25 years that the Arctic fox has successfully bred in Finland. In recent years, more Arctic fox observations have been made at the feeding stations maintained by Metsähallitus, National Parks Finland, and WWF, making breeding expected.

    Arctic foxes photographed from the distance in a snowy mountain landscape
  • Nepal nearly triples its wild tiger population

    July 29, 2022

    Nepal is now the second country to double its wild tiger population. It’s an incredible achievement and testament to the conservation efforts of the government, partners, and local communities over the last 12 years.

    Two young tigers run alongside a riverbank in Nepal
  • Camera traps capture mother tiger with four cubs

    July 18, 2022

    With fewer than 150 individuals, tigers in Malaysia are on the brink of extinction. So imagine the surprise and joy when tiger conservationists spotted a tigress with four cubs on camera traps set up to monitor the population.

    Camera trap image of a tiger mother walking through the forest behind three of her cubs with a fourth cub partially hidden by trees
  • Life among the mangroves

    July 14, 2022

    Straddling the land and the sea with a tangle of arching roots, mangrove trees guard coastlines all over the world. Learn about the wildlife that relies on these special trees for their survival.

    A proboscis monkey sits in a mangrove tree
  • A baby gorilla and multiple elephant calves make their debut in Dzanga-Sangha

    June 16, 2022

    A baby gorilla and a slew of newborn African forest elephants were spotted in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas complex—a biodiversity hotspot that’s home to an incredible range of wildlife from bongos to forest buffalo.

    A baby elephant walks through the mud
  • Why connectivity matters to wildlife—and people

    Connectivity is the unimpeded movement of animals and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth. Our planet will only survive if its ecosystems are connected.

    Overhead view of roads in jungle
  • What is people-centered tiger conservation?

    Finding effective ways to partner with people living and working in areas where tigers roam is vital for the long-term recovery of these big cats.

    A group of citizen scientists walk through a winding path in the forest
  • What is the sixth mass extinction and what can we do about it?

    The planet has experienced five previous mass extinction events, the last one occurring 65.5 million years ago which wiped out the dinosaurs from existence. Experts now believe we’re in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.

    A lone mangrove on parched land
  • Leveraging technology to support mountain gorilla conservation

    March 08, 2022

    Home of Gorillas launched in February after winning the Beyond Tourism in Africa Innovation Challenge to foster new income-generating ideas beyond tourism for both local communities and wildlife conservation in Africa.

    A gorilla looks off into the distance while sitting among greenery
  • Eight species making a comeback

    March 03, 2022

    Recovering species is essential for effective wildlife conservation and critical to the work WWF does around the world. Here are just a few of our favorite, recent recovery stories.

    Banke Nepal camera trap