Wildlife Conservation Stories

In 2016, the US government imposed a “near-total ban” on imports, exports, and domestic trade of African elephant ivory. The findings led to recommendations that could help the US regulate the trade.

More than 3,000 WWF supporters donated a total of $263,211 to fund 10 antipoaching teams targeting Myanmar’s most vulnerable areas.

Thanks to a groundbreaking agreement between a WWF-founded company and the residents of a rain forest village, Sumatran orangutan habitat is more secure than it was just a few years ago.

In less than a decade, Bhutan’s Royal Manas National Park has achieved a big win for tiger conservation. From only 10 tigers in 2010, its population has now grown to 22. With a global population of as few as 3,890 wild tigers, every population increase matters. And it marks a significant step towards achieving the goal of doubling the world’s wild tigers.

WWF’s Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP) has been working with passion, commitment, and determination for a brighter future for the critically endangered black rhino for more than a decade. BRREP works to grow black rhino numbers by creating new populations and provides equipment and training to rangers to monitor, manage, and protect rhinos.

The Sumatran rhino is so rare and elusive that even the most senior of the rangers have never seen the animal in the wild. But just because you don’t see something doesn't mean it’s is not there.

By the end of December, it will be illegal to sell or buy elephant ivory in China. But will the new and critical ban succeed in a country that’s home to the largest legal ivory market in the world?

Pavel Fomenko is a man of the wilderness and tiger protector with WWF-Russia. Here is his story.

A new great ape species—the Tapanuli orangutan—was officially announced by an international team of scientists today. With 800 or fewer individuals, the Tapanuli orangutan is the rarest of all great apes.

For perhaps the first time ever, a snow leopard was captured by a camera trap in a remote forest in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh remains largely unexplored, making this photographic evidence of snow leopards especially significant. 

In the Upper Gulf of California, scientists and fishermen work to protect the habitat of the world's smallest porpoise.

Perhaps most rewarding part of Brandon Davis' career as an animal trainer and conservation ambassador has been educating people about animals and getting them excited about wildlife conservation.

Even as so many species faced both new and ongoing challenges, WWF tackled those threats head-on

Captured after close encounters with humans, Uporny the tiger was rehabilitated and released, offering researchers an unprecedented look into the wild life of an elusive big cat.

A baby rhino spotted alongside its mother in Manas National Park, located in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, is an encouraging new sign that the rhino population in the protected area is on the upswing.

Camera traps in Thailand's Mae Wong and Klong Lan National Parks reveal 16 new tigers— 6 cubs and 10 adults. 

On September 8^th, 2017, the Republic of Kazakhstan announced their plans to bring wild tigers back to their historical range in the Ili-Balkhash region, and signed a memorandum with WWF to implement a joint tiger reintroduction plan. These iconic cats will finally return to Kazakhstan, 70 years after going extinct there.

Wildlife roam large areas and do not recognize human-imposed boundaries. They need help doing things like crossing busy roads. This incredible elephant encounter emphasized how important movement corridors are for wildlife. 

Amid a dire poaching crisis, wild Asian elephants in Myanmar received swift and essential aid from thousands of WWF supporters committed to protecting this iconic species. More than 3,000 people donated $263,211 in less than four weeks to fund an emergency action plan to train rangers and get boots on the ground to fight wildlife crime.

Singye Wangmo exudes a natural passion for wildlife. One of the few female forestry officers working on the ground in Bhutan, she spends her days protecting the tigers of Royal Manas National Park from poachers.

WWF and Tiger Beer US are engaging in a campaign to fundraise to support rangers around the world, including those in tiger range countries to reduce the threat of poaching to this species. Tiger Beer will match up to $25,000 of consumer donations from July 1 through August 31, 2017 to support WWF's Back a Ranger Program.

In mid-October of 2016, a Continental tiger was seen in the Russian city of Vladivostok. Despite efforts to capture him, he proved elusive, and gained international attention. On October 20th, he was finally captured and taken to a rehabilitation center. After being rehabilitated, he was released into his new home, Bikin National Park. 

The government of Mexico announces a permanent ban on gillnets in the Upper Gulf of California - a fantastic and encouraging step forward in the path to saving the vaquita.

In a disturbing and growing new trend, Asian elephants of all ages are being slaughtered in Myanmar for their skin and other body parts. WWF is launching an emergency action plan to train, equip, and deploy 10 anti-poaching teams to the most vulnerable areas, and implementing a thorough plan to stop the slaughter.