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☆ To my son, born in the climate crisis: These helpers changed the fate of the titi
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Bill Weir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

As River Weir has grown, Bill has been collecting stories of hope, resilience and Earth repair to share with him. “I became really frustrated by the lack of transparency,” Charlie told me. And at an expo in 2006, the fate of the titis turned for the better when the Vargas family walked in. But when she needed $1.2 million to buy nearly 1,000 acres of neighboring ranchland, Chris needed to find more helpers. “It may take a day to cut a hectare of forest,” she told me as we hiked past her plantings and into a meticulous greenhouse.

Persons: Bill Weir’s, Mister Rogers, Weir, Bill, Bill Weir, ” Rosamira Guillen, ”, Rosamira Guillen, Julian Quinones, titi, Rosamira, Charlie Knowles, Richard Nixon’s, Charlie, Laurie Marker, “ I’m, “, Akiko Yamazaki, John Lukas – Charlie, WCN, Rosamina, ” Julian Quinones, Jane Goodall, Vargas, Kira, Chris Vargas, ‘, Steve Jobs, ” Chris, Chris, CNN Bill, Olivia Organizations: CNN, Wildlife Conservation Network, expos Locations: . Dear, South America, Colombia, Barranquilla, American, Namibia, Silicon Valley, ranchland

☆ How a Jack Dorsey-backed bitcoin miner uses a volcano in Kenya to turn on the lights in rural homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

watch nowHELL'S GATE, Kenya — Two-and-a-half hours northwest of Nairobi by car, a small group of bitcoin miners set up shop at the site of an extinct volcano near Hell's Gate National Park. "That doesn't happen without the bitcoin miners and us being globally distributed." MacKenzie SigalosWherever the operation, bitcoin mining is a volatile business, because so much of the economics depends on the price of the cryptocurrency. Before getting into bitcoin mining, he and his two co-founders, Philip Walton and Janet Maingi, spent years building internet connectivity infrastructure in rural and urban Africa. Demand from bitcoin miners on these semi-stranded assets is making renewables in Africa economically viable.

Persons: Jack Dorsey's, MacKenzie Sigalos, Erik Hersman, Bitcoin, Gridless, Lake Naivasha, bitcoin, Adam Sullivan, Philip Walton, Janet Maingi, Michael Gottschalk, Nic Carter, Carter, Hersman, It's, it's Organizations: CNBC, Kenyan, Core, Deutsche Bank, Marathon, United Arab, Getty, Island Ventures, Miners, International Energy Agency Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, Lake Naivasha, Malawi, Zambia, Venezuela, Lebanon, Gate, Lake, U.S, Texas, Russia, China, America, Africa, Toronto, Argentina, Florida, United Arab Emirates, Paraguay, Hersman, Sudan, Iceland, El Salvador, Bhutan

☆ Health VC firm SpringTide Ventures just closed its second $65 million fund. Here's what a startup needs to get its backing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAustin Walters started SpringTide Ventures in 2018 to disrupt healthcare by democratizing access to health innovations. The firm just closed its second $65 million fund to make more of those bets. A tough fundraising environmentAfter closing on its first $20 million fund, which the firm began investing out of in 2019, SpringTide originally set a $100 million target in 2021 for its second fund, Walters said. SpringTide picks a different focus area each time — most recently, home health, where the firm has invested in companies like family primary care startup Nest Health. By solving significant problems with advanced technologies, these companies have natural competitive advantages that allow them to drive outsize returns for the firm, Walters said.

Persons: —, Austin Walters, Walters, Henry Ford, We're, SpringTide, Justin Hackworth Photgraphy SpringTide, OpenLoop, outsize, SpringTidew hasn't, " Walters Organizations: Service, SpringTide Ventures, Tiger Global, Sonic Healthcare, Business, Health, Ally Bank, Troomi Wireless Locations: Boston, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, New York

☆ You can buy an endangered monkey on Facebook in 20 minutes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It took BI 20 minutes to find endangered squirrel monkeys and other exotic species for sale. Used lawn furniture, homemade baked goods… endangered species. 20 minutes to monkeysIt took BI less than two minutes to identify Facebook accounts selling the bowmouth guitarfish horns. Advertisement"In just two mouse clicks, our researchers could locate substantial wildlife trafficking content," researchers behind the ACCO study wrote. "Facilitated by transnational organized crime networks, with links to drug, human, and weapon trafficking, illegal wildlife trade threatens not only wildlife populations," Allan told BI.

Persons: —, Crawford Allan, Allan, Jill Atkins Organizations: Facebook, Service, World Wildlife Fund, Coalition, Meta, Products, BI, Wildlife Fund, Wildlife, Alliance, WWF, United Nations, Sheffield University Management School, University of Sheffield

☆ I went on a budget and a luxury safari in Africa. Here's how they compare — and the one thing you really need to look for when booking.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Fiona Chandra | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

My big takeaway is that it's really worth paying to be inside a private reserve. Still, it was a wonderful experience, and if I had more money, I may feel differently. But again, as far as the safari experience goes, the private reserve is hard to beat. And if luxurious lodges are out of the question, private reserves can also be visited more affordably. Some lodges inside private reserves, like Shindzela or Rhino River Lodge, can cost around $250 per person per night.

Persons: Fiona Chandra, hadn't, I'm Organizations: Rhino Locations: Africa, Taasa

KAOBAGOU, Benin—Gunmen pulled 18 villagers from their homes during a night raid this spring, shooting some and slitting the throats of the rest. They wedged hand grenades under the bodies, laying a trap for those who would discover the grisly scene. Two more villagers were later killed when they moved the corpses and triggered the explosives. By then, the attackers were hiding in nearby Pendjari National Park, a refuge for thousands of elephants, herds of antelope, the last few West African cheetahs and, increasingly, Islamist militants.

Organizations: Benin — Gunmen Locations: KAOBAGOU, Benin, Pendjari

Cheetahs are usually daytime hunters, but the speedy big cats will shift their activity toward dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, a new study finds. While cheetahs only eat fresh meat, lions and leopards will sometimes opportunistically scavenge from smaller predators. But the new study found that on the hottest days, when maximum daily temperatures soared to nearly 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), cheetahs became more nocturnal — increasing their overlapping hunting hours with rival big cats by 16%. In addition to competition with lions and leopards, cheetahs already face severe pressure from habitat fragmentation and conflict with humans. The fastest land animal, cheetahs are the rarest big cat in Africa, with fewer than 7,000 left in the wild.

Persons: ”, Briana Abrahms, Bettina Wachter, Wachter, Kasim Rafiq, Rafiq —, it's Organizations: Cheetahs, Royal Society, University of Washington, “, Cheetah Research, Leibniz Institute for Zoo, Wildlife Research, Botswana Predator Conservation, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: “ Lions, Namibia, Botswana, Africa, Zambia

☆ 3 travel agents for the world's wealthiest people share exactly where the 1% are traveling this summer, from Botswana to the Côte d'Azur
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Summer travel can be done on a budget, but for the world's wealthiest people, no expense is spared. Top travel agents shared the hottest spots they're seeing this year, from Paros to the Côte d'Azur. Instead, look to the elite group of agents who help wrangle those jaunts and cater to the wealthiest, most demanding vacationers. Courtesy of John CliffordJohn Clifford in San Diego runs International Travel Management and has expertise with LGBTQ+ travel. Insider asked these travel professionals to share the secrets of where and how the richest 1% are vacationing in summer 2023.

Persons: they've, Jules Maury, Jules Maury Jules Maury, Scott Dunn, John Clifford, John Clifford John Clifford, Edward Granville ., Edward Granville Edward Granville, Granville, Maury, I've, Clifford, he's, Côte, they're, We've, Rod, it's, Paros, It's, Cosme, Parilio, Avant, she's, she'd, Milos Organizations: Côte, Service, San Diego, Travel Management, d'Azur, Porto Heli, Italy, Avant Mar, HBO, Domenico Palace Locations: Paros, Wall, Silicon, San, Red Savannah, London, COVID, Europe, Cannes, France, Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Botswana's Okavango Delta, Kenya, Porto, Greece, Italy, Spain, Athens, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Sicily, Domenico

The male cheetah, named Tejas, was one of 12 that were relocated from South Africa earlier this year, CNN News18 said. The relocation was part of a historic project to reintroduce cheetahs to India after they went extinct in the country 70 years ago. In March, Namibian cheetah Sasha died of kidney disease, and in April, South African cheetah Uday died due to cardiac failure. Just weeks later, South African cheetah Daksha died after a violent encounter with male cheetahs during a mating attempt. One Namibian cheetah relocated to India as part of a reintroduction program died from kidney infection.

Persons: CNN — India’s, CNN News18, Sasha, Uday, Daksha, Bhupender Yadav, ”, It’s, ” Yadav, Eli Walker Organizations: CNN, CNN News18, Tejas, India’s, Times, Cheetah Conservation, Cheetahs, Cheetah Conservation Fund Locations: Madhya Pradesh, South Africa, India, Namibia, Namibian, East, Saharan Africa, Africa

☆ A British explorer and businessman is among those on the missing submersible.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hamish Harding, a British businessman and explorer, was among those aboard the submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic on Sunday, according to Mark Butler, the managing director of Mr. Harding’s company, Action Aviation. Mr. Harding, 58, who holds several Guinness World Records, including one for the longest time spent traversing the deepest part of the ocean on a single dive, wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday that he was proud to finally announce that he had joined OceanGate’s mission “on the sub going down to the Titanic.”Mr. Harding is the chairman of Action Aviation, a sales and air operations company based in Dubai. He had previously flown to space on a mission by Jeffrey P. Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket company. He also took part in a mission for reintroduction of cheetahs to India, and holds a world record for the fastest circumnavigation of Earth via both the geographic poles by plane.

Persons: Hamish Harding, Mark Butler, Harding, Mr, Jeffrey P Organizations: Atlantic, Action Aviation, World Records, Origin Locations: British, Dubai, India

☆ Cheetah Deaths in India Mar Reintroduction Efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hari Kumar | Sameer Yasir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For centuries, cheetahs roamed vast swaths of India and prowled among lions, tigers and leopards. Last year, the Indian government sought to bring cheetahs back by reintroducing the species to the country, bringing 20 in from South Africa and Namibia. In the latest case, a female cheetah was killed during a violent interaction with two older males after they were put in the same enclosure for the purpose of mating. Another male cheetah brought from South Africa in February died of apparent heart failure last month. And a female from the Namibia group, consisting of five males and three females, died of a suspected kidney ailment in March.

☆ Video shows 2 crocodiles take on 3 cheetahs in a battle for dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video shows three cheetahs killing and beginning to feast on a waterbuck in Kruger National Park. Then a pair of crocodiles shimmy up to the cheetahs, who hiss and eventually back away. The cheetahs face off against the crocs as they drag their prey further away from the approaching crocodiles several times. Latest Sightings/YouTube/Bob and Rosa SwartThough cheetahs are much faster than crocodiles, the crocs' persistent intimidation eventually wins them the prey. Latest Sightings/YouTube/Bob and Rosa SwartAfter the crocodiles successfully commandeer the prey, the video shows more crocodiles rolling up to the feast.

☆ Six lions killed in Kenya in blow to conservation efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI, May 14 (Reuters) - Six lions have been killed in a national park in southern Kenya, in a blow to conservation efforts and the tourism industry that is a key pillar of the nation's economy. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said the lions were killed after attacking goats and a dog near villages close to the Amboseli National Park. "Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident as over the last week four other lions have been killed," KWS said in a statement on Saturday. Residents around nature reserves in Kenya often complain that lions and other carnivores kill livestock and domestic animals as humans and wildlife compete for space and resources. The 39,206-hectare Amboseli National Park is home to some of the most prized game including elephants, cheetahs, buffalos and giraffes.

☆ India says other African cheetahs well after two deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A cheetah looks on after being sedated, before being flown with eleven others from South Africa to India under an agreement between the two governments to introduce the African cats to the South Asian country over the next decade, at Rooiberg veterinary facility, Limpopo province, South Africa, February 17, 2023. The deaths raised concerns about the effort that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed, but that some conservationists have called a "vanity project" that overlooks the fact the African cheetah is not native to South Asia. "The other cheetahs have been closely monitored and none of them has shown any similar symptoms," the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a statement. The ministry said a team of experts from South Africa and India visited the park in Madhya Pradesh state on April 30 and submitted a report to it on the way ahead. "This is the first intercontinental re-introduction of a wild, large carnivore species and therefore there is no comparable historical precedent."

☆ What Cheetahs, Armadillos and Whales Revealed About Human DNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Carl Zimmer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It has been 20 years since scientists put together the first rough draft of the human genome, the three billion genetic letters of DNA tightly wound inside most of our cells. Today, scientists are still struggling to decipher it. But a batch of studies published in Science on Thursday has cast a bright light into the dark recesses of the human genome by comparing it with those of 239 other mammals, including narwhals, cheetahs and screaming hairy armadillos. By tracing this genomic evolution over the past 100 million years, the so-called Zoonomia Project has revealed millions of stretches of human DNA that have changed little since our shrew-like ancestors scurried in the shadows of dinosaurs. These ancient genetic elements most likely carry out essential functions in our bodies today, the project found, and mutations within them can put us at risk of a range of diseases.

The cause of death was not immediately known and authorities will perform a post-mortem to find out more, the outlet reported. Uday – who was named by Indian citizens in a contest – was among 20 cheetahs airlifted to India over the past few months from Africa. The news of the deceased 6-year-old cheetah came just three weeks after his fellow feline, Sasha, died from a kidney infection. Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which also helped with transferring the animals, said re-establishing a population is very difficult. In late March, the country welcomed four newborn cheetahs for the first time since the species disappeared from India more than 70 years ago.

☆ India reintroduced 8 cheetahs after the big cats were wiped out 70 years ago — but some scientists say it's more of a PR stunt than a conservation effort
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cheetahs are being reintroduced to India after being declared extinct in the country in 1952. The reintroduction effort is aimed at creating a viable population of wild cheetahs. Some experts are critical of the plan, saying it's more like a large "zoo" than a wild population. The reintroduction plan, which is estimated to cost about $11 million, aims to establish a viable, free-ranging population of cheetahs. "The cheetah is a magnificent animal, it's a big magnet for ecotourism," Jhala told National Geographic.

An animal voyage is special because it requires us to make many journeys all at once. To return home from an animal voyage is to become, yourself, a new animal living in your old habitat. “If the snow leopard should manifest itself, then I am ready to see the snow leopard,” Matthiessen writes. The best trips, like Peter Matthiessen’s search for the snow leopard, find a way to make themselves permanent. To return home from an animal voyage is to become, yourself, a new animal living in your old habitat.

☆ Inside an Animal Sanctuary in Bolivia Where Tourists Can Help
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Photographs Yael Martínez | Yael Martínez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +22 min

An animal voyage is special because it requires us to make many journeys all at once. My favorite record of an animal voyage is a book that’s fluent in failure. To return home from an animal voyage is to become, yourself, a new animal living in your old habitat. “If the snow leopard should manifest itself, then I am ready to see the snow leopard,” Matthiessen writes. To return home from an animal voyage is to become, yourself, a new animal living in your old habitat.

☆ Lessons From a Lifetime of Animal Voyages
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Sam Anderson | Photographs Yael Martínez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +22 min

☆ Where the Wild Things Are
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( The New York Times Magazine | Photographs Yael Martínez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +22 min

To return home from an animal voyage is to become, yourself, a new animal living in your old habitat. “If the snow leopard should manifest itself, then I am ready to see the snow leopard,” Matthiessen writes. “We’ve seen so much, maybe it’s better if there are some things that we don’t see.”Today, nearly 50 years later, if you are so inclined, you can go see a snow leopard at the zoo. The best trips, like Peter Matthiessen’s search for the snow leopard, find a way to make themselves permanent. To return home from an animal voyage is to become, yourself, a new animal living in your old habitat.

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