Ex situ conservation of species is risky and expensive, but it can prevent extinction when in situ conservation fails. We used the IUCN Guidelines on the Use of Ex Situ Management for Species Conservation to evaluate whether to begin ex situ conservation for the South-east Asian subspecies of Bengal florican Houbaropsis bengalensis blandini, which is predicted to be extinct in the wild within 5 years. To inform our decision, we developed a decision tree, and used a demographic model to evaluate the probability of establishing a captive population under a range of husbandry scenarios and egg harvest regimes, and compared this with the probability of the wild population persisting. The model showed that if ex situ conservation draws on international best practice in bustard husbandry there is a high probability of establishing a captive population, but the wild population is unlikely to persist. We identified and evaluated the practical risks associated with ex situ conservation, and documented our plans to mitigate them. Modelling shows that it is unlikely that birds could be released within 20–30 years, by which time genetic, morphological and behavioural changes in the captive population, combined with habitat loss and extinction of the wild population, make it unlikely that Bengal florican could be released into a situation approximating their current wild state. We considered the philosophical and practical implications through a decision tree so that our decision to begin ex situ management is not held back by our preconceived notions of what it means to be wild.

In any country the basic need for wild life preservation the education of the masses; and this is perhaps especially true of Africa, which has a shorter history of civilization than other continents. Vast sums are spent annually in West Africa on furthering general education, in building new schools and in improving and extending old ones. New universities spring up on all sides, which, like the schools, are full to overflowing with young students eager for knowledge; but though there are lessons in Nature Study, Zoology and Botany, these matters are all too often treated as mere exercises in learning with view to examination, and tend to concern themselves with the more obscure anatomical features of animals rather than their mode of life. Little emphasis is laid upon bringing home to the boys and girls, the young men and young women, the beauty and cultural value of the living scene around them: the animals, the birds, the trees, the flowers, and the importance of ensuring that the brave new world they are creating is not established in a dull and lifeless countryside. These boys and girls are the teachers and legislators of the not very distant future; ten years at the most will see them persons of considerable influence. It is they who in the States now coming into being will set the tune and engender the spirit which will colour the life of many generations to come. They should be made well-informed and interested in the natural world around them.

South of 25°N, the rugged, riparian, mixed evergreen forests of eastern Bangladesh mark the western edge of the ranges of the globally Vulnerable Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus and sun bear Helarctos malayanus. According to the IUCN Red List, the distribution of bears in Bangladesh is unclear: black bears are described as ‘scattered’ and ‘likely to be very low in number’ and sun bears as ‘vagrants’ entering from the adjoining north-east Indian forests. These statements are not based on any population or habitat assessments, impeding focused research and conservation investment. We compiled recent evidence of bear presence in Bangladesh based on camera trapping, literature reviews and analysis of media reports. From peer-reviewed and grey literature published during 2010–2022 we traced 43 verifiable accounts of black bears in the country. Our camera-trap survey in Rajkandi Reserve Forest produced the first ever evidence of a small population of black bears in north-eastern Bangladesh. Two field studies (in 2016 and 2021) reported camera-trap observations and multiple incidents of poaching of sun bears in Kassalong Reserve Forest and Sangu-Matamuhuri Reserve Forest in south-eastern Bangladesh. Media reports on conflict incidents presented 83 human casualties (80 injured, three dead) and 13 bear casualties (six dead, seven rescued) during 2003–2023. The incidents peaked in the summer (17); 79% were reported during 2018–2023. Cognizant of the fact that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, our study calls for systematic conservation measures for both of these bear species in unprotected hill forests in eastern Bangladesh.

Across the range of African elephants Loxodonta spp., negative interactions with people are prevalent, and the impact of the resulting economic losses on farmers calls for solutions. The use of beehive fences, a mitigation method with ecological and socio-economic benefits, is gaining momentum in African savannah landscapes. We assessed the diurnal and nocturnal defensive behaviours of African honeybees Apis mellifera adansonii in response to visual and physical disturbances in the Campo–Ma'an conservation area, Cameroon. We examined six bee colonies, assessing their activity level, aggressive behaviour and ability to defend themselves when disturbed at different times of day. We found that activity levels varied between colonies and that colonies were more active during the day and inactive at night. The defensive perimeter around the hives also varied between the colonies and was generally greater during morning and evening periods. Bee colonies did not defend their hives around midday and at night. In response to a threat, bees were more likely to fly out from the hive during daytime than at night, with variation amongst colonies. Overall, as elephant intrusions occur mostly at night, beehive fences alone may not be an adequate mitigation method against crop damage caused by forest elephants Loxodonta cyclotis. We suggest combining beehive fences with other mitigation methods to improve crop protection.

The unsustainable use of wildlife increases the risk of species extinction. In biodiversity-rich Indonesia, information on the scale of wildlife use is limited and requires further study. To address this, we explored the potential of text messaging (short message service; SMS) surveys to investigate levels and spatial patterns of domestic wildlife use, using songbird keeping and shark consumption as case studies because of their widespread occurrence in all 34 Indonesian provinces. We sent 340,000 messages for each survey during October–November 2018 and incentivized responses with a mobile data package as reward. We obtained survey response rates of 1.4% (songbird ownership) and 1.5% (shark consumption). Our results revealed an estimated 175.7 million songbirds being kept by 35% (80.4–86.6 million) of the Indonesian population and 33.5 million people (14% of the Indonesian population) to have consumed shark products in their lifetime. We identified hotspots of songbird ownership in several provinces in Java, corroborating previous findings, and new ones in the North Sumatra province, for example. The provinces of Maluku, Aceh and East Nusa Tenggara had the highest numbers of reported shark consumers per 1,000 people. Responses indicated a wide variety of shark products being consumed, highlighting the need for in-depth research to understand the explanatory factors behind these practices. These findings demonstrate the potential of SMS surveys to be a cost-effective approach for conducting large-scale studies on wildlife consumption patterns over a short period of time.

This paper presents the results of surveys conducted in 1994 to establish the population size and density, and conservation status of red howler monkeys Alouatta seniculus insulanus and white-fronted capuchin monkeys Cebus albifrons trinitatis in the Trinity Hills, Bush-Bush and Central Range Wildlife Sanctuaries of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. Populations of the red howler and capuchin monkey have declined by about 25 per cent in Bush-Bush Wildlife Sanctuary over the past 25 years. This decrease was attributed to intensive hunting pressure and habitat destruction. These factors have also caused monkey population declines in the Trinity Hills and Central Range Wildlife Sanctuaries. Recommendations are presented for the local government to enhance the protection of wild monkeys and their habitats in Trinidad.

The Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, probably India's rarest and most interesting animal, occupies a unique position in the world to-day. Listed by the survival service of the International Office for the Protection of Nature as one of the vanishing species which requires all possible steps to be taken for its protection, it has the eyes of scientists, naturalists and others in all parts of the world focussed on it and its habitat.

The Hawaiian archipelago was formerly home to one of the most species-rich land snail faunas (> 752 species), with levels of endemism > 99%. Many native Hawaiian land snail species are now extinct, and the remaining fauna is vulnerable. Unfortunately, lack of information on critical habitat requirements for Hawaiian land snails limits the development of effective conservation strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine the plant host preferences of native arboreal land snails in Puʻu Kukui Watershed, West Maui, Hawaiʻi, and compare these patterns to those from similar studies on the islands of Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi. Concordant with studies on other islands, we found that four species from three diverse families of snails in Puʻu Kukui Watershed had preferences for a few species of understorey plants. These were not the most abundant canopy or mid canopy species, indicating that forests without key understorey plants may not support the few remaining lineages of native snails. Preference for Broussaisia arguta among various island endemic snails across all studies indicates that this species is important for restoration to improve snail habitat. As studies examining host plant preferences are often incongruent with studies examining snail feeding, we suggest that we are in the infancy of defining what constitutes critical habitat for most Hawaiian arboreal snails. However, our results indicate that preserving diverse native plant assemblages, particularly understorey plant species, which facilitate key interactions, is critical to the goal of conserving the remaining threatened snail fauna.

Just before Christmas 1985 wolf researchers in Sweden made a particularly ugly discovery: the ritually mutilated corpse of an 18-month-old pup. It had been shot and scalped, its ears removed and a hind leg cut off. Then, in February 1986, another young wolf was chased along a forest track by a car, which smashed its back legs and killed it. These are merely the latest incidents in an irrational anti-wolf campaign, which is threatening the species's tentative come-back in Scandinavia. The author, who has worked extensively with Scandinavian conservationists since 1971, describes the plight of Sweden's wolves and explains why it is important to protect them.

For any one interested in birds and beasts, an expedition to the Murchison Falls in Uganda is a truly thrilling experience. On either side of the Victoria Nile, from. Lake Albert to the Falls, is the Bunyoro and Gulu game reserve where, from a boat going up and down the river, one can see an amazing number and variety of African fauna. It is a perfect example of the intense pleasure to be had from watching wild animals in a place where they can live undisturbed by man.