What determines the rarity of large carnivores in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia?

Asfaw et al. investigate the presence of large carnivores in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia and share their experience. Populations of large carnivores have been declining in Ethiopia for many years due to a range of factors including reduced prey populations, pressure from neighbouring human settlements, habitat fragmentation and loss, and low political interest in conservation. Yet large carnivores, including the African wild dog, cheetah, … Continue reading What determines the rarity of large carnivores in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia?

Counting the ghosts of the mountains: sampling snow leopard populations at large spatial scales

Effective management of large carnivores requires robust monitoring at all scales. In their latest research, Manvi Sharma and colleagues describe the first systematic effort at estimating snow leopard populations at a large regional scale. The high-altitude mountains of the Himalaya are important habitats for unique flora and fauna adapted to these regions. The most charming of these species that has taken home here is the … Continue reading Counting the ghosts of the mountains: sampling snow leopard populations at large spatial scales

Bears on the move: effects of human development and climate change on hibernation in a large carnivore

How is climate change affecting both black bear hibernation and our interactions with the species? Associate Editor, Claudia Bieber comments on the recent article, Human development and climate affect hibernation in a large carnivore with implications for human–carnivore conflicts by Heather Johnson et al. As we were enduring extremely high summer temperatures in Vienna, it was indeed refreshing to find a manuscript dealing with hibernation in … Continue reading Bears on the move: effects of human development and climate change on hibernation in a large carnivore