tokay ghecko (credit: afternoon)
As we come to the end of another year it’s time to look back and see which blogs of 2011 has been the most popular. The list below shows the top 10 environment and wildlife blogs that have appeared on Wildlife News.
I’ve ignored posts from the old WordPress categories as all the posts have now been migrated to another site. I’ve also ignored the TV reviews as they always produce a lot of visitors. I’ve also disregarded pages in the wildlife shop and in the nature reserves section.
So the list is based on our news stories and product reviews. The list is produced from our Google Analytics stats. The visitors come from a good mixture of being shared on social networks and also direct access from search engines.
So lets list the top 10 wildlife blogs of 2011:
10. Book Review : Lion Country.
At number ten in our most read post was a book review. Lion Country by Chris Weston is a book based on the TV series. It covers the story of a pride of lions in Zimbabwe and the work of Antelope Park.
9. 10 top zoos and wildlife parks to visit this summer.
With the ‘staycation’ being the name of the game for most people during 2011 this post offered a selection of zoos to add a bit of variety to your days out. I said my favorite zoo in the UK was Chester Zoo… but that was before the pandas came!
8. Bush meat trade destroying Tanzanian wildlife.
A report looking at the diversity of wildlife in the Udzungwa Scarp forest Reserve noted that hunters and poachers had affected on many of the larger species in the region. The result was that hunters were having to target smaller and smaller species to find enough food.
7. Review: Praktica 15-45×60 Angled Waterproof Spotting Scope.
One of my first product reviews seem to be an ongoing favourite. This review looked at one of the best value spotting or birding scopes on the market.
6. Badgers to be culled while livestock markets and farmers ignore regulations.
Just as the Welsh Assembly was looking at a cull of badgers to try and prevent the spread of TB in cattle an undercover video showed cattle farmers ignoring basic hygiene and bio security practises to prevent the spread of the disease.
5. Will your Valentines Day kill wildlife in Kenya?
Everyone likes to give or receive roses on Valentines Day. but with 1 in 3 roses sold in the UK coming from Kenya it’s having a devastating impact on the local wildlife.
4. Videos of Hope the black bear.
Sadly international wildlife star hope the black bear loved by many through the series Bear family and Me was killed by a hunter this year. This post reminded us of hope through some of my favourite Youtube videos of her.
3. Will Somalia be the next oil war for UK forces?
This post tried to read between the lines of Andrew Mitchell, the UK International Development Secretary, visit to Somalia in August. With the UK hosting an international meeting on Somalia early next year it seems that another oil war in just on the horizon.
2. Zambia shuts down wildlife police.
Zambia’s new President disbands the board of the Zambia Wildlife authority amid claims that the board had a twisted and pervert sense of priorities by putting animal welfare issues before fellow human welfare. This led to poor people being criminalised for trying to feed their families.
1. The wacky world of HIV and gecko spit.
Our most read wildlife blog in 2011 was bout the concerns over the tokay ghecko. Those concerns were rightly placed as the continued hunting for this small lizard has resulted in calls for this once common gecko to be placed under CITES protection. It just shows how damaging false medical claims for a species can be for the long-term survival of the species.
There’s been some interesting wildlife and environmental stories and news come out in 2011. The natural world is an amazing place and I’m sure there will be lots more fascinating stories waiting for us in 2012.
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