Eco tourism
Minister calls for shoot to kill policy in Botswana
The Deputy Speaker of the Botswana Parliament, Pono Moatlhodi, has called for the immediate introduction of a shoot to kill policy to tackle poachers targeting rhino and elephants in the country. His call for a new tougher stance against the poachers comes just days after Mozambique declared that the Limpopo National Park lost its last [...]
Tourism fears as dolphins blown up
A visit to Tanzania is a wildlife lover’s dream. It is a leading destination for safaris and many happy memories are made there. However there are fears that tourists in some parts are leaving with gruesome memories of dynamite-fisherman targeting dolphins for use as bait in the profitable shark-fin trade. The Secretary of the Tanga [...]
The Good and Bad of Wildlife Apps
Smartphones can really help people to enjoy wildlife and nature reserves but they can also take away some of the excitement and mystery of going out exploring and not knowing what species you will encounter. Can we miss out on so much the nature has too offer because we are more interested in ticking our [...]
World’s biggest aquarium opens in Singapore
The world’s largest freshwater aquarium has opened to the public at the nature themed River Safari park in Singapore. The aquarium seeks to highlight the wealth of species that live in the Amazon River of South America. Exhibits include manatees that have been moved to the aquarium from their previous home at Singapore Zoo. The [...]
Is Bali about to ban shark fishing?
There are hints that a new shark and manta ray sanctuary is about to be formed at Bali. Last month the underwater paradise of Raja Ampat in West Papua, Indonesia banned the fishing of sharks and rays in it’s coral reefs and set up a shark sanctuary – the first in the so called Coral [...]
Stingrays give up nightlife to please the tourists
One of the most popular marine wildlife experiences in the world has to be a visit to Stingray City in the Cayman Islands. Here a million tourists a year visit to feed and interact with stingrays at a sandbar. Now a two year study has shown that the stingrays have changed their feeding habits to [...]
Maldives aim to be world’s first biosphere nation
The Maldives has set itself a tough target to be the world’s first UNESCO Biosphere reserve nation and it aims to win the accolade by 2017. The Indian Ocean nation has put together an implementation plan to run between 2013 and 2017 that will see more than half of the nations island atolls implementing the [...]
Attenborough’s Africa leads a safari renaissance
Sir David Attenborough’s latest BBC series Africa has relaunched the safari tourism trade and with modern internet sharing and online watching it is not just the British audience that have been inspired to look again at the African safari for a holiday this year. Many safari holiday operators have had a tough few years with [...]
Dive with Jean-Michel Cousteau
There are 4 great opportunities this year to dive with undersea explorer and environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau. It is a perfect opportunity to explore the pristine reefs and wildlife of the French Polynesian Islands and surrounding region. Aboard the luxury small cruise ship the M/S Paul Gauguin Jean-Michel will offer a series of video and talks [...]
Our top 10 wildlife holiday hotspots for 2013
Wildlife holidays are always popular and with such a vast range of destinations to choose from it can be difficult to decide on where to go for your vacation. New developments are constantly being built to help people enjoy the local wildlife and to bring previously inaccessible places within reach of normal people. These are [...]
Tourists take priority over tigers in Uttarakhand
Conservation activists have made claims that since tiger reserves in Uttarakhand were reopened looking after tourists has become more important than looking after the tigers. While tigers are under threat of poaching tiger reserve rangers and their vehicles are tied up in buying and cooking food for the tourists. A directive by the Corbett Tiger [...]
New £30 million development for Chester Zoo approved
Soon a little part of the biodiversity of the islands of South East Asia will be on display at Chester Zoo thanks to a major £30 million development. Local planners gave the green light to one of the biggest zoo development projects in Europe that will see parts of Chester Zoo grounds transformed into tropical [...]
Western tourists funding attacks on Virunga’s wildlife and rangers
Gorillas are a major draw for tourists when they go to Africa. Because of the demand to see them and because there are so few remaining it can be very expensive to undertake a gorilla trek. In an effort to save money some tourists from Europe and America are willing to pay Congolese rebels to take [...]
Birds or gorillas – the future for Uganda ecotourism
There’s a bit of a debate growing in Uganda over which brings in more money birdwatching or gorilla watching. Nature Uganda, the country’s natural history society, has released figures that claim that birdwatchers contribute more to the tourism industry than gorilla watching. The Uganda Wildlife Authority though disputes that claim but does say that birdwatching [...]
Uganda ponders wildlife cull
Uganda is concerned that recent outbreaks of both Ebola and Marburg viruses are having a negative impact on their tourism industry. Now the Tourism Ministry and Health Ministry are pondering wildlife culls in the country’s national parks to try to halt the diseases. Some tourists have already cancelled planned visits to the country after the [...]
Botswana to ban hunting from next year
In order to protect its wildlife that draws thousands of people each year the President of Botswana, Ian Khama, has announced that no more hunting licenses will be issued from next year. It is hoped that by banning hunting it will be more difficult for poachers to launder their kills out of the country. Botswana has [...]
As courts re-open tiger reserves Karnataka orders resorts to close
Just a few days after the Indian courts order the re-opening of the tiger reserves to tourists the state authorities of Karnataka have ordered that private resorts in and adjacent to tiger reserves should close. They will also be closing their own forest department guesthouses in the reserves. The announcement by Karnataka’s Forest Minister C P Yogeshwar [...]
Calls to arm community rangers in Kenya
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has announced that the government has agreed to consider providing weapons and firearms training to community rangers who operate outside the national parks of Kenya. There are also plans for community rangers to conduct joint patrols with KWS rangers outside the parks. The move to equip and train community rangers is essential according [...]
Virunga National Park HQ Evacuated as rebels invade area
The headquarters of the ranger service in Virunga National Park, D R Congo was evacuated on Sunday 8th July as rebels and bandits over-ran most of the park. 40 rangers have stayed behind at the station to provide protection for a family of orphan gorillas who live at the station. Information is very sketchy at the [...]
8 days, £89 and a whole lot of country to see.
Finally everything is coming in to the final stages for emigration and I’m in the process of selling, giving away and dumping much of what I own and cannot take with me. But I really do want to visit a few places one last time. I try wherever possible to travel by public transport – [...]