Showing 1 - 10 of 14
Hong Kong jails Thai parrot egg smuggler as customs cracks case amid rising trend
Published on 19/05/2025
» A traveller from Thailand has been given a two-year jail sentence in Hong Kong for smuggling 187 parrot eggs valued at an estimated HK$1.4 million (6 million baht), with an expert saying the seizure is part of a global uptick of such cases involving endangered species.
Can't be much fun being a lame duck
Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/12/2024
» From Washington we've been hearing the expression "lame duck" quite a bit lately, but it has not of course been a discussion about the health of the waterfowl population in the American capital but a reference to Joe Biden as he completes his final term as president.
Salt, sea and spoonbills
Life, Pattarawadee Saengmanee, Published on 07/03/2024
» During a morning stroll through vast salt fields in the seaside town of Samut Sakhon, I couldn't resist but take breathtaking photos of a large flock of birds. Close by, experienced birdwatcher Suchart Daengpayon (also known as Mr Tee) led a small group of foreign tourists on a trip to see the food-seeking behaviours of the spoon-billed sandpiper, an endangered shorebird species.
Closer to heaven
Life, Pattarawadee Saengmanee, Published on 01/12/2022
» Doi Luang Chiang Dao in Chiang Mai is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover lush sub-alpine woodland and limestone mountains that rise 2,225m above sea level. As part of Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, its topography is comparable to that of the Himalayas and south China.
Urgent reforms needed to protect bird numbers
News, Published on 28/12/2021
» Birds are found worldwide, in many different environments, from penguins in Antarctica to pigeons in Trafalgar Square, and from the familiar sparrows on our lawns to the great albatrosses who spend years at sea without ever touching land. There are more than 10,000 species totalling many billions of wild individuals. To this we must add the tens of billions of birds we raise for their meat or eggs, and others we keep as pets.
Rare world's fattest parrot has record breeding season
AFP, Published on 18/04/2019
» WELLINGTON: Said to be the world's fattest parrot, the critically endangered kakapo has enjoyed a record breaking breeding season, New Zealand scientists said on Thursday, with climate change possibly aiding the species' unique mating spree.
We need to look after creepy-crawlies
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 17/02/2019
» There was a disturbing report this week that the world is running out of insects, primarily due to pesticide poisoning. Having just read an article in which a scientist warned "if insects were to disappear, the world would fall apart", I suspect this is not good news. However, the world already seems to be falling apart without any help from absent insects. Admittedly the declining insect population is difficult to appreciate in Thailand where it is hard to experience a day without an encounter with some kind of bug. In my small garden there are plenty of crawling things creeping about, ready to sneakily bite me at the first opportunity.
Pets or pests? Quaker parrots invade Madrid
AFP, Published on 10/10/2016
» MADRID - They may be cute, colourful and chatty, but South American quaker parrots have taken up residence in Madrid and other Spanish cities, irritating residents with their shrill squawks and destabilising the ecosystem.
Crocodile 'nanny' brings reptile back from brink in El Salvador
AFP, Published on 01/07/2015
» BARRA DE SANTIAGO (EL SALVADOR) - The hungry baby crocodiles wriggle in Jose Antonio Villeda's hand. One by one, he squeezes open their jaws and uses a plastic tube to prod pieces of fish down their gullets.
It's hard to beat a munchy, crunchy Thai bug
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/10/2014
» The most important news of the week is that Thailand is now the world's largest producer of edible insects, with 20,000 insect farms operating in the kingdom. On occasions my bedroom feels like one of the farms, with assorted weird UFOs buzzing around.