Mark Jones

Shocking number of tiger deaths in Thai facilities Born Free is appalled to hear reports of the deaths of 72 captive tigers in northern Thailand over a two-week period in February.

Shocking number of tiger deaths in Thai facilities www.bornfree.org.uk/news/shockin...

Big cats get the press, but small wildcats are being poached and trafficked in silence Jaguars are increasingly targeted across Latin America for their roseate-patterned pelts and canine teeth, following decades of relatively little poaching. When researchers in Colombia investigated th...

Big cats get the press, but small wildcats are being poached and trafficked in silence news.mongabay.com/2026/02/big-...

'Devastation' as gorilla dies days after moving to new home Bristol Zoo Project's gorilla had a number of known conditions, but his health deteriorated after the move.

Gorilla dies days after moving to Bristol Zoo's new site, demonstrating once again that our closest cousins should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Out of captivity, into conflict: slow lorises struggle to survive after release Wildlife releases are usually joyous events. Uplifting scenes of animals cautiously nosing the air as they take their first tentative steps into freedom warm our hearts. However, new research suggests...

Out of captivity, into conflict: slow lorises struggle to survive after release news.mongabay.com/2026/02/out-...

Mpumalanga moves to shut down captive lion breeding Just as many expected a retreat from wildlife reform, Mpumalanga has taken the opposite step – moving to shut down captive lion breeding and jolting an industry that believed the political winds were ...

South Africa's Mpumalanga province moves to shut down captive lion breeding www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026...

Australia hands record prison sentence to reptile smuggler in trafficking crackdown The seizure of dozens of live Western blue-tongued lizards, bearded dragons and spiny-tailed skinks covertly packed into popcorn bags, biscuit tins and women’s handbags have led to the longest prison ...

Australia hands record prison sentence to reptile smuggler in trafficking crackdown news.mongabay.com/2026/02/aust...

Officials double down on sweeping ban on troubling animal practice: 'Should be banned everywhere' Costa Rica has made its hunting ban — initially enacted in 2012 — permanent for all wild animals within its borders.

Officials in Costa Rica double down on sweeping ban on troubling animal practice: 'Should be banned everywhere' www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/cos...

Businesses must take action to protect nature In an urgent wake up call, a major report approved by governments worldwide calls on companies to take responsibility for biodiversity loss.

Businesses must take action to protect nature - In an urgent wake up call, a major report approved by governments worldwide calls on companies to take responsibility for biodiversity loss www.bornfree.org.uk/news/busines...

South Africa proposes trophy hunting quotas Born Free is deeply concerned that the South African Government has announced plans for new export quotas of hunting trophies.

South Africa proposes deeply concerning trophy hunting quotas www.bornfree.org.uk/news/south-a...

How elephants pass on crucial survival skills to next generations Scientists are finding elephant youths respond differently to danger if they grew up without elders.

How elephants pass on crucial survival skills to next generations www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Officials race to contain virus outbreak after 72 captive tigers die in Thailand Dozens of the animals in Chiang Mai region first began to show signs of illness earlier this month

Officials race to contain virus outbreak after 72 captive tigers die in Thailand - Dozens of the animals in Chiang Mai region first began to show signs of illness earlier this month www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Provincial backing to phase out captive lion industry tests hand of new environment minister - Conservation Action Trust With surprising provincial unanimity, Parliament has advanced reforms to phase out South Africa’s captive lion industry. This is likely to set up a clash with the new environment minister, who is wide...

Provincial backing to phase out captive lion industry tests hand of new environment minister www.conservationaction.co.za/provincial-b...

Time for change to hunting laws Born Free joins calls for the UK Prime Minister to make good on promised Hunting Act reforms.

Time for change to hunting laws - Born Free joins colleagues at Downing Street to call for the Hunting Act to be strengthened #TimeForChange www.bornfree.org.uk/news/time-fo...

Study refutes claim that Indonesia’s legal turtle trade supports livelihoods With an evolutionary history of more than 200 million years, turtles and tortoises have outlived dinosaurs and persisted on the planet despite mass extinction events. But around the turn of the 21st c...

Study refutes claim that Indonesia’s legal turtle trade supports livelihoods news.mongabay.com/2026/02/stud...

Baby gorilla seized from traffickers languishes in Turkish zoo In December 2024, Turkish customs officers were flummoxed when they discovered a malnourished baby gorilla in the cargo hold of an airplane flying from Nigeria to Bangkok, transiting via Istanbul. Wea...

Baby gorilla seized from traffickers languishes in Turkish zoo news.mongabay.com/2026/02/baby...

UK wildlife trade laws under threat Decreased protection in the UK’s Wildlife Trade Regulations at odds with Chancellor’s drive towards EU harmonisation.

UK wildlife trade laws under threat www.bornfree.org.uk/news/uk-wild...

Mexico considers shrinking protected areas for endangered vaquita porpoise MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials have proposed scaling back fishing regulations meant to protect a narrow stretch of ocean home to the last 10 remaining vaquitas, the world’s smallest species of porpoi...

Mexico considers shrinking protected areas for endangered vaquita porpoise news.mongabay.com/2026/02/mexi...

352 rhinos illegally killed in South Africa in 2025 | Save the Rhino South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Mr Willie Aucamp, today announced that 352 rhinos were illegally killed in South Africa in 2025: 266 on state properties, and 86 on p...

Number of rhinos poached in South Africa for their horn falls to 352 in 2025, but much more still needs to be done www.savetherhino.org/africa/352-r...

Is this the year we get serious about tackling environmental crime? illuminem.com/illuminemvoi...

Today, The Animal Law Foundation has written to the government alongside @leagueacs.bsky.social and 60 other signatories who are calling on the government to put animals back into The Animal Welfare Act.

See who has signed 🧵👇

#AWA20 #AnimalProtection #AnimalLaw

Scotland’s last remaining zoo elephant has died Born Free is saddened to learn of the death of African elephant Mondy at Blair Drummond Safari Park.

Born Free saddened to learn of the death of African elephant, Mondy, at Blair Drummond Safari Park, calls for phase out of elephants in zoos www.bornfree.org.uk/news/mondula...

Beavers to be released in South West England in coming weeks Natural England has approved the release of beavers at two projects in South West England.

Beavers to be released in South West England in coming weeks www.gov.uk/government/n...

The big case against owning small pets Your pet fish — or bird, or hamster — is probably miserable.

Is it cruel to keep birds, fish, snakes, lizards, and hamsters as pets?  www.vox.com/the-highligh...

Labour loses one-fifth of voters due to ‘anti-nature’ remarks Support for the current Downing Street administration is plummeting, and environmental concerns are one of the main reasons. A new poll published today, Wednesday 4th February 2026, shows that Labour’...

Labour loses one-fifth of voters due to ‘anti-nature’ remarks environmentjournal.online/climate-chan...

Global moratorium on whaling, a ‘defining moment,’ turns 40 As the global whaling moratorium turns 40, experts reflect on how the 1986 ban helped save great whales—and the threats they still face today.

Global moratorium on whaling, a ‘defining moment,’ turns 40 news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

UK MPs call for action to end dolphin hunts in the Faroe Islands - Oceanographic A cross-party coalition of UK MPs have called for an end to the annual dolphin hunts in the Faroe Islands, a move celebrated by campaigners.

UK MPs call for action to end dolphin hunts in the Faroe Islands oceanographicmagazine.com/news/uk-mps-...

Cull plea issued as bTB licences expire
Campaigners are worried badger culling could remain part of future control policies despite a Government pledge to end the controversial programme www.vettimes.com/news/vets/li...

Zoos at risk under strain of cost pressures BBC research finds 40% of accredited zoos and aquariums raised financial concerns since 2022.

Zoos at risk under strain of cost pressures www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Press Release: Oxford Ethicists Expose the “Con” in Conservation - Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics Predator Control cover Three Oxford ethicists expose the “con” in conservation in a new book titled The Ethics of Predator Control – A Scottish Case Study. In a rebuttal to claims by the Game and Wild...

Oxford Ethicists Expose the “Con” in Conservation in a new book titled The Ethics of Predator Control – A Scottish Case Study www.oxfordanimalethics.com/2026/02/pres...

Habitat destruction, illegal trade threaten Sri Lanka’s endangered agamid lizards COLOMBO — In Sri Lanka, agamid lizard species are growing increasingly vulnerable due to three main factors: shrinking habitats, climate change and being traded as exotic pets. The Indian Ocean island...

Habitat destruction, illegal trade threaten Sri Lanka’s endangered agamid lizards news.mongabay.com/2026/01/habi...