Wildlife

Zambia’s Looming Hippo Cull

Wildlife advocates have slammed Zambia’s plan to slaughter 2,000 hippopotamuses beginning in May because officials claim the herbivores’ habitat can’t sustain the current population.

Hippos are listed as “vulnerable,” with only 115,000-130,000 living in the wild.

The conservation group Born Free says Zambia is overstating the country’s hippo population to justify the cull, which will be carried out by trophy hunters who pay to kill the semi-aquatic animals.

“Hippo lives are on the line in order to line the pockets of a few hunting operators and government officials,” said Born Free’s president, Will Travers.

Amphibian-Killing Invasive Fungus Causes Record Wildlife Loss

The chytrid fungus has hit 500 species of amphibians, driving dozens to extinction in recent decades

A fungus that kills amphibians by invading their skin has become one of the most destructive invasive species ever recorded, a new research report says.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a type of chytrid fungus, has caused declines in 500 amphibian species and driven dozens of them to extinction, according to the report, published Thursday in Science. This is the first time scientists have taken global stock of the problem.

The creeping destruction of B. dendrobatidis (commonly known as Bd) was first noticed in the 1980s, and identified and named in the 1990s. The spores of the fungus infect amphibian skin, causing it to harden and slough off. Because amphibians drink through their skin, the resulting disease (called chytridiomycosis) disrupts their hydration and electrolyte balance, killing them.

The researchers found Bd caused declines in 500 amphibian species, 90 of which are now extinct in the wild. Another 124 have lost more than 90 percent of their population.