147 stories
New Zealand has always seemed to me to have a wild heart. Despite all of its domestic sheep and introduced birds and plants from Europe, it is still predominantly a place of beguiling beaches, captivating caves, dazzling fjords, gorgeous glaciers, long lakes, magnificent mountains, verdant valleys and active volcanoes.
Our day began with an early departure from the Agra hotel at 5:30 a.m. After two weeks of early morning wildlife drives on our India safari, it wasn’t much of a challenge.
Though perhaps not best known for its avian highlights, the South Pacific island of New Zealand is actually a birder’s paradise.
In the United States, it often seems, there is only one method for dealing with “problem” animals. Whether it’s Canada geese, grizzly bears or wolves, our first impulse is to eradicate them. That’s not always the strategy used by other countries, and a case in New Zealand is a prime example.
“Pandas have been my passion since I first saw them at the Toledo Zoo at the age of 10, so this was my idea of the trip of a lifetime and it didn’t disappoint!
It’s ironic that an animal whose name includes the word sun would be a creature of the night. But once darkness descends, the Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus)—the smallest member of the bear family—lumbers through the dense, lowland forests of Southeast Asia, snacking on berries, birds, fruits, insects, lizards, rodents and roots.
Tigers are inspirational. Their extraordinary nature and symbolism moves people to act and make bold commitments. In 2010, leaders of the 13 countries that are home to tigers agreed on an ambitious conservation goal: to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022. This is the TX2 Goal.
I’m six years old, standing at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, nose pressed up against a glass partition, feet rooted to the ground with the 1,000-pound force only a child who has no intention of moving can muster. “NO,” I say as my mother tries to tug me away from the orangutan enclosure.
Traveler Virginia Huang produced these excellent video compilations using some of the pictures and video clips from her June 2017 nature expedition to the wilds of Borneo with Natural Habitat Adventures.
The islands of New Zealand are lands full of surprises, contrasts and sensory overload! These differences are found in the varied landscapes, from glacier-covered alpine peaks to subtropical rain forests to sparkling, 21st-century cities contrasted with the vibrant and ancient Maori tribal culture. Even the weather ranges from fierce snowstorms to balmy sunny weather.
Huge numbers of seabirds blanket the rocky landscape of the Russian Far East. The birds perch on high, windswept cliffs that rise to seemingly infinite heights, making their habitat inaccessible to other animals that would want to hunt them. As a result, the birds prosper in massive, dense colonies.
Where: Deep in the rain forests of Central Borneo in the Tanjung Puting National Park. What’s there: A full-service research center where visitors can observe ex-captive orangutans that have been returned to the wild but are not entirely independent. In the 1970s and 1980s, Camp Leakey also served as a rehabilitation center.
