Conservation
By Karl Egloff, WWF The Pantanal has fascinated me since I first learned about it in a documentary ten years ago. It is a world of contrasts with dramatically different wet and dry seasons, and a land of many uses spanning three countries. Home to the elusive jaguar, other varieties of wildlife, spectacular landscapes, and Brazil’s rich cowboy or “pantaneiro” heritage, the Pantanal is quickly becoming part of every wildlife traveler’s bucket list.
African Safaris
Hartebeests—the narrow-faced, savanna-adapted and unusual-looking African antelope that are native to more than 25 African countries—are on a downhill population slide. The African Wildlife Foundation estimates that there are about 360,000 of them left in eight to 10 recognized subspecies, one of which is entirely extinct. In Kenya, particularly, hartebeest numbers are decreasing, threatening extinction.
Conservation
Stories of animals venturing into and enjoying new places have been one bright spot during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic of 2020.
Nature & Wildlife
I had a much-needed get-together with a longtime friend over the weekend—via Zoom, of course, during these coronavirus times and after at least five consecutive days of rising cases in the United States.
Travel Tips
I traveled to Bryce Canyon National Park for the first time in 2007. Because I have a fear of “edges,” this park was challenging for me.
Nature & Wildlife
A lot of us are working from home right now; and if you happen to be someone who’s not used to the freelance life, it may be harder than you imagined.
Travel Tales
The world that I look out upon from the window in my home office, here in Wisconsin, is pretty quiet right now. In other times, the interstate just beyond the woods that surrounds my house would be busy with fast-moving cars and semitrucks. But presently, only occasionally does the sound of any traffic reach me.
Conservation
Spreading around the world at the speed of light, COVID-19 has now infected more than 2.5 million people and killed almost 177,000. Although the virus’s origins are still a little murky, it’s highly likely that it jumped from species to species, until it hit ours. Trading diseases with wildlife isn’t new.
Conservation
“There was a special adventure to being a young boy in northwestern Wisconsin. There was the adventure of exploring a deep green pine forest, crunching noisily through the crisp leaves and pine needles on a sharp fall day, or taking a cool drink from a fast-running trout stream or a hidden lake.”
Nature & Wildlife
Seeking out the natural world—and the wildlife that occupies it—is a good way to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and its resultant shelter-in-place edicts. But now, there’s even more reason to indulge in the activity.
Nature & Wildlife
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to experience the exhilaration of a wildlife drive on an African safari, now is your chance! Wildlife education organization WildEarth is streaming live safaris from South Africa straight to households around the world through their safariLIVE program.
Nature & Wildlife
Nature has always been a source of solace and healing, and that fact takes on added significance today. As we all try to keep to ourselves in order to protect our own health and that of our loved ones, spending time in quiet, uncrowded, natural places is the balm that appeals most to our souls.
