Article Publications
Huffington Post: The Secret Trade That Threatens Rare Birds
By Laurel Neme Author and freelance journalist The Uganda Wildlife Authority safeguarded these African gray parrots before releasing them into a national park. A new study reveals that Singapore has been a major conduit for the trade in birds, especially African greys. Photograph by Edward Echwalu, Reuters Singapore plays a key role as a…
Read MoreHuffington Post: Orangutan Rescue in Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem
By Laurel Neme Author and freelance journalist Medical check of orangutan. Photo courtesty of Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) The adolescent orangutan was on his way to becoming the illegal pet of a police lieutenant in Jakarta in 2004 when a team from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) and the Ministry of Forestry’s Conservation…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Abused Circus Tiger Gets Fairy-Tale Ending
His name is Hoover, and this big cat is about to enjoy a new life in Florida. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED April 21, 2016 Photograph by Animal Defenders International Alongside crates of asparagus, Hoover the tiger will be airlifted Friday from Peru to Florida, where he’ll settle into a new home in Tampa after…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Remembering the Woman Who Helped Bears in Distress
Bears smile just like we do, said Else Poulsen, who understood what makes them tick. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED April 20, 2016 Few people know bears as intimately as author and bear behavioralist Else Poulsen, who died on April 15 in her home in Ontario, Canada, after a battle with cancer. She was 61. If ever…
Read MoreHuffington Post: By Legal Means: Protecting Key Orangutan Habitat Through the Courts
04/19/2016 By Laurel Neme Author and freelance journalist Many developing countries have fairly good environmental laws against deforestation and to protect threatened species, such as orangutans. However, environmental crimes are often not prosecuted.A key example is Indonesia’s Tripa peat swamp forest, which from 2007 was actively cleared by oil palm companies in direct violation of…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Inside the Secret Trade That Threatens Rare Birds
Singapore is a major transit hub for trade in threatened birds, especially African grey parrots. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED April 19, 2016 The Uganda Wildlife Authority safeguarded these African gray parrots before releasing them into a national park. A new study reveals that Singapore has been a major conduit for the trade in birds,…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Tripa’s Trials: protecting key orangutan habitat through the courts
First posted on 2016-04-13 Mongabay Series: Great Apes 13th April 2016 / Laurel A. Neme Prime Sumatran orangutan habitat is under attack by oil palm companies, but conservation NGOs are learning to use the law to halt that destruction. Many developing countries, such as Indonesia, have fairly good environmental laws against deforestation and protecting threatened species, such as orangutans.…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Leuser’s Legacy: how rescued orangutans help assure species survival
30th March 2016 / Laurel A. Neme Mongabay.com Meet two blind orangutans: Leuser and Gober, their offspring, and the people of the SOCP rescue group. Together they’re creating a future for Indonesian orangutans. Agribusiness is rapidly razing the prime forest habitat of Sumatra’s 14,600 remaining orangutans; replacing it with vast stretches of oil palm plantation. The species’…
Read MoreHuffington Post: For Pangolins, A Long Hard Road to Freedom
03/18/2016 by Laurel Neme Freelance Journalist and Author This pangolin was recently rehabilitated and released in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Save Vietnam’s Wildlife. Pangolins are scaly anteaters about the size of a house cat. They’re presumed to be the world’s most trafficked mammal, with an estimated 100,000 plucked from the wild every year in Africa and…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Happy Ending for Smuggled Pangolins
Wildlife Watch 16 rare scaly anteaters are back in the wild after being rescued from Vietnam’s illegal wildlife trade. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED March 15, 2016 This story was updated to reflect that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued a preliminary finding to a scientific petition submitted by conservation groups, saying that Endangered Species Act…
Read MoreHuffington Post: This Elusive Bird Isn’t Safe From Traffickers
03/03/2016 Laurel Neme Freelance Journalist and Author Male Javan banded pitta by Doug Janson via Wikimedia Pittas are a birdwatcher’s prize. Called “jewels of the forest” for their glorious plumage, these shy, secretive birds are almost impossible to spot in the wild. But head to Indonesia’s massive wild bird markets, and they’re a common sight, according…
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