A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, has been arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, attempting to smuggle more than 2,000 queen garden ants out of the country. Prosecutors told the court that about 1,948 ants were packed in specialized test tubes, while another 300 were hidden inside tissue paper rolls. He has yet to respond to the accusation.

Investigators said Zhang was

Dr. Iain  Douglas-Hamilton, the celebrated Scottish zoologist and pioneering elephant researcher who founded Save the Elephants, has died in Nairobi at the age of 83.

Douglas-Hamilton spent decades studying African elephants, exposing the devastating effects of poaching, and campaigning for the international ban on the ivory trade. He was the founder of Save the

Water hyacinth is rapidly spreading across southern Ghana's Lake Volta, severely impacting fishing, depleting fish stocks, and threatening local livelihoods. The water hyacinth, a free-floating aquatic plant native to the Amazon River basin in South America, is renowned for its rapid growth and attractive lavender-blue flowers.

It is also considered to be one of the world's most invasive species.

The crocodile farming industry has emerged as a key contributor to Zimbabwe's economy, amid a surge in exports of crocodile skin products, creating jobs and stimulating economic growth in the country.

Deputy minister at the Lands, Agriculture, and Fisheries ministry, Davis Marapira, announced that crocodile skin exports increased from US$32 million to US$34 million over the last 24 months.

Zimbabwe

Dr. Jane Goodall, the world-renowned primatologist, anthropologist, and conservationist, died on October 1 of natural causes. She was 91. Her groundbreaking research in Gombe, Tanzania, over the past six decades revolutionized the study of chimpanzees and reshaped humanity's understanding of animals.

Goodall praised Rwanda's success in protecting mountain gorillas at the 2022 Kwita Izina ceremony. More

Namibia is set to deploy helicopters and hundreds of soldiers to battle a massive fire that has ravaged a third of Etosha National Park, one of southern Africa's top tourist attractions. It is also home to critically endangered black rhinos.

The blaze, believed to have started at a charcoal production site outside the park, spread 

This eight-part podcast series, Wild Basil, featurer remarkable women who contributed to peace and development through their innovative work on biodiversity and conservation, and addresses the competition for scarce resources in Southern Africa, including Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and South Africa. Above all, their work contributes to conflict prevention and resolution in their communities and their

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) gave the Save Valley Conservancy the green light to cull 50 elephants to curb overpopulation. ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the development, saying permits were issued for the elephant management exercise.

An aerial survey conducted in 2024 revealed that Save Valley Conservancy had 2,550 elephants, which is much greater than the

Uganda launched its first-ever chimpanzee census in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, led by the Jane Goodall Institute Uganda in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The census seeks to gather vital data on chimpanzee numbers, their behaviour, and how they use their habitat.

Michael Jurua, Conservation Science Manager at the Jane Goodall Institute, said that while chimpanzee surveys had been

Kenya has made history in the global fight against wildlife trafficking after four individuals - two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese citizen, and a Kenyan - were convicted in a landmark case involving the illegal trade of live garden ants. 

Lornoy David, Seppe Lodewijckx, Duh Hung, and Dennis Ng'ang'a were arrested