By Simon Littlejohn TO say the odds were stacked against me is somewhat of an understatement. However, being the eternal optimist and having perfected the art of patience during three years camping in Patagonia where I went in search of the elusive Patagonian Puma, I felt lucky. This time my destination was the Sierra de [...]

EXPERTS are assessing what the invasion of a ‘huge and ferocious’ fish could mean for Andalucia’s fragile ecosystem. Electric barriers may be used to stop catfish leaving the Iznajar reservoir near Cordoba, where a 50cm specimen was caught earlier this year. A working group has been held in Sevilla to discuss ways of stopping the [...]

TWO men have been charged with shooting dead a protected lynx, as two more individuals die in captivity. By Eloise Horsfield  The corpse of an Iberian lynx – the most endangered big cat in the world – was found in July in Doñana National Park, Sevilla, on the boundary of a hunting reserve, containing 30 lead [...]

IN what is being called ‘a despicable crime’ a protected Iberian lynx has been shot dead in Sevilla. The creature – the most endangered cat on the planet – was found with a shocking 30 lead pellets in its body. A spokesman for the Junta de Andalucia’s environmental department described the shooting as a ‘despicable [...]

By Sally King A RESCUE centre responsible for the recovery program of the endanged Imperial Eagle has been accused of falsifying data and stealing eggs. Police have arrested 16 people in connection to the fraud, which saw staff purchase eggs stolen from the wild, which were then passed off as part of the breeding program. [...]

THE centre which runs the recovery program for the endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle has been linked to egg thefts of protected birds of prey. By Sally King Police have arrested 16 people including the director and staff members of the Sevilla based centre in connection with the fraud. The suspects are believed to have been [...]

ENVIRONMENTALISTS are up in arms over a new law that could allow golf courses and other urban developments in protected natural spaces. Both Greenpeace and Ecologistas en Accion fear that projects, like the controversial El Algarrobico hotel, could be legalized by the back-door with the new law. The Junta decree, which both groups have been [...]

THE EU is wading in to ban the barbaric practice of shark finning. By Amie Keeley The European Parliament is supporting a declaration to stop the process, that sees millions of sharks killed every year just for their fins. It comes after 50 per cent of MEPs signed a declaration for a ‘fins-attached’ policy, which [...]

IT is the most endangered cat on the planet. By Wendy Williams Yet many people in southern Spain are completely unaware that the last remaining Iberian lynxes are living right on their doorstep. And nearer and nearer every day, as it happens. Twice the size of a domestic cat, with bigger paws, leopard-like spots and [...]

IT should, of course, come easy for a bird, and now a family of Egyptian vultures are the latest group to start Twittering… as well as allowing cameras into their private lives! By Wendy Williams The every move of four of the stunning ‘Alimoche’ vultures – Sahel, Trigo, Duna and Vegade – is being tracked [...]

RECENTLY on the verge of extinction, now red tuna could actually be making a comeback. Scientists have confirmed that a plan, put in place in 2006 to recuperate numbers, is starting to reap success. But they warn that strict limits must be maintained until at least 2013. This follows years of campaigning to save the [...]

AN investigation has been launched into the deaths of hundreds of fish in the Guadalhorce River in Pizarra. The local IU party has blamed the poor design of a new concrete ford which prevents the fish from passing through. He said the concrete tubes were too small and constrictive for the fish. Boss Miguel Esteban [...]