Another year largely defined by the COVID-19 pandemic bombarded us with negative stories. For the world’s tallest mammal, however, 2021 will end on a relatively positive note.

The intricate social lives of the spotted hyena have fascinated researchers for decades, and scientists have recently added another piece of valuable information to our understanding of their lives.

During a routine patrol on Wednesday night an anti-poaching unit found four rhinos dead and one injured, with their horns hacked off at Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve, just outside Cape Town. 

 Insect and hydroponic crop farming, for both human food and animal feed, have the potential to increase access to nutritious food, while creating millions of jobs, improving the climate and the environment, and strengthening national economies, according to a new World Bank report ‘Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa:

 Global animal welfare organisation Four Paws have urged government to consider legislative changes to stop the commercial trade of all big cats in South Africa.

A ceaselessly growing human population and an ever-expanding world economy based on the unsustainable demands of a few over-consuming nations, have already caused habitat degradation, forest fragmentation, and forest loss that are unprecedented in human history.