First, there was SARS. Then, MERS-COV. Now, it’s COVID-19. What do these diseases have in common? They are zoonotic diseases. The viruses that cause them come from animals before they are eventually transmitted to humans. They also tend to stop the world in its tracks, especially the latest one known as COVID-19.
When Typhoon Odette made landfall in the Philippines in December 2021, it claimed over 400 human lives, according to a 2022 Rappler article by Jairo Bolledo. Its effect on the country’s nonhuman animal population wasn’t immediately seen, except in the disappearance of over a hundred Tarsiers from the Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area.
Anyone can help out with conservation! We’re right in the middle of migratory season in the Philippines, so now’s your chance to help protect
the tens of thousands of migratory Birds that pass through and hang out here during the winter season.
Dealing with the new normal means not leaving one’s home unless absolutely necessary. It also means not being able to freely visit the animal shelters and sanctuaries we usually would pre-pandemic.
The sun is out, the sky is blue. There’s a family having a picnic. The children run around while the parents drink lemonade. All of a sudden, one of the kids fall down to the grass.
I once wrote a story of my visit to El Nido on March 2021 and my encounter with the lovable Rockskipper and its neighbor, the Lined Shore Crab. Having enjoyed our time there, we planned an encore El Nido trip a month later.
We’ve all heard about how Wuhan in China became the epicenter for the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was there that SARS-COV-2 spread out into the world. However, did you know that the COVID-19 pandemic – and other similar diseases – may have had its origins in farmed animals?
Performing elephants have always been associated with the circus, along with lion taming and other animal acts.
This month sees our first feature on people and institutions doing great conservation work. For the Wild Side’s very first…
Two beluga whales – Little Grey and Little White, have been rescued by a British charity after spending years performing…
