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Editorial Standards

Our wildlife guides and comparison pages are researched, sourced and reviewed by the WARN Research & Conservation Team. Here is how we do it — and how you can check our work.

In brief

WARN’s species facts come first from the IUCN Red List and CITES, then peer-reviewed science; every guide lists its sources, dates its figures, and carries a visible “Last updated” date. We revise pages when the underlying science changes and correct errors openly.

Our Source Hierarchy

  1. 1

    Primary conservation authorities

    The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (for status, population trend and range) and CITES (for trade listings) are our first reference for every species. Where we state a status or a population figure, it is drawn from a published assessment and dated to its assessment year.

  2. 2

    Peer-reviewed and institutional science

    For biology, behaviour, taxonomy and ecology we rely on peer-reviewed literature and established scientific databases maintained by universities, natural-history museums and government wildlife agencies.

  3. 3

    Reference encyclopaedias

    General-reference works are used only to corroborate uncontested facts and to cross-check figures — never as the sole source for a conservation claim.

How We Work

Every claim is sourced

We do not publish population numbers, conservation statuses or biological “facts” we cannot trace to a named authority. Each guide lists its sources, and contested or time-sensitive figures carry their assessment year in the text.

We show our working

Guides display a visible “Last updated” date tied to the page’s modification date, so readers and AI assistants can see how current the information is. Comparison pages lead with a plain-language answer and a side-by-side table so the underlying facts are easy to check.

We update when the science does

When the IUCN publishes a new assessment or a widely reported figure changes, we revise the affected guides and refresh the “Last updated” date. Priority goes to the species we fund work for and the highest-traffic pages.

We separate fact from appeal

Educational content and fundraising are kept distinct: species facts stand on their own sources, and any call to support our work is clearly marked as such.

We correct openly

If we get something wrong, we fix it and update the modification date. Spotted an error? Email us and we will review it against the sources.

Who Writes and Reviews

Our guides are produced by the WARN Research & Conservation Team — the researchers and editors responsible for the accuracy of our educational content. Every guide is checked against the source hierarchy above before publication and revisited when new assessments are released.

WARN is a UK-registered Community Interest Company. World Animal Rescue Network is a registered global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation in England & Wales, funding partner-led animal rescue worldwide. Questions about a specific figure or source? Contact us and we will point you to the assessment behind it.