World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/black-rhino): Black Rhinoceros — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The black rhinoceros is a large African rhino with a hooked upper lip for browsing shrubs, weighing 800–1,400 kg (1,750–3,100 lb) despite its name referring to soil colour, not hide. Critically endangered from poaching for horn, fewer than 6,500 remain across scattered eastern and southern African reserves.

## Introduction
The black rhinoceros is a large African rhino with a hooked upper lip for browsing shrubs, weighing 800–1,400 kg (1,750–3,100 lb) despite its name referring to soil colour, not hide. Critically endangered from poaching for horn, fewer than 6,500 remain across scattered eastern and southern African reserves.

## Takeaway
The prehensile pointed upper lip lets black rhinos strip leaves from thorny acacia and succulents that grass-eating white rhinos cannot exploit.

## Takeaway
Black rhinos are more solitary and aggressive than white rhinos, with bulls maintaining territories and cows accompanying calves.

## Takeaway
Rhino horn — made of keratin like fingernails — is illegally traded for traditional medicine and status symbols, driving poaching despite international bans.

## Hooked lip browser
The prehensile pointed upper lip lets black rhinos strip leaves from thorny acacia and succulents that grass-eating white rhinos cannot exploit. They have poor eyesight but acute hearing and smell, charging threats they detect downwind.

## Solitary temperament
Black rhinos are more solitary and aggressive than white rhinos, with bulls maintaining territories and cows accompanying calves. Mothers are fiercely protective — most human injuries involve surprised animals on foot.

## Poaching catastrophe
Rhino horn — made of keratin like fingernails — is illegally traded for traditional medicine and status symbols, driving poaching despite international bans. Black rhino numbers crashed 96% between 1970 and 1990; recovery is slow but ongoing in well-guarded reserves.

## Recovery efforts
Intensive anti-poaching, dehorning programmes, and translocations support populations in Namibia, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania. Critically Endangered globally, the species illustrates both the devastation of illegal wildlife trade and the impact of committed conservation funding.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated black rhinoceros programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The black rhinoceros faces documented conservation pressure in the wild, which is why clear, sourced public information about it matters. Building public understanding of species like the black rhinoceros supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/black-rhino): Black Rhinoceros — wildlife guide.

## Black rhino vs white rhino?
Black rhinos are smaller, hook-lipped browsers holding their heads high. White rhinos are larger, square-lipped grazers of grass. 'Black' and 'white' are mistranslations of Dutch/Afrikaans words, not skin colour.

## How many black rhinos are left?
Roughly 6,000–6,500 in the wild after decades of poaching — up from a low of about 2,400 in the 1990s thanks to protection.

## Why are rhinos poached?
For their horns, sold illegally despite being made of keratin with no proven medicinal value. Demand in some Asian markets drives the trade.

## Are black rhinos dangerous?
They charge when threatened and have poor eyesight, making close approaches on foot extremely risky. Respect park rules and ranger guidance.

## Where do black rhinos live?
Scattered protected areas in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia — absent from most of their historic range.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/fin-whale): Fin Whale — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The fin whale is the second-largest animal on Earth after the blue whale, reaching 25 m (82 ft) and 70 tonnes with an asymmetric jaw colouring. A fast baleen whale capable of 40 km/h bursts, it filters krill and small fish and is listed Vulnerable after decades of commercial whaling.

## Introduction
The fin whale is the second-largest animal on Earth after the blue whale, reaching 25 m (82 ft) and 70 tonnes with an asymmetric jaw colouring. A fast baleen whale capable of 40 km/h bursts, it filters krill and small fish and is listed Vulnerable after decades of commercial whaling.

## Takeaway
Fin whales gulp enormous mouthfuls of water and strain krill and fish through baleen plates — keratin fringes hanging from the upper jaw.

## Takeaway
The right lower jaw is white, the left dark — a unique asymmetry whose function is debated, possibly related to corralling prey while swimming on their side.

## Takeaway
Fin whales migrate between high-latitude feeding grounds and lower-latitude breeding areas.

## Filter feeding at scale
Fin whales gulp enormous mouthfuls of water and strain krill and fish through baleen plates — keratin fringes hanging from the upper jaw. They lunge-feed in productive upwellings and may cooperate loosely to concentrate prey.

## Asymmetric coloration
The right lower jaw is white, the left dark — a unique asymmetry whose function is debated, possibly related to corralling prey while swimming on their side. A prominent dorsal fin set far back gives a sleek profile unlike blue whales.

## Migration and song
Fin whales migrate between high-latitude feeding grounds and lower-latitude breeding areas. Their low-frequency vocalisations carry hundreds of kilometres underwater and may help navigation or mate finding across ocean basins.

## Recovery from whaling
Industrial whaling decimated fin whales in the 20th century. Listed Vulnerable, populations are increasing in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean where hunting has largely ceased, but ship strikes and entanglement remain significant threats.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated fin whale programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The fin whale faces documented conservation pressure in the wild, which is why clear, sourced public information about it matters. Building public understanding of species like the fin whale supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/fin-whale): Fin Whale — wildlife guide.

## How big is a fin whale?
Up to about 25 m and 70 tonnes — second only to the blue whale among all animals.

## Fin whale vs blue whale?
Blue whales are larger with a mottled blue-grey body and small dorsal fin. Fin whales are slightly smaller, faster, with a swept-back dorsal fin and asymmetric jaw.

## Why is the jaw two colours?
The white right lower jaw may help fin whales see prey when rolling to feed on their right side — though the exact reason is not fully confirmed.

## Are fin whales still hunted?
Commercial whaling is banned internationally, though Iceland and Japan have taken fin whales in limited numbers. Most populations are recovering under protection.

## What do fin whales eat?
Mainly krill in cold waters and small schooling fish such as herring and sand lance, filtered through baleen.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/catfish): Channel Catfish — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The channel catfish is one of the most popular sport and farmed fish in North America, recognised by barbels ('whiskers'), smooth scaleless skin, and a forked tail. Native to central and eastern rivers and lakes, it grows to 10–25 kg (22–55 lb), tastes mild, and uses taste buds across its body to find food.

## Introduction
The channel catfish is one of the most popular sport and farmed fish in North America, recognised by barbels ('whiskers'), smooth scaleless skin, and a forked tail. Native to central and eastern rivers and lakes, it grows to 10–25 kg (22–55 lb), tastes mild, and uses taste buds across its body to find food.

## Takeaway
Channel catfish have four pairs of barbels around the mouth plus taste buds covering the body — especially the whiskers — allowing them to locate food in murky water at night.

## Takeaway
Sharp spines in the dorsal and pectoral fins can lock in place and inject mild venom, deterring predators and unwary anglers.

## Takeaway
Channel catfish are the top farmed fish species in the United States, raised in ponds across the South for food markets.

## Barbels and taste
Channel catfish have four pairs of barbels around the mouth plus taste buds covering the body — especially the whiskers — allowing them to locate food in murky water at night. They are opportunistic bottom feeders eating insects, crayfish, small fish, and plant matter.

## Spines and defence
Sharp spines in the dorsal and pectoral fins can lock in place and inject mild venom, deterring predators and unwary anglers. Handling from below and using lip grips reduces sting risk. Spines also help catfish lock into crevices.

## Aquaculture and sport fishing
Channel catfish are the top farmed fish species in the United States, raised in ponds across the South for food markets. Anglers target them with stink baits, chicken liver, and cut bait — they fight hard and tolerate low oxygen better than many game fish.

## Range and introductions
Native from southern Canada through the Great Lakes and Mississippi basin to Mexico, channel catfish have been stocked widely for fishing and farming. They can outcompete native species where introduced outside their range, requiring careful management.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated channel catfish programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The channel catfish is currently widespread and not globally threatened, and this guide helps readers understand the pressures that can change that. Building public understanding of species like the channel catfish supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/catfish): Channel Catfish — wildlife guide.

## Are catfish whiskers dangerous?
The barbels are harmless feelers. The danger comes from sharp fin spines that can puncture skin — not from the whiskers themselves.

## What do channel catfish eat?
Almost anything on the bottom — insects, worms, crayfish, small fish, and plant material. They hunt mainly at night using taste and smell.

## How big do channel catfish get?
Most caught fish are 1–5 kg, but large river fish can exceed 20 kg. The record is over 25 kg.

## Can catfish sting you?
Fin spines can puncture and cause pain and swelling from mild venom. Handle carefully or use pliers to remove hooks.

## Where are channel catfish found?
Native to central and eastern North America; farmed and stocked in ponds across the United States and introduced in Europe and elsewhere.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/javan-rhino): Javan Rhino — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species, with roughly 70 individuals surviving in a single national park on Java, Indonesia. Smaller than the Indian rhino at 900–2,300 kg (2,000–5,000 lb), it has a single horn and nearly hairless grey skin, and is Critically Endangered from historic hunting and tiny range.

## Introduction
The Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species, with roughly 70 individuals surviving in a single national park on Java, Indonesia. Smaller than the Indian rhino at 900–2,300 kg (2,000–5,000 lb), it has a single horn and nearly hairless grey skin, and is Critically Endangered from historic hunting and tiny range.

## Takeaway
All surviving Javan rhinos live in Ujung Kulon National Park at the western tip of Java — a peninsula isolated by the 1883 Krakatau eruption and tsunami.

## Takeaway
Unlike grass-grazing white rhinos, Javan rhinos browse woody vegetation in dense rainforest, using a pointed upper lip to strip shoots and fallen fruit.

## Takeaway
With fewer than 80 individuals, the Javan rhino is the rarest large mammal on Earth.

## Last population on Java
All surviving Javan rhinos live in Ujung Kulon National Park at the western tip of Java — a peninsula isolated by the 1883 Krakatau eruption and tsunami. No Javan rhinos remain in their former range across Southeast Asia, Vietnam, or India.

## Forest browser
Unlike grass-grazing white rhinos, Javan rhinos browse woody vegetation in dense rainforest, using a pointed upper lip to strip shoots and fallen fruit. They follow regular trails through undergrowth and wallow in mud to cool and deter insects.

## Extreme rarity
With fewer than 80 individuals, the Javan rhino is the rarest large mammal on Earth. The last Javan rhino in Vietnam was poached in 2010. Every birth in Ujung Kulon is monitored by camera traps — the population is too small to survive a disease outbreak or natural disaster.

## Recovery challenges
Plans to establish a second population on Java or elsewhere have progressed slowly due to habitat requirements, tsunami risk at Ujung Kulon, and the invasive Arenga palm crowding out rhino food plants. Anti-poaching success means natural threats now dominate.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated javan rhino programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The javan rhino faces documented conservation pressure in the wild, which is why clear, sourced public information about it matters. Building public understanding of species like the javan rhino supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/javan-rhino): Javan Rhino — wildlife guide.

## How many Javan rhinos are left?
Roughly 70–75 individuals, all in Ujung Kulon National Park on Java, Indonesia — the rarest rhino species and one of the rarest mammals on Earth.

## Javan rhino vs Indian rhino?
Javan rhinos are smaller, nearly hairless, and have a single horn. Indian (greater one-horned) rhinos are larger with armour-like skin folds and number over 4,000 in India and Nepal.

## Why are Javan rhinos Critically Endangered?
Historic hunting for horn and habitat loss eliminated them across Asia. The entire species now depends on one small park vulnerable to tsunami, disease, and invasive plants.

## Do Javan rhinos have two horns?
Usually one horn, rarely two — unlike African rhinos which typically have two horns (though black rhinos also have one primary horn).

## Can you see Javan rhinos?
No public tourism is permitted — the population is too fragile. Researchers rely on camera traps and footprints for monitoring.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/bass): Largemouth Bass — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The largemouth bass is a top predator in North American lakes and rivers, named for a jaw extending past the eye. Prized by anglers worldwide, it strikes lures aggressively, grows to 10 kg (22 lb) in rich waters, and has been stocked on every continent except Antarctica for sport fishing.

## Introduction
The largemouth bass is a top predator in North American lakes and rivers, named for a jaw extending past the eye. Prized by anglers worldwide, it strikes lures aggressively, grows to 10 kg (22 lb) in rich waters, and has been stocked on every continent except Antarctica for sport fishing.

## Takeaway
Largemouth bass hide among lily pads, fallen timber, and weed beds, exploding forward to engulf prey with a cavernous mouth that gives the species its name.

## Takeaway
Male bass build and defend circular nests in shallow gravel or sand during spring.

## Takeaway
Bass tournaments across the United States draw millions of participants and television audiences.

## Ambush predator
Largemouth bass hide among lily pads, fallen timber, and weed beds, exploding forward to engulf prey with a cavernous mouth that gives the species its name. They are visual hunters, striking artificial lures that mimic wounded minnows, frogs, and worms.

## Nest guarding males
Male bass build and defend circular nests in shallow gravel or sand during spring. They fan silt away, guard eggs against sunfish and crayfish, and protect fry for days after hatching — one of the most dedicated parental behaviours among popular game fish.

## Global sport fishing icon
Bass tournaments across the United States draw millions of participants and television audiences. Stocking programmes introduced largemouth bass to Japan, South Africa, and Europe, where they sometimes disrupt native fish communities in warm still waters.

## Management and ecology
Native and Least Concern in North America, largemouth bass regulate populations of smaller fish and crayfish. Fisheries managers adjust size and bag limits to maintain trophy fisheries. Invasive where introduced outside their native warm-water range.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated largemouth bass programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The largemouth bass is currently widespread and not globally threatened, and this guide helps readers understand the pressures that can change that. Building public understanding of species like the largemouth bass supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/bass): Largemouth Bass — wildlife guide.

## How big do largemouth bass get?
Most angler catches are 1–3 kg, but fish over 5 kg are trophies and the world record exceeds 10 kg from a California reservoir.

## What do largemouth bass eat?
Fish, crayfish, frogs, insects, and even small birds or mice near the surface — opportunistic predators that prefer live prey.

## Where are largemouth bass native?
Eastern and central North America from southern Canada through the Great Lakes and Mississippi basin to Florida and northeastern Mexico.

## Largemouth vs smallmouth bass?
Largemouth have a jaw extending past the eye and prefer weedy warm water. Smallmouth bass have a jaw that stops at the eye and favour clearer, cooler rocky streams and lakes.

## Are largemouth bass good to eat?
Yes — firm white flesh is popular in the American South, though catch-and-release sport fishing dominates in many trophy fisheries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/cod): Atlantic Cod — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
Atlantic cod is a cold-water groundfish that shaped the economies of Newfoundland, Iceland, and New England for centuries before overfishing collapsed many stocks. Growing to 40 kg (88 lb) and living 25 years, it supports fisheries where recovered and remains Vulnerable in the northwest Atlantic.

## Introduction
Atlantic cod is a cold-water groundfish that shaped the economies of Newfoundland, Iceland, and New England for centuries before overfishing collapsed many stocks. Growing to 40 kg (88 lb) and living 25 years, it supports fisheries where recovered and remains Vulnerable in the northwest Atlantic.

## Takeaway
Northwest Atlantic cod stocks crashed in 1992 when Canada's Grand Banks fishery closed — one of history's most famous fishery collapses after centuries of seemingly unlimited harvest.

## Takeaway
A whisker-like barbel on the chin helps cod detect prey on the seafloor — worms, crabs, and smaller fish.

## Takeaway
Fish and chips, bacalao, and lutefisk all depend on cod.

## Historic fishery collapse
Northwest Atlantic cod stocks crashed in 1992 when Canada's Grand Banks fishery closed — one of history's most famous fishery collapses after centuries of seemingly unlimited harvest. Recovery has been partial and slow, illustrating how even prolific species can be depleted.

## Barbel and bottom feeding
A whisker-like barbel on the chin helps cod detect prey on the seafloor — worms, crabs, and smaller fish. Cod migrate between shallow spawning grounds and deeper feeding areas, historically forming dense shoals that made them easy targets for trawlers.

## Cultural and culinary importance
Fish and chips, bacalao, and lutefisk all depend on cod. Basque and Viking fishermen pursued cod across the Atlantic for centuries before modern industrial trawling. Cod liver oil supplied vitamin D to generations of children.

## Modern management
Listed Vulnerable, Atlantic cod fisheries are now regulated with quotas, closed areas, and gear restrictions. Icelandic and Northeast Arctic stocks are healthier than Northwest Atlantic populations. Climate change shifts spawning grounds northward, complicating recovery.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated atlantic cod programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The atlantic cod faces documented conservation pressure in the wild, which is why clear, sourced public information about it matters. Building public understanding of species like the atlantic cod supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/cod): Atlantic Cod — wildlife guide.

## Why did cod collapse?
Decades of industrial trawling removed fish faster than they could reproduce, combined with poor management and environmental shifts — the 1992 moratorium on Canada's Grand Banks is the landmark example.

## Is cod still overfished?
Some stocks remain depleted or Vulnerable, especially in the northwest Atlantic. Northeast Atlantic and Icelandic fisheries are more sustainable under strict quotas.

## What is bacalao?
Salted and dried cod — a staple of Portuguese, Spanish, and Caribbean cuisine preserved for centuries before refrigeration.

## How big do Atlantic cod get?
Typically 2–8 kg in fisheries, but individuals can exceed 40 kg and live 25 years in unfished populations.

## Where do Atlantic cod live?
Cold waters of the North Atlantic from North America to Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and the Barents Sea — on continental shelves and banks.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/canary): Canary — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
Canaries are domesticated songbirds descended from wild Atlantic canaries of the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores. Bred for centuries for colour and song, they weigh 15–25 g (0.5–0.9 oz) and are kept in millions of households — while wild populations on their native islands remain Least Concern.

## Introduction
Canaries are domesticated songbirds descended from wild Atlantic canaries of the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores. Bred for centuries for colour and song, they weigh 15–25 g (0.5–0.9 oz) and are kept in millions of households — while wild populations on their native islands remain Least Concern.

## Takeaway
Spanish and European breeders selected canaries for song quality from the 1500s onward, producing roller, timbrado, and American singer varieties with distinct melodies.

## Takeaway
Wild Serinus canaria on the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores are streaky greenish-yellow finches of open woodland and coast.

## Takeaway
Canaries were used in British coal mines until 1986 to detect carbon monoxide — birds succumb to toxic gas faster than humans, giving miners warning to evacuate.

## Domestication for song
Spanish and European breeders selected canaries for song quality from the 1500s onward, producing roller, timbrado, and American singer varieties with distinct melodies. Male canaries sing to defend territory and attract mates — hens chirp but typically do not produce elaborate song.

## Wild Atlantic canary
Wild Serinus canaria on the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores are streaky greenish-yellow finches of open woodland and coast. They were trapped and exported until captive breeding supplanted wild collection. Island populations remain secure.

## Coal mine sentinel
Canaries were used in British coal mines until 1986 to detect carbon monoxide — birds succumb to toxic gas faster than humans, giving miners warning to evacuate. The phrase 'canary in a coal mine' now means an early warning indicator for any danger.

## Modern pet care
Pet canaries need spacious cages, varied seed diet with fresh greens, and safe flying time. Colour-fed red factors require dietary carotenoids. They are hardy but sensitive to drafts, fumes, and sudden diet changes — popular beginner birds when basic needs are met.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated canary programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The canary is a domesticated animal rather than a wild-rescue species, but understanding its needs supports responsible animal welfare. Building public understanding of species like the canary supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/canary): Canary — wildlife guide.

## Do only male canaries sing?
Yes — male canaries sing elaborate songs to mark territory and attract females. Females make short chirps and calls but not sustained song.

## Where do wild canaries live?
The Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores in the eastern Atlantic — open woodland, scrub, and coastal gardens.

## Why were canaries used in coal mines?
Canaries are sensitive to carbon monoxide and methane. If a bird stopped singing or died, miners knew to evacuate before gas levels became lethal to humans.

## How long do canaries live?
Typically 7–12 years in captivity with good care — longer than many small pet birds but shorter than large parrots.

## Are canaries finches?
Yes — they belong to the finch family Fringillidae, related to goldfinches and siskins, not true parrots despite their popularity as cage birds.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/bed-bug): Bed Bug — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The common bed bug is a small flat insect that feeds exclusively on blood, mainly from humans at night while they sleep. Roughly 5 mm long and reddish-brown, it hides in mattress seams and furniture, resists many pesticides, and has resurged globally in hotels and homes — listed Not Evaluated by IUCN.

## Introduction
The common bed bug is a small flat insect that feeds exclusively on blood, mainly from humans at night while they sleep. Roughly 5 mm long and reddish-brown, it hides in mattress seams and furniture, resists many pesticides, and has resurged globally in hotels and homes — listed Not Evaluated by IUCN.

## Takeaway
Bed bugs emerge from hiding in darkness, attracted by carbon dioxide and body heat.

## Takeaway
Bed bugs nearly disappeared in wealthy countries after DDT use mid-century but resurged since the 1990s with international travel, pesticide resistance, and reduced use of broad-spectrum insecticides.

## Takeaway
Signs include rusty spots (faecal stains), shed skins, and a sweet musty odour in heavy infestations.

## Nocturnal blood feeding
Bed bugs emerge from hiding in darkness, attracted by carbon dioxide and body heat. They pierce skin with elongated mouthparts, feed for 5–10 minutes, then retreat to cracks. Bites often appear in lines or clusters but reactions vary — some people show no marks.

## Resurgence and resistance
Bed bugs nearly disappeared in wealthy countries after DDT use mid-century but resurged since the 1990s with international travel, pesticide resistance, and reduced use of broad-spectrum insecticides. They spread via luggage, furniture, and clothing.

## Detection and treatment
Signs include rusty spots (faecal stains), shed skins, and a sweet musty odour in heavy infestations. Heat treatment above 50°C kills all life stages. Professional extermination often combines heat, steam, encasements, and targeted insecticides.

## Health impacts
Bed bugs are not known to transmit disease to humans despite blood feeding. Bites cause itching, allergic reactions, and psychological distress — anxiety and sleep loss are common during infestations. Not Evaluated by IUCN as a human-associated pest.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated bed bug programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The bed bug is currently widespread and not globally threatened, and this guide helps readers understand the pressures that can change that. Building public understanding of species like the bed bug supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/bed-bug): Bed Bug — wildlife guide.

## Do bed bugs spread disease?
No confirmed disease transmission to humans — unlike ticks or mosquitoes. The main harm is itching, allergic reaction, and psychological stress.

## How do you get bed bugs?
They hitchhike on luggage, used furniture, and clothing from infested hotels, homes, or public transport. They do not arrive from poor hygiene alone.

## Can bed bugs fly?
No — they have no wings and cannot jump. They crawl between rooms and spread through walls and pipes in multi-unit buildings.

## How do you kill bed bugs?
Professional heat treatment, steam, mattress encasements, and targeted pesticides. Washing bedding at high heat helps but rarely eliminates infestation alone.

## What do bed bugs look like?
Flat oval reddish-brown insects about apple-seed size (4–7 mm). After feeding they swell and darken. Nymphs are smaller and paler.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/brown-recluse-spider): Brown Recluse Spider — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The brown recluse is a small venomous spider named for a violin-shaped mark on its cephalothorax and its shy, reclusive habits. Found mainly in the central and southern United States, it bites rarely but can cause necrotic skin lesions.

## Introduction
The brown recluse is a small venomous spider named for a violin-shaped mark on its cephalothorax and its shy, reclusive habits. Found mainly in the central and southern United States, it bites rarely but can cause necrotic skin lesions. Adults are 6–20 mm long and listed Not Evaluated by IUCN.

## Takeaway
Brown recluses avoid open spaces and daylight, spinning irregular webs in undisturbed corners rather than catching prey in orb webs.

## Takeaway
The dark violin-shaped mark on the cephalothorax helps identification, though similar marks occur on harmless species.

## Takeaway
Bites occur when spiders are trapped against skin in clothing or bedding — they do not chase people.

## Reclusive habits
Brown recluses avoid open spaces and daylight, spinning irregular webs in undisturbed corners rather than catching prey in orb webs. They hunt small insects at night and tolerate crowding — dozens may share a hidden void in infested buildings.

## Violin marking and identification
The dark violin-shaped mark on the cephalothorax helps identification, though similar marks occur on harmless species. Six eyes in three pairs (most spiders have eight) is a diagnostic feature. Misidentification is common outside their native range.

## Venom and necrosis
Bites occur when spiders are trapped against skin in clothing or bedding — they do not chase people. Venom contains enzymes that can cause necrotic wounds in some victims, though many bites heal without serious tissue damage. Medical attention is advised for suspected bites.

## Geographic limits and myths
Brown recluses are native to the south-central United States and rarely found outside this range despite frequent misidentifications elsewhere. Not Evaluated by IUCN. Reducing clutter, shaking out stored clothing, and sealing entry points limit indoor encounters.

## WARN work
WARN does not run a dedicated brown recluse spider programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The brown recluse spider is currently widespread and not globally threatened, and this guide helps readers understand the pressures that can change that. Building public understanding of species like the brown recluse spider supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

## Donation hook
If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/brown-recluse-spider): Brown Recluse Spider — wildlife guide.

## Are brown recluse bites deadly?
Death is extremely rare. Most bites cause mild irritation; some develop necrotic ulcers requiring medical care. Many suspected bites are misdiagnosed.

## Where do brown recluse spiders live?
South-central United States from Nebraska to Georgia and Texas — not on the West Coast or Northeast despite common misidentifications.

## How do you identify a brown recluse?
Uniform brown colour, violin mark on the back, six eyes in three pairs, and no stripes on the legs. Professional identification is recommended.

## Do brown recluse spiders jump?
No — they run briefly when disturbed but do not jump or actively attack people.

## How do you prevent brown recluse bites?
Shake out shoes and stored clothing, reduce clutter in garages and attics, use sticky traps in infested buildings, and seal cracks where spiders enter.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/vietnam-police-rescue-400-stolen-cats): Vietnam Police Rescue More Than 400 Stolen Cats Bound for the Meat Trade.

## Summary
In June 2026, Vietnamese police dismantled an alleged cat-theft ring in southern Vietnam, recovering more than 400 live cats and around 80 dead animals preserved on ice during raids in Tay Ninh Province and Ho Chi Minh City; nine people were arrested and welfare groups said more than 40 stolen cats were later reunited with owners.

## Excerpt
Authorities in southern Vietnam dismantled an alleged cat-theft ring in June 2026, recovering more than 400 live cats and dozens preserved on ice. Nine people were arrested after raids in Tay Ninh Province and Ho Chi Minh City.

## Takeaway
Police recovered more than 400 live cats and around 80 dead cats on ice during raids linked to an alleged theft-and-collection ring operating across southern Vietnam.

## Takeaway
Nine people were arrested; investigators said the group had trapped and collected cats over roughly three years before selling them to traders every two to three days.

## Takeaway
Humane World for Animals said more than 40 stolen cats were reunited with owners, though some animals later died from the ordeal.

## Takeaway
Dog and cat meat consumption remains legal in Vietnam, but vendors require permits showing animal origin — stolen pets enter the trade illegally.

## Takeaway
Welfare groups estimate around one million cats and five million dogs are caught, stolen, trafficked or slaughtered for meat in Vietnam each year.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/vietnam-police-rescue-400-stolen-cats): Vietnam Police Rescue More Than 400 Stolen Cats Bound for the Meat Trade.

## Briefing
Southern Vietnamese authorities dismantled an alleged cat-theft ring in June 2026, recovering more than 400 live cats destined for slaughter alongside dozens of dead animals preserved on ice, according to police reports and animal welfare groups.

Rescued cats held in stacked cages following raids in Tay Ninh Province and Ho Chi Minh City.

Photo: Phuong Pham / Humane World for Animals Viet Nam.

What happened in the June 2026 raids?

Police described the operation as targeting a "criminal group specialising in stealing and collecting cats" .

Officers tracked the network after investigating a spate of pet thefts in Ho Chi Minh City, with the breakthrough coming on 11 June 2026 .

Raids across Tay Ninh Province and Ho Chi Minh City recovered: More than 400 live cats Around 80 dead cats preserved on ice 21 additional cats at a separate facility Nine people were arrested.

Investigators said suspects admitted trapping and collecting cats across southern Vietnam over roughly three years , moving stolen animals to holding sites before selling them to traders in transactions every two to three days.

Cats recovered at a holding site after the raids.

Photo: Humane World for Animals Viet Nam.

Survivors receiving emergency veterinary care after seizure.

Photo: AFP.

Timeline: how the case unfolded 2023–2026: Investigators allege the group collected stolen cats across southern Vietnam, holding them before sale to meat traders.

Early June 2026: Ho Chi Minh City police investigate a surge in reported pet cat thefts.

11 June 2026: Authorities identify and track the alleged theft ring.

Mid-June 2026: Coordinated raids in Tay Ninh Province and Ho Chi Minh City recover hundreds of cats.

16 June 2026: Humane World for Animals reports 40+ reunions with owners; police urge more pet owners to come forward.

Local authorities took decisive action that saved the lives of so many animals — but a number had later died as a result of their ordeal.

— Humane World for Animals Stolen pets, not anonymous strays The most important detail for pet owners internationally is how the supply chain works.

Demand for cat meat in Vietnam outstrips available strays in many areas, so collectors target owned cats taken from yards and doorsteps .

The reunion of more than 40 cats with their owners after this raid is direct evidence that pet theft feeds the trade.

Welfare investigators have long documented cats being transported in cramped wire crates without food or water, frequently mixed with dogs of unknown vaccination status — creating severe welfare harm and public-health risk in a country where rabies remains endemic.

What happens after a raid?

Police seizures only save lives if rescued cats have quarantine space, veterinary care and shelter capacity waiting.

That is what WARN's cat appeal is being built to fund.

Support the cat appeal What happens to rescued cats next?

Even when police succeed, the bottleneck moves to quarantine, veterinary triage and shelter placement .

Cats held as evidence need daily care.

Survivors may require wound treatment, parasite control, vaccination and behaviour support before they can be adopted locally or returned to identified owners.

Humane World for Animals told reporters it was supplying food and other materials for animals still in police custody while the investigation continues.

Without funded shelter capacity, welfare groups cannot absorb large seizure numbers — which makes donor support for post-raid care structurally important, not optional.

The wider cat meat trade in Vietnam This raid does not exist in isolation.

Humane World for Animals estimates that around one million cats and five million dogs are captured, stolen, trafficked or slaughtered for meat in Vietnam each year.

Cats sold for meat are locally known as tiểu hổ — "little tiger".


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/vietnam-police-rescue-400-stolen-cats): Vietnam Police Rescue More Than 400 Stolen Cats Bound for the Meat Trade.

Consumption remains legal, but vendors require permits proving animal origin.

Stolen pets bypass that traceability entirely.

Campaigners cite growing public opposition — particularly among younger urban residents and pet owners — with survey work commissioned by welfare groups finding majorities backing trade bans.

For background, see WARN's briefing on Vietnam's cat meat trade and the cat meat trade rescue guide .

How WARN fits in WARN is a global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation.

Vietnam is wider search and educational context for the dog and cat meat trade on this site — WARN's current in-network focus is Indonesia and Malaysia for partner-led rescue.

We report raids like this because accurate, citation-backed news helps donors understand why post-seizure cat rescue capacity matters.

When enforcement succeeds, the limiting factor is often whether local partners have quarantine pens, vaccines and staff to say yes to the next load of survivors.

That is what supporter funding is for.

Sources & further reading BBC News — Hundreds of cats stolen for food in Vietnam rescued by police (16 Jun 2026) WARN briefing — Vietnam's cat meat trade: scale, stolen pets and public health


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/vietnam-police-rescue-400-stolen-cats): Vietnam Police Rescue More Than 400 Stolen Cats Bound for the Meat Trade.

## How many cats were rescued in the Vietnam police raid?
Reporting from welfare groups and police accounts cites more than 400 live cats recovered, around 80 dead cats preserved on ice, and a further 21 cats seized at a separate facility during raids in Tay Ninh Province and Ho Chi Minh City in June 2026.

## Were the rescued cats stolen pets?
Investigators described a criminal group specialising in stealing and collecting cats across southern Vietnam. Humane World for Animals said more than 40 of the recovered cats were reunited with owners, indicating many were stolen pets rather than strays.

## Is cat meat legal in Vietnam?
Consumption of dog and cat meat is legal in Vietnam, but vendors require permits that show where animals came from. Cats stolen from homes and sold without traceability enter the trade illegally.

## What happens to cats after a meat-trade police rescue?
Survivors need quarantine, rabies risk assessment, wound treatment, vaccination and shelter space. Without post-seizure capacity, even successful raids can overwhelm local teams — which is why rescue funding for veterinary care and shelter placement matters.

## How can I help cats rescued from the meat trade?
UK and international supporters can fund partner-led quarantine, veterinary care and shelter capacity through WARN's cat appeal and dog-and-cat-meat trade programmes. Symbolic cat adoption from £5/month directs support to community cat welfare and anti-cruelty work.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/kalimantan-orangutans-released-2026): Three Rehabilitated Orangutans Released Back Into the Wild in East Kalimantan.

## Summary
On 23 June 2026, three rehabilitated Bornean orangutans — Bagus, Eboni and Ruby — were released into the Gunung Batu Mesangat protected forest in Busang district, East Kutai regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. All three are Critically Endangered Pongo pygmaeus that had been kept illegally as pets before being rescued between 2020 and 2024 and rehabilitated to climb, forage and nest. East Kalimantan's Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) coordinated the release with the provincial forestry authority and conservation partners.

## Excerpt
Three Bornean orangutans — Bagus, Eboni and Ruby — were released into a protected forest in East Kutai, East Kalimantan, on 23 June 2026, after years of rehabilitation following rescue from the illegal pet trade. All three are Critically Endangered Pongo pygmaeus.

## Takeaway
Three Bornean orangutans — Bagus, Eboni and Ruby — were released into the wild in the Gunung Batu Mesangat protected forest, East Kutai regency, East Kalimantan, on 23 June 2026.

## Takeaway
All three had been kept illegally as pets and were rescued between September 2020 and April 2024 from villages in Berau and East Kutai regencies.

## Takeaway
Before release, each orangutan spent years in a forest-school rehabilitation programme relearning to climb, forage for wild foods and build sleeping nests.

## Takeaway
The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with roughly 104,700 left and about half its habitat lost in two decades.

## Takeaway
The illegal pet trade — where infants are taken after their mothers are killed — and deforestation for palm oil, timber and mining remain the species' biggest threats.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/kalimantan-orangutans-released-2026): Three Rehabilitated Orangutans Released Back Into the Wild in East Kalimantan.

## Briefing
Three Critically Endangered Bornean orangutans — Bagus, Eboni and Ruby — were released back into the wild on 23 June 2026 in the Gunung Batu Mesangat protected forest in East Kutai regency, East Kalimantan , on the Indonesian side of Borneo, after years of rehabilitation following their rescue from the illegal pet trade.

A wild Bornean orangutan in the Borneo forest canopy — the life Bagus, Eboni and Ruby are returning to.

Photo: Charles J.

Sharp / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), illustrative.

What happened: three orangutans returned to the wild On 23 June 2026, conservation authorities in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province released three rehabilitated Bornean orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus ) into the Gunung Batu Mesangat protected forest, in the Busang district of East Kutai regency.

The release marked the end of a rehabilitation journey that, for the longest-held of the three, had lasted almost six years.

The operation was coordinated by East Kalimantan's Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) together with the provincial forestry authority, a local forest-management unit and the conservation partners who ran the animals' rehabilitation.

M.

Ari Wibawanto, who heads East Kalimantan BKSDA, described the release as a collaboration between the province's conservation and forestry bodies and their training partners.

Meet Bagus, Eboni and Ruby All three orangutans share the same underlying story: each had been taken from the forest and kept illegally as a pet before being rescued and handed into rehabilitation.

Their rescue dates span four years: Bagus — rescued in September 2020 from Merabu village, Berau regency.

Eboni — evacuated in April 2022 from Long Beliu, Berau regency.

Ruby — evacuated in April 2024 from Sekurau Atas village, East Kutai regency.

Keeping orangutans as pets is illegal in Indonesia, where the species is legally protected.

Infants are typically captured after their mothers are killed — a single pet orangutan usually represents the loss of at least one wild adult — which is why confiscations feed directly into rescue and rehabilitation programmes rather than back into the wild straight away.

Lowland forest in Borneo — the intact, fruiting habitat a released orangutan needs to survive.

Why orangutan rehabilitation takes years, not weeks Orangutans are among the slowest-developing mammals on Earth.

In the wild an infant stays with its mother for up to eight years, learning where and when hundreds of forest foods ripen, how to move safely through the canopy, and how to build a fresh sleeping nest every night.

An orangutan taken as a baby and raised by people misses all of this.

Rehabilitation — often called "forest school" — has to rebuild those skills from scratch before an animal can be considered releasable.

Before Bagus, Eboni and Ruby were signed off for release, each had to prove it could: Climb and travel through the canopy confidently rather than staying on the ground; Find and process wild foods — fruit, bark, shoots and insects — without being hand-fed; Build a secure night nest in the treetops, which orangutans do every single evening.

Only once an orangutan can reliably feed, move and shelter itself — and passes a full veterinary and disease-screening check — is it matched to a protected release forest with enough food and few resident wild orangutans to compete with.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/kalimantan-orangutans-released-2026): Three Rehabilitated Orangutans Released Back Into the Wild in East Kalimantan.

Timeline: from pet to protected forest September 2020: Bagus is rescued from Merabu village, Berau regency, and enters rehabilitation.

April 2022: Eboni is evacuated from Long Beliu, Berau, after being kept as a pet.

April 2024: Ruby is evacuated from Sekurau Atas village, East Kutai regency.

2020–2026: Each orangutan completes forest-school rehabilitation — climbing, foraging and nest-building — and passes health screening.

23 June 2026: All three are released into the Gunung Batu Mesangat protected forest, East Kutai, East Kalimantan.

What a wild release actually costs Every release like this is the end of a years-long chain: rescue, quarantine, forest-school rehabilitation, disease screening — and a protected forest to return to.

That partner-led orangutan work in Borneo is exactly what WARN's orangutan appeal is built to fund.

Support the orangutan appeal Why Bornean orangutans are Critically Endangered The Bornean orangutan is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List — the highest risk category before extinction in the wild.

Roughly 104,700 Bornean orangutans are estimated to remain, and around half of the species' habitat has been lost in the past two decades .

All three orangutan species — Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli — are Critically Endangered.

Two pressures drive the decline.

The first is habitat loss : lowland Bornean forest has been cleared and fragmented for palm oil, timber and mining, leaving fewer connected areas with enough year-round food.

The second is the illegal wildlife and pet trade — the exact route that put Bagus, Eboni and Ruby in human hands.

Because orangutans breed so slowly, with females giving birth only once every six to eight years, populations cannot absorb these losses and recover quickly.

For the wider picture, see our briefings on why orangutans are endangered and Borneo deforestation and palm oil , or the full orangutan wildlife guide .

Why a single successful release matters Three animals may sound small against a population of six figures, but every rehabilitated orangutan returned to a protected forest matters for a Critically Endangered species with a birth rate this low.

Releases also demonstrate something bigger: that confiscation from the pet trade, long-term rehabilitation and habitat protection can work together to put wild-born animals back where they belong — provided the funding and the forest are there.

How WARN's orangutan work connects to this World Animal Rescue Network is a registered global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation (Company no.

17298990).

Indonesia and Malaysia are in-network for our orangutan work — our orangutan appeal funds partner-led rescue, forest-school rehabilitation and habitat protection in Borneo.

WARN was not part of this particular government-led release, but we report releases like it because they show donors precisely what their support pays for: the long, expensive road from a confiscated pet to a wild orangutan nesting in the canopy again.

When rehabilitation succeeds, the limiting factor is almost always whether partners have the funding for veterinary care, forest-school staff and protected release habitat to say yes to the next rescued infant.

That is what supporter giving is for.

How you can help orangutans UK and international supporters can back Bornean orangutan rescue and rehabilitation through WARN's Borneo orangutan appeal , or support the species directly with a symbolic orangutan adoption from £5 a month.

You can also make a one-off gift or set up monthly giving to fund partner deployments where the need is greatest.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/kalimantan-orangutans-released-2026): Three Rehabilitated Orangutans Released Back Into the Wild in East Kalimantan.

Sources & further reading The Jakarta Post — Three Kalimantan orangutans released into wild (29 Jun 2026) IUCN Red List — Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean orangutan), Critically Endangered WARN briefing — Why are orangutans endangered?

WARN geo-programme — East Kalimantan orangutan rehabilitation & release


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/kalimantan-orangutans-released-2026): Three Rehabilitated Orangutans Released Back Into the Wild in East Kalimantan.

## How many orangutans were released in Kalimantan in June 2026?
Three Bornean orangutans — named Bagus, Eboni and Ruby — were released into the wild on 23 June 2026 in the Gunung Batu Mesangat protected forest, Busang district, East Kutai regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

## Where were the orangutans released?
They were released into the Gunung Batu Mesangat protected forest in Busang district, East Kutai regency, East Kalimantan province, on the Indonesian side of Borneo — a lowland forest area chosen as suitable long-term habitat for wild Bornean orangutans.

## Why were Bagus, Eboni and Ruby in rehabilitation?
All three had been kept illegally as pets. Bagus was rescued in September 2020 from Merabu village in Berau regency, Eboni was evacuated in April 2022 from Long Beliu in Berau, and Ruby was evacuated in April 2024 from Sekurau Atas village in East Kutai. Each then spent years relearning wild skills before being judged ready for release.

## What subspecies are they, and are orangutans endangered?
They are Bornean orangutans, Pongo pygmaeus. All three orangutan species — Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli — are classed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Roughly 104,700 Bornean orangutans remain, and about half of the species' habitat has been lost in the past two decades.

## Who released the orangutans?
The release was coordinated by East Kalimantan's Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), working with the provincial forestry authority, a local forest-management unit and conservation partners who ran the rehabilitation programme.

## How can I help orangutans returned to the wild?
Wild releases are the end of a years-long, costly chain of rescue, rehabilitation and habitat protection. Supporters can fund partner-led orangutan rescue and forest-school rehabilitation through WARN's East Kalimantan programme page or the Borneo orangutan appeal, or back the species with a symbolic orangutan adoption from £5 a month.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/why-are-sea-turtles-endangered): Why Are Sea Turtles Endangered? The Threats — and How to Help.

## Summary
Sea turtles are endangered mainly because of accidental capture (bycatch) in fishing gear, plastic and marine pollution, the loss of nesting beaches to coastal development and light, the poaching of eggs, meat and shells, and warming sand that skews hatchling sex ratios — and because only around one hatchling in a thousand survives to adulthood, populations recover very slowly.

## Excerpt
Sea turtles have survived for more than 100 million years, yet within a few human generations most species have been pushed toward extinction. Here is what is driving the decline — bycatch, plastic, poaching and lost nesting beaches — and what actually helps.

## Takeaway
Of the seven sea turtle species, the hawksbill is Critically Endangered and the green turtle is Endangered on the IUCN Red List; most species are declining.

## Takeaway
Bycatch — accidental capture in nets, trawls and on longlines — is one of the single largest causes of sea turtle deaths worldwide.

## Takeaway
Only about one hatchling in 1,000 survives to adulthood, so every nest and breeding female lost has an outsized impact.

## Takeaway
Plastic pollution, lost nesting beaches, artificial light and the illegal trade in shells and eggs all compound the pressure.

## Takeaway
Turtle-safe fishing gear, protected nesting beaches and rescue-and-rehabilitation work are proven to help — and are exactly what WARN funds through partners.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/why-are-sea-turtles-endangered): Why Are Sea Turtles Endangered? The Threats — and How to Help.

## Briefing
Sea turtles have navigated the world's oceans for more than 100 million years — outlasting the dinosaurs.

Yet within just a few human generations, most of the seven species have been pushed toward extinction.

Of those seven, the hawksbill is Critically Endangered and the green turtle Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and only around one hatchling in a thousand ever reaches adulthood.

Why are sea turtles endangered?

There is no single cause.

Sea turtles face a stack of overlapping, mostly human-made threats, and because they are slow to mature and produce so few surviving young, populations recover very slowly when they fall.

1.

Bycatch: drowned in fishing gear Accidental capture in fishing gear — known as bycatch — is one of the single largest causes of sea turtle deaths worldwide.

Turtles are air-breathing reptiles, so when they are caught in trawl nets, gillnets or on longline hooks they can drown before they are released.

Simple, proven fixes exist: turtle excluder devices in nets, circle hooks on longlines, and training for crews.

2.

Plastic and marine pollution A floating plastic bag looks almost exactly like a jellyfish — a favourite food of several turtle species.

Turtles swallow plastic that blocks their gut, and become entangled in discarded "ghost" fishing gear.

Chemical pollution and oil spills add further pressure on the feeding grounds and reefs they depend on.

3.

Lost and degraded nesting beaches Female turtles return to nest on the same beaches where they hatched.

When those beaches are built on, lit by artificial light, or eroded, females cannot nest successfully.

Hatchlings, which find the sea by heading toward the brightest horizon, are disoriented by streetlights and hotels and crawl inland instead — straight into predators, roads and exhaustion.

4.

Poaching and the illegal trade Eggs are still dug up for food, adults are taken for meat, and hawksbills in particular are killed for their shells — sold as "tortoiseshell" jewellery and ornaments.

The trade is illegal across most of the world but persists wherever enforcement is weak.

5.

A warming climate A sea turtle's sex is determined by the temperature of the sand around the eggs.

As beaches warm, far more females than males are being produced in many rookeries — a slow-motion threat to future breeding.

Rising seas and stronger storms also erode the beaches turtles depend on.

Why each individual turtle matters so much Sea turtles take decades to reach breeding age, and only around one hatchling in 1,000 survives to adulthood.

That means every breeding female, every protected nest and every rescued adult has an outsized effect on whether a population survives.

It is also why rescue and rehabilitation — returning an injured adult to the sea — is so valuable.

What actually helps Protecting nesting beaches — patrols and managed hatcheries that guard nests from poaching, predators and tides until the hatchlings reach the sea.

Reducing bycatch — turtle-safe gear and crew training so fewer turtles drown in nets and on hooks.

Rescue and rehabilitation — clinics that treat turtles injured by boats, hooks, entanglement and plastic, then release them.

Cleaner seas and stronger enforcement — cutting plastic at source and shutting down the illegal shell and egg trade.

How WARN helps — and how you can World Animal Rescue Network is a global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation — a not-for-profit, not a charity.

We do not run our own hatcheries.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/why-are-sea-turtles-endangered): Why Are Sea Turtles Endangered? The Threats — and How to Help.

Instead we raise funds and make grants to, and partner with, established marine rescue teams, hatcheries and veterinary services along the coasts of WARN's partner-network countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Colombia — with wider nesting regions such as Sri Lanka, Kenya and Tanzania kept live for education and search, so the maximum possible share of your gift reaches the turtles.

You can read the full Sea Turtle Appeal , symbolically adopt a sea turtle from £5 a month, or make a one-off donation today.

Every protected nest is another thousand-to-one chance taken.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/adopt-an-animal-as-a-gift): How to Adopt an Animal as a Gift: Symbolic Animal Adoptions Explained.

## Summary
To adopt an animal as a gift you choose a species through an animal-welfare organisation's symbolic adoption scheme and set it up as a one-off or monthly gift; the recipient receives a personalised adoption certificate and updates, while your money funds real conservation and rescue work rather than the ownership of an actual animal.

## Excerpt
A symbolic animal adoption is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give — a present that funds real frontline conservation instead of adding to the clutter. Here is how symbolic adoptions work, what the recipient gets, and how to choose one.

## Takeaway
A symbolic adoption is a donation in someone's name — you are not taking ownership of a real animal, you are funding the work that protects the species.

## Takeaway
It makes an ideal gift for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas, especially for people who already 'have everything' or care about wildlife.

## Takeaway
Recipients typically receive a personalised adoption certificate, a species fact file and regular updates from the field.

## Takeaway
With WARN you can symbolically adopt a dog, cat, elephant, tiger, orangutan or sea turtle from £5 a month.

## Takeaway
Choose a scheme that is transparent about how much of your money reaches frontline work.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/adopt-an-animal-as-a-gift): How to Adopt an Animal as a Gift: Symbolic Animal Adoptions Explained.

## Briefing
A symbolic animal adoption is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give — a present that funds real frontline conservation instead of adding to the clutter. It is ideal for the person who "has everything", for animal-loving children, and for anyone who would rather their birthday or Christmas did some good in the world. What is a symbolic animal adoption? Adopting an animal symbolically does not mean a tiger arrives at your door. It is a donation made in your name — or the name of the person you are gifting it to — that funds the rescue, veterinary care, anti-poaching and habitat work protecting that species. You are adopting the cause , not an individual animal. What does the recipient receive? With a WARN symbolic adoption, the recipient gets: A personalised digital adoption certificate (a gift-ready PDF) A species fact file and rescue story Quarterly updates from the programme A gift receipt for your records The option to dedicate the adoption as a gift, with the recipient's name on the certificate Which animals can you adopt? Through WARN you can symbolically adopt an animal from £5 a month, choosing the species whose crisis matters most to you: Adopt a dog — funding humane street dog rescue and CNVR clinics abroad. Adopt a cat — funding community cat sterilisation, vaccination and emergency care. Adopt an elephant — funding anti-snare patrols and humane human-elephant coexistence. Adopt a tiger — funding anti-poaching patrols and rescue from the illegal trade. Adopt a sea turtle — funding nest protection and bycatch reduction. Adopt an orangutan — funding rescue, rehabilitation and release. Adoption as a gift: birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas Because the certificate can carry the recipient's name, a symbolic adoption works beautifully as a present. Set it up as a one-off gift, or as a monthly adoption that keeps giving through the year. It is a popular choice for grandchildren, teachers, colleagues and the hard-to-buy-for. How to choose a good adoption scheme Not all schemes are equal. Look for one that is clear about how much of your money reaches frontline work , names the kind of work it funds, and is honest about its model. WARN is a global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation — a not-for-profit, not a charity — and we do not run our own facilities. We raise funds and make grants to, and partner with, established sanctuaries, rescue teams and veterinary services, so the maximum possible share of your gift reaches the animals. Adopting and sponsoring are closely related — if you would like to understand exactly what these gifts pay for, read our guide on how to sponsor an animal . When you are ready, you can choose an animal to adopt or make a one-off donation .


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/adopt-an-animal-as-a-gift): How to Adopt an Animal as a Gift: Symbolic Animal Adoptions Explained.

## What is a symbolic animal adoption?
It is a donation made in your or a recipient's name to support a species. You do not own, house or receive a real animal — your gift funds the rescue, veterinary care, anti-poaching and habitat work that protects animals like the one you adopt.

## What does the recipient actually receive?
Typically a personalised digital adoption certificate (gift-ready), a species fact file and rescue story, and quarterly updates. With WARN you can also dedicate the adoption as a gift with the recipient's name on the certificate.

## How much does it cost to adopt an animal as a gift?
WARN symbolic adoptions start from £5 a month, with one-off options available. You can choose a higher tier to fund more — for example a day of ranger patrol or a rapid veterinary call-out.

## Is adopting an animal the same as sponsoring one?
They are very similar terms. Both are donations that fund conservation rather than animal ownership. See our guide on how to sponsor an animal for more on what these gifts fund.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/deforestation-effects-on-animals): How Does Deforestation Affect Animals? The Real Costs of Habitat Loss.

## Summary
Deforestation affects animals by destroying and fragmenting their habitat, eliminating food sources, blocking migration routes, and driving displaced wildlife into contact with humans and traffickers — leading directly to population collapse, rescue demand, and extinction risk.

## Excerpt
Deforestation kills animals in slow motion. When forests are cleared for agriculture, logging or urban development, the effects on wildlife are immediate, cascading and often irreversible — and they are the direct cause of most of the animal rescue crises WARN responds to across Asia, Africa and South America.

## Takeaway
Habitat loss from deforestation is the single largest driver of wildlife decline globally — responsible for more species being at risk than any other factor.

## Takeaway
Habitat fragmentation — where forest is broken into isolated patches — is often more damaging long-term than outright clearance, cutting animals off from mates, food and migration routes.

## Takeaway
In Borneo, orangutans displaced by palm-oil plantation expansion are the direct source of most rescue intake at WARN's partner centres in Indonesia and Malaysia.

## Takeaway
Deforestation and wildlife trafficking are directly linked: animals forced out of forest into human settlements are far easier to capture and sell.

## Takeaway
Reforestation is proven to work, but requires sustained community-based effort and long-term funding.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/deforestation-effects-on-animals): How Does Deforestation Affect Animals? The Real Costs of Habitat Loss.

## Briefing
Deforestation kills animals in slow motion. When forests are cleared for agriculture, logging or urban development, the effects on wildlife are immediate, cascading and often irreversible — and they are the direct cause of most of the rescue crises WARN responds to across Asia, Africa and South America. The direct impacts: death, displacement and capture The most immediate effect of deforestation is outright habitat destruction. Animals living in a section of forest that is cleared face three choices: die, migrate, or adapt. Most cannot adapt quickly enough. Many cannot migrate because surrounding habitat is already degraded or fragmented. The result, for millions of individual animals every year, is death. In Indonesia and Malaysia — two of WARN's operational countries — orangutans displaced by palm-oil plantation expansion are routinely found starving in cleared land. They are injured by plantation machinery, deliberately killed by workers, or confiscated by wildlife officers. The infants of killed mothers are sold as pets. These are the animals that arrive at WARN's partner rescue centres. Habitat fragmentation: the hidden long-term killer Even when deforestation doesn't kill animals outright, it fragments their habitat into isolated patches separated by agriculture, roads and urban development. This is often more damaging in the long run than direct clearance. Isolated populations cannot interbreed , leading to inbreeding depression and lower juvenile survival. Animals cannot reach seasonal food sources when the landscape between forest patches has been converted. Released rescued animals cannot establish territories when corridors are broken — making rescue outcomes unsustainable. Disease spreads faster in stressed, crowded populations confined to reduced habitat. Human-wildlife conflict increases as animals cross into farmland in search of food, leading to retaliatory killing. Which animals suffer most? Forest-dependent specialists suffer most because they cannot easily switch habitats. Among the species WARN works to protect: Orangutans are strictly arboreal and cannot easily cross open ground. Fragmentation is catastrophic for them. Pangolins need undisturbed forest floor for their insect prey. Deforestation pushes them into cleared areas where traffickers find them easily. Indochinese tigers need 60–100 km² of contiguous forest each. Fragmented forests in Vietnam and Cambodia cannot support viable tiger populations. Amazon parrots and macaws nest in old-growth tree cavities. When those trees are cleared, nesting sites disappear entirely. African elephants require vast landscape-scale ranges. As woodland fragments in Kenya and Tanzania, elephants enter farms and deadly human-wildlife conflict follows. Deforestation and the wildlife trafficking trade There is a direct, well-documented link between deforestation and increased trafficking. As forest is cleared and animals are forced into open ground or human-adjacent areas, they become far easier to capture. In Cambodia, snares are concentrated in the last remaining forest patches — exactly where wildlife congregates and traffickers focus their effort. WARN's planned anti-trafficking work centres on its partner network in Indonesia, with regions such as Cambodia and Kenya as wider context, because deforestation has made wild animals dangerously accessible. Rescue is not enough WARN's animal rescue and anti-trafficking programmes treat the immediate crisis. But they cannot work sustainably if the habitat those animals need for release is gone. This is why WARN adopted a third community purpose specifically covering habitat protection and restoration, and why the Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds tree planting, corridor restoration and community forestry in all of our partner-network countries. Help WARN restore the habitats our rescued animals need WARN's Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds native tree planting, forest corridor protection and reforestation projects across all of our partner-network countries — giving the animals we rescue somewhere safe to return to after rehabilitation. Read the appeal or donate today to fund your first trees planted and your first corridor protected. Every pound goes directly to on-the-ground habitat work in Borneo, the Amazon, East Africa or Southeast Asia.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/deforestation-effects-on-animals): How Does Deforestation Affect Animals? The Real Costs of Habitat Loss.

## Which animals are most affected by deforestation?
Forest-dependent specialists suffer most: orangutans, pangolins, tigers, gibbons, parrots, slow lorises and Andean bears are among the animals most directly threatened. WARN works to rescue and rehabilitate many of these species across its partner-network countries.

## How many animals die from deforestation each year?
A precise global figure cannot be calculated, but FAO data shows the world loses 10 million hectares of forest per year, and biodiversity studies estimate that habitat loss drives population declines of billions of individual animals annually.

## Does deforestation cause extinction?
Yes. Habitat loss and degradation are the primary drivers of species extinction globally. The IUCN lists habitat loss as the leading threat for the majority of Critically Endangered species on its Red List.

## Can reforestation reverse the damage?
Reforestation can restore habitat connectivity and reverse some population declines, but it requires planting native species, managing restored land long-term, and decades for forest ecosystems to fully recover. WARN's Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds exactly this kind of work.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/why-are-orangutans-endangered): Why Are Orangutans Endangered? Palm Oil, Deforestation and the Rescue Crisis in Borneo.

## Summary
Orangutans are endangered primarily because of deforestation — the clearing of Borneo's and Sumatra's lowland forests for palm-oil plantations, pulpwood and logging has destroyed more than 50% of their habitat in 40 years, confining surviving populations to increasingly fragmented and isolated forest patches.

## Excerpt
Orangutans are endangered because of a single dominant cause: deforestation. All three remaining species have been reduced to small, fragmented populations in what remains of Borneo's and Sumatra's lowland and peat-swamp forests — and the crisis is getting worse, not better.

## Takeaway
The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is listed as Endangered — its population has declined by over 50% in 60 years and stands at approximately 104,700 individuals.

## Takeaway
The Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) is Critically Endangered with around 13,846 individuals remaining.

## Takeaway
The Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) is the most endangered great ape on Earth, with fewer than 800 individuals left.

## Takeaway
Palm-oil plantation expansion is the single largest driver of orangutan habitat loss in both Indonesia and Malaysia.

## Takeaway
When orangutans are displaced by deforestation, they enter human settlements and become vulnerable to capture, killing and trafficking.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/why-are-orangutans-endangered): Why Are Orangutans Endangered? Palm Oil, Deforestation and the Rescue Crisis in Borneo.

## Briefing
Orangutans are endangered because of a single dominant cause: deforestation. The three remaining orangutan species have all been reduced to small, fragmented populations in what remains of the lowland and peat-swamp forests of Borneo and Sumatra — and the rate of habitat loss continues to outpace the rate of rescue and rehabilitation. How many orangutans are left? Current IUCN population estimates: Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus): approximately 104,700 — listed as Endangered Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii): approximately 13,846 — listed as Critically Endangered Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis): fewer than 800 — listed as Critically Endangered , the most endangered great ape on Earth The Bornean population may seem large, but it represents a decline of over 50% from population levels 60 years ago — and surveys show it is still falling. Why palm oil threatens orangutans Palm oil is found in approximately 50% of supermarket products — from bread and biscuits to cosmetics and biofuel. The oil palm industry in Indonesia and Malaysia has been responsible for the largest portion of Bornean and Sumatran deforestation over the past four decades. When lowland forest is cleared for a plantation, orangutans lose their food sources, their shelter, and their ability to move through the landscape. Isolated by cleared land they cannot cross, they starve, are killed by plantation workers who view them as pests, or are captured by traffickers. Infant orangutans are particularly vulnerable: mothers are killed so their infants can be sold as pets — a trade that WARN's partner rescue programmes in Indonesia and Malaysia respond to directly. Beyond palm oil: the other drivers Illegal logging removes individual large trees — the kind that orangutans nest in and that provide their main food sources. Peatland fires , often deliberately set to clear land, create mass mortality events. The 2015 Indonesian fires killed thousands of orangutans directly. Infrastructure development — roads built through forest fragment populations and provide access for hunters and traffickers. Plantation expansion into secondary forest, which many orangutans rely on as primary habitat has become unavailable. What orangutans need to survive in the wild Orangutans are slow-reproducing primates. Females give birth approximately every 7–8 years and invest years teaching their offspring survival skills. Each death is a significant population setback. Each adult male needs up to 6 km² of forested range, with diverse fruiting trees available year-round. They cannot survive in plantation monocultures. After rescue and rehabilitation, released orangutans require intact, connected forest to establish a territory, find a mate and access the food diversity their diet requires. If the forest isn't there, release isn't possible — and the rescue becomes a permanent sanctuary burden. WARN's response WARN funds partner rescue centres in Indonesia and Malaysia for orangutans confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade or displaced by plantation operations. But rescue without habitat restoration is a revolving door. WARN's Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds the native tree planting and corridor restoration that gives rehabilitated orangutans a viable future — turning rescue into genuine recovery. Help WARN restore the habitats our rescued animals need WARN's Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds native tree planting, forest corridor protection and reforestation projects across all of our partner-network countries — giving the animals we rescue somewhere safe to return to after rehabilitation. Read the appeal or donate today to fund your first trees planted and your first corridor protected. Every pound goes directly to on-the-ground habitat work in Borneo, the Amazon, East Africa or Southeast Asia.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/borneo-deforestation-palm-oil-wildlife): Borneo Deforestation and Palm Oil: The Wildlife Crisis in the World's Third Largest Island.

## Summary
Borneo has lost more than 50% of its lowland forest since 1980, primarily due to oil palm and pulpwood plantation expansion — driving the orangutan, slow loris, pygmy elephant and hundreds of other species into a permanent conservation and rescue crisis.

## Excerpt
Borneo is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth and one of the most rapidly deforested. More than half of the island's lowland forest has been lost in 40 years — a scale of destruction that has produced a permanent wildlife rescue crisis in Indonesia and Malaysia, two of WARN's partner-network countries.

## Takeaway
Borneo's forests once covered virtually the entire island. By 2020, more than 50% of the original lowland forest had been lost.

## Takeaway
Oil palm plantations now cover more than 14 million hectares of Indonesia alone — the primary driver of Bornean deforestation.

## Takeaway
The island hosts more endemic species per square kilometre than almost anywhere on Earth, including the Bornean orangutan, pygmy elephant and slow loris — found nowhere else.

## Takeaway
Deforestation forces wildlife into human settlements, creating the trafficking and rescue crises that WARN's Indonesia and Malaysia programmes directly address.

## Takeaway
Corridor restoration in the buffer zones around protected areas is the most effective near-term intervention for Borneo's wildlife.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/borneo-deforestation-palm-oil-wildlife): Borneo Deforestation and Palm Oil: The Wildlife Crisis in the World's Third Largest Island.

## Briefing
Borneo is the world's third largest island and one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.

It is also one of the most rapidly deforested.

The island — shared between Indonesia (Kalimantan), Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) and Brunei — has lost more than half of its lowland forest in 40 years, in a scale of destruction with no parallel in the history of documented deforestation.

The scale of Borneo's forest loss Borneo's forests once covered virtually the entire island — around 74 million hectares.

By 2010, satellite analysis showed approximately 30% of total forest cover had been lost since 1973.

For lowland forest specifically — the habitat most critical to endemic species like the orangutan — the loss exceeds 50% compared to 1980 levels.

Between 2000 and 2019, Indonesia lost more forest than any other country in the world.

The primary driver is oil palm plantation expansion, followed by pulpwood development, illegal logging and infrastructure construction.

The numbers are not just environmental statistics — they are the direct cause of the rescue crisis that fills partner animal rehabilitation centres in Kalimantan and Sabah year-round.

Why Borneo's biodiversity is unique Borneo hosts more species per square kilometre than almost anywhere on Earth.

Among its endemic species: The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) — found nowhere else on the planet, and listed as Endangered The Bornean pygmy elephant — the smallest Asian elephant subspecies The Bornean slow loris — a venomous primate and one of the most heavily trafficked mammals on the illegal wildlife market The Sunda clouded leopard — a canopy-dwelling big cat found only in Borneo and Sumatra The proboscis monkey — a Bornean endemic entirely dependent on riverine and coastal forest These species exist in Borneo and nowhere else.

Deforestation is not just reducing their numbers — for some, it is eliminating the only place they have ever existed.

Palm oil: the dominant driver Palm oil plantations now cover more than 14 million hectares of Indonesia's land area, with a significant proportion in Kalimantan.

For wildlife, the conversion of forest to plantation means the loss of canopy cover, food-source diversity, denning and nesting habitat, and the corridors that allow animals to move between remaining forest patches.

Animals displaced from cleared forest enter plantations or human settlements, where they face killing, capture or starvation.

The rescue crisis in numbers Rescue centres in Kalimantan and Sabah report rising intake year-on-year.

Every orangutan confiscated from a plantation, every slow loris seized from a trafficker, every pygmy elephant shot in a crop-raiding incident — these are the direct, measurable outputs of habitat loss translating into wildlife welfare crisis.

WARN's Indonesia and Malaysia programmes are designed to fund this rescue capacity directly, working through vetted local partner organisations that are already on the ground.

What restoration looks like on the ground The most effective near-term intervention in Borneo is restoring the habitat corridors that connect remaining forest patches — enabling surviving wildlife populations to move, interbreed and access food.

Community-based reforestation in the buffer zones around protected areas can restore functional corridors within a decade when properly managed.

This is the work WARN's Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds: planting native species in the right places, protecting restored land from re-clearing, and monitoring corridor use by the animals WARN's partners rescue and release.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/borneo-deforestation-palm-oil-wildlife): Borneo Deforestation and Palm Oil: The Wildlife Crisis in the World's Third Largest Island.

Help WARN restore the habitats our rescued animals need WARN's Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds native tree planting, forest corridor protection and reforestation projects across all of our partner-network countries — giving the animals we rescue somewhere safe to return to after rehabilitation.

Read the appeal or donate today to fund your first trees planted and your first corridor protected.

Every pound goes directly to on-the-ground habitat work in Borneo, the Amazon, East Africa or Southeast Asia.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/borneo-deforestation-palm-oil-wildlife): Borneo Deforestation and Palm Oil: The Wildlife Crisis in the World's Third Largest Island.

## How much forest has Borneo lost?
Satellite analysis shows Borneo lost approximately 30% of its total forest cover between 1973 and 2010. For lowland forest specifically — the habitat most critical to endemic species like the orangutan — the loss exceeds 50% compared to 1980 levels.

## Is palm oil the only cause of Borneo deforestation?
Palm oil is the dominant cause, but illegal logging, pulpwood plantation development, road construction, and to a lesser extent subsistence clearing also contribute. Palm oil and pulpwood together account for the vast majority of large-scale forest conversion.

## What animals are unique to Borneo?
Borneo is home to the Bornean orangutan, Bornean pygmy elephant, Bornean slow loris, Sunda clouded leopard, proboscis monkey, and thousands of endemic plant, invertebrate and bird species — all found nowhere else on Earth.

## What can be done to stop Borneo deforestation?
The most effective interventions include enforcement of existing forest protection law, certification of sustainable land use, financial support for community forestry, and restoration of degraded habitat corridors — all of which WARN's habitat programme funds alongside its rescue work.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/habitat-loss-wildlife-extinction): Habitat Loss and Wildlife Extinction: The Single Biggest Threat to Wild Animals.

## Summary
Habitat loss — the destruction, degradation or fragmentation of natural environments — is the single largest cause of wildlife extinction risk globally, responsible for more species decline than hunting, pollution and climate change combined.

## Excerpt
Habitat loss — the destruction, degradation or fragmentation of the natural environments animals depend on — is the single largest driver of wildlife decline and extinction globally. It is the root cause behind most of the rescue crises WARN's programmes are designed to address across Asia, Africa and South America.

## Takeaway
The IUCN identifies habitat loss as the leading threat for the majority of the world's Critically Endangered species.

## Takeaway
The world loses 10 million hectares of forest per year — an area approximately the size of Iceland — according to FAO data.

## Takeaway
Habitat fragmentation is often more damaging long-term than outright clearance, because it isolates populations and prevents genetic exchange.

## Takeaway
The five main causes of habitat loss are: agricultural expansion, logging, infrastructure development, urban growth, and climate-driven habitat shifts.

## Takeaway
Habitat restoration — at scale and using native species — can reverse population declines, but requires sustained long-term investment.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/habitat-loss-wildlife-extinction): Habitat Loss and Wildlife Extinction: The Single Biggest Threat to Wild Animals.

## Briefing
Habitat loss is the single largest driver of wildlife decline and extinction globally. More species face elevated risk because of habitat loss than because of hunting, pollution, invasive species and climate change combined — and the rate of loss is accelerating, not slowing. What is habitat loss? Habitat loss occurs when natural environments that animals depend on — forests, wetlands, grasslands, savannahs, coral reefs — are destroyed, degraded or fragmented by human activity or environmental change, making them unable to support the species that once lived there. It takes three main forms: Habitat destruction — outright clearance, such as forest conversion to farmland or peatland drainage for plantation development. Habitat degradation — partial damage that reduces habitat quality, such as selective logging, pollution or invasive species introduction, leaving a reduced or lower-quality version of the original ecosystem. Habitat fragmentation — breaking continuous habitat into isolated patches, often more damaging long-term than either destruction or degradation because it cuts populations off from each other, preventing genetic exchange and seasonal migration. The scale of the crisis The numbers are well documented and alarming. The world loses 10 million hectares of forest every year, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. That is an area roughly the size of Iceland disappearing from the map annually. Globally, an estimated 75% of the land surface has been significantly altered by human activity. The IUCN lists habitat loss as the leading threat for the majority of Critically Endangered species on its Red List. The five main causes Agricultural expansion — the single dominant cause globally. Cattle ranching in the Amazon, oil palm in Borneo, soybean cultivation in the Cerrado, charcoal agriculture in East Africa. Food systems are the primary engine of habitat loss. Commercial logging — both legal and illegal timber extraction removes individual old trees, fragments forest structure and opens roads that become corridors for further encroachment. Infrastructure development — roads, dams, mines and urban growth directly destroy habitat and create linear barriers that fragment populations. Urban and suburban growth — expanding cities consume habitat at the edges and generate secondary impacts through pollution and increased human-wildlife interface. Climate-driven habitat shifts — as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns change, some habitats become climatically unsuitable for the species they supported. Coral bleaching is the most dramatic example; glacier retreat is destroying the freshwater habitats of mountain species. How habitat loss drives wildlife into rescue centres Across WARN's partner network and planned expansion regions, habitat loss is the underlying driver of animal welfare crises. In Indonesia and Malaysia — both in WARN's network — Bornean orangutans displaced by plantation expansion arrive at rescue centres underweight, injured or orphaned. In Colombia, parrots and Andean bears displaced from deforested Amazon forest are captured by traffickers. In wider regions such as Kenya, Tanzania and Peru, savannah fragmentation and forest clearance drive the same crisis. The link between habitat loss and rescue demand is direct and measurable. Can the damage be reversed? Yes — but not quickly, cheaply or without sustained effort. Reforestation using native species, active habitat management, community-based protection and long-term monitoring can restore ecosystem function and enable wildlife population recovery. Animals do return to restored corridors. Camera-trap data from reforestation projects consistently records increasing wildlife use within 18–24 months of restoration beginning. But restoration takes decades to complete and requires continuous protection from re-encroachment. WARN's Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds exactly this kind of sustained, community-based habitat work in all of our partner-network countries. Help WARN restore the habitats our rescued animals need WARN's Restore Natural Habitats appeal funds native tree planting, forest corridor protection and reforestation projects across all of our partner-network countries — giving the animals we rescue somewhere safe to return to after rehabilitation. Read the appeal or donate today to fund your first trees planted and your first corridor protected. Every pound goes directly to on-the-ground habitat work in Borneo, the Amazon, East Africa or Southeast Asia.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/habitat-loss-wildlife-extinction): Habitat Loss and Wildlife Extinction: The Single Biggest Threat to Wild Animals.

## What is habitat loss?
Habitat loss occurs when natural environments that animals depend on — forests, wetlands, grasslands, coral reefs — are destroyed, degraded or fragmented by human activity or environmental change, making them unable to support the species that once lived there.

## What are the main causes of habitat loss?
The five main causes are: agricultural expansion (the dominant cause globally), commercial logging, infrastructure development (roads, dams, mines), urban growth, and climate-driven habitat shifts such as coral bleaching and glacier retreat.

## How does habitat loss lead to extinction?
Habitat loss reduces population size below viable levels, eliminates genetic diversity through inbreeding, cuts animals off from food and mates, and often leaves animals in human-adjacent areas where they face hunting and conflict. The combination is lethal at the species level over decades.

## Which habitats are being lost fastest?
Tropical forests — particularly in Southeast Asia, the Amazon Basin and Central Africa — are being lost at the fastest rates. Freshwater wetlands, temperate grasslands and coastal mangroves are also disappearing rapidly.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/reforestation-benefits-wildlife): Reforestation Benefits for Wildlife: Why Planting Native Trees Saves Endangered Animals.

## Summary
Reforestation benefits wildlife by restoring habitat connectivity, recovering food sources and nesting sites, enabling population recovery through genetic exchange, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and providing the release habitat that rescued and rehabilitated animals need to survive in the wild.

## Excerpt
Reforestation — the deliberate replanting of trees in degraded or cleared land — is one of the most effective interventions available for wildlife recovery. When done with the right species, in the right places, with long-term management, it can restore habitat corridors, recover biodiversity and give rescued animals somewhere safe to return to.

## Takeaway
Reforestation with native species is significantly more effective for wildlife than monoculture tree planting — native trees support far more insect, bird and mammal diversity.

## Takeaway
Habitat corridor restoration — linking isolated forest patches — can produce measurable wildlife recovery in as little as 18–24 months after planting begins.

## Takeaway
Reforestation reduces human-wildlife conflict by providing animals with natural range, food and shelter, reducing the pressure to enter farmland.

## Takeaway
Community-led reforestation — where local people are employed and invested in restoration — is the most durable and cost-effective model.

## Takeaway
WARN's habitat appeal funds reforestation tied directly to release sites — the specific corridors that WARN's rescued and rehabilitated animals need to survive after care.