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Predators

Sexual predators at school: why South African law is failing to protect children from teachers

Sexual predators at school: why South African law is failing to protect children from teachers: Schools should be a safe environment, a place of learning where children can develop their potential. In South Africa, many public schools aren’t like this. Instead they are hothouses for teachers’ poor performance, financial mismanagement, assault and sexual misconduct. When …

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Niger’s resource paradox: what should make the country rich has made it a target for predators

Niger’s resource paradox: what should make the country rich has made it a target for predators: A month after the coup in Niger that toppled the democratically elected civilian government of Mohamed Bazoum, the country’s neighbours are still debating the possibility of military intervention. The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) – a coalition …

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Livestock are threatened by predators – but old-fashioned shepherding may be an effective solution

Livestock are threatened by predators – but old-fashioned shepherding may be an effective solution: Herder Katrina Schwartz with her goats. Photo: Conservation International Carnivores like leopards, lions and hyenas have been killing livestock for centuries, causing financial losses to farmers. In many parts of the world, farmers respond by killing these predators. This has greatly …

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Reintroducing top predators to the wild is risky but necessary – here’s how we can ensure they survive

Reintroducing top predators to the wild is risky but necessary – here’s how we can ensure they survive: Collared leopard being released into North Ossetia, Russia in 2022. Pavel Padalko, CC BY-NC-ND Large carnivores are critical to the balance of an ecosystem. In Yellowstone National Park in the western US, grey wolves keep elk populations …

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Restoring native predators can control invasive species – if they pass these tests

Restoring native predators can control invasive species – if they pass these tests: Joshua P Twining, Author provided As humans have spread out across the planet we have killed larger predators and other species we fear and compete with, confining them to history or to tiny remnants of their vast ranges. This process was particularly …

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Plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, hybodonts: looking back at three prehistoric predators of the Jurassic seas

Plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, hybodonts: looking back at three prehistoric predators of the Jurassic seas: The Liopleurodon was a pliosaur of the Jurassic period. SciePro/Shutterstock The fossilised remains of a gigantic ichthyosaur, colloquially known as a “sea dragon”, were recently uncovered at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve in the UK. Measuring at least ten metres in length …

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How we created fake smells to trick predators and save endangered birds – podcast

How we created fake smells to trick predators and save endangered birds – podcast: ‘Fake news’ odours are protecting vulnerable birds and their offspring, including the banded dotterel. Imogen Warren/Shutterstock The Conversation Weekly podcast is taking a short break in August. For the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you extended versions of some our …

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Dogs used to guard livestock from predators can take a surprisingly heavy toll on wildlife

Dogs used to guard livestock from predators can take a surprisingly heavy toll on wildlife: An Anatolian Shepherd Dog protecting goats in South Africa. Rosie Wilkes/Cheetah Outreach Trust, Author provided Over thousands of years, dog breeds like the Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd have been chosen to protect livestock by warding off wolves, leopards and …

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How predators may have shaped the way some southern African lizards survive and reproduce

How predators may have shaped the way some southern African lizards survive and reproduce: Agama aculeata female Provided by the author. Fitness, the way the naturalist Charles Darwin conceptualised it, refers to the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce successfully. Reproductive success lies in species’ ability to have offspring that are also capable of …

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