Articles in ‘Laos nature’
September 28th, 2009
A new WWF report celebrates the recent discovery of 163 new species in 2008 in the Greater Mekong region of South-east Asia – including a bird-eating fanged frog, a leopard-patterned gecko (pictured above) and a bird that would rather walk than fly. But the report wans that many may soon face extinction because of climate change.
WWF The discoveries include 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and one bird species in the region that spreads over Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and southern China.
Asia nature, Cambodia nature, China nature, Laos nature, Thailand nature, Vietnam nature | Tags: Mekong wildlife, New species in the Mekong|
September 3rd, 2009
The Saola antelope (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) was discovered to world science only in 1992, but now stands on the edge of extinction. Already endangered when discovered, the saola inhabits a few remote valleys of the Annamite Mountains along the border of Laos and Vietnam. Snaring and hunting are thought to be its main threats. Read more
Photo from Wikipedia
“Saolas stay in mountain forests during the wet seasons, when water in streams and rivers is abundant, and move down to the lowlands in winter. They are shy and never enter cultivated fields or come close to villages. To date, all known captive saolas have been dead, leading to the belief that this species cannot live in captivity.”
Asia nature, Laos nature, Vietnam nature | Tags: Animals of Laos, Animals of Vietnam, Annamite Mountains, Endangered animals of Vietnam, Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, Saola antelope, viet|
July 31st, 2009
Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (
WSC) have discovered a new species of songbird with a bald, almost featherless face in Laos. The bird, a bulbul, has gone undetected for so long because it lives in an isolated, rather inhospitable area. This is the first new bulbul to have been discovered in 100 years, and has been given the name Pycnonotus hualon. Dr Peter Clyne of the WSC noted “There are still quite a lot of places in Laos that have not yet been explored. ”
BBC
Asia nature, Laos nature | Tags: Dr Peter Clyne, Laos songbirds, New species of birds, Pycnonotus hualon, Wildlife Conservation Society|
With breathtaking views of the Himalayas, you can soar alongside Egyptian Vultures and Black Kites who will approach to take food out of your hand. They are specially trained rescue birds who can’t be returned to the wild. Among them is Kevin the young Egyptian Vulture, famous for his scrapes with Steppe Eagles. The ultimate aim of the venture is to draw attention to the serious decline of Asian vultures, being poisoned to extinction by vet-prescribed drug Diclofenac. Visit 
This year breeding conditions have been exceptionally good for budgerigars in Queensland, Australia. Heavy rain and river flooding revived the land, providing plenty of grass seeds for the birds to feast on. When all the available trees with the best nesting sites had been taken, budgerigars were laying their eggs on the ground. And now local people are marvelling at the unprecedented size of the flocks, turning the sky green. 
Customs officials first suspected the 22-year old Norwegian, who’d just stepped off a ferry from Denmark, when they spotted a tarantula scuttling inside his bag. They then noticed “his whole body was in constant motion”. The wriggling movement was due to the 14 baby royal pythons tucked away in socks strapped to the man’s torso. That wasn’t all: when the officials made him drop his trousers they found 10 cans taped to his legs, each containing an albino leopard gecko. As Norway bans the import of reptiles, including unendangered species like these, he has been fined 12,500 Norwegian crowns (£1,800). 
