In 2004, Phillip Island launched a campaign to eliminate foxes after nine of its 10 little-penguin colonies had vanished; alongside habitat restoration, the surviving colony grew from 12,000 to 40,000 birds

In 2004, Phillip Island launched a campaign to eliminate foxes after nine of its 10 little-penguin colonies had vanished; alongside habitat restoration, the surviving colony grew from 12,000 to 40,000 birds

Phillip Island’s little penguins once faced a crisis that threatened to erase much of their presence from the island. By the 1980s, nine of its 10 penguin colonies had disappeared, while the final colony on the Summerland Peninsula was also under pressure from introduced predators, habitat loss and human activity. According to Phillip Island Nature … Read more

In 1996, England began moving Scottish osprey chicks to Rutland after the species vanished as a breeder in 1847; 30 years later, 300 have fledged and the population is self-sustaining

In 1996, England began moving Scottish osprey chicks to Rutland after the species vanished as a breeder in 1847; 30 years later, 300 have fledged and the population is self-sustaining

Thirty years ago, conservationists began an experiment at Rutland Water that was intended to bring a vanished bird back to England. Three decades later, the osprey has not only returned, it is breeding, spreading and producing new generations without the need for further translocations. According to the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT), which runs … Read more

A huge forested island appeared in a British Columbia reservoir, vanished, then resurfaced 30 km away 15 days later with trees, birds and other animals still aboard

A huge forested island appeared in a British Columbia reservoir, vanished, then resurfaced 30 km away 15 days later with trees, birds and other animals still aboard

British Columbia reservoirRepresentative image from Canva In the summer of 2026, workers and residents around the Williston Reservoir in northern British Columbia witnessed something that sounded like folklore: a large, forested island broke free from the shoreline, drifted across the lake, disappeared from view, and then turned up again about 30 kilometres away, still carrying … Read more

Pine martens vanished from England for a century; locals built den boxes and set up cameras to track their return, now four kits have been spotted

Pine martens vanished from England for a century; locals built den boxes and set up cameras to track their return, now four kits have been spotted

Pine martens are making a remarkable return to south-west England after disappearing from Exmoor for more than a century, with conservationists capturing the first confirmed evidence that the reintroduced animals are breeding in the wild. A remote trail camera recorded a female pine marten with four kits on Exmoor, signalling that an ambitious effort to … Read more

Justice Unresolved: Tammy Mahoney vanished in 1981 – then an org’s ‘dark past’ & rape-murder allegations shook New York

Tammy Mahoney vanished in 1981 (Justice for Tammy Mahoney/Facebook)

Justice Unresolved is a series of articles examining cold cases, disappearances and unsolved crimes that continue to haunt families and communities in America. The stories revisit the known facts, unanswered questions and latest developments in cases where the search for truth is far from over. Tammy Mahoney vanished in 1981 (Justice for Tammy Mahoney/Facebook) Central … Read more

Alaska used rotenone to eliminate invasive pike from an entire lake; the pike vanished, and 6,836 Arctic char were later stocked to rebuild the native fishery

Alaska used rotenone to eliminate invasive pike from an entire lake; the pike vanished, and 6,836 Arctic char were later stocked to rebuild the native fishery

In a remote corner of Southcentral Alaska, state biologists carried out a dramatic restoration: they treated an entire lake with rotenone, a plant-derived piscicide, to wipe out an invasive population of northern pike. After the treatment, post-surveys confirmed the pike were gone. The next step was rebuilding what had been lost. In June 2013, the … Read more

Two Belgian climbers vanished in the Alps in 1992; melting ice has finally revealed their remains 34 years later

Two Belgian climbers vanished in the Alps in 1992; melting ice has finally revealed their remains 34 years later

Two Belgian mountaineers who disappeared in the Swiss Alps in 1992 have finally been identified after their remains emerged from a retreating glacier 34 years later. The men, who were 39 and 41 when they vanished, had set out in the Weissmies region but never reached their planned destination. Despite searches at the time, only … Read more

Ireland’s ancient rainforest vanished after thousands of years of human activity. Now nearly 30,000 trees are being planted to bring it back

Ireland’s ancient rainforest vanished after thousands of years of human activity. Now nearly 30,000 trees are being planted to bring it back

Almost 30,000 young native trees have been planted at Lenamore Wood in Northern Ireland, marking the beginning of a restoration project that could take a century to mature. Oak, alder and rowan now cover parts of the 41-acre site near Gortin, though the future woodland is still difficult to picture. The trees remain small, sheltered … Read more

More than 99% of California’s sunflower sea stars vanished, now scientists have found a mysterious colony that could help revive dying kelp forests

More than 99% of California’s sunflower sea stars vanished, now scientists have found a mysterious colony that could help revive dying kelp forests

A decade ago, more than 99% of sunflower sea stars vanished from the depths of the ocean. Now, the discovery of a long-lost colony of these organisms is offering new hope for the region’s kelp forests.Sunflower sea stars, known as Pycnopodia helianthoides, may look like an aesthetic and purely decorative feature on the ocean floor, … Read more

The golden lion tamarin seen on a R$20 banknote nearly vanished from Brazil: Zoologist Devra Kleiman helped bring it back

The golden lion tamarin seen on a R$20 banknote nearly vanished from Brazil: Zoologist Devra Kleiman helped bring it back

Image: Left/Zoologist Devra Kleiman/Right/National Geographic The small golden lion tamarin is one of Brazil’s most recognisable animals, but its presence on the R$20 banknote represents much more than national wildlife. The species (Leontopithecus rosalia) was once pushed dangerously close to extinction, with only about 200 animals remaining in the wild in the early 1970s. Brazil’s … Read more