Friends we all know how gloomy it can be out there. Wealthy people alter our night sky, transgender people are having their hard-won rights removed, 46 300 species are on the brink of extinction while rampant human overpopulation leaves overfarmed land barren, and the elite dine and medicate on illegal exotic animal parts.
It’s all true, but it’s not the whole picture. There are profoundly beautiful changes happening, and we wanted to share a few with you.
India has doubled its wild tiger population within 10 years, with conservation efforts being directly responsible for this enormous success!
The key element to this massive recovery for the tiger population is land sharing – sparing land dedicated for tigers.
(Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do that for our caracal population in the Western Cape?)
This inspiring result in India is the product of the effective collaboration of the public, government and conservation, and proves how a unified approach can have the sustainable positive impact needed to really turn things around.
Wolves were hunted to extinction in Germany’s forests just under two hundred years ago. Over the last 20 years though, they have gradually migrated back and the German wolf population is now at around 1600 and growing at a rate of 25 percent per year! What I love about this new community establishing itself is that it did so naturally and this is not a result of planned reintroduction programs.
Not that there is anything wrong with reintroduction programs!
Following an overwhelming ‘yes’ from voters in the state of Colorado who backed a plan to reintroduce wild wolves, fifteen were reintroduced in late January this year, 2025! The vision is for Colorado to enjoy a self-sustaining population of wolves again after their near extinction, since their state is part of the wolf’s natural range.
Ever heard of a pizzly?
Well it’s not just a ‘thing’ in captivity, the polar/grizzly hybrid bear has been seen in the wild since as early as 2006. Scientists can’t confirm 100 percent what the cause for this hybridisation may be, but speculate that it may be partly because the Grizzly (or brown) bear is increasing his range, due to winters becoming shorter. His expanded territory also means that his diet has changed – unable to find enough berries, salmon and natural vegetation in the Arctic, grizzlies have been seen hunting seals… Polar bear food! And with both bears dining at the same ‘restaurant’ essentially… well I will leave the rest to your imagination!
It wouldn’t be a Darwinian longshot to theorise a little around the innate survival strategies in animals, and how those whose environments are changing so radically may need to employ these. As the ice caps melt, it would make sense for the polar to find a terrestrial friend (with benefits) as a survival strategy. And equally it makes sense that well travelled grizzlies may still seek to have their needs met despite being ever further from their home dens and female grizzlies?
Evolution is adaptability, after all.
Charlotte the green sea turtle was struck by a boat in 2008, and developed a condition trapping air in her shell that caused her rear to tilt upward at a 45-degree angle, making normal swimming impossible and potentially damaging her organs. This issue is a common problem in endangered sea turtles that have been struck by boats, sadly a frequent occurrence. The Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut took her in and partnered with 3D printing company Adia, New Balance’s computational design team, and Formlabs who together spent FIVE YEARS working out a perfect solution. In December 2024 they tried out their custom-fitted, weighted harness for Charlotte, and since wearing it she can swim naturally again!
The Island of Ithaca in Greece had oceans full of abandoned fish farming gear, metal and plastic jutting out of the ocean in every few square meters – called ‘ghost gear’. Parts of the seabed had absolutely no life left on it beneath tyres, metal and discarded fish nets. The island experienced a cyclone in September 2020 which drew a lot of the ghost gear out onto the surface, making the crisis became impossible to ignore. A group of divers united to remove the fish farms, and the BBC made a short documentary around this beautiful story. The meticulous divers ensured that every little thing they removed was cleaned and sent to appropriate recycling facilities so that everything could be repurposed, and so that there is literally no waste that originates from the abandoned fish farms.
Over the course of 8 days the team removed 76 tons of waste and transformed the waters around Ithaca Island, which now looks untouched.
The Captive Animal Enrichment Project strives to share good news from around the natural world, we know there are a lot of wrongs being righted out there! We invite you to join us in actively looking for these stories rather than just being fed the negative news mainstream media curates. Yes, humans have done a lot of harm, but humans also have the capacity to restore the environment, build and innovate… We can transform, for the better, the lives of animals. Help us undo some damage – join us on social media and send support where you believe it should go.
**The Captive Animal Enrichment Project is not able to provide insight into which scientific theories are true, we simply report on interesting information we find. CAEP is not directly involved with, and cannot benefit from publishing the above information**
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The CAEP is a non-profit organisation that brings enrichment to captive animals to improve their quality of life. We do this by bringing a variety of relevant natural materials into their enclosures which can relieve boredom, encourage play, facilitate more natural behaviours and give them vital access to medicinal plants from which they can self-select what they require to bring themselves back into balance, as if they were foraging freely.
Our processes are based on contemporary research and years of experience in the field. We promote natural health and well-being for animals. Donate or get involved today. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X for more insights and information.
REFERENCES:
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/wolves-germany
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly%E2%80%93polar_bear_hybrid
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/3d-printed-sea-turtle-harness
The Journey to Ithaca on YouTube
