Understanding Animal Conservation

One of the keys to enjoying an African animal safari is to do your homework before you leave.
Homework means doing a little research on the animals you intend to see. Many people who think African animal safari want to see the big five which is understandable however, don’t forget that Africa has so much more to offer in the way of wildlife.
The “big five” comprise the African lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo. Yes, they are exciting to see in the wild but Africa’s bird wildlife is spectacular and should be included in your itinerary.
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In 2008 European researchers demonstrated that when cows and deer are resting or grazing, they face magnetic north or south. Before that the only mammals known to have magnetic-compass orientation were a few species of bats and rodents. Now researchers have discovered that when cows and deer are near power lines, they position themselves randomly. Power lines locally change the earth’s magnetic field. That cows and deer return to their usual north-south alignment away from power lines is taken as further evidence that they sense and respond to magnetic fields. Why this happens is the next Read more

PLoS Medicine is a sufficiently new journal that we are often doing something for the first time. This issue’’s first is the publication of a research article that reports data exclusively from animals, more precisely from six cynomolgus macaques used to test the efficacy of a new Lassa fever vaccine. There is no question that animal studies are an important part of medical research, but which ones, if any, belong in a medical journal? More to the point, which ones belong in PLoS Medicine? Although our journal’’s focus is on human studies, we have decided, on Read more