Animals

The Battle to Save Elephants A Former Military Operative Sets Sights on Poachers

Faye Cuevas worked in U.S. military intelligence for 17 years and has hunted terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, as part of a conservation program, she's turning her skills to fighting poachers in Kenya and saving protected species in the region. Von Philip Bethge

A Monkey on Their Back German Carmakers Have Lost All Moral Standing

The scandal over exhaust experiments on monkeys shows just how unscrupulous Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler are when it comes to manipulating the public. Anything goes when it comes to diverting attention from the dangers inherent in diesel. Von Frank Dohmen, Veronika Hackenbroch, Simon Hage, Nils Klawitter, Hannah Knuth und Gerald Traufetter

German Carmakers Have Lost All Moral Standing - DPA

Interview with Ornithologist Richard Prum What Duck Sex Reveals about Human Nature

In an interview, Richard Prum, an ornithologist and curator at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, discusses the violent mechanics of duck sex, the beauty of bird-mating rituals and why human civilization was made possible by love. Von Johann Grolle

What Duck Sex Reveals about Human Nature - Bryan Pfeiffer / Wings Photography

Jane Goodall Interview 'Even Chimps Understand Sustainability'

Jane Goodall spent years observing chimpanzees in the wild. She discovered that the animals can commit murder and wage war. As an environmentalist, the British activist now spends more time observing humans -- and says she still has hope for humanity. Von Philip Bethge und Johann Grolle

'Even Chimps Understand Sustainability' - AP

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Fears As Predator Returns To Europe

The wolf has returned to Germany and along with it, ages old fears. But these worries are unfounded, argues Italian biologist Luigi Boitani, who has studied the creature's return across Europe. Von Julia Koch

Fears As Predator Returns To Europe - DPA

Kidnapped in Mozambique In the Clutches of Rhino Poachers

We traveled to Mozambique to report a story about the region's destructive and illegal trade in rhinoceros horns. But when photographer Toby Selander and I were taken captive by poachers, we found ourselves staring death in the face. Von Bartholomäus Grill

UN Backtracks Will Global Warming Really Trigger Mass Extinctions?

In 2007, the IPCC predicted that rising global temperatures would kill off many species. But in its new report, part of which will be presented next Monday, the UN climate change body backtracks. There is a shortage of evidence, a draft version claims. Von Axel Bojanowski

Will Global Warming Really Trigger Mass Extinctions? - DPA/ Wildlife Conservation Society

Crying Wolf Saxon Hunters Say Predators a Danger

Hunters believe wolves may have caused a serious accident in the state of Saxony in December. They claim the animals, which have been repopulating Germany over the past decade after a 150-year absence, are increasingly feared by the local community. Von Steffen Winter

Saxon Hunters Say Predators a Danger - DPA/ Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt

Deceptive Labeling Brussels Plans Tougher Organic Food Rules

The European Commission plans to tighten rules on the booming organic food sector due to concerns that many products aren't as pure as claimed. More rigorous checks are needed and loopholes must be removed, says a draft paper seen by SPIEGEL. Von Christoph Schult

Brussels Plans Tougher Organic Food Rules - picture alliance / dpa

Britain's Luftwoofe The Heroic Paradogs of World War II

As they prepared for D-Day and the fight against Nazi Germany, the 13th Parachute Battalion of the British Army developed a new weapon: parachuting dogs. One heroic hound would even earn a medal for his service. Von Lazar Backovic

The Heroic Paradogs of World War II - Corbis

Taken By the Sea Seal Pups Missing After Violent Winter Storm

Last week's winter storm appears to have taken its toll on the German island of Helgoland, where nearly 50 seal pups have since been reported missing. Officials there say they probably didn't survive.

Seal Pups Missing After Violent Winter Storm - DPA

Escape to Freedom Large Runaway Crabs Roam German Train

Large hairy crabs escaped from a box and went scuttling down a train in Germany. Only 10 were caught, the others remain at large: under the seat, in the luggage rack, or behind the fold-down table.

Large Runaway Crabs Roam German Train - Bundespolizeiinspektion Hannover

'Poop and Pooches' New Magazine Appeals to Dog Haters

Feces in the sandbox, barking all night, the fear of being bitten: There are many reasons not to like dogs. Now one journalist from Hamburg is trying to raise money to launch a magazine to finally give dog haters a voice. Von Benjamin Schulz

Hunting for Corpses Vultures Lured Back to Germany

Vultures are slowly returning to Germany, driven out long ago by an unwelcoming populace. At the behest of conservationists, loosened "carcass regulations" in Europe have made the search for food less daunting -- but some still wonder if the birds will be able to survive. Von Philip Bethge

Vultures Lured Back to Germany - Markus P. Stähli/ wildphoto.ch

Europe Gone Wild Back to Nature on the Continent

Conservationists want to turn parts of Europe back into wilderness, teeming with wild horses, lynxes and native bison. But there are varying interpretations of what "wilderness" means and conflict over how much it should be managed. Von Manfred Dworschak

Back to Nature on the Continent - Grzegorz Lesniewski/ Wild Wonders of Europe/ Rewilding Europe

Factory Farming The True Price of a Pork Chop

Germany slaughters 58 million pigs a year and has built an efficient meat industry second only to the US in pork exports. Its optimized breeding, feeding and killing system churns out wondrously cheap cutlets -- but at a hidden cost to the environment and our health. Von Susanne Amann, Michael Fröhlingsdorf und Udo Ludwig

The True Price of a Pork Chop - Henner Rosenkranz/ DER SPIEGEL

Ethical Farming Germany Ponders the Super Chicken

Every year, millions of male chicks are discarded because of the demands of industrial chicken farming. Now a German company has engineered a new breed that could solve the problem -- but it comes with drawbacks of its own. Von Michael Fröhlingsdorf

Germany Ponders the Super Chicken - Jürgen Müller

Rust and Ruin The Downfall of Antarctic Whaling

At the beginning of the last century, dozens of companies set up whaling operations near Antarctica. After several highly profitable decades, however, they eventually became victims of new technology and their own success. Their ghost towns tell the story. Von Lazar Backovic

The Downfall of Antarctic Whaling - Corbis

Flipper Fail Dolphins May be Dumber Than We Think

For decades, it's been common knowledge that dolphins are among the world's smartest species. Now some researchers -- and a new book -- argue the supposed underwater geniuses aren't so special after all. Von Philip Bethge

Dolphins May be Dumber Than We Think - DPA

Rookie Rodents Dutch Police Train Rats to Sniff Out Crime

Police in the Netherlands are hoping to save money by training rats to sniff out things like drugs and gunshot residue. The animals are cheaper and faster than traditional lab work -- and they're very accurate. Von Benjamin Dürr