No story's ever done. The South African police officer leading plant poaching investigations has been arrested for alleged crimes including corruption, something I caught wind of several yrs ago when reporting the story and police denied. THREAD nationalgeographic.com/animals/articl…

Congrats to The Fuller Project's contrib. reporters Jessie Williams, Rachel Fobar & Zahra Nader for being named 2024 finalists for excellence in intl. reporting by the Wallace House Center for Journalists Livingston Awards for their Fuller stories on Somaliland, Afghanistan & Ukraine. bit.ly/4bdTJZu

The Tortured Journalists Department:

-Election Night
-My Editor Only Cuts His Favorite Lines
-Who’s Afraid of My Little Old FOIA request?
-I Can Do It With a Broken Dataset
-I Can Make This Deadline (No Really I Can)
-I Hate It Here
-I Look in Public Records
-The Google Doc

It's a sleepy Sunday in our mammal nursery 😴

Marineland will reportedly close for good after years of abuse allegations. If true, this is a monumental moment for animals in Canada—Marineland has illegally abused animals for decades. End of an era of cruelty.

blogto.com/city/2024/03/m…

After 5+ years, today is my last day at NatGeo. I’m immensely proud of the work I’ve done for Wildlife Watch, and I’m so grateful I got to tell stories that made a difference. Please reach out if you're hiring or if you have any freelance writing or fact checking opportunities!

This giant ape lived in China between 2.3 million and 215,000 years ago—what happened to it? nationalgeographic.com/science/articl…

Florida manatees rejoice: Seagrass may be bouncing back bit.ly/3H8f21E

Wisconsin’s celebrated dairy industry would almost certainly collapse without the immigrants who do the dirty, dangerous work farmers say US citizens won’t. But when these workers get hurt — which happens frequently — the laws are stacked against them. propublica.org/article/wiscon…

Big news: This week, Miami-Dade County voted 9-1 to withdraw a proposal that would have extended the Miami Wilds water park’s lease.

The final vote to rescind the lease permanently will be in January.

nationalgeographic.com/animals/articl…

t1.news.mcclatchydc.com/r/?id=h1ee36b9…

I am so proud of everyone who worked so hard to make this happen! I'm especially thankful to Daniella Levine Cava and most of the Miami-Dade Commissioners, who truly listened to our concerns and did the right thing! You have restored my faith in government!

Hours before a planned vote on a controversial #Florida water park, federal wildlife regulators release a letter declaring the development site “environmentally sensitive” and likely “essential” for protecting an endangered bat.
miamiherald.com/news/local/com… via Doug Hanks

99% of Miami’s pine rocklands have been lost.

It’s the last day to submit a public comment to stop a theme park developer from bulldozing one of the last fragments, the only home for bonneted bats, leafwing butterflies, and tiger beetles.

Comment here:
support.tropicalaudubon.org/a/protect-pine…

Go along with Rachel Fobar as she embeds herself in the wild world of python hunting in the #Everglades . nationalgeographic.com/animals/articl…

Is this paradise—or a parking lot? This #Florida ecosystem is a battleground. nationalgeographic.com/animals/articl… via Rachel Fobar

Mice may be able to recognize their own reflections trib.al/6VQe7pG

That time of year: Frankincense trees—of biblical lore—are being tapped out for essential oils. nationalgeographic.com/animals/articl… National Geographic Rachel Fobar