Shorts

Ethiopian highlands yield a new species of egg-eating snake

A new-to-science species of egg-eating snake has been documented in the forested mountains of southern Ethiopia, according to a recent study. The snake, which has an ink-black body, bluish skin between its scales, and stark-white throat and belly, has been named the white-throated egg-eater (Dasypeltis albigularis). It’s nonvenomous, feeding entirely on bird eggs, which it cracks using specially adapted vertebrae in its throat before swallowing, the authors say. Arthur Tiutenko of Germany’s University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and his colleagues, first encountered a population of this snake in 2019 in the Harenna Forest, in the Bale Mountains. They collected a young female for identification and initially thought it was an African egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis atra), a similar black, nonvenomous species. But the team also noticed the juvenile had some unusual scales and coloration that differed from the known D. atra. These observations prompted captive-breeding trials, where the researchers mated the female with a male African egg-eating snake, and saw that their offspring showed a mix of traits from both parents. Further genetic analysis and examination of more individuals seen on future field trips confirmed the snake in the Harenna Forest was indeed new to science. “In the case of D. albigularis, it was a classic discovery, like in previous centuries, when one encounters an animal in a place previously not visited by researchers and recognizes it as something new,” Tiutenko told Mongabay by email. To formally describe a new species, researchers would typically have to deposit a dead, preserved physical specimen, known as the holotype, in a museum collection. For Tiutenko’s team, though, this posed an ethical dilemma. Some recent studies have relied on photos and videos alone to describe a species, but Tiutenko said this too has been criticized by the scientific community. He added that using a live individual to represent a species in a collection is also a bad idea, because such a specimen can escape, and its features can change over time as it ages. “And such values of an old animal that died years later and finally became preserved would almost certainly differ from those stated in the paper.” Tiutenko said he didn’t want to euthanize a snake for the purpose of describing the species. So he waited for several years, until a dead snake showed up. "As soon as I found a dead specimen killed by local villagers, I could designate it as holotype and proceed with the publication,” he said. Their analysis showed the white-throated egg-eater is likely endemic to the southern slope of the Somalian Plateau, frequenting natural forest, agricultural clearings, and village settlements. Tiutenko added it’s not yet confirmed whether the species is present in Bale Mountains National Park. Human persecution remains the primary danger to the snake, Tiutenko noted. “Although no dangerous snakes live in this area, people fear or disgust any snakes and kill them,” he said. Banner image of Dasypeltis albigularis, by Tiutenko et al., 2026 (CC BY 4.0).

Counterfeit seeds threaten African farmers’ crops and climate resilience: Study

In Africa, high-quality seeds can produce improved crops with enhanced nutrition, pest-resistance, and drought tolerance. However, such seeds for maize, vegetables, and cereal crops can be indistinguishable from counterfeit, or “fake” seeds. That’s creating a massive potential for fraud in seed quality that can potentially deprive farmers of access to climate-resilient seeds while putting their harvests and incomes at risk. A group of researchers analyzed the efforts of 50 African countries to combat counterfeit seeds. They found a wide range of penalties for selling them across different governments, and concluded that a significant gap exists between government policy commitments and implementation, largely due to limited capacity. Study lead author Ed Mabaya, a professor of global development at Cornell University in the U.S., told Mongabay, “For most smallholder farmers in Africa, planting happens once a season, often timed to the first rains. A farmer who buys counterfeit seed usually finds out only after planting, when the seed fails to germinate or the crop grows poorly. By then it is usually too late to replant, so the loss is not a slightly smaller harvest but potentially the whole season's food and income.” That can lead to food insecurity for the individual farmer and local markets more broadly. Counterfeiters can dye or repackage grain and sell it as branded, certified seed, Mabaya said. “The problem arises because certified seed looks exactly like ordinary grain but sells for a much higher price, in some cases several times more for hybrid maize. That price gap creates a strong incentive for fraud.” Counterfeit seed can also erode trust in the benefits of high-quality seeds; a farmer burned once may stop buying enhanced seed altogether, which slows the adoption of climate-adapted crop varieties. Farmers can then miss out on drought tolerance, disease resistance, and better nutrition through crops like vitamin A-fortified maize and iron-rich beans. Mabaya said a multipronged approach is needed to combat counterfeit seeds including routine surveillance, inspection, and market sampling by regulators. Seed companies also need to report suspect products. Mabaya recommended that governments develop public awareness programs to teach farmers how to recognize certified seed, where to buy it, and how to report seeds that may be counterfeit. He said governments also need clear penalties for counterfeit seeds, which are kept up to date and enforced, so that counterfeiting carries real costs. Travis Lybbert, an agricultural economist at the University of California, Davis, in the U.S., who works on seed quality issues in Africa but wasn’t involved in the recent study, agreed that seed quality in general is a major issue in much of Africa. “Counterfeit seeds are a part of this problem — in some countries they are a big part of the problem, but not in all. The paper seems to capture this reality pretty well,” he said in an email to Mongabay. Banner image: Bean market in Kampala, Uganda. Image © 2009 CIAT/Neil Palmer via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Despite legacy court case, Zambian Vedanta mine pollution continues

The Zambian government is investigating a chemical spill in its Copperbelt Province allegedly linked to Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), owned by U.K.-based multinational Vedanta Resources. Residents in Chingola district told Mongabay they observed discoloration of the Kafue River and fish die-off on Sept. 28, raising fresh concerns about the environmental and social impacts of mining operations in one of Zambia’s most important copper-producing regions. According to a statement by Gilbert Siame, Zambia’s minister of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE), the incident was caused by a leaking pipe at KCM’s tailings leach plant and an overflow from the company’s pollution control dam outside Chingola. “The pollution control dam was full, that's why it spilled,” Eugene Mulenga, Chingola-based human rights activist and coordinator for caritas, told Mongabay. “The [chemical] discharge happens all the time, mostly at night, and the local residents consume this water because they don’t have another option.” Following the Sept. 28 spill, tests conducted by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), KCM and local water utility Mulonga Water Supply and Sanitation Company showed elevated levels of turbidity and conductivity downstream along the Kafue River. In a statement issued Oct. 1, KCM contested its responsibility in the spillage, saying that company officials reported the incident to ZEMA and asked for a fact-based investigation. Mongabay reached out to the company but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Siame noted in the statement shared with Mongabay that authorities are still testing water samples to confirm heavy metals and other contaminants. He added the ministry has ordered KCM to conduct a comprehensive assessment of its pollution control dams, tailings pipelines and related infrastructure to determine whether other facilities could pose environmental risks. “The Ministry is consulting with relevant stakeholders on the appropriate penal sanctions against the polluter in accordance with the provisions of the Environmental Management Act,” he wrote in the statement. Under this law, major toxic discharges or hazardous waste violations can result in penalties of up to 280,000 Kwacha ($14,000). The Sept. 28 incident adds to a long history of environmental concerns surrounding KCM and other mining companies operating in Zambia’s Copperbelt. KCM was previously at the center of a major legal case in the U.K. following a 2008 pollution incident. The case was settled out of court in 2021, with the company paying compensation to around 2,500 affected villagers “without admission of liability.” KCM, one of Zambia’s largest copper producers, is expanding and recapitalizing mining and processing operations in the country as the government seeks to more than triple national copper output in the coming years. Vedanta Resources owns 80% stake in KCM. The Zambian government had placed KCM into liquidation in 2019, citing concerns including tax evasion, unpaid debts, inadequate investment and environmental pollution, but the company picked up operations again in 2024. Banner image: Dead fish at Hippo Pool, north of Chingola, where the Kafue River narrows into a shallow valley. Image by Victoria Schneider for Mongabay.

Dead fish at Hippo Pool, north of Chingola, where the Kafue River narrows into a shallow valley. Image by Victoria Schneider for Mongabay.

Africa’s monitored wildlife populations declined 80% since 1970, new report says

Africa’s monitored wildlife populations have declined an average of 80% since 1970, according to a new global assessment. The report also points to pockets of recovery where conservation efforts have been maintained over decades. The report on the decline in the average size of monitored populations was released Oct. 8 in the Living Planet Report 2026. It tracked monitored populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians between 1970 and 2022. Africa’s 80% decline compares with a global average of 73%; Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the largest regional decline, at 95%. The findings come as governments prepare to assess progress on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, whose 23 targets include commitments to halt human-induced extinctions and support the recovery of threatened species by 2030. The framework also calls for conserving at least 30% of the world’s land, inland waters and seas by 2030. The Living Planet Index, managed by the Zoological Society of London in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), draws on 35,803 population trends from 5,790 vertebrate species worldwide. The index measure changes in the average size of monitored populations, it does not mean that Africa lost 80% of its wild animals or wildlife species, a press release obtained by Mongabay cautions. Habitat destruction and degradation are the most frequently reported pressures on the wildlife populations tracked globally, the report finds. Overexploitation, climate change, pollution, disease and invasive species are among the other threats identified. In the Congo Basin, for example, those pressures include expanding agriculture, logging and mining, as well as roads and other infrastructure that fragment forests and make previously remote areas more accessible, according to the report. Hunting and poaching add to the pressure. WWF says African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) populations have fallen by more than 60% over recent decades, largely because of habitat loss and illegal killing for ivory. “Reversing this trend requires coordinated action across governments, civil society and other sectors, with Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the centre,” said Nadège Nzoyem, WWF’s regional director for the Congo Basin, in the release. The global numbers show that conservation can make a difference. Half the populations included in the index are either stable or increasing but steep declines among the remaining populations are large enough to pull the overall index sharply downward. As an example, in Southern Africa savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) remain endangered and are declining across much of their range, the report reveals. But some populations are increasing in places where communities help directly manage wildlife and benefit from doing so. Those efforts have been accompanied by anti-trafficking measures, judicial reforms and efforts to reduce corruption. The report argues protecting individual species and habitats will not be enough. Food and energy production as well as financial systems are underlying forces that must also change to reverse biodiversity decline, the report notes. Banner image: Namibian elephants in Etosha. Image courtesy of Stephan Scholvin.

Rare Southern African succulent listed as critically endangered amid mining threat

The brown clockfig, an extremely rare succulent growing in the hot, arid border region of Namibia and South Africa, was recently assessed as critically endangered by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. The western Gariep Valley is a vast landscape spanning the southern part of Tsau ǁKhaeb National Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld region of Northern Cape province in South Africa. It’s in this harsh environment, shaped by extreme heat and dryness, that the brown clockfig (Cheiridopsis brownii) grows on quartz ridges, shale, gravel, and sandy soils, and in cracks and fissures in desert mountains. The IUCN estimates the species, with thick leaves and daisy-like yellow flowers, has a total range of 424 square kilometers (164 square miles) in the valley, but occupies only around 60 km2 (23 mi2) of this area. Habitat loss due to overgrazing is among its major threats. Another is the demand for mineral resources such as diamonds, with mining permits being issued across the region. That’s placed more of the species’ already limited habitat under pressure in both South Africa and Namibia. “The vast desertification of the Aniesvlakte [plain in South Africa's Richtersveld region] as a direct result of severe overgrazing, as well as the mass desertification caused by sand moving from the coast due to unrehabilitated mines, are threatening to swallow most of the remaining population in South Africa,” Pieter van Wyk, a botanist with South African National Parks (SANParks), who carried out the most recent assessment, told Mongabay via email. Another threat comes from new green-energy developments — massive-scale green hydrogen projects — planned over vast sections of where this species occurs, van Wyk said. Additionally, a prolonged drought from 2012-202, combined with other factors, resulted in a decline in the species’ population of 50-90% since 1992. Climate change is expected to intensify these pressures, bringing higher temperatures and declining rainfall to the region. By 2052, the IUCN assessment projects that another 80-100% of the population could be lost. It adds that targeted conservation activities are not currently being conducted for the plant. Van Wyk said it’s crucial to protect all the brown clockfigs in the extremely dry, low-lying areas of the Gariep Desert adjacent to the Oranje River, since they support insects that in turn sustain the region’s highly arid- and heat-adapted spiders and reptiles. However, the species’ population has reached levels so concerning that the Richtersveld Desert Botanical Garden, founded and curated by van Wyk, has started collecting specimens for conservation. This includes seeds that van Wyk collected in 2021 from an area where populations were designated to be destroyed for diamond mines. Van Wyk said it “remains shocking” that a highly resilient species like the brown clockfig can easily grow in circumstances where no human can survive, yet “simply cannot survive the land use practices” wrought by humans. Banner image: A brown clockfig in South Africa’s Gariep Valley. Image © pietermier via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC 4.0).

A brown clockfig in South Africa’s Gariep Valley. Image © pietermier via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Uganda and NGO to co-manage sector of national park home to tree-climbing lions

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have signed a 10-year agreement to co-manage a portion of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for its tree-climbing lions. WCS will take over some day-to-day roles for the Ishasha Sector in the south of the park, including those covering biodiversity management, community engagement and the development of tourist enterprises, according to WCS Uganda country director Simon Nampindo. UWA will retain responsibility for law enforcement and wildlife protection in Ishasha, he added. The agreement follows a wider trend of “public-private” partnerships between African governments and conservation organizations to manage parks. “Across all pillars, WCS and UWA will work closely in the co-development and implementation of all activity workplans and budgets,” Nampindo told Mongabay by email. Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha Sector covers around 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) of the park’s 1,978 km2 (764 mi2) area. Historically, Ishasha’s lions have been a magnet for tourists, but the animals are becoming rare. According to UWA’s figures, the overall lion population in Queen Elizabeth declined by more than 90% between the late 1970s and 2022, falling from 400 to 39 individuals. Nampindo said there are now fewer than five lions in Ishasha. Unless that population is supplemented — likely through translocation from elsewhere — it will not be able to recover naturally. Queen Elizabeth’s lions have faced several overlapping threats, including conflict between the predators and local herders, habitat loss and snares set by poachers in the park. Nampindo said these causes of lion decline need to be addressed before any translocations take place. Since 2018, lions have been killed by people living in and around the park in a series of incidents. In 2021, a poisoned carcass caused the death of at least six lions. In late 2025, another three lions died under similar circumstances. Mongabay’s reporting from Queen Elizabeth has found a tense relationship between some pastoralist communities and the UWA. Attacks on livestock by lions have fed long-standing grievances over strict grazing rules and contributed to retaliatory killings. Nampindo said that WCS plans to recruit “lion guardians” and scouts from towns around Ishasha to build support for conservation. It has also financed the construction of enclosures and water boreholes for livestock. “[Human-wildlife conflict] measures will be further strengthened under the [collaborative management partnership] and launched through a series of extensive community consultations in the first six months,” Nampindo said. WCS’s role at Queen Elizabeth will come with new oversight responsibilities for law enforcement at Ishasha. A 2024 Mongabay investigation found credible allegations of extrajudicial killings and other violence by UWA rangers at the park. Nampindo said its agreement with UWA includes human rights protections, such as a grievance structure and a code of conduct. “WCS is aware of the allegations and has discussed them directly with [UWA], with both organizations agreeing to a series of concrete measures to strengthen human rights protections, accountability, and community engagement,” he said. Banner image: A pride of lions inside Queen Elizabeth National Park. Image by Ashoka Mukpo for Mongabay.

A pride of lions inside Queen Elizabeth National Park. Photo by Ashoka Mukpo for Mongabay.

Big Oil vs. national parks: Who wins?

In war-torn South Sudan, giraffes retain a surprisingly healthy gene pool

Giraffes living in the South Sudan’s war-torn savannas are genetically healthy and connected to nearby giraffe populations by gene flow, despite decades of conflict, recent research suggests. These findings show that “regions of the world that have been affected by conflict can maintain a lot of biodiversity and should therefore not be overlooked by genetic studies and conservation efforts,” Sam van Giessen, study lead author and a conservation genomics researcher from the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, told Mongabay by email. The IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, currently recognizes four species and seven subspecies of giraffes. South Sudan is home to two subspecies of the critically endangered northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis): the Nubian giraffe (G. c. camelopardalis) and the Kordofan giraffe (G. c. antiquorum). Between the conflict years of 1985 and 2025, Nubian giraffes in Ethiopia and South Sudan declined by 95%. By 2025, researchers estimated roughly 235 Nubian giraffe survived across South Sudan in isolated pockets, down from an estimate of 15,000 individuals in 1995. To find out the genetic health of these giraffe populations, researchers from the South Sudan government, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), and conservation NGO African Parks analyzed DNA from skin biopsies collected from 30 Nubian giraffes in Boma and Badingilo national parks, run by African Parks. As the giraffe population in the region is small, there was some concern that inbreeding could be a problem for the subspecies’ long-term conservation. However, their analysis showed the South Sudan Nubian giraffe population has relatively high levels of genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding compared to others, such as Kenya’s Nubian giraffe population. This shows the South Sudan population is a genetic stronghold for the Nubian giraffe subspecies, van Giessen said. Previously, the White Nile River was thought to be a barrier to movement and gene flow between the Nubian giraffes in South Sudan and Ethiopia and giraffe populations on the other side of the river. However, the study found evidence of historical gene flow between the populations. Study co-author Axel Janke, a researcher of evolutionary genomics from Germany’s Goethe University, told Mongabay by email that he’s optimistic about the future of Nubian giraffes in South Sudan from a geneticist’s point of view. He added the population is surprisingly genetically healthy, despite the lack of active protection of the population and the prevailing political instability. Julian Fennessy of GCF, also a study co-author, told Mongabay that the Boma–Badingilo savanna landscape is relatively untouched from human development and conflict, and thus remains stable for Nubian giraffes and other wildlife populations to increase. He added that political stability and associated security continues to be a concern, but that improved conservation efforts by the government are making a difference. Banner image of Nubian (formerly Rothschild’s) giraffe in Uganda. Image by Julie Larsen ©Wildlife Conservation Society.