Cow has been a cultural and utility animal in India for ages. It was considered even as a unit of wealth during Rig Vedic days. But in recent times, cow has acquired political capital. People have been killed in the name of cow protection. But the animal has a different story to tell from a country just across Indian Ocean on a different continent. That country is Rwanda in Central […]

Crocodiles may be one of the deadliest hunters in the animal kingdom, but in a small village in Burkina Faso it is not unusual to see someone sitting atop one of the fearsome reptiles. People in Bazoule, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou, share their pond with more than 100 of the razor-toothed creatures. “We got used to the crocodiles when we were young, swimming in the […]

The vice president of Zambia made history when he ascended to president, becoming the first white head of state on the continent in 20 years and the first ever of a democratic state. LONDON — Guy Scott is used to the funny looks. When the former farmer met George W. Bush a few years ago, the ex-president thought he was in the middle of an elaborate practical joke. “When they […]

Despite its high density of leopards, Malawi could previously only lay claim to a few itinerant lions in southerly Liwonde National Park. The solitary male, known as Titus, was as elusive as the literary character after which he was named; spotted in 2007 he went to ground until 2010, only to be seen once more before disappearing in 2011. Not much of a reason for big cat buffs or travellers […]

A male lion walking near an electrified fence at the Sanwild Animal Sanctuary in South Africa. A new research paper suggests that fencing in Africa’s lions may be the best way to protect them. After 35 years of field research in the Serengeti plains, Craig Packer, director of the Lion Research Center at the University of Minnesota, has lost all patience with the romance of African wilderness. Fences, he says, […]