The problem is not how animals are treated in Indian government zoos or aquaria. They are, in almost all cases, treated badly — the animals are mangy, ill-kept, under-fed and unhappy in ill-lit and ill-designed cages. The problem to be solved is the most basic one. Do we need zoos like this? Do they contribute to the health, knowledge and happiness of the world? Do they show respect to any […]

For the next six months, Martin Kastner will be climbing trees on the remote Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. He’ll net birds and collect eggs and perhaps track a rare reptile or two.  It’s all part of a diploma program in species recovery, and there are few better places to do it than Mauritius. Once home to the extinct dodo bird the island still has one of the most diverse […]