A total of 180 animals died at the National Aquarium of Ireland in Galway during a period of less than 10 months in 2018, including a number of species considered to be at risk of extinction.

Basking sharks which were sampled off the west Kerry coast in early spring have proved to be genetically different to all other such sharks tested in the north-east Atlantic, according to a study.

A paper published in Current Biology examines the extinction of a colourful little bird which, until recently, thrived in the eastern US. With the appalling environmental catastrophe enveloping Australia, home to 56 of the world’s 370 parrot species, this account of the Carolina parakeet’s demise is timely.

A pair of yellow-spotted river turtles, which are on the red list of threatened species, died within a day of being introduced to a crocodilian enclosure at the zoo towards the end of 2017.

Three weeks after being taken into care by Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium, the sea turtle was booked on the Ryanair flight to return it to more familiar waters.

THE European eel is in trouble. Its numbers have declined catastrophically since 1980 and the species is listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The fastest sharks in the oceans find few refuges from longline fishing, according to an international study.

Irish shark experts have called on newly elected MEPs to outlaw the growing shark fin fishery in European waters, following a fine imposed on a Spanish fishing vessel detained off the Irish coast.

Discovering new species and protecting them is all in a day’s work for Professor Louise Allcock, as she explores one of the planet’s last great frontiers, writes Lorna Siggins.

Two critically endangered Black and White Ruffed lemur babies have been born at Fota Wildlife Park in Cork on April 27 to mother 'Cloud', who is 17-years-old, and father Paraic, who is seven-years-old.

Fota wildlife have welcomed the birth of a baby Brazilian tapir and are seeking the help from the public to name it.

The news is a result of ongoing efforts to help re-grow the species population.

Writing in the journal BioScience, Jeffrey Lovich of the US Geological Survey claims that 61% of the world’s turtle species are threatened with extinction.

Fota Wildlife Park features as the video location for Kodaline’s latest track ‘Ready to Change’ from their new EP ‘I wouldn’t Be’.

The elusive snow leopard - long considered endangered - has been upgraded to "vulnerable," though conservationists warned the new classification does not mean they are safe.

Warning: Cuteness overload.

Of course there is a catch, the name has to begin with the letter, D.

Usually the cuckoo arrives early in the part of the country where I live, and leaves early too. 

A baby eastern bongo calf has been born at Dublin Zoo.

A book just published calls for an all-out war on free-ranging cats, writes Richard Collins

A surge in killing African elephants for ivory has led to the “majestic” animal’s numbers falling by more than 100,000 in a decade, conservationists warned.

A surge in killing African elephants for ivory has led to the "majestic" animal's numbers falling by more than 100,000 in a decade, conservationists have warned.

Lions look set to be the ‘mane’ attraction in Fota Wildlife Park with the arrival of two Asian female lions in recent days.

The number of tigers in the wild have increased for the first time after decades of decline, conservationists have said.

The heritage committee of Unesco has said the outlook for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is poor due to threats including pollution and climate change but stopped short of listing it as “in danger”.

The number of animals and plants at risk of extinction rose in 2015 despite government pledges to improve protection, with species under threat ranging from lions in West Africa to orchids in Asia, a study showed.

Climate change could drive up to a sixth of animals and plants on Earth to extinction unless governments cut rising greenhouse gas emissions.

Almost one in 10 of Europe’s bee species is facing extinction, conservation experts have warned.

Environmentalists have warned of an ecological “catastrophe” in Bangladesh after an oil tanker sank, threatening wildlife in a Unesco World Heritage site,

Leap of faith

Dan MacCarthy is roughing it on a jeep safari in rugged Bandhavgarh National Park in northern India, where he hopes to get a glimpse of an elusive tiger or, maybe, two.

Lego is giving children a chance to put their own blocks on the screen with a product that copies their creations into phone and tablet games-

An Irish wildlife park has played a key role saving Europe’s largest land mammal from extinction.

Emperor penguins are having to struggle up 100ft walls of ice as warmer temperatures force them out of their traditional breeding grounds, a study has shown.

Up to a fifth of Africa’s elephants could be killed in the next 10 years if illegal poaching continues at the current rate, according to new figures revealed at the opening of a summit on the animals’ future.