This article summarizes some of the results of a visit paid to the West Nile District of Uganda in July-August, 1962, with the object of studying the White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) in its native habitat. Its conclusions are based both upon official departmental reports and upon information received privately from officers of the Uganda Game and Agriculture Departments, from residents in the West Nile District and from others, to whom individual acknowledgment is made below.

Pegasid fishes (sea moths) have only entered the arsenal of traditional Chinese medicine within the past few decades, but are now used in southern China and Hong Kong to treat respiratory ailments and cancers. Brief trade surveys suggest that millions of individuals of two pegasid species are used each year, and that they cost relatively little compared with other ingredients. Most pegasids are apparently a bycatch of trawl fishing, which has recently intensified near China. Trade and use of these fishes is expanding – they have been sought in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam – and should be monitored, particularly because the biology of pegasids makes these fishes vulnerable to exploitation.

After a canoe journey down the Omo River in southern Ethiopia, the author concludes that the river canyon is ‘a viable ecosystem with a rich natural assemblage of large mammals’. But it is only the canyon's inaccessibility that protects the animals, and he wonders how long it will do so.

Colombia has a wealth of wildlife – including endangered species such as spectacled bear, mountain tapir, pudu and condor – a lot of still unexplored country, an impressive list of national parks and reserves, and an active national parks department. But there are many threats: a rapidly increasing population, haphazard settlement (with shifting ‘slash and burn’ cultivation), the increasing accessibility of formerly remote areas, the profitable trade in wild animals, and the lack of public interest in and support for conservation. Roger Perry has spent much time in South America, especially Colombia, and is a former Director of the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands.

The author argues that Rhodesia's wildlife is in serious danger owing to poor or inadequate management in the national parks and reserves. He traces the stages leading up to the biological collapse of a habitat, which he says has already happened with the Tuli Circle National Land, and suggests that knowledge gained from game ranching and a new method of domestic stock management on privately owned lands has pointed the way for the future. Mr Savory is a consultant ecologist and his views are controversial, but the FPS believes that they merit serious consideration and should be heard.

North Yemen still imports rhino horn to make dagġer handles, despite the government ban in 1982. As rhino numbers continue on their precipitous decline, it is imperative that conservationists act now. Protection of rhinos in Situ is failing as poachers take more and more risks for greater financial gain. The author proposes urgent action, which includes exerting pressure on the appropriate governments.

The Critically Endangered tamaraw Bubalus mindorensis is endemic to Mindoro Island, Philippines, and little is known of its ecology. During 2006–2011 we used community-based monitoring to examine the population status and ecology of tamaraw in the species’ core habitat of Mount Iglit–Baco National Park. Each year, for 5 consecutive days at the end of the dry season, trained local volunteers and rangers or project staff were allocated to 18 vantage points in the study area (c. 160 km2). Tamaraw were categorized as adult (> 5 years), juvenile (2–5 years) or calf (< 2 years), and sexed when possible. During the study period the population was 239–314 (mean 271), with no significant fluctuations in age structure (percentage of adults, juveniles and calves: 57.8, 21.0 and 21.3%) or estimated adult female reproductive rates (29.1%). In adults, but not in juveniles, the sex ratio was biased towards females (1 : 1.86, P < 0.01). Bulls were often solitary (32.2% of sightings), whereas the majority of cows (94.7%) formed small groups of 2–12 individuals of different ages, with or without bulls (53.4 and 46.6%, respectively). These results demonstrate that the population remained relatively stable, maintaining a constant age structure and reproductive rate, and that long-term community-based monitoring was effective for quantitative characterization of the tamaraw's social behaviour, which is critical for conservation and management of the species.

Although cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus were once widespread in the Horn of Africa, their presence in Somaliland has not been confirmed since 2010, and they have been presumed extirpated in recent years. During 2021–2022 the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in Somaliland carried out two rapid surveys in the Awdal region of western Somaliland to investigate the status of the cheetah in this area. The team collected socio-ecological data from 26 villages for a total of 13 days. In both years people from most villages reported sightings of cheetahs, and the team also received multiple reports of predation on small livestock (sheep and goats) by cheetahs. We also investigated two reports of recent cheetah presence. This led to finding a set of confirmed cheetah tracks, which we followed for > 250 m, and two large feline scrapes, both approximately the size expected of a cheetah. In 2020 and 2022 we received direct evidence of cheetah presence in the form of mature cheetah carcasses. In the first instance the cheetah was reported as having been shot in defence of livestock, and in the second instance two cheetahs were apparently poison-baited. Both reports were accompanied by photographic records. This combination of social and ecological data means that we can confirm the recent presence of wild cheetahs in western Somaliland. We will now prioritize work with local communities to understand and mitigate human–cheetah conflict and continue to investigate the distribution of cheetahs throughout Somaliland.

To summarize the state of knowledge of the Endangered Antillean manatee Trichechus manatus manatus in Hispaniola, which comprises the Dominican Republic and Haiti, I reviewed documentary archives from pre-Columbian times to 2013. Manatees were historically abundant in Hispaniola but were hunted for centuries for their meat and other body parts for diverse uses. By the end of the 19th century manatees had become relatively rare around the island. Nevertheless, manatees remain widespread along the coast and occasionally occupy freshwater habitats in the Dominican Republic. In Haiti recent manatee sightings were restricted to two coastal areas. Currently, the manatee population of Hispaniola is perceived to be declining. The most commonly reported threats to the species include hunting, entanglement in fishing gear, boat strikes and disturbance by boat traffic, pollution, and habitat degradation and destruction. In the Dominican Republic longstanding national laws and international agreements protect the species and its habitat, and past conservation actions have raised public awareness about the status of the manatee. In Haiti knowledge of manatees is extremely limited and the species is not legally protected. I propose country-specific and binational recommendations to improve the contemporary conservation of manatees in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Primitive breeds of sheep and goats, such as the Ronaldsay sheep of Orkney, could be in danger of disappearing with the present rapid decline in pastoral farming. The authors, both members of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources in Edinburgh University, point out that, quite apart from their historical and cultural interest, these breeds have an important part to play in modern livestock breeding, which needs a constant infusion of new genes from unimproved breeds to get the benefits of hybrid vigour. Moreover these primitive breeds are able to use the poor land and live in the harsh environment which no modern hybrid sheep can stand.