Humans are causing populations of wildlife around the world to decline at a rate much higher than previously thought, according to a study released Tuesday by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The environmental group's biennial Living Planet Report found the number of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish in the wild dropped more than 50% between 1970 and 2010.

Source: Study Says Half World's Wildlife Has Vanished Since 1970. Is It Misleading?

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Wildlife photographers not only capture the magic of Mother Nature, but they encourage humans to look beyond ourselves, to step outside of our daily routines. The world is a wonderful, inspiring place and wildlife photographers remind us of that with their captivating images.

After chatting with several pro wildlife photographers to find out how they get the shot, time and time again, here are their tips for snapping compelling images of wildlife.

Source: How to: Professionals Share Tips for Wildlife Photography

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If you so much as kick a dog or cat in many nations, you would likely have to answer to local authorities. But in Africa, the venerable elephant — long considered one of the most intelligent animals on earth — still suffers at the hands of brutal poachers. A reminder of Africa's persistent elephant-poaching problem came on Friday when Tsavo Trust confirmed that a 45-year-old elephant named Satao, living in Tsavo East National Park in Kenya, was found killed by poachers on May 30.

Source: One of the World's Largest Elephants Killed by Ivory Poachers in Kenya

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While most people tend to use their garden as a place of relaxation, Janice Haley chooses to use her backyard as a place to keep her two pet tigers.

Saber, a 600 pound male white Bengal tiger and Janda, a 400 pound orange Bengal female live in a cage at the back of Mrs Haley's unassuming suburban home in Orlando, Florida.

Each day, the 57-year-old hand feeds the tigers as well as stroking and feeding them and says Saber, the younger tiger, can't get off to sleep without suckling on her finger.

Mrs Haley quit her job as an admin assistant to spend more time working outdoors around 20 years ago and then took a tiger training course, which she spotted in her local newspaper.

Source: Florida woman keeps two big cats in her garden and treats them like normal pets | Mail Online

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The way that wolves organize themselves into hunting packs depends upon the number of participating wolves and the social status of each wolf, suggests a new study in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

The methods show a striking resemblance to human-run businesses, which serve as another example of animal cooperation to meet a presumably shared goal. In the case of wolves, that goal is to kill other animals for survival.

Source: How Wolf Packs Organize to Kill : Discovery News

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Zebras are obviously the chillest animals on Earth, but how did they get that way? As it turns out, their signature stripes may not have evolved as camouflage, but instead are largely a deterrent to blood-sucking flies.

It's easy to wonder what possible value a zebra's striking coloration could have, especially since many other mammals, and more specifically equids, sport coats that do a better job of blending in with their surroundings. But zebras' stripes wouldn't have evolved without a purpose, and as you probably heard in grade school, the most obvious explanation is that it serves as camo that confuses predators with the dazzle effect.

Source: The Reason Zebras Have Stripes Isn't What You Think | Motherboard

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Sumatran rhinoceros

The spoon-billed sandpiper, three-toed sloth and a long-beaked echidna named after Sir David Attenborough are among the 100 most endangered species in the world, according to a new study.

The list of at-risk species has been published as conservationists warn that rare mammals, plants and fungi are being sacrificed as their habitats are appropriated for human use.

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