African national parks like Masai Mara and the Serengeti have seen populations of large mammals decline by up to 59 percent, according to a study published in Biological Conservation.

Scientists in the UK have discovered that some red squirrels have developed immunity to a disease that has posed a threat to the endangered animals.

It’s not just your imagination. Providing the first-ever definitive proof, a team of scientists has shown that emerging infectious diseases such as HIV, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus and Ebola are indeed on the rise. The team – including University of Georgia professor John Gittleman and scientists from the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, the Institute of Zoology (London) and Columbia University – recently published their findings in leading scientific journal Nature.