Ocelots are experiencing population declines throughout much of their natural range, which stretches from Texas in the United States all the way to Uruguay. In the U.S., they are classified as an endangered species. Ironically, however, on the island of Cozumel, they are viewed not as a species in need of protection, but as an…
Most people have never heard of octopus farming. But the only such operation in the entire Western Hemisphere is running right now in Sisal, a small fishing town on Yucatán’s Gulf coast about 50 kilometers west of Mérida — and a Mexican senator wants to make sure it never scales up. For anyone who has…
A crimson flash lit up the sky above Yucatán’s coastline Saturday night — there and gone in a few milliseconds, but not before photographer Juan José Chac caught it on camera. The image, shared on social media, shows a luminous column of red light rising from storm clouds into a star-filled sky. It quickly went…
A gray fox turned up in an unexpected place last week — the offices of one of Yucatán’s oldest newspapers — leaving staff equal parts baffled and charmed before wildlife authorities stepped in. The animal was found early Friday morning resting in a hallway of Diario de Yucatán, in the heart of downtown Mérida. Employees…
Over the past couple of weeks, the coastal town of Sisal in northern Yucatán has become the stage for one of Yucatán’s most impressive natural spectacles. Flocks of thousands of flamingos (known scientifically as a flamboyance) have been spotted flying over packed beaches, transforming tranquil Sisal into a spectacle of pink and crimson. While these…
It’s one of Yucatán’s most remarkable natural destinations — a protected estuary sheltering Mexico’s largest colony of American flamingos, thousands of migratory birds, and crocodile-filled mangroves that draw ecotourists from around the world. But a simmering turf war among local tour operators is raising questions about whether Río Lagartos can manage its growing appeal without…
The artificial reef is designed to attract marine species — particularly grouper, octopus, and spiny lobster — by mimicking natural reef conditions.
Isla Pasion, a small island off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico, has been named the best beach in the world for 2026. Isla Pasion, which means “Passion Island” in Spanish, received the top honor in TripAdvisor’s annual Travellers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Beaches. The awards are based on millions of reviews and opinions…
At its most basic, a cenote is a natural sinkhole filled with fresh water. The word comes from the Yucatec-Maya “dz’onot,” meaning sacred well, and these stunning pools are most famously found across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. To understand a cenote is to understand the unique history of the land itself. Cenotes’ Dramatic Origins The story…
From afar, the pink hue of the roseate spoonbill, also known as the platalea ajaja (seriously), often leads inexperienced birders to think they have spotted flamingos. But in reality, Roseate spoonbills and Flamingos are different and not even members of the same order. A Specialist’s Bill and a Diet-Driven Hue The spoon-shaped bill is a…
Everyone loves palm trees. There is something about the way they define the skyline with their graceful silhouettes and lean towards the sea, to say nothing of the coconut’s wide variety, or the sturdy palms they provide for building palapas. While palm trees seem to thrive with effortless tropical ease, like all living things, they…
Joann Andrews, founder of Pronatura Península de Yucatán and a leading force in conservation across the Yucatán Peninsula for more than four decades, died Sunday in Mérida. She was 96. Andrews arrived in Yucatán in 1964 after marrying archaeologist E. Wyllys Andrews IV. After his death from cancer in 1971, she chose to stay in…
Driven by global demand, the rapid industrial-scale expansion of chicken and pork production is imposing severe environmental costs on Yucatán’s unique ecosystems and its rural communities. While this growth promises economic development, a troubling pattern has emerged: legal injunctions intended to halt operations are frequently ignored. Yucatán’s geography makes it particularly vulnerable. The peninsula is…
The American bison has returned to the landscapes of Coahuila, Mexico, after an absence of approximately 160 years. This historic comeback centers on the “El Santuario” ecological reserve. This nearly 4,000-hectare protected area is in the Sierra de Menchaca, just 10 kilometers from the “Pueblo Mágico” of Cuatro Ciénegas. The effort, spearheaded by the Fundación…
Mexico’s National Commission for Aquaculture and Fisheries established four new fishing refuge zones this fall, two of which are located along Yucatán’s northern coast. The temporary protected areas aim to rebuild populations of commercially valuable species while allowing limited traditional fishing. The refuges in Telchac Puerto and Chuburná will protect octopus, lobster, red grouper, sea…
The birth of Yazu, the baby jaguar born at the Yagul Sanctuary in Oaxaca, will lift the spirits of anyone concerned about the species’ long-term survival in Mexico. According to the latest National Jaguar Conservation Alliance census, 5,300 jaguars were counted in 2025 in the corridor stretching from Sonora and Nuevo León to the Yucatán…
Heavy rains across Yucatán left a wildlife sanctuary underwater, but the birds remained safe due to recently built elevated facilities. Proyecto Santa María, a parrot conservation refuge near Hunucmá, found itself under about 50 centimeters (20 inches) of water after intense storms battered the region. The flooding turned the entire facility into what director Pierre…
Conservation organizations are demanding the immediate halt of a program by Yucatán’s state government that distributes nets to cattle ranchers for the mass capture and killing of bats, calling the initiative both illegal and scientifically unfounded. The Yucatán Rural Development Secretary (Seder) launched what it terms a “bat sweep” as a preventative measure against screwworm,…
Roberto Rojo was 30 meters underground when the drilling started. Stalactites that had formed over millennia began tumbling around him as a massive industrial drill punched through the limestone ceiling above. The biologist ducked for cover, phone in hand, recording what would become some of the most dramatic footage of environmental destruction in Mexico’s recent…
After planting 100 new trees in the Mulsay neighborhood, Mérida reached an environmental milestone this week when the city designated a ceiba tree with “Cultural and Patrimonial Value” status. The century-old sacred specimen represents the intersection of Mexico’s most ambitious urban forestry initiatives and one of the world’s most enduring spiritual traditions. The milestone reflects…
As Mexico prepares for its Second National Earthquake Drill on September 19, 2025, a familiar question resurfaces: Will there be an earthquake on this historically significant date? According to researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the National Seismological Service (SSN), the answer is rooted in science, not superstition. ( Sept. 19…
Stargazers in Yucatán will enjoy a month-long astronomical spectacle beginning September 1 featuring meteor showers and planetary alignments.
Mexico’s environmental protection agency has temporarily shuttered a 363-acre property in Tekax after allegedly discovering the illegal clearing of native forest intended for use as a Mennonite farm. The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) conducted an inspection on August 13 in a Tekax ejido called Mesatunich. Investigators found that 147 hectares (363 acres) of…
For over a decade, the idyllic coastlines of the Caribbean have been under siege. What was once a sporadic nuisance has become a perennial crisis: vast, floating mats of sargassum seaweed that choke world-famous beaches and decompose into a toxic, eggy-smelling sludge. To make things worse, sargassum on Caribbean beaches is no longer an anomaly;…
That’s all for now
That’s all for now