An international team published the largest whole‑genome survey of African elephants on April 16, 2026 in Nature Communications, analysing 232 genomes (181 savanna, 51 forest) from 29 sites across 17 countries. The high‑coverage sequencing (about 39x) shows that continental‑scale connectivity historically maintained genetic robustness, particularly across southern Africa and the Kavango–Zambezi (KAZA) transfrontier area. However, several peripheral and fragmented populations — notably in parts of West Africa, Namibia, Eritrea and Ethiopia (including the Babile sanctuary) — show rising inbreeding, loss of genetic variation and accumulation of moderately deleterious mutations. Forest elephants retain relatively higher diversity despite smaller numbers; limited hybridisation between forest and savanna elephants has bolstered diversity in some west‑central populations but may introduce complex management tradeoffs. Authors warn isolation is accelerating due to habitat loss, agriculture, infrastructure and poaching, and they caution against indiscriminate translocations of hybrid individuals. The study calls for protecting landscape connectivity, targeted genetic monitoring and incorporation of genomics into conservation planning.

Fatou, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest gorilla living in captivity, celebrated her 69th birthday on April 13, 2026 at Berlin Zoo. Keepers marked the day with a soft, sugar-free feast of cherry tomatoes, beets, leeks and lettuce tailored to the ageing western lowland gorilla’s dietary needs. Fatou was likely born in West Africa around 1957 and brought to Europe in 1959; zoo records designate April 13 as her birthday. She became the zoo’s longest-residing inhabitant in 2024 after the death of an elderly flamingo and has outlived typical wild lifespans for her species (around 35–40 years). Now housed in a private enclosure, Fatou shows signs of advanced age — tooth loss, mild arthritis and some hearing loss — but remains friendly with keepers. Berlin Zoo notes her long history at the institution, including offspring and descendants that still live there, and highlights tailored veterinary care and quieter housing as factors in her longevity.

A peer-reviewed study tracking gray whales from 2018–2025 found that nearly 18% of 114 individually identified eastern North Pacific gray whales that entered San Francisco Bay later died there, according to research published in Frontiers in Marine Science and reported in April 2026. Researchers built photo-identification profiles from boat surveys, opportunistic sightings and citizen photos and matched 21 live identifications to carcasses recovered in and around the bay; at least 40% of those carcasses showed lethal injuries consistent with ship strikes. The authors and other experts say the confirmed 18% mortality is a conservative minimum because many carcasses go unrecovered or decompose. The deaths arrive amid a broader population decline and a recent NOAA unusual mortality event that highlighted malnutrition as a primary driver. Scientists suggest whales may be entering the bay searching for prey displaced by warming oceans, exposing them to heavy commercial and ferry traffic. Recent voluntary speed-reduction requests have been non-binding; researchers and conservationists are urging stronger monitoring, mandatory slow-speed zones and other measures to reduce vessel strikes and help a population at historic lows.