James Fair
Wildlife journalist
James Fair writes about wildlife conservation and broader environmental issues for a wide range of publications, including BBC Wildlife and BBC Countryfile magazines. James started his career as a journalist in the early 1990s, then spent a number of years working on conservation projects in South America, including an ultimately doomed effort to reintroduce an orphaned Andean bear cub into the wild in Bolivia. In 1999, James joined BBC Wildlife as a commissioning editor, while later filling the roles of staff writer, environment editor and keyboard destroyer-in-chief. In 2018, he went freelance, and now takes on a range of news, feature and report writing assignments, and is also the editor of the membership magazine of the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). In 2019, he published his second book, 100 Great Wildlife Experiences: What to see and where.
Recent articles by James Fair
It’s the size of the Serengeti, hotter than Hades with deadly acid-filed lakes – and is called the Gateway to Hell. This is the closest to another planet you can get
A blistering, otherworldly expanse in northeastern Ethiopia, the Danakil Depression is one of the hottest and most inhospitable places on Earth.
It's the lowest place on Earth, the size of Seoul, 10 times saltier than the ocean – AND it's dying. One day soon it might not be here...
A vast, otherworldly lake where salt-laden waters buoy swimmers and barren shores stretch into desert, the Dead Sea has long captivated travellers and scientists alike
It's an unforgiving, harsh, remote arid landscape the size of Texas that receives just a few millimetres of rain a year - yet remarkably some wild animals live here...
Harsh, remote and hauntingly beautiful, the Empty Quarter stretches across the Arabian Peninsula in a vast, shifting expanse of dunes and silence
The females who don't need males to reproduce: Discover 10 amazing animals that can have virgin births, from dragons to birds of prey
Believe it or not there are a number of animals from birds to lizards - capable of having virgin births. Here are 10
“They felt they’d been deceived.” Was Yellowstone’s celebrated wolf reintroduction all it’s cracked up to be?
It’s over 30 years since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone but the pay-off for the park is disputed
“At first, we were puzzled.” Scientists track 69 ravens through Yellowstone – and make remarkable discovery
The researchers wanted to find out exactly how ravens find wolf kills in the US national park.
7 most incredible places on the planet to see Africa's Big 5
Planning a safari of a lifetime? We go in search of the best places to see Africa's Big Five
Scientists tracked 6 ‘ghosts of the desert’ through the Saudi Arabian wilderness. This is what they found
Sand cats leave no tracks. To find out more about these elusive felines, researchers fitted half a dozen of them with GPS collars.
It has huge ears and can run twice as fast as Usain Bolt - meet the amazing hare returning to Saudi Arabia's northwestern desert
20 Arabian hares have been moved to the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve as part of a project to restore populations in the area.
"They’d have a very hard time indeed building things with their flippers" – Which animal would dominate the world if humans went extinct?
Could any animals also replace humans if we when extinct? James Fair investigates...
“Millions have been released.” Hawaii’s beautiful birds are dying. But scientists have a controversial plan to save them
Endemic birds on Hawaii are being wiped out by avian malaria, but is GM technology the answer?
What could aliens look like? How could evolution work on other planets?
Would aliens really look like they do in the movies? James Fair investigates
Is it ever ok to swim with dolphins?
Swimming with captive dolphins is definitely a no-no, but ‘swim with’ trips with wild animals are a more complex issue, says James Fair
Australia’s most terrifying wildlife spectacle: 50 saltwater crocs crammed into one small stretch of river waiting to strike
At Cahill’s Crossing in Northern Territory, traversing a flooded causeway could be risky, but the bigger danger is provided by densely packed saltwater crocodiles
"This discovery made us reconsider what it means to be human" – The 10 greatest wildlife discoveries of all time
From finding out where swallows go in winter to discovering microbes here are 10 of the greatest biological discoveries ever
Can chimpanzees and other great apes breed with monkeys?
Can any primates interbreed? James Fair investigates
"if you decide to gatecrash, best to make sure you’re wearing stout shoes and have anti-venom with you" The world's 10 deadliest places for wildlife
You may want to take extra care - or even a detour - if these places are on your travel plans
Remote cameras in Yellowstone capture cougars and wolves on the hunt. The footage reveals something important
Researchers installed cameras in the US national park to monitor cougar density and abundance – and to see how these apex predators interact with other species, such as wolves.
"The 200kg beast ripped off a large part of his calf and nearly severed his leg" – 10 deadliest river animals that can deliver a lethal punch
These dangerous river animals are best avoided, unless you want a nasty surprise...
Trail cameras capture rare flat-headed cat in Thai forest. It hasn't been seen there for almost 30 years
One of the rarest wild cats in the world, these tiny felines are roughly half the weight of a domestic cat.
Planted trees are dying in their thousands. Are these schemes a waste of time and money?
Vast amounts of money are spent on tree planting schemes, yet nature can do the job for free
Camera traps hidden in Brazilian rainforest. They just captured something that has never been seen before
The cameras recorded jaguars meowing in the wild for the first time.
Slow and deadly: 7 highly dangerous animals that barely move
From venomous fish to languid reptiles, these slow animals prove that standing still can be a lethal strategy
Deadly nightlife: 10 dangerous wild animals that prefer to catch their victims at night
When the sun goes down, some of the world’s most dangerous animals become active. From stealthy predators to silent hunters, these ten wild creatures rely on darkness to track, ambush, and overpower their prey.
