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
“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.
“A beehive is as natural as a pasture of grazing sheep.” Why beekeeping is causing a huge problem for wild bees – according to scientists
A dramatic rise in the number of managed beehives is negatively impacting wild pollinating insects
There's an adorable animal in the Rockies that yells at hikers. Experts are worried its call may be fading
A new study suggests a severe decline in the number of young America pikas in the Rocky Mountains as the climate warms.
The 10 deadliest dogs on Earth: Discover the world's most ferocious and savage wild canine hunters
Meet the world's deadliest canines who are some of the world's most effective hunters
Baloo isn’t who you think he is: The 6 surprising real-life animals in The Jungle Book
When Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book, he based his stories on species found in India at the time. But are the representations of those animals in the new CGI film version accurate and can you still see them there today?
“They need to find a way of managing land without killing birds of prey” – inside the controversial world of grouse shooting
We go inside the debate on grouse shooting and the perceived benefits of burning heather
