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
"1,000 people die every year from snake bites." 10 deadliest countries for wildlife – including the one where Gustave the 'man-eating' croc lurks
If any of these countries are on your bucket list, make sure you take extra care with your travel plans.
Nearly as big as Wales, hotter than 50°C – Inside the inhospitable and rugged Death Valley, where not everyone gets out alive - yet inconceivably wildlife thrives
Welcome to one of the harshest, hottest most inhospitable places on Earth
“An entire colony of breeding penguins disappeared.” Bird flu is out of control – now it’s reached the Antarctic
The spread of avian flu to Southern Ocean islands is an alarming sign that the virus is out of control
A tiny mollusc helped bring down the Spanish Armada. Here's how
Wood-eating shipworms played an important role in the huge losses suffered by the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Thylacine paintings discovered in Australian cave less than 1,000 years old, say scientists. Here's why that's a big deal
The carnivorous marsupial is widely thought to have gone extinct on mainland Australia about 3,000 years ago. Artworks found recently in Northern Territory suggests otherwise.
"Notoriously cruel methods are involved in training elephants be ridden." 10 cruellest and most barbaric animal attractions on the planet...
Cruelty to wild animals may not always be initially obvious, but it can take many forms. Here are just some of the ways they are used for profit
"3-metre worm with a lunging set of jaws that lies half-submerged in the seabed. This truly is the stuff of nightmares." 10 deadliest ambush predators on the planet
These ambush predators are happy to play the waiting game when it comes to hunting – but it doesn't mean they're any less deadly
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
