wwf insider journeys

• Nature & Wildlife
• Conservation
• Nature Photography
• Women in the Wild
• Travel Tales
• Travel Tips
• News & More

Destinations

• Churchill Polar Bears

African Safaris

• U.S. National Parks

Canada & the North

• Galapagos Islands
• Latin America
• Asia & The Pacific
• Antarctica & Arctic

How Gorilla Tourism Can Benefit Wildlife and People

Posted by WWF | Jun 6, 2023 | African Safaris , Travel Tales

Originally published by Nina Foster, September 2022, at worldwildlife.org

He knew they were getting close when he caught a whiff of a familiar scent. You can often smell gorillas before you see them, says WWF’s Allard Blom, managing director of WWF’s Congo Basin program. Blom was in the old-growth rain forest of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with a group of travelers and a guide from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

After walking through open fields and tea plantations, the group entered the forest, and the guide scanned the surroundings for broken vegetation that signifies gorilla feeding. After just 10 minutes of trekking, there they were: a troop of 13 mountain gorillas , including two powerful silverbacks and a newborn baby nestled in its mother’s arms.

Blom was part of Nat Hab’s Great Uganda Gorilla Safari , arranged for WWF Insider Journeys, a travel program for supporters to see firsthand the positive impact WWF is making. Blom, who has extensive experience in gorilla habituation and conservation, served as the trip’s expert.

“Wandering into a family of gorillas is one of the most incredible experiences you can have in your life,” he said. “You’re not at a zoo—there’s no glass between you and the gorillas in their natural habitat.”

© WWF-US/Allard Blom

Mountain Gorilla Conservation

Although mountain gorillas are still an endangered species , there are signs of hope for their recovery. Just a couple of decades ago, the species was on the brink of extinction due primarily to human encroachment on the rain forest. Mountain gorillas faced habitat degradation and destruction, disease transmission from human contact, injury or death from poaching traps intended for other species, and more.

Today, conservation efforts have increased mountain gorilla populations to more than 1,000 individuals. Help from governments, local communities, and international lending institutions, along with WWF, made it possible to protect the forest habitat.

Working through the International Gorilla Conservation Program, WWF supports and promotes best practices for gorilla tourism. These practices ensure that the presence of tourists does not put mountain gorillas’ well-being at risk. The genetic relatedness between humans and gorillas makes gorillas especially susceptible to human pathogens—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Uganda, all travelers wore masks, washed their hands and boots, and kept their distance from the gorillas to prevent disease transmission.

Conversation Through Travel

Gorilla tourism also benefits local communities. Through conservation travel, WWF and Nat Hab work to ensure economic benefits for the communities and to prevent human-wildlife conflict.

WWF also collaborates with—and was a founding member of—the International Gorilla Conservation Program to help establish community-owned ecolodges; promote employment of local people as porters, guides, and park rangers; and invest a portion of tourist fees in community projects. In addition, the conservation program built large rainwater harvesting tanks that give communities a reliable source of fresh water and limit the need to travel through gorilla forest habitat for water.

WWF is dedicated to securing a better future for this iconic species. Through these collaborative efforts, we aim to safeguard wildlife, support local communities, and protect the planet we call home.

About The Author

The world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.3 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally.

Related Posts

Searching for the Lions of Botswana

April 3, 2024

Butterfly Beauty in Numbers

August 22, 2016

Travel Tale: Glacier National Park and the Promise of a Highway

March 12, 2015

See a Great Migration for Yourself!

November 19, 2010

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Request Your 2023 Catalog

Discover the World's Best

Nature Travel Experiences

Together, Natural Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Fund have teamed up to arrange nearly a hundred nature travel experiences around the planet, while helping to protect the magnificent places we visit and their wild inhabitants.

Get Weekly Updatess

Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more. Sign up today!

Look for a special welcome message in your inbox, arriving shortly! Be sure to add [email protected] to your email contacts so you don’t miss out on future emails.

Polar Bear Tours

Galapagos Tours

Alaska Adventures

U.S. National Parks Tours

Europe Adventures

Mexico & Central America Tours

South America Adventures

Asia & Pacific Adventures

Antarctica & Arctic Journeys

Adventure Cruises

Photography Expeditions

Women's Adventures

Family Adventures

New Adventures

Questions? Call 800-543-8917

Have a question or comment? Click any of the buttons below to get in touch with us. Hours Mountain Time

• 8 am to 5 pm, Monday - Friday
• 8 am to 3 pm on Saturday
• Closed on Sunday

Walrus detectives and the Year of the Tiger: WWF’s key moments of 2022

This reflection on key moments reveals 2022 as a year of environmental highs and lows, many of which will continue to resonate in the year ahead

A s we enter 2023, WWF reflects on key moments from the last 12 months. From celebrating the Year of the Tiger and recruiting ‘Walrus Detectives’, to continued deforestation in the Amazon and the effects of extreme weather events around the world, 2022 was a year of environmental highs and lows, many of which will continue to resonate in the year ahead.

Photograph: Hushed Hills Ltd/WWF-Kenya

Extreme weather: droughts in Kenya kill elephant populations

In November, Kenya’s tourism, wildlife and heritage cabinet secretary, Peninah Malonza, announced that between February and October 2022, drought killed 205 elephants and large numbers of other wildlife, as much of east Africa experienced its worst drought in 40 years. People and wildlife have been severely affected by the droughts, with long periods of little to no rainfall leaving both communities and animals on the brink. A lack of water has resulted in widespread livestock deaths, crop failure and acute hunger for millions of people, alongside an increase in human-wildlife conflict. Governments refusing to phase out fossil fuels at last year’s Cop27 summit was another knock-back to hopes of stabilising our climate.

Photograph: Tanmoy Badhuri/WWF International

Year of the tiger: living with tigers in India’s mangroves

In the Sundarbans area of West Bengal, mangrove forests provide protection from storms and rising sea levels, and are a crucial source of food and income for many of the 4.5 million people who live there. They are also home to tigers, and tragic tales of human-tiger encounters are not difficult to come by. Moulis – traditional wild honey collectors – used to risk their lives by travelling into the forest to make a living, but with support from WWF, 80 families are now involved in a honey cooperative that uses apiaries placed in secure, netted areas on the edge of the forest. In June, as part of the lunar Year of the Tiger, WWF reported on the importance of such human-tiger coexistence to secure a future for this much-loved big cat.

Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/WWF-UK

Amazon: illegal gold mining in the Tapajós

In the Amazon, gold mining is a rapidly increasing problem with devastating environmental and social implications. It is fuelling deforestation, mercury contamination, violence and land grabs in both protected and Indigenous land across the region: this image taken last summer shows an aerial view of a goldmine in the Tapajós region in the Amazon in Brazil. The UK is the third largest importer of Brazilian gold, and recent studies suggest that at least a third of gold from Brazil comes from illegally mined areas. WWF is calling for a ban on Brazilian gold until systems are in place that can prove for certain the gold coming into the UK has been legally and responsibly sourced.

Photograph: Naveed Qamar/WWF-Pakistan

Extreme weather: flooding in Pakistan

In the aftermath of floods in the village of Bubur, a man sits in the rubble of his home with clothes and his granddaughter’s school bag wrapped in a rug. About 33 million people in Pakistan – or one in seven people in the country – were affected by the devastating floods that hit the country over the summer. For context, that’s the equivalent of almost half the population of the UK. Families lost their homes, livelihoods, and in some cases, loved ones. Survivors of the flooding will continue to suffer as they cope with the loss of the crops and livestock that are crucial to their survival. Climate change and weather-related disasters have increased by 40% over the last 20 years, and have killed roughly 410,000 people in the last decade; nine in 10 of the victims were in the developing world, and this will continue to worsen as the climate crisis deepens.

Photograph: Emmanuel Rondeau/WWF-UK

Citizen science: walrus from space

Walrus from Space, led by WWF and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in collaboration with research groups around the Arctic, is an ambitious five-year project that asks citizen scientists to become ‘Walrus Detectives’ by searching for and counting walrus numbers using satellite imagery. Since launch, about 1.5msatellite images have been searched by over 11,000 volunteers. The data collected will be used to gain a better understanding of walrus populations and trends, how they are responding to the climate crisis today, and how they might respond in the future, to help inform conservation of these marine mammals and their habitat. In July 2022, WWF’schief adviser for the polar regions, Rod Downie, travelled to Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic with project colleagues to verify data, comparing satellite, drone, and ground counts, including this walrus haul-out on a spit in Svalbard. Walrus from Space field trip in Svalbard (Norway), July 2022. The whole team from BAS and WWF are marching towards the walrus haul-out.

Photograph: Chris O’Reilly/NPL/WWF

Extreme weather: 2022 was the first ever red warning for extreme heat in the UK

2022 saw a milestone in the UK’s climate history: temperatures over 40C were recorded for the first time on the British Isles, with the Met Office issuing the first ever red warning for extreme heat, and it was the driest year since 1995, illustrated by this image of extremely low water levels in Ladybower Reservoir, Derbyshire. Climate change is making extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, wildfires and droughts both more frequent and more intense, harming people’s health and homes. From puffins to bluebells, bumblebees and mountain hares, wildlife in the UK is already feeling the heat from climate change and struggling to adapt. The only way to limit global warming to the crucial goal of 1.5C is to restore nature, slash emissions and invest in clean, renewable energy.

Amazon: river dolphins under threat

Taken last year, this image captures an Amazon river dolphin, known locally as ‘boto’, hunting for scraps from a fish market in the Brazilian Amazon. One of the biggest threats to the species are big infrastructure projects, such as hydropower dams and the soya bean processing port in the background of the shot. These developments can alter river flows, fragment habitat, and prevent connectivity – all of which impact the dolphin’s abilities to breed and survive. There are many other threats to the boto, including mercury poisoning, overfishing, and being killed for use as fish bait. WWF is working in the region to monitor and protect the species together with local fishers and communities, private companies, academics and governments.

Photograph: Emmanuel Rondeau/WWF-US

Year of the tiger: tigers bounce back in nepal

On Global Tiger Day in July, Nepal announced that it had increased its wild tiger population by 190% since 2009, to 355 individuals. An extensive effort covering 18,928 sq km – over 12% of the country – and 16,811 days of field staff time was invested to complete the country’s National Tiger and Prey Survey 2022, which identified individual adult tigers based on stripe patterns. This achievement was a result of the rigorous protection of key tiger habitats and corridors, partnership with local communities, and cracking down on illegal wildlife trade. Wild tiger numbers are on the rise, but they are still the most endangered big cat, reduced to about 5% of their historic range. Conservation efforts must continue if this iconic species is to survive.

Photograph: Vincent Kneefel/WWF

International wildlife trade: disappearing sharks and rays

Sharks and rays are important to the health of our oceans, yet they have become increasingly valued for their meat, fins and parts used for their purported medicinal properties. According to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022 , the global abundance of 18 of 31 oceanic sharks and rays has declined by 71% over the last 50 years. This collapse reflects an increase in extinction risk for most species, including whale sharks, photographed here last year in the Philippines. Halting declines and rebuilding populations to healthy levels through catch limits and restrictions on trade will help secure the future of these marine species, as well as the ecosystems and people that depend on them. In November, a major agreement on international wildlife trade (CITES COP 19) saw nearly 100 species of sharks and rays given greater protection by new trade restrictions, which is a significant step in the right direction.

Photograph: David Bebber/WWF-UK

Regenerative agriculture: the opportunity to build a sustainable food system

The biggest impact on UK wildlife over the last 50 years has been the intensification of agriculture, but at Strickley Farm in Kendal, wildlife is returning to the landscape. Instead of a single type of grass treated with chemicals, this wide variety of grass leys and other plants can be found in pasture fields, providing a habitat and food source for native species, and providing health benefits to the cattle that graze the fields. Such regenerative, nature-friendly farming methods could be incentivised in England through the government’s new environmental land management schemes (ELMs), but their rollout remains uncertain. In December, WWF joined over 50 food and farming organisations to urge the government to raise the ambition of the schemes, and provide urgent clarity for farmers, so that we don’t miss this landmark opportunity to build a sustainable food system.

Photograph: Sascha Fonseca/WWF-UK

Human-wildlife coexistence: snow leopards protected by buddhist community

About 80% of global snow leopard habitat is shared with people who follow Buddhist teachings, in which snow leopards are considered a sacred species, and last year, WWF Nepal united with the Buddhist community to achieve their shared goal of protecting these vulnerable big cats. The Nepal Buddhist Federation has committed to, and is working towards, creating a long-term faith plan for the environment, which will enhance conservation efforts to protect wildlife and the wellbeing of communities, which have lived in harmony with nature for thousands of years. Monasteries help to protect the local environment, including snow leopards and the people who live alongside them – their stewardship and leadership are crucial.

Photograph: Feline Doggeous/WWF-UK

STATE OF UK NATURE: COP 15 BIODIVERSITY SUMMIT

While things are looking up for this common kingfisher, nearly 30% of UK bird species remain threatened with extinction, with 38 million birds having vanished from our skies in the last 50 years. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and while the UK government made commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 at December’s Cop 15 summit, details about the actions they will take to achieve this remain to be seen. Jen Read, who captured this image, was told her disability would prevent her from doing many things in life. But she is now a wildlife photographer, and echoes the 81% of Britons who believe UK nature is under threat and that more needs to be done urgently to protect and restore it.

• The Guardian picture essay

Most viewed

About Flashsales

Insider journeys is a specialist tour operator with over 25 years of experience in offering english speaking small group journeys and customized private journeys that go beyond the standard routes and highlights. for more holidays inspirations please visit our websites:, www.insiderjourneys.com.au, www.insiderjourneys.co.uk.

Our Payment Gateway is handled and monitored by Stripe . Offline Payments such as bank transfers are also possible. For more information please contact us at [email protected] or at [email protected]

Why book with Insider Journeys?

It has always been our biggest aim to Wow our customers with our unique selection of comfortable quality accommodation, authentic local experiences, and flawless travel services. While this had initially only been done in the context of our existing itineraries, our dedicated brand flashsales.travel brings a new additional dimension to our business.

With flashsales.travel we provide direct access to some of the most popular products throughout our destinations and enable you to benefit from some great deals. Our longstanding relationship with many hotels and suppliers worldwide means that we can now offer you the best prices for future travel based on exclusively negotiated specials.

Our stand-alone hotel and experience deals, as well as short package offers, enable us to address the needs of independent travellers who value the hand-picked selection of a quality Tour Operator, while enjoying the freedom of planning their trips themselves. Incredible rates, extra benefits as well as maximal flexibility based on our “Pay-Now- Travel Later Voucher concept” are the core elements of our Flashsales offers.

Following our motto “from anywhere to everywhere”, the deals are not limited to certain destinations and are valid for customers from any market in the world. The only limitation is the stock, but in case your favorite deal is sold out or you wish to add some extra nights or services, our team is ready to assist you.

In contrast to other ‘deal’ websites, we have a dedicated expert team in the background consisting of real travel industry professionals. So, no matter if you simply want to redeem your deal or need some detailed travel advice and add-on services, our global sales and reservations offices will be there to support you.

As you can see, there is no better time than to book your deal now at a guaranteed price with piece of mind for your future holiday!

Shopping cart

Small Group Journeys

Guaranteed departure.

with 2 or 4 guests

Maximum group size

of 16 to 18 travellers

Comfort travel style

for hotels and transport

Local experts

will be your guides

Glimpses of Peru, Bolivia and Chile

Best of Cape Verde

Bali Sunsets

Essence of Bolivia and Chile

Best of Israel

Vietnam Insight

Highlights of Sri Lanka

Spice of the South

Belugas and Polar Bears

Highlights of Nepal

Best of Jordan

Secrets of Japan

Private tailor-made journeys, choose your destination.

Choose your destination, your duration and the type of activities you would like to do.

Send us your inquiry

Alternatively select any of our ready-made tours. Every tour can be tailor-made and send us your inquiry by email or submitting the inquiry form.

Receive your Itinerary

Our team of Journey Designers will tailor make your perfect trip, taking into account your preferences and budget.

Make some adjustment

Feel free to ask for any changes, guided by the expertise of our Journey Designers.

Confirm your Journey

When everything looks perfect, you'll just need to pay a deposit to confirm your Journeys.

INDIAN OCEAN

LATIN AMERICA

MIDDLE EAST

NORTH AFRICA

NORTH AMERICA

Theme and Inspirational Journeys

SELF-DRIVE TOURS

Self-Drive Tours There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the culture, landscapes, and hidden gems of a destination than from the comfort of your own car. With the freedom to stop wherever and whenever you want, you’ll have the…

BESPOKE LUXURY

Bespoke Luxury Unlocking Asia´s Luxury Side Following the famous quote “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer” our Bespoke portfolio is full of inspiring encounters and we are happy to unlock a treasure chest of endless…

Culinary Tours Indulge your senses with Insider Journeys’ new Culinary Selection, where every dish tells a story and every bite is an adventure. Join us as we take you on a tantalizing journey through the vibrant street markets of Thailand,…

Arts & Craft

All Destinations

• All Destinations by Region
• Indian Ocean
• Latin America
• Middle East
• North America

Dominican Republic

Philippines

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

South Korea

United Arab Emirates

INSIDER JOURNEYS AUSTRALIA Level 1, 503-505 Kent St Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia 1300 138 755 [email protected]

INSIDER JOURNEYS UK 12 Melcombe Place Marylebone, London, NW1 6JJ +44 186 526 8940 [email protected]

INSIDER JOURNEYS GERMANY by IT´S YOUR TRIP Parkstrasse 39 82065 Baierbrunn +49 (0) 89 200 04 194 [email protected]

INSIDER JOURNEYS IRELAND by DISCOVER TRAVEL Church Lane Midleton, Cork [email protected]

• Travel Agent
• Booking Conditions
• Privacy Policy

Compare items

• Total ( 0 )

One of our Journey Designer will contact you shortly to confirm the details.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Times Insider

We Watched Horses Die on the Track. Will Anything Change?

Last year, 12 horses died at Churchill Downs, and another 13 died at Saratoga. In a new documentary, two reporters examine the issues surrounding the sport.

By Melissa Hoppert

Melissa Hoppert and Joe Drape have covered the horse racing industry for decades. The two examined a period last year when several horses broke down on the sport’s biggest stages. Their findings are presented in a new documentary.

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

It was a gorgeous Saturday in August at the storied Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., when Maple Leaf Mel, the undefeated gray filly, came thundering down the homestretch, seemingly on her way to victory.

I was there with my colleague Joe Drape and a film crew to shoot the documentary “The New York Times Presents: Broken Horses,” which is now airing on FX and Hulu. It explores the recent rash of horse fatalities on the sport’s biggest stages, including 12 surrounding last year’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, where we also filmed.

Maple Leaf Mel was a feel-good story the industry sorely needed. She was owned by the former N.F.L. coach Bill Parcells and named after the Canadian trainer Melanie Giddings, who after completing cancer treatment had decided to start her own training operation.

But a happy ending wasn’t meant to be. Maple Leaf Mel buckled just ahead of the finish line, sustaining a fracture in her right front leg. The crowd gasped, then the racetrack fell silent. In seconds, Giddings, watching from the winner’s circle, went from celebrating to crying. She was not the only one.

Maple Leaf Mel was euthanized in front of the iconic wooden clubhouse, with its red-and-white-striped awnings. Photographers on the other side of the track did not have the luxury of a tarp blocking the final moments of the filly’s life. The bugler played “Amazing Grace.” Some attendees headed for the exits.

It was a heart-wrenching scene, one that played out again three weeks later, on Travers Stakes day, when the undefeated colt New York Thunder sustained a catastrophic injury to his left front leg while leading yards from the finish line.

In all, 13 horses died last summer while training or racing at Saratoga. The two breakdowns at the finish line were among the worst that Joe and I have seen, and we’ve been following this sport for a long time.

Joe learned about racing from his father, who taught him to read The Daily Racing Form as a child. When he got older, he began visiting racetracks on his own — so far, over 100 in more than a dozen countries. He has been writing about horse racing for The Times since 1997, and was part of an investigative team that in 2012 produced “Breakdown,” a series of articles about how lack of oversight in racing endangered horses and jockeys. He has also written three books on the sport.

I had a similar path. My uncle married into a family that owned and bred racehorses. As a child, I visited the winner’s circle with them at Thistledown near Cleveland, and I attended their family reunion, held each year at Keeneland in the heart of the bluegrass. I was hooked.

When my journalism career brought me to The Baltimore Sun, I contributed to the Preakness Stakes coverage. And when I joined The Times’s Sports desk in 2006, I teamed up with Joe to create the Rail, a blog that covered the Triple Crown season.

We were able to follow California Chrome, American Pharoah and Justify on their respective Triple Crown journeys in 2014, 2015 and 2018, and spent many days at Churchill Downs, Pimlico Race Course and Belmont Park, watching for any signs of problems that would derail their quests. Even though Chrome fell short, there was no lack of material for incredible storytelling . Those were some of our favorite assignments.

Horse racing has been part of The Times since the newspaper’s inception in 1851. In the 1980s and ’90s, the reporters Steven Crist and Steve Cady were cleareyed storytellers. Before them, Arthur Daley and Red Smith were poets and Pulitzer Prize winners. Smith is even credited with the famous line that to get to Saratoga Springs from New York City, “you drive north for about 175 miles, turn left on Union Avenue and go back 100 years.”

For Joe and me, Saratoga is our favorite racetrack. It is part of a bustling town where horses rule and everyone comes to celebrate the sport from mid-July through Labor Day.

Joe used to go there with his father. His son, who is 19, has spent part of every summer of his life at the track known colloquially as the Spa. I am now doing the same with my 5-year-old son, who picks his horses by the color of their saddle cloths.

We appreciated the sport, and that’s why we were so disheartened when, while covering the biggest race days, we saw so many horses die. Our reporting at the Kentucky Derby was the basis of the new documentary, but the story did not end there. “Another one is down,” became a common refrain in the press box.

When it came time to build the narrative arc of the film, we had a robust discussion about how much to show of the breakdowns. No one wants to watch horses suffer, but that is what makes this issue so important. We decided that we would be judicious, but not shy away from the problem. Unfortunately, you have to see the horses go down on the track to truly understand the issue — and compel the industry to act.

To be fair, the rate of breakdowns during races has been trending downward since data started being compiled in 2009 , and the adoption of uniform rules under the recently created Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has given the industry a fresh start.

There are changes in motion, but there is much more work to be done. No one wants another beautiful day at Saratoga, or elsewhere, to be marred by a magnificent thoroughbred paying the ultimate price at the finish line.

If that continues, the track might not be around long enough for our children to take their children there.

Watch “Broken Horses.”

Joe Drape contributed reporting.

Melissa Hoppert , a deputy editor for live coverage, joined The Times in 2006. She helped create the horse racing blog The Rail and has directed coverage of the N.F.L. and college sports. More about Melissa Hoppert

World Wildlife Fund Calendar 2024

World Wildlife Fund Calendar 2024 . Web 2024 world wildlife fund (wwf) giraffes wall calendar. Natural world, wwf 2022 boxed calendar.

2024 world wildlife fund wall calendars; 14 x 12 (approx), binding: Web the 2023 stock rally is back on track.

By World Wildlife Fund | Aug 1, 2000.

Fragile earth wall calendar 2024. 14 x 12 (approx), binding: 2024 world wildlife fund frogs deluxe wall calendar.

Specialist James Denaro Works At His Post On The Floor Of The New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, Nov.

Web deer in the forest (pack of 10) christmas cards. 2024 magic grip wall calendars; Web 2024 world wildlife fund frogs deluxe wall calendar ;

Featuring Lions, Tigers, Panthers, And Jaguars, This Calendar Takes You On A Journey Through The Habitats.

Web washington cnn —. Natural world desk calendar diary 2024. Natural world, wwf 2022 boxed calendar.

2024 World Wildlife Fund Wall Calendars;

Calendar club canada an exclusive carrier of world wildlife calendars ( wwf ). Web greet each new month with some of our stunning photography featuring the planet's most endangered and threatened species, along with interesting facts. Buy it with this item:

As A Valued Supporter, You Are Invited To Join Us On Wwf Insider Journeys And Witness The Positive.

Web by purchasing this calendar, you are supporting the world wildlife fund (wwf) in its mission to protect these endangered species. For the third straight presidential election, donald trump is campaigning on an avalanche of dishonesty. Like all great hunters that use the element of surprise to their advantage, owls are patient, powerful, and.

Beyond, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2024 Financial Results

– Reported Revenue Growth on a Year-over-Year Basis –

– Delivered 2.2 Million Orders, Representing a 27% YoY Increase in Transaction Volume –

– Acquired Zulily, Doubling Down on Off-Priced Home and Lifestyle Business –

– Soft Launched Iconic Overstock Site 6 Months Ahead of Schedule; Early Growth is Promising –

MIDVALE, Utah, May 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beyond, Inc. (NYSE:BYON), parent company of Overstock, Bed Bath & Beyond, Zulily, and other online retail brands designed to unlock your home’s potential, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.

“2024 has begun with a strong strategic focus on building a portfolio of profitable brands designed to drive high customer affinity and lifetime value,” said Marcus Lemonis, Executive Chairman of the Board. “We are now 120 days into this new era for the company, building a foundation that will cause the next ten years to look materially different from the last ten, while deepening my conviction in our vision: to become the ‘AAA of Home’ – offering solutions for everything within the four walls of your home and extending to the four corners of your property. That foundation consists of three powerful brands: Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, and now Zulily, and we believe each of them has the potential to become a billion-dollar-plus revenue brand in its own right. That foundation requires us to have the right team, the proper brand positioning, and the most efficient process to profitably grow.”

“During the first quarter we delivered 2.2 million transactions through Bed Bath & Beyond alone, crossing the 6 million active customer level for the first time in a non-COVID environment, successfully soft launched Overstock six months ahead of schedule, and brought on Salesforce to launch a world-class CRM platform and manage our customer journeys and records. We also acquired Zulily, a great strategic fit for our portfolio, and plan to relaunch the site later this year. Importantly, we’ve now clearly defined the brand identity and consumer value proposition for each brand, leaning into the white space of their historical core competencies and natural strengths,” Lemonis continued.

“We assembled a world-class team and believe we now have the right players on the field, having hired talent and expertise in the areas of the business where needed, including legacy Bed Bath and Zulily talent. As importantly, we aligned management incentives around our financial objectives, something that historically has not been in place and gives me great confidence in our ability to achieve long-term, sustainable success. The entire team is committed to our path forward and I believe we now have all the pieces in place to win,” Lemonis concluded.

“We’re pleased with the growth in active customers and transactions during the quarter,” said Adrianne Lee, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. “However, in analyzing the profitability of that growth, we are making the strategic decision to focus on investments to launch these brands and acquire customers with a higher probability of repeat behavior. We will be investing prudently to build our brands for sustainable growth, not transient, transactional growth, and have stood up internal processes to enable our teams to evaluate decisions through the lens of investment return. We believe this will help drive our long-term success and improve shareholder returns.”

“To that end, we are halfway through the plan outlined last quarter to reduce expenses by $45 million on an annualized basis and will aim to continue to eliminate unnecessary fixed costs and create a more variable cost structure. We believe these actions, in combination with soft launching Overstock and soon Zulily, will yield sequential improvements in our margin profile. As we move through the balance of the year we will continue investing in our foundation and refining the processes that we believe will enable profitable growth for the long term,” Lee concluded.

First Quarter 2024 Results*

• Orders delivered of 2.2 million, an increase of 27% year-over-year
• Active customers of 6.0 million, an increase of 26% year-over-year
• Total net revenue of $382 million, an increase of 0.3% year-over-year
• Gross profit of $74 million, or 19.5% of total net revenue
• Operating loss of $58 million
• Net loss of $72 million
• Diluted net loss per share of $1.62; Adjusted diluted net loss per share (non-GAAP) of $1.22
• Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) of ($48) million, which represents (12.5)% of net revenue
• Cash and cash equivalents totaled $256 million at the end of the first quarter

*Certain terms, such as orders delivered and active customers, are defined under "Supplemental Operational Data" below.

Change in Presentation in the Income Statement In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, Beyond changed the presentation for merchant fees associated with customer payments made by credit cards and other payment methods and customer service costs. Under the new presentation, Beyond includes such expenses in a separate line in operating expenses labeled, "Customer service and merchant fees", whereas previously, these expenses were included in Cost of goods sold.

Beyond concluded that such a change in presentation is preferable in the circumstances because the treatment of these costs as operating expenses is aligned with the changes in business and strategy. The change will also provide greater transparency in Beyond's external disclosures and related communications with the market.

This change in accounting policy has been applied retrospectively, and the unaudited consolidated statements of operations reflect the effect of this accounting principle change for all periods presented. This change in presentation had no impact on Loss before income taxes, Net loss, or net loss per share of common stock basic or diluted. The consolidated balance sheets, consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, consolidated statements of changes in stockholders' equity, and consolidated statements of cash flows were not impacted by this accounting policy change.

The change in presentation to Beyond's unaudited consolidated statements of operations were as follows (in thousands):

Earnings Webcast and Replay Information Beyond will hold a conference call and webcast to discuss its first quarter 2024 financial results on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. ET. To access the live webcast, go to https://investors.beyond.com . To participate in the conference call via telephone, please register at the link available at https://investors.beyond.com/news-events/events-and-presentations . Registrants will receive dial-in information and a unique PIN to access the live call. Questions may be emailed in advance of the call to [email protected] .

A replay of the conference call will be available at https://investors.beyond.com  shortly after the live call has ended.

About Beyond Beyond, Inc. (NYSE:BYON), based in Midvale, Utah, is an ecommerce expert with a singular focus: connecting consumers with products and services that unlock their homes’ potential. The Company owns Overstock, Bed Bath & Beyond, Baby & Beyond, Zulily, and other related brands and associated intellectual property. Its suite of online shopping brands features millions of products for various life stages that millions of customers visit each month. Beyond regularly posts information about the Company and other related matters on the Newsroom and Investor Relations pages on its website, Beyond.com.

Beyond, Bed Bath & Beyond, Welcome Rewards, Zulily, Overstock and Backyard are trademarks of Beyond, Inc. Other service marks, trademarks and trade names which may be referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release and the May 7, 2024 conference call and webcast to discuss our financial results may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements include without limitation all statements other than statements of historical fact, including forecasts of our growth, financial results, profitability, expected cost reductions, launch or relaunch of products, websites, or brands, trends, market conditions, the impact of our national marketing campaign, the potential value of our brands, and any of the timing thereof. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of any new information, future developments, or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are inherently difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors including but not limited to, difficulties we may have with our fulfillment partners, supply chain, access to products, shipping costs, insurance, competition, macroeconomic changes, attraction/retention of employees, search engine optimization results, and/or payment processors. Other risks and uncertainties include, among others, impacts from changing our company name, stock ticker symbol, or stock exchange, impacts from our use of the Overstock, Zulily, and Bed Bath & Beyond brands, our ability to generate positive cash flow, impacts from our evolving business practices and expanded product and service offerings, any problems with our infrastructure, including cyber-attacks or data breaches affecting us, adverse tax, regulatory or legal developments, any restrictions on tracking technologies, any failure to effectively utilize technological advancements or protect our intellectual property, negative economic consequences of global conflict, and whether our partnership with Pelion Venture Partners will achieve its objectives. More information about factors that could potentially affect our financial results are included in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on February 23, 2024, and in our subsequent filings with the SEC. The Forms 10-K and our subsequent filings with the SEC identify important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in or contemplated by our projections, estimates and other forward-looking statements.

Supplemental Operational Data We measure our business using operational metrics, in addition to the financial metrics shown above and the non-GAAP financial measures explained below. We believe these metrics provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results and provide key performance indicators to track our progress. These indicators include changes in customer order patterns and the mix of products purchased by our customers.

Active customers represent the total number of unique customers who have made at least one purchase during the prior twelve-month period. This metric captures both the inflow of new customers and the outflow of existing customers who have not made a purchase during the prior twelve-month period.

Last twelve months (LTM) net revenue per active customer represents total net revenue in a twelve-month period divided by the total number of active customers for the same twelve-month period.

Orders delivered represents the total number of orders delivered in any given period, including orders that may eventually be returned. As we ship a large volume of packages through multiple carriers, actual delivery dates may not always be available, and in those circumstances, we estimate delivery dates based on historical data.

Average order value is defined as total net revenue in any given period divided by the total number of orders delivered in that period.

Orders per active customer is defined as orders delivered in a twelve-month period divided by active customers for the same twelve-month period.

The following table provides our key operating metrics: (in thousands, except for LTM net revenue per active customer, average order value and orders per active customer)

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Reconciliations We are providing certain non-GAAP financial measures in this release and related earnings conference call, including adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow. We use these non-GAAP measures internally in analyzing our financial results and we believe they are useful to investors, as a supplement to GAAP measures, in evaluating our ongoing operational performance in the same manner as our management and board of directors. We have provided reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures in this earnings release. These non-GAAP financial measures should be used in addition to and in conjunction with the results presented in accordance with GAAP and should not be relied upon to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures.

Adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as net income (loss) less the income or losses recognized from our equity method securities, net of related tax. We believe that this adjustment to our net income (loss) before calculating per share amounts for the current period presented provides a useful comparison between our operating results from period to period.

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, interest and other income (expense), provision (benefit) for income taxes, and special items. We believe the exclusion of certain benefits and expenses in calculating adjusted EBITDA facilitates operating performance comparisons on a period-to-period basis. Exclusion of items in the non-GAAP presentation should not be construed as an inference that these items are unusual, infrequent or non-recurring.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as net cash provided by or used in operating activities reduced by expenditures for property and equipment. We believe free cash flow is a useful measure to evaluate the cash impact of the operations of the business including purchases of property and equipment which are a necessary component of our ongoing operations.

The following tables reflects the reconciliation of adjusted diluted loss per share to diluted loss per share (in thousands, except per share data):

1 Inclusive of estimated tax impact

The following table reflects the reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net loss (in thousands):

1 Inclusive of certain severance and lease termination costs.

The following table reflects the reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (in thousands):

Overstock.com News MORE

Related stocks.

• Sign Up / Log In

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

See Team USA's Medal-Worthy Olympic Uniforms and Gear Ahead of the Summer Games

Another Olympics, another handful of iconic Team USA apparel from brands like Ralph Lauren.

Lost in all the excitement of the buildup to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is the low-key reveal of many of Team USA's uniforms.

While it's obviously essential for fans to become invested in the journeys of countless athletes attempting to make their Olympic dreams come true, there's also nothing wrong with enjoying a good, old-fashioned Team USA uniform reveal! After all, part of being a U.S. Olympian is being draped in some of the most iconic uniforms in sports and competition history.

While all of Team USA will be dressed to the nines in Paris, these are the uniforms we're most excited to see throughout the Summer Olympics:

RELATED: Who's on Team USA? Here's a List of the Athletes Qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics

Opening Ceremony (and Stylish Fan Gear) – Ralph Lauren's Classic Look 

Believe it or not, for the United States, it's hard to stand out during an Olympic Opening Ceremony because all eyes are primarily on the host city. The pomp and circumstance of the Opening Ceremony will undoubtedly be based around France in 2024, but that doesn't mean Team USA is resting on their laurels on July 26. Thanks to a timely fashion partnership, they'll be dressed to compete — and dressed to kill.

Team USA is partnering with renowned fashion designer Ralph Lauren to once again turn heads as only he can. Since 2008, the designer has been responsible for the iconic Opening Ceremony attire Team USA has proudly worn — and 2024 will be no different. While the official Opening Ceremony looks have yet to be revealed, Ralph Lauren has enlisted U.S. Olympians to model some fan gear that's available for American fans to rep their home nation in style. 

For the Podium – Traditional and Sleek Fit by Nike

Nike is in charge of outfitting Team USA's medal-winning athletes — and as early looks have already proven, every man and woman standing atop the winner's podium will be celebrating in comfort  and  style.

According to Nike, medal winners will don blue "zipped jackets with mock collars and slim-fitting pants with tapered legs made from the same stretchy material as the jacket." Using many design cues and flourishes from the classic Nike attire of yesteryear, the athletes will easily be confused for activewear models. Of course, the podium uniform isn't complete without authentic Nike Air Max sneakers to round out the look. Don't worry; Nike will supply every medal winner with new, color-matched kicks.

RELATED: How Many Olympic Sports Are There? See a Complete List for the 2024 Summer Games

Track and Field's Controversial Look from Nike

While the Opening Ceremony and podium uniforms are relatively straightforward and modern, with plenty of nods to Team USA's past, the official Team USA track and field uniforms have already made headlines for being quite controversial in the eyes of many fans.

Nike once again was the mind behind the track and field uniforms and has gone on the record by saying, "The Paris 2024 collection is the most data-driven and visually unified effort Nike has ever produced. Featuring the Dri-FIT ADV platform, the 50 unique pieces serve athletes across a multitude of disciplines, body types, and size ranges with maximum breathability and athlete performance in mind."

In the eyes of Nike, these uniforms are tailor-made for maximum performance and comfort for any track and field athlete competing in Paris. Unfortunately, the internet backlash against the polarizing design has already begun.

Almost immediately after these uniforms were announced, critics denounced the women's attire, explicitly pointing out it resembles a thin bathing suit or a leotard rather than something appropriate for Team USA. The backlash has been so swift that it has led many people to believe Nike will walk back these uniforms, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

As many athletes have correctly pointed out, the controversy stems from one specific piece designed for female Olympians — in the end, it's a personal choice for any athlete to decide which of Nike's 50 track and field uniform pieces they will wear. In fact, all athletes have the option to wear uniforms designed for men if they so desire.

Although we're sure the controversy over these uniforms won't go away anytime soon, we're confident Team USA can shut out the noise and focus on bringing home plenty of gold medals in Paris – regardless of what a vocal minority thinks about their uniforms. 

RELATED: The Olympic Medals in Paris Will Literally Contain a Piece of the Eiffel Tower

Basketball – An Updated, Timeless Design

We're suckers for simple, classically-styled Team USA basketball uniforms, and it looks like the Dream Team -esque squad of NBA superstars will be rocking another classic Nike design in Paris.

🇺🇸👑6️⃣ x 🇺🇸1️⃣4️⃣ https://t.co/hZNHyPmjsp pic.twitter.com/qozpFTkamS — USA Basketball (@usabasketball) April 17, 2024

The simple block letters and straightforward design harken back to the criminally underrated 1984 Team USA uniforms, and we must say – players like LeBron James look more at home in Team USA blue than they do in their home NBA unis!

We love that NBA legend Grant Hill — Team USA's managing director — made house calls to give his players their 2024 Olympic jerseys. It's little touches like those that matter most, and it speaks volumes to the Olympic bond that will bring James, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and nine of the best basketball players in the world together to hopefully win the gold medal again.

Climbing – Eye-Catching Yet Functional Uniform by The North Face

Nike isn't the only apparel company getting attention for official Team USA uniforms — The North Face is throwing its hat into the ring in 2024 for its second consecutive Olympics. They are the official uniform provider of Team USA's climbing team, and the iconic outdoors-lifestyle brand isn't shying away from being bold with its design language.

Climbers are some of the most expressive and passionate athletes on the Team USA roster, so it makes sense that their attire reflects that. Traditional American blue provides the backdrop for big fonts and bright red striping running in all directions — let's be honest, it's a great look. The North Face has included thoughtful touches in the design process, too, like eliminating traditional interior stitching in favor of external taping to reduce chafing — something every Team USA climber will surely be excited about.

Golf – A High-End Look by J. Lindeberg

Team USA is not only going for gold on the links but also intends to win the "best dressed" competition in Paris thanks to a surprising partnership with Scandinavian-based clothing brand J.Lindeberg.

These golf uniforms are style personified — call it garish or loud if you must, but Team USA's golfers will be arguably the most well-dressed of any Olympic squad. 

(We're partial to the red pants and all-over color-blocked polo combination ourselves. There's something about golfers wearing red that inspires confidence — just ask Tiger Woods, who famously wears a red polo shirt whenever he reaches the final round of a tournament!) 

Team USA's golf partnership with J.Lindeberg will extend through the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics , so if fans and viewers can't get enough of the style of their favorite golfers in Paris, they'll only have to wait four more years to get another taste of this seemingly out-of-nowhere apparel partnership.

Related Stories

Sha'Carri Richardson and Cardi B Bond Over Manicures

Pro Surfer Carissa Moore's Journey to Her Final Olympics

What is the 2024 Met Gala Theme? Anna Wintour Explains

Jimmy Fallon and Travis Kelce Hung Out with a Puppy

Why Anya Taylor-Joy Said Jimmy Fallon "Saved My Life" at the Met Gala

Aly Raisman, Michael Phelps Gift Athletes Trip to Paris (VIDEO)

Mayhem of 1990 Yankees on Display in Peacock Doc

Tiger Woods Talks Golfing and Kids with Jimmy Fallon

What Are the Latest Kentucky Derby 2024 Odds?

How to Watch the 2024 Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock

A Brief History of the Olympic Games

Kevin Hart, Kenan Thompson to Host Olympic Highlight Show

Recommended for you.

2-Year-Old Mariska Hargitay Appears on the Merv Griffin Show

Ryan Gosling and Jimmy Fallon Deserve Oscars for Playing Identical-Looking Tough Cops

Scarlett Johansson Matches Katie Britt's SOTU Energy in SNL Parody: Watch

I went to a food festival where Latina chefs shared their culinary journeys — and fed my Boricua soul

• I spoke with Latina chefs about their culinary crafts at a Latin food festival in New Jersey.
• I tried dishes such as Puerto Rican nachos and empanadas, which took me back to my childhood. 
• This article is part of " Festivals of Flavor ," a series celebrating Latin festival cuisines.

On a warm, sunny April day in Paramus, New Jersey, the Westfield Garden State Plaza parking lot transformed into a Latin food festival.

I grew up in Puerto Rico and moved to central Jersey after Hurricane Maria in 2017. My family didn't venture out much, so I had never attended an event like this in the state. The festival, which was organized by Mega Bite Events , featured dozens of food trucks and family-friendly activities, including chalk drawing, bubble blowing, and a bounce house — or, as I called it when I was little, "el brinca brinca," meaning "the jump jump."

As a Boricua — someone of Puerto Rican origin or descent — I was excited to try all the dishes each vendor had to offer. It felt nostalgic: Before I moved to the US, I had a blog about female-owned local businesses called Femme Now. It was my foray into journalism; I interviewed founders and business owners, showcased their products, and collaborated with other creatives for photo shoots. So, at the festival, I was especially eager to try the women-owned eateries.

One such restaurant was Empanada Lady , which serves never-frozen empanadas with fillings such as chorizo, chipotle chicken, and plantains. The food truck reminded me of the chinchorros, or small food kiosks, in Piñones, Puerto Rico, where I would visit with my family and friends and eat fried street food by the beach.

The empanada lady herself is Cynthia Soto , the owner and a Dominican chef who started making empanadas for local merchants in 2009 while in culinary school.

"I used to work and go to school for two years straight, and all of a sudden, people started knowing about my empanadas," she told me while frying a batch. "I used to get up at 5 a.m. and make them in my house."

Beloved by farmers markets across New Jersey and Long Island, Soto uses a secret ingredient to make her empanadas stand out.

Soto's energy was electric as she worked her food truck at the festival. When I asked for her best-selling empanada, she eagerly handed me a brown bag with a cheeseburger empanada and a pernil, or pork shoulder, one.

The empanadillas — as I've always called them — were the freshest, most delicious, authentic ones I've had in the states. They also took me back to eating a pizza empanadilla for breakfast with my brother before school.

Another food truck I visited was BatterMeUp , which serves customizable mini crepes, waffle pops, and pancakes. Inside the floral, lilac-painted truck were the founders, Franny Reyes and Kathy Quiroga — Dominican Peruvian cousins who started BatterMeUp during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

"Every time we have something savory, we're like, 'OK, what's for dessert?'" Reyes told me. "Sweets have always been our thing."

Since starting the business, they've been especially popular at food festivals because they're often the only dessert-focused food truck.

According to Reyes and Quiroga, there isn't a best-selling menu item as their desserts are equally popular. But they recommended the strawberry-cheesecake waffle pop — a warm, delicious sweet treat with fresh strawberries. I've never been a fan of waffles, but this confection instantly changed that.

Entrepreneurship runs in Reyes and Quiroga's family as their relatives had businesses of their own. They even enlisted the help of their two young cousins, Karla and Bianca, to take customers' orders at the festival.

"Our favorite part of owning and running BatterMeUp is that we get to work with family," Reyes said. "BatterMeUp will be a franchise one day, and we hope to have family helping us run it."

It was easy to see that BatterMeUp is family-oriented. The cousins' dynamic inside the truck was fun and productive, and I could feel their Latin family energy. Reyes said she hoped her venture with Quiroga "can inspire others within the Latina community to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams."

The last food truck I visited was Latin Bites , which spoke straight to my Boricua heart. It featured a Puerto Rican Cuban fusion menu created by the owner, Margarita "Amores" Fernandez. The chef, who grew up around the two cultures, offered fried street food, including lobster empanadas, sorullos (corn fritters), alcapurrias, and bacalaitos.

By the time I got there, the alcapurrias and bacalaitos were all gone. One of Fernandez's employees told me those dishes were always the first to go, and as a Boricua on the East Coast, I know why: It's rare to find classic, authentic alcapurrias, which are fried cassava and plátanos stuffed with savory beef, and bacalaitos, which are cod fritters.

When I moved to the US, I couldn't find these two fried foods anywhere — not even from street vendors — and it was a real culture shock. So it hit close to home when Fernandez said her favorite part about running her business was "making people happy through food and letting people experience my culture."

While I missed out on the alcapurrias and bacalaitos, I was able to try the Puerto Rican nachos, per the recommendation of two Latin Bites employees. I was expecting traditional nachos, but to my surprise, I was served a plate of tostones, or fried green plantains, with mayo-ketchup sauce and seasoned chicken on top. The seasoning — a specialty, the employees told me — was spicy, salty, and incredibly tasty. I'm usually averse to spicy food, but I couldn't get enough of it.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much when I heard about a Latin food festival in Paramus. I wasn't sure if it would be worth the long commute from central Brooklyn, where I live now, but I can confidently say it was. It brought up fond childhood memories and left me inspired by the Latina entrepreneurs cooking up delicious food with a side of cultural pride.

• Main content