The lookback
By Harry
Monday 2 November
Lost species came home, wildlife gained new ground, ex-prisoners rebuilt lives, and the vote stayed protected.
Where things are happening: Brazil, United Kingdom, United States, Cambodia, South Africa, Chile, Ecuador, Georgia, Australia, Tanzania, Angola, Kenya, Iceland
01
Old neighbours are moving back in
Across several countries, conservationists helped species that had vanished or dwindled return to habitats they once called home. Lowland tapirs reappeared in Rio de Janeiro's Atlantic Forest after an absence dating to 1914, with about 25 now living there, while beavers are set to return to Loch Ness for the first time in roughly 500 years.1,2 Cambodia's Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins grew by 6 calves to 118 individuals, and clearing invasive bass from South Africa's Breekkrans River let the critically endangered doring fiery redfin expand its range from 2km to 10km.4,5
02
Creatures turned up where no one expected them
Researchers found rare or long-lost species showing up outside their known ranges or habitats, often after years without a confirmed sighting. A Mindo harlequin toad thought extinct since 1989 was found alive in Ecuador, a rare beetle reappeared in Wales after going unrecorded for years, and a three-legged Persian leopard turned up in Georgia after traveling roughly 240 kilometers through landmine-laced terrain from Azerbaijan.1,2,3 Camera traps picked up the grey-necked picathartes bird nearly 400 kilometers south of its previously known range across DR Congo, Congo and Angola, while a bat detector recorded an Arnhem Sheath-tailed Bat call about 400 miles from its last known Australian location.4,5
03
New parks and funds staked out ground for wildlife to recover
This week brought new legal protections and funding commitments for threatened habitats and species across several continents. Australia's New South Wales created the 475,000-hectare Great Koala National Park for 12,000 koalas and over 100 other species, Angola designated Serra do Pingano to shield Afromontane forest that had lost 43% of its central cover, and Tanzania gazetted two new marine protected areas off Pemba Island covering 1,300 square kilometers.1,3,2 Kenya launched a $160 million finance initiative covering an area the size of Uruguay, a UK wildlife trust bought the 9,500-acre Rothbury estate for habitat restoration, and the Bezos Earth Fund and partners pledged over $500 million toward recovering threatened species worldwide.4,5,6
04
Doors opened after prison instead of staying shut
Each story followed people who turned time behind bars into a foundation for new careers, homes and purpose on the outside. Louisiana's Parole Project placed 270 formerly incarcerated people in jobs with a 3% return-to-prison rate, far below the state's 33% average, while in Chicago formerly incarcerated women built a network of worker-owned cooperatives that acquired seven buildings with $3.8 million in grants.1,2 At a California prison, men in a wheelchair basketball program left gang identities behind and, in one case, earned early release, while Genesis Asiatic went from entering prison unable to read to tutoring others and now helping people coming home find jobs.3,4
05
Officials and volunteers stood guard for the vote
Courts, election officials and grassroots volunteers worked to protect voters' access to the ballot and counter claims of fraud. A federal judge in California blocked an attempt to set aside 20,000 ballots over unverified non-citizen claims, while Minnesota's Secretary of State reported an election accuracy rate of 99.9999% and clarified that ICE could not enter polling places.1,3 Meanwhile, tens of thousands of volunteers trained with groups like the ACLU, Common Cause and Unidos MN to watch polls and counter misinformation.2,3
Wildcard
APOD: 2026 October 31 – Night on a Spooky Planet
A photograph from Hverir, a geothermally active site in northeastern Iceland, captures steam vents from fumaroles against a green aurora caused by geomagnetic storms near the solar cycle's peak.
Read it at NASA
That's the week. The next one's out Monday morning.