From Shedding Skins to Full Gallop: Why the Beginning of 2026 Leaves us Hopeful for Wildlife in the Coming Year

According to the Chinese Lunar New Year calendar, 2025 was the year of the snake. It symbolized wisdom, intelligence, transformation, and introspection, while placing an emphasis on shedding old habits and adopting mindsets for growth. As we head into the new year of 2026, the year of the horse, which symbolizes momentum, passion, and strength, we are excited to leave behind anything less than positive, progressive, or constructive in the world of wildlife conservation and animal welfare. As always, and now more than ever, we remain steadfast and ambitious in our commitment to keeping wildlife free and safe with this strong, unrelenting horse symbol running by our side.

Ocelot Rebound in the U.S.

For example, in the Southwest region of the United States, recent ocelot sightings indicate that this population may be slowly rebounding from their decreasing population trend, mostly due to threats like logging, historic hunting, trapping, poisoning, habitat loss, fragmentation, and competition with other species. Although ocelots are mostly found in Central and South America, the subspecies Leopardus pardalis albescens, which inhabits South Texas, is federally endangered. The Nature Conservancy estimated that in 2025, under 100 ocelots are left in the wild in the U.S. In early 2026, confirmed ocelot sightings were reported in South Texas, with trail camera footage capturing an individual at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

Indonesia Bans Elephant Rides

Marking a major win for animal welfare, all elephant riding has been officially banned in Indonesia (including in Bali and Sumatra) as of January 2026. The ban applies to all facilities, including zoos and safari parks, in popular areas. The move aims to eliminate the severe, long-term physical damage (primarily spinal, musculoskeletal, and foot injuries) and psychological stress caused by unethical wildlife tourism practices. Facilities that violate the ban risk losing their operating permits. The decision follows years of campaigning by animal welfare organizations including World Animal Protection and PETA Asia, who highlighted the abusive training methods used on captive elephants.  Elephants have been documented to attack and even kill people (including both keepers and tourists), particularly after enduring long-term abuse to make them “tame” enough to tolerate close encounters with humans.

This landmark policy aligns with global trends toward ethical, non-contact wildlife tourism and protects elephants threatened with extinction from further exploitation. It also encourages venues to transition towards more ethical, less invasive, and observation-based models that allow for natural behaviors to occur without the constant, stressful, and dangerous demand of direct human interaction. For tourists, this decision helps make ethical choices clearer when seeking out experiences that involve animals. While we do hope that eventually other stressful encounters with elephants and other wildlife will eventually be banned altogether in more countries, including forced interactions like bathing, painting, and photo sessions with wild animals, banning elephant riding marks an important first step in improving captive animal welfare.

Mexico Ends Marine Mammal Shows

In a major 2025-2026 legislative move, the Mexican Congress has banned the use of dolphins, whales, sea lions, and other marine mammals for entertainment, including in shows, therapy, entertainment, research, and any other activity not related to conservation. The law also bans the breeding of dolphins in captivity. As a result, approximately 350 captive dolphins will be relocated to seaside sanctuaries, with facilities having 18 months to transition.

According to World Animal Protection, in 2022, more than 100 scientists publicly condemned keeping dolphins in captivity, citing the psychological and physical harm to the animals caused by the tourism and entertainment industries. Mexico now joins Costa Rica and Chile as the third Latin American country to ban dolphin shows and the captive breeding of cetaceans. We are so glad that now Mexico agrees that observing animals in the wild is the most respectful and rewarding way to experience marine mammals like dolphins.

Kenya Opens World’s Largest Black Rhino Sanctuary

In momentous news for Critically Endangered black rhinos, the newly expanded Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary is now the largest black rhino sanctuary in southeastern Kenya and the world, inaugurated in December 2025. Spanning over 1,235 square miles in Tsavo West National Park, it hosts a founder population of 200 black rhinos, incorporating the former Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary to significantly boost space, resources, and opportunity for black rhinos to breed.  The area is secured by a 155-mile-long electric fence, with advanced monitoring including AI cameras, drones, and 24/7 surveillance to protect the animals. Brought to the brink of extinction by poaching during the 1970s and 1980s, coordinated conservation efforts have since seen impressive rebounds in Kenya’s rhino numbers. According to Save The Rhino, Kenya is now home to around 2,000 rhinos, including more than 1,000 black rhinos, representing almost 78% of the global Eastern black rhino population.

According to Tourism Weekly, Kenyan Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, Rebecca Miano, said the sanctuary will not only promote species recovery but will also increase local community benefit and tourism opportunities within the region. The project aims to boost the annual black rhino population growth rate from 5% to 8%, with plans to generate more than $45 million in tourism and conservation revenue by 2030. By creating a contiguous, secure habitat, the Sanctuary will alleviate density pressures, restore ecological balance, and support long-term population growth.

Moving Forward with the Power of Positive Momentum

Join us in celebrating these global conservation wins, which will undoubtedly help improve the individual welfare of countless animals in the future. Together, we can help improve animals’ lives—even if we accomplish this goal one animal at a time. Saving one life is always worth it. The only question that remains: will you be part of the solution with us in 2026?

Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Devan