Wildebeest and wolves: The secret weapons against climate change

Getty ImagesWhen scientists examined the effect just nine groups of animals have on the climate the results were startling. So what would happen if we did more to protect them?More than a million wildebeest roam across East Africa's vast Serengeti grassland. Their annual migration is one of the largest movements of animals on the planet. Their hooves churn up the dirt and hungry mouths devour huge quantities of plant life as they travel.There weren't always this many though. And the story of this large antelope reveals the impact wildlife can have on the amount of carbon present in our planet's atmosphere. While it is tempting to look to technical solutions such as renewable energy as the solution to climate change, we may have other allies in the natural world too. Increasing populations of animals such as wildebeest is a largely overlooked, but valuable way of tackling climate change, according to scientists.Although their numbers fluctuate year to year, the wildebeest migration is a...