A U.S. Fish and Wildlife document finalized Tuesday will allow for the harassing and killing of wolves that are predating livestock in Colorado, something currently illegal under the Endangered Species Act. But the provision, known as the.
Scientists are gaining ground in the race to understand what is causing the spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in deer and elk. Stuart Lichtenberg - research scientist at the University of Minnesota and co-author of a new University of Wisconsin at Madison-led report - said the team wanted to find out if deer ticks that were found on white tail deer killed by hunters carried prions, the misfolded proteins that spread the disease. "We were actually able to detect what we called transmission relevant doses of CWD prions," said Lichtenberg. " .
The public can weigh in on the possibility of reintroducing sea otters to stretches of the California and Oregon coasts at a series of open houses this week and next, hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Historically, a quarter million sea otters lived along the Pacific Rim, but fur traders hunted them to near extinction. .
Nine conservation groups are calling on wildlife agencies in Wyoming and Idaho to require black bear hunters to take a bear identification course before getting a hunting license. Kristin Combs, executive director of the group Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, said at least 14 Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bears were killed between 2010 and 2022 because of mistaken identity, and added the actual number is likely much higher. "There are also 113 cases of mortalities still under investigation," Combs pointed out. " .
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife and National Forest Services are headed back to the drawing board after a federal appeals court ruled that the authorization to kill up to 72 grizzly bears, including females, on public lands near Yellowstone National Park violated federal law. Andrea Zaccardi - carnivore conservation program legal director with the Center for Biological Diversity - said grizzlies have one of the lowest reproduction rates of all mammals, and the survival of females is critical for the bears recovery. .