VAN NUYS, Calif.— In response to overwhelming public support for banning wildlife-killing contests, the California Fish and Game Commission voted Wednesday to adopt regulations prohibiting hunting “derbies” targeting species such as coyotes, raccoons and badgers. The ban came after thousands of Californians expressed opposition to the killing competitions. “We’re grateful that the commissioners responded to […]
Tag: california
Swainson’s Hawks Are Threatened in California
The Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) is listed as threatened in California. Its numbers have declined significantly in parts of the western United States; and in the western Canadian prairie, reproduction of the Swainson’s Hawk has dropped since the mid-1980s, following a decline in its main prey species, Richardson’s ground squirrel. In 1995, satellite telemetry was […]
Stop Wildlife Killing Contests in California
After Project Coyote representatives made the case for a ban, newly elected Commission Vice President Jack Baylis put forth the motion to move forward on a formal rule making process to consider prohibiting wildlife-killing contests statewide. Speaking in favor of the motion Commission President Michael Sutton stated, “I’ve been concerned about these killing contests for […]
Why Sea Otters Hold Hands & Wrap Pups in Seaweed
Sea otters cannot even swim on their own when they are born. In the wild, a mother otter takes her pup everywhere to protect and educate her baby. Birth usually takes place in the water and typically produces a single pup weighing 1.4 to 2.3 kg (3 to 5 lb). Twins occur in 2% of […]
“Weaners” get a second chance!
The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California plays a critical role in the survival of many marine mammals along the northern and central California coast. Founded in 1975 on a former Nike Missile site in the Marin Headlands, it took in its first seven patients. Much has changed since then and the Center is now […]
California and Indonesia Urged to Build Relationships to Save Leatherback Sea Turtles
In response to Governor Brown’s signing of Assembly Bill 1776, which designates the endangered leatherback sea turtle as California’s official state reptile and designates October 15 as Leatherback Conservation Day, state and federal agencies have been encouraged to build cooperative relationships with the Western Pacific island nations, where Pacific leatherback sea turtles return from California […]
Record-setting shark catch sparks talk of overfishing
A giant mako shark caught by a sports-fisherman in California Monday has spurred a conversation about declining shark populations worldwide, reports the Associated Press. The female shark caught Monday off Huntington Beach by Jason Johnston of Mesquite, Texas, weighed in at 1,323 pounds and measured 11 feet long and eight feet around at its midsection. […]