SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico– Today a federal grand jury indicted four men from the Dominican Republic who attempted to smuggle hundreds of exotic birds into the Dominican Republic and were interdicted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard. According to court documents, on or about May 3, 2024, defendants Frankluis Carela […]
Tag: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Plan to shoot thousands of West Coast owls ignites protest
A federal government plan for hunters to kill thousands of invasive owls to protect the rapidly declining northern spotted owl has ruffled the feathers of dozens of animal advocacy groups. On March 25, a coalition of 75 animal rights and wildlife protection organizations sent a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland asking her to […]
Heartbreaking news about lead use in our National Wildlife Refuges
I hate political, or personal, drama—it’s rather an odd thing for a Chicago woman of Irish descent, born-and-raised as a Cubs fan, but that’s just the way I am. I got all three of those traits, along with my normally low blood pressure, from my Grandpa. But today I can feel that blood pressure rising, […]
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Removing the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of Threatened and Endangered Species
Yet another tragic misstep by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) in it’s seemingly never ending quest to satisfy cattle ranchers and big game hunters is reflected in its proposal to delist the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus). In its press release Friday, June 7th, FWS writes “The proposal comes after a comprehensive review confirmed […]
The Northern Spotted Owl: One of the Most Studied Owls in the World
I recently attended the Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival located in Arcata and the surrounding areas of Northern California. One of the reasons I wanted to attend this magnificent seventeen year old festival was because of the diversity of birds and wildlife located in the area. Confirmation of my attendance was made when I […]
Do You Like Wolves? Want to Help Save Them?
Only 58 Gray Wolves survive in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico. We can’t afford to let a single one be killed. Wolf numbers are so low that at this point we’re fighting to save the entire Mexican gray wolf subspecies from going extinct. Due to shooting, trapping and political opposition by the livestock […]
Log Spotted Owl Habitat Again? Didn’t We Already Make That Mistake Once?
The recent proposed Critical Habitat designation for the Northern Spotted Owl does not protect the threatened species charge the Society for Conservation Biology, The Wildlife Society, American Bird Conservancy, and other groups. Comments submitted by the groups find that, by encouraging controversial and unproven logging practices in owl habitat, the draft plan fails to provide […]
The Wedge Pack, a Washington State Wolf Pack, Exterminated Because Of One Arrogant Rancher
The gray wolf is an endangered species throughout Washington under state law and is endangered under federal law in the western two-thirds of the state. Wolves were once common throughout most of Washington, but declined rapidly from being aggressively killed during the expansion of ranching and farming between 1850 and 1900. Wolves were eliminated as […]