Bald eagle populations have slowly recovered from near devastation after the government banned DDT in 1972, but another ongoing issue has weakened that rebound—lead poisoning from gunshot ammunition. A new study, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, finds that despite increasing numbers of bald eagles, poisoning from eating dead carcasses or parts contaminated by […]
Tag: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Hunters kill 20 Yellowstone wolves that roamed out of park
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Twenty of Yellowstone National Park’s renowned gray wolves roamed from the park and were shot by hunters in recent months — the most killed by hunting in a single season since the predators were reintroduced to the region more than 25 years ago, according to park officials. Fifteen wolves were shot […]
How wild animals won against trophy hunters in 2021
Every year that passes sees hundreds of thousands of wild animals in the U.S. and around the world killed by trophy hunters, whose main motivation is to display whole animals or their body parts for bragging rights. Given all the threats facing wild animals, including habitat loss, environmental devastation and climate change, it is astounding […]
Decline of threatened bird highlights planning importance of bison releases
The story of the American bison is both tragic and uplifting. Once dappling the prairies of North America in the tens of millions, hunting winnowed the number to perhaps a thousand survivors by the end of the 19th century. Nearly wiping out the continent’s largest surviving land animal was a bloody stain on the century-old […]
Montana wants to open hunting on grizzly bears. Why is co-existence so hard?
“….. to be whole and harmonious, man must also know the music of the beaches and the woods. He must find the thing of which he is only an infinitesimal part and nurture it and love it, if he is to live.” —William O. Douglas In this part of Montana, most people view grizzly bears […]
900 Bison at Yellowstone to be Relocated or Shot
Officials have agreed to allow as many as 900 bison from Yellowstone National Park to be sent to quarantine or be shot by hunters. This decision was made because of the fear of the bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle as they journey to Montana for the winter. Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can be […]
Underfunded but passionate, Native American conservationists call for more support
In the prairies of the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation, the typically knee-high grass extends to the horizon. But in areas home to burrowing mammals, like prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), the grass shrinks to an inch in height as the animals feed their vigorous appetite. After sunset one September day, wildlife biologist Shaun Grassel drives through […]
Carnivores avoid rush hour by taking to roads at night
Bears, wolves, and other carnivores in Michigan adjust their behavior to avoid active roadways, researchers reported recently in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation. The study is part of the growing field of road ecology, which explores how wildlife responds to human thoroughfares—and what this means for coexisting with carnivores in an increasingly crowded world. […]