The bears are waking up at Yellowstone National Park. Earlier this month, staff observed the first bear tracks of 2025, signaling the beginning of spring at America’s oldest national park. Unmistakable, large grizzly bear prints were observed in the northern part of the park on March 9. The next day, local wildlife organization Jackson Hole […]
Tag: Yellowstone National Park
‘Don’t call it zombie deer disease’: scientists warn of ‘global crisis’ as infections spread across the US
In a scattershot pattern that now extends from coast to coast, continental US states have been announcing new hotspots of chronic wasting disease (CWD). The contagious and always-fatal neurodegenerative disorder infects the cervid family that includes deer, elk, moose and, in higher latitudes, reindeer. There is no vaccine or treatment. Described by scientists as a […]
Wyoming lawmakers tell locals outraged by wolf torture that it’s fine to ‘mash’ the animals to death with snowmobile
Locals are furious with Wyoming legislators after they refused to outright ban people from purposely running over wildlife with snowmobiles and other vehicles. State politicians are attempting to respond to global outrage over photos that emerged last year of a Wyoming man torturing a wolf after he hit it with his snowmobile. In February 2024, […]
15 Gray Wolves Reintroduced to Colorado From Canada
Colorado wildlife officials have released 15 Canadian gray wolves into the state’s central mountains over the past week. The historic effort was completed on Saturday, and is the second reintroduction season for the native predator. The capture and release work supports the Colorado Gray Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. “This binational effort was conducted by […]
Yellowstone National Park sued for plans to increase bison numbers
The state of Montana is suing the iconic Yellowstone National Park over its plan to increase the number of bison in and around the park. Loved by hikers and climbers alike, the 3,472 square-mile park wants to boost its sizeable bison population and increase tolerance for the animals leaving Yellowstone to roam around the surrounding […]
As Wolf Populations Rebound, an Angry Backlash Intensifies
Next month will mark the 30th anniversary of a landmark wildlife experiment: the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park. The gray wolf had been nearly extirpated throughout the northern Rockies and had been federally listed as endangered since 1974. Diane Boyd, a wildlife biologist who had started collaring and tracking wolves that entered northern […]
Bobcats are back, and they’re helping protect people from zoonotic disease
A bobcat, with its characteristic reddish fur and black markings, trots across a snow-covered field in central Oregon, in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, hunting birds at the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery. It could almost be mistaken for a giant domestic cat, except for its massive legs, a shorter neck than any house feline, ears […]
Yellowstone Plans to Remove a Record Amount of Bison This Winter
Yellowstone National Park officials are preparing for a substantial culling of their wild bison herd this winter, aiming to prevent population growth after last year’s milder conditions limited removal efforts. In a recent report, park managers proposed removing as many as 1,375 bison, a target close to the 2022-2023 winter removal of 1,551 bison, which […]