Before being listed as an endangered species in 1974, gray wolves nearly went extinct due to hunting, trapping, and habitat loss. Although their population has just barely recovered, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks to end their protections under the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states. If they are no longer protected, […]
Tag: Yellowstone
POLL: Should legal action be taken to protect grizzlies from trophy hunters?
Conservation and animal advocacy organizations are taking legal action to protect grizzly bears in Wyoming from a newly passed law in the state that opens the door to hunting them for the first time in decades. There was once estimated to be 50,000 grizzly bears in the U.S., but by 1975, there were only 136 […]
Pumas engineer their environment, providing habitat for other species
New research suggests that mountain lions in the western United States play an outsize role in changing their surroundings, leading the authors of the study to suggest that the big cats are “ecosystem engineers.” In a study published online Nov. 30 in the journal Oecologia, biologist Mark Elbroch and his colleagues demonstrate that the assortment […]
Yellowstone wolf’s killing raises questions
The November killing of a Yellowstone wolf outside the park has generated “hundreds” of emails and phone calls to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials suggesting that the hunt was not lawful. So far, FWP has found no wrongdoing. “There’s no indication it was killed illegally,” said Adam Pankrantz, the FWP warden captain based in […]
Like Her Mother, Another Famous Yellowstone Wolf Killed by Trophy Hunter
In 2012, a hunter in Wyoming shot and killed Yellowstone National Park’s most famous wolf—alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack, known as 832F or 06 for the year she was born—not far from the park’s protected area. After that tragedy, 06′s daughter, named 926F or “Spitfire,” took over as the alpha for the pack. […]
Victory! Yellowstone’s Iconic Grizzlies Get Endangered Species Protection Back
Conservationists are celebrating a huge win for Yellowstone National Park’s grizzly bears with a federal court ruling that just restored their endangered species protection, which effectively shuts down the possibility that they’ll be killed for thrills by trophy hunters. There were once estimated to be 50,000 grizzly bears roaming across the U.S. but bounty programs […]
Judge delays public grizzly bear hunts as he considers federal protections
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the opening of the first public grizzly bear hunts in Wyoming and Idaho in more than 40 years, as he considers whether the government was wrong to lift federal protections on the animals. The US district judge Dana Christensen’s order came just two days before the states prepared to […]
These six species are about to be sacrificed for the oil and gas industry
Republicans in the western United States have been trying to whittle away the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since Donald Trump took office. Under new proposals, wildlife managers would limit protections for species designated as “threatened” (a level below endangered), consider the economic costs prior to defending a species, and de-emphasize long-term threats such as climate […]
