The following clips reflect recent wildlife-related news coverage in the media. The Wildlife Society does not independently verify any statements or assertions in these articles. The statements expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official TWS policy unless so stated. Likewise, products mentioned herein are not endorsed by The Wildlife Society unless so stated.
More than one thousand walruses gather on the northwestern coast of Alaska. An estimated 35,000 walruses have come ashore in response to melting sea ice–the largest gathering ever recorded. (Credit: NOAA/AP)
Biggest Walrus Gathering Recorded as Sea Ice Shrinks
(National Geographic)
Scientists have photographed the largest gathering of Pacific walruses ever recorded, on a beach in northern Alaska, blaming climate change for the estimated 35,000 females and calves huddled beside the Chukchi Sea. Federal biologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration photographed the gathering, known as a haul-out, north of the village of Point Lay over the weekend. More
U.S. NEWS
Federal Judge Won’t Give Wyoming Control of Wolves
(The Associated Press via WHEC-TV)
A federal judge denied requests from the state of Wyoming, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service and pro-hunting groups to change last week’s decision that reinstated federal protections for wolves in the state. The decision by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., leaves Wyoming and the Fish and Wildlife Service with the choice of either appealing or developing a revised management plan. More
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Named a Threatened Species
(The Associated Press via Watertown Daily Times)
The yellow-billed cuckoo has made the western United States its home and breeding ground for many years. But the migratory bird’s population has dwindled in the past few decades as its habitats have been marred. Now, efforts to protect it are taking shape. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the western population of the yellow-billed cuckoo has been listed as a threatened species and will be protected under the Endangered Species Act. More
Experts Expect Rebound in Monarch Butterflies
(The Associated Press via Houston Chronicle)
Experts in Mexico say deforestation is down in the forest that is the winter home of monarch butterflies and they hope to see a rebound in the annual migration after it fell to historic lows. Omar Vidal of Mexico’s World Wildlife Fund says two to three times more monarchs may arrive this year, as compared to last year. Millions of the black and orange butterflies return to a reserve area each year. Farmers who own the land have been known to cut trees for personal use. More
NEWS FROM CANADA
Greenland Hunting More Killer Whales as Climate Changes
(CBC News)
Inuit in eastern Greenland have been hunting more killer whales as climate change leaves the area free of ice longer, says a Dane who recently posted a photo on Facebook of a hunter butchering a whale. Thomas Bilde Below lives in Copenhagen, but travels to Greenland every year. “They have the long dorsal fin,” he says of killer whales, or orca, “so they couldn’t come into ice areas before.” More
Protecting Kokanee Salmon; Modern Research Complements Traditional First Nations Legacy Programs
(Okanagan Life)
Cumulative impacts of population growth and land use practices may be leading to the “invisible collapse” of Canada’s freshwater fisheries. A new research project funded in part by Genome BC, Genomic solutions for informing sockeye repatriation and kokanee fisheries management, will offer insight into how freshwater fisheries can be better informed and subsequently managed. More
Tory Decision to Keep RCMP Muskrat Hats Has Anti-Fur Activists Vowing to Fight
(Yahoo)
Canada’s much-maligned fur lobby is celebrating a rare victory, thanks to the Harper government. Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced that her government has reversed an RCMP decision to discontinue its use of the iconic muskrat fur-lined winter hats and replace them with wool toques. In a statement, the Fur Institute of Canada said they applaud the government’s intervention. More
WILDLIFE HEALTH AND DISEASE NEWS
Massive Disease Outbreak Hits Iowa Deer Farm
(Indianapolis Star)
Nearly 300 white-tailed deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease on an Iowa deer farm, the most infected animals ever found inside a farmer’s pens. The news comes as Indiana lawmakers are poised to issue recommendations on how best to regulate the state’s deer-breeding operations and whether to ban deer imports. At a hearing in August, deer breeders and veterinarians downplayed the risk of CW. More
Mange Appears More Prevalent in Maryland Black Bears
(The Associated Press via News & Observer)
Maryland wildlife managers are reporting an increase in mange, a skin disease caused by parasitic mites, among Maryland black bears. The Cumberland Times-News reported that the Department of Natural Resources has found the disease in six bears killed by vehicles or euthanized by the agency this year. That compares with just one or two cases in each of the past five years. More
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
In Indonesia, Authorities Stop Sale of Endangered Manta Rays
(The New York Times)
Indonesian authorities announced four separate arrests in connection with the attempted trafficking of more than 1,400 pounds of threatened manta rays. The arrests were made over the last month across the country. A fish trader named Wrm, who like many Indonesians used only one name, was arrested in West Java for attempting to sell a 132-pound manta ray. More
Sharks Can Be ‘Social or Solitary’
(BBC)
The most feared predators in the sea have individual personalities that affect how readily they socialize, according to a study by U.K. scientists. Individual sharks, studied in groups of 10, showed consistent social habits — either forming groups with other sharks or finding camouflage on their own. When a group was shifted into a new environment, individual sharks showed the same patterns of behavior. More
WWF: Half the World’s Wildlife Gone Over Last 40 Years
(Chicago Tribune)
The world populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles fell overall by 52 percent between 1970 and 2010, far faster than previously thought, the World Wildlife Fund said. The conservation group’s Living Planet Report, published every two years, said humankind’s demands were now 50 percent more than nature can bear, with trees being felled, groundwater pumped and carbon dioxide emitted faster than Earth can recover. More