A volunteer releases a sea turtle into the Gulf of Mexico. The rescued turtles were cold-stunned by unusually cold temperatures earlier this month. (Credit: Alicia Wellman, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission)
Florida Officials Release 50 Endangered Sea Turtles Rescued During Cold Snap
(AL.com)
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and several partners returned approximately 50 sea turtles to the wild in the Gulf of Mexico off Cape San Blas after the animals were rescued from cold water temperatures. “It is very satisfying to be able to release these turtles following the exhaustive effort put in by rescuers last week,” FWC sea turtle biologist Allen Foley said in a press release. More
NEWS FROM NORTH AMERICA
Permit to Hunt Endangered Rhino Sells for $350,000 Despite Protests
(Reuters)
A permit to hunt a black rhino in Namibia sold for $350,000 at an auction in Dallas with proceeds going to protect the endangered animals despite protests from animal rights groups that saw the sale as immoral conservation. The license allows for the killing of a single, post-breeding bull, with Namibian wildlife officials on hand for the hunt to make sure an appropriate animal is selected. More
First Documented Evidence of Wolverines in The Great Bear Rainforest Published
(The Canadian Press via The Province)
Evidence shows the often-reclusive wolverine has taken up residence for the first time on an island off British Columbia’s Central Coast, and the animal’s eating habits have changed along with its relocation. The study, published in The Canadian Field-Naturalist, shows that at least two wolverines inhabit Princess Royal Island, part of B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest. There are about 3,000 to 4,000 wolverines in B.C., but most of them are in the Interior. More
NY State Assembly to Hold Public Hearing on Illegal Ivory Trade
(Live Science)
Lawmakers will gather in Manhattan to examine the effectiveness of New York State’s restrictions on the sale of ivory. The Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation will hold a public hearing at the Assembly Hearing Room in Lower Manhattan to discuss the laws in place to curb the illegal sale of ivory and protect endangered species. Despite the existence of these laws, New York is one of the largest markets for illegal ivory in the United States. More
Man Accused of Poaching 300 Sea Turtle Eggs
(The Palm Beach Post)
A 51-year-old Riviera Beach, Fla., man is facing federal charges after he allegedly poached more than 300 sea turtle eggs in Juno Beach last summer. Charges were formally filed in U.S. District Court against Kenneth Cornelius Coleman. According to a criminal complaint by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Coleman took 316 sea turtle eggs from the beach on July 3 and 4. Coleman was previously charged with possessing sea turtle eggs in 2005. More
Research Cutbacks by Government Alarm Scientists
(CBC News)
Scientists across Canada are expressing growing alarm that federal cutbacks to research programs monitoring areas that range from climate change and ocean habitats to public health will deprive Canadians of crucial information. “What’s important is the scale of the assault on knowledge, and on our ability to know about ourselves and to advance our understanding of our world,” said James Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. More
Wildlife Rehabilitators are Endangered Species
(The Florida Times-Union)
A welcoming chorus of cheerful chirps and purring-like chuckles greeted Melanie Cain-Stage when the makeshift family of river otters, Andy, Charlie, Opie and Patty, heard her coming toward their habitat at Humane Association of Wildlife Care and Education Inc. Dances with Clouds, an elegant swallow-tailed kite, cocked her head and hopped along her perch nearby to watch Cain-Stage, who paused to say “Hello” before continuing on to check Cherokee, a young bobcat brought to HAWKE too tame to survive if returned to the wild. More
WILDLIFE HEALTH AND DISEASE NEWS
Yellowstone Says ‘Biobullets’ for Bison Won’t Work
(The Associated Press via Idaho Business Review)
Shooting wild bison with vaccine-laced “biobullets” to prevent the spread of disease to livestock would be too ineffective to justify the expense, Yellowstone National Park administrators said. The announcement means a program that has led to the capture and slaughter of more than 2,300 bison that migrated into Montana over the last decade will continue — with little immediate hope of eradicating the disease that’s to blame. More
Aerial Vaccine Drops to Combat Rabies Begins in Far West Texas
(Big Bend Now)
The Texas Department of State Health Services will launch its 20th annual airdrop of rabies vaccine in portions of the state. The effort has successfully eliminated the canine strain of rabies and virtually eliminated the fox strain of rabies in Texas by vaccinating coyotes and gray foxes in a wide swath of southern and western Texas over the last 20 years. Now, the Oral Rabies Vaccination Program is testing an expanded effort to vaccinate skunks. More
India Scrambles to Save Tigers from Deadly Virus
(The Associated Press via Anchorage Daily News)
India is scrambling to protect its beleaguered tiger population after several big cats tested positive for a virus common among dogs but deadly to other carnivores, experts said. In the last year, canine distemper virus has killed at least four tigers and several other animals across northern and eastern India, according to Rajesh Gopal of the government’s National Tiger Conservation Authority. More
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Court Calls Off Wolf Hunt in Sweden Once Again
(Alaska Dispatch)
A licensed wolf hunt in Sweden planned for February this year will not take place, after a decision in an administrative court, reports Swedish news agency TT. The court ruled in favor of environmental organizations, which had appealed a decision to allow 30 wolves to be culled next month. “We are very pleased about the court’s decision,” Mikael Karlsson, chairman of the non-governmental organization Nature Conservation, tells TT. More
Indonesia Police Nab Illegal Wildlife Traffickers in Sting Operation
(Mongabay)
Police in Indonesia’s Aceh province have arrested two wildlife trafficking suspects allegedly behind five tiger poaching rings operating in the forests of northern Sumatra. The arrests followed a months-long investigation and an undercover sting operation in which police seized thousands of dollars worth of illegal animal parts. Posing as potential buyers, undercover police caught the suspects with stuffed Sumatran tigers and other illegal wildlife including a clouded leopard, two golden cats and a sun bear skin. More