NORTH AMERICA
Grizzly Disagreement on Bear Classification
Source: The Hill
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has recently declined petitions to remove endangered species protections from grizzly bears, but to allow landowners to act as needed to save their livestock from bear predation. The Service announced that their decision will allow for a more stable and larger bear population, though opponents claim the refusal to delist will only further endanger farmers’ livelihoods and properties.
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Disaster and Hope for Wildlife Refuges
Source: The Wildlife Society
National Wildlife Refuges are sanctuaries managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to conserve and protect native species reliant on their land and water. However, in 2023 and 2024 alone, 37 natural disasters like hurricanes Helene and Milton and the ongoing California wildfires damaged nearly 90 of these refuges. Thankfully, Congress approved a $500 million dollar relief fund in December 2024 to support rebuilding these essential conservation areas.
[su_button url=”https://wildlife.org/national-wildlife-refuge-system-receives-disaster-relief-funding/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9UTHb9Qe-zDd-cNg-GjdqGk7mnT_pfT2SzDbtLAdDDmYBvuCOzee0ghNrO0jtWy92tS3RyFt8t-hvQVyFyNxhmY-SGtA&_hsmi=342825899&utm_content=342825899&utm_source=hs_email” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#638d3d” radius=”0″]Read the full article[/su_button]
Slippery Slope to Elk Safety
Source: CBS News
Receiving a call about an elk caught in ice climbing ropes seemed like a prank for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department, but the situation was all too real. Officers arrived at Lake City, CO to find two concerned climbers watching an elk entangled in the hiking nylon. Thanks to citizen vigilance, concern, and professional training, the officers were able to safely remove the ropes and usher the elk back to safety.
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Colorado Women Find Community in Field and Stream
Source: The Colorado Sun
In a male-dominated sport, Colorado women are coming together now more than ever to build community. Erin Crider, founder of Uncharted Outdoorswomen, is blazing a trail that lets women learn the tools, tips and tricks of hunting from other women. Her groundbreaking organization helps women feel empowered and knowledgeable in the sport, confident in themselves and have opportunities to grow their skills alongside other women.
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Bridging the Wildlife Gap on the Road
Source: The Wildlife Society
Wildlife and roads seem to be consistently at odds, but the new Wildlife Crossing Pilot program from the U.S. Department of Transportation is hoping to reduce some of that stress. The Department’s Federal Highway Administration announced their allocation of $125 million in grants to new projects in 16 states, aiming to reduce animal and vehicle collisions, create safe wildlife crossings and preserve life and nature.
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Wildlife Crime Pinned on Poachers in Arizona
Source: Meat Eater
Last month, Arizona authorities caught and charged 14 individuals with crimes tethered to wild animal poaching—the illegal killing of wild animals for meat or trade. The group illegally killed four elk, five mule deer, 13 white-tailed deer, four bighorn sheep, three pronghorn, two turkeys and four javelinas from 2018 to 2021, resulting in $600,00 dollars in fines from nearly 30 counts of illegal hunting on Arizona state land. Poaching can adversely impact wildlife populations and opportunities for people who hunt legally to ensure sustainable use and maintain these populations.
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Animal Displacement: How to Help
Source: Sierra Sun Times
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has recently announced a list of guidelines to help lead the way for those who want to look after displaced wildlife due to the raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area. With instructions such as who to contact if one encounters an animal, why not to feed wildlife in burned or urban areas and ways to prevent human and animal conflict, the CDFW is channeling the community’s resilience and desire to help wildlife.
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AFRICA
Conversations on Conservation
Source: Patrol
A recent interview with Botswana-based ecologist expands the view on conservation practices employed worldwide. By looking at conservation areas as more than centers for just science and wildlife, a world of intricacies is uncovered. Rural areas are linked to the humans, livelihoods, cultures and politics that surround them, earning the name “socioecology” by some scholars. By understanding this connection, both scientists and community members can work together for their benefit and the animals.
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Pros and Cons of Electrified Fencing
Source: Patrol
Electrified fencing seems like a smart way to deter human and wildlife conflicts, right? In the sweeping Pandamatenga farm of Botswana, farmers are trying to figure out the answer. Though the fence does a good job of keeping things out, it also makes it easy for things—like destructive animals who have breached the barrier—to stay in. Birds and mice can slip through and offset the balanced ecosystem and even clever elephants who have learned how to damage parts of the fence still pose threats to the farm. Coupled with a hefty maintenance fee for the fences, it’s a coin toss for most locals.
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Herder Conservationists Receive Recognition
Source: Yale Environment 360
Outside of conservation models that require public land and trained scientists, the work of protecting African wildlife in some areas is in the hands of community members. Research shows that various African community conservancies have a higher rate of effective wildlife protection than in parks and other protected areas due to shared dependence on the land, teamwork among herders and integration into society thanks to tourist and farming revenue. However, some professionals question the efficiency of this communal model, as livestock is often a measure of wealth to pastoralists, and their increased abundance can displace wildlife and degrade habitat.
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EUROPE
Lynx Let Loose in Scottish Highlands
Source: The Guardian
The Eurasian Lynx, once down to a few hundred animals but now proudly restored and 10,000 strong, have been absent from their home in the Scottish Highlands for years until four were recently spotted in the area. According to conservationists, the reintroduction represented illegal releases of the lynx and is seen as an act that could unbalance the ecosystem of the Highlands. While police search for the culprits, others call for the legal reintroduction of these iconic cats by professionals.
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Tech Takes a Note from Nature
Source: Tech Xplore
Scientists at Estonia’s Tallinn University of Technology looked to an unlikely place to advance their forest-roaming robot—a moose hoof! Researchers couldn’t increase their tech’s four-legged locomotion until they learned from animals who already knew the key. Moose hooves expand and contract their surface area to change traction in rough terrain, and the two-toed hoof decreases suction in muddy areas. By designing robots after helpful animal traits, these robots can better aid conservation efforts in difficult areas as well as provide environmental aid and disaster relief.
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Reindeer and Humans: United by Land and Lore
Source: The Guardian
Due to historical overhunting and unregulated logging, Finland’s boreal reindeer are a thing of the past—until now. Thanks to a two-fold effort captained by local and United Nation’s scientists, conservationists are hoping to reintroduce a substantial herd by 2028 to the boreal forests and peatlands. Along with the animals comes the cultural work of “deep mapping”—looking to local folklore, art and song to revitalize the human connection to the wildlife and their shared lands while decreasing conflict.
[su_button url=”https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/23/finland-ecology-reindeer-deep-mapping-folklore-entwined-rewilding-karelia-peatland-forest” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#638d3d” radius=”0″]Read the full article[/su_button]
WORLD
A Manageable Harvest—For Now
Source: The Wildlife Society
The waters of Alaska and Russia are home to the pacific walrus, a tusked species researchers and Indigenous hunters wanted to ensure was being harvested sustainably. Together, they collected data confirming current rates of harvest are ethical and manageable but suggest increasing ship traffic and reduced sea ice warrants continued monitoring to ensure harvests remain sustainable.
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Tigers, Tigers and Tigers—Oh My!
Source: BBC
Nepal’s tiger population is a global conservation success, but the country’s Prime Minister thinks otherwise, announcing that Nepal can’t support the animals that reportedly mauled 55 people from 2019 to 2023. Conservationists disagree, saying instead that natural areas with higher tiger density should be expanded and protected to decrease conflicts with humans. They suggest that looking at the fatalities as clues that their wildlife conservation model must change will champion both animal and societal safety.
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Wildlife Crime Fighters of the Future
Source: Mongabay
On the heels of unprecedented wildlife deaths across the country from poaching or human accidents, Bangladeshi authorities are looking to the future to help them at present. With the resources of technologies like drones, animal tracking devices, trail cameras and even AI-based tools, wildlife custodians are better equipped to put an end to poaching-related crimes and able to potentially see problems before they arise.
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