Conservation groups celebrate Endangered Species Act anniversary

From KiowaCountyPress.net:

Conservationists in New York and nationwide will celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Endangered Species Act on Saturday.

Since its passage in 1973, more than 1,600 species in the U.S. have been protected by the law. New York’s piping plover and numerous other grassland birds have seen their populations rebound and backers credit this legislation.

Susan Holmes, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition, said bald eagles are a great example of the law’s conservation impacts.

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Wildlife enthusiasts mourn the loss of Yellowstone’s famed wolf, 907F

From KTVQ.com:

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — On Christmas Day, Yellowstone lost one of its most beloved wolves, 907F, who died due to injuries after a wolf attack from a rival pack and has left a void for many wildlife enthusiasts and experts in the area.

Wolf 907F, referring to her collar number and the F for “female,” was known to many as an iconic figure due to her age and legacy. At over 11 years old, it made her the oldest wolf in the park. Wolves in Yellowstone typically have an average lifespan of just three to four years, and only six wolves have ever been recorded to live beyond 11 years since the species was reintroduced to the park in 1995. The oldest known wolf in the park lived 12 and a half years.

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Gray Wolves Make Remarkable Comeback in California

From Newsweek.com:

Endangered gray wolves are thriving in California after returning to the Golden State nearly a century after being wiped out in the 1920s.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that there are now at least 70 gray wolves in the state, up from 44 documented the year before.

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Belovezhskaya Pushcha banned wolf hunting

From SB News:

The Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park introduced a ban on wolf hunting on its territory. The ban will be in force for a little over two years: from December 9th, 2024 to January 1st, 2027. It covers the entire area of the forest which is a UNESCO World Heritage site: over 82,000 hectares, the national park informed.

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No cubs born in Flanders this year as Belgian wolf population remains low

From BelgianNewsAgency.eu:

No wolf cubs were born in Flanders in 2024, according to the organisation Welkom Wolf. With only around 20 wolves in all of Belgium, the group is calling for safer road infrastructure to protect the species.

While no cubs were reported in Flanders, Wallonia saw the birth of approximately 11 wolf cubs. However, this number remains very low compared to the 55 cubs born in the Netherlands this year. “It’s ridiculously low, especially considering southern Belgium is more suitable for wolves than the Netherlands and Flanders combined”, said Welkom Wolf.

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The 12,000-Year-Old Wolves That Ate Like Dogs. Animal remains unearthed in Alaska give clues to how wolves were domesticated.

From The New York Times:

As the Late Pleistocene ice age drew to a close, people and wolves began to bond. From there, it was just a few millenniums to puppy yoga and dog influencers. But the details of exactly how and when wolves were tamed and domesticated remain up for intense debate.

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Alaska Governor Sends “Priority List” To Trump Transition Team

From NationalParksTraveler.org:

Permitting the Ambler Road through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve to open up mining; giving Alaska control over fish and wildlife, including within National Park System units; and discarding the National Park Service’s practice of managing lands “eligible” for wilderness as official wilderness are among the requests Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has made to President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team.

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‘Reprehensible’: Idaho hunter killed weeks-old wolf pups and reaped rewards, records show

From the IdahoStatesman.com:

For the past few years in Idaho, hunters, trappers and government officials have killed wolves in a variety of ways. One hunter hit a wolf with a snowmobile before shooting and killing it. Dozens of wolves had broken teeth, possibly from chewing the traps they were caught in.

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Gray wolf resurgence: California sees record number of new packs and pups

From CBS8:

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Researchers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the latest annual count of gray wolves in the state of California. That update for 2024 showed a remarkable population climb for the endangered species along with an uptick in total wolf packs recorded.

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CPW, Southern Ute Indian Tribe sign agreement on gray wolf restoration

From KDVR.com:

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe recently signed an agreement that formalizes the two governments’ coordination and communication regarding the state’s gray wolf restoration efforts and the potential impacts on the Tribe.

The memorandum of understanding creates a formal framework for the state to continue restoring and managing gray wolves in Colorado while also recognizing the tribe’s sovereign authority on tribal lands and its treaty-protected off-reservation hunting, fishing and gathering rights in the Brunot Treaty Area.

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