From Mongabay.com:
In the foothills of the western Alps in southeastern France, horned alpine ibex roam the limestone cliffs of a smaller mountain range known as the Dauphiné Alps, a region once home to thriving populations of wild horses, bison, roe deer, gray wolves, Eurasian lynx, and four species of vultures. In June of this year, the nonprofit Rewilding Europe announced the landscape as its 11th restoration site, making it France’s largest rewilding project.
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Trump administration moves to roll back some Endangered Species Act protections
From NBCNews.com:
The Trump administration moved Wednesday to weaken the popular Endangered Species Act in an attempt to restore changes made during the president’s first term that were later blocked by a federal judge.
The proposed changes include the elimination of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “blanket rule” that automatically protects animals and plants when they are classified as threatened. Government agencies instead would have to craft species-specific rules for protections, a potentially lengthy process.
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Yellowstone visitors stunned as man seemingly provokes wolf pack
From SFGate.com:
Yellowstone wolf watchers were gathered in awe on the morning of Oct. 6, ogling a pack of at least five black wolves roaming through the sagebrush near Lamar Valley.
But the crowd soon saw something unexpected through the lenses of their binoculars and spotting scopes: A man began walking toward the wolves, getting within 50 feet or so. A video of the incident was posted on Nov. 13 in the Facebook group that chronicle bad behavior in the park, titled “Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of The Idiots!”
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Colorado’s declining gray wolf population cited as reason Washington votes against providing more
From ColoradoSun.com:
nother door closed on Colorado’s wolf reintroduction efforts when Washington state wildlife officials voted Saturday against giving Colorado Parks and Wildlife 10 to 15 gray wolves for relocation this winter.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 8-1 against providing wolves to Colorado, citing a decline in the state’s gray wolf population, is listed as endangered under both state and federal law.
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France’s largest rewilding project takes root in the Dauphiné Alps
From Mongabay.com:
In the foothills of the western Alps in southeastern France, horned alpine ibex roam the limestone cliffs of a smaller mountain range known as the Dauphiné Alps, a region once home to thriving populations of wild horses, bison, roe deer, gray wolves, Eurasian lynx, and four species of vultures. In June of this year, the nonprofit Rewilding Europe announced the landscape as its 11th restoration site, making it France’s largest rewilding project.
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Oregon’s wolves surge to historic high, but sparks new farm frustration
From KTVZ.com:
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon’s wolf population is on the rise, reaching its highest numbers in years and fueling hope for species recovery among conservationists, but for farmers facing ongoing livestock losses, the surge is a source of mounting frustration over predation and the limits of compensation programs.
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California has a new wolf pack after another was euthanized
From LATimes.com:
California wildlife officials have confirmed there’s a new wolf pack in the northern part of the state, as the population of the endangered canids — and the number of livestock they have preyed on — continues to rise.
The freshly minted Grizzly pack is roaming southern Plumas County and consists of at least two adults and a pup, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported this week.
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A wolf raided a crab trap. Was it tool use or just canine cunning?
From ScienceNews.org:
One damp spring evening last year, a wolf hauled a crab trap ashore off the central Pacific coast of British Columbia. The rangy animal made a delectable meal of the bait inside, and unknowingly launched a healthy debate about her feat.
The gray wolf (Canis lupus) had been recorded on a motion-triggered camera installed by environmental wardens — known as Guardians — from the Haíɫzaqv Nation Indigenous community. The wolf’s trap-pulling behavior may be the first evidence of tool use by a wild canid, researchers report November 17 in Ecology and Evolution.
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Inside the courtroom for the first hearing on Wyoming’s wolf cruelty case
From WyomingPublicRadio:
The man who brought a wolf into a bar in Daniel after allegedly running it down with a snowmobile nearly two years ago made his first public comments this past Monday.
Cody Roberts pleaded not guilty at a virtual arraignment for a felony charge of animal cruelty.
Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan was in the Sublette County Courthouse and spoke to Managing Editor Nicky Ouellet.
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Yellowstone Wolves Thrive Inside the Park — but Here’s Why Many Don’t Survive After Crossing the Border
From GreenMatters.com:
Yellowstone National Park is home to several wild animals. Tourists are allowed to spot them only from a distance to ensure their safety and the animals’ protection. The national park goes above and beyond to ensure the wildlife is protected. However, it can only control what’s happening within the premises or the “Yellowstone bubble.” Once the wild animals step beyond the protective boundaries of the park, they enter a no-where zone which houses several other animals.
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How Wolves Became Yellowstone’s $82 Million Tourist Attraction
From OutsideOnline.com:
More wolves equals more wolf watchers, but is that a good thing?