Free Republic

LONDON -- The average size of global wildlife populations have declined by 73% in 50 years, a new study by the World Wildlife Fund has found. The study, titled the 2024 Living Planet Report, monitored wildlife populations of 5,495 species of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles between 1970 and 2020. Its findings reveal declines in “every indicator that tracks the state of nature on a global scale." “The findings of this report are alarming,” said Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, the senior forest policy officer at the WWF. “EU consumption continues to be a major driver of global biodiversity loss, particularly in...

Sheriff's deputies in Washington's Kitsap County frequently get calls about animals — loose livestock, problem dogs. But the 911 call they received recently from a woman being hounded by dozens of raccoons swarming her home near Poulsbo stood out. The woman reported having had to flee her property after 50 to 100 raccoons descended upon it and were acting aggressively, said Kevin McCarty, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office. She told deputies she started feeding a family of raccoons decades ago and it was fine until about six weeks earlier, when the number showing up went from a handful to...

As if Hurricane Milton’s devastating winds and storm surge were not enough to worry about, a wildlife expert is warning of another danger— hungry alligators. Christopher Gillette, who operates an animal sanctuary in northern Florida, warned his Instagram followers that the alligators “are going to be on the move in the floodwaters” in the wake of the storm. “Make sure you’re staying out of the floodwaters the best you can,” Gillette said in a video crouched beside an alligator. “Obviously there’s emergency situations, people are going to do what they got to do, but if you can try, stay out,”...

Voting starts Wednesday in the annual Fat Bear Week contest at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, with viewers picking their favorite among a dozen brown bears fattened up to survive the winter. The contest, which is in its 10th year, celebrates the resiliency of the 2,200 brown bears that live in the preserve on the Alaska Peninsula, which extends from the state’s southwest corner toward the Aleutian Islands. The animals gorge on the abundant sockeye salmon that return to the Brooks River, sometimes chomping the fish in midair as they try to hurdle a small waterfall and make...

Rescuers are pleading for Nibi the beaver to remain in captivity until at least next spring. Following public outcry and pleas from her rescuers, a 2-year-old beaver named “Nibi” will not be released back into the wild Tuesday. More than 22,000 people have signed a petition to protect Nibi, who was raised at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford after she was found orphaned on the side of a busy road. Now, a judge has dammed up wildlife officials’ plans to release Nibi into the wild, issuing a temporary restraining order.... Nibi’s plight went viral on social media Monday after Newhouse...

Typical of rural and small-town Wisconsin residents, Chase Melton loves fishing and hunting waterfowl and whitetail deer, and he’s used to seeing wolves in his state’s great outdoors. “I’ve never have had any trouble with them,” he told Cowboy State Daily. So he was completely unprepared for what happened last weekend. He and two other duck hunters were surrounded by a pack of wolves in northern Wisconsin, and he had to shoot and kill one in self-defense. “When it first happened, I thought, ‘Oh my God, what did I just do? I just killed a wolf!’” said Melton, 19, who...

A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution lifts the veil on what happens when octopuses and fish hunt together. As it turns out, this cross-species relationship is more complex than anyone expected. Animals of the same species often cooperate—work together to reach some kind of goal. But it's relatively rare to find cooperation between individuals from different species. A classic example you'll be familiar with is the close relationship between dogs and humans, whether in the context of herding sheep or hunting. In these situations, the dog and the human work together to achieve a goal. That's mammals....

Have you ever seen a fish flying through the air while hunting a bald eagle? Neither have we, until now. And that can only mean one thing – the Comedy Wildlife Awards have announced their finalists for the 2024 version of their competition, and this year's batch is as funny as ever.

Decisions made contrary to the wolf plan and comments from the First Gentleman raise concerns.. Colorado ranchers and lawmakers have questioned how Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are making decisions about wolves since the animals were introduced to the state starting in December. Concerns have peaked in recent months, however, as wildlife officials have gone outside of recommendations in the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, and have raised questions about whether Gov. Jared Polis is calling the shots on wolves. Sen. Dylan Roberts — who represents Senate District 8, which has been the epicenter of Colorado’s reintroduction efforts — asked...

A mysterious sound heard booming from deep under the ocean waves has finally been traced to a fascinating source. First recorded in 2014 in the west Pacific, the "biotwang" is actually the call of the Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) traveling long distances in the open ocean. What's more, the techniques used to identify the sound have led to the development of a new tool for understanding whale populations and how they move about in and inhabit Earth's enigmatic seas. "Bryde's whales occur worldwide in tropical and warm temperate waters, but their population structure and movements are not well understood," writes...

Henry is thought to have been born before Salvador Dalí and Dr Seuss, but he's still going strong. At the ripe estimated age of 123 years old, Henry is the oldest known crocodile in the world – and what a life he’s led. In the past few decades alone, the mature gentleman has fathered thousands upon thousands of offspring With all those decades under his belt, Henry has amassed a gigantic size. The immensely hefty croc measures over 5 meters (16 foot 5 inches) from snout to tail and weighs 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds). For context, the average Nile crocodile...

They're really doing it. Transcript linked below video.

My follow up of the issues about the Haitian community living in Springfield, Ohio my hometown. Once again not all FAKE NEWS.

When my family moved back to the United States from East Africa in the mid-1980s, one might have thought it was a peak time of compassion for people suffering in faraway places. A glittering group of music superstars had recorded “We Are the World,” a smash hit charity single to raise money and awareness for the victims of a brutal famine that had gripped my mother’s home country, Ethiopia.But when I told my new grade school classmates of my origins, I was met with cruel taunts. I was awfully fat for an Ethiopian, one said with a snigger. Must be...

~Half of America gets its news from respectable "mainstream" "journalists" such as ABC's David Muir, a man who "fact-checks" Donald Trump by citing a press release from the city manager of Springfield, Ohio that there's nothing to see here. Being a most solicitous court eunuch, Mr Muir - like his fellow mainstreamers - sees no reason to listen to those who actually live in Springfield. In the last four years, so many Haitians have descended on this Ohio town that they now constitute one-in-four of the population. And, whether it be the right to decapitate and eat waterfowl from municipal...

"I’m sitting here, I’m riding on the trail, I’m going to my orientation for my job today, and I see a group of Haitian people, there was about four of ’em, they all had geese in their hands," a resident told a dispatcher. A recording of a call made to police in August has revealed a Springfield, Ohio resident expressing concern to authorities over Haitian migrants in the city capturing geese. The recording and police report were obtained by The Federalist. “I’m sitting here, I’m riding on the trail, I’m going to my orientation for my job today, and I...

There is a well know saying amongst Yellowstone National Park staff about bison safety that goes like this “don’t pet fluffy cows.” It’s comical and cute but is an actual warning for tourists not a treat the park’s wildlife like a petting zoo. Bison may seem like docile creatures that would have little recourse to a human dead set on making contact but that is a very dangerous misconception. In a park with predators roaming around like grizzly bears and mountain lions, bison stand above all other species when it comes to injuring the most tourists.

An endangered predator has returned to California after vanishing more than 100 years ago. At least 44 gray wolves have been spotted in the West Coast state, including a record-breaking 30 new pups this year alone, according to Axel Hunnicutt, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's gray wolf coordinator. This is the biggest increase in a century, with the animals from seven different packs now in nine of the state's 58 counties, Marin Independent Journal reported. But not everyone is happy about the return of the the gray wolf and are concerned about the risk to farmers' livestock. Janna...

A sentencing date has been set for man accused of slaughtering more than 3,600 birds, including more than 118 protected eagles, during a years-long wildlife trafficking ring out West, new court documents show. Travis John Branson, 48, pleaded guilty in March to charges including conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and trafficking bald and golden eagles, in federal court in Montana. According to a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday, Branson and his “crew” killed eagles and then sold them across the country for profit on the black market. “It was not uncommon for Branson to take upwards of nine eagles at a time,” prosecutors...

What has four legs, hails from Spain, is notoriously difficult to kill, multiplies by 10 each year, and causes an annual $2.5 billion damage to the economy? If you guessed feral hogs, you are correct. An estimated nine million nomadic pigs currently roam America, destroying crops and properties which lay in their path, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Hogs even cause the occasional fatality - either through a rare bloodthirsty attack on a human or by charging across a highway and triggering a road traffic accident. In the most pig-dense states like Texas, law enforcement officials offer bounties...