Free Republic

Gray wolves will regain federal protection across most of the lower 48 United States following a court ruling Thursday that struck down a Trump Administration decision to take the animals off the endangered species list. Senior District Judge Jeffrey S. White, of United States District Court for the Northern District of California, found that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in declaring wolf conservation a success and removing the species from federal protection, did not adequately consider threats to wolves outside of the Great Lakes and Northern Rocky Mountains where they have rebounded most significantly. Although the decision to...

Bats have often been the subject of disdain, especially now that they may be somewhat responsible for the COVID-19 issue. It seems as if they may finally be catching a break, thanks to a viral video on Reddit. It shows them upside down, and they look like they are ready for a party. The video was taken by Das Kraftfuttermischwerk of some bats gyrating to music on a lighted floor. The sway of the bats appears to mimic the dance moves you might see at a goth club. Of course, it isn’t all cutesy, especially when you look closer and...

Below-freezing temperatures expected in Florida this weekendWhile freezing temperatures bring most places white specks, the same weather brings Florida green scales. Falling iguanas are expected to accompany the coldest weather the state has felt since 2018 this weekend. That’s right. Overnight and early morning lows aren’t the only thing projected to plummet in Florida come Saturday and Sunday. Because they are cold-blooded reptiles, iguanas are known to become immobile and drop when cold weather below 40 degrees comes around in South Florida.

A Florida contractor whose job it is to hunt down and kill the invasive Iguanas that are multiplying exponentially in S. Florida

A little African penguin named Rosie is making a big impact on children with special needs. Veterinarians at Arizona's Odysea Aquarium first noticed Rosie's skeletal abnormalities when she was hatched in 2019. "We knew very early in Rosie's development that she was a little bit different," Jessica Peranteau, director of animal control and education at Odysea Aquarium, told KNXV. "Penguins are able to sit up on their own when they get ready to start to walk, but Rosie was not showing us she could do that on her own. So we decided as a team we needed to give her...

Christina Eyth thought she would find her neighbour's dog on the loose, but instead, she found a mystery creature she could not identify, lurking on the left-hand side of her front door.An unidentified animal rescued by a woman who found it “scared and shivering” near her home has baffled wildlife experts, who can’t decide what it is. Christina Eyth headed out to investigate around her house after discovering paw prints outside of her door earlier this week. The woman from Pennsylvania in the US, thought she would find her neighbour's dog on the loose, but instead, she found a mystery...

A picture of paw prints left in the morning frost at a Texas park has people guessing what creature could have made them – and most are guessing wrong. In their defense, a wide variety of wildlife calls Big Bend National Park home, according to the National Park Service. On Jan. 14, the park shared a picture on Facebook of animal tracks spotted on a nature trail boardwalk, challenging the public to guess which of Big Bend’s many residents left their mark. “Porcupine? Large cat like puma, bobcat?” one person suggested. “The shorter stride would suggest a smaller animal,” said...

Shocking video shows the moment a Florida man fought off a black bear on his porch, saving his dachshunds. The attack occurred Wednesday night in Daytona Beach, according to WFTV, and video of the incident, captured on Ring doorbell footage, was released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Controversial appointee accuses ranchers of ‘scam’ in recent wolf kills.. For a day and a half, county officials, policy experts and politicians discussed the challenges unique to rural Colorado, but the most satisfying moment for most attendees came at the very end. The annual Voices of Rural Colorado Conference returned after a one-year COVID-19 hiatus, hosted by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. The conference is a joint effort by Action 22, Pro 15 and Club 20, organizations that represent the interests of 59 of Colorado’s 64 counties. The 2022 conference covered such things as affordable housing, higher education, energy...

Attacks on cattle and dogs by wolves that migrated into northwest Colorado from Wyoming have stoked a rancher-wolf controversy sooner than expected. Don Gittleson woke up Wednesday morning to a sight that’s starting to feel common on his North Park ranch: a cow torn up by wolves, the third attack on his livestock since a few days before Christmas. If this were Montana, Wyoming or Idaho, Gittleson could pull out a gun and shoot the predator dead. But this is Colorado. Wolves in Colorado are protected under state law. Killing them – no matter how many cows or sheep or...

Park Superintendent Cam Sholly first raised concerns last September about wolves dying near the park borderTwenty of Yellowstone National Park's renowned gray wolves roamed from the park and were shot by hunters in recent months — the most killed by hunting in a single season since the predators were reintroduced to the region more than 25 years ago, according to park officials. Fifteen wolves were shot after roaming across the park's northern border into Montana, according to figures released to The Associated Press. Five more died in Idaho and Wyoming. Park officials said in a statement to AP that the...

[video] Occurred on September 3, 2021 / Chickamauga, Georgia, USA: I came outside after Piper was scratching on the door to find baby squirrels she found and brought them home because it was cold.

This is the incredible moment two six-ton bull elephants clashed in a 10-minute blockbuster battle just yards away from a walking tour. The mighty animals flattened trees as they stomped around and wrestled with their trunks. Chris Bates was on a tour in Kruger National Park, South Africa, when he filmed the incredible clash on the trail.

For Immediate ReleaseTuesday, October 5, 2021Office of Press Relationspress@usaid.govToday, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is launching an ambitious new project that will work with partner countries and the global community to build better preparedness for future global health threats. Discovery & Exploration of Emerging Pathogens - Viral Zoonoses (DEEP VZN), a five-year, approximately $125 million project (pending availability of funds), will strengthen global capacity to detect and understand the risks of viral spillover from wildlife to humans that could cause another pandemic.The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how infectious diseases threaten all of society, up-ending people’s lives and...

(David Ennis/Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife) NATURE Spectacularly Rare, Enormous Eagle Shows Up in North America, 5,000 Miles From Home FIONA MACDONALD22 DECEMBER 2021 Bird watchers in Massachusetts have been given an early Christmas present in the form of an incredibly rare sighting – a Steller's sea eagle, which is native to Asia almost 8,000 km (5,000 miles) away. The large sea eagles are native to the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia, and also seen in Japan, China, and Korea. There are estimated to be only around 5,000 individuals left, including this one, which has somehow made its...

Monterey Bay Aquarium team caught this barreleye fish on camera. According to the aquarium, they're an elusive species that lives 2,600 feet under the ocean. The deep-sea fish has a transparent head with tubular eyes. These fish usually grow to about six inches and can see through their forehead. The aquarium said the aquarist were on a deep sea collection trip with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. They were collecting jellies and comb jellies for an upcoming exhibition when they spotted the barreleye fish. The aquarist are preparing for a new exhibition called Into the Deep: Exploring our Undiscovered...

The 42 finalists in this year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been announced, each one showing anthropomorphic expressions from the animal kingdom. A seal that appears to be giggling, a baboon that looks like it's singing and a very angry starling - this year's finalists show animals in comedy moments snapped by photographers from around the world. The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were founded by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, both professional photographers and passionate conservationists. In addition to providing some light-hearted relief, the competition aims to highlight the important message of wildlife conservation in an engaging and positive way,...

Last week I went tent camping with my son at a GA state park. When we checked in, I had to sign an acknowledgement that I understood bears would be in the area. Yawn. I didn't give it further thought.The second day, at 0500, the food cooler outside my tent was knocked over. I thought, oh man, this is it. The cooler was about 8 feet from the entrance to the tent. It took me a while to get on my glasses, jeans, find the flashlight and get personal protection.I got everything together and unzipped the flap. I shined the...

The adorable animal, a resident of Monterey Bay Aquarium, was filmed playing a super-fun game we'll call "hide the shrimp." INTRODUCING "THE SHRIMP GAME": How do you describe a hot new game to a friend? Do you start with the rules? The game's aim? How does it feel to play it? The quirks, twists, and surprises you can expect? There's a lot that goes into breaking down the specifics of a fresh challenge, but sometimes you just have to jump in, (webbed) feet first, and move a shrimp around, all to create something cute and fun. Oh, did we say...

A 15-year-old girl caught a catfish that exceeded her height on Friday the 13th. Hannah Truscott went fishing with her father Paul, 51, in Essex County, England, on the superstitious day, according to South West News Service (SWNS). The pair traveled more than 100 miles from their Derbyshire home to the county’s White Lakes. According to the teen’s father, she had doubts about their fishing trip because it was Friday, Aug. 13. "She didn’t think she’d catch anything because of the date, but I said not everyone can be that unlucky," Truscott reportedly told SWNS. Hannah’s first catch of the...