All articles tagged with #wildlife management
David Johnson, a renowned owl scientist and conservationist who died at 69, continued his fieldwork and advocacy for owls despite a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis, famously saying, 'I didn’t pick owls — they picked me.'
The Trump administration issued a policy change reinterpreting the Endangered Species Act to let economic considerations influence habitat protections and to permit killing, trapping, and harassing species deemed threatened, potentially weakening protections for imperiled wildlife such as pygmy rabbits and Florida manatees.
Isle Royale National Park is closing sections of the Three Mile Campground through July 31 and expanding hazing, noise deterrents, and stricter food-storage rules at nearby campgrounds after a bold wolf began sniffing tents, dragging backpacks, and entering tents, signaling habituation to humans. Duncan Narrows campground was closed earlier this week due to rising human-wildlife interactions. There are about 37 wolves on the island this winter—the most since the 1970s—while the moose population has declined.
Two daytime raccoon attacks in a New Jersey town within hours have officials weighing a rabies vaccine bait plan to curb rabies risk and protect residents and pets, as authorities urge caution around wildlife and monitoring for further incidents.
Since the 2016 fatal alligator incident at the Grand Floridian, Disney World has removed about 414 alligators under Florida's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) and added barriers and training to boost guest safety; experts say the removals do not threaten Florida's healthy alligator population, which is estimated at around 1.3 million.
A 14-year-old boy was attacked by three coyotes while riding his bike in an Ottawa park. He escaped to a local school and was treated for rabies as a precaution; city officials are monitoring a coyote den and planning changes to wildlife management to balance public safety with provincial regulations.
A young male mountain lion was spotted lounging in a Pasadena neighborhood near a school, triggering shelter-in-place warnings; wildlife officials tranquilized the cat later that day and released it into suitable habitat in the Angeles National Forest.
A black bear injured four people, including two Fukushima Steel Works employees and a local resident, in a residential area of Fukushima, Japan, with the animal still at large. The incident underscores a nationwide rise in bear encounters, following a record year in 2025 with 13 fatalities and 230+ attacks. Authorities closed nearby schools, and the government is expanding bear-control efforts (more staff and traps) and issuing public safety guidance for encounters.
A black bear injured four people in Fukushima's Sasakino district, the latest in a surge of bear attacks across Japan that left 13 people killed in 2025; the bear remained at the site as authorities monitored the area, nearby schools were closed, and the government expanded bear-control efforts and public-awareness campaigns to curb growing encounters.
A mountain lion was spotted in a Santa Monica backyard near 14th Street and Montana Avenue, prompting Santa Monica police to deploy officers and wildlife officials to resolve the situation and safely remove the animal; residents were urged to stay indoors and keep pets inside while authorities respond, and the incident underscores the rarity of urban lion encounters in the area (the last city sighting was in 2012).
With bear attacks in Japan at a record high, Hokkaido-based Ohta Seiki is flooded with orders for its animatronic 'Monster Wolf' decoys that flash red eyes, howl, and play more than 50 sounds to deter bears; prices start around $4,000 and production is two to three months behind as the company expands and plans wheeled versions, a handheld model, and AI-camera features.
Japan is increasingly turning to robot wolves as a humane, high-tech deterrent to bear incursions in rural areas, with farmers and local authorities reporting rising demand for the autonomous predators to protect crops and people.
The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on hunting in national parks, refuges, and wilderness areas, broadening hunting opportunities on protected lands and prompting debate among conservationists and park advocates.
A Superior Court judge ruled that Alaska can resume killing bears, including from helicopters, as part of a plan to bolster the Mulchatna caribou herd. The decision comes after conservation groups failed to show the state lacked a reasonable basis for the plan amid ongoing litigation over data on bear sustainability. Officials say bear removals, which totaled about 180 bears in 2023–2024 plus 11 more last year, have coincided with the herd’s slow recovery and are timed to protect calves during the calving season. The case is part of a long-running dispute over the program’s adoption and effectiveness.
Colombia's Environment Ministry authorized a plan to cull up to 80 hippos descended from Pablo Escobar's private zoo to curb their invasive population, after neutering and relocation efforts proved costly or ineffective; officials say the hippos threaten ecosystems and communities, and relocation abroad is expensive, making culling the most feasible option, though animal-welfare groups oppose the decision.