US Fish and Wildlife Service

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'Iconic Animal' Proposed for Endangered Species List

Bethany Beach firefly could be first firefly to receive federal protections

(Newser) - The act of catching fireflies may soon be a thing of summers past. For the first time, the US government hopes to add a firefly to the list of endangered species, making it illegal to harm the insect in most cases. Named after the Delaware town where it was discovered...

To Save One Kind of Owl, Death to 450K Others

FWS plans to cull 450K barred owls so that the spotted owl can compete for habitat

(Newser) - To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, US wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their smaller cousins. The US Fish and Wildlife Service strategy released Wednesday is...

Oregon Is Trying to Catch a Wolf Killer

Feds offer $50K reward in deaths of three endangered animals in the state

(Newser) - A federal agency wants information on the deaths of three endangered gray wolves in southern Oregon, and they have a hefty reward for good information. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is offering $50,000 for details that lead to an arrest, criminal conviction, or a fine of people involved...

US Wildlife Experts Play Dating Game With Rare Wolf

Wildlife officials pick up wandering female gray wolf, will try to mate her with one of two brothers

(Newser) - A match made in the wilds of New Mexico? An endangered Mexican wolf captured last weekend after wandering hundreds of miles from Arizona to New Mexico is now being readied for a dating game of sorts as part of federal reintroduction efforts. But as the AP reports, only time will...

Saving One Type of Owl May Require Shooting Another

Cull on barred owls could keep spotted owl from going extinct in Northwest, says federal agency

(Newser) - Despite pushback over its experimental killing of thousands of barred owls, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed shooting many, many more: about 400,000 over 30 years. It's all in an effort to save another owl species at risk of extinction. Populations of the northern spotted owl...

Surfboard-Stealing Otter's Aggression Explained by a Birth

Otter 841 spotted with pup off Santa Cruz

(Newser) - Attempts to capture an aggressive surfboard-stealing sea otter in California are on hold as "Otter 841" is now accompanied by a pup. The female sea otter has reportedly given birth and was spotted Wednesday "far off the Santa Cruz coast, rolling and spinning in the kelp and waves...

21 Species Off Endangered List—Because They're Extinct

US Fish and Wildlife Service pulls 10 bird species, 8 types of mussels, 2 fish, 1 fruit bat

(Newser) - Twenty-one animals have been removed from the Endangered Species Act because, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, they're not endangered—they're extinct. The majority of the species—10 types of birds, eight types of mussels, two species of fish, and one type of bat—were listed...

Feds' 'Unprecedented' Move: Feeding Starving Manatees

FWS to formally announce Florida trial on Wednesday

(Newser) - In an "unprecedented" move, the US Fish and Wildlife Service plans to feed threatened manatees following a record number of deaths in Florida waters this year. A FWS rep confirmed the plan to TCPalm on Tuesday ahead of a formal announcement Wednesday. "It is a problem created by...

Rare Giant Condors Settle In at House

15 to 20 endangered birds arrived uninvited, caused damage

(Newser) - Giant California condors are rare—but not at Cinda Mickols' home. About 15 to 20 of the giant endangered birds have recently taken a liking to the house in the city of Tehachapi and made quite a mess, the AP reports. Mickols' daughter, Seana Quintero of San Francisco, began posting...

They Killed the Rats of 'Rat Island,' With Unexpected Results

Study finds the full ecosystem has fully recovered

(Newser) - The name "Rat Island" has persisted for decades, but it 2012 it was officially done away with , and for good reason. The rats are gone. Popular Science dives into how that came to be and what the longer-term results have been via a March study published in Nature Scientific ...

US Bald Eagle Population Quadrupled in a Decade
Very Good News
for America's Symbol
Mar 25, 2021 11:15 AM CDT

Very Good News for America's Symbol

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland touts the 'importance of the Endangered Species Act'

(Newser) - The number of American bald eagles has quadrupled since 2009, with more than 300,000 birds soaring over the lower 48 states, government scientists said in a report Wednesday, according to the AP . The US Fish and Wildlife Service said bald eagles, the national symbol that once teetered on the...

Cubs Can Be Killed in Alaska Dens Under Trump Rule Change

NPS, Fish and WiNPS, Fish and Wildlife to relax Obama-era regulations related to federal lands

(Newser) - Two federal agencies are relaxing Obama-era regulations on wildlife, now allowing for more hunting and trapping at national preserves throughout Alaska. The Alaska Daily News reports that the rolling back by the National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service of the 2015 prohibitions will allow hunters to take black...

Trophy Hunter Gets US Permit to Import Body of Rare Rhino

Michigan hunter gets dispensation in what Humane Society calls 'pay-to-slay scheme'

(Newser) - The Trump administration says it will issue a permit to a Michigan trophy hunter to import the skin, skull, and horns from a rare black rhinoceros he shot in Africa. Documents show Chris D. Peyerk of Shelby Township, Mich., applied last year for the permit required by the Fish and...

'Controlled Burn' in Florida Torches 36 Homes

A fire that was supposed to clear 480 acres spread across 800

(Newser) - Dozens of homes in Florida’s panhandle went up in flames when a controlled burn that was supposed to clear 480 acres spread across 800 acres, reports CBS News . Controlled burns are a forest management tool where a fire is deliberately set to prevent destructive wildfires. The fire—which was...

Maryland's Bald Eagle Die-Off Finally Explained

The 13 birds ingested a banned pesticide

(Newser) - Thirteen bald eagles found dead on farmland in Maryland's Eastern Shore in the state's largest die-off of the birds in 30 years died from ingesting a banned pesticide, wildlife officials say. The carcasses of the eagles, mostly immature, were discovered in Federalsburg in February 2016 with no outward...

A Week After Starting 'Dream Job,' a Bear Attack

Amber Kornak's quick thinking helped her survive mauling in the mountains of Montana

(Newser) - On May 11, Amber Kornak posted her new job on Facebook—a "dream job" with the US Fish and Wildlife Service that involved working with grizzly bears, People notes. But less than a week later, the 28-year-old was mauled by a bear in Montana, though her quick thinking helped...

Trump to Reverse Obama's Ban on Import of Elephant Trophies

Move will allow hunters to import from Zimbabwe, Zambia

(Newser) - If you happened to shoot an elephant in Zimbabwe on or after Jan. 21, 2016, you'll be able to import its remains into the US, reports the Washington Post . This after confirmation from a Fish and Wildlife Service official that the Trump administration intends to once again allow the...

Feds Seize King Cobras Hidden in Potato Chip Cans

Alleged smuggler could get 20 years

(Newser) - A man was arrested on federal smuggling charges Tuesday after customs officers intercepted a shipment with three live king cobras hidden inside potato chip canisters that were being mailed to his California home, US prosecutors say. Rodrigo Franco, 34, faces a felony count of illegally importing merchandise into the US,...

Rare Jaguar Sighting Could Be Very Good News

It could mean the endangered cat is re-establishing itself in US

(Newser) - Wildlife officials say they have evidence of a rare jaguar sighting in the United States, giving conservationists hope that the endangered cat is re-establishing itself here, the AP reports. The US Fish and Wildlife Service released a photo Thursday from a trail camera that was taken in November and recently...

Feds: Plan to Reintroduce Wolves in Southwest Is Working

Mexican wolf numbers are up in Arizona, NM

(Newser) - There are now more Mexican gray wolves roaming the American Southwest than at any time since the federal government began trying to reintroduce the predators nearly two decades ago.The annual survey released Friday by the US Fish and Wildlife Service shows at least 113 wolves are spread between southwestern...

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