Wildlife Weekly Wrap-up

Your weekly roundup of wildlife news from across the country

Protecting Alaska’s Wildlife and Refuges
Our national wildlife refuges were created to support the native wildlife that has a natural place in those ecosystem. But in Alaska, the state is pursuing some aggressive and alarming measures that would impact wildlife on refuges that make up millions of acres of wildlife habitat. They’re pushing for extreme “predator control” – practices that intentionally and dramatically reduce the number of large carnivores (like bears and wolves) to make more prey animals (like moose and caribou) available for game hunters. This way of managing wildlife is wrong anywhere. But on wildlife refuges, it’s unthinkable.
Learn more about Alaska’s program and what’s being done to prevent it >

Washington Would Welcome Grizzlies
Grizzly bears once had a home in Washington’s North Cascades. Decades of persecution and hunting for their pelts reduced their numbers so far that today, fewer than 10 bears still live there. This is the most at-risk grizzly population in North America. Thankfully, officials have started the process to plan for grizzly bear restoration in the North Cascades! And according to a recent survey, Washingtonians are excited to welcome grizzly bears back. A full 80% of those surveyed said they supported recovery efforts.
“Voters in Washington value grizzly bears as a vital part of our natural heritage and strongly back science-based efforts to help the population in the North Cascades to recover… Washington residents care about grizzlies and will do what it takes to ensure this iconic species doesn’t die out in our lifetime.”
– Elizabeth Ruther, Defenders’ Northwest Representative
Read more about restoring grizzlies to the North Cascades >

Ensuring a Future for Lobos
Last month, the state of New Mexico sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for releasing captive-bred Mexican gray wolf pups into the wild to bolster the endangered wolf’s numbers and add much-needed new genes to the population. Though the Service is doing the right thing by putting more wolves in the wild (there are only 97 left in the U.S.), New Mexico seems to be more interested in playing politics than allowing the Service to do its job. So this week, we joined the case, filing a motion along with several other groups to intervene on behalf of the Service and support their authority to do what these endangeRed Wolves so desperately need.
Learn more about the case >

This Bill Means Big Trouble for Wildlife
It’s supposed to be an energy bill – but this piece of legislation has a number of provisions that threaten the wildlife we care about. One of them, endorsed by the gun lobby, would put African elephants in greater danger by trying to stop U.S. efforts to crack down on the illegal ivory trade. Another would allow the most extreme forms of wolf and bear hunting on over 100 million acres of federally-protected wildlife habitat in Alaska. Another would encourage more logging in our national forests. And of course, as we see attempted so often these days, one provision would force the delisting of wolves in Wyoming and the Great Lakes.
Contact your senators today and ask them to take a stand against this anti-wildlife bill >

Wandering Wolf
Maybe he just wanted to get away for a while. And the wolf known as 1505 certainly did that. Researchers in Canada followed the progress of this collared wolf as he left his pack and traveled far north. It looked like he was striking out on his own – until he turned right around and came back, rejoining his pack in Banff National Park. But the remarkable thing is how far this wolf went, covering nearly 300 miles in just 13 days! Treks like this one may not be common, but they are a good reminder of how much wide-ranging animals like wolves, grizzly bears and others need large, connected habitats to survive. It’s exactly why so many of us in wildlife conservation are working to protect our remaining wild places and restore others to build a network of connected habitats that wildlife can use to find food, water, mates, and safe places to raise their young.
Read more about wandering wolf 1505 >

Stepping up for Sharks
Back in 2013, our international team was thrilled when decades of hard work finally paid off, and five different species of sharks were listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). When an entire species is being put in danger from over-exploitation and unregulated trade, CITES puts regulations in place to protect them. Sharks in particular are under enormous pressure from overharvesting for international trade, from fins to meat to skin, these apex predators of the sea are being pulled from the water faster than many species can keep up, driving their numbers down and taking a toll on the health of our oceans. So this year, as we prepare for the CITES Conference of the Parties, we are working to gather support for sharks once again, this time for four species that include some of the most at-risk sharks in our seas.
Find out more about which sharks are at risk and why >

Our Oceans, Our Responsibility
Wednesday was World Oceans Day – an important day to remember just how much oceans do for us and the wildlife we love, and what we all need to do to keep them healthy. But while it’s great to take a day to celebrate our oceans, many of our experts work year-round to protect our oceans, coastlines, and marine life.
Read more from our field teams about the work they do >

A Prairie Icon is Coming Home
As prairie habitat disappeared in waves through the 1900s, the black-footed ferret was nearly wiped off the map. By 1985, there were just 18 of them left. Experts rounded up the survivors – a small group of ferrets near Meeteetse, Wyoming – for a captive breeding program in the hopes of saving the species from extinction. Since then, a massive conservation effort has seen ferrets reintroduced to many places, and now plans are being made to finally restore them to the Wyoming prairie that last saw their ancestors run wild. Steve Forrest, our own Rockies and Plains Senior Representative, was on the ground with the last of the wild ferrets in the 1980s, and is especially thrilled to see them return home.
Read Steve’s story about the disappearance and slow return of this endangered species >

Your Weekend Plans
Tomorrow is National Get Outdoors Day – so we have a mission for you, and all wildlife enthusiasts: turn off the TV, slather on the sunscreen, and get outside to enjoy all this amazing country has to offer.
See our suggestions for where to get outdoors this weekend >