Wildlife Weekly Wrap-up

July 29, 2016

Your weekly roundup of wildlife news from across the country

Endangered Ferrets Return to Meeteetse, Wyoming
On Tuesday, wildlife officials released 35 black-footed ferrets onto the prairie plains of Meeteetse, Wyoming. Though these native prairie icon have been restored to several sites as part of their recovery efforts, this release marks the return of the endangered ferrets to the very same site where they were last documented in the wild before a captive breeding program rescued them from the brink of extinction.

Get the full story of the return of black-footed ferrets to Meeteetse >

How to Catch a Poacher
Though sea turtles are endangered, millions of their eggs are found on the black market every year. Now, sea turtle conservationists are turning to Hollywood effects studios to try out some fascinating new tools to address poaching of sea turtle eggs.

Find out how experts intend to use GPS and false eggs to track down poachers >

What Kinds of Parks Really Protect Wildlife?
Parks, reserves, and other protected areas are a fundamental strategy used throughout the world for conserving wildlife today. But are parks actually getting the job done? And if so, how and when are they successful? Our chief scientist took a look at the research and has the answers.

Find out what he discovered >

Trouble for North Atlantic Right Whales?
Recent studies on endangered North Atlantic right whales have experts seriously concerned. Research shows that while rules addressing ship strikes have helped reduce the number of whales killed that way each year, entanglement in fishing gear continues to be a massive problem – and actually seems to be getting worse.

Of Trade and Tree-Climbing Lizards
In the cloud forests of Mexico and Central America, habitat loss and exploitation for the pet trade are driving several rare, tree-dwelling lizards towards extinction. But several nations are coming together to put new, much-needed protections in place at the CITES meeting this fall.

Check out these remarkable lizards and what’s being done to help them >

Pilots to Receive Warnings….About Walrus?
The Federal Aviation Administration is reaching out to pilots flying along the Alaskan coast with an unusual request: please don’t disturb the walrus! As thousands of these massive animals haul out onto shore this time of year, the risk for stampedes increases. Low-flying planes have been known to spook walrus into stampeding, so the FAA is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to put new tools and warning systems into place to help pilots steer clear of haulout sites.

Find out more about walrus haulouts and how they can impact these endangered animals >

A Ray of Hope for Beleaguered Russian Belugas
Threatened by pollution, ship traffic, entanglement in fishing gear, and being caught for captivity, the Sakhalin-Nikolaya-Amur belugas need all the help they can get. But now, a new proposal could stem the demand for these cetaceans in the aquarium trade, giving them a much needed respite from their most pressing threat.

Learn about the proposal from the National Marine Fisheries Service >

Found: New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse
Researchers recently documented the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse – a rare, endangered subspecies – in the Santa Fe National Forest. The research this team is doing could be extremely valuable as Forest Service officials make decisions about how to manage the species’ habitat, and as some in Congress push to eliminate funding for projects that would help its conservation.

Learn about the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse and how the research could help >

Desert National Wildlife Refuge Under Attack
When is a wildlife refuge no longer a refuge for wildlife? When Congress interferes with how it’s being run. A dangerous Congressional rider would upend management of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest wildlife refuges in the U.S.

Get the facts on this latest attack on our national wildlife refuge system >