Wildlife Weekly Wrap-up

October 21, 2016

Your weekly roundup of wildlife news from across the country

Mexican Gray Wolves Will Finally Get a Recovery Plan!
Early this week a federal district court approved a settlement in one of Defenders’ lawsuits on behalf of the endangered Mexican gray wolf. As a result, the Fish and Wildlife Service is now required to complete a valid recovery plan for the species – something that should have been done decades ago. As the most endangered gray wolf in the world, this is a vital step forward for Mexican gray wolves, and our team hopes it will be a turning point in the species’ recovery.

Find out more about what the court’s decision means for wolves >

Wolverines to Finally Get ESA Protection?
Back in April, we won a case that we had brought against the Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to list the wolverine under the Endangered Species Act. The judge agreed with us that the Service hadn’t used the best available science, and ordered the agency to re-assess the petition to list. This week, FWS proposed to list wolverines as threatened under the ESA, and opened a comment period for the public to weigh in. This is a much-awaited first step to getting wolverines the protection they need!

Scientists Speak Out Against FWS Plan for Red Wolves
Not long ago, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced a disastrous plan for Red Wolves that involved, among other things, bringing most wild Red Wolves into captivity. It was considered by many to be a potentially fatal blow to Red Wolves, likely leading to their eventual extinction in the wild. The agency insists it used the best available science to create their plan. But this week the very scientists whose research they used came forward with a public letter to the agency, saying that the plan misinterprets their work, and the science doesn’t support what the agency wants to do.

Winter is Coming. And Bears Know It.
Conflicts between humans and bears can happen more often this time of year as bears must eat enough food to make it through the winter. Thankfully there are simple steps and useful tools to keep bears and people’s property safe.

Learn about the work we do to help people and bears share the landscape >

Bad News for Endangered Pallid Sturgeon
The Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation recently released their final assessment of the environmental impacts of the proposal to build a larger dam with a fish bypass on the Yellowstone River. Scientists and advocacy groups, including Defenders, have voiced strong opposition to this plan, which experts agree could have serious impacts on the already highly endangered pallid sturgeon, cutting it off from its spawning grounds. Scientists agree the proposed bypass is unlikely to work, and the groups push instead for the existing dam to be removed.

Vehicle Collision Claims Another Endangered Florida Panther
State wildlife officials recovered the remains of a three to four-year-old male Florida panther this week. The cause of death was collision with a vehicle, making this the 26th of the endangered big cats to be killed by vehicles so far this year.

Learn about the threats that vehicles pose to Florida panthers, and what we’re doing to help >

Freshwater Stingrays Get Much-needed Protection
Earlier this year we told you about the Ocellate River stingray, a freshwater ray in serious trouble because of the demands that unregulated trade have put on the species. Our international team worked hard to get the species listed under CITES Appendix II at this year’s Conference of the Parties, but the proposal was ultimately withdrawn. Now we’re happy to report that both Colombia and Brazil have moved forward with listing their native species of freshwater rays, including the Ocellate River stingray, under CITES Appendix III. This may not be the level of protection we had originally hoped for these species, but it’s a positive step forward as demand for the species continues in the aquarium trade in particular. With listing under Appendix III, trade in these species will be more closely monitored in those countries, which will give experts important data to support proposals for additional protections at future CITES meetings.

Learn about Ocellate River stingrays and the threats they face >

The State of the Wolf
This week was Wolf Awareness Week! Few species have been as historically vilified, as ecologically valued, and as continually controversial as wolves. So this week in particular, we wanted to take a minute to share with you how far wolf recovery has come over the past several years – and the important work we still have to do.

Mysterious Mass Die-off of Critically Endangered Frogs
Peru is investigating the death of what appears to be an estimated 10,000 Titicaca water frogs. Already imperiled by demands from international trade, the deaths come as a devastating blow to a species being pushed to the brink of extinction.

Find out what could be behind this massive die-off >

Village Asks for Marine Sanctuary in Alaska
Residents of St. George, Alaska are asking the federal government to create a national marine sanctuary around their island to protect the seals and other animals that live there. If created, this would be the first national marine sanctuary in Alaska, where wildlife is keenly feeling the impacts of climate change.

See what species this sanctuary could help protect, and the steps it would have to take to be established >