Newsroom

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle is on his way home after being released from a cold-stun rehab center.

New Orleans, LA

September 1, 2026

Defenders Celebrates U.S. Appeals Court Ruling to Protect Imperiled Sea Turtles from Drowning in Fishing Nets

A federal appeals court upheld the rule requiring shrimp trawling vessels to use turtle excluder devices so that sea turtles can avoid getting caught in nets.

pale gray north atlantic right whale swimming in dark blue ocean with an entangled string wrapped around the top of its head and seen underneath it's lower body

Washington, DC

September 1, 2026

House Gambles with Survival for North Atlantic Right Whales in Latest Vote to Delay Protections

The House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 9436, a bill that will delay conservation protections for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge - Izembek Volcanoe

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

August 31, 2026

District Court Okays Bulldozing a Road to the Doorstep of Izembek Wilderness

A federal district court in Alaska today allowed construction to begin on a 2.8-mile road segment on KCC lands to connect to a 10.5-mile road within Izembek.

Press Releases

July 25, 2015

Obama Administration Releases New Proposal to Crack Down on Illegal Ivory Trafficking

Contact: Haley McKey, 202-772-0247, hmckey@defenders.org Washington (July 25, 2015)– Today in Kenya President Obama announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will propose

July 23, 2015

Defenders of Wildlife Praises Washington Wildlife Agency For Prioritizing Nonlethal Wolf Management in Dealing with the Dirty Shirt Pack

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Melanie Gade, mgade@defenders.org; (202) 772-0288 Date: July 22, 2015 Defenders of Wildlife Praises Washington Wildlife Agency For Prioritizing Nonlethal Wolf Management

July 16, 2015