Kazakhstan releases first tiger into the wild in 70 years

More than seven decades have passed since the last confirmed sighting of a tiger in the wild in Kazakhstan in 1948.

Fast forward to 2026: An adult female Amur tiger named Umit (“Hope”) makes history when she is released in late July into a 1.1-million-acre nature reserve in the southeastern part of the landlocked Central Asian country.

The reserve was created in 2018, and plans for returning tigers to Kazakhstan have taken more than a decade. An adult male tiger, Amur, will be released into the wild once it is determined he is ready to survive in the wild. Along with Umit and Amur, two cubs, Turan and Ussuri, were gifted to Kazakhstan by Russia.

Read more at Mongabay here.

Do monkeys keep pets?

University of Oxford evolutionary biologist Cyril Grueter, working with an international group of researchers, compiled 427 cases from a global survey of 37 primatologists, media reports and scientific papers of primates interacting closely with other species.

Among some of the stories: a group of stump-tailed macaques working together as a team to groom a stray dog, a young male bonobo cradling a mongoose pup, and a tufted gray langur petting a squirrel.

Smithsonian writes: “The compilation shows these behaviors are common among primates. Patterns emerged in how the primates interacted with other species based on their age and sex. Juvenile primates were more likely to engage in play, while females were more likely to groom. Most interactions were initiated by the primates.”

Read more at Smithsonian Magazine.

Are wolves the problem or too many cattle on public lands?

A California wolf diet study from the University of California, Davis shows that domestic cattle are overpopulated and have displaced native prey on public lands.

In their analysis of the study, The Wildlife News concludes:

“So wolves in northern California are actively avoiding beef (even scavenging) and selecting for mule deer meat. But there’s almost nothing but beef in the woods. That’s due to the chronic overstocking and overgrazing of California’s national forests by domestic livestock, a choice the U.S. Forest Service has been making for more than a century, resulting in dwindling populations of mule deer and other native species of wildlife. And, really, to stock cattle so heavily on public lands that 93% of the prey biomass is cattle, in one of the years of the study, while all the other prey species of native wildlife combined only amount to 7% of the biomass? That’s not multiple use, or balanced management. That’s a national scandal.”

Read more here at The Wildlife News.

Butterflies move to new habitats

Researchers examined data on 1,758 butterfly species — about ten percent of all those known — from 105 countries and estimated that about one in ten global species has shifted its distribution range

Read the article in the Smithsonian Magazine here.

Turning 320 acres of Texas ‘wasteland’ into a forest

“The goal of a serious restoration project is not to freeze a landscape at a chosen century and declare that century correct,” writes Franklin Veto on Substack.

He continues: “It is to restore the ecological processes that were removed [water infiltration, soil building, nutrient cycling, disturbance and succession], and then let the landscape assemble its own answer to what it becomes. Species composition shifts. Novel combinations of plants and animals show up that no historical record predicted. That is not the project failing. That is the project working exactly as it should.”

Shaun Overton, a software programmer in Ft. Worth, Texas, wasn’t educated in agriculture, ecology and hydrology, but that didn’t stop him in 2022 from spending $247 per acre for 320 acres of “Texas desert wasteland” with a vision of creating a forest. “At the center of his method is syntropic agriculture,” writes Veto, “a regenerative system that mimics and accelerates natural forest succession by layering ground covers, shrubs, and trees together rather than planting in isolation.”

Read more about Overton’s trial & error and learnings at Pen & Root here.

David Hetherington, Nature Networks Manager at the Cairngorms National Park Authority and author of “The Lynx and Us,” shared camera trap footage from Switzerland. Hetherington writes, “In the UK, I think we increasingly need to see ponds (whether human-made, beaver-made, or neither) as watering holes for thirsty wildlife.”

“We shouldn’t interfere with nature,” writes Marco Lambertini of the Nature Positive Initiative. “Well, I agree, but there is nothing ‘natural’ with what’s happening right now…so I decided to help!”

Read at LinkedIn and watch the video of a manmade watering hole for the animals.

Arizona mountain lions will get their day in court

On August 7, the Center for Biological Diversity and Arizona conservationist Robin Silver filed suit against the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), and Department Director Tom Finley. The case asks a state court to suspend the sport-hunting of mountain lions until Arizona’s lion population has recovered to sustainable reproductive levels.

Between 2018 and 2024, sport hunters killed 1,937 Arizona mountain lions for which age data were available — an average of 277 lions each year. According to the complaint, 54 percent of those lions were two years old or younger. That included 518 lions one year old or younger and another 519 two-year-olds. Females represented 41 percent of the lions killed.

Read more here from the Mountain Lion Foundation.

Mountain lions bring a lot to the party!

They help shape road safety

A new study from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula finds that where mountain lions are common, deer spend less time near roads and developed areas, becoming more active during daylight hours, when drivers are far more likely to see them — and not hit them!

This is a plus for the human population. Crashes with wildlife can not only be deadly for both humans and animals, but expensive for vehicle repairs. When there’s high mountain lion activity, there are about 76 percent fewer deer-vehicle collisions than comparable areas where mountain lions were rare.

“The idea that large carnivores can reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions is not new,” according to the Mountain Lion Foundation, “but what’s been less clear is exactly how that happens. This remarkable study helps answer that question and provides another reminder that the value of mountain lions isn’t measured simply by the animals themselves, but by the ecological relationships they help sustain.”

Read more about cougars at the Mountain Lion Foundation. Read about the ecosystem services provided by large carnivores in the study here.

Run, wild little penguins, run!!!

Australia plans to capture 5,000 little wild penguins, microchip them and vaccinate them twice with an H5N2 bird-flu vaccine developed for chickens.

What could possibly go wrong?

Read more here from Nicolas Hulscher, MPH.

Conservation works, but must be ongoing

Mountain gorillas and the Grauer’s gorillas are “conservation dependent.” That means to prevent further declines in their populations and realize recovery, there must be continuing conservation work.

The first International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green Status of Species assessment for eastern gorillas released this year gives a full view of how conservation has prevented greater losses of these species, but emphasizes their future survival requires sustained conservation efforts.

Read more here.

Help advance the Human-Wildlife Conflict Reduction Act of 2026

Bipartisan legislation — the Human-Wildlife Conflict Reduction Act of 2026 — would make nonlethal wildlife management a permanent tool.

The Human-Wildlife Conflict Reduction Act would replace default reliance on lethal control of wild carnivores with proven, science-based tools. For example, range riders, livestock guardian dogs and electric fencing. The Act would fund direct technical assistance for farmers, ranchers, native nations and nonprofits, while designing in elements for continuous strategy improvement.

Lethal removal of wildlife can destabilize pack structures and result in more wildlife conflict. Nonlethal deterrents have been shown to work.

Take action via Project Coyote here.

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DC National Zoo to open Arabian leopard habitat

By 2029, the Smithsonian National Zoo is expected to be a new home for a breeding pair of endangered Arabian leopards.

Natives of the Arabian Peninsula, the leopards — as with so many species — struggle to live on Earth due to poaching and habitat loss. It’s estimated that fewer than 120 Arabian leopards are in the wild, living in a fraction of their historic range. They are the smallest of eight leopard subspecies.

Read more here and here.

Conservation program gives red-necked ostrich a boost

Life for Saudi Arabia’s iconic desert bird, the red-necked ostrich, is looking up, as new breeding successes and a national rewilding effort are showing results, restoring the bird to its historic range.

The red-necked ostrich is the world’s largest bird, with fewer than 1,000 believed to live in the wild across Africa’s Sahel region.

The reintroduction of the red-necked ostrich is the 12th of 23 historically native species being restored to a 9,500 square-mile reserve in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Read more here.

Tech, foot patrols aid poaching reduction in Vietnam

Vietnam’s Pu Mat National Park is combining technology and on-the-ground patrols to reduce poaching pressure in the park. To identify trafficking hotspots and guide patrols more strategically, the park’s antipoaching unit uses SMART data aggregation software and remotely monitored “Poacher Cams.” Members of the antipoaching team say they see signs of wildlife returning to places that were once heavily poached.

Read more at Mongabay here.

Colorado and its furbearers

In July, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission voted to end the practice of allowing the unlimited killing of coyotes, bobcats, foxes, badgers and other furbearing species. Under the new policy, hunters and trappers will not be allowed to kill more than two animals of each species per day.

Project Coyote played a significant role in achieving this change. The organization recently released a report that the CPW lacks sufficient evidence to support the longstanding, status quo policy of unlimited killing of all furbearers.

Unfortunately, CPW reversed a plan to develop rules that would restrict commercial fur sales. By so doing, the financial incentive to continue hunting and trapping of animals classified as furbearers remains.

Read the full report from Project Coyote here.

Trump takes land from Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments for second time

President Trump hopes to strip two National Monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, of 3 million acres. This is his second attempt at a land grab; he tried to reduce the size of the monuments in his first administration.

Trump’s latest executive orders will likely result in legal challenges, as did the first time he shrank the monuments. Voters polled in seven Western states found that support for keeping existing national monument designations in place has increased from 88 percent in 2025 to 91 percent in 2026.

Read more here from the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as here, here and here.

End testing on animals for drug development

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 (H.R. 2821), bipartisan legislation that will help accelerate the transition away from outdated animal testing and toward modern, human-relevant methods for developing new medicines.

Next up is the Senate vote.

Please contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to pass H.R. 2821, the FDA Modernization Act 3.0. Contact via Animal Wellness Action form here.

VERY IMPORTANT!

Trump guts Endangered Species Act with one change

Click on the item below to read the commentary by Rhett Ayers Butler.

Wildlife needs space to survive. Please tell elected official to step up and protect endangered species, starting by restoring the “harm” definition in the Endangered Species Act. Contact your government representatives directly and/or use this Action Alert from the Center for Biological Diversity here.

Lit cities, hot summers keep some cicadas singing at night

Two common species of cicada keep the music going at night in urban areas of Japan, but not in protected green spaces with no artificial lighting, researchers found.

The study suggests that higher city temperatures and streetlights may be modifying the daily schedule of cicadas.

Read more in The Japan Times here.

Make a Mammoth Statement on
Wed. 12 Aug, World Elephant Day

Start a conservation conversation when you wear this elephant t-shirt.

An estimated 450,000 elephants live on Earth today (versus more than 8,000,000,000 humans). The African elephant population has dropped 62 percent in the last decade. At the top of the 20th century, there were an estimated 10 million elephants.

Encourage support of anti-poaching organizations and wildlife organizations that work for elephants.

$26 | Sizes XS to 3XL | Offered in five colors

Back of shirt.

Shop for more elephant-themed items at the Wildlife Matters Store here.

News from the wild kingdom from last month …

How stupid can the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources be?

Beautiful bobcats under attack in the Hoosier State

Why in the world does any human being feel the need to kill a bobcat?

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has proposed that the bobcat killing quota be increased from 250 to 400 this fall. As well, the IDNR wants to add trophy hunting to its list of permitted killing methods.

These proposed changes would be a 60 percent increase in the number of bobcats that can be killed for “fun,” trophies or profit. This, despite the IDNR’s own science that indicates these changes could potentially eliminate Indiana’s bobcat population in 10 years.

Does this make you mad? If it does, call Gov. Mike Braun’s office at 317.232.4567 and ask him to withdraw the rules that would increase the bobcat hunting and trapping quota.

Read more from the Humane World for Animals blog here.

The screwworm … ugh!!! Even its name engenders deep feelings of yuckiness

If hearing “flesh-eating screwworms” sounds like something out of a horror movie plot, it certainly could be!

Flesh-eating screwworms have been detected in the United States 60 years after they were eradicated here. The parasites were identified in a bovine in southern Texas.

New World screwworm is the name given to the larval, or maggot, stage of the Cochliomyia hominivorax blowfly. The loose Latin translation is “maneater.” Most blowfly maggots feed on decaying carcasses, and they do serve a purpose in the decomposition process. However, C. hominivorax flies, which tend to have a metallic blue or green appearance, lay their eggs in open wounds of living, warm-blooded animals. When those eggs hatch, the larvae burrow into the flesh using a “corkscrew motion” and cause serious, often deadly, damage to the host.

Experts are most concerned about the potential impacts on livestock, but under some situations, screwworms can be a threat to humans.

Read more here.

Rare Guam birds hatch in Virginia

The sihek became extinct in its native Guam, but the bird was kept alive in captivity. Worldwide, there are only about 125 sihek.

Four new sihek chicks hatched this spring at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. Their parents are first-time parents, two-year-old Poki and five-year-old Antonio.

“Given the small size of the worldwide population of sihek, every additional individual is incredibly valuable,” Megan Laut, a wildlife biologist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, told Smithsonian magazine. “Young birds are important to replace birds that are no longer part of the breeding population. They are the next generation.”

Read more here.

Google plans to release 32 million bacteria-infected mosquitoes in Florida, California

Tech company Google wants to release 32 million bacteria-infected mosquitoes in Florida and California as part of its “Debug” initiative to reduce the spread of diseases. Google is working worldwide with software engineers, biologists, specialized insect breeding robots and AI.

The Google plan would use bacteria for insect sterilization, which is considered by some to be a good solution to reducing disease-spreading mosquitoes, which have become immune to traditional pesticides.

More here.

Grizzly habitat being torn into pieces

The Forest Service is illegally shrinking “secure habitat” for grizzlies in the Northern Rockies by authorizing huge deforestation projects, writes Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies.

More at The Wildlife News here.

Global wildlife trafficking ring preys on rare golden monkeys in Brazil

Smuggled in cars, aboard airplanes or on sailboats crossing the Atlantic Ocean, tiny golden-furred monkeys are being wrenched from their Brazilian forest homes and trafficked overseas by sophisticated criminal networks.

These golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia) are moved through Latin America and Africa, likely bound for the Asian black market. Collectors are willing to pay as much as $100,000 for this friendly animal, one of Brazil’s conservation symbols. Some tamarins die before reaching their destinations. Those that survive may end their journey emaciated, sick and, sometimes, mutilated.

Read Mongabay article here.

We’re changing how nature smells; that’s a risk for wildlife

A growing body of research shows how air pollution, fertilizers and fungicides are changing the chemical signals that plants and animals use to communicate. Scientists warn that insect reproduction, foraging, navigation and crop pollination could be negatively impacted.

Read story in Yale Environment 360 here.

Speed limits for ships have protected endangered right whales from vessel strikes, but that may change

Since 2008, rules requiring ships to slow down to avoid collisions with North Atlantic right whales have reduced fatalities of the critically endangered animals. NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is calling the regulations into question now, raising concerns for the mammals’ future.

Read Smithsonian article here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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A 60-foot killer octopus? What?!!! Maybe 100 million years ago!

Paleontologists examined a trove of fossilized octopus beaks recently from creatures that lived between 100 and 72 million years ago. Using the jaws, they estimated the size of the creatures. Jaw fossils suggest a 60-foot octopus was the “kraken” of the Cretaceous. The researchers found that N. haggarti was longer than a city bus and nearly 20 feet longer than the largest known giant squid. These ancient octopuses, then, would be among the largest invertebrates to have ever lived.

Read more from National Geographic here.

Underwater music may help dying coral reefs

A study published in the journal Nature demonstrated the power of what is known as “acoustic enrichment.” Researchers at the Great Barrier Reef learned that playing healthy reef sounds lured fish to degraded areas, doubling the total fish population in just six weeks. Not only did more fish arrive, but the diversity of species increased by 50 percent, a critical factor for long-term reef resilience.

Read more in The Guardian here.

Scottish bottom trawling ban triples wildlife

A new study finds that life on the seafloor is thriving in the South Arran Marine Protected Area nearly 10 years after Scotland created the protected space and banned bottom trawling across much of it.

Read the Mongabay article here.

The age advantages in species survival

Research is showing the significant role that older animals play in ensuring the survival of wildlife populations. Conservationists say the new findings should lead to policies that protect these elders and the essential knowledge they impart.

Read more here.

Trump administration wants to evict Montana's vulnerable bison

In his second term, President Donald Trump is abandoning the bison conservation stance of his first term.

The Trump administration is ordering the removal of hundreds of bison from BLM land in Montana, reversing a 2022 authorization that allowed the nonprofit American Prairie to graze its herds. The bison were allowed to graze on federal land by multiple administrations, including President Trump’s first administration, which faced opposition from some ranchers who preferred the land be used to graze cattle.

Read more here, here and here.

Tell Congress:
Keep cyanide bombs off public lands

In April 2026, the Trump administration lifted a Biden-era ban on the use of M‑44 cyanide bombs on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This return to a brutal policy was done via a memorandum of understanding with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Wildlife Services). This agreement removed the explicit prohibition from the prior 2024 BLM policy, allowing Wildlife Services to receive and review applications for M‑44 deployment on BLM lands.

The M‑44 is a spring‑loaded, scented‑baited trap designed to kill coyotes and foxes. When triggered, it ejects a lethal dose of sodium cyanide into the animal’s mouth, killing it within one to five minutes. The EPA classifies sodium cyanide as a Category 1 toxicant—the most toxic category—meaning it is indiscriminate: it can kill or injure animals, pets, and people who trigger it. And it has.

Please contact your elected officials on this policy change. This is brutal, cruel and unnecessary. Cyanide bombs have no place on our public lands.

More information here, here and here.

Wrapping with a positive …
Great giraffe pics! Click on the Pic & Enjoy!

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Nature this week

Find out what is happening in the natural world around you!

The Nature this week website helps people learn about what is happening outdoors around them right now. Wildlife activity and events in nature are cross connected to location, season, time of day and weather, using content and images from public data sources, primarily iNaturalist and Wikipedia.

Visit Nature this week here.

A Healthy Ocean, Thriving Planet Needs Support $$$

A proposed $1.6 billion budget cut (32 percent reduction) for FY 2027 to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would endanger Americans and harm ocean health, according to the Ocean Conservancy, a DC-based nonprofit that has delivered evidence-based solutions for the ocean and all who depend on it for more than 50 years.

In addition to NOAA, other federal science agencies face significant cuts in the proposed budget submitted last month by the Trump administration.

In response to the proposed NOAA cuts, Katherine Tsantiris, director of government relations for the Ocean Conservancy, stated:

“The proposed cuts to NOAA fly directly in the face of the clear bipartisan support Congress showed earlier this year by protecting funding for this critical agency. Slashing NOAA’s budget would weaken weather forecasting, disrupt fisheries management and stall ocean research — putting American lives, livelihoods and global scientific leadership at risk. Congress should once again reject these cuts to ensure NOAA has the resources it needs to support our economy, protect our ocean and keep Americans safe.”

Among the most hurtful cuts are protections for coral reefs. NOAA’s coral reefs program would be zeroed out. This program manages and conserves coral reefs, which provide food, shelter and breeding grounds for countless species, including fish, sea turtles and marine mammals.

Further, NOAA’s fisheries office of habitat conservation would be zeroed out. This office works to conserve and restore wetlands, rivers and coral reefs, habitats that fish need to eat and grow. The fisheries office also works on habitat restoration after oil spills.

NOAA’s species recovery grants program also would be zeroed out. Grants issued through this program support the recovery of endangered species, such as leatherback sea turtles, Steller sea lions, orcas, right whales and sturgeon.

Read more about NOAA budget cuts here, here and here.

Learn more about the Ocean Conservancy here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Black-footed Ferrets Released in Arizona after Hunting Lessons

Arizona Game and Fish Department personnel released 19 endangered black-footed ferrets at three sites in northern Arizona, bolstering the wild population of one of America’s most imperiled mammal species.

The endangered ferrets came from captive breeding programs at the Smithsonian National Zoo and the Toronto Zoo before being transported to the Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

At the Conservation Center, the ferrets learned to hunt and survive in the wild before making their final journey to Arizona.

The Black-footed ferret is North America’s only native ferret species, characterized by the distinct black markings on their faces, feet and tails.

Once abundant across western North America, ferret populations plummeted in the 20th century due to habitat loss and disease. The species was believed to be extinct until the early 1980s, when a small population was discovered in rural Wyoming.

By 1986, only 18 ferrets remained in this isolated population. Wildlife managers took an extraordinary step to recover the species — capturing all surviving individuals and creating a captive breeding and reintroduction program.

Approximately 300 black-footed ferrets live in the wild in the United State today. After the latest release, Arizona is home to about 20 wild ferrets.

Read the article in its entirety here.

Wild Chimps Fight Civil War

The Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda have divided themselves into two main factions, and dozens of deaths have been recorded since the 2018 split. A new study details the unprecedented violence, which could shed light on the evolutionary underpinnings of human warfare.

Violence among wild chimpanzees is not unusual, but researchers have never witnessed it at this level. Such “civil war” behavior likely occurs every 500 years among the animals, genetic evidence suggests.

Read more here.

Jaguar Seen in Honduran Mountains for First Time in a Decade

Hope for jaguar conservation comes via a spotting of the rare cloud jaguar in Honduras’ Sierra del Merendón mountain range — the first sighting in a decade.

The young male was seen in early February at about 7,200 feet, according to CNN.

Read more here.

Colorful, Elusive Galliformes Live Among Snow Leopards

Deep in the high Himalayas, camera traps set up to track snow leopards have been quietly capturing something else as well, a cast of brilliantly colored, rarely seen birds that may be just as important to the mountain ecosystem.

Read more here.

North American Landscape Continues to See Butterfly Losses

A rapidly changing planet, habitat loss and pesticides have all negatively impacted butterflies, but those working on their behalf still are hopeful for their future, Smithsonian magazine reports.

Read more here.

First Lady Announces White House Honeybee Program Expansion

First Lady Melania Trump announced the expansion of the White House honeybee program with the addition of a newly installed and fully functioning beehive on the South Lawn.

Handcrafted by a local artisan in the image of the White House, the new hive will add two new bee colonies to two existing colonies that produce the signature White House honey.

Watch video here and read more here.

ACTION ITEMS

Learn more here at Environment Now about how you can voice your concern.

Learn more here at Animal Wellness Action.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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New tea towels featuring the Peacock!

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U.S. Wolf Recovery is Threatened

Fish and wildlife writer Ted Williams notes that gray wolves made an uneasy comeback in the Northern Rockies and are struggling to return to the Southwest. And now, legislation threatens to end wolf recovery in the U.S., with legislation based on misinformation and myth making its way through Congress.

Read more here.

Animal Welfare Ethics, Field Experience Indicate Immunizing Wildlife against Rabies

On a large-scale basis, U.S. wildlife is immunized against rabies through oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programs that began in the 1990s. Federal and state agencies worked to curb rabies by placing edible vaccine baits across rural landscapes.

Author Ed Bok writes that, in animal policy, “large-scale interventions designed to prevent suffering often become politically vulnerable precisely because they operate quietly in the background. When visibility arrives without context, public health measures can appear secretive rather than preventive.”

Read more here.

Trump Administration Curbs Animal Experiments

The New York Times reports that, in response to changing public opinion, technological advances, animal rights advocacy and the work of a conservative activist, the Trump Administration is reducing animal experiments.

Cat devotee and Republican strategist Anthony Bellotti was a key figure in this shift. Bellotti is the founder of White Coat Waste Project, a nonprofit founded in 2011.

Read more here.

Nonprofit American Prairie Secures Waterfowl Breeding Land

American Prairie, a nonprofit that works to conserve the grassland ecosystem in Montana, has acquired 2,082 acres of high-value wetland and grassland habitat in what is locally known as Pintail Flatt in Phillips County, Montana, one of the most important waterfowl breeding regions in North America.

Beyond waterfowl, Pintail Flatt supports high-quality habitat for mule deer, prairie dogs, pronghorn and white-tailed deer.

American Prairie’s new land acquisition brings their total habitat base to 605,739 acres, which comprises 168,832 deeded acres and 436,907 leased public acres.

Read more here.

School is in Session — For Orangutans!

The first orangutan release site in North Sumatra, the Siranggas Wildlife Reserve, is a protected forest area of nearly 22 square miles where rescued orangutans can safely return to the wild.

It is also becoming a new Jungle School for young, rescued orangutans to learn how to survive in the wild, from honing important life skills like climbing, foraging for food, building nests and moving safely through the forest canopy.

Read more here.

ATTENBOROUGH DOC to WATCH NEXT MONTH!

Click on graphic to watch trailer.

CALL TO ACTION!

Time to Let the Minks be Free

Mink fur demand in the U.S. has essentially disappeared, but China and some other foreign markets still want that touch of mink.

”Mink are solitary, territorial animals who suffer when confined in tiny wire cages,” writes Animal Wellness Action. Seemingly, cruelty should be sufficient reason to end this “business.” But there is more.

According to Animal Wellness Action, “Decades of scientific evidence show that mink farms act as high-risk viral incubators, producing new SARS-CoV-2 variants, amplifying avian influenza strains, and, as recent research shows, harboring dozens of additional emerging viruses capable of spilling over into people and domestic animals.”

There now are about 50 U.S. mink farms, producing about 700,000 pelts.

Read more here about what you can do to help ban mink farming in the U.S.

RIP Biruté Galdikas

Canadian scientist Biruté Mary Galdikas, who dedicated her life to the study and conservation of orangutans, died March 24 at 79.

Read about her life here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Greek (Orthodox) Easter Is April 12 … Still Time to Buy Bunny Goods!

Onesie

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Isolated Leopards of South Africa’s Cape Adapted So Well to their Habitat that They’re Genetically Unique

Leopards living in most of sub-Saharan Africa have variation in body size, coat color and skull shape. Leopards living in open habitats tend to be larger and paler, generally, while those in forested areas are often smaller and darker. Cape leopards are not just smaller than other African leopards, they’ve also formed their own genetic group separate from the leopards in eastern and southern Africa, because they’ve been long isolated from other leopards and have adapted to one region.

Read full story here.

Saudi Arabia Releases more than 10,000 Animals into the Wild through Programs for Threatened Species

The National Center for Wildlife, a government agency created in 1986 for the protection and preservation of wildlife in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced that more than 10,000 animals have been released under breeding and reintroduction programs for locally threatened species. The release is an example of the Kingdom’s long-term work to rebuild wildlife, repair damaged ecosystems and support biodiversity across regions, in line with national environmental goals. Sand gazelles, Arabian oryx, Idmi gazelles, mountain ibex, houbara bustards, ostriches and sandgrouse are among the animals that the Kingdom has focused on supporting.

Read story here.

Mountain Lion Visits Pacific Heights in San Francisco

City life and wildlife rarely mix well. Fortunately, a young male mountain lion that wanted to see the Bright Lights, Big City is safe. Wildlife officials were able to tranquilize and cage the cat, tagged as 157M, who had traveled to a Pacific Heights neighborhood in San Francisco. The wildlife team planned to release 157M to a rural part of the San Francisco Peninsula.

Read story here.

Bees Benefit from Wildfires

Recent studies have shown that native bee species and numbers often increase after a wildfire. In the long run, many native bees flourish after severe wildfire, even with the initial loss of habitat and numbers. How can this be? Opening the forest canopy means more sunlight reaches the forest ground. This in turn can prompt flower germination. The increase in dead wood, cavities created by wood-boring insects and leaf litter can also lead to higher bee numbers.

Read more here.

Why Gorilla Moms Keep Holding Infants after Death

A newly published long-term study of mountain gorillas has provided the most comprehensive insights yet into why female gorillas, and sometimes other group members, continue to carry infants after they die, sometimes for days or even weeks. “This study shows what becomes possible with nearly 60 years of continuous data – we can move beyond anecdotes to understanding patterns in these rare, emotionally powerful moments,” says Dr. Tara Stoinski, Fossey Fund President and CEO/Chief Scientific Officer. “What’s particularly striking is how the circumstances of death shape maternal behavior. The finding that traumatic versus non-traumatic deaths lead to such different responses tells us something important about how gorillas perceive and process loss – insights we could only gain through systematic, long-term observation.”

Read more here.

Captive Unvaccinated Tigers Die in Thailand

Seventy-two captive tigers at two tourist locations in Chiang Mai, Thailand, died over a ten-day period. Canine distemper virus and mycoplasma bacteria were found in the cats. The Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) said: “When such substantial income is generated from each tiger, serious questions must be asked: Why were these animals not routinely vaccinated against a well-known, preventable disease? And why were they not housed in conditions where the likelihood of disease transmission was minimized?” Remaining animals were to be vaccinated.

Read more here.

Lone Wolf Makes it Way to L.A. County

California wildlife officials say that the wolf seen in Los Angeles County in early February was the first documented sighting of a wolf in the area for at least 100 years. The wolf, known as BEY03F, is wearing a GPS collar. According to tracking information, the three-year-old female, born in Plumas County’s Beyem Seyo Pack, has traveled more than 370 miles and walked the length of the Sierra Nevada to get to L.A. County. In her travels, she crossed State Route 59 three times near Tehachapi.

More here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Targeted Poaching is Existential Threat to African Lions

Driven by demand in African and Asian markets, lions (Panthera leo) in Africa are targeted for their body parts in the illegal wildlife trade. Targeted poaching is different from other reasons for the decline of the lion by prey depletion, habitat loss and persecution. According to a study published in Conservation Letters / A Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, this existential threat to African lions is poorly understood, underreported and growing, with organized transnational crime playing a role.

Read more here.

The Value of the Wild

Our health, joy and peace are dependent on spending time in wild places, writes David Neils of Wild Nature Media.

Read more here.

When Cougars Change Menus, they may Avoid Wolf Interactions

When cougars and wolves cross paths, it’s rarely friendly. But as these two apex predators increasingly share territory across the western United States, a new study suggests cougars may be finding ways to avoid conflict by changing what’s on their menu.

One way is shifting to smaller prey that can be eaten faster, reducing the chances of a deadly encounter.

Read more here and here.

Ohio is 11th State to Limit Use of Gestation Crates for Breeding Sows

Earlier this month, Ohio became the 11th state to limit the use of gestation crates for breeding sows, restricting an extreme confinement measure that keeps pigs in metal traps so small the animals are unable to turn around or fully extend their limbs.

Read more here.

Italian Bears Living Among the Humans

Apennine brown bears have lived alongside people in central Italy since at least the days of the Roman Empire. This prolonged proximity to humans appears to have affected the isolated creatures’ genes, causing the animals to become less aggressive than other brown bears, according to a study published in Molecular Biology and Evolution.

There remain only an estimated 50 of these bears living in the wild.

Read more here.

Ranchers: Not the ‘Original Conservationists’

After the Bureau of Land Management finalized sweeping amendments to greater sage grouse management plans across several states, the livestock industry was quick to declare a win.

Industry leaders praised the plans for recognizing ranchers as “the original conservationists” and for elevating livestock grazing as a tool for habitat protection, sage grouse recovery and wildfire prevention.

“This framing of cattlemen as mythic ecological heroes is not new,” writes long-term conservationist Jonathan Ratner. “It is one of the most durable propaganda tropes in western land politics. And like most durable myths, it is repeated not because it is true, but because it is useful.”

Read more here.

Mapping Habitat of Wildlife

NASA-funded research led by the Wildlife Conservation Society helps visualize habitat availability for wildlife.

Read more here and here.

In Defense of Animals Names 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants

Zoos in Houston, Wichita, Omaha, Denver, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Fresno and Tulsa, as well as Ontario, Canada, and Powell, Ohio made the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants List. The list is produced by In Defense of Animals, an animal protection organization.

See why at the link below.

Read more here.

New Laws to Protect Animals

Some good news to start the New Year — new laws are in place to protect animals. Among them are a law in California which makes cat declawing, unless medically necessary, illegal; a law in Florida making it a crime to abandon pets or leave them tied up outside during disasters, and at the federal level, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. committed to fighting the cruelties of dogfighting, puppy mills and animal testing.

Read more here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Wildlife news from last month … curated for you! 😊

Sumatran Tiger is Born at Oklahoma City Zoo

On December 15, a Sumatran tiger cub was born at the Oklahoma City Zoo, the offspring of Lola and Bader. This is Lola’s third litter at the OKC Zoo, and likely her last, according to the Curator of Carnivores, Tyler Boyd.

Added Boyd: “With fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild, every successful pregnancy represents hope for this critically endangered species.”

Read more here and here.

Moving Towards a World with No Animal Testing

Kitty Block, the chief executive officer and president of Humane World for Animals, as well as the chief executive officer of Humane World Action Fund, writes in the blog, “A Humane World,” about some of the 2025 successes to create a better, more compassionate world that adopts non-animal methods and technologies in research and testing.

In Brazil, a ten-year campaign resulted in a prohibition on sales of cosmetics that were tested on animals. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control, the FDA and the National Institutes of Health have all made significant moves towards prioritizing human-based research versus animal testing.

Read more about successes from the year here.

U.S. House Votes to Remove Protections for Gray Wolves

The House in December voted in favor (211 to 204) of the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, which would delist gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act. This covers 44 states; the wolves have been delisted already in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, as well as in the eastern thirds of Oregon and Washington.

Opponents of the Pet and Livestock Protection Act say that the wolves remain too vulnerable to remove protections. As well, this change could impact reintroduction efforts in Colorado. Others are concerned about trapping and hunting of the animals, which could lead to their extirpation.

More here.

Europe’s Last Primeval Forest Threatened by Migrants

To keep illegal aliens from African countries, Afghanistan and Syria out of Poland, in 2021 an intimidating fence was built between Poland and Belarus, cutting through Europe’s last ancient forest, believed to be about 10,000 years old.

As a result of the construction and new human presence, one forest manager said he’s already seen the disappearance of animals in areas where they’d previously been present. The forest is home to bison, lynx, wolves and other animals, whose movement and breeding is being impacted by the barrier. The long-term impacts upon the wildlife and forest seem fraught with negatives, one more problem created by mass human migration.

Watch video here.

Polar Bear Adopts Cub

Scientists say that polar bears are not known for adopting the offspring of other bears. But a case presented itself in November 2025 in the western Hudson Bay subpopulation of polar bears.

Momma Bear X33991 had been denning in Wapusk National Park in March 2025 when researchers encountered Momma and her cub. They tagged the cub’s ear. Then in November, researchers saw Momma with not one, but two cubs — one without an ear tag. Cubs usually remain with their mothers for up to three years.

Read story here.

Boiling Live Lobsters will be Banned in the UK

Along with ending puppy mills and hen cages, Britain will ban boiling lobsters while they are alive as part of a plan to improve animal welfare in the country

The practice of boiling live lobsters is illegal in New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. Animal welfare charities say that stunning the crustaceans with an electric gun or chilling them in cold air or ice before boiling them is considered more humane by animal welfare experts.

Story here.

Working for Coexistence of Livestock, People, Predators in Kyrgyzstan

In Kyrgyzstan one morning, a herder woke to find that a snow leopard had entered his corral overnight and killed 96 of his sheep. Other sheep were injured in the attack and later died. A loss of this level is both heartbreaking and economically devastating.

But the Snow Leopard Trust stepped in to offer materials to build a better and safer corral for the herdsman’s livestock to prevent another tragedy.

Peaceful coexistence is possible among livestock, people and predators, but it requires resources to build predator-resistant corrals, just one of the many projects of the Snow Leopard Trust.

Read more here.

RIP Brigitte Bardot

28 Sep 1934 - 28 Dec 2025

Actress turned animal activist, Brigitte Bardot was a committed advocate for animal welfare through the Brigitte Bardot Foundation she created.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Wildlife news of interest from last month … read on!

BLM Proposes Selling Valuable Sagebrush-Steppe in Wyoming

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing an oil and gas lease sale in June for a tract of land that wildlife biologists say is among the most biologically rich remaining sagebrush-steppe biome on the planet.

The area has sage grouse, a struggling species. As well, the parcel proposed for the lease sale overlaps the main thread of the longest mule deer migration corridor in Wyoming and the world, writes Mike Koshmrl, who covers Wyoming wildlife and natural resources for WyoFile. “Wildlife advocacy groups are questioning the wisdom of leasing the most vital sage grouse habitat remaining and areas in the middle of big game migration routes,” according to Koshmrl.

Read more here and here.

International Trade Opened for Horn of Mongolia’s Saiga Antelope

Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) voted at the end of November to allow international commercial trade in saiga horn from Kazakhstan under newly established quotas—a move strongly opposed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

“The recovery of the saiga in Kazakhstan is a welcome conservation success story—but it is too soon to justify reopening international commercial trade,” said Dr. Susan Lieberman, WCS Vice President of International Policy. “The systems required to prevent laundering and illegal trade—traceability, stockpile control, transparent enforcement—are simply not in place.

Read more here.

Remembering an Adventurous Jaguar

When a lone male jaguar traveled across the U.S.-Mexico border in 2011, he became the focus of a campaign to protect habitat in the Santa Rita Mountains, situated about 40 miles southeast of Tucson, Arizona, and extending 26 miles from north to south before tending southeast.

El Jefe was the fourth documented male jaguar in two decades to make the border crossing into Arizona, what was once jaguar country.

Read El Jefe’s story here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Animal Wellness Action’s Wayne Pacelle Calls Plan to Kill 450,000 Barred Owls ‘Unprecedented Assault on Native Wildlife’

If you think Democrats represent the party “for the environment,” do think again.

At the end of October, Democrats in the U.S. Senate committed to the death of 450,000 barred owls when only three voted to a resolution led by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) to stop the mass slaughter.

Upon the decision, Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy issued a statement of their deep disappointment with Democrats in the U.S. Senate for sinking Kennedy’s resolution to disapprove the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “Barred Owl Management Strategy,” which sets in motion the largest government-sponsored mass murder of birds in U.S. history.

The Senate blocked the measure from proceeding by a 25:72 vote, with 22 Republicans supporting the measure and only three Democrats voting for it.

Read more here.

Survey Finds Public Support for Red Wolf Return to Eastern U.S.

It’s been nearly 60 years since the remaining red wolves were brought in from the wild in the U.S., and there are only a few from captive breeding now back in the wild. Should there be more progress on reintroduction of red wolves by now?

A study of more than 3,800 people living in the eastern United States found broad support for the reintroduction of the red wolf within its historical range. The study is the work of Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources in collaboration with the Wolf Conservation Center.

The red wolf historically ranged from Pennsylvania to Florida and Texas. By 1970, there were fewer than 100 red wolves living in a small area of coastal Texas and Louisiana. To save the species from extinction, the remaining red wolves were brought into captivity. Only 14 of the wolves were considered true red wolves. They became part of a captive breeding program. Red wolves remain among the world’s most endangered species, with a single wild population of 16 wolves in North Carolina.

Read more at the Wolf Conservation Center website.

Toad Love

On the Indian subcontinent for two days at the beginning of monsoon season, male Asian common toads turn bright yellow, while females remain brown. Why?

According to a study published in Ichthyology & Herpetology, males can more easily recognize females by changing colors. Probably you could have guessed that!

Read more at the Smithsonian magazine here.

Pollinators: Meet the Border Wall

Environmentalists are concerned about pollinating species in the desert borderland as more tall barriers are planned by the U.S. government to stop illegal immigration and human, drug and wildlife trafficking.

Read more here.

Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act Reintroduced

Legislation introduced by Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) would permanently retire permits to ranchers for animal grazing on public lands when a rancher voluntarily surrenders grazing privileges in exchange for financial compensation.

The Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act (VGPRA) legislation, which recognizes that grazing on public lands is a privilege and not a right, would apply to the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service.

Grazing has numerous impacts on the landscape, plants and animals. For instance, grazing of areas around streams and springs harms fish and other wildlife that depend on these spaces, according to George Wuerthner, ecologist and writer.

Read more here.

Adopt a Print. Help Save Wild Camels.

Fewer than 1,000 wild camels remain in the deserts of the Gobi, and their survival depends on urgent conservation efforts.

The original piece (pictured above) created by wildlife artist Amy Stauffer is available for sale, as are prints in two sizes. Proceeds go to support wild camel conservation in Mongolia.

🖼️ Archival-grade printing, available in 2 sizes

🎨 Original artwork available

💯 100% of proceeds support wild camel conservation in Mongolia through the Wild Camel Protection Foundation

Adopt a print and help save the wild camel from extinction!

Read more here.

RIP Jane Goodall

3 Apr 1934 - 1 Oct 2025

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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A New Vaccine May Save Australia’s Sweet Koalas from Deadly Disease

Scientists have spent more than ten years to develop a vaccine that might save the beloved koala bears of Australia from chlamydia. The disease causes blindness, infertility, severe urinary tract infections and death in the iconic species.

After a three-year trial with wild koalas, researchers found that the new vaccine reduced mortality rates from chlamydia by 65 percent. It reduces the risk of infection, prevents disease progression in infected animals and can reverse symptoms in some cases.

Chlamydia is a major problem that koalas face in Australia, but they also are threatened by dog attacks, drought, habitat loss and fragmentation, moving vehicles and wildfires.

Read more here.

Are Zoos Good or Bad for Wildlife?

Zoo-led breeding programs have saved several species from extinction. Among them have been the Arabian oryx, black-footed ferret, California condor, European bison, golden lion tamarin and Przewalski’s horse.

Zoos also play a role in educating the public and generating funds for worldwide wildlife conservation, among other contributions. But is that enough to justify keeping wildlife “behind bars?”

The Global Heritage Society explores the long-discussed question of the role of zoos in the world of wildlife.

Read more here.

Protecting Montana’s Gallatin Range

“The Gallatin Range, which stretches south from Bozeman to Yellowstone, is the last major roadless area in the northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that is not within the wilderness system,” writes George Wuerthner, ecologist and author of 38 books on the environment and natural history. “With the recession of the Roadless Rule by the Trump Administration, the Gallatin Range is under greater threat of logging and roading.”

Read more here. including how you can help.

Major International Brand Woolrich Continues to Sell Fur Clothing

Humane World for Animals is calling upon the international outerwear fashion brand Woolrich to “end its complicity in the fur industry.”

Woolrich produces parkas using animal fur from factory farms in Finland. Here, foxes and raccoon dogs spend their lives in small wire-bottom cages, never allowed to follow their natural behaviors to dig and nest. Once they have grown large enough, they are electrocuted, skinned and turned into coat trim.

Fur is also procured by Woolrich from wild coyotes who are trapped. “When a wild animal gets caught in a leghold trap or snare, they may suffer in fear for days without food or water,” writes Kitty Block of Humane World for Animals. “Animals often gnaw off their own limbs in a desperate attempt to escape before the trappers return to kill them by either suffocation or bludgeoning.”

Read more here, including what you can do.

The Elk Rut is in Full Swing

It’s mating season for elk in America!

“The elk rut typically occurs each year from September through mid-October. But males start preparing even earlier, when they begin shedding the soft velvet that covers their antlers in mid-August. During this late-summer period, males scrape their antlers on trees and wallow in the mud to make themselves darker and smellier, in an effort to attract females and intimidate other males.

“As summer fades into fall and the days start getting shorter, bulls experience a surge of testosterone that makes them more aggressive. Cows also go through hormonal changes that induce estrus, or heat, a brief period in which they’re able to get pregnant. Females release a pheromone that makes them irresistible to males.”

Listen to the sounds of elk romance here.

‘A Surprising and Unprecedented Discovery’ – Fishermen Hook Unique Golden Shark

Sport fishermen off the coast of Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica were surprised to hook a six-foot nurse shark with white eyes and golden skin.

The unusual color of the shark was the result of albino-xanthochromism, a combination of two rare genetic conditions. Albinism reduces melanin, which means pale skin, hair and eyes, while xanthochromism causes yellow or orange pigmentation in animals.

Nurse sharks typically have light to dark brown skin, a coloration that allows them to blend into their sandy surroundings.

Read more here.

Administration Redefines ‘Harm’ in Endangered Species Act to Exclude Habitat Destruction

A “radical” reinterpretation of the Endangered Species Act by the Trump administration would limit the definition of the term harm and exclude habitat destruction.

Environmental advocates warn this change would accelerate the extinctions of species.

Read more here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Blue, Blue, Electric Blue Lobster

Directly from Smithsonian magazine …

In the wild, American lobsters (Homarus americanus) typically have drab, mottled-brown shells, which help them blend in with their surroundings. But every once in a while, their natural pigmentation processes go awry, producing some unusual hues.

Such was the case with Neptune, an “electric blue” crustacean that now lives at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center in Nahant, Massachusetts. Neptune is a rare specimen: The odds of a lobster being blue are about one in two million, according to a statement from the university. And to catch one is even more unusual.

Read more here.

Hundreds of Thousands of Migrating Songbirds are Trapped Every Year by Criminal Gangs

From Rachel Baxter’s Wildlife Wanderings on Substack …

The island of Cyprus lies in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and is a stopover for migrating songbirds who travel between continents from season to season. The island hosts more than 200 migratory species every year.

Each year too, as the birds are just trying to do their migration thing, hundreds of thousands of them are trapped illegally, killed and sold on the black market to be pickled or boiled whole for a local delicacy called ambelopoulia.

An estimated 2.5 million birds were killed on the island in 2014, according to BirdLife Cyprus. This was the worst year to date. A 2025 report by the NGO estimates the number of birds killed in fall 2024 was more than 825,000.

Read more here.

Colorado is Building the World’s Largest Wildlife Overpass

From Smithsonian magazine …

Thousands of elk, mule deer and pronghorn migrate between their seasonal ranges in Colorado twice a year.

After grazing at lower elevations in the winter and summering in the mountains, they make their journeys, which means crossing busy roads with fast-moving vehicles. The consequences can be life-ending for the animals and people.

To mitigate for deadly encounters, Colorado is building a new overpass that is expected to be the largest wildlife crossing in the world, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

More here.

Light Pollution Keeps Birds Singing Longer

From Smithsonian magazine …

A new study looked at millions of recordings of birdsong and found that some species in areas with more light pollution are active for almost an hour longer than average.

More here.

Giant Cows Hunted to Extinction Make Comeback in New Breed

From the Miami Herald …

Aurochs (Bos primigenius) were a species of massive cow that lived hundreds of thousands of years before habitat loss and hunting led to their extinction in 1627.

Now, hundreds of years after the supersized ancestor of modern-day cattle went extinct, a new large breed (tauros) with auroch DNA is being released in Denmark to rewild the terrain.

More here.

I realize I’m heavy on articles from Smithsonian magazine this month. I’d intended to include some excellent articles from “The Wildlife News,” a site which I find to be a great source of stories that aren’t being covered elsewhere. So, here’s my plug for readers to check out “The Wildlife News.” If you like what you see, you can sign up on their site to have new articles delivered to your inbox. (And, no. I have no financial or other relationship with any of the publications/articles I highlight. 🙂 )

THE RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK

- APPEAL -

Sumatran orangutans only live in nine places — and only seven of these populations have the habitat they need for long-term survival. But in the past decade, more than 44,000 acres of forest in the Orangutan Capital of the World have been cleared.

Considered to be one of the most important and biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, the Leuser Ecosystem is home to the densest populations of the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan.

Orangutans spend the majority of their lives exclusively living in trees, meaning that they’re especially vulnerable to illegal deforestation.

As rainforests across the globe continue to disappear, so too do the species that rely on them.

*****

Help protect the future of orangutans when you donate here, here or here.

To learn more about the Leuser Ecosystem, sign up for a Sept. 11 free webinar.

Register here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Callie’s Cathouse

Helping Oklahoma Cats

from Maria Fotopoulos

Will you help Callie Cat take care of her new Oklahoma feline friends by helping us reach a $270 fundraising goal to receive $500 in matching funds?

Meet Callie, L.A. refugee cat relocated to OKC, with big plans to help her new OK friends here stay healthy & housed.

We are just $270 away from reaching $3,000 on our Callie's Cathouse fundraiser. And if we can raise that by month end, we'll receive a $500 match from a committed cat donor.

Can you help with our fundraiser?

This cat fundraiser was started to cover primarily the dental needs of two cats, Alfie and Count, who both were diagnosed with stomatitis. A last option for both Alfie and Count was to have their teeth removed (not an inexpensive treatment). It worked for Alfie, who is now a thriving, happy cat at proper weight. Sadly, Count succumbed eventually to what we believe may have been an underlying heart condition.

But Alfie and Count are not the only cats! You can meet some of the cats at the link to the fundraiser on GiveSendGo.

My longer-term aspiration is to build a permanent, large, enclosed space for the feral cats. Cats living outdoors just get into trouble – fight club, predation, extreme weather, moving vehicles, etc. So, overall, we know the cats would be safer and healthier if they had a great indoor space and catio.

But, it’s one step at a time. So I am looking to hit this initial fundraising goal.

We do not have nonprofit 501(c)3 status currently, so your gift would not be tax deductible.

Whether sharing this email or contributing $5 online, your support will make a tremendous difference in helping Callie’s Cathouse come to fruition! Thank you in advance for any support! We, including all the cats, appreciate it!

Thank you for supporting cats and for reading this far!

Read more about the Oklahoma cats here.

Support Callie’s Cathouse here.

Minimum donation of GiveSendGo platform: $5

The Real Callie of Callie's Cathouse

Yes. There is a real Callie, who we also call Callieco. I found her, with the help of my neighbor, as a kitten who had hidden in the engine of the neighbor's car.

Callie – the obvious name for a calico kitten – was checked out at the vet the next day, and the rest is history! In her younger years, Callie liked to cuddle with our first cat, Emma (also rescued), who tolerated the cuddling for short periods. Nowadays, Callie likes to crawl under the bed covers and settle in an arm cradle. She’s our sweet Callieco and the eponymous Callie of Callie’s Cathouse, of course!

Other Ways to Help
Shop at the Callie's Cathouse Shop for cute coffee mugs and more to come!

Meow mug in three colors/three cat designs.

Go to → Callie's Cathouse Shop

Note:

Contributions to Callie's Cathouse are NOT tax deductible. We are NOT a 501(c)3.

Contribute securely here. THANK YOU!

Contact Maria at mariaf@calliescathouse.org
Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | USA

Callie’s Cathouse is a project-in-the-making of Maria Fotopoulos who writes Wildlife Matters, Cassandra Today and Oklahoma Redux.

As I was picking up a prescription for one of the cats at the pharmacy a few days ago, the cashier asked me what the message on my tee shirt meant:

“Elephants continue to be poached — killed — for their tusks … ivory,” I said. She told me she didn’t know that was where ivory came from.

A brief educational moment. Glad I could share information. But, I was somewhat surprised she didn’t know the source of ivory. Then again, thinking about Jesse Watters on FOX sending out roving reporter Johnny to ask people on the street the most basic questions and getting ridiculous answers or blank stares in response, we do seem to have a tremendous knowledge deficit among our population.

Among a range of topics, we could use a boost in wildlife and conservation awareness and literacy!

While people widely support wildlife conservation, a National Geographic poll in 2019 showed that due to a lack of education there is limited understanding of wildlife issues, including animal extinction, the pace of extinction and how much habitat is being protected for wildlife.

Days set aside to recognize particular animals are a good opportunity for those of us focused on wildlife issues to educate our family, friends and colleagues. The focus today is elephants on World Elephant Day.

An estimated 450,000 elephants live on Earth today (versus more than 8,000,000,000 humans). The African elephant population has dropped 62 percent in the last decade. At the top of the 20th century, there were an estimated 26,000,000,000 elephants.

The loss of lives continues.

This World Elephant Day, the World Elephant Society asks that we stand with the elephant matriarchs – the memory-keepers of the wild. These wise leaders guide their herds and carry generations of knowledge.

In their honor, the Society is launching the Emerging Storyteller Fund to support and mentor young storytellers in elephant range countries so their voices can carry the wisdom of the matriarchs into the future.

Learn more here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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You’ll help support my writing about wildlife issues when you shop here. Thanks!

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

It’s International Cat Day. Do you know how many cats are in the world?

The number is a big guesstimate – from 600 million to 1 billion!

That’s a lot of cats! Some are highly pampered, and some have to make it on their own on the very mean streets of the world.

Here are some fun feline facts on this day to recognize and celebrate our beloved cats:

• Adult cats generally sleep between 12 and 16 hours a day.

• Kittens may sleep up to 20 hours a day.

• Cats can make more than 100 vocalizations.

• Compared to a human’s 5 million scent receptors, cats have 200 million.

• Adult cats have 30 teeth.

• Over short distances, a housecat can run up to 30 mph.

• Cats can jump up to five times their height.

• House cats share 95.6 percent of their genetic makeup with tigers.

• The average lifespan of a house cat is 15 years, while their street brothers and sisters live between three and five years.

• Cats spend about 30 percent of waking hours grooming.
  

*****

More cat info. here.

* “Doo, do-doo, do-doo, do-do-doo; Doo, do-doo, do-doo, do-do-doo; Doo, do-doo, do-doo, do-do-doo” … Imagine a cat version of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” (maybe I’ll see if AI can generate a version for me). 🐈🐈‍⬛🐈🐈

Maria Fotopoulos writes about cats, about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Each coffee mug is offered in three colors. Order here.

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Cat Video Fest 2025

If you don’t get enough cat videos watching YouTube, see if you can catch a screening of Cat Video Fest. This is a 73-minute compilation of, yes, cat videos. A portion of ticket sales go to help cats.

More Cats!

Not sure how I missed this one. Oh wait, I know. I don’t follow the Academy Awards anymore!

But this one looks lovely and dear: Flow

Pet your kitty! And look out for the homeless ones!

Thanks for reading, subscribers! New subscribers: Thanks so much for subscribing!

🐧🦆🦉🦇🦋🦎🐞🐳🐟🦈🐋🐅🐊

🦙🐑🐪🐫🦒🦬🐃🐂🐄🦃🦚🐦‍⬛🦩

Expanding Yellowstone

This may be the best conservation idea since the creation of the National Park System in 1916

Yellowstone National Park is recognized as one of the best examples of an intact ecosystem, as designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. Its rich biodiversity includes bears, bison, coyotes, cutthroat trout, foxes, martens, mountain lions, peregrine falcon, river otters, trumpeter swan, white pelicans and wolverines.

In his article, “Time to Create a Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem National Park,” prolific author and ecologist George Wuerthner offers an overview of the abundant natural features which make Yellowstone special and discusses the many pressures it faces – from mining, logging and oil & gas development to development impeding wildlife migratory routes, livestock grazing, killing of bison and killing of predators.

“To counter this death by a thousand cuts,” Wuerthner argues that “the United States should recognize the opportunity to create a Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem National Park under the administration of the National Park Service.”

Read Wuerthner’s strong case for an enlarged Yellowstone here.

Snow Leopard Cubs Thrive in Secret Mountain Dens

Five wild snow leopard cubs were recently discovered at two separate dens in Mongolia’s Tost Mountains.

Little is known about snow leopard birth rates, litter size and survival rates. To understand if populations are sustainable, learning as much as possible about a species is critical for their future.

Senior Scientist Dr. Örjan Johansson from the Snow Leopard Trust explains why the organization visits den sites of GPS-collared cats and what happens when they do.

Read about the process and the little cuties here.

Senators Introduce Act to Stop Government Plan to Kill 500,000 Barred Owls, Bill Also in House, Trump Reportedly will Sign

A controversial government plan to kill 500,000 barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington would get the kibosh if SJR 69 from senators John Kennedy (R-La.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is approved. The resolution is a companion to HJR 111 that would nix the owl killings. President Trump would also need to sign off on reversing the decision to kill these owls, and he is expected to do so. Among more than 375 organizations opposing the “Barred Owl Management Strategy” are 30 local Audubon and Bird Alliance societies.

The Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy praised the introduction of SJR 69, calling the federal government’s plan to kill barred owls “unworkable, costly and inhumane.” Additionally, Animal Wellness Action stated: “The barred owl kill plan is the largest assault on birds of prey that any government anywhere in the world has ever planned.”

Newsweek reported in Dec. 2023 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wanted more than 500,000 barred owls to be shot dead in a cull to help protect other native species. The $1.3 billion plan was approved in Sept. 2024 during the Biden administration.

Learn more here and here.

A Call to End Bear Baiting on Federal Lands

From Animal Wellness Action

“Trophy hunters shoot more than 10,000 bears every year by targeting the unsuspecting animals as they gorge on bait piles left out to lure them within range. It happens in national forests and on national wildlife refuges, and it even occurs on national preserves managed by the National Park Service. This is outrageous.

“The animals, lured with heaps of rotting food, don't have a chance. They are ambushed while their heads are buried in human-scented garbage.

“This isn't hunting. It’s awful for the bears, and it’s also a threat to hikers and others who use our public lands.”

If you agree this is wrong, please visit the Animal Wellness action site here where you can send an email to your federal lawmakers and ask that they support the Don't Feed the Bears Act of 2025 (H.R. 4422).

Wild Asiatic Dogs Called dholes Are Back

They’re back! Believed to have been locally extinct since the 1990s, wild dogs known as dholes have been seen in Kaziranga Karbi Anglong in Assam, India. This is an area between the Eastern Himalayas foothills and the Brahmaputra River.

The Wildlife Institute of India confirmed the presence of dholes, or Asiatic wild dogs.

Read the Mongabay story about the dogs that need a better name 😊here.

Stunning Images of Mangrove Forests and Their Wildlife

Some extremely cool nature pictures here …

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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In the wee hours one morning this week, I happened to catch an episode of “Life After People,” titled Shop ‘til you Drop. The series speculates about what would happen on Earth if every human being disappeared.

The Shop ‘til you Drop episode describes that people-less world by imagining the future of Minnesota’s Mall of America – the largest mall in the U.S. – showing the fate of shipping containers in the Pacific and envisioning the transformation of the Port of Shanghai, the busiest port in the world. Ultimately, after decades, this “Life After People” episode shows the Shanghai Port is given back to nature – a jungle that’s repopulated with an Asian tiger subspecies that today – in the real world – is believed to be extinct in the wild and only found in China in captivity.

Today a minority of the human population does believe an Earth without people would be a good thing. This minority of humans may be enjoying this show – strange mental exercise that it is. I am NOT one of these people. But, by so many measures, I do know that Earth is overpopulated with humans. A History Channel show about an Earth with, say, a lower human population than today – maybe 2 billion – might have been more educational and helpful versus the mental masturbation in which the History Channel chose to indulge. That said, I did enjoy the idea of China being repopulated by tigers!

While the South China tiger is considered “functionally extinct,” all wild tigers are challenged. The estimated number of wild tigers in the world is only 5,500. The 20^th century saw tiger numbers plummet from an estimated 100,000 at the start of the century. The reasons for decline include the usual suspects: Loss of habitat (there are now 8,200,000,000 humans on Earth, with our numbers expected to grow to 11,200,000,000 by 2100), poaching and trafficking, as well as significant hunting in the first half of the 1900s.

Some good news: This estimated number of 5,500 tigers in the wild world today is higher than in 2010 when tiger numbers were believed to be as low as 3,200. India accounts for more than half of that number. Some other countries with wild tiger populations include Russia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand.

🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅

How can you help?

• Post a message on your social media pages that Tuesday, July 29 is International Tiger Day. Let your readers know there are only 5,500 wild tigers left in the world.
  

• Talk about conservation issues and loss of wildlife with family, friends and colleagues; encourage action on issues.
  

• Volunteer at a wildlife rescue or other animal organization.
  

• Give $s to animal organizations you've vetted.
  

• Buy your wildlife writer at Wildlife Matters a cup of coffee!

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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Mongolia:
Saving Wild Camels

The world’s only wild camel breeding program was started in Mongolia in 2003 by the Wild Camel Protection Foundation (WCPF). Land for the program was secured within the Great Gobi Specially Protected Area, thanks to the assistance of the Mongolian Ministry of Nature. This space was the last remaining natural habitat for wild camels in Mongolia.

The wild camel (Camelus ferus) is the eighth most endangered large mammal on Earth, with an estimated 1,000 individuals. A breeding program is essential to their survival.

Watch a short film about the program and its successes here.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Proposes Listing ‘Most Heavily Trafficked Mammal’ as Endangered

Seven species of pangolin from Asian countries and Africa that are poached for their scales and meat – and are seeing population declines – are under consideration for federal protections by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

As many as 2.7 million African pangolins are poached each year, mainly to supply demand in Asian markets. But border agents in the United States also seized 76 shipments with pangolin parts between 2016 and 2020.

Pangolins are currently protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. International trade of this species is permitted only under exceptional circumstances, and international trade for commercial purposes is prohibited.

There is now a public comment period until Aug. 18, 2025. The Fish & Wildlife Service will review and consider comments before publishing a final rule. Please go to www.regulations.gov, docket number FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0028, to comment.

Read the Fish & Wildlife Service press release here.

The Treetop Primates of Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

The red-shanked douc, a treetop dweller in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, is yet one more critically endangered animal on our planet.

The colorful monkey is a victim of the usual suspects – agriculture, development, logging and mining – which have destroyed the animal’s forest habitats. Additionally, the primates are hunted for their meat, killed for use in “traditional” medicine and sold for the international pet trade, all resulting in an estimated 80 percent drop in numbers over more than three decades.

But thanks to the work of the Vietnamese conservation organization, GreenViet, started in 2012, the situation may be looking up for this endearing primate. Ongoing PR for the red-shanked douc has raised the animal’s visibility and importance to the country among students, the public and community leaders, as well as those outside of Southeast Asia.

GreenViet also has been integral to Tra (known as “Monkey Mountain”), a 6,000-acre forested nature reserve that is home to a large population of red-shanked doucs, once thought vanished, according to the “Smithsonian Magazine.” The red-shanked douc population of Tra has grown from 350 in 2012 to an estimated 2,000 now.

Read the full story here.

60 Million Roadless Acres in U.S. National Forests in Jeopardy

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the administration’s plan to open 58.5 million acres of national forest roadless areas to roading and logging. According to the USDA press release, “This outdated administrative rule contradicts the will of Congress and goes against the mandate of the USDA Forest Service to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands. Rescinding this rule will remove prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest …”

“The Wildlife News” assesses this change differently:

“Since the Clinton administration promulgated the roadless area conservation rule (RACR) shortly before leaving office in 2001, the RACR has been extensively litigated, with the forces of darkness generally losing every challenge (so far).

“In a nutshell, Republican administrations (Little Bush I and II, and Trump I) have sought wholesale revocation of the rule, as well as rule changes to exempt certain roadless areas in Alaska, Colorado, and Idaho. In contrast, later Democratic administrations (Obama I and II, Biden I and only) have generally – but not completely – undone the damage to the RACR done by Republican predecessors.”

Read article here.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and occasionally other topics that confound her.

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