Latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service News
Florida sees fewer manatee starvation deaths as feeding ends
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The effort to feed thousands of pounds of lettuce to starving manatees in Florida officially ended for the winter season Wednesday, as deaths of the marine mammals appear to be slowing despite the long-term threat of pollution to their main food source, seagrass. ...
Regulators, landowners form habitat protection partnership
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Biden administration and industry groups pledged Thursday to promote logging practices and research intended to protect imperiled species on private forest lands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and two forest products organizations signed a...
Endangered status sought for gopher tortoise in 4 states
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Gopher tortoises imperiled by loss of habitat largely caused by human development should be placed on the endangered species list in four southern states, environmental groups said Wednesday as they prepared to sue the federal government over the issue. ...
Federal protection granted for imperiled freshwater mussels
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Federal regulators designated two U.S. freshwater mussels as threatened on Wednesday, a further sign of trouble for native mollusks that help cleanse waters by filtering out pollutants as they feed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it was granting...
Endangered Mexican wolf population makes strides in US
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Endangered Mexican gray wolves are making more strides, as more breeding pairs and pups have been documented since reintroduction efforts began in the southwestern U.S. more than two decades ago, federal wildlife managers said Tuesday. The U.S. Fish and...
Iowa State University gets 169 confiscated baby tarantulas
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Baby tarantulas have invaded Iowa State University. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service donated 169 confiscated tarantulas and offered them to the school in Ames this month. The tarantulas, some not much bigger than a fingernail, arrived on...
Federal agency proposes California spotted owl protection
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal wildlife officials on Wednesday announced a proposal to classify one of two dwindling California spotted owl populations as endangered after a lawsuit by conservation groups required the government to reassess a Trump administration decision not to protect the brown...
US proposes removing wood stork from endangered species list
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The ungainly yet graceful wood stork, which was on the brink of extinction in 1984, has recovered sufficiently in Florida and other Southern states that U.S. wildlife officials on Tuesday proposed removing the wading bird from the endangered species list. ...
Landowner help sought to protect endangered animals, plants
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Biden administration called for regulatory changes Wednesday to encourage voluntary conservation projects on private land, partly by shielding owners from punishment if their actions kill or harm small numbers of imperiled species. The proposed U.S....
Polar bear in fatal Alaska attack was in poor health
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A polar bear that killed a young mother and her baby last month in western Alaska was likely an older animal in poor physical condition, but tests came back negative for pathogens that affect the brain and cause aggressive behavior, officials said Monday. ...
