endangered species – News Stories About endangered species - Page 22

Feb 3, 2008 7:13 AM CST

US to List Polar Bears as Endangered

Move would make species first official victim of global warming

(Newser) - The US Department of the Interior is expected this week to change the polar bear's conservation status from "vulnerable" to "endangered"—which would make the animals the first species officially recognized as victims of global warming. The year-old proposal concerning the appealing predators would give conservationists a...

Zoo Braces for Snowflake Mania

Jan 31, 2008 3:21 PM CST

Zoo Braces for Snowflake Mania

City updates transport, stores stock up in wake of bear fever

(Newser) - Polar celebrity Snowflake will meet her adoring public as early as late March, and Nuremberg zoo staff predict a blizzard of attention surrounding its most popular bundle of fur. Annual visitors are expected to jump from 250,000 to 1.3 million, reports Der Spiegel, which has the city readying...

The Fight for the Jaguar in Brazil

Jan 1, 2008 7:27 PM CST

The Fight for the Jaguar in Brazil

Conservationists hope to deter lethal action against the cats by ranchers

(Newser) - Conservationists are waging a pitched battle on behalf of the jaguar in the Pantanal, a rich savannah region in southwest Brazil, the New York Times reports. The area is perfect for supporting a large jaguar population, but revenge killings by ranchers for livestock losses plague the near-threatened cats.

'Mickey Mouse of the Desert'

Dec 10, 2007 6:10 PM CST

'Mickey Mouse of the Desert'

Scientists film endangered critter for the first time

(Newser) - A rare rodent with jumbo ears and a kangaroo hop has been nabbed on video for possibly the first time, the BBC reports. Scientists who braved the Gobi desert recently observed the jerboa as part of a plan to help the endangered and extremely rare mammal. The critter amazed them...

Kidnapped Gorillas Go Home

Dec 1, 2007 9:29 AM CST

Kidnapped Gorillas Go Home

Five years later, the 'Taiping Four' make the trip back to Cameroon

(Newser) - For four rare gorillas who were illegally smuggled from their home in Cameroon five years ago, the long journey has finally come to an end, the BBC reports. The one male and three female Western Lowland gorillas are returning to the Limbe Wildlife Sanctuary in Cameroon after being sedated and...

Feds Reverse
7 Wildlife Decisions

Nov 28, 2007 9:19 PM CST

Feds Reverse 7 Wildlife Decisions

Agency blasts Bush appointee's meddling, restores protections

(Newser) - The Fish and Wildlife Service reversed seven decisions that watered down protections for endangered species, saying they were “improperly influenced” by a Bush appointee with no formal training in natural sciences, the Los Angeles Times reports. The appointee, Julie MacDonald, "should never have been allowed near the endangered...

Panda Couple a Model of Fertility

Nov 26, 2007 10:35 AM CST

Panda Couple a Model of Fertility

Famous pair at San Diego Zoo meet just once a year

(Newser) - Suggesting that quality does best quantity, two of the most reproductively successful pandas in captivity meet—and mate—but once a year, the AP reveals. Since 2003 the San Diego Zoo's Bai Yun and Gao Gao have produced three cubs, a great feat for the endangered species. The youngest is...

Mexican Aid to Protect Monarchs

Nov 26, 2007 6:10 AM CST

Mexican Aid to Protect Monarchs

Calderon promises funds to stem illegal logging in butterflies' habitat

(Newser) - The famous migrating monarch butterflies have a new ally in Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who yesterday said he would devote $4.6 million more to the central Mexican reserve where the butterflies hibernate—and crack down on the illegal logging that threatens the insects' habitat. Calderon hopes the measure will...

Time to Move the Bears?

Nov 25, 2007 5:27 PM CST

Time to Move the Bears?

Not quite yet—but species may be moved as warming ruins habitats

(Newser) - Airlifting polar bears to the Antarctic? Luring man-eating tigers out from a forest in Bangladesh? Such ideas are in the air, as biologists debate whether to move embattled species to areas less warmed by CO2. But critics say that "cowboy environmentalists" are flouting the rules—and endangering cooler habitats—...

Activists Howl as Wolves Leave Endangered List

Nov 24, 2007 5:45 AM CST

Activists Howl as Wolves Leave Endangered List

Gray wolf population threatens livestock, officials say

(Newser) - Federal officials plan to pull gray wolves from the endangered species list for the first time in more than 20 years, the AP reports. Hunters will be allowed to reduce the growing wolf population, which threatens livestock in the Northern Rockies—but activists vow lawsuits to block the plan, saying...

75% of Bear Species at Risk

Nov 12, 2007 7:15 PM CST

75% of Bear Species at Risk

Asia's sun bear now the fifth of eight bear species endangered worldwide

(Newser) - Southeast Asia's sun bear is now the sixth of eight bear species facing extinction worldwide, the Telegraph reports. Experts admit they know little about the bear, but blame deforestation, hunting, and fearful villagers for menacing the species. "We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30 per...

Iran, US Team to Save Cheetah

Nov 1, 2007 8:29 PM CDT

Iran, US Team to Save Cheetah

American scientists won't be allowed into Iran to help endangered Asiatic species

(Newser) - In an unlikely collaboration, the US and Iran will undertake efforts this month to save the endangered Asiatic cheetah, whose numbers could be as low as 60, Der Spiegel reports. The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society will send a team to the Kavir Desert in central Iran for a cheetah-tracking...

Harry, Pal Eyed in Shooting of Rare Birds

Oct 31, 2007 10:54 AM CDT

Harry, Pal Eyed in Shooting of Rare Birds

Protected hen harriers killed on royal estate

(Newser) - Prince Harry and a pal were grilled by police after two rare birds of prey were killed last week on an estate belonging to the British royal family. The prince was out shooting when witnesses saw two hen harriers hit, a crime punishable by six months in prison or a...

Eco Warriors Green Around Gills Over Wrong Trout fight

Oct 14, 2007 9:09 AM CDT

Eco Warriors Green Around Gills Over Wrong Trout fight

'Science happens,' says fish biologist

(Newser) - Oops. Conservationists apparently have been fighting for 20 years to protect the Colorado River cutthroat trout. The halibut is, they were supposed to be protecting another, similar species, the greenback cutthroat trout. “Hey, science happens,” said a biologist after studies revealed many of the "saved" fish were...

US Loggerhead Numbers Drop

Sep 23, 2007 6:11 PM CDT

US Loggerhead Numbers Drop

Commercial fishing causes decline in sea turtle numbers

(Newser) - The US loggerhead turtle population is waning, and a federal report concludes that commercial fishing is probably to blame, the AP reports. The threatened species gained numbers through the '90s, but now the sea turtle is on the brink of becoming officially endangered. Ocean health advocates are calling for federal...

Iguanas Smuggled in Fake Leg

Sep 23, 2007 1:44 PM CDT

Iguanas Smuggled in Fake Leg

Lizards fetch thousands on black market

(Newser) - Three endangered iguanas were brought into the US illegally in a special compartment inside a man's removable prosthetic leg. The Fiji Island Banded Iguana were stolen by Californian Jereme James from a nature preserve in Fiji in 2002. US Fish and Wildlife service began an investigation after a tip-off that...

South African Park Houses Grim Exhibit

Sep 19, 2007 7:51 PM CDT

South African Park Houses Grim Exhibit

Non-poached hides and other animal parts prepared for sale

(Newser) - South Africa's Kruger National Park provides a bizarre but legal service: a legitimate source of animal parts for the world's manufacturers of buffalo upholstery, zebra footrests, and giraffe-bone handgun grips. The park's employees harvest the remains of animals that die of natural causes and store them in stockpiles, taking orders...

'Extinction Crisis' Threatens 40% of Species

Sep 12, 2007 1:46 PM CDT

'Extinction Crisis' Threatens 40% of Species

Watchdog group sees serious danger to one in four mammals

(Newser) - More than 16,000 species are in serious danger of extinction, including one in four mammals and one in three amphibians being monitored by a global conservation group. With 40% of 40,000 surveyed species facing the highest levels of threat, “We’re at code red,” a top...

Bad News Plagues Bears

Sep 9, 2007 3:09 PM CDT

Bad News Plagues Bears

As ice caps melt, trophy hunters take aim, polar bears belong on endangered list

(Newser) - It's bad enough when 40% of your habitat will disappear by mid-century, but add trophy hunters taking advantage of a loophole in US law, and it's not a good time to be a polar bear, the Independent on Sunday reports. The bears are not listed as endangered so 950 pelts...

Save the Whales—but Forget the
Delta Smelt

Sep 9, 2007 5:16 AM CDT

Save the Whales—but Forget the Delta Smelt

Endangered Species Act hurts animals, industry

(Newser) - The Endangered Species Act , enacted in 1973 to protect the likes of the bald eagle and the California grizzly, is in desperate need of overhaul, the Economist argues. The act’s latest ravagement is the protection of the delta smelt, a three-inch fish a judge deemed important enough late last...