endangered species

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Someone Is Killing California's Protected Sea Otters

4 bodies have been found, 3 of them shot, and killer could face jail

(Newser) - Before being hunted to near extinction for their pelts in the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters littered the Pacific coast. Today the biggest threats to the 3,000 that remain are oil spills and tankers, reports the Guardian , and now a shooter on the loose near Santa Cruz, Calif....

California's Island Foxes Make Amazing Comeback

They're now off endangered species list

(Newser) - The little island foxes of California are back, maybe for good. Three fox subspecies found only on the state's Channel Islands have made a big comeback since they were placed on the endangered species list in 2004 and have just been removed. No mammal on the list has made...

M&Ms Might Save This Endangered Ferret

Vaccine-laced candies to protect its food source

(Newser) - The US Fish and Wildlife Service plans to save endangered ferrets with a "glorified gumball machine" that shoots M&Ms. Beginning in September, government scientists say they'll use a drone armed with a device that shoots candies in three directions in an effort to stop a plague in...

Wild Orangutans Now Critically Endangered

Borneo population added to red list

(Newser) - A global conservation group says Borneo's orangutans are now a critically endangered species due to hunting and destruction of forest habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates the number of Bornean orangutans has dropped by nearly two-thirds since the early 1970s and will further decline to 47,...

Activists: 'Pay to Play' Loophole Exploits Endangered Animals

Species can be traded if, in many cases, money is donated

(Newser) - It's illegal to import animals as "trophies" to the United States if they're on the endangered species list—but hunters, circuses, zoos, breeders, and theme parks can obtain permits to import, export, or sell animals on the list as long as they show that by doing so,...

People Have Killed to Get Their Hands on This Fish
People Have Killed to Get Their Hands on This Fish
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Jun 4, 2016 6:50 AM CDT

People Have Killed to Get Their Hands on This Fish

The Asian arowana was once a food source

(Newser) - A few decades ago, the Asian arowana was more likely to be on a dinner plate than in an aquarium. But today, the fish is a highly sought-after specimen that enthusiasts will go to great lengths to obtain, including breaking endangered species laws , paying thousands upon thousands of dollars ($150,...

Say Goodbye to Earth's Smallest Porpoise

Vaquitas are illegally fished in the Gulf of California

(Newser) - Fishermen are on the verge of eradicating a porpoise known for its little body and distinctive smirk—and only a massive effort by three world governments can save it, scientists say. The vaquita, also known as "little cow," was already the most endangered marine mammal on Earth. Now...

Fishermen Slaughter One of the World's Largest Animals

Whale shark's killing sparks outcry in China

(Newser) - People around the world have taken to social media to rant about the killing of a whale shark off the coast of China a couple weeks ago—and while two fishermen have been arrested after selling it at market, it's unclear whether they'll be punished, reports Fusion . The...

Sheriff: Vandals May Have Killed 1 of the World's Rarest Fishes

They also allegedly vomited and skinny-dipped all over a protected area

(Newser) - Three Nevada men have been questioned by investigators about vandalism in an environmentally fragile area of Death Valley National Park that may have killed one of the rarest fishes on earth, the AP reports. No arrests have been made in the April 30 intrusion while authorities continue to investigate what...

World's Tiger Count Rises, but It's Complicated

There could be more of them, or it could mean something else entirely

(Newser) - The latest count of the world's tigers reveals that conservation groups deserve congratulations, though it's not entirely clear what for. Tiger numbers in the wild worldwide are up after more than a century of drastic declines, which the AP reports can mean one of two things: There are...

Inspiration for Teddy Bears No Longer Endangered

Louisiana black bear has bounced back

(Newser) - After decades of barely clinging on as a species, the bear that inspired teddy bears has bounced back. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced on Thursday that the Louisiana black bear—which appeared in the famous "Teddy's bear" political cartoon after Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a tied-up one...

Grizzly News 'Bigger Than Recovering the Bald Eagle'

US Fish and Wildlife Service proposes moving animal off endangered list

(Newser) - "This is really momentous, bigger than recovering the bald eagle," an environmental writer tells the Christian Science Monitor after the US Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday proposed removing grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone from the endangered species list. When grizzlies were added to the list in...

Baby Dolphin Dies After Humans Take Selfies With It

Beachgoers passed endangered creatures around to capture them with their phones

(Newser) - What may have seemed like a fun, harmless photo op turned into premature death for a baby dolphin in Argentina, per Gizmodo . Buenos Aires beachgoers were spotted last week along the shores of Santa Teresita plucking a couple of baby Franciscan dolphins—a species labeled as "vulnerable to extinction"...

No More Cecils: African Lions Now on Endangered Species List

And US hunters will need special permit to bring back 'trophies'

(Newser) - Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer caused an uproar when he killed Cecil the lion —and he may have expedited the latest Obama administration mandate. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is set to announce Monday that as of Jan. 22, lions in Africa will be protected under the Endangered Species...

Shocking Number of Cacti Face Extinction

Study finds that 31% of cactus species are endangered

(Newser) - About a third of the world's cactus species are threatened with extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature warns in a new report. The study evaluated 1,478 species and determined that 31% are endangered due to factors such as the conversion of wilderness areas to farming and...

More Than Half of Amazon Tree Species Are Threatened

Study marks percentage of endangered trees for first time

(Newser) - More than half of the Amazon's 15,000 tree species may be facing extinction if governments can't curb deforestation, a new study says. Researchers reached this conclusion by comparing ground-level data on trees—about their leaves, branches, diameters, and so on—to projected deforestation across the vast South...

Old Chemical Weapons Site Now Home to Rare Ferrets

Black-footed ferrets released at Colorado refuge

(Newser) - Rare black-footed ferrets chattered angrily before dashing out of pet carriers and ducking into burrows Monday at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge—a milestone for the highly endangered animals and for the former toxic waste site on the industrial edge of Denver. The US Fish and Wildlife Service...

How National Zoo Is Keeping Its Panda Twins Alive

Officials cautiously optimistic about cubs' future, still waiting to exhale

(Newser) - Panda mama Mei Xiang gave birth to a rare healthy cub , then a surprise twin , on Saturday evening, leaving officials at the Smithsonian's National Zoo giddy—perhaps even moreso because the twins are off to a good start thanks to new techniques in panda care. Their sex won't...

Rare Tiger Euthanized in Houston

The Malayan tiger Pandu was 16

(Newser) - Houston Zoo workers and patrons woke to a world without Pandu today. The 16-year-old Malayan tiger was "humanely euthanized" yesterday due to failing health, said the zoo in a statement . Nicknamed "Professor," the tiger was described as an "extremely vocal cat" who enjoyed a higher quality...

Turtle Species on Brink as Artificial Insemination Fails

100-year-old would-be mom has more eggs on the way

(Newser) - Nearly eight dozen Infertile eggs disappointed researchers at the Turtle Survival Alliance this week—and could have serious consequences for an entire species. A female Yangtze giant softshell turtle at China’s Suzhou Zoo laid 89 eggs after being artificially inseminated , but none of them were viable, reports Scientific American...

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