A woman was taken to the hospital after she was attacked by a moose while she was walking her dog in Boulder County on Wednesday afternoon.
The woman was walking her dog off-leash west of Jamestown around 1 p.m. when a young bull moose knocked her to the ground and stomped on her multiple times, according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife news release.
The woman was taken to a hospital with head and back injuries, according to the release.
CPW officials could not find the moose when they responded to the area. Officials have placed signs warning of aggressive moose behavior near the area.
The majority of reported moose attacks involve dogs, and pets should be kept on leash outdoors, especially near areas where moose live, the agency said in the release.
One of the monkeys that escaped last week after a truck overturned on a Mississippi highway was shot and killed early Sunday by a woman who says she feared for the safety of her children.Jessica Bond Ferguson said she was alerted early Sunday by her 16-year-old son who said he thought he had seen a monkey running in the yard outside their home near Heidelberg, Mississippi. She got out of bed, grabbed her firearm and her cellphone and stepped outside where she saw the monkey about 60 feet away.Bond Ferguson said she and other residents had been warned that the escaped monkeys carried diseases so she fired her gun.“I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” Bond Ferguson, who has five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, told The Associated Press. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that’s when he fell.”The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a social media post that a homeowner had found one of the monkeys on their property Sunday morning but said the office didn’t have any details. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the monkey, the sheriff’s office said.Before Bond Ferguson had gone out the door, she had called the police and was told to keep an eye on the monkey. But she said she worried that if the monkey got away it would threaten children at another house.“If it attacked somebody’s kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me,” said Bond Ferguson, a 35-year-old professional chef. “It’s kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards.”The Rhesus monkeys had been housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university. In a statement last week, Tulane said the monkeys do not belong to the university, and they were not being transported by the university.A truck carrying the monkeys overturned Tuesday on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg. Of the 21 monkeys in the truck, 13 were found at the scene of the accident and arrived at their original destination last week, according to Tulane. Another five were killed in the hunt for them and three remained on the loose before Sunday.The Mississippi Highway Patrol has said it was investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred about 100 miles from the state capital, Jackson.Rhesus monkeys typically weigh about 16 pounds and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet. Video recorded after the crash showed monkeys crawling through tall grass beside the interstate, where wooden crates labeled “live animals” were crumpled and strewn about.Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson had said Tulane officials reported the monkeys were not infectious, despite initial reports by the truck’s occupants warning that the monkeys were dangerous and harboring various diseases. Nonetheless, Johnson said the monkeys still needed to be “neutralized” because of their aggressive nature.The monkeys had recently received checkups confirming they were pathogen-free, Tulane said in a statement Wednesday.Rhesus macaques “are known to be aggressive,” according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. It said the agency’s conservation workers were working with sheriff’s officials in the search for the animals.The search comes about one year after 43 Rhesus macaques escaped from a South Carolina compound that breeds them for medical research because an employee didn’t fully lock an enclosure. Employees from the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, South Carolina, had set up traps to capture them.
JASPER COUNTY, Miss. —
One of the monkeys that escaped last week after a truck overturned on a Mississippi highway was shot and killed early Sunday by a woman who says she feared for the safety of her children.
Jessica Bond Ferguson said she was alerted early Sunday by her 16-year-old son who said he thought he had seen a monkey running in the yard outside their home near Heidelberg, Mississippi. She got out of bed, grabbed her firearm and her cellphone and stepped outside where she saw the monkey about 60 feet away.
Bond Ferguson said she and other residents had been warned that the escaped monkeys carried diseases so she fired her gun.
“I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” Bond Ferguson, who has five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, told The Associated Press. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that’s when he fell.”
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a social media post that a homeowner had found one of the monkeys on their property Sunday morning but said the office didn’t have any details. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the monkey, the sheriff’s office said.
Before Bond Ferguson had gone out the door, she had called the police and was told to keep an eye on the monkey. But she said she worried that if the monkey got away it would threaten children at another house.
“If it attacked somebody’s kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me,” said Bond Ferguson, a 35-year-old professional chef. “It’s kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards.”
The Rhesus monkeys had been housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university. In a statement last week, Tulane said the monkeys do not belong to the university, and they were not being transported by the university.
A truck carrying the monkeys overturned Tuesday on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg. Of the 21 monkeys in the truck, 13 were found at the scene of the accident and arrived at their original destination last week, according to Tulane. Another five were killed in the hunt for them and three remained on the loose before Sunday.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol has said it was investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred about 100 miles from the state capital, Jackson.
Rhesus monkeys typically weigh about 16 pounds and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet. Video recorded after the crash showed monkeys crawling through tall grass beside the interstate, where wooden crates labeled “live animals” were crumpled and strewn about.
Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson had said Tulane officials reported the monkeys were not infectious, despite initial reports by the truck’s occupants warning that the monkeys were dangerous and harboring various diseases. Nonetheless, Johnson said the monkeys still needed to be “neutralized” because of their aggressive nature.
The monkeys had recently received checkups confirming they were pathogen-free, Tulane said in a statement Wednesday.
Rhesus macaques “are known to be aggressive,” according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. It said the agency’s conservation workers were working with sheriff’s officials in the search for the animals.
The search comes about one year after 43 Rhesus macaques escaped from a South Carolina compound that breeds them for medical research because an employee didn’t fully lock an enclosure. Employees from the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, South Carolina, had set up traps to capture them.
LITTLETON – For deer, the fall time change Sunday morning means trouble: a 16% spike in collisions with vehicles over the following week, despite years of safety campaigns and the construction of 75 special crossings along highways.
Drivers in Colorado collided with at least 54,189 wild animals over the past 15 years, according to newly compiled Colorado Department of Transportation records. That’s far fewer than in many other states, such as Michigan, where vehicle-life collisions often number more than 50,000 in one year.
The carnage — especially this time of year — increasingly occurs where animals face the most people along the heavily populated Front Range, beyond the mountainous western half of the state that holds much of the remaining prime habitat, state records show.
State leaders and wildlife advocates gathered on Thursday near one of the crossings along the high-speed C-470 beltway in southwest metro Denver to launch a safety campaign.
“We’ve made wildlife crossings a priority in our rural areas, and also increasingly in urban areas,” CDOT Director Shoshana Lew said. “We cannot put underpasses and overpasses everywhere. Particularly at this time of year, we urge everyone to be careful of wildlife.”
Lew credited the crossings with containing collision numbers that could be much higher in Colorado, given the traffic and the prevalence of deer and other wild animals. Most of the state’s highway construction projects, such as the work on Interstate 25 north of Colorado Springs that includes a large wildlife bridge, will factor in wildlife safety needs, Lew said.
The risk of collisions spikes this time of year due to deer and elk migrating to lower elevations, bringing more animals across highways. The end of daylight saving time also plays a role as more drivers navigate roads during the relatively low-visibility hours before and after sunset, when deer often move about.
In Colorado, the 54,189 vehicle-animal collisions that CDOT recorded from 2010 through 2024 caused the deaths of 48 vehicle occupants and more than 5,000 injuries. The animals breakdown: 82% deer, 11% elk, 2% bears.
Ten counties where vehicles hit the most animals during that period included five along the Front Range — Douglas, Jefferson, El Paso, Larimer, and Pueblo — with a combined total of 12,791 collisions, state records show. That compares with 11,068 in the other five counties in western Colorado — La Plata, Montezuma, Garfield, Moffat, and Chaffee.
Colorado lawmakers over the past two decades have directed funds for the installation of more and more wildlife crossings, typically overpasses and underpasses combined with fencing along highways. “These can be up to 90% effective in reducing collisions,” Environment America researcher Rachel Jaeger said.
Most recently, in 2022, lawmakers set up a wildlife safe passage fund with a $5.5 million investment for crossing construction. That money’s been spent. State transportation planners have identified locations where crossings are needed, such as the stretch of U.S. 40 between the intersection with I-70 and the town of Empire, where bighorn sheep live.
Wildlife-vehicle collisions have proved persistent enough that safety advocates have launched a social media campaign and are mulling new strategies, such as promoting ridership on CDOT’s intercity Bustang buses as an animal-friendly way to move.
The trend for extinct or thought-to-be-lost creatures might be to revive them, but it’s undeniably cooler to actually prove that they still exist. And the rediscovered giant woolly rat is a creature that’s as glorious as it is natural.
In a paper published in April in Mammalia, Czech researcher František Vejmělka shares the first-ever photographs of Mallmys istapantap, or the subalpine woolly rat—an elusive creature that has existed in scientific limbo for decades. Its 1989 registration to the animal repository was purely based on archival data and skull collections in museums.
No one had actually collected photographic or visual data to prove the creature’s existence beyond historical records, leading researchers to wonder whether it still exists in the wild. As Vejmělka found, the woolly rat is still very much alive in its natural habitat in New Guinea.
“It’s astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied—despite its size and how really amazing this animal is, there were no pictures of it,” Vejmělka told The Times in June.
A wild discovery
This was extremely difficult to come by, Vejmělka admitted in a release, adding that “If it weren’t for the indigenous hunters who accompanied me in the mountains and helped me locate the animals, I would never have been able to collect this data.”
Indeed, the woolly rat resided deep within the rainforests of Mount Wilhelm, a nearly 15,000-foot-high (4,509 meters) mountain with little to no hiking tracks. The area was also home to several indigenous (human) tribes who were understandably wary about uninvited visitors.
Eventually, he and his team were able to form a collaboration with local hunters, who allowed Vejmělka to join their night hunts. It was during one of these hunts that Vejmělka was able to identify and capture the rodent, which the locals called mosak, or “man-biter.”
Got to see it to believe it
The paper presents the first-ever data on the woolly rat’s diet, behavioral patterns, and general aspects of its lifestyle. Specifically, the woolly rats are nearly 3 feet (85 centimeters) long and weigh almost 5 pounds (2 kilograms). It is nocturnal, climbing trees at night to nibble on plants using its sharp claws. In addition to documenting the rat, the team also collected data on 61 species of non-flying mammals native to the region.
But the encounter also revealed some discrepancies between museum collections and the rats’ actual populations. The rat’s purported “rarity” appears to be connected “only to the remoteness of the habitats it occupies,” Vejmělka wrote in the paper, adding that the “reliability with which we detected the species locally questions their rarity in nature compared to scientific collections.”
Simply, field expeditions are truly critical; the more we doubt the persistence of a certain species—not just for this particular rat, he said, adding, “How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?”
Vote “No” on Denver’s bonds to reject irresponsible debt
After reading my ballot, I researched previous bonds that were passed by voters. The Rise Denver bond in 2021 was $260 million, and the Elevate Denver Bond in 2017 was $937 million. I added up the 2A to 2E bonds this year, and the total is up to $950 million. The total for all of these bonds adds up to more than $2 billion.
The debt repayment for the current bonds is about $1.9 billion. The ballot states, “without imposing any new tax,” but that is not completely correct. The reason is that all these bonds are paid through commercial and residential property taxes in Denver County. The mill levy could go down if voters say no, and if voters say yes it also could have to increase to pay for these billions of dollars if property values decrease. Denver County is where I live, and expenses have gone significantly higher this year. Why do we keep adding to the bond debts? We should not vote to increase the county’s debt.
Pete Hackett, Denver
Denver clerk errs in leaving out information on ballot issues
Did I hear that correctly?
Denver’s “Ballot Issue Notice” does not provide any information about three matters: 2F, 2G and 310. I called Denver’s Clerk and Elections Office to ask why the omissions. I was told two things: 1) Those three ballot issues have no fiscal impact on government, so applicable law does not require their inclusion in the notice. 2) Due to “budget cuts,” it was decided not to address them in the notice. Then, I was informed that I could garner information about them at denvervotes.org.
Denver voters expect the notice each year to address all matters on the ballot. The current notice does not highlight that 2F, 2G and 310 are not included and does not highlight denvervotes.org as a source of information about them.
I have no way of learning how much money was “saved” by excluding these ballot matters. What I do know is that it would have been money well spent.
Vic Reichman, Denver
Trump’s cuts to education funding risk America’s future
Re: “Federal government’s cuts cost state colleges millions,” Oct. 9 news story
As an educator, I was saddened to read: “Trump administration cuts grants to Colorado colleges serving high percentage of diverse students,” October 9.
Every American, regardless of race, gender or religious persuasion, should have the opportunity to realize their natural potential via education. Yet, there are wide swaths of America that are not properly educating students and where students are just unable to succeed for economic or other reasons. As a result, America is not producing sufficient STEM graduates to sustain, let alone grow, America’s high level of technology upon which we all heavily depend for our economy, well-being and national defense.
On top of that, President Donald Trump has made it significantly more challenging for foreign students (who would often pursue STEM careers) to enter American schools.
Given the fact that the president is seeking to reindustrialize America, I would like to ask him from where will the required scientists, engineers, technicians, doctors and other highly educated specialists come? America is now in crisis as we seek to pay down our $37 trillion debt and stay competitive internationally. One way to do this would be to encourage and help all groups of Americans — particularly those who are underrepresented in STEM (as an untapped talent pool) — to pursue STEM careers. Persecuting and defunding schools that seek to help underrepresented students succeed and contribute to America’s recovery is absolutely the wrong thing to do.
Education is the only hope for the next generation of Americans to move forward.
Michael Pravica, Henderson, Nevada
If the U.S. doesn’t support Ukraine, we are complicit in its destruction
Recent news articles galvanized my thought that America is sleepwalking while Ukraine is fighting for survival against Russia’s genocidal invasion. We need to take a moment to answer the question: Are we really supporting Ukraine to win? It is in America’s interest that Ukraine is successful. Our future prosperity, and that of our children, depends on what we do right now.
Either the United States supports Ukraine to win, or we will be complicit in its destruction. Such complicity will damage national security by strengthening enemies, driving away allies, harming international trade, increasing nuclear proliferation, encouraging new wars of territorial conquest, and ending America’s role as leader of the free world. There will be less stability and fewer allies within the West, investments abroad will be less safe, and the entire West will be less prosperous. Therefore, what all of us should strive for in Ukraine is not peace at any price, because that will be bad for all countries, but a future that makes Ukraine, America, and the West stronger by making its enemies weaker.
Take a moment to consider our future and then do what you feel is best: take up a keyboard and send a note, pick up a pen and write your political leadership, sit down with friends or family and discuss this letter, or pull out your checkbook, but just do something now. History will judge what we do today; which side will you be on?
Arthur Ives, Highlands Ranch
Don’t just give away national forest lands
Should our beloved but flat-broke White River National Forest sell an asset worth more than half its annual budget or just give that asset away?
Retired White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams’ 2021 plan to effectively donate 832 acres surrounding Sweetwater Lake to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the creation of a state park might have made sense prior to DOGE’s cuts to the forest service’s budget. It also might have made sense before the $23,860,000 Derby Fire burned 5,453 acres in the national forest just one mile east of the lake.
However, the White River National Forest is now so destitute that even before the federal shutdown visitor centers were closed, volunteers emptied latrines, and its maintenance budget for 2,800 miles of roads was bupkis, zero, zilch, nada. The nation’s most visited national forest is not in any position to make donations.
Gov. Jared Polis desires Sweetwater Lake for a state park, so a logical solution is for the national forest to sell those 832 acres at fair market value. The Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife is an “enterprise agency” and fiscally sound despite Colorado’s budget woes. Furthermore, the Trump administration has shown a willingness to divest federal lands, thereby creating a win-win.
Selling the Sweetwater Lake land requested by the CPW should generate more than $13 million for the White River National Forest to fund operations or cover expenditures incurred fighting the Derby Fire. It would be a dereliction of duty for current national forest Supervisor Brian Glaspell to execute this eight-figure donation as proposed by his predecessor.
A wild, very “polite” and possibly lonely black bear recently paid a visit to its neighbors at a Northern California zoo.
Before opening for the day, staff at Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka were conducting a routine inspection of the Redwood Sky Walk — a self-guided tour of local redwood history and ecology — when they were surprised by a unique visitor.
On the tour trail was a wild American black bear leaning on a gate to peer in at the three black bears in their habitat within the park, according the zoo’s Facebook post.
“The wild bear did not appear aggressive and was observed interacting with Tule, Ishŭng, and Kunabulilh through their habitat fencing,” the post said.
The Eureka Police Department got a call about the curious visitor around 9:30 a.m. and responded to the zoo along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Directly behind the zoo is the wooded area of Eureka’s 60-acre Sequoia Park, and that’s where the bear is believed to have come from, said Laura Montagna, public information officer for the Police Department.
But how the wild bear entered the zoo is a mystery. Officials said the perimeter fencing that separates the facility from the park was intact and secure.
Montagna said Fish and Wildlife took the lead on escorting the bear out of the zoo and back into the woods. The police officers ensured that no human visitors were nearby, “so that the bear wouldn’t get scared,” she said.
During the wild bear’s visit, the Sequoia Park Zoo said, it didn’t enter any animal habitats and after a “brief exploration of the enrichment items” — objects that provide mental or physical stimulation for animals — “the bear was safely coaxed back into the woods through a service gate.”
“Overall, he was a very polite visitor. He stayed on the boardwalk path, kept two feet on the ground and didn’t try to climb over the railings,” the zoo said on Facebook.
There have been reports of several bears in the Eureka area in the last year and a half, she said.
The most recent sighting occurred last month when residents noticed a bear, possibly female, that Montagna said could have been the zoo visitor that she believes is just lonely.
The wild bear’s visit has sparked playful commentary from Facebook users including Priscilla Lange who said, “[The bear] was a very considerate guest. Some of your human visitors could probably take some lessons in behavior from him.”
Facebook user David Wickizer joked the bear was “looking for an application. … He wanted to be an ambearssador!”
Zoo officials struck a cautionary note: “Wild bears and other animals call Sequoia Park home, and we remind our guests to responsibly live alongside them by observing wildlife from a distance, staying on marked trails and always being aware of your surroundings.”
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a sea otter stole a surfboard in the waters off Santa Cruz. It happened on Wednesday, when calls for a water rescue came in for the area of 550 West Cliff Drive.Santa Cruz firefighters told KCRA 3’s partners at KSBW 8 that a sea otter took a woman’s surfboard around 5:07 p.m. and may have nipped at her, but did not break the skin. Firefighters pulled her to shore.They said she was uninjured, and they later recovered her board from the otter. She did not have to be transported to the hospital.The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be notified.This comes two years after Otter 841 captured national attention for stealing surfboards, inspiring merchandise—and even an ice cream flavor—named after her.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a sea otter stole a surfboard in the waters off Santa Cruz.
It happened on Wednesday, when calls for a water rescue came in for the area of 550 West Cliff Drive.
Mark Woodward / @Native Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz firefighters told KCRA 3’s partners at KSBW 8 that a sea otter took a woman’s surfboard around 5:07 p.m. and may have nipped at her, but did not break the skin. Firefighters pulled her to shore.
They said she was uninjured, and they later recovered her board from the otter. She did not have to be transported to the hospital.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be notified.
This comes two years after Otter 841 captured national attention for stealing surfboards, inspiring merchandise—and even an ice cream flavor—named after her.
In her new project capturing motion-sensor photos of urban wildlife, ecologist and professor Julie Ellis said one of her favorite images is of a mother raccoon facing her three offspring, who are all staring back intently. It made her wonder what kind of conversation must be going on, whether the children are being told to hurry up or are learning how to catch a crayfish.
“It’s those little glimpses into their daily lives that you get from these cameras that I think is really fun, and tells us a lot about what these animals are doing right under our noses,” said Ellis, a director at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
Ellis and her team are in the process of placing between 30 and 35 cameras at parks, cemeteries, forest preserves, areas along the highway and wildlife habitats around Philadelphia for the Accessing Urban Nature Initiative. The idea is to look at highly developed areas and green spaces to learn how animals adapt to changes in their habitat and how urbanization impacts their day-to-day life.
The motion-triggered cameras can take anywhere from 100 to 600 photos in a two-week period, depending on how active animals are in that area. They’re monitored four times per year to capture seasonal patterns in the behavior of the animals, and Ellis hopes to keep them up and running for five years.
With the photos, Ellis hopes to answer a number of questions about Philadelphia wildlife, including what species are in the area, how they use different types of spaces and how they respond to extreme heat. She’s also hoping to learn how things like bright lights and loud noises can affect breeding behaviors, habitats and other activity.
That information, she said, will hopefully help scientists understand why some species thrive more in cities and how wildlife is responding to rapid environmental changes.
“The idea here amongst all of us is to understand the wildlife that shares our cities with us,” Ellis said. “So with the idea of capturing images of animals living throughout cities, like in parks and cemeteries and neighborhoods, and how they use those spaces, it tells us something about how wildlife adapts to city life.”
Provided Image/Julie Ellis
Penn professor Julie Ellis’ favorite photo from her new project.
Provided Image/Julie Ellis
A heron on the move in a Philadelphia creek.
Provided Image/Julie Ellis
A groundhog outside his home in Northwest Philadelphia.
While all the cameras haven’t been placed yet, so far they’ve captured foxes, raccoons, skunks, opossum, songbirds, groundhogs, a heron, a mink, and more small birds and mammals. One camera was unintentionally set near a groundhog den and captured hundreds of images of the animal moving in and around his home.
The project is in partnership with the Wildlife Information Network, an alliance of scientists that represents urban regions and cities around the world. Closer to home, the team will also work with local partners such as W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences, the Philadelphia Zoo, the Elmwood Park Zoo, the Morris Arboretum, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge to place cameras and monitor the images.
For Ellis, this project comes at a particularly unique time of massive urbanization. By 2050, the United Nations predicts that 2 out of every 3 people will be living in cities globally, which could have a massive impact on wildlife due to habitat destruction and changing environments.
“Why is it that some wildlife seem to survive and in some cases thrive in conditions of urbanizations whereas others really struggle, and what can we learn in Philadelphia about those patterns that might be able to inform how wildlife and biodiversity respond to environmental change more globally?” Ellis said. “Urbanization is just this massively rapid and global phenomenon right now, so it’s a really timely moment to be looking at its impacts.”
Two mountain lions that were orphaned as cubs have been released back into the San Diego County wilderness.
The cubs, which were found malnourished earlier this year, were trapped by the UC Davis California Carnivores Program and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to the San Diego Humane Society. They were taken to the organization’s Ramona Wildlife Center on March 26 for specialized rehabilitation and veterinary care.
Human interaction was kept to a minimum throughout the rehabilitation process to familiarize the cubs with natural hunting behaviors and habitat, said Angela Hernandez-Cusick, a wildlife supervisor at the center.
“That could be anything from the way we work with them, day in and day out, to providing visual barriers,” Hernandez-Cusick said. “We’re monitoring them regularly, but we have to get really creative on how we move forward.”
The mountain lions were released on Sept. 18, without human attachments to speak of.
“We actually don’t name our patients, just because, you know, there comes that attachment,” Hernandez-Cusick said.
Wild mountain lions face constant risks in California, including vehicles, wildfires and habitat encroachment, Hernandez-Cusick said. The wild mountain lion population has significantly decreased over the years, and the species is classified as “near-threatened,” according to the National Wildlife Federation.
“We certainly don’t want them getting into situations where there’s going to be human-wildlife conflict,” Hernandez-Cusick said of the recently released lions. “They’re hopefully less likely to engage with humans.” The hope is that they will not get too close to homes and will stay more in rural areas.
Last year, the California Mountain Lion Project — a research effort headed by academics and environmentalists — revealed that previous projections of the wild mountain lion population in California were incorrect. Instead of 6,000, researchers estimate the population is significantly lower, between 3,200 and 4,500.
A “very mean squirrel” is terrorizing local residents of San Rafael, a city north of San Francisco.
So far, this squirrel has attacked more than five people, two of whom had to receive emergency medical care, according to a flyer describing the incident. Experts say that the behavior is likely due to humans feeding the squirrel when it was younger.
Not rabid, but still terrifying
Fortunately, squirrels rarely carry rabies, which was probably true for this particular squirrel. Regardless, the aggressive encounter has deeply shocked the animal’s unassuming victims. In an interview with ABC News, local resident Joan Heblack recounted how the squirrel suddenly jumped her during her morning walk.
“It came out of nowhere. I didn’t see him running up to me at all,” she said. “It clamped onto my leg. The tail was flying up here. I was like, ‘Get it off me, get off me!’ I didn’t want to touch it.”
Marie Ayoob, who lives a few blocks from Heblack, told KRON4 that her husband was attacked by a squirrel that had been biting into their wooden fence.
Isable Campoy and her niece, Carmen, also encountered the squirrel while walking in a neighborhood. At first, understandably, the pair didn’t feel the need to be wary of the small animal.
“This is beautiful, now it’s following us, until she almost killed me,” Campoy recalled to ABC News. “Squirrel went from the floor tried to jump up to my face, I tried to protect my face, my arm was completely overcome by squirrel.”
Both Heblack and Campoy had to be transported to the emergency room to receive medical attention.
Don’t feed the squirrels
Lisa Bloch with Marin Humane, an animal care nonprofit, told the Associated Press that this behavior has been seen before and is “almost always because someone has been feeding the animal.”
“Unfortunately, the squirrel is most likely approaching people and biting them because he was raised by people, or has been hand-fed by a humans, but is now on his own, uncertain about how to forage, and desperate for food,” a spokesperson for WildCare, a local wildlife hospital and advocacy organization, wrote to KRON4.
“If they associate people with food, they’re not afraid of them,” explained Vanessa Potter, a veterinarian at WildCare, to ABC News. “They will look for food. If they don’t get it, there can be frustrations. They can be territorial of their space.”
Local residents confirmed that the squirrel hadn’t been seen for several days. Bloch added that they did not receive any reports of squirrel attacks for a couple weeks. If they do, however, they will take measures to “remove” the animal from the neighborhood, she said.
DEAR JOAN: We live in an urban area of San Jose, and sometimes at night hear the hooting of an owl of some sort. Recently we heard that repeated hooting, but interspersed with a call that I can only describe as more like a peacock!
Several hoots, followed by a sort of “waahh” then more hoots. I checked on Bird.net, which told me it’s a great horned owl and that females can make more unusual calls such as the one we heard. Is that true? And, we didn’t know that great horned owls live in urban areas!
— Malcolm Smith, San Jose
DEAR MALCOLM: That’s absolutely true. Great horned owls don’t have the repertoire of a song bird, but they do have some range.
The call of the great horned owl is described as hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo, and the female will often add in a one syllable call that is more guttural.
Young owls make a high-pitched demanding squawk when telling their parents they’re hungry. When angry or threatened, the owls make a rapid clicking sound with their beaks.
We have all sorts of wildlife living largely unnoticed in our suburban jungle, which is why it’s important to not do things that might harm them.
DEAR JOAN: One of our cats is a challenge to pill and I have found a different solution that works for us. We have a pill syringe.
We place a pill in the syringe and open our cat’s mouth and with the syringe shoot the pill to the back of the mouth. If you get the pill past the hump of the tongue, the cat has to swallow the pill. The plus to this method is you can’t accidentally put your fingers between the cat’s teeth.
— Scott Gerken, Bay Area
DEAR SCOTT: I’m all for avoiding a cat’s teeth. Thanks for the tip.
DEAR JOAN: Your recent column on a cat not willing to allow flea medication resonated with me.
I needed to figure out a way to trim my cat’s claws without taking her to the vet every time. My cat loves wet food so I put her food into her bowl and immediately grab the trimmer and get to work. I pick up each paw, separate the toes and nip off the sharp ends.
I had to acclimate her to this by rubbing her toes while she scarfed her tasty food. I then started gently getting the trimmer near the claws until I had success. It took about a week but now it’s pretty easy to do.
The wary cat in your column might also benefit from having very tasty kibbles while “mom” gently rubs the spot where flea medication will eventually be applied.
— Celia (and Mimi the cat), Santa Cruz
DEAR CELIA AND MIMI: What a great tip. Thank you.
DEAR JOAN: My technique with my dog is to grind the pill with a mortar and pestle until it is broken down, like fine sand. Then I mix it into wet pet food really well. Usually works really well.
— Steve Kessler, Bay Area
DEAR STEVE: Excellent idea, although I’d check with my vet to see that it’s OK to do that. Some medications are supposed to be given whole.
The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.
A woman was on a road trip when she was stopped by an unexpected roadside attraction: a herd of wild donkeys.
Lin, who posts to TikTok under the username @infinitebbt, took the trip earlier this year as she drove from California to Nevada, and made some unusual friends on the way.
It begins with her car’s alert system warning her about several blockages around her car—and then pans to the window, where two donkeys are watching her.
Multiple donkeys crowd around the car, gazing in the window and interacting with each other. At one point, she shows two more donkeys standing right in the middle of the road.
“Wild burros,” she captioned the video. “They just wanted to say hi!”
Burros are a smaller, wild version of a donkey, and can be found in Nevada on a territory tens of thousands of acres wide, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. They are believed to have entered the United States in the 1500s, where, over centuries, domestic stock eventually became wild due to escape and abandonment.
A reply to a comment from Lin under a subsequent video confirms she was driving in Nevada when she encountered the scene.
TikTok users were fascinated by the video, which has more than 5.2 million likes and a whopping 20 million views.
“I love donkeys so much man,” one happy commenter wrote, as another described them as “nosey” and one declared: “They’re so CUTE.”
“I was expecting a buffalo or something, but the donkeys were an interesting surprise,” another laughed, while one joked about the alert at the start of the video: “I love how the screen makes it look like an active attack.”
And as another admitted: “Why did I think there were zombies attacking the car?”
The alert on Lin’s car. The alert on Lin’s car. TikTok @infinitebbt
The Bureau of Land Management of Nevada advises never to approach or feed wild burros or wild horses. Feeding them is illegal, and can also cause the animals to become habituated, expecting humans to have food for them, which is a risk for both the animals and humans.
In a comment on her video, Lin said she wondered whether the burros approached the car in search of snacks, “but we knew not to feed them.”
Newsweek has contacted @infinitebbt via TikTok for comment on this story.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
REPORTER… JOYCE KIM… SHOWS US WHY THIS EVENT… STILL IT’S A CARMEL TRADITION THAT’S BEEN STANDING TALL – AND THEN WASHED AWAY – FOR MORE THAN SIX DECADES. THE 62ND ANNUAL GREAT SANDCASTLE CONTEST RETURNS TO CARMEL BEACH THIS SUNDAY, AND ORGANIZERS SAY IT’S ALL ABOUT CREATIVITY, COMMUNITY, AND FUN. YES.” BUILDERS OF ALL AGES HIT THE SAND AT HELD ON CARMEL BEACH AS EARLY AS 7 IN THE MORNING TO CREATE THEIR ARTWORKS. “IT’S NOT ONLY CREATIVE, BUT IT’S, I GUESS MAYBE THAT’S PART OF CREATIVITY IS THE IT’S A IT’S A VERY FREE A FREE AND EXPERIENCE.” THIS YEAR’S THEME, “CARMEL’S NATURE,” INVITES CONTESTANTS TO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE CENTRAL COAST’S LANDSCAPES, WILDLIFE, AND NATURAL BEAUTY. “THE WHOLE FUN OF IT IS THE BUILD.IT’S THE IMAGINATION. WITH SAND, YOU CAN CREATE JUST ABOUT ANYTHING. AND IN THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT THAT WE PUT TOGETHER WHERE WE HAVE THE MOMMY OTTER, LOOKING AT HER BABY OTTER WITH THE WAVE COMING UP, AND THEY’RE JUST PLAYING IN THE SURF AND HAVING A GREAT TIME.” THE CONTEST IS HOSTED BY THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY- THE-SEA AND THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS MONTEREY BAY. WIN OR LOSE, THE TIDE WILL TAKE IT ALL AWAY – BUT T
‘With sand, you can create just about anything’: Town hosts legendary sandcastle contest
The 62nd annual Great Sandcastle Contest returned to Carmel Beach in California, Sunday, inviting builders of all ages to showcase their creativity and enjoy a day of community fun.Builders gathered as early as 7 a.m. to craft their sand artworks.Alfred Seccombe said, “It’s not only creative, but it’s, I guess, maybe that’s part of creativity is the it’s a it’s a free experience.”Builders are drawing inspiration from the landscapes, wildlife, and natural beauty of California.”The whole fun of it is the build. It’s the imagination,” Robert Slawinski, a builder, said. “With sand, you can create just about anything.”Slawinski had a family theme in his sandcastle creation. “And in this particular project that we put together, where we have the mommy otter, looking at her baby otter with the wave coming up, and they’re just playing in the surf and having a great time,” he said. The contest is hosted by the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea and the American Institute of Architects Monterey Bay.Win or lose, the tide will take it all away, but the memories will stick.
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. —
The 62nd annual Great Sandcastle Contest returned to Carmel Beach in California, Sunday, inviting builders of all ages to showcase their creativity and enjoy a day of community fun.
Builders gathered as early as 7 a.m. to craft their sand artworks.
Alfred Seccombe said, “It’s not only creative, but it’s, I guess, maybe that’s part of creativity is the it’s a it’s a free experience.”
Builders are drawing inspiration from the landscapes, wildlife, and natural beauty of California.
“The whole fun of it is the build. It’s the imagination,” Robert Slawinski, a builder, said. “With sand, you can create just about anything.”
Slawinski had a family theme in his sandcastle creation.
“And in this particular project that we put together, where we have the mommy otter, looking at her baby otter with the wave coming up, and they’re just playing in the surf and having a great time,” he said.
The contest is hosted by the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea and the American Institute of Architects Monterey Bay.
Win or lose, the tide will take it all away, but the memories will stick.
Hearts have melted at a pair of golden retrievers who were determined to make best friends with otters at a recent trip to the zoo.
Four-year-old Charlie, and Mollie the golden puppy who is less than a year old, recently joined their owners for a day out to a wildlife park in Washington, where they befriended a pair of otters.
Becca McCloskey, curator at Northwest Trek Safari Park, explained to Newsweek: “These otters are extremely curious, playful, and perceptive to changes in their environment, so when Northwest Trek had our first-ever Dog Days event, they were just as excited as the dogs were.”
And it’s clear from a viral video on their TikTok account, @charlie.and.mollie on September 6, that the dogs had a day they won’t soon forget.
In a clip viewed more than 400,000 times, goldens Charlie and Mollie stand at the glass walls where the river otters live, staring into the water excitedly, and moving from side to side for the best view.
And all of a sudden, an otter comes right up to the glass and begins interacting with them, soon joined by a second otter. They swim up and down, put their paws on the glass, and appear to be trying to play with the dogs on the other side of the glass.
The dogs react excitedly, their noses pushed against the glass and their tails wagging furiously, as their owner can be heard giggling behind the camera.
McCloskey told Newsweek: “Otters and dogs may not be close relatives, but they share plenty of body language cues; in this case, curiosity and fun won the day.”
She identified the two otters in the video as sisters Blakely and Oakley, who “are active and curious for much of the day, but also enjoy taking long naps, cuddled together in their den.
“They love interacting with their caretakers who provide frequent novel enrichment and training experiences to challenge their eager minds.”
TikTok users loved it, awarding the video more than 86,000 likes, as one commenter joked: “Land puppies, meet water puppies.”
“Hello water dogs! Am land dog!” another said, as another admitted: “I would kill to hear the inner monologue of both the dogs and the otters.”
And as another put it: “Goldens will befriend anyone, haha.”
River otters are highly intelligent and have tight social bonds with each other, according to conservation organization Mass Audubon. They are known to work in teams when hunting, and communicate with chirps, growls, whistles and body language.
Golden retrievers, meanwhile, are known to be among the friendliest breeds of dog, showing huge affection towards families, and getting along well with young children and other dogs, according to the American Kennel Club.
Mollie and Charlie interacting with the otters. Mollie and Charlie interacting with the otters. TikTok @charlie.and.mollie
In a video update, Charlie and Mollie’s owner explained they were on a day out at Eatonville, Washington’s Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. On September 4, the park hosted a Dog Days event, which allowed leashed dogs to join their humans for a trip to the zoo. More Dog Days are planned for the wildlife park in 2026.
A poster for the event playfully advised that, during the event, “dogs must keep their humans on leash at all times.”
Newsweek has contacted @charlie.and.mollie via TikTok for comment on this story.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
A Colorado wolf that died this spring in the northwest corner of the state was likely struck by a car, state officials announced Tuesday.
An investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that the wolf “died from blunt force trauma sustained during a suspected vehicle collision,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release. CPW received a mortality alert from the wolf’s collar on May 31.
The male wolf, identified by the number 2507, was one of 15 captured in Canada and released in Colorado in January as part of the state’s voter-mandated reintroduction program.
Five of the 15 wolves brought to the state in January have died, including two that were shot in Wyoming.
Twenty-one collared wolves currently roam Colorado and at least 10 pups were born this summer in the state’s four packs.
The Trump administration on Wednesday took formal steps to rescind a decades-old rule that protects 58.5 million acres of wild areas in national forests, including 4.4 million acres in California.
United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agency will publish a notice of intent in the Federal Register on Friday to roll back the so-called Roadless Rule, initiating a 21-day public comment period and moving the process closer to reality.
“We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands,” Rollins said in a statement. (The USDA oversees the U.S. Forest Service.)
The rule was enacted by the Clinton administration in 2001 after years of work and record-breaking input from the public. It established lasting protection for specified wilderness areas within national forests by prohibiting road construction and logging, which can destroy or disrupt habitats, increase erosion and worsen sediment pollution in drinking water, among other outcomes.
Rollins previously announced the agency’s intention to eliminate the Roadless Rule in June, saying at the time that the action would enable the federal government to better manage fire risk and timber production in the national forests.
The action is in keeping with the Trump administration’s efforts to loosen environmental regulations. Trump in April issued an executive order to immediately expand timber cutting in the United States, while the Environmental Protection Agency has announced more than 30 actions to repeal rules on power plants, vehicle emissions, air pollution and efforts to curb planet-warming greenhouse gases.
“This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America,” Rollins said Wednesday. “It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come.”
The Roadless Rule touches forest areas in more than 40 states. In her announcement, Rollins said the rescission would not apply to Colorado and Idaho, which underwent separate rulemaking processes to create state-specific roadless rules. In total, the rescission would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the nearly 60 million acres of inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest system, she said.
In California, the rule encompasses about 4.4 million acres across 31 national forests, including the Angeles, Tahoe, Inyo, Shasta-Trinity and Los Padres national forests. Roadless Rule areas are distinct from designated wilderness, such as the six wilderness areas in the Angeles National Forest, which are established by acts of Congress and can only be undone by acts of Congress.
Environmental groups were outraged by the development. The nonprofit group Defenders of Wildlife noted that roadless areas provide a critical safe haven for wildlife — supporting more than 220 species protected under the Endangered Species Act, which the Trump administration has also moved to narrow.
“The Roadless Rule is one of the best ideas the U.S. Forest Service has ever had and repealing it is one of the worst,” said Vera Smith, national forests and public lands program director at Defenders of Wildlife, in a statement. “This move will literally pave the way for the timber industry to clearcut backcountry forests that house endangered wildlife and are source waters for important fisheries and communities.”
Chris Wood, president and chief executive of the conservation group Trout Unlimited, said roadless areas account for only 2% of the land base of the United States but provide unprecedented access to the outdoors and a safe haven for about 70% of native trout and salmon. Wood, who helped develop the Roadless Rule while working as a senior policy advisor at the Forest Service, said he would welcome a transparent and collaborative process to determine whether tweaks to the rule could improve it.
“Rather than rescinding the Roadless Rule and allowing that chaos to unfold, we encourage the Forest Service to work with stakeholders to develop solutions that continue to protect roadless areas and intact fish and wildlife habitat,” Wood said.
The Roadless Rule underwent considerable public input when it was implemented in 2001, receiving a record 1.6 million public comments, and tens of thousands of people participated in hundreds of public meetings, according to the Environment California Research and Policy Center.
“California’s wild forests are essential and beloved public lands and the Forest Service should not open them up to roads and development,” the group’s state director, Laura Deehan, said in a statement. “The still-wild parts of our national forests enable us to fully immerse ourselves in nature, whether hiking in the Sierras, stargazing in Lassen or spotting wildlife in Mendocino.”
Deehan added that the Roadless Rule also promotes healthy fish populations, and that unspoiled forests serve as better filters for clean water.
“It is more important to protect these lands than to get a little more pulp for paper, or to build one more mine or one more road,” she said. “Let’s keep our wild forests wild.”
The public will be invited to comment on the USDA’s proposal until Sept. 19.
A federal judge has ordered the State of Florida to halt all new construction and dismantle infrastructure at a migrant detention camp in the Big Cypress National Preserve within 60 days, following a lawsuit from environmental groups.The injunction was issued after Friends of the Everglades, Inc. and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit arguing that the project violates environmental laws and threatens sensitive ecosystems.The lawsuit, filed on June 27, seeks to halt construction until compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) assumed control of the airport on June 23, and construction commenced without a prior environmental assessment.Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the federal government had requested and would fully fund the center. Plaintiffs contend that the camp’s construction risks harming wetlands, wildlife, and air and water quality in the preserve, which is critical for endangered species and is located near Everglades National Park.A Motion for Preliminary Injunction was filed to prevent development until NEPA and APA compliance.FDEM Deputy Executive Director Keith Pruett said, “Florida is funding the project, expecting federal reimbursement, and believes the environmental impact will be minimal due to the airport’s existing infrastructure.” Representative Dr. Anna V. Eskamani served as an expert witness on this case, and below is her statement in response:“Today’s injunction is a resounding victory for Florida’s environment and for justice. The Everglades is one of the most unique and fragile ecosystems in the world, and the idea of carving it up for a sprawling detention camp was both reckless and cruel. This ruling protects our wetlands, our wildlife, and our water supply, while also affirming that we cannot sacrifice human dignity for political gain. Florida deserves solutions that protect people and the planet — not projects that devastate both.”WESH 2 has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. We have not heard back yet.
FLORIDA, USA —
A federal judge has ordered the State of Florida to halt all new construction and dismantle infrastructure at a migrant detention camp in the Big Cypress National Preserve within 60 days, following a lawsuit from environmental groups.
The injunction was issued after Friends of the Everglades, Inc. and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit arguing that the project violates environmental laws and threatens sensitive ecosystems.
The lawsuit, filed on June 27, seeks to halt construction until compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) assumed control of the airport on June 23, and construction commenced without a prior environmental assessment.
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You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION ISSUED ON THE EVERGLADES IMMIGRANT DETENTION CAMP!
The State of Florida must halt ALL NEW CONSTRUCTION, cannot bring *any* new detainees, and in 60 days they must dismantle the fencing, lighting and other infrastructure as the population diminishes. pic.twitter.com/bUqdPHOlQB
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, PhD 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) August 22, 2025
Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the federal government had requested and would fully fund the center. Plaintiffs contend that the camp’s construction risks harming wetlands, wildlife, and air and water quality in the preserve, which is critical for endangered species and is located near Everglades National Park.
A Motion for Preliminary Injunction was filed to prevent development until NEPA and APA compliance.
FDEM Deputy Executive Director Keith Pruett said, “Florida is funding the project, expecting federal reimbursement, and believes the environmental impact will be minimal due to the airport’s existing infrastructure.”
Representative Dr. Anna V. Eskamani served as an expert witness on this case, and below is her statement in response:
“Today’s injunction is a resounding victory for Florida’s environment and for justice. The Everglades is one of the most unique and fragile ecosystems in the world, and the idea of carving it up for a sprawling detention camp was both reckless and cruel. This ruling protects our wetlands, our wildlife, and our water supply, while also affirming that we cannot sacrifice human dignity for political gain. Florida deserves solutions that protect people and the planet — not projects that devastate both.”
WESH 2 has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. We have not heard back yet.
An open door provided an invitation that a mountain lion appeared to happily accept in La Verne.
Security camera video shows the mountain lion stroll up a walkway and into the San Gabriel Valley house as if it owns the place.
The family said the door was left open to let the dog out. The mountain lion then went into the back yard and fell in the pool before leaving the property.
La Verne is about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, located south of the 210 Freeway and the San Gabriel Mountains to the north.
There are about 4,000 to 6,000 mountain lions in California, but wildlife officials call that a crude estimate without an ongoing statewide study. More than half of the state is considered prime habitat for the big cats, which can be found wherever deer are present.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife receives hundreds of mountain lion sighting reports each year. Few result in mountain lions being identified as posing an imminent threat to public safety, the department said. Mountain lion attacks on humans are extremely rare and their nature is to avoid humans.
Here’s a full list of recommendations from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife of what to do during a mountain lion encounter.
Do not hike, bike, or jog alone. Stay alert on trails.
Avoid hiking or jogging when mountain lions are most active – dawn, dusk, and at night.
Keep a close watch on small children.
Off leash dogs on trails are at increased risk of becoming prey for a mountain lion.
Never approach a mountain lion. Give them an escape route.
DO NOT RUN. Stay calm. Running may trigger chase, catch and kill response. Do not turn your back. Face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger by waving your arms, or opening your jacket if wearing one; throw rocks or other objects. Pick up small children.
Do not crouch down or bend over. Squatting puts you in a vulnerable position of appearing much like a 4-legged prey animal.
Be vocal; however, speak calmly and do not use high pitched tones or high pitch screams.
Teach others how to behave during an encounter. Anyone who runs may initiate an attack.
If a lion attacks, fight back. Research on mountain lion attacks suggests that many potential victims have fought back successfully with rocks, sticks, garden tools, even an ink pen or bare hands. Try to stay on your feet. If knocked down, try to protect head and neck.
If a mountain lion attacks a person, immediately call 911.
Report unusual mountain lion behavior to your local CDFW regional office.
TAMPA, Fla., December 9, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Explorers with Live Wildly, a non-profit dedicated to raising public awareness of the importance of wildlife corridor conservation, will spend four days paddling nearly 50 miles across the Okefenokee Swamp to discover the animals, ecosystems, and people that bridge the geographic boundaries between Florida and Georgia.
During the journey, Live Wildly explorers will look for such species as black bear, Gopher tortoise, and red-cockaded woodpeckers to demonstrate the vital importance of protecting natural corridors across Georgia and Florida.
“Nature doesn’t recognize geo-political boundaries,” said Aaron Rickel Jones, Live Wildly’s communications director. “Wildlife doesn’t know when it crosses over state lines. Collaborative land management practices across counties and states will ensure these ecosystems remain intact and connected for generations to come.”
Sara Sheehy, Live Wildly’s Lead Adventurist, added: “At Live Wildly, we work to connect people to the wild places around them. We can only protect what we love, and we love what we can experience and understand.”
The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the most intact and untouched wetlands in the world. Covering nearly 700 square miles, it serves as the headwaters for the Suwannee and St. Marys rivers and provides habitat to more than 400 animal species and more than 600 plant species. The vast majority of the swamp lies within Georgia, but with Florida’s Osceola National Forest directly south of the swamp, there is a natural connection into the Florida Wildlife Corridor which stretches 18 million acres across the Panhandle and down to the Everglades.
Established by state lawmakers in 2021, the Florida Wildlife Corridor is the nation’s largest statewide conservation effort of its kind. Many of the animals found in Florida’s Wildlife Corridor can also be found in the Okefenokee Swamp, including black bears, American alligators, gopher frogs, and barred owls, among others.
Live Wildly’s four-day paddling journey will be guided by Okefenokee Adventures, part of the Okefenokee Swamp Park and Adventures, a non-profit conservation education organization.
“Our mission at Okefenokee Adventures is to provide a deeper connection to nature through ecotourism,” said Kim Bednerak, Executive Director of Okefenokee Swamp Park and Adventures. “Sharing the importance of conservation with visitors ensures the Okefenokee Swamp remains an iconic part of America’s natural heritage.”
Each day, the paddlers will venture through a mosaic of marshes, prairies, and ancient cypress forests before setting up camp to sleep under the stars, listening to the wildlife that surrounds them.
The four-day trip will end in the Suwannee River, home to manatees, alligators, snapping turtles, bald eagles, and gopher tortoises.
Many of the species in the Okefenokee and the Florida Wildlife Corridor face threats from habitat destruction and fragmentation. Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the country with more than 1,200 people moving to the state each day. And with this expanding population comes expanded urban development that threatens to forever erase Florida’s natural areas and working lands.
Only about 10 million acres of the Florida Wildlife Corridor are currently conserved with another 8 million considered “opportunity areas” in need of protection.
The paddle expedition is part of Live Wildly’s campaign to build a grassroots movement to cherish and protect wild Florida and its natural connections with other states. Live Wildly’s first conservation priority is ensuring the full protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Through partnerships with state parks, communities and other organizations – such as Okefenokee Adventures – Live Wildly wants to inspire people to get outdoors and understand the vital role nature plays in their daily lives.
To learn more about the Live Wildly explorers who are joining the four-day paddling trip, see their bios below.
George McKenzie Jr. is a Live Wildly Adventurist and National Geographic Explorer who uses his camera to advocate for wildlife conservation. He specializes in camera trap photography, and his work showcases natural history and conservation efforts, shining a light on human interests and wildlife narratives worldwide. His storytelling has captured the hearts of diverse audiences and inspired action. George has worked with leading commercial and editorial entities, including FjallRaven, Honda, Tribeca Film Festival, HBO, Nike, National Geographic Magazine, and National Geographic Society. Besides his photographic pursuits, George dedicates himself to education by mentoring young people in his community and beyond, nurturing the next generation of storytellers.
“Embarking on a 4-day, 3-night expedition across the Okefenokee Swamp to the Suwannee River is a dream come true for a wildlife photographer. The swamp is alive with stories-ancient cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, the silent glide of an alligator at sunrise, and the haunting calls of sandhill cranes echoing through the mist. Every corner of the Okefenokee offers the chance to capture moments that connect us to the raw, untamed beauty of this unique ecosystem. It’s not just photography; it’s a journey into the soul of the wild.”
George McKenzie Jr.
Lauren Yoho is a photographer and conservationist, primarily working in her home state of Florida. She has worked in Florida’s swamps for years and is excited about expanding her exploration to Georgia, and for the opportunity to take her first expedition in North America’s largest blackwater swamp. Lauren is looking forward to seeing wildlife and the abundant plant species native to the Okefenokee. She is most interested in learning more about the threats to the Okefenokee Swamp through water and the surrounding lands.
Aaron Rickel Jones is a documentary filmmaker and the communications director at Live Wildly. He’s been telling stories from the mountains and forests for over a decade, focusing his last year of work on exploring Florida’s wild lands and natural ecosystems. He is thrilled for the opportunity to bring cameras into one of America’s most iconic ecological treasures and explore ways that the Okefenokee Swamp connects to the greater natural landscape of the Southeast.
Sara Sheehy is an adventurer and storyteller with a passion for wild places. As Live Wildly’s Lead Adventurist and storytelling director, she crafts stories that help people fall in love with the world around them. Sara’s work has supported conservation outcomes for 20 years, including contributing to impact-driven projects with National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy, and the Appalachian Mountain Club. Sara is excited to experience the beauty of the Okefenokee Swamp and especially the serenity of sunrises and sunsets from our expedition campsites.
ABOUT LIVE WILDLY FOUNDATION
Founded in 2022, the Live Wildly Foundation applies an entrepreneurial approach to protecting wild Florida while seeking to balance smart growth, a robust economy, and a connected, resilient landscape. Through creating diverse coalitions, fostering collaboration, and empowering stakeholders to advance conservation efforts, Live Wildly strives to achieve a harmonious and sustainable future in which economic prosperity coexists with a thriving and resilient ecological landscape. Their first priority is the Florida Wildlife Corridor. This 18-million-acre wildlife superhighway is a model for public-private partnership, citizen advocacy, and grassroots support. Live Wildly encourages people to ‘Join the Movement’ to protect wild Florida. For more information, please visit www.livewildly.com.
Online, November 21, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Woodland Park Zoo is pleased to announce a $7.15 million grant from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) to advance and expand the zoo’s Advancing Empathy Initiative that fosters empathy for animals in Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited organizations.
This three-year grant continues the zoo’s long-term partnership with MACP and organizations across the country to build strong empathic connections between humans and animals through research-based effective empathy practices while also amplifying the zoo’s mission to save wildlife and inspire everyone to make conservation a priority in their lives.
Emerging behavioral science is showing that there are social and emotional components to changing our behaviors. Feeling empathy is an often overlooked but necessary step between learning about the need for change and taking action on behalf of another. Empathy allows people to connect their concern for the wellbeing of animals to the importance of acting in caring ways, including conserving the environment upon which both people and animals depend.
“Millions of people each year visit AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums. We believe that building empathy is among the most powerful tools in our toolbox for galvanizing care and compassion for animals,” said Alejandro Grajal, PhD, President and CEO of Woodland Park Zoo. “Bringing people and animals closer is an innate strength of our field. By providing close encounters with animals, our institutions are uniquely positioned to help visitors feel empathy for wildlife, increase understanding of how animals are cared for, and encourage visitors to actively participate in our wildlife conservation efforts.”
Woodland Park Zoo’s leadership in advancing empathy learnings and best practices within the zoo and aquarium community spans more than a decade. At the heart of this effort today is the Advancing Conservation through Empathy (ACE) for Wildlife™ Network, which began with 20 founding AZA-accredited partners in Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. The Network has since expanded to 27 network partner organizations across 13 states and has grown to include more than 550 participating professionals across five continents. Founded and led by Woodland Park Zoo, with philanthropic funding from MACP, the ACE for Wildlife Network facilitates professional collaboration and catalyzes accredited zoos and aquariums’ capacities to develop, implement, and measure the impact of empathy programming. (For a full list of participating Network partners, see below.)
With this new round of grant funding, the ACE for Wildlife Network will continue to identify and disseminate effective empathy practices – such as Woodland Park Zoo’s kea enrichment program with the zoo’s kea TepTep and Jean Luc, where guests learn about these highly intelligent parrots, their food and enrichment preferences. Visitors step into the birds’ feathers to think about the animals’ perspective and needs and are given supplies to make them clever puzzles to hide treats. By observing the kea as they explore, play and problem-solve, guests can relate and build a sense of connection to these birds, and that connection is critical to fostering empathy.
“We’re so proud of this innovative community of zoos and aquariums that is guiding our field into a new era of relationships between people and animals, while collectively impacting more than 17.5 million zoo visitors and program participants across the ACE for Wildlife™ Network partners,” said Marta Burnet, PhD, Director of Advancing Empathy at Woodland Park Zoo. “Our development of leading-edge empathy programs and rapid-response evaluation of their impact equips our institutions to more deeply engage visitors in conservation efforts while consistently applying new learnings to our practice. Ultimately, our holistic aim is to strengthen our guests’ empathy muscles through connections with animals, nature and each other.”
During the three-year grant period, Woodland Park Zoo’s Advancing Empathy Initiative will re-grant $3.6 million to the Network’s founding partners, who are already developing pioneering programs and continuing to expand their influence across our field nationally and internationally. For example, Racine Zoo used a previous grant to develop a virtual animal encounter program that gives school children the opportunity to meet, learn about and name a Madagascar hissing cockroach – the most popular and frequently highlighted was named Georgia by a group of kids. Giving an animal a name is an important method for fostering empathy because it helps individualize the animal. Zoo staff utilize empathy best practices during these educational encounters – including describing Georgia’s unique personality traits and engaging students in perspective-taking – that can build positive attitudes towards underappreciated species.
Thanks to grant funding from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, the ACE for Wildlife Network offers free resources and effective empathy-building practices online at www.aceforwildlife.org.
About Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) provides meaningful assistance to society, the arts, and the environment. Based in Minnesota, MACP is the umbrella over two grantmaking foundations: Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and Anne Ray Foundation. Rooted in guidance from our founder Margaret Cargill, we engage with strategic partners to support work that makes a lasting difference for communities, with particular attention to overlooked causes. Our global funding spans seven domains connected through common strategies and approaches: Animal Welfare, Arts & Cultures, Disaster Relief & Recovery, Environment, Legacy & Opportunity, Quality of Life, and Teachers & Students. The collective assets of MACP place it among the largest philanthropies in the United States.
This new grant supports Woodland Park Zoo’s vision to reimagine zoos through its 2018 through 2025 Strategic Plan. With the goal of being a catalyst for conservation, Woodland Park Zoo has undertaken a bold $110 million Forests for All comprehensive fundraising campaign to bring its Strategic Plan to life, which has already been supported by more than 110,000 donors with generous gifts at every level. To learn more about the Forests for All campaign, please visit www.zoo.org/forestsforall.
List of ACE for Wildlife Network Partner Organizations
Akron Zoo, Alaska SeaLife Center, Blank Park Zoo, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, Conservation Society of California/Oakland Zoo, Dakota Zoo, Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, Henry Vilas Zoo, Idaho Falls Zoo, International Crane Foundation, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Lake Superior Zoo, Minnesota Zoo, NEW Zoo & Adventure Park, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Racine Zoo, Red River Zoo, Roosevelt Park Zoo, San Diego Wildlife Alliance, Seattle Aquarium, Saint Louis Zoo, Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Zoo Boise, Zoological Society of Milwaukee, ZooMontana
