At the Crossroads of Humans and Wildlife

This page will focus on interactions between humans and wildlife; human-wildlife conflict, poaching, trophy hunting, and anything else that occurs at the crossroads of humans and wildlife. Enjoy! 

[wildlife-pirate]

[wildlife-pirate]

[wildlife-pirate]

At the Crossroads of Humans and Wildlife turned 2 today!

[musicalbunny]

I think this is necessary to post. I see a lot of people “saving” bunnies.

“*Bunnies are one of the most frequently “kidnapped” mammal species. *Mothers dig a very shallow nest in the ground that is easily uncovered when mowing or raking the yard. If you find a rabbit nest-leave it alone!! *Mother rabbits only return to the nest two or three times a day, usually before dawn and right after dusk.  *To determine if they are orphaned, either place a string across the nest in a tic-tac-toe shape or circle the nest with flour. Check the nest the next day. If the string or flour is disturbed, the mother has returned. If not, take the bunnies to a rehabilitator. * A bunny that is bright eyed and 4-5 inches long is fully independent and does NOT need to be rescued! *If you find a bunny that does need to be rescued, put it in a dark, quiet location. Bunnies are a prey species and while they may look calm, they are actually very, very scared!”

[flashinglightsandecstasy]

Never knew this, keeping this for reference

[kazuha159]

As a student of Veterinary Medicine I can completely confirm this! Do NOT take them out of their nest unless you’re 100% sure that the mother did not come back for them after at least one day!

[birdandmoon]

This week at YourWildCity.com: an amazing story about plant adaptation.

Read more in The Wild Things Guide to the Changing Plants of the British Isles.

[asapscience]

Cool! 

[species-endangered]

Japan Railways build ‘Turtle Tunnels’ 

Keep reading

[breathinginbiology]

TURTLE TUNNELS.

[wildlife-pirate]

Signs on Lochinver to Stoer road warn of migrating toads -

[beautiful-wildlife]

Mesmerizing Eyes by Pramod Kumar P Laxmin

Kabini , Nagarhole ( Rajiv Gandhi) National Park, Karnataka, India 

[wildlife-pirate]

Pangolin fact: All pangolins are secretly t-rexes. They walk on their hind legs when they need to go “fast,” with their tiny forelimbs off the ground. This is because their front limbs have huge excavating claws that get in the way, and could get damaged when they’re really on the move. This ability to switch back and forth is called facultative bipedalism. 

Learn more about pangolins, and World Pangolin Day at worldpangolinday.org

[todayinsharknews]

Feds Want To Hear From You About Whitetip Sharks

The National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a petition from Defenders of Wildlife that seeks to protect oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) under the federal Endangered Species Act. On Jan. 12, NMFS announced in the Federal Register that it had concluded its initial 90-day review of the petition, finding that the petition …

[todayinsharknews]

Feds Want To Hear From You About Whitetip Sharks

The National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a petition from Defenders of Wildlife that seeks to protect oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) under the federal Endangered Species Act. On Jan. 12, NMFS announced in the Federal Register that it had concluded its initial 90-day review of the petition, finding that the petition …

[rjzimmerman]

This Saturday is World Pangolin Day!

From the Center for Biological Diversity:

Pangolins – the scaly, adorable anteaters found in Africa and across Asia – are in serious trouble. All eight species of these obscure critters are at risk of disappearing due to a massive and growing demand for their meat and scales. Demand is so high that these armored marvels have become the world’s most trafficked mammals. That’s why we’re helping to celebrate World Pangolin Day this Saturday – to raise awareness of the animals’ plight.

Last year the Center and a coalition of wildlife groups petitioned the U.S. government to list seven pangolin species as “endangered” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (the eighth species, a native of Africa, is already protected), but the fight is far from finished.

More pangolin stuff:

[currentsinbiology]

The Raven, the Original Goth, Makes a Home in New York

Ravens superficially look like crows, but are far larger and leaner, flying gracefully with a rowing motion. Perhaps the most obvious identifying feature is the raven’s wedge-shaped tail, but its prominent black bill is also notable. Interestingly, though ravens are very social, they are less gregarious than crows, and are generally seen by themselves or in pairs.

Though the common raven (Corvus corax) thrives in both rural and urban settings, it has only recently reappeared in New York City. It is likely that breeding birds existed in fair numbers before the clearing of woodlands for agriculture and settlement, but it was only in 2010 that a pair was observed nesting on an old water tower in Queens. Since then, ravens have been sighted in all five boroughs.

A raven photographed in East Harlem.Credit: Charles Smith

[wildlife-pirate]

Today (2/21) is World Pangolin Day! 

[wildlife-pirate]

Pangolin fact: All pangolins are secretly t-rexes. They walk on their hind legs when they need to go “fast,” with their tiny forelimbs off the ground. This is because their front limbs have huge excavating claws that get in the way, and could get damaged when they’re really on the move. This ability to switch back and forth is called facultative bipedalism. 

Learn more about pangolins, and World Pangolin Day at worldpangolinday.org

[rjzimmerman]

Decades after the state reintroduced wild turkeys, recent encounters have alarmed some human residents of the state.

Excerpt:

In some neighborhoods of this placid New Jersey borough in Bergen County, they are seemingly everywhere — waddling by the dozen in the road, perched on car roofs, pecking at the tires of delivery trucks.

But wild turkeys, which were wiped out in the state by the mid-1800s, put on their most brazen display on Tuesday, when a letter carrier felt trapped in his truck and telephoned his boss for help.

“Hey sarge,” the postmaster said in a 911 call to the Hillsdale Police Department. “You’re not going to believe this, but I got a carrier that’s being attacked by wild turkeys and won’t let him deliver the mail.”

While New Jersey environmental officials say they are unaware of anyone’s being physically harmed by a turkey, the large birds are intimidating. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection, which reintroduced turkeys to the state in the 1970s, says that there are now about 25,000 statewide. “It’s a success story,” said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the environmental agency.

Turkey attack in New Jersey in this 2009 video:

[rjzimmerman]

Federal wildlife officials recommended Friday that three fox subspecies native to California’s Channel Islands be removed from the endangered species list, saying their populations have made an historic recovery.The foxes on islands lyin

Fox pups nuzzle in the ground at Quail Valley on Santa Catalina Island. 2015 file photo. (Julie Lynn King / Catalina Island Conservancy)

Excerpt:

Federal wildlife officials recommended Friday that three fox subspecies native to California’s Channel Islands be removed from the endangered species list, saying their populations have made an historic recovery.

The foxes on islands lying just off the state’s southern coast were once on the brink of extinction.

“We’ve been able to stop impairment and recover a species,” said Russell Galipeau, superintendent of Channel Islands National Park, which encompasses five of the archipelago’s eight islands.

Four fox subspecies that live on Santa Catalina, San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands were placed on the endangered species list in 2004. Disease and predators had dramatically reduced their populations.

Officials said Friday the fox populations have now recovered to self-sustaining levels. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is calling their resurgence the fastest successful recovery of any mammal listed under the Endangered Species Act.

As of last year, there were 520 native foxes on San Miguel and 874 on Santa Rosa, according to the group Friends of the Island Fox. The number of foxes on Santa Cruz Island had risen to 1,750.