endangered species

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Polar Bear Shot After 200-Mile Swim

It was the first to arrive in Iceland for 15 years

(Newser) - Police in Iceland shot dead a polar bear that swam more than 200 miles to reach the island nation, the Guardian reports. The bear, thought to be the first to reach Iceland since 1993, probably came from Greenland or a floating chunk of Arctic ice. Authorities said they had to...

Quake-Rattled Pandas Get Hugs, Bamboo

Bears recovering with help from keepers

(Newser) - Zookeepers are helping pandas traumatized by the Sichuan earthquake get back to normal with hugs and games, the Guardian reports. Eight young pandas have been sent to Beijing Zoo and 47 more remain at the Wolong reserve, where the deputy chief said the animals' appetites are back to normal, but...

Sure, Pat That Nose— It's Only a Great White

The feared predator is sociable, curious, and will let you ride its fin

(Newser) - Want to pat a great white shark's nose? Or ride its fin for 100 yards? Experts say the much-feared predators are so sociable and curious, you can swim with them or even tread water by their open jaws. "Unlike most fish, white sharks are intelligent, highly inquisitive creatures,"...

Tasmania Moving Its Devils
 Tasmania Moving Its Devils 
May 28, 2008 1:22 PM CDT

Tasmania Moving Its Devils

As cancer decimates critters, Aussies quarantine them on old prison peninsula

(Newser) - The Australian government is stepping in to prevent the Tasmanian Devil from extinction, the Wall Street Journal reports, as the ill-tempered beasties have been dying off thanks to the world’s first contagious cancer, which they transfer by biting each other in the face. So zoologists are now working to...

Wolves, Back From Brink, Are Targets Again

Environmental groups sue after feds remove species' protected tag

(Newser) - A success story is at risk of turning into a bloodbath as gray wolves, newly removed from the US endangered-species list, are no longer protected from being hunted outside national parks. A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Bush administration, claiming that the wolves still need protection in the...

Six Pandas Moved From Rattled Reserve

Damaged shelters and little food prompt transfer

(Newser) - Six hungry pandas have been transferred to a new reserve in southwest China in the wake of the region's massive earthquake, AFP reports. Their shelters damaged and food scarce, the giant pandas were moved from the renowned Wolong breeding center; eight others will be sent to Beijing tomorrow ahead of...

Ocean Sharks Face Extinction
 Ocean Sharks Face Extinction 
May 22, 2008 1:40 PM CDT

Ocean Sharks Face Extinction

Study finds severe effects of intentional, unintentional fishing

(Newser) - Ocean sharks are threatened with extinction, with 11 species designated “high-risk” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and five more also in danger. Sharks are dwindling from intentional fishing, which targets them for their meat and fins, and “bycatch” fishing that lands them in nets meant...

Everglades Wildfire Claims 33,000 Acres

Blaze threatens endangered sparrow, homes

(Newser) - Nearly 33,000 acres of Florida's Everglades National Park were burning yesterday with only 20% of the blaze contained, CNN reports. A dense smoke warning was in effect in parts of southern Florida as flames threatened an endangered sparrow species and private property. The fire is the latest in a...

Wildlife Populations Plunging
 Wildlife Populations Plunging 
May 16, 2008 8:25 AM CDT

Wildlife Populations Plunging

One of 'great extinction episodes in history' unfolding: report

(Newser) - Humanity is rapidly wiping out the planet's species, sending wildlife populations plunging, the BBC reports. Pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing have cut wildlife numbers as much as a third since 1970 and wipe out 1% of species each year. One of the "great extinction episodes" in Earth's history also...

US Classifies Polar Bears as 'Threatened'

First species to be listed as endangered by global warming

(Newser) - After 15 months of deliberation, the Interior Department will declare polar bears “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, officials told the AP today. The decision will reportedly cite internal scientific studies which project that melting Arctic ice could nearly wipe out the animals by 2050.

Endangered Frogs Find Their Noah

Amphibian Ark project aims to save 500 imperiled species

(Newser) - Half of all frog species are in danger of extinction, and conservationists are taking a page from the Bible in working to preserve them. A program called Amphibian Ark has named 2008 the Year of the Frog, and is working with zoos to harbor endangered species, including some that have...

Save a Food From Extinction: Eat It for Dinner

'Food coalitions' aim to keep ingredients, recipes key to US heritage in circulation

(Newser) - Vanishing culinary breeds are getting a new lease on life, thanks to the efforts of an ethnobotanist with an interest in America's foodie past, the New York Times reports. While Makah ozette potato sounds like a "Final Jeopardy" answer, the once-endangered vegetable is one of the many culinary artifacts...

Canada Declares Polar Bears 'At Risk'

Bears not quite endangered but still require protection

(Newser) - Canada has classified polar bears as a species of “special concern” requiring legislative protection, the BBC reports. While the panel of experts stopped short of declaring the bears endangered, it said that melting ice and hunting problems had put the bears in jeopardy. Canada is home to 15,000...

Cloning Could Save Rare Rhino
 Cloning Could Save Rare Rhino 
Apr 18, 2008 3:00 AM CDT

Cloning Could Save Rare Rhino

Geneticists make last-gasp effort to pull white rhino back from the brink

(Newser) - Faced with a wild population of northern white rhinos that can be counted on the fingers of one hand, scientists are turning to cloning in a last-ditch effort to save the species, the Independent reports. In a technique that could be used to pull other species back from the brink...

'Mythical' Giant Turtle Found in Vietnam

Animal, thought to be extinct, is the stuff of legend

(Newser) - A giant turtle thought to be extinct has been found in northern Vietnam, the AP reports. Scientists from the Cleveland Zoo discovered the Swinhoe's soft-shelled turtle when they followed up reports from villagers of a mythical creature living in a lake. Vietnamese legend tells of a huge turtle that helped...

Greenhouse Gases Destroying Koalas' Food

Extinction threat as eucalyptus becomes inedible

(Newser) - The koala and its marsupial cousins are in serious danger of extinction because greenhouse gases are rendering the eucalyptus leaves they rely on nutritionally worthless, reports the Australian. "What we're seeing is that the staple diet of these animals is being turned to leather," a professor said. "...

Heart Disease Is Killing Caged Gorillas

Experts try to treat mystery ailment in US zoos

(Newser) - Gorillas in US zoos are dying from heart disease, and no one knows why, the AP reports. Zookeepers and scientists started a nationwide “Gorilla Health Project” 2 years ago to probe the causes of fibrosing cardiomyopathy, a condition that turns heart muscle into useless fibers and has left scores...

Hunters Take Aim at Gray Wolf
 Hunters Take Aim at Gray Wolf 
Mar 29, 2008 9:35 PM CDT

Hunters Take Aim at Gray Wolf

Animal no longer under federal protection in northern Rockies

(Newser) - Hunters in the northern Rockies will soon take aim at a rare target—the gray wolf. The animal lost its protected species status in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming yesterday, and wildlife agencies in the region are looking to reduce the population by granting hunting licenses for the first time since...

Deadly Disease Ravaging Bats
 Deadly Disease Ravaging Bats  
Mar 25, 2008 5:57 AM CDT

Deadly Disease Ravaging Bats

Puzzling 'white nose syndrome' may be deadliest ever

(Newser) - A mysterious syndrome is wiping out colonies of hibernating bats and baffling biologists, the New York Times reports. Experts don't know what causes the "white nose syndrome" or how it spreads, but they warn that bat populations in the Northeast are being devastated. Field researchers report bats flying...

Endangered Species Listings Plummeting Under Bush

Wildlife advocates sue to save animals

(Newser) - The Bush administration for years has quietly established obstacles to listing new animals and plants on the endangered species list, the Washington Post reports. A total of only 59 domestic species have made it onto the list in the past seven years, compared to 58 each year under Bush's father...

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