Wildlife News Roundup (March 2-8, 2013) | The Wildlife Society News

A polar bear investigates the U.S.S. Honolulu after the submarine surfaced 280 miles from the North Pole. (Credit: Chief Yeoman Alphonso Braggs/U.S. Navy)

World Rejects New Protections for Polar Bears
(CNN)
A U.S. plan to give new protection to polar bears was voted down at an international conference on endangered species. The American delegation at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, had sought a ban on the international trade of polar bear parts. The ban was opposed by Canada, home to the world?s largest population of polar bears, as well as Norway and Greenland. More

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NEWS FROM NORTH AMERICA

California Finds Irregularities in Handling of Leases of Wildlife Areas to Farmers
(Los Angeles Times)
A California program leasing wildlife protection areas to farmers failed to properly spend and report at least $1.7 million in rental income as part of the normal budget process last year, according to an internal state investigation. The irregularities in the program run by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife follow a string of similar controversies at other agencies where money was stashed in off-budget accounts. More

Canadian Environment Minister Defends Budget Cuts
(Canada.com)
Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent is dismissing opposition concerns about a significant decrease in visits to national parks, coinciding with $51 million in projected spending reductions at Parks Canada for the next year. Kent defended the government?s budget cuts in response to questions raised by NDP deputy environment critic Anne Minh Thu Quach at a House of Commons environment committee hearing. More

Mississippi Lawmakers Consider Bounty on Wild Hogs
(WAPT-TV)
Wildlife officials said wild hogs are an epidemic in Mississippi, which is leading state lawmakers to think about putting a bounty on them. Wildlife officials said the feral hog problem is causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in crop damage each year. WAPT saw the problem first-hand in 2011 in Yazoo County. The animals were more visible then because of flooding and the lack of high ground. More

Innu Hunting Caribou Despite Ban, Says Chief
(CBC)
The Grand Chief of the Innu Nation in Canada says Innu in Sheshatshiu and Natuashish are not backing down on their plan to hunt animals from the George River caribou herd this year. Chief Prote Poker said 149 caribou have already been shot and killed by Innu from Natuashish, and about 30 caribou have been hunted by Innu in Sheshatshiu. More

Mississippi Bald Eagles Being Shot; Award Offered for Perpetrators
(Examiner)
Federal and state officials are looking for the persons responsible for the illegal shootings of bald eagles across parts of Mississippi since December. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks reported that the latest bald eagle was found shot in Union County on Owen Road and Tanglefoot Trail in New Albany. More

Lion in Fatal Attack had Lived at California Animal Park Since it was a Cub
(Los Angeles Times)
The lion that was shot and killed at a Fresno County wild animal park after fatally attacking someone in its cage had lived at the park nearly its entire life, a spokeswoman said. The 4-year-old male lion named Cous Cous had been hand-raised at Project Survival?s Cat Haven since he was 8 weeks old, said Tanya Osegueda, a spokeswoman for Project Survival, the nonprofit that operates the park in eastern Fresno County. More

Poll: Most Americans See Population Growth as Threat to Wildlife, Climate
(The Huffington Post)
A new poll finds a clear majority of Americans believe the world?s growing human population is driving wildlife species toward extinction and is making climate change worse. Respondents also said addressing the human population is an important environmental issue and that society has a ?moral obligation? to address wildlife extinctions related to population growth. More

WILDLIFE HEALTH AND DISEASE NEWS

Sharp Rise in Distemper Among St. Louis County Raccoons
(KMOX-FM)
The Bi-State Wildlife Hotline is warning parents and dog owners in Missouri about a serious outbreak of distemper in several St. Louis County communities. Group founder and president Angel Wintrode tells KMOX News that since October they?ve had to start capturing and putting down infected raccoons at an incredibly high rate. ?In a normal year it would be maybe three or four a month,? Wintrode says. More

Chemical Exposure Contributes to Decline of Wildlife Population
(The Star)
Wildlife species and populations are on the decline worldwide ? and it is not just due to over-exploitation or loss of habitat. Chemical contamination is also at play here. Long-term monitoring as well as laboratory studies have shown that chemicals known to interfere with the function of the human body?s endocrine system, do the same in wildlife. More

Deadly Chytrid Fungus in Southeast Asia Amphibian Trade
(Science Blog)
A team of scientists has revealed the presence of the pathogenic chytrid fungus in amphibians sampled in Singapore. And the American bullfrog may be a central player in the spread of the disease. The study, led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the National University of Singapore, is the first to consider the role that Southeast Asia?s commercial trade plays in the spread of amphibian pathogens. More

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Ivory Trade Nations Face Threat of Sanctions
(The Associated Press via ABC News)
Top conservation organizations warned Wednesday that the illegal ivory trade is hastening the decline of Africa?s already endangered elephant population, and said they are ready to punish nations that are lax in fighting the problem. ?Globally, illegal ivory trade activity has more than doubled since 2007, and is now over three times larger than it was in 1998,? said a report issued at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. More

Hong Kong Shark Fin Trade Declines Amid Conservation Efforts
(BBC)
Near the heart of Hong Kong?s luxury shopping district is Dried Seafood Street. The shop windows are full of dried golden fins stripped of skin and bones, arranged by size and shape. Ones that are no bigger than a hand cost a few hundred dollars a kilogram. The biggest ones are locked behind glass cases and displayed as trophies. While the shops attract food lovers and tourists, they are also drawing the ire of environmental groups. More

Progress Made in Fight Against Wildlife Crime in China
(China Daily)
China has made significant progress in the fight against the illicit trade of wildlife products, including ivory and rhino horn, according to a top wildlife conservation specialist. ?China has been serious about strengthening its regulations and law enforcement against the illegal wildlife products trade,? said John Scanlon, secretary-general of the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. More

Source: http://news.wildlife.org/featured/wildlife-news-roundup-march-2-8-2013/

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