Wildlife

“Invasive Cocaine Hippos” Are Attacking Colombians

Vice News reports: The environmentally invasive descendants of four “cocaine hippos” from Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar’s private zoo now have their eyes set on a new target: People. There have been reports of hippos invading a school yard, as well as terrorizing local fishing communities with some residents requiring hospital care after ferocious attacks. Many are now worried that …

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Central Park Count Finds Migratory Birds Are Staying

Gothamist reports: The 124th annual Christmas bird count concluded on Sunday with a tally of 9,673 birds in Central Park – including many species whose ranges have moved northward by as much as 200 miles due to climate change, according to scientists. A review of data since 2012 from the National Audubon Society’s Central Park count shows birds once thought …

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UK Lawmaker Compares Grey Squirrels To Hamas

The Daily Beast reports: A British lawmaker was criticized after bizarrely likening gray squirrels to Hamas during a debate Tuesday. Jim Shannon, a member of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, spoke in Westminster about a debate over controlling the U.K.’s gray squirrel population. After praising a local group working to protect red squirrels in his constituency, Shannon said: “Gray squirrels …

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AP: Invasive Canadian “Super Pigs” Threaten US Crops

The Associated Press reports: An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate “super pigs” in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion. In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills …

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DeSantis Declares Emergency Ahead Of Hurricane

The Miami Herald reports: As a tropical system continues to march toward Florida, with a high chance of becoming a depression or something stronger in the coming days, a state of emergency was declared Saturday for most counties on the Gulf Coast. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order that declared the state of emergency for 33 counties, including Manatee, …

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Florida Police Warn Of Herpes-Laden Wild Monkeys

CBS News reports: Wild monkeys spotted in parts of Florida have prompted authorities to issue warnings about the primates, urging people to not feed or attempt to capture the animals. One photo, shared by the Orange City Police Department on Wednesday, shows a monkey sitting on a green chainlink fence. The monkey was identified as a wild Rhesus Macaques monkey, …

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Warm Water Is Bleaching Florida’s Coral Reefs [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Some Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal scientists said. The corals should be vibrant and colorful this time of year, but are swiftly going white, said Katey Lesneski, research and monitoring …

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Berlin Neighborhood On Lockdown Over Escaped Lion

Deutsche Welle reports: A “loose, dangerous animal,” suspected to be an escaped big cat, was reportedly sighted in a Potsdam region on the fringes of the German capital on Thursday, police said. Authorities are using helicopters to track what they believe is a female lion and have called on residents to stay indoors, the RBB public broadcaster reported. Residents have …

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Wilton Manors Sees New Invasive Species: Bunnies

The Associated Press reports: When Alicia Griggs steps outside her suburban Fort Lauderdale home, Florida’s latest invasive species comes a-hoppin’ down the street: lionhead rabbits. The bunnies, which sport an impressive flowing mane around their heads, want the food Griggs carries. But she also represents their best chance of survival and moving where this domesticated breed belongs: inside homes, away …

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Woman Gored By Bison At Yellowstone National Park

Via press release from the National Park Service: A 47-year-old female from Phoenix, Arizona, was gored by a bison near the Lake Lodge Cabins on the north shore of Lake Yellowstone the morning of July 17. The female was walking with another individual in a field in front of the Lake Lodge when they saw two bison. Upon seeing them, …

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Cruise Line Sorry That Passengers Viewed Whale Hunt

ABC News reports: A cruise line has apologized to over 1,000 of its passengers after one of its ships arrived at port in the middle of a whale hunt where dozens of the marine mammals were being slaughtered. Ambassador Cruise Lines confirmed on Thursday that the arrival of their ship Ambition in Torshavn in the Faroe Islands — located between …

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FL Issues Quarantine Over Meningitis-Laden Snails

From the Florida Department of Agriculture: Today, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and its Division of Plant Industry announced that a quarantine and treatment area has been established in specific areas of Broward County in response to previously detected giant African land snails. Under the quarantine, it is unlawful to move a giant African land snail or …

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Shamu’s Revenge: Killer Whales Attack Multiple Boats

Reuters reports: Killer whales severely damaged a sailing boat off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service said on Thursday, adding to dozens of orca attacks on vessels recorded so far this year on Spanish and Portuguese coasts. In the early hours of Thursday, a group of orcas broke the rudder and pierced the hull after ramming …

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South Dakota Gov: Look At This Huge Bear I Just Killed

First, a reminder from last month: South Dakota’s Republican governor told an audience that her 2-year-old granddaughter “already” had several guns. Speaking at a National Rifle Association (NRA) event in Indiana on Friday, Kristi Noem spoke about her grandchildren, Addie and Branch. She said that the nearly 2-year-old Addie had a shotgun and a rifle. “Now Addie, who you know, …

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Experts: Invasive Canadian “Super Pigs” Are Coming

The Guardian reports: For decades, wild pigs have been antagonizing flora and fauna in the US: gobbling up crops, spreading disease and even killing deer and elk. Now, as fears over the potential of the pig impact in the US grow, North America is also facing a new swine-related threat, as a Canadian “super pig”, a giant, “incredibly intelligent, highly …

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Alligator Captured In Brooklyn’s Prospect Park [Video]

NY1 reports: A four-foot-long alligator was rescued from Prospect Park Lake Sunday, the city’s parks department said. No one was injured by the gator, and it was taken first to an animal care center before ultimately being transported to the Bronx Zoo to be evaluated and treated, parks officials said. The alligator has been nicknamed Godzilla, the New York City …

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Experts: Avian Flu Now A Global Year-Round Problem

Reuters reports: Avian flu has reached new corners of the globe and become endemic for the first time in some wild birds that transmit the virus to poultry, according to veterinarians and disease experts, who warn it is now a year-round problem. Reuters spoke to more than 20 experts and farmers on four continents who said the prevalence of the …

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Polar Bear Kills Woman And Child In Alaska Village

The Anchorage Daily News reports: A polar bear killed a woman and boy Tuesday afternoon in the Northwest Alaska community of Wales, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers received a report of a polar bear attack around 2:30 p.m. According to initial accounts, a polar bear came to the village and chased several residents. The two people who were killed …

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Dallas Zoo Closes After Leopard Escapes Its Habitat

NBC News reports: A search is underway for a clouded leopard that escaped from its habitat at the Dallas Zoo Friday morning, officials said. The incident, described as “a serious situation,” prompted the zoo to shut down for the rest of the day. The leopard, named Nova, likely escaped through a tear in the mesh enclosure the feline shares with …

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Canadian Study Finds “Dramatic Decline” In Polar Bears

Agence France-Presse reports: Polar bears are disappearing fast from the Western part of Hudson Bay, on the southern tip of the Canadian Arctic, according to a new government survey. The number of female bears and cubs in particular has seen a dramatic decline. Researchers have flown over the region — which includes the town of Churchill, a tourist destination touted …

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