Bison Protection Not Warranted

The Service announced a 90-day finding on a 2009 petition by private citizens James Bailey and Natalie Bailey to list the wild plains bison, Bison bison bison, or each of four distinct population segments, as threatened.

 

"Based on our review," said the Service, "we find that the petition does not present substantial information indicating that listing may be warranted."

In its finding, the Service said, "Wild plains bison are distributed in parks, preserves, other public lands, and private lands throughout and external to their historical range. The current population of wild plains bison is estimated to be 20,500 animals in 62 conservation herds. Recent population trends appear stable to slightly increasing in conservation herds (as noted by the petitioners)."

In 2010, the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity sued the Service for failing to respond to the petition to list the bison and other petitions to list dozens of species as threatened or endangered under the Act.

Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center, said his organization is disappointed in the decision. "North American bison herds are a dim, dim shadow of their former glory," he said. "Today's decision that bison do not merit protection under the Endangered Species Act is a complete farce."

The Service previously turned down a petition to list the bison herd at Yellowstone National Park in the northwest corner of Wyoming as a distinct population group and on August 15, 2007 decided that listing the Yellowstone bison herd was not warranted.

In determining the bison does not warrant protection, the Fish and Wildlife Service completely ignored the fact that bison are gone from nearly the entirety of their historic range, choosing to argue that the agency has only to look at the species' current range, said Greenwald.

Wolves Removed From Endangered Species List

A state senator who represents much of the East Side of Summit County wants wolves removed from the federal Endangered Species List.

Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, has introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 15, which urges Congress to eliminate the federal protection for wolves.

According to Christensen, large wolf populations are impacting livestock, game populations and pets.

 
Rural economies are damaged when wolves attack other animals, the resolution states.

Wolves have even begun threatening people, according to Christensen.

In Utah, wolves in a small portion of the state have been removed from list. But wolves in most of Utah are still protected by federal law.

Christensen claimed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has repeatedly failed to listen to Utah's governors, senators and congressmen who have asked for wolves throughout the entire state to be removed from the list.

According to S.C.R. 15, federal wildlife officials "only included a small portion of northern Utah in the potential delisting zone, leaving nearly the entire state of Utah as an Endangered Species classification with no hope or promise of a solution to the wolf problem for decades into the future."

State wildlife officials have also urged the federal government to remove wolves from the Endangered Species List, Christensen said.

Last week, Sen. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake City, was the only senator who voted against the resolution.

Romero said he disagreed with some of the language used in the legislation.

Top Endangered Animals

Tiger


Loss of habitat from human encroachment and “rampant poaching” have dwindled this magnificent creature’s habitat down to next to nothing. Further indications show that there has been additional loss of habitat due to environmental changes. I propose we make tiger hunting LEGAL. You heard me.

Polar Bear


Hit hard with global warming and loss of habitat these bears have a limited time on Earth according to scientists. While the Polar bear is not the only animal in distress in the arctic, it has become the symbol of wildlife impacted by global warming. I have no idea what can be done at this point really.

Pacific Walrus


Walrus use floating ice to rest, birth and do the things needed for birth to be a possibility. The problem is that ice is melting away at a rapid rate. There is a very real danger that these animals might not have a place for any of these activities.

Leatherback Turtle


These are some of the largest reptiles on the planet. Their nesting grounds are in danger and there is also the possibility that global warming could have an adverse affect on the future sex of turtles as well.

Magellanic Penguin


While entertaining, the message of the movie Happy Feet may not be that far off. It’s not necessarily industrial fishing that has these fellas starving to death, but again, the change in the Earth’s climate. Penguins have had to swim much MUCH further from their nesting grounds to feed.

Giant Panda


While no one knows whether or not this species will ultimately be saved (no one knows for certain on ANY species) the Panda is a symbol for hope. Despite being endangered and it’s habitat slowly being whittled down to isolated pockets for its populace, the species has held on for some three decades and has even seen some minor increases.

Bluefin Tuna



Extensive fishing of these tuna have depleted their numbers drastically in the last few years. The “WWF is encouraging restaurants, chefs, retailers, and consumers to stop serving, buying, selling, and eating endangered bluefin tuna until this amazing species shows signs of recovery.”

Mountain Gorilla


There are only 720 Mountain Gorillas in the wild. To put that in perspective, take the number of people who liked The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus and multiply that by 3 and that tells you how endangered they are. This is due to poaching, civil wars in the area and habitat loss.

Monarch Butterfly


How long have we been hearing about this one? Seems like decades. The Monarch conservation is unique as their wintering grounds in Mexico as well as their breeding grounds in the US and Can-land all have to be protected and developed for the species to survive.

Javan Rhinoceros


Less than 60 are thought to exist in the world. There are no jokes that can be made about this. A cold could kill off the entire species tomorrow. Conservation efforts have been underway since 1998, but there still is a long way to go.

List Of Endangered Species Of Birds

The Following List Of Endangered Species Of Birds.

Endangered Bird Species of America

    * Cuban Parrot - Amazona leucocephala
    * Harpy Eagle - Harpia harpyja
    * Ivory-billed Woodpecker - Campephilus principalis
    * Resplendent Quetzal - Pharomachrus mocinno
    * California Condor - Gymnogyps californianus
    * Imperial Woodpecker - Campephilus imperialis
    * Red-cockaded Woodpecker - Picoides borealis
    * Wood stork - Mycteria americana
    * Galapagos Penguin - Spheniscus mendiculus
    * Black Rail - Laterallus jamaicensis
    * Black-browned Albatross - Thalassarche melanophrys
    * Bristle-thighed Curlew - Numenius tahitiensis
    * Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis
    * Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Tryngites subruficollis
    * Buller's Shearwater - Puffinus bulleri
    * Caribbean Coot - Fulica caribaea
    * Chestnut-collared Longspur - Calcarius ornatus
    * Golden -winged Warbler - Vermivora chrysoptera
    * Ivory Gull - Pagophila eburnea
    * Least Tern - Sterna antillarum
    * Olive-sided Flycatcher - Contopus cooperi
    * Painted Bunting - Passerina ciris
    * Red Siskin - Carduelis cucullata
    * Sooty Shearwater - Puffinus griseus
    * White-crowned Pigeon - Patagioenas leucocephala


Endangered Birds Species of Africa

    * Egyptian Vulture - Neophron percnopterus
    * Eurasian Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus peregrinus
    * Ostrich - Struthio camelus
    * Mauritius Cuckoo - shrike - Coquus typicus
    * Pink Pigeon - Columba mayeri
    * Thyolo Alethe - Alethe choloensis
    * Jackass Penguin - Speniscus demersus
    * Black Harrier - Circus Maurus
    * African Black Oystercatcher - Haematopus moquini
    * African Green Broadbill - Pseudocalyptomena graueri
    * Bank Cormorant - Phalacrocorax neglectus
    * Beaudouin's Snake eagle - Circaetus beaudouini
    * Black Crowned Crane - Balearica pavonina
    * Blue Bustard - Eupodotis caerulescens
    * Botha's Lark - Spizocorys fringillaris
    * Bush Blackcap - Lioptilus nigricapillus
    * Chestnut banded Plover - Charadrius pallidus
    * Corncrake - Crex crex
    * Denham's Bustard - Neotis denhami
    * Knysna Warbler - Bradypterus sylvaticus
    * Knysna Woodpecker - Campethera notata
    * Madagascar Pond -heron - Ardeola idea
    * Melodius Lark - Mirafra cheniana
    * Neergaard's Sunbird - Nectarinia neergardi
    * Plain backed Sunbird - Anthreptes reichenowi
    * Red Lark - Certhilauda burra
    * Rudd's Lark - Heteromirafra ruddi
    * Rueppell's Vulture - Gyps rueppellii
    * Sclater's Lark - Spizocorys sclateri
    * Shelley's Eagle Owl - Bubo shelley
    * Shy Albatross - Thalassarche cauta
    * Slaty Egret - Egretta vinaceigula
    * Southern Bals Ibis - Geronticus calvus
    * Taita Apalis - Apalis fuscigularis

Endangered Birds Species of Asia and Europe

    * Egyptian Vulture - Neophron percnopterus
    * Whiskered Pitta - Pitta kochi
    * Tristam's Woodpecker - Dryocopus javensis richardsi
    * Japanese Crested Ibis - Nipponia nippon
    * Palawan Peacock Pheasant - Polyplectron emphanum
    * Barau's Petrel - Pterodroma baraui
    * Ala Shan Redstart - Phoenicurus alaschanicus
    * Amami Jay - Garrulus lidthi
    * Andaman Crake - Rallina canningi
    * Andaman Treepie - Dendrocitta bayleyi
    * Bar - tailed Pheasant - Syrmaticus humaie
    * Beautiful Nuthatch - Sitta formosa
    * Broad -tailed Grassbird - Schoenicola platyurus
    * Chevron-breasted Babbler - Sphenocichla roberti
    * Chinese Crested Tern - Sterna bernsteini
    * Crested Shellduck - Tadorna cristata
    * Fairy Pitta - Pitta nympha
    * Falcated Duck - Anas falcata
    * Firethroat - Luscinia pectardens
    * Forest Owlet - Heteroglaux blewitti
    * Giant Babax - Babax waddelli
    * Gray-crowned Prinia - Prinia cinereocapilla
    * Great Hornbill - Buceros bicornis
    * Great Indian Bustard - Ardeotis nigriceps
    * Greater Adjutant - Leptoptilos dubius
    * Gray-headed Fish Eagle - Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
    * Himalayan Quail - Ophrysia superciliosa
    * Indian Skimmer - Rynchops albicollis
    * Izu Thrush - Turdus celaenops
    * Japanese Night Heron - Gorsachius goisagi
    * Japanese Yellow Bunting - Emberiza sulphurata
    * Jerdon'd Babbler - Chrysomma altirostre
    * Kashmir Flycatcher - Ficedula subrubra
    * Laggar Falcon - Falco jugger
    * Long-billed Murrelet - Brachyramphus perdix
    * Long-tailed Parakeet - Psittacula longicauda
    * Nicobar Bulbul - Hypsipetes nicobariensis
    * Nilgiri Pipit - Anthus nilghiriensis
    * Painted Stork - Mycteria leucocephala
    * Pale-backed Pigeon - Columba eversmanni
    * Relict Gull - Larus relictus
    * Siberian Grouse - Dendragapus falcipennis
    * Slender-billed Vulture - Gyps tenuirostris
    * Ward's Trogon - Harpactes wardi
    * Yellow Weaver - Ploceus megarhynchus
 
Endangered Birds Species of Australia

    * Abbot' Booby - Papasula abbotti
    * Chatham Island Black Robin - Petroica traversi
    * Christmas Island Frigatebird - Fregata andrewsi
    * Cloven-feathered Dove - Drepanoptila holosericea
    * Kakapo - Strigops habroptilus
    * Kokako - Callaeas cinerea
    * Turquoise Parakeet - Neophema pulchella
    * Albert's Lyrebird - Menura alberti
    * Australian Bittern - Botaurus poiciloptilus
    * Black-breasted Buttonquail - Turnix melanogaster
    * Black-eared Miner - Manorina melanotis
    * Black-throated Finch - Poephila cincta
    * Blue-billed Duck - Oxyura australis
    * Carpentarian Grasswren - Amytornis dorotheae
    * Diamond Firetail - Stagonopleura guttata
    * Eastern Bristlebird - Dasyornis brachypterus
    * Flame Robin - Petroica phoenicea
    * Grey Falcon - Falco hypoleucos
    * Ground Parrot - Pezoporus wallicus
    * Hooded Plover - Thinornis rubricollis
    * Kea - Nestor notabilis
    * Malleefowl - Leipoa ocellata
    * Noisy Scrub -bird - Atrichornis clamosus
    * Paradise Parakeet - Psephotus pulcherrimus
    * Red Goshawk - Erythrotriorchis radiatus
    * Royal penguin - Eudyptes schlegeli
    * Saddleback - Philesturnus carunculatus
    * Star Finch - Neochmia ruficauda
    * Swift Parrot - Lathamus discolor

More:

Biggest Threats To Endangered Right Whales

The death of a young right whale off Florida drives home the point that while disentanglement responses give the animals a better chance at survival, prevention of entanglements in fishing gear is paramount.

On February 3, NOAA scientist Barb Zoodsma joined partners from numerous state and local agencies, along with researchers from academic institutions and nonprofits organizations, to perform a necropsy – animal autopsy – on a young right whale. The animal was observed floating dead off St Augustine, FL, by an aerial survey team from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission two days earlier, and was towed to shore for examination. 
 

Scientists were already familiar with this animal. First sighted entangled with fishing rope on Christmas Day, this two-year old female whale had been the focus of much attention since the new year. In two separate disentanglement attempts December 30, 2010 and January 15, 2011, more than 200 feet of rope had been removed from this critically entangled species. Unfortunately, as scientists would learn, these unprecedented response efforts were not enough to save its life.

Led by necropsy team leader, William McLellan of University of North Carolina Wilmington, and assisted by Dr. Michael Moore, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Alex Costidis, University of Florida, scientists examined this 31 foot, 15,000 pound whale for clues to its demise. Numerous lesions from its long term entanglement and shark bites were examined thoroughly, and tissue samples from the wounds will be shipped to labs for further study. The final results of the necropsy will depend on these analyses and will not be available for some time.

Initial observations lead researchers to conclude this whale had been entangled for months.  Parts of the rope that could not be removed during the disentanglement efforts were found to be embedded in the whale’s mouth, possibly impeding it from feeding. The young female was significantly underweight. Weakened and injured by the long entanglement, she was easier prey for sharks.  Bite marks on the carcass suggest that scavenging sharks may have finished off the wounded whale by severing major veins at the base of the tail.

Endangered Gray Wolves Begin Migration

Increased sightings of the endangered Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf in northeastern Oregon suggest to wildlife biologists that the animals have begun a migration from Idaho that could spread to Washington by the summer.


But state wildlife biologist Mark Kirsch isn't prepared to call the wolves a pack yet, the East Oregonian reports. Kirsch says it's unclear what kind of "social formation" the wolves are in.

While single wolves have entered Oregon and left, Kirsch says this group of wolves apparently will stay.

Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves have federal and state endangered species protection. There have been no efforts to reintroduce wolves in Oregon after people killed the animal off about 80 years ago.

Kirsch says the migration from Idaho is natural, and not a result of habitat loss.

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