INSIDER
Fuzzy invasion of domestic rabbits has a Florida suburb hopping into a hunt for new owners
Read full article: Fuzzy invasion of domestic rabbits has a Florida suburb hopping into a hunt for new ownersA Florida neighborhood is having to deal with a growing group of domestic rabbits on its streets after a breeder illegally let hers loose.
Startling statistics: Florida’s record-breaking manatee deaths ‘a very sad wake-up call’
Read full article: Startling statistics: Florida’s record-breaking manatee deaths ‘a very sad wake-up call’Though it’s only July, the total number of Florida manatee deaths in 2021 has already reached a higher total than it did in all of 2020, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Rules planned to save right whales loom over lobster fishers
Read full article: Rules planned to save right whales loom over lobster fishersThe North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 360, and scientists have said the animal's small population of breeding females could spell doom for the species. The National Marine Fisheries Service is developing new rules to reduce the possibility of entanglement in fishing gear, which can kill the whales. AdThe coming restrictions have sparked a rancorous debate between environmentalists and lobster fishermen over the proper way to save the whale. It's holding public hearings about the proposed rules in New England, including one for southern Maine on Feb. 23 and one for northern Maine on Feb. 24. AdThe right whales were hunted to near extinction during the commercial whaling era.
Florida's new python-sniffing dogs have 1st success
Read full article: Florida's new python-sniffing dogs have 1st successThe Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation is beginning a new program to use dogs to sniff out invasive pythons. We've got to try new approaches and the detector dogs is just one area where we're doing that," commission Executive Director Eric Sutton. He showed commissioners pictures of the dogs during a virtual meeting, including one with Truman standing behind the massive snake he found. Trainers use python-scented towels and live pythons with surgically implanted trackers to teach the dogs to pick up a snake's scent. The dogs were trained for more than a month before going out in the wild, according to the agency's website.
Glazed or jelly? Doughnuts lure city-roaming bear into trap
Read full article: Glazed or jelly? Doughnuts lure city-roaming bear into trapA juvenile black bear roams through Fort Myers, Fla., Tuesday morning, May 26, 2020. A black bear roaming around a Florida city proved no match for the doughnuts that lured the animal into a humane trap. Wildlife officials say bears tend to move more in the spring in search of mates and, as always, food. Brown said the bear was relocated to a state-managed wildlife area. Authorities estimate there are about 4,000 black bears in Florida.
Native turtle trafficking ring busted in Florida
Read full article: Native turtle trafficking ring busted in Florida(CNN) - Two men have been charged for poaching thousands of Florida turtles and selling them illegally, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. More than 4,000 turtles comprising a range of native species were illegally captured and sold over six months, the commission said. "The illegal trade of turtles is having a global impact on many turtle species and our ecosystems," said Eric Sutton, the FWC's executive director. After receiving a tip in February 2018, the FWC launched an undercover investigation where they discovered a ring of traffickers who were selling wild turtles to reptile dealers and distributors. "Wild turtle populations cannot sustain the level of harvest that took place here," said Brooke Talley, the FWC's reptile and amphibian conservation coordinator.
Florida officials investigate why panthers seen stumbling, falling
Read full article: Florida officials investigate why panthers seen stumbling, fallingIn trail footage released by the FWC, one animal can be seen falling down. (CNN) - There have been two confirmed cases of neurological damage in a panther and bobcat in Florida as of this month, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The agency is investigating the cause of the disorder in the animals that is impacting their ability to walk. In trail camera footage, the animals can be seen stumbling and falling down almost unable to use their back legs. In total, the FWC said they have seen eight panthers (mostly kittens) and one adult bobcat in various degrees of this condition.