Wildlife

"A wild wolf beloved by wolf watchers and biologists who visit Yellowstone National Park has been shot dead by a hunter."

"The Trump administration took an important step toward future oil and natural gas drilling off the Atlantic shore, approving five requests allowing companies to conduct deafening seismic surveys that could harm tens of thousands of dolphins, whales and other marine animals, according to studies."

"A new invasive tick species capable of transmitting several severe diseases is spreading in the United States, posing an emerging threat to human and animal health, according to a pair of reports issued Thursday."

"The dusky gopher frog's long legal journey isn't over yet. The Supreme Court today remanded a closely watched dispute over the federal government's power to designate certain critical habitat for the rare Southern amphibian."

Insects are disappearing. "What does it mean for the rest of life on Earth?"

"A leafy little tunnel runs through the undergrowth along the Black River in the Seattle suburb of Renton: an otter trail. It’s in hidey-holes like this that river otters leave detailed evidence of human misdeeds. Just downstream, in the Duwamish River, droppings left by river otters reveal toxic PCBs and other industrial waste."

"Rapidly growing numbers of cases of chronic wasting disease are appearing on deer and elk farms and hunting ranches in Wisconsin at the same time the state has pulled back on rules and procedures designed to limit the spread of the fatal brain disease among its captive and wild deer."

"Many hunters are ditching traditional ammunition amid mounting evidence that it harms scavengers and pollutes the food people eat."

"Central African mountain gorillas came off the “critically endangered” species list on Thursday following a rare and dramatic recovery in numbers in the past decade."