Wild Animal News

Rabbits, famous for their fertility, are no match. Almost nothing is.

The Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) has effectively extincted rabbits in parts of the state. Other mid-size mammals are also at risk. Larger animals like Florida panthers (cougars) can’t find food. Foxes have also disappeared and animals as large as deer aren’t safe.

The Florida Museum of Natural History says the uneven battle is continuing. The museum says the battle no longer is to eliminate but to control.

Even though more than 23000 snakes have been disposed of that is estimated to be about 1 pct of the total. Florida and California, the museum says, lead the nation in invading species.

It is estimated that up to 300,000 of the pythons have found Florida congenial. They arrived as pets. Hurricane Andrew smashed a breeding facility and the race was on. Because these snakes hide well and are difficult to spot the problem was discovered too late.

Faced with disaster Floridians are working to contain the pythons and limit spread. Alarming reports suggest the snakes are not limited to tropical climates. They could expand their range perhaps into other states. Some fear they could spread across the United States.

As the museum says:

“Florida isn’t giving up.

Researchers and wildlife managers are testing every tool imaginable to find these hidden snakes:

• Scout snakes: radio-tagged male pythons lead hunters to hidden breeding females.
• Sniffer dogs: specially trained canines sniff out pythons in dense brush.
• Robotic rabbits: mechanical rabbits lure snakes into range and when they attack the robot, it sends a GPS signal.
• Public hunts: the annual Python Challenge rallies hunters and naturalists alike. There are also organizations that work on python removal year-round.

I In 2025, Nearly 1,000 participants from across North America removed a record 294 snakes in just 10 days. While the Challenge generates public awareness, experts stress that it is not a solution. The population is too large, and annual removals barely dent the total number of snakes.”

Scout snakes are particularly important. Each female lays a large clutch of eggs. Eliminating one female prevents the delivery of multiple large clutches.

Two other avenues at least have been studied. Asian snake tracking experts have come to Florida to pass on expertise. Alligators can dispose of pythons smaller than themselves. The reversal can be fatal for the alligator. Since pythons tend to remain on land and alligators in the water encounters are not too common.

And chefs have received the request to find ways to serve snake in delicious dishes. Florida is also host to a variety of invasive poisonous snakes and some may be establishing breeding populations. But that is another day’s nightmare.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists say a young female wolf born near Lake Tahoe has wandered into Los Anbges County.

The wolf has come as far south as Lancaster.

According NBC 4:

“lone gray wolf who journeyed hundreds of miles from the Lake Tahoe area was spotted in Los Angeles County over the weekend in a rare wildlife sighting in Southern California. 

The female was spotted desert conditions near Lancaster

In video posted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the 3-year-old female wolf can be seen in the wild. She was born in Plumas County near Lake Tahoe and seen about 375 miles south early Saturday morning near Lancaster in northern Los Angeles County.”

Wolves were almost exterminated from the contiguous United States. Changes in attitudes about wolves have helped spark a resurgence. A number of western states now have packs and management programs.

California, for example, has a number of active packs and at least one wanderer.

Wolves are now present in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana also have packs. Colorado has recently reintroduced them. Reintroduction has been

Controversial, even deadly. Wolves have been poisoned in n Oregon and California. Their presence in Colorado is still an issue

They are the largest feline predators in the americas but research says they share a characteristic with your house cat: the meow.

According to BBC Discover Wildlife

“ A team of scientists from a number of academic institutions, including the University of Salford in Manchester, set up camera traps in Iguaçu National Park in the Atlantic rainforest of south-eastern Brazil.”

On two occasions the traps caught mothers and cubs meowing to each other. House cats and kittens meow to each other. Adult housecats mostly meow to people.

The discovery of jaguar meowing expands the understanding of the big cats vocal repertoire.

Not all cats meow. Mountain lions,(Puma concolor), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) snow leopards (Panthera uncia) lion cubs (Panthera Leo) and lynx (Lynx lynx) do. Many do not. Because jaguars (Panthera onca) roar it was assumed their anatomy was built for roaring not meowing.

“Marina Duarte, from the University of Salford and one of the authors of a paper that reveals this new behaviour, says there have been anecdotal suggestions from field workers in the past that jaguarsmight produce these type of vocalisations, but it had never been recorded in the wild.”

She was quoted by the BBC. It challenges the idea that jaguars are somewhat silent.

“Observing repeated, context-specific vocal exchanges between mothers and cubs over extended periods challenges this simplistic view and highlights a more flexible maternal communication system,” Duarte says.

Jaguars have been in the news lately, mostly for conservation issues. Conservationists have been linking separated habitat. They also been reintroduced into areas they were driven from. A number of males have te-entered the United States. Formal efforts to reintroduce the cats are underway.

Jaguars are big cats. Behind lions and tigers in size. They have extremely powerful jaws. That allows them to hunt prey as difficult as large turtles, and big snakes.

Jaguars resemble leopards but are larger and have a different coat pattern. jaguar “spots” have spots inside.

It was supposed to be up and running last year but the Annenberg animal overcrossing has been delayed. It is now expected to benefit wildlife as different as lizards and mountain lions late this year.

The massive project spanning the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills will be the largest such crossing in the world if it meets its goal of opening at the end of the year.

Although it will benefit a large number of species it’s the anticipated impact on mountain lions (Puma concolor) that has grabbed headlines. The Santa Monica Mountains have a remnant population of cougars as they are often known. More than 100 have been studied by the National Park Service. Many have been killed crossing the 101. The rest show signs of inbreeding.

The overcrossing is expected to tackle two pressing problems. It will safely connect populations of animal reducing car strikes. It will also reduce the amount of inbreeding which can lead to local extinction.

Much of public support for the project comes from the life of P-22. He was lord of the Santa Monica Mountains. He crossed the freeway twice which was remarkable. He became an ambassador for wildlife. Unfortunately he succumbed to age infirmity and a car strike. He was captured and the euthanized December 17, 2022.

Many species in nature sometimes cooperate in the search for food. According to Nature.com fish eating killer whales and some dolphins have joined that list.

It’s important to note that some killer whales (orcas) prey on mammals including dolphins. Others eat fish.

The abstract of the research was reported in the scientific reports section of the website.

The abstract of the research paper

Says

“Interspecies associations during foraging can range from competition to cooperation but are often complex and difficult to interpret. Using aerial drone and biologgers (n=9) equipped with video, acoustic and inertial sensors, we recorded interactions between fish-eating northern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) in the presence of adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).”

“We observed frequent co-occurrence and coordinated movements, with the killer whales orienting towards the dolphins and following them to depth. We also recorded reduced echolocation and rolling movements by the killer whales in the presence of dolphins, suggesting that the whales may eavesdrop on dolphin echolocations to scan broader areas to locate large Chinook salmon—prey that are too big for the dolphins to capture and swallow whole.”

“Captured fish were brought to the surface by the killer whales and broken apart for sharing with other matrilineally related pod members—while the accompanying dolphins scavenged scraps. No antagonistic interactions or avoidance behaviours were observed between the killer whales and dolphins.”

“The spatially and temporally coordinated foraging behaviours we recorded suggest northern resident killer whales and dolphins opportunistically engage in cooperative foraging, which may improve the ability of killer whales to detect Chinook, while dolphins benefit by scavenging prey scraps—highlighting the need for further investigation into the ecological implications of these interspecific encounters.”

The paper was written by Sarah ME Fortune, Xi Cheng, Keith Holmes and Andrew W Troyes

Hosting a population of more than 40,000 black bears, California has one of the nation’s largest and densest populations of “America’s bear. “

To protect them the state has begun implementing an updated plan to ensure they survive and thrive.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) the general purpose of the plan is to:

1. To conserve and manage black bear populations that are ecologically functional, disease-resilient, genetically diverse statewide and regionally, and conserve and enhance their habitats; and
2. To provide opportunities for black bear hunting, viewing, and public education; minimize human-black bear conflict; consider animal welfare in black bear conservation and management; and be inclusive of all Californians in black bear conservation and management decisions

Human-black bear conflict is of particular concern. Bears may number 1million in North America although estimates vary. About 300,000 are thought to be in the United States. Weighing in around 300 pounds they are roughly half the size of Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horibilis). As the name implies grizzly bears are more aggressive although both can be dangerous. Both bears are omnivores eating nuts, berries, insects, carrion and some animals including fish.

Presence of human food and food waste is drawing black bears into semi urban areas nationwide. This is leading to increased conflict. Solving conflict is a major part of the plan.

Worldwide bears are doing fairly well. Brown bears are widely distributed in Alaska, Canada and Eurasia. Grizzly bears are a subspecies of brown bears. About 1,500 live in the United States. There are efforts ongoing to reintroduce them into California and other parts of their former range.

Drugs,animals, weapons and people are among the most heavily trafficked beings and things in the world.

According to People Magazine a month long seizure has rescued thousands of animals, recovered many animal body cparts plus illegally trafficked plants and wood.

People magazine reported:

“According to a release from Interpol, the mission, which took place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, saw authorities across 134 countries carry out Operation Thunder 2025, a joint initiative led by Interpol and the World Customs Organization (WCO), with the support of partners from the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime. The operation resulted in 4,640 seizures worldwide, the identification of approximately 1,100 suspects, and the interception of massive quantities of protected wildlife, plants, animal parts and illegally logged timber.”

Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, was founded in Austria in 1923. Today it serves as a clearinghouse and support agency against major worldwide crime. A total of 134 nations participated in the recent raids. In the United States the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) ,operating through its Office of Law Enforcement , is tasked with stemming wildlife crime.

According to People authorities fear the crime triangle – guns, drugs and human trafficking is increasingly interrelated and is adding wildlife and plant life among its victims. Creatures as small as tarantulas are being trafficked. This is placing strains on the survival of some of the arachnids. Drug lords such as the late Pablo Escobar have worked in all aspects of the illegal triangle. Escobar was notorious for bringing hippos to Colombia. His four “pets” were released after his death and the number steadily grew. Close to 200 are present now causing considerable damage to the local ecosystem. The Colombian government is faced with expensive or unpopular control measures. The fear is that left unchecked the number could balloon to around 1,000 in 10 years.

Conservationists say efforts to reintroduce species face a bumpy road and Project Cheetah is no exception.

The ambitious plan to reintroduce cheetahs to India recently marked a major success. A cheetah born in India gave birth to five cubs. Unfortunately in the recent time frame a cub was killed by a speeding vehicle. The project has been active since 2022. It is trying to mirror the success of Project Tiger which has revitalized tiger populations in India

According to newsonair.gov.in:

“The world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large carnivore has helped revive cheetah populations in the country. As of this month, Kuno National Park is home to 30 cheetahs, including 12 adults, 9 sub-adults, and 9 cubs, with 19 of them born on Indian soil. A major breakthrough came this year when Mukhi, India’s first cheetah cub born, gave birth to five healthy cubs, marking the arrival of a new generation. “

The reintroduction has not been without problems, however. A number of cheetahs have died during the project. A cub was reportedly killed by a speeding vehicle recently. Indian officials say the survival rates are good for cheetahs in the project. More transfers from Africa are being considered, including 8 African cheetahs recently arrived. Namibia, Botswana and South Africa are three countries that have sent cheetahs or are condidering it.

The program has been heavily criticized. Some experts question the methodology and alleged lack of proper preparation. But defenders are stepping forward.

In a long piece the website frontiersin rebuts many of the criticisms

“While the unfounded negative narratives surrounding Project Cheetah are unlikely to diminish the Government of India’s steadfast commitment to the initiative, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), as the lead implementing agency, recognizes the critical importance of transparency and public accountability. Efforts to disseminate information regarding the project, including mortality details, cheetah movements, prey abundance and research efforts are regularly being carried out in the form of annual reports in NTCA’s official website (https://ntca.gov.in/reports/#reports2) and through formal press briefings (National Tiger Conservation Authority et al., 2023; Qureshi et al., 2024a; National Tiger Conservation Authority, 2025; Press Trust of India, 2024a, b). However, it is imperative to further counter misinformation and promote evidence-based discourse by publicizing factual data and providing an accurate assessment of the project’s current status. This is essential not only for rectifying misconceptions but also for advancing the broader objectives of conservation science and practice.”

JThe project involves importing cheetahs from Africa and placing them in enclosures to acclimate. The cheetahs are then expected to be released into the wild. Release into the wild has been slow and not always successful. About 7000 cheetahs are thought to remain in Africa. Perhaps 100 in Iran. The cats were exterminated in India during the 1950s.

Of the nearly 40 species of wild cats the African Golden Cat (Caracal aurata) is one of the least known. But according to the Marshall University website that is changing:

“College of Science graduate student Mary Zarilla has documented the first recorded occurrence of the African golden cat (Caracal aurata) in the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve—marking the first sighting of the species in northwestern Uganda

Zarilla captured a daytime image of the endangered cat using a camera trap she deployed in the park in July 2025. The African golden cat is often described as the least known wild cat in Africa, with few studies conducted on the elusive species. Zarilla is co-advised by Dr. Anne Axel and Dr. Kimberly Dingess.”

Meanwhile, as CNN reports:

“Mwezi Mugerwa, who is passionate about the species, has embarked on work to survey the breed.

Thanks to a partnership with the African Golden Cat Conservation Alliance, which brings together 46 conservationists across 19 countries, Mwezi Mugerwa was able to launch his survey.”

Mugerwa used artificial intelligence.

“This is really important, because we are now able to talk about numbers and density,” the researcher told CNN as reported on the website Wamiz.

He explains that thanks to AI, it is now possible for “the cats to be differentiated individually, which would be almost impossible due to their small size and their distinctive features”

Along similar lines a researcher in Sumatra is helping research endangered tigers there by collecting DNA from paw prints to differentiate individuals.

The golden cat is closely related to the Caracal (Caracal caracal) and the serval (Leptailurus serval). Golden cat numbers are essentially unknown. Their range may be expanding but numbers may be declining.

The cats are medium sized, up to about 30 pounds. They are good climbers usually found in rainforest or other dense forest. They live up to about 10,000 feet in elevation. Little is known about their behavior. They are elusive and it appears kittens mature quickly. They eat animals as large as small antelope but most often consume smaller prey. Their main threats are habitat destruction and hunting. Hunting is officially prohibited in much of their range.

Scientists think there is one on every block, perhaps 20 million in the United States. Now the ever present urban raccoon (P.i.lotor) may be showing signs of splitting from its wild cousin. Or perhaps not.

Wild raccoons and urban raccoons appear to be diverging. A new study says the urban dwellers are starting to show signs they are on the road to self domestication. It’s not expected to be a fast process.

Cats (Felis catus) and dogs (Canis familiaris) both self domesticated over millennia. Their wild ancestors detected benefits from human association and subtle changes in appearance, diet and temperament resulted. They led to closer association and eventual pet status.

A recent study says urban raccoons may be taking first steps along that path.

University of Arkansas biologist Raffaela Lesch co-authored the study which involved studying 20,000 photos of raccoons from across the country. According to their findings urban raccoons have snouts 3.5 percent shorter than wild relatives. No one seems to be sure exactly how self-domestication occurs. There is a neurological theory under debate. It is a theory about changes in neural development leading to domestication. But it could be as simple as proximity. An animal habituated to humans and their food waste may need less space for a sensory array. Urban raccoons have less need to hunt. Once humans are used to them there is less fear and the two animals may begin to bond. In the meantime don’t try to hug them. They are still wild.

On the other hand the changes may be illusory. The study may be flawed and not taking account of variations in subspecies. Subspecies may have significant variation in snouts. It may also depend too heavily on photos not real life studies of actual raccoons. that is least one opinion being floated on Instagram.

Speaking of Instagram if AI is not the culprit one could suspect domestication is well underway. Even a casual visit yields many videos of raccoons in close and apparently friendly interaction with people.

It appears raccoons are likely candidates for eventual self domestication. They are eating leftovers we give them. They are eating pet food. Perhaps it is important that they observe our interactions with pets. They are in very close proximity. Often living in or under our houses. If domestication is occurring it will not be soon.