U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)’s Post

What may initially appear to be just a pile of brush, a crawl space or a hollowed-out tree, may actually be the winter home of a bear, and possibly its cubs. If disturbed by humans, a bear may be inadvertently flushed from the den, and if it’s a female bear with cubs, she may orphan her cubs if humans do not leave the area immediately. Biologists at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) recommend, if someone encounters a bear den, to remain calm, leave the area quickly and quietly, and do not disturb the den for the rest of the winter season. Read more: https://bit.ly/3uItiM4

The first chapter of my dissertation is out in Journal of Wildlife Management! We used a long-term American woodcock VHF tracking dataset to assess male habitat selection over time and investigate how selection may differ between the sexes, give it a read! https://lnkd.in/e9x9AjYN

“The health of Australia’s wildlife, animals in agriculture, domestic animals and our human population are all fundamentally linked. Many diseases that can affect humans and livestock often emerge in wildlife and effective surveillance of wildlife health is therefore vital to human health, agriculture, the environment and biodiversity in Australia” – Dr Phil Tucak, Wildlife Health Australia (WHA) We should also just care for wild animals because they’re awesome & deserve to be happy and healthy just like everyone else 😊 #animals #wildlife #wildanimals #wildlifehealth #wildlifedisease #animalhealth #OneHealth

Pangolins are one of the most trafficked mammals on the planet and all eight species of pangolin are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Thankfully, Dr. Jen Tinsman, a scientist for the Service’s National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, helped develop a new tool to determine where pangolins come from just by using a small piece of their scales. When asked why this study is so important, Dr. Tinsman said, “As a forensic scientist, I am usually only able to help animals after a wildlife crime has occurred. My hope for this research is that we can help prevent wildlife trafficking before it happens – and conserve species like the white-bellied pangolin for future generations.” You can read the recently published paper highlighting Dr. Tinsman’s research here: https://ow.ly/oIlR50QiTRf You can learn more about the Service’s role in protecting pangolins here: https://ow.ly/3xJw50QiTPQ. 📸 by Frank Kohn/USFWS

This should be quite an interesting talk.

Something special about Michigan you might not know: We're one of only a handful of places in the US where the endangered Mitchell's satyr butterfly can thrive. 🦋 The prairie fen habitats they rely on are increasingly rare, making existing sites even more crucial. Fortunately for us, Michigan is considered the best location to focus on recovery for the species, given the number of sites where the butterfly is still active! Led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a consortium of federal officials, state wildlife agencies, land conservancies like TNC and zoos are leading the effort to recover the butterfly's population here in the Mitten. Reintroducing fire to preserves, captive propagation, and species monitoring are just some of the methods in place to help support the these rare beauties. Read all about efforts to save the Mitchell's satyr and its habitat: https://nature.ly/4fumG6B

Returning apex predators gives hope for blooming #biodiversity! 💚 The return of healthy populations of keystone species, like these Gray wolves, has huge implications for the entire ecosystem - and everyone in it. From the wriggly things in the soil, to prey such as deer, these wild wolves will support ecosystem resilience. 🐛 🐜 🦌 🐺 It is now becoming clear that some trophic cascades could also have a significant impact on the carbon cycle and climate change. Wolves are one of the 9 'climate hero' species of the peer-reviewed study in Nature Climate Change. We 💚 #rewilding

I find the joy of watching wildlife is also the beauty around it! I wanted to share a bit more today with a beautiful evening photo from the Bolivian Pantanal. The bolivia Pantanal is home to various plant and animal life, including 53 species of amphibians, 159 species of mammals, 98 species of reptiles, 656 species of birds, 325 species of fish, 1,030 species of butterflies, and more than 3,500 species of plants. Many of these species are highly threatened, such as the Marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), and the Hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus).

I find the joy of watching wildlife is also the beauty around it! I wanted to share a bit more today with a beautiful evening photo from the Bolivian Pantanal. The bolivia Pantanal is home to various plant and animal life, including 53 species of amphibians, 159 species of mammals, 98 species of reptiles, 656 species of birds, 325 species of fish, 1,030 species of butterflies, and more than 3,500 species of plants. Many of these species are highly threatened, such as the Marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), and the Hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus).