Zimbabwe conservationists “disgusted” by GoDaddy CEO elephant hunt video

We are disgusted,” says Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, on GoDaddy CEO Bob Parson’s recent video glorifying his elephant hunt as his way of helping hungry Zimbabweans eat.

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Scotland takes wildlife crime seriously, maps raptor poisoning

Highlanders are the worst birds of prey poachers in Scotland, according to a new map and report. They even poisoned a rare sea eagle.

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Hunters kill 4th endangered Whooping Crane in 2 months

Baby picture of Crane # 412, 2004-2011

Hunters kill 4th endangered Whooping Crane in 2 months. This bird, #412, learned to migrate by following an ultralight aircraft from Necedah, WI to Cherokee County, AL. Last year his chick disappeared. Hunters killed three whoopers in GA this winter. Less than 600 survive. The bird was discovered Jan. 28–two days before the end of waterfowl hunting season. The main hunting area in Cherokee is the Little River National Preserve, which got national parks funding and designation in 1992, but with the special exception that hunting be allowed there. Great idea.  Chattanooga Times Free Press

Rare and freaky blanket octopus spotted octopus off Florida. It’s red, huge and has cape-like arms. People rarely see these regular residents, which live far off shore when the Gulf Stream isn’t acting funny. JustNews.com via Scienceblogs

Michigan wants to ban wildlife rehabiliators from helping sick or injured mute swan. They want to restore the native trumpeter swan, instead. MLive

Israel tests bomb-sniffing mice for airline passengers. Om Dagens Nyheter

Leaked report shows Tanzania’s road through the Serengeti would carry a million cars a day. The road would cut off the migration of elephant, zebra and wildebeest, the country’s main economic engine. Chicago Tribune

Obama administration says, sure, walruses deserve endangered species protection, but they won’t get it. LATimes

Mexican wolves get good news, but is it enough to turn the species around?

Mexican Wolf Release

Mexican wolf numbers are up slightly, the FWS actually released two and a new management is in the works. But is it enough to save this stalled species rescue?

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BLM dumps Pickens’ horse sanctuary; Coyote breaches Long Island; Wales gets Whales

BLM kills the idea of the NV Pickens sanctuary late on Friday without much explanation. Long Island may no longer be the last place in US without coyotes; one spotted in Queens. Wales hopes fin whale sightings mean whale watching. Georgia hunter gets away with online remote shotguns to kill feral hogs.

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India has nearly half the world’s tigers

Russia is a strong tiger supporter, but India has nearly half of the endangered cats and promotes tiger tourism at a growing number of reserves.

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Nugent Poaching Settlement Soft, but in Line with Other Cases

black  tailed deer

The fact that they caught the violation while watching his TV show shows me he clearly didn’t intend to break the rules. But if a highly successful NRA board member filming a TV show can’t get the rules straight, how can we expect the general public to do it?

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Ted Nugent: What Happened to Fair Chase Hunting?

black  tailed deer

Young male Columbian black-tailed deer, Walter Siegmund

Gun nut and 70s rock start Ted Nugent just pled no contest to two hunting violation in California. Game wardens originally filed 11 violations, including baiting a deer and hunting a buck that was too young, against him after seeing an episode of his “Spirit of the Wild” TV show. Once again we see that hunters may talk a lot about “fair chase,” but never seem to let it get in their way of a good time.

Nugent seems to have gotten off pretty lightly. The Sacremento Bee says he plead no contest “Friday in Yuba County Superior Court to two misdemeanors: baiting a deer and failing to have a deer hunting tag signed by a reviewing official after a kill. He was fined $1,750.” I didn’t know law enforcement offered the “neither admit nor deny any wrongdoing” deal to anybody but Wall Street crooks. Now, in his defense, I’d have to say that he truly didn’t understand the rules if he aired what he was doing on TV. But, if you hold yourself out as a defender of righteous hunting, then you better know and follow the rules.

Nugent posted a lame half-apology:

To my Fellow Outdoorsmen…. You may have read the news that I pled no contest to two misdemeanor game violations. I should have been better informed, more aware and I take full responsibility. The honorable hunting lifestyle is my deepest passion.

Ted Nugent

California bans hunting over bait–as most

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Mexican Wolf May Get Declared Endangered Finally

Mexican wolf. Credit: Jim Clark / USFWS

Down to about 40 wild animals, the Mexican gray wolf may get its own endangered species status, which could bring a real management plan and a less hostile reintroduction site.

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