The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced an emergency permit hunt for Alaska residents to harvest muskoxen stranded on an island near the Nunivak Island coast. The hunt opens on July 22 and closes on Dec. 1.
The tiny island, known locally as Paamiut Island, is located less than half a mile from Nunivak Island’s southern coast and roughly 40 miles from the Kuskokwim Delta mainland.
According to the state’s emergency order, at least five muskoxen are stranded on the island. There is no source of fresh water on the island, forage is limited, and the survival of the muskoxen is unlikely.
One muskox may be harvested per person. Resident locking-tag fees are waived for the hunt.
Hunters can apply for a permit beginning at 9 a.m. on July 22 by visiting hunt.alaska.gov.
The state has provided a handful of opportunities in recent years to harvest muskoxen stranded on islands or ice floes. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened hunts on islands off the Nunivak coast in 2017 and 2020. In 2021, residents had the opportunity to harvest muskoxen stranded on late spring ice floes.
A red marker shows the location of the small island known locally as Paamiut Island where the Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened an emergency hunt to harvest stranded muskoxen on July 22, 2026.
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Wisconsin’s hunting population is declining, and the state is taking action to reverse the trend.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is offering grants through its Hunter R3 program — standing for Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation — to help bring new hunters into the sport and encourage experienced hunters to return. The program provides up to $75,000 in total funding, with individual awards capped at $25,000.
The money supports organizations and individuals who provide hunting education and work to eliminate obstacles that prevent new hunters from participating in the sport.
“Hunting has traditionally played a big role in how we conserve wildlife and habitat natural areas and ecosystems overall,” said Emily Iehl, hunting program specialist for the Wisconsin DNR. “There is a lot of good benefits and research out there and getting outside and getting exposed to green spaces impacts your mental and emotional health.”
The grant program has already funded several projects designed to make hunting more accessible. Previous recipients have used the money to renovate archery ranges in urban schools and establish scholastic clay target programs.
Applicants interested in pursuing funding should visit the Hunter R3 section on the Wisconsin DNR website for more information and to submit their applications. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2026.
Organizations and individuals eligible for the grants include those developing new hunting education programs, creating mentorship opportunities for beginning hunters, and addressing barriers such as access to land, equipment costs, or lack of knowledge about hunting regulations and safety.
Hi Jim,Thank you for being a vital part of the Animal Hero community. Because you have stood up for animals in need before, we knew you would want to be the first to know about this urgent petition. 8,501SIGNED9,400NEXT GOALSIGN THE PETITIONA wounded coyote was pulled from the brush by his tail, kicked, dragged, and stabbed – until he died.The entire attack was caught on video.According to reports, the man in the footage is hunting influencer Aron Snyder. The video appears to show him pulling the injured coyote from the brush, throwing him across the ground, chasing him as he tried to escape, kicking him, and stabbing him.This is not hunting. This is sadistic torture.An injured animal should never become someone’s sick version of “entertainment”. And now, there is a real danger that this case could fall through the cracks.Initial reports pointed to the video being captured in Wyoming. Snyder later claimed the video was filmed years earlier in Texas. That matters because Texas law is unfortunately more lenient towards torturing wild animals.If officials fail to act, it will send a dangerous message: a wild animal can be tortured on camera and no one has to answer for it.We call on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and all relevant prosecutors to:Investigate the incident shown in the video and determine exactly when and where it occurred.Publicly identify which agency has jurisdiction.Refer the case for the strongest criminal charges supported by the evidence.SIGN THE PETITIONThe video is already public. Now officials must prove that cruelty this blatant has real consequences. Sign now to demand justice for this coyote and make it clear that wildlife torture will not be tolerated!Thank you for being a hero, The Animal Hero Team
New Zealand’s largest egg supplier is putting hundreds of thousands of free-range chickens into lockdown after the deadly bird flu virus was detected in the country for the first time.
Mainland Poultry, which supplies nearly 40% of the country’s eggs, has taken the precautionary step of isolating more than half a million free-range laying hens while officials work out the extent of the disease’s spread.
While there have been zero cases of bird flu identified in commercial poultry flocks, and meat and eggs remain safe to eat, chief executive John McKay said the two detected in wild birds for the first time last week had prompted them to try to mitigate the risks.
McKay, who is also the chair of the Egg Producers Federation (EPF), told Ryan Bridge TODAY the nationwide agribusiness had just over 1.3 million hens, with around 550,000 of those farmed as free-range.
Free-range hens are usually given the freedom to spend much of their day outside and can interact with other wildlife, so McKay said Mainland Poultry staff had a “pretty busy weekend” closing off the pop holes in barns until more is known.
“The birds naturally come in in the evening. They come in to roost and have their final feed before they go to sleep,” McKay said.
Mainland Poultry has isolated over 550,000 free-range hens as a precautionary measure after New Zealand’s first two cases of the H5N1 bird flu strain were detected last week. Photo / 123rf
“In the morning, [the pop holes] aren’t opened as per usual … so the birds are temporarily housed inside those barns for their welfare.”
McKay said free-range eggs made up about 45% of New Zealand’s total egg market, so there was clear consumer demand.
Mainland Poultry would continue to maintain good on-farm biosecurity, even ramping up some measures, as McKay said it was crucial for protecting their hens and businesses.
“Obviously, we care deeply about our birds,” McKay said.
“Let’s better understand the risk, understand where it might have spread or where it hasn’t spread, and then based on better understanding that risk, we can then make good decisions about what we do with those birds going forward.”
New Zealand’s first known case of the H5N1 strain was recorded on Wednesday in a wild brown skua found on Lower Hutt’s Petone Beach, with a second detection in a native kāhu, or swamp harrier, in the Wairarapa announced Friday.
In an update yesterday, MPI’s chief veterinary officer Dr Mary van Andel said no new cases of bird flu had been found since, but they had received a surge in reports about dead or sick birds since the public notification and would be continuing to investigate each one.
Authorities hadn’t found any evidence of widespread transmission or mass mortality affecting wildlife either, she added.
“We have staff on the ground over the weekend carrying out checks in some areas of Wellington’s south coast and Wairarapa,” van Andel said.
“We continue to have a strong response from the public about unwell or dead birds they have seen, and we consider every notification and triage any suspected cases of avian influenza.”
Van Andel urged people not to touch or move the birds they encounter.
“If you see three or more sick or dead wild birds in a group, report it immediately to the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 from anywhere in New Zealand or online at report.mpi.govt.nz.”
Exposing the Big Game 