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Bird flu virus detected in Alaskan polar bear
Michigan gray wolves stable in the Upper Peninsula, remain federally protected
by Trevor RoubadeauxMon, July 1st 2024 at 6:04 AM
Updated Mon, July 1st 2024 at 12:52 PM
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The Michigan DNR has been keeping an approximate count of them for years. A new report of their numbers was released earlier this month. (WPBN/File)
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UPPER PENINSULA, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — Gray wolves are listed as endangered in 48 states.
The Michigan DNR has been keeping count of the gray wolf population every other year.
After their population neared extinction in the 1950s, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 helped gray wolf populations rebound in many regions.
The Michigan DNR has been keeping an approximate count of them for years. A new report of their numbers was released earlier this month.
“The wolves in the Upper Peninsula are stable and have been for the last 14 years,” Michigan DNR Large Carnivore Specialist Brian Roell said. “So, they’re healthy and doing well here in the Upper Peninsula.”
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This is good to know, but what does a stable population mean?
“It just represents that they reached this balancing point, not only biologically but also socially,” Roell said. “Because anytime you’re dealing with a large predator you have to think more around social care capacity as well as biological caring capacity.”
In other words, there is a perfect balance between available habitat and the approximate number of wolves that habitat can support over time.
This is important because it means the environment and the wolves are healthy.
“Sometimes things like catastrophic weather fire, disease can cause those boom and bust cycles, but those are a little bit out of our control,” Roell said.
There is concern for some that climate change could affect the populations and drive them out. But Roell feels differently.
“That’s not a fear of mine. I think climate change in general will benefit deer, their main prey source,” Roell said.
With that, all the wolves need is their prey and an unchanged home to continue stability.
“Really, all they need is that prey and to be left alone to survive. So I think our wolf population is not in jeopardy, even with climate change,” Roell said.
As of last month, gray wolves are no longer considered endangered on the state level, but they’re still protected under federal law.
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Animal rescuers save more than 100 dolphins during mass stranding event around Cape Cod
July 1, 2024 at 3:45 PM
https://www.aol.com/animal-rescuers-save-more-100-224518629.html
WELLFLEET, Mass. (AP) — Animal rescuers were able to coax more than 100 dolphins away from shallow waters around Cape Cod over the weekend after about 125 of the Atlantic white-sided dolphins became stranded.
An estimated 13 dolphins died and one had to be euthanized, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which helped lead the rescue attempt. The nonprofit said it was the largest mass-stranding it had dealt with on the Cape during its 26-year history in the area.
There’s no set reason for why these dolphins became stranded, rescuers said. Cape Cod is known as a global stranding hotspot due to the curvature of its shores and the fluctuation of tides.
Teams in Massachusetts found one group of 10 Atlantic white-sided dolphins swimming in a dangerously shallow area at dawn on Saturday and managed to herd them out into deeper water.
Scouts also found a second group of 25 dolphins swimming close to the shore near Eastham, the organization said. Teams worked to herd them away as the tide dropped throughout the morning.
Ten dolphins died during the stranding Friday at The Gut — or Great Island — in Wellfleet, at the Herring River. The Gut is the site of frequent strandings, which experts believe is due in part to its hook-like shape and extreme tidal fluctuations.
Misty Niemeyer, the organization’s stranding coordinator, said over the weekend that rescuers faced many challenges Friday, including difficult mud conditions and the dolphins being spread out over a large area.
“It was a 12-hour exhausting response in the unrelenting sun, but the team was able to overcome the various challenges and give the dolphins their best chance at survival,” Niemeyer said in a statement.
The team started out on foot, herding the creatures into deeper waters and then used three small boats equipped with underwater pingers, which make noise underwater, according to the organization.
Those helping with the rescue effort included more than 25 staff from the organization and 100 trained volunteers. The group also had the support of Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the Center for Coastal Studies, AmeriCorps of Cape Cod and the New England Aquarium.
