The German Hunting Association is calling on motorists to report every wildlife accident to the authorities. According to the association, such incidents occur on average every two and a half minutes. This alarming frequency highlights the importance of proper reporting to ensure that injured animals receive the help they need.
Helmut Dammann-Tamke, the president of the association, emphasized that injured wildlife often retreats into dense underbrush, making it difficult for them to be found without assistance. Trained hunting dogs can play a crucial role in locating these animals, allowing for timely intervention to alleviate their suffering.
Statistics provided by the association indicate that wild animals will not learn traffic rules in the foreseeable future. Dammann-Tamke pointed out that simply reducing driving speed from 100 km/h to 80 km/h can significantly decrease stopping distances, potentially saving lives. He urges all drivers, particularly those traveling on rural roads and through wooded areas, to remain vigilant.
These environments are commonly inhabited by wildlife, which can lead to higher chances of accidents. The association’s initiative aims to raise awareness about the dangers faced by both drivers and animals, encouraging a culture of responsibility and care on the roads.
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’s two-weekend alligator season wrapped up in the predawn light Monday morning, and when the last harvested alligator was checked, hunters had tallied 205 alligators, narrowly edging out the previous record of 202 harvested in 2023.
According to AGFC Herpetologist Amanda Bryant, hunters surpassed the initial quota of 204 with one additional harvest.
“We’re really happy with the outcome this year. We always want 100 percent of the quota to be filled so it’s great when that happens,” Bryant said. “The quota is exceeded when multiple hunters take an animal in the same night and only one or two animals remain to close the season. It’s pretty common. We set the quota a few animals short of the total needed harvest with this in mind.”
Hunters on public land filled 26 of the 38 drawn public land tags available. The success rate of 68 percent was an improvement over last year’s 58 percent hunter success on public land.
“Almost every hunter who puts in some time on the water in Arkansas’s public alligator hunting areas will see a legal alligator to harvest. Getting within snare or harpoon range can be tricky, especially with some of the larger ones,” Bryant said. “And a lot of unfilled tags are the result of hunters holding out for a larger alligator and running out of time; but hunters were actually more successful this year than last year.”
This year’s Millwood Lake hunt totaled seven checked alligators, leaving two tags open at the end of the first year of this area’s quota hunt.
“We tried to get the harvest a little higher there with the addition of the quota, hoping more hunters would mean people wouldn’t pass up on opportunities,” Bryant said. “Seven of the nine possible checks is slightly better than last year, but we’d really like to see that harvest goal reached in the future.”
On private land, Alligator Management Zone 3 in southeast Arkansas had the most successful hunters, with 106 checked during the two weekends of the hunt. Hunters in Alligator Management Zone 1 in southwest Arkansas checked 69 alligators, and hunters in south-central Arkansas (Alligator Management Zone 2) harvested four.
“Zone 2 doesn’t have as much habitat for alligators and has a smaller quota for private land hunters,” Bryant said. “It was the only zone to remain open on the last night of the hunt. Zone 3 closed two days before the end of the hunt, and Zone 1 closed with one night remaining in the scheduled hunting season.”
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CUTLINES:
ALLIGATOR David Snowden’s 13-foot, 1-inch alligator taken during the first weekend of the 2025 Arkansas alligator hunting season was the largest of the season. Pictured from left to right: Jordan Tortorich, Grant Wynne and David Snowden. Photo courtesy of David Snowden.
GATOR ON TRAILER The largest alligator taken on public land in 2025 was 13 feet long and taken by Terry Crafton from the Lower Arkansas Wetland Complex in southeast Arkansas. Photo courtesy Terry Crafton.
If you plan to spend time in or along a wooded area, you want to be seen. Missouri deer and turkey hunting seasons are underway, and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds non-hunters to practice safety measures when afield during hunting seasons.
MDC Hunter Education Coordinator Justin McGuire says, “Safety while hunting is ultimately the responsibility of the hunter.” He says, “Hunters must clearly identify their targeted game animals before even putting their fingers on the triggers of their firearms or before drawing their bows when archery hunting. They must also be aware of what is behind their targets and should never shoot at movement or sound.”
MDC offers these safety tips for non-hunters:
Wear bright clothing to be more visible, such as a bright orange hat, jacket, or pack.
Place a bright orange vest or bandana on the canines who join you and keep them leashed.
Avoid earth-toned or animal-colored clothing.
Be aware that hunters are often most active during the early morning and late afternoon, when game animals are most active.
Stay on designated trails.
Whenever venturing into the outdoors, let someone know where you are going and when to expect your return.
Make yourself known. If you hear shooting, raise your voice, and let hunters know you are in the area.
Be courteous. Once a hunter is aware of your presence, don’t make unnecessary noise to disturb wildlife.
Archery deer and turkey hunting runs through Nov. 14 and opens again Nov. 26 through Jan. 15, 2026.
Firearms turkey hunting is open Oct. 1-31.
Firearms deer hunting opens with the early antlerless portion Oct. 10-12, followed by several other portions through Jan. 6, 2026.
Migratory species from elephants to snow trout face shrinking habitats as climate change drives them into ecological bottlenecks, warns a UN report urging urgent global conservation action.
News Arena Network – New Delhi – UPDATED: October 3, 2025, 05:24 AM – 2 min read
Asiatic elephants face shrinking habitats and rising human-elephant conflicts as climate change forces them into fragmented corridors. Representative image.
Cold-adapted migratory species, from musk deer in the Himalayas to snow trout in mountain rivers, are being forced into ever-shrinking habitats as global temperatures continue to climb, a new international report has warned.
Released on Friday by the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the study draws on the findings of an expert workshop held earlier this year in Edinburgh. It concludes that climate-induced shifts in habitats are now colliding with existing human pressures, leaving vulnerable species with dwindling options for survival.
Hunter rescued after getting stuck in ‘quicksand’-like mud up to his waistA man who was duck hunting in coastal Maine had to be rescued after getting stuck in quicksand-like mud that reached up to his waist, local authorities said.
A man who was duck hunting in coastal Maine had to be rescued by police after getting stuck in quicksand-like mud that reached up to his waist before help arrived, local authorities said.
It happened Wednesday afternoon near Wharton’s Point on Maquoit Bay in southern Maine, according to a news release from the Brunswick Police Department.
The 31-year-old hunter, who had been standing on an embankment over the area’s mud flats, “started walking across the mud to retrieve the ducks when he suddenly sank,” Brunswick Police said in a news release. “He was unable to move and the more he struggled, the deeper he became.”
In this still image from a video, police from the Brunswick Police Department rescue a man who got stuck up his waist in mud while duck hunting.Courtesy Brunswick Police Department
The man was able to call 911 and officers arrived in a police boat to rescue him, according to the release.
The department said it took two officers to “pull and break the suction” in order to free the hunter, who was taken to the hospital due to the amount of time he was exposed to the ocean water.
Local police warned residents that mud flats along the coast are very unstable and often contain “honey pots” — pockets of quicksand-like mud “which cannot be seen until too late.”
“The more a person moves, the deeper they become,” police said in the news release.
In addition to rescuing the hunter, police said they also retrieved the ducks the man had shot before he became enmired.
Michigan City Animal Control says they have been made aware of illegal trapping of cats going on in the city. If you see unauthorized people trapping, please contact animal control or the non emergency police at 219-874-3221.
Michigan City Animals Control also said the following:
“Reminder: per ordinance no. 4025, Sec 14-8
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to set, trigger, activate or otherwise use, or cause to be set, triggered, activated or used, any traps except cage-type live traps within the city. Such traps must be placed in a shaded area and must be checked no less than every 24 hours. These traps shall be registered with the animal control department prior to being placed. Registration information shall include:
Owner’s name and contact information;
Location and duration that the trap is to be set; and purpose of the trap being set.
Please do not allow people to set traps on your property for the time being. If you see traps being placed, PLEASE contact us or the police station.”
The presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in two flocks of fighting birds in Mexico, according to a report from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
Both flocks are in an urban area in Nezahualcóyotl, and the two affected premises are about 11 kilometers away from the nearest poultry production unit, the WOAH report stated.
One of the flocks included 40 birds, 27 of which had died. The other had nine birds, two of which had died.
According to WOAH, birds in the larger flock were exhibiting signs consistent with HPAI, including diarrhea, cyanosis in the crests and wattles, sudden death, pale livers and congested tracheas and lungs. The owner of those birds notified veterinary authorities in a timely manner, WOAH stated.
Birds in the smaller flock also exhibited signs consistent with HPAI, including respiratory distress, ruffled feathers, diarrhea, anorexia, prostration, death, hemorrhagic trachea and duodenal loop.
Depopulation activities took place at each property, as well as the following measures: quarantine, surveillance within and outside of the restricted zone, disinfection and official disposal of carcasses, by-products and waste.
WOAH listed these two flock infections in the same report as other cases of H5N1 HPAI, but it also reported that sequencing also detected genes corresponding to serotype H5N2.
The two fighting bird flocks were included in a WOAH report concerning the HPAI situation in birds classified as “non-poultry including wild birds.” WOAH also has an active report on instances of HPAI in commercial poultry, but the most recent case in that report was confirmed in May.
Exposing the Big Game 
