Undercooked bear meat at North Carolina barbecue leaves 10 sickened, says CDC report
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[A total sport hunt] — Over 80k out-of-state hunters visiting South Dakota for pheasant hunting
Vote for Colorado wild cats
by Wayne Pacelle
In Colorado, we are working hard to educate voters about deeply ingrained, ruthless policies related to native wild cats and to urge voters there to sweep these archaic practices into the dustbin of history.
Shooting 500 mountain lions in Colorado during four-month season to start in late November — including hundreds of mother cats with dependent kittens — is disgraceful.
The hunts are rigged. Wealthy trophy hunters hire commercial guides with packs of dogs trained to attack and then drive the animal into a tree for an easy shot of a stationary animal. It’s a “guaranteed kill,” with the trophy hunter only paying the $8,000 fee after the kill.
It’s even worse for the bobcats. These native cats, just a step up in size from a house cat, are also attacked by packs of dogs — and also killed in baited traps. All to sell their fur to China.
That’s why it’s so important for voters to pass Prop 127 and halt these forms of commercial killing of our native cats.
We are telling our story to voters, especially through three powerful advertisements airing now throughout Colorado. I hope you’ll spend a minute and a half and watch each 30-second ad.
- Former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe, himself a sportsman, called trophy hunting “unsporting, cruel” in the ad he’s featured in. Watch it here.
- Colonel Tom Pool, DVM, PhD, and our senior veterinarian, tells Coloradans that “as a fair-chase hunter and veterinarian, I just can’t stomach shooting a treed cat at point blank range.” Watch it here.
Pool also says that Colorado needs every mountain lion in the state to do his or her work to arrest the spread of deadly and incurable Chronic Wasting Disease in deer and elk. But for lions he says, CWD would have spread across the mountain counties in western Colorado. - “Treed” shows Colorado voters what’s truly at stake — taking us to the front row of a guided trophy hunt of a lion. It’s tough to watch for anyone possessing empathy for animals, but it provides an essential understanding for anyone casting a ballot on this subject. Watch it here.
You and the supporters of Animal Wellness Action and Cats Aren’t Trophies have been extraordinarily generous and we’ve been able to raise more than $3 million to tell the story. But trophy hunting groups are spending millions, including one new front group that dumped in a half million dollars just days ago. We are running out of resources. We may have to pull back on the ads that you see above unless more generous supporters step up.
We have a winning message. But we need fuel to drive it forward.
Dr. Tom Pool and Dan Ashe are telling millions of Coloradans that lions and bobcats are crucial actors in the balance of nature. They check the spread of disease for the benefit of wildlife and all of the people of Colorado who enjoy these animals in many ways.
Maine Woman’s Dog Likely Saved Her After 4 Days Lost In Woods
By Renee Straker
3 days ago
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A walk in the woods with their dogs turned into a deadly tragedy for a family in Alexander, Maine.
Pamela Helmstadter, 72, was found alive and severely hypothermic after spending four days lost in the forest. Her 82-year-old husband John Helmstadter was found dead about 200 yards away, the Maine Warden Service said in a press release. They went for a walk in the woods behind their home on Oct. 13.
Searchers found Pamela with one of her dogs by her side on Oct. 17. Rescuers say her body temperature was 90.7 degrees and wardens believe the dog helped save her by laying on her to keep her warm in the rain and cold.
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Low temperatures in the region over those four days were in the 30s and highs only reached the 50s.
According to the Warden Service, the couple got lost after wandering off a trail, and then John fell and could not get back up. Neither had cellphones with them and Pamela got disoriented and lost when she tried to get help.
A neighbor contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 16 after one of the couple’s dogs returned to their home but there was no sign of the Helmstadters or their other dog.
Game wardens and K-9s located the couple over a mile from their home. Helmstadter told them she had given up hope of being found, but then she heard a search plane circling over her five different times and that gave her hope that she would be rescued.
Helmstadter was taken to Calais Community Hospital for observation. She later told WMUR-TV that she was feeling a lot of sadness and grief about the loss of her husband, saying, “He was loving. We were married for 31 years and we had a good life together.”
AI helps humans have a 20-minute ‘conversation’ with a humpback whale named Twain
10-24-2024
Earth.com staff writer
In a remarkable encounter off the coast of Alaska, human scientists had what they describe as a “conversation” with a humpback whale named Twain. Dr. Brenda McCowan from the University of California Davis was at the heart of this unexpected exchange.
Dr. McCowan and her team, known as Whale-SETI, have been studying how humpback whales communicate. They’re aiming to understand whale communication systems to help in the search for life beyond Earth.
Whale responds to a human greeting
Using an underwater speaker, the team played a recorded humpback “contact” call into the ocean. To their astonishment, Twain approached their boat and began responding.
For about 20 minutes, the whale circled them, matching the intervals between each call they played.
“We believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in the humpback ‘language,’” said Dr. McCowan.
The researchers were thrilled to see such direct interaction using the whale’s own signals.
Science behind the encounter
The Whale-SETI team is working on developing filters to detect intelligent signals, which could be used in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
By studying how whales communicate, they hope to find patterns that could apply to signals from outer space.
Dr. Fred Sharpe from the Alaska Whale Foundation emphasized just how intelligent humpback whales are. He pointed out their complex social systems and unique behaviors.
“They create tools such as nets made of bubbles to catch fish and extensively communicate through songs and social calls,” Dr. Sharpe explained.
Humans, whales and extraterrestrial life
The behavior they observed in Twain supports an important idea in the search for life beyond Earth.
“Because of current limitations on technology, an important assumption of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrials will be interested in making contact and so target human receivers,” noted Dr. Laurance Doyle of the SETI Institute.
“This important assumption is certainly supported by the behavior of humpback whales.”
By engaging with whales, the team believes they can learn how to detect and understand intelligent signals, whether they come from the depths of the ocean or the far reaches of space.
The details of this extraordinary encounter are published in the journal Peer J, in an article titled “Interactive Bioacoustic Playback as a Tool for Detecting and Exploring Nonhuman Intelligence: ‘Conversing’ with an Alaskan Humpback Whale.”
The researchers plan to use mathematics and various forms of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically information theory and machine learning, to measure how complex the whale’s communication is. They want to understand the rules and structures in the messages they receive.
Humans and whales talking — what’s next?
The Whale-SETI team isn’t stopping there. They’re preparing another paper focusing on the non-audio ways humpback whales might communicate, like the bubble rings they make around humans.
Co-authors Dr. Josie Hubbard, Lisa Walker, and Jodi Frediani bring expertise in animal intelligence, whale song analysis, and whale behavior to the project.
The team acknowledges the financial support from the Templeton Foundation Diverse Intelligences Program, which helped make their research possible.
What Is Whale-SETI?
Whale-SETI, short for Whale Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is a unique project that combines marine biology with the quest to find life beyond Earth.
The researchers are trying to decode whale communication, working under the idea that these sounds might contain complex messages similar to human languages — or even those of extraterrestrial beings.
Using advanced technology like sophisticated underwater microphones and artificial intelligence, they record and analyze whale sounds.
The AI looks for patterns that might indicate language-like structures. This not only helps us understand whales better but also could improve how we search for intelligent life elsewhere.
Why humans should care about humpback whales
Humpback whales are fascinating creatures. They can grow up to 60 feet long and weigh as much as 40 tons.
Known scientifically as Megaptera novaeangliae, these whales are easily recognized by their long pectoral fins and knobbly heads.
They travel great distances, migrating up to 5,000 miles between feeding and breeding grounds.
Their songs are complex and melodious, playing a crucial role in how they interact socially, especially during breeding season.
Once hunted nearly to extinction, humpback whale populations have been recovering thanks to international protections.
However, they still face threats like getting caught in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and changes to their environment caused by climate change.
Understanding their communication and social structures can help in conservation efforts, ensuring these majestic creatures continue to thrive in our oceans.
SETI Institute’s role
The SETI Institute, founded in 1984, is dedicated to exploring life beyond Earth.
By studying signals from space and understanding how life might arise elsewhere, they aim to answer the profound question: Are we alone in the universe?
Their work with Whale-SETI is an exciting intersection of this quest and the study of intelligent life on our own planet.
What does it all mean?
To sum it all up, this encounter with Twain isn’t just a fascinating story about humans and a whale. It’s a step toward understanding intelligence in all its forms.
By learning how to communicate with humpback whales, scientists hope to develop tools that could one day help us recognize and understand messages from extraterrestrial beings.
What does this mean for us? It highlights the importance of looking closely at the intelligent life we share our planet with. Perhaps by understanding the minds of whales, we can better prepare ourselves for encounters with life beyond Earth.
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The group behind this research includes scientists from the SETI Institute, UC Davis, and the Alaska Whale Foundation.
Three Lions Found Shot and Mutilated in Ritual Poaching Kill at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe
Grand Teton grizzly bear No. 399 that delighted visitors for decades is killed by vehicle in Wyoming
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In this undated photo provided by Grand Teton National Park a grizzly bear known as No. 399 stands along side a cub. (C. Adams/Grand Teton National Park via AP)Read More
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FILE – Grizzly bear 399 and her four cubs feed on a deer carcass on Nov. 17, 2020, in southern Jackson Hole. (Ryan Dorgan/Jackson Hole News & Guide via AP, File)Read More
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FILE – Grizzly bear No. 399 and her four cubs cross a road as Cindy Campbell stops traffic in Jackson Hole, Wyo., on Nov. 17, 2020. (Ryan Dorgan/Jackson Hole News & Guide via AP, File)Read More
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In this undated photo provided by Grand Teton National Park a grizzly bear known as No. 399 walks along side a cub. (C. Adams/Grand Teton National Park via AP)Read More
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In this undated photo provided by Grand Teton National Park a grizzly bear known as No. 399 walks along side a cub. (C. Adams/Grand Teton National Park via AP)Read More
By MEAD GRUVERUpdated 6:09 PM PDT, October 23, 2024Share
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A famous grizzly bear beloved for decades by countless tourists, biologists and professional wildlife photographers in Grand Teton National Park is dead after being struck by a vehicle in western Wyoming.
Grizzly No. 399 died Tuesday night on a highway in Snake River Canyon south of Jackson, park officials said in a statement Wednesday, adding the driver was unhurt. A yearling cub was with the grizzly when she was struck and though not believed to have been hurt, its whereabouts were unknown, according to the statement.
The circumstances of the crash were unclear. Grand Teton and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said they had no further information to release about it.
At 28 years old, No. 399 was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Each spring, wildlife enthusiasts eagerly awaited her emergence from her den to see how many cubs she had birthed over the winter — then quickly shared the news online.
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Named for the identity tag affixed by researchers to her ear, the grizzly amazed watchers by continuing to reproduce into old age. Unlike many grizzly bears, she was often seen near roads in Grand Teton, drawing crowds and traffic jams.
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Chronic wasting disease: How will zombie-like deer impact Kentucky hunting season?
by: Allie Root
Posted: Oct 23, 2024 / 07:07 AM EDT
Updated: Oct 23, 2024 / 07:07 AM EDT
SHARE https://fox56news.com/news/kentucky/chronic-wasting-disease-how-will-zombie-like-deer-impact-hunting-season/
KENTUCKY (FOX 56) — A new case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) will likely throw a wrench in some people’s hunting plans. Signs of the disease are weight loss, brain lesions, and zombie-like behavior.
The illness is common in deer and was recently found in a dead one from a facility in Breckinridge County.
“And we’ve tried to put together the very best plan that we can to make these recommendations to mitigate the disease,” said Gabe Jenkins, deputy commissioner for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Harris and Cheney stump in battleground states
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On Tuesday, the state approved a CWD surveillance zone in Breckinridge, Hardin, and Meade counties.
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While deer hunting is still allowed, hunters cannot bait deer with items such as corn, grain, or mineral blocks. Deer killed inside the zone cannot be taken outside of it.
Some meeting attendees were not happy with these restrictions, saying several local hunters have already put a lot of time and money into their hunting properties.
“A lot of hunters do not use woodsmanship anymore like they used to,” said one attendee. “They’re hunting straight over a feeder or some kind of mineral, and they’ve hung their stands there and everything. The concern now is if we stop that today, we’ve ruined them for the rest of the season.”
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials said an investigation is now underway that will allow them to check the deer population to determine if there are any other CWD cases, but some say banning bait won’t be effective.
“I think it’s going to potentially impact the underparticipation and harvest rates, which is going to be counterintuitive to getting more deer there to sample to see what the prevalence rate is,” said Matt Rhodes, the 3rd District Representative for the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Jenkins said this is necessary to limit the spread of the disease among Kentucky’s deer population.
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“We know the disease is on the landscape and we know modes of transportation of that disease from an animal to an animal and how that looks. So, there’s a high probability it’s in the environment. It’s on there. And so, anything we can do right out of the gate to decrease the chances of infection and the spread of the disease is paramount for us.”
No CWD infections in people have ever been reported, but the CDC notes that if CWD could spread to humans, it would most likely be by eating meat from an infected animal.
Anyone with questions or concerns can attend a public meeting set for Nov. 7 at the Breckinridge County Extension Office.
Exposing the Big Game 