Default Mono Sans Mono Serif Sans Serif Comic Fancy Small CapsDefault X-Small Small Medium Large X-Large XX-LargeDefault Outline Dark Outline Light Outline Dark Bold Outline Light Bold Shadow Dark Shadow Light Shadow Dark Bold Shadow Light BoldDefault Black Silver Gray White Maroon Red Purple Fuchsia Green Lime Olive Yellow Navy Blue Teal Aqua OrangeDefault 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%Default Black Silver Gray White Maroon Red Purple Fuchsia Green Lime Olive Yellow Navy Blue Teal Aqua OrangeDefault 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission met in Ogallala on Friday to discuss the new hunting season for rural Nebraska.
Published: Jun. 21, 2024 at 6:37 PM PDT|Updated: Jun. 21, 2024 at 8:39 PM PDT
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission met in Ogallala on Friday to discuss the new hunting season for rural Nebraska.
In the past couple of years, Nebraska Game and Parks has seen an increase in the numbers of mountain lions across the state. Since 2023, they have recorded 70 mountain lions in Pine Ridge, 27 in Niobrara Valley and 24 in Wildcat Hills.
The commission agreed to endorse the hunting season and this is the first time of a hunting season in the Wildcat Hills. The first season will begin in January and end in February. The second season will begin on March 15 and will last until March 31.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Furbearer and Carnivore Program Manager Sam Wilson said this should be very beneficial to keep the population contained.
“The hunting season helps hunters and provides an opportunity and helps us make sure predator populations are in balance with their prey,” said Wilson.
There are a few additional rules hunters need to follow, provided by the Nebraska Game and Parks.
Hunters will have a permit bag limit of one mountain lion of either sex.
Shooting hours for hunters will be sunrise to sunset
Any mountain lion harvested must be reported to the commission within eight hours of recovering the animal, using a phone number or website specified by the Commission.
It is against the law for a hunter to harvest a mountain lion with a spotted coat (kitten) or any mountain lion accompanying another mountain lion.
It is against the law to hunt mountain lions without first confirming that the harvest limit or female sub-limit has not been met.
It is against the law to hunt mountain lions with the aid of dogs, traps or bait, with the exception that dogs may be used during auxiliary season, if an auxiliary season is held.
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READING, Mass. — A Massachusetts man is accused of trafficking into the country more than 100 animal parts from endangered and protected wildlife, including African lion skulls, Jaguar skins, and Polar Bear skulls.
Adam Bied, 39, of Reading, is charged with two counts of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, specifically, illegally imported wildlife parts, and three counts of violating the Lacey Act which prohibits trafficking in wildlife, Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement on Friday.
Bied is said to have bought dozens of endangered wildlife parts from people in Cameroon and Indonesia who were in the businesses of killing and acquiring endangered and protected wildlife. He then illegally smuggled the endangered wildlife body parts into the U.S., and kept them at his home and also in a storage unit, prosecutors said.
Bied allegedly then resold or traded the endangered wildlife body parts to customers in the United States, Levy said.
Prosecutors believe the wildlife was protected by the Endangered Species Act as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Levy said.ExpandAutoplay
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The charges against Bied came following a years-long investigation into the endangered wildlife trafficking operation, court filings show.
“The illicit trafficking of endangered wildlife for financial gain is a grave offense that poses a significant threat to global conservation efforts and preservation of these species. Mr. Bied’s alleged conduct reflects a blatant disregard for the laws in place to safeguard our planet’s biodiversity,” Levy said.
“These laws and international treaties exist to protect endangered species from exploitation and to maintain ecological balance,” Levy said. “In addition to the criminal charges, our office is seeking to forfeit the hundreds of animal parts seized from Mr. Bied’s home and a storage unit, including orangutan skulls, tiger skulls and jaguar skins. This forfeiture action sends a clear message that we will not only prosecute those who engage in illegal wildlife trafficking, but also take legal actions to strip them of their ill-gotten gains.”
According to court filings, beginning at least from January 2018 until June 2021, Bied bought, sold and traded in wildlife parts and products, while knowing that many of the transactions violated U.S. laws and regulations, and he knowingly failed to declare this wildlife upon importation into the United States.
Bied did not possess a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service import/export license or necessary CITES permits, and allegedly failed to declare the wildlife to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service upon import, Levy said.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office also filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking to forfeit more than 100 wildlife parts from endangered, threatened, or protected species seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in July 2021 from Bied’s home, storage unit, and a vehicle, Levy said.
Many of the seized wildlife parts required a CITES permit and/or a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declaration for lawful import and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service import/export license to import wildlife for commercial purposes, Levy said.
Bied is accused of acquiring other wildlife parts in violation of the Endangered Species Act or the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Investigators seized the following wildlife parts, which are subject to civil forfeiture under federal law:
· Orangutan skulls;
· Tiger skulls;
· Leopard skin, skulls and claw;
· Jaguar skin and skull;
· African lion skulls;
· Polar bear skull;
· Narwhal tusk;
· Otter skeleton;
· Harp seal skull;
· South American fur seal skull;
· Elephant seal skull;
· Babirusa skulls;
· Mandrillus skulls;
· Wallaby skull; and
· Jackal skull.
Federal wildlife statutes and regulations prohibit international and illegal trade in vulnerable wildlife species.
The Endangered Species Act, the Lacey Act and CITES, as well as the accompanying regulations, prohibit the import, export, possession, transport, purchase and sale of protected species, Levy said. The restrictions apply to live and dead wildlife specimens, as well as the skins, parts and products made in whole or in part from listed species.
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Additional documents are also required for wildlife protected by the CITES treaty, which regulates trade in endangered or threatened species through permit requirements, Levy said.
The lawful importation of vulnerable wildlife species requires a CITES permit, Levy said. The lawful importation of any foreign species requires a USFWS wildlife declaration. Individuals are also required to have a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service import/export license to import wildlife for commercial purposes.
The charges of conspiracy as well as the charges under the Lacey Act each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Michigan is a national hot spot for bird flu, and pet owners should be aware of the potential risks, veterinarians warn.
Called highly pathogenic avian influenza, the H5N1 bird flu virus making headlines in Michigan and across the U.S. got its name because it is so well adapted to infecting and killing birds. The current H5N1 strain is almost always deadly in poultry, but produces a puzzling array of symptoms in other animals — including those commonly kept as pets, especially cats.
Cats are extremely susceptible to the H5N1 bird flu and are at risk of developing neurological symptoms and dying. Barn cats that drank raw milk from sick cows also were infected with bird flu and developed neurological symptoms, eye and nose discharge; many died.
While dogs can get infected by the H5N1 bird flu, reports of illness among dogs are rare. When they get sick, the symptoms have been mild, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this month.
Veterinarians urge pet owners to ensure their cats and dogs don’t hunt birds or scavenge the carcasses of birds or other animals to avoid the risk of infection. They also should avoid contact with other infected animals, such as cows and poultry and unpasteurized milk.
Here are some tips from the World Organisation for Animal Health to protect your pets — especially cats — from the bird flu:
Where possible, avoid direct contact with sick poultry, fallenwild birds, objects with traces of bird droppings, or surfaces orwater sources (e.g.: ponds, troughs, lakes) that might becontaminated with saliva, feces, or bodily fluids from birds.
Upon returning home, ensure that your shoes are kept out ofreach of pets.
After coming home from outdoor areas that may have birddroppings, clean your shoes.
Disinfect the surface where you placed your shoes.
Follow regular hygiene practices, such as washing hands withwarm water and soap, particularly after returning home andbefore handling food.
Maintain hygienic conditions while preparing meals.
Avoid feeding pets raw poultry meat, particularly if avianinfluenza outbreaks are reported in the region.
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Exposing the Big Game 