El Dorado County Local News: Animals

The horrific fires in Southern California are not only wreaking havoc on the lives of people in the area; wildlife and domestic pets have been severely impacted as well.

The Folsom City Council approved a resolution during Tuesday’s meeting authorizing the City Manager to amend the 2024 contract with the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) for shelter services. The agreement extends the partnership for an additional two years, through December 31, 2026.

When Malea Jordan, a ski patroller and search-and-rescue avalanche dog handler at Northstar California, first got her avalanche dog Ripp, he was so small he could fit inside her ski helmet.

It's time to polish up those binoculars.  The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science is hosting its annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers are grouped into small teams and stationed at one of 26 vantage points throughout the Tahoe basin, mostly around the lakeshore, to get an accurate snapshot of eagle numbers at the lake.

Living in an urban/wildland interface, as we do here in the Lake Tahoe Basin, comes with a responsibility to do our best to coexist with native wildlife. Human/wildlife conflict issues can at times become flashpoints for local debate between community members, especially on social media.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing protection for one of the nation's most beloved species the monarch butterfly and is encouraging the public to be part of its recovery. The Service is seeking public input on a proposal to list the species as threatened with species-specific protections and flexibilities to encourage conservation under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Public comments will be accepted on the proposal until March 12, 2025. The Service will then evaluate the comments and any additional information on the species and determine whether to list the monarch butterfly.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife removed three bear cubs from Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care's facility late October after learning the center no longer had staff with the expertise or experience to rehabilitate bears.

Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter has announced a new partnership with the City of Citrus Heights to provide comprehensive animal services to the local community. The new agreement will offer Citrus Heights residents access to a wide array of animal services, including shelter resources, 24/7 customer support through 311 Connect, a full-service on-site pet hospital for sheltered animals, and a low-cost spay and neuter clinic.