El Dorado County Local News: Animals

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.

Autumn is here, and black bears are entering a temporary physiological state known as "hyperphagia." During hyperphagia, also known as the fall feeding frenzy, bears consume as much as they can to bring their fat stores to a level where they can survive the quickly approaching winter months.

​​​​​A Sacramento Zoo visitor was bitten by a skunk on Oct. 15, 2024. According to a press release from Sacramento County Public Health officials, the skunk was behaving aggressively prior to biting the visitor. Sacramento Zoo officials captured and euthanized three skunks within the area after the incident and submitted them to the Sacramento County Public Health Laboratory for rabies testing. On Oct. 17,confirmation was received that two of the three skunks tested positive for rabies.