Monterey County Local Animals News Articles and Digest

Animals Government

Conservation Groups Initiate Legal Action Against Feds for Failing to Protect Wolves

02/07/2024
Ten conservation groups filed an intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its failure to list western wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

From California Healthline...

Health Animals

Possibility of Wildlife-to-Human Crossover Heightens Concern About Chronic Wasting Disease

02/01/2024
Each fall, millions of hunters across North America bag deer. Over the winter, people chow down on the venison steaks, sausage, and burgers made from the animals.

From SF Gate...

Animals History

New ‘Toothless’ Walrus Discovered Along California Coast

02/01/2024
An extinct species of walrus was unearthed in Santa Cruz County, evoking a time when California was teeming with odd creatures that feel closer to fantasy than reality, researchers said.

From SF Gate...

Environment Animals

Imperiled Monarch Butterflies Cling to Survival in California

01/30/2024
Monarch butterflies have a long way to go before reaching stable population numbers.

From CalMatters...

Water Animals Sustainability State of California

Saving Salmon: Newsom Unveils Blueprint for Ending Decades-Long Decline

01/30/2024
Chinook and other salmon runs are collapsing. Conservation groups call it too little, too late. Plan includes dam removals and restoring river flows.

From KFF Health News...

Health Animals

A Record Number of Californians Are Visiting Emergency Rooms for Dog Bites

01/25/2024
Those pandemic puppies are growing up to be a public health concern.

From SF Gate...

Business, Economy & Jobs Animals Agriculture, Food & Gardening State of California

Invasive Flies Are Inching Closer Toward Ruining California’s Economy

01/24/2024
For months, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has been waging war on the oriental fruit fly, a voracious pest that can attack hundreds of types of fruits and vegetables.

From Monterey County Weekly...

Animals Agriculture, Food & Gardening Sustainability

After a Two-Month Delay, Commercial Crab Season Opens on the Central Coast.

01/17/2024
Image for display with article titled After Two-Month Delay, Commercial Crab Season Opens on the Central Coast.

Two things that are true, but also come into conflict, are that most people love to eat crab, and most people love whales.

From YubaNet...

Water Animals Sustainability

New Year Brings Protections for Deep-Sea Corals and Ocean Fishing Opportunities

01/08/2024
New rules took effect Jan. 1 permanently protecting the most fragile deep sea corals off Southern California. Simultaneously, more than 4,500 square miles of ocean waters are now reopened to fishing after more than 20 years of closures.

From Monterey Herald...

Animals Sustainability

Sunflower Star Laboratory Seeks to Restore Locally Extinct Species

01/07/2024
The sunflower sea star, Pycnopodia helianthoides—one of the largest and heaviest sea stars in the world—was once common on the West Coast.

From SFGate...

Health Animals Agriculture, Food & Gardening

Avian Flu Outbreak Hammers California Poultry Industry

01/04/2024
An outbreak of the avian flu that began in California in October has killed 5.5 million birds throughout the Golden State. About 20% of the deaths have come in Sonoma County.

From YubaNet...

Environment Animals

The Chickadee in the Snowbank

01/04/2024
Research shows that a mountain chickadee facing deep snow is like a canary in a coal mine—its survivability tells us about the challenges ahead.

From Monterey County Weekly...

Animals Agriculture, Food & Gardening

The Monterey County Fair Board Is Seeking $1 Million for a New Cattle Barn and Restrooms.

01/03/2024
Image for display with article titled The Monterey County Fair Board is seeking $1 million for a new cattle barn and restrooms.

At 88 years old, the Monterey County Fair and Event Center in Monterey has seen a lot of history. Fairs, of course, but also major national and international musical and cultural events – think Jimi Hendrix and other greats performing…

From San Joaquin Valley Sun...

Animals Sustainability

San Diego Zoo Displays World’s Rarest Insect

12/27/2023
Visitors can see the critically endangered Lord How Island stick insect, on display for the first time in North America, in a special habitat at the zoo’s Wildlife Explorers Basecamp.

From The Mercury News...

Environment Animals Sustainability

Collisions With Buildings Are Killing Millions of Birds Nationwide

12/26/2023
A dark-sky movement to save birds from window strikes is sweeping the San Francisco Bay Area. Several cities have passed or are drafting laws restricting light pollution while making windows easier for birds to see.

From The New Yorker...

Animals Sustainability

A Deeper Look at ‘No Kill’ Animal Control in Los Angeles

12/25/2023
Novelist Jonathan Franzen looks at how trap-neuter-release policies in feral cat colonies have troubling consequences for city residents, local wildlife and even the felines themselves.

From Monterey County Weekly...

Water Animals Sustainability

Lake San Antonio Gets Stocked With Rainbow Trout for the First Time Since 1985.

12/23/2023
Image for display with article titled Rainbow Trout Released in Lake San Antonio for the First Time Since 1985

Christmas came early for local anglers who want a chance to catch rainbow trout.

From Monterey Herald...

Environment Animals

How Gruesome Seal Deaths on the California Coast Revealed a Surprise Predator

12/22/2023
Sarah Grimes investigates reports of dead marine mammals up and down the coast. So when she began finding the decapitated bodies of harbor seal pups just a few miles north of Fort Bragg in 2016, she was on the case. Grimes wasn’t able to pin down the culprit until last year, with the help of a UCSC student.

From Lookout Local...

Business, Economy & Jobs Animals

Dungeness Crab Season Pushed to at Least Jan. 11 in Monterey Bay

12/21/2023
The Dungeness crab season will open in the northernmost regions of California in early January. The season remains closed in the Monterey Bay region until at least Jan. 11 due to the continued presence of humpback whales.

From Monterey County Weekly...

Environment Animals

The Anatomy of a Marine Mammal Rescue (In This Case, an Emaciated Sea Lion).

12/19/2023
Image for display with article titled Anatomy of a Marine Mammal Rescue

Here’s the scene: A handful of people are enjoying lunch on the back deck of Woodward Marine Market in Moss Landing. All of a sudden, people wearing life jackets are moving the furniture to clear a path to the water.

Monterey County Local News: Animals