Santa Clara County Animals Digest

Livestock are responsible for half of all methane emissions in California. The White House is giving $21.4 million to California Dairies and $22.8 million to Dairy Farmers of America to help change this.

A 2021 fire has helped bring wolves back to Southern California for the first time since the 19th century. A rancher is worried about how to keep wolves, which are federally protected, from harming cattle.

The Office of Habitat Conservation’s Restoration Center has awarded $27.8 million to bring Central California Coast coho salmon back to California rivers, funding projects by Trout Unlimited, the San Mateo and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts, and the Nature Conservancy.

Researchers tell LAist that half of California’s population of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, which are endangered, died last winter due to record weather. Causes of death include avalanches, starvation and getting eaten by mountain lions after moving to lower elevations for food.

Written by Center for Biological Diversity scientist Tiffany Yap and illustrated by artist Meital Smith, “Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma’s Journey” takes the reader through diverse habitats, across busy freeways and inside science labs to learn about one mountain lion’s survival story.

The famed Barron Park donkeys got a new member, April, who has joined the company of residents Perry and Buddy.

Inspired by community concerns about the lack of safe passage for animals crossing Highway 17, Los Altos-based Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has launched a multi-year project to build a wildlife undercrossing and a recreational trail overcrossing.

Dog owners in south Palo Alto have plenty of reasons to get excited as they watch the city add new fenced play areas for their furry companions. But things are different in the north, where supply hasn't kept up with demand.

A woman who was under investigation for the disappearance and death of a Palo Alto family's beloved German shepherd in January has been arrested and charged in Massachusetts in connection with a dog-training scam.

A small number of wild birds have tested positive for West Nile virus in Redwood City, Menlo Park and other parts of San Mateo County, prompting authorities to ask the public to report any dead birds they encounter.

There’s an official state bird, mineral, tree, fish, insect, lichen, fabric, sport, dance, soil and even dinosaur.

Parts of Santa Clara County have been placed under quarantine after invasive oriental fruit flies were detected in cities such as Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, county officials said.

A young beaver was spotted in the Palo Alto Baylands this week, marking perhaps the beginning of the return of the aquatic herbivores after more than 160 years.

In a new study published Aug. 17 in the journal Science, fossil records at La Brea Tar Pits indicate that the disappearance of California’s sabertooth cats, dire wolves and other large mammals nearly 13,000 years ago was linked to rising temperatures and fire activity spurred by people.

California’s only native sunfish, the Sacramento perch, was once abundant before invasive species decimated it. As the planet heats up and threatens cold-water game fish, the Sacramento perch may be on the cusp of a comeback, thanks to its ability to tolerate warm water.

Founded in 2005 in West Sacramento, Wag Hotels caters to a clientele that includes wealthy pet owners from Silicon Valley to Hollywood. But more than a dozen Wag clients told the San Francisco Chronicle that in their experience, Wag Hotels has neglected dogs and put them in danger.

Palo Alto reaffirmed its commitment to stick with Pets In Need as the city’s animal service provider even as some City Council members urged a broad reevaluation of the rocky partnership.

The new pack consists of at least five individuals not previously detected in California, including one adult female, who is a direct descendant of California’s first documented wolf in the state in recent history, (OR7), and four offspring (two females, two males).

When Laura Toller Gardner stepped into her job as the new CEO of the nonprofit Pets In Need in March, there was no time for a honeymoon. The contract between Pets In Need and the city of Palo Alto was about to expire, and finances had taken a sizable hit.

Luis Yauri Oyola hopes one day to buy a tractor to start a business in Peru; he estimates that he is six years away from that goal, for which he will have spent more than a decade of his life living thousands of miles away from his family. He is on call 24/7 and doesn’t leave the job site except for necessities.

Twelve years ago, Thomas Bray inherited San Benito Gold Honey, the business his father Leon Bray founded 40 years before. These days, he sells his honey and pollen from a little trailer on Hwy 25.

Research by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s snake fungal disease project indicates that the pathogen is occurring in more locations and impacting more snakes in California than previously known.

BeeHero, a startup founded in Israel, has developed technology that is helping beekeepers, farmers and researchers understand colony collapse disorder by using hive sensors that provide real-time data.

Seeking to steady the city's relationship with its animal services provider after two years of tension and acrimony, the Palo Alto City Council sent a clear message to Pets In Need: stay.

In December, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County spent $17 million to buy Rocks Ranch, a 2,600-acre property near San Juan Bautista that has been eyed by developers. The group is working to build a crossing so that wildlife can traverse Highway 101 without being killed.

The Santa Clara County Vector Control District started utilizing a new tool to drive down the mosquito population: drones.

Supporters of the Los Altos main library have been collecting signatures to save a 16-car parking lot currently dedicated to the library. There are plans to transform it into a dog park, which library patrons consider to be a detriment.

A federal regulatory group voted to officially close king salmon fishing season along much of the West Coast after near-record low numbers of the fish returned to California rivers in 2022. The approved closure of the 2023 season is for all commercial and most recreational fishing.

Seeking to mend their relationship, Palo Alto and Pets In Need took a step toward a new deal that would keep the nonprofit in charge of the city's animal shelter for another five years.

The salmon industry, worth about half a billion dollars, is devastated. The culprits: Drought and decades of water diversions and development.

It’s crows 1, Sunnyvale 0, after the city axed its green laser pilot program last month after the murder of crows plaguing downtown residents caught on that the shiny, blinding light poses no real threat.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and many wildlife rehabilitation centers have received reports of sick and dead band-tailed pigeons from locations along California’s Central Coast, the San Francisco Bay Area and Sierra Nevada foothill communities.