wildlife

It’s part of our ‘Respectfully Disagree’ series, where Wyoming Public Media brings people from all sides of an issue together to have a productive and respectful conversation.Join us for a live discussion on wild horses this Monday – June 27 at noon on our Facebook page.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a regulation change under the Endangered Species Act that would allow some species to be introduced outside their historical ranges. With more flexibility some endangered and threatened species could be moved to other suitable habitats.

APHIS monitors grasshoppers in 17 western states, and when the agency deems there’s an outbreak - or is asked to intervene by stakeholders like the US Forest Service or adjacent land owners - it can apply a pesticide to kill the insects.

This year’s strain of the bird flu is still killing birds in our region, from poultry to hawks. Officials hope the virus dies out later this summer, but until then, they urge bird owners to use good hygiene practices and to protect the birds from other wild species. To report sick or dead livestock, contact agriculture officials. To report sick or dead wild birds, contact your state wildlife officials.

A new study from the Nature Conservancy in Wyoming found that many wildflowers and other plants in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone area are blooming and bearing fruit earlier than they did 50 years ago. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska asked ecologist and co-author Trevor Bloom how the study came about.

A new report shows that a federal agency killed thousands of wild animals in 2021. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program killed 404,000 wild animals in 2021.

It’s legal to pick up roadkill for food in most of the Mountain West (Nevada excluded). You generally just have to get a permit, and now Wyoming is making that especially easy to do. In that state, you can get a permit via an app, called Wyoming 511. However, if you want to take part of the animal for food, you’ll need to take the entire animal with you.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured 45 grizzly bears in 2021 to prevent or resolve conflicts. The number of captured bears continued to increase in the past couple of years. And as the animals expand their habitat, management is more difficult.

The Wyoming House of Representatives is considering a pair of bills that deal with the management of wild horses on state lands.

Wyoming's Bureau of Land Management recently wrapped up one of its largest wild horse roundups in the southwest part of the state, and while controversial, many who live in the area said it is necessary.