fish wildlife

GEORGIA — A reptile dealer is heading to jail after authorities say he trafficked poisonous turtles and snakes from his home in Georgia. A judge recently sentenced Ashtyn Michael Rance, 35, from Florida, to 33 months in prison. He was also…

Feb. 26 - VALDOSTA - A Florida reptile dealer caught shipping poisonous snakes and turtles from his residence in Valdosta as part of "Operation Middleman," a multi-agency investigation focused on reptile trafficking from the United States…

A federal judge in Valdosta, Georgia, yesterday sentenced Ashtyn Michael Rance, 35, to 33 months in prison on each count to run concurrently, a $4,300 fine and three years of post-release supervision. The judge also prohibited Rance from…

DULUTH — The owner of an animal act booked as a stage show for the Duluth Sport Show is being called out for a past violation of a New York animal welfare law.Grant Kemmerer, owner of the Pennsylvania-based Wild World of…

Iguanas falling from the sky may seem like an irrational fear in a country where these animals aren't native, but for Florida residents, "falling iguanas" have become…

A University of Texas biology professor faces charges of allegedly smuggling exotic animal parts into the United States, prosecutors said. Richard Kazmaier, 54, who is an associate professor at West Texas A&M…

MIAMI— The Center for Biological Diversity for follow-up the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for a Trump administration decision to deny the Cedar Key mole skink protection under the Endangered Species Act.The agency…

But a handful of endangered species that still hang around may follow the mosquitofish's path. Unless humans act quickly to protect habitats and keep them alive and thriving. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife!-->…

December 23 — The owner of a local pet store whose criminal case is at the heart of today's animal rescue stories is still fighting his charges in court.Timothy Charles Lorraine, 61, of Whitley City, is next due in Pulaski District Court…

The owner of a local pet store whose criminal case is at the heart of…

The owner of a local pet store whose criminal case is at the heart of…

Invasive tegu lizards are expanding their range in Florida Florida wildlife officials say Argentina's black-and-white tegu population is colonizing further north and they have a big appetite. They are not from the Sunshine State.…

McKITTRICK, California.- The Center for Biological Diversity today formally called on the California Fish and Game Commission to protect the legless Temblor lizard under the state's Endangered Species Act.The Temblor legless lizard is a…

WASHINGTON - The Center for Biological Diversity today filed two official notices of intent to sue the US Fish and Wildlife Service for denying or delaying Endangered Species Act protections for 10 species.An opinion accuses the Service of…

Republican United States Representative Yvette Herrell of New Mexico sought to protect industries like oil and gas through a recent bill of what she said were threats posed by federal protections to endangered plant and animal…

BILLINGS, Mont. - President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday announced plans to reverse two environmental rollbacks under former President Donald Trump that limited habitat protection for endangered plants and wildlife.The proposal to…

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it was reversing two Trump-era rollbacks that limited habitat protections for endangered species. The first rollback would have allowed the government to deny species protection…

Marcia Mayeda, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control. But no unicorns! People are often surprised when I tell them that the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) deals with…

A Davie man who served federal prison time for purchasing contraband wildlife has now been charged with uprooting protected Florida turtles from the wild and smuggling them overseas to the United States. China, Japan and other…

The "Lizard King" is accused in another case of conspiracy to export illegally harvested turtles to China and Japan. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla .-- Trafficking in wildlife, including freshwater and aquatic life, is a…

This story is part of Grist's Summer Dreams arts and culture series, a weeklong exploration of how popular fiction can influence our environmental reality. People thought the snake seen in the park was a black mamba. Who knows…

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL - The Tegu are intelligent and relatively calm lizard, however, they are far from docile when trying to catch one in the wild during their fight or flight mode.Their population has exploded in southern Miami-Dade…

TAMPA, Florida. – A Florida man was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for buying endangered dead animal parts.Steven Phillip Griffin II, 36, was sentenced last week in federal court in Tampa, court records show. He pleaded…

LOS ANGELES - A small fish native to Southern California streams and a legless lizard swimming in the sand will be studied to determine if they are eligible for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, a group of researchers…

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A small fish native to Southern California streams and a legless lizard swimming in the sand will be investigated to determine if they are eligible for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, a conservation…

McKITTRICK, California.- In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announcement today that the Temblor legless lizard may qualify for protection under the…

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida- The Center for Biological Diversity and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have reached a agreement today, that requires the Service to make endangered species decisions for eight rare species of skink - a type of…

From the summer of Key West Hemingway Days, in which bearded hopefuls compete for the title of best daddy lookalike, at the annual hunt for the elusive (and imaginary) skunk monkey, Florida is renowned for its calendar of sights.Now another…

Emilie Wirth | Director, CEHMMThis Op Ed was written in response to the article titled "" It's Up to Us to Take Care of Them: New Mexico Landowners Fight to Save Lower Prairie Chicken "published by the Carlsbad Current -Argus on April 9,…

A South Carolina man was arrested on March 30 for Lacey Act and firearms. A federal judge in the Central District of Georgia unsealed the indictment today. Ashtyn Michael Rance, 35, of Dalzell, was indicted by a federal grand jury in…

The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has tried for years to deal with the influx. Among other strategies, he required owners to shoot iguanas on sight and invited amateur hunters to compete for prizes at a roundup of…

Robert Edman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission demonstrates catching pythons January 10, 2020 in Sunrise, Florida. The FWC recently voted to restrict 16 non-native species, including pythons.(Joe Raedle/Getty…

Florida restricts the possession and private breeding of certain exotic animals, including Burmese pythons, green iguanas and tegu lizards, citing concerns about invasive species invading the state. This decision is met with strong…

Cave geckos illustrate evolution at its most fantastic. Some have blood red eyes and sport bright yellow stripes on their dark bodies. Others are Popsicle blue or have camouflage patterns of fiery orange and brown. Many species of these…

item Argentine black and white tegu (Stan Kirkland / Florida FWC) ATLANTA - It is the largest lizard of its kind, and it now inhabits both Florida and Georgia, which is of concern to wildlife officials. The Argentine black and…

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TAMPA, Fla. – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking Floridians for help in controlling an invasive species of lizard that poses a threat to native wildlife. "Argentinian black and white tegus are not native to our…