Wildlife

"Two environmental groups on Monday petitioned the Biden administration to protect the bumblebee under the Endangered Species Act to prevent the pollinator’s further decline."

"On a former Cold War missile base perched high above the Golden Gate Bridge, in what is now the largest marine mammal hospital in the world, Frances Gulland still remembers the shock she felt when she first started working here as a veterinarian 26 years ago."

"Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration believe they have identified a new species of whale in the Gulf of Mexico. The Rice's whale is a filter feeder that can grow to 42 feet. It's also critically endangered. There are believed to be fewer than 100 of them left."

"A cave complex at a temple in Thailand has long drawn tourists, pilgrims and guano collectors. Now, scientists have arrived, looking for any potential links to the coronavirus."

"The interior least tern, a hardy Midwestern bird that survived a craze for its plumage and dam-building that destroyed much of its habitat, has soared off the endangered species list."

"The Alaska state agency that submitted most of the bids in a lightly attended auction for drilling rights in the Arctic Nationa"l Wildlife Refuge expects to have those leases in hand by next week, the organization’s executive director said on Wednesday."

"Conservation groups filed suit Wednesday against the federal government, saying it has taken too long to act on proposals to expand protections for critically endangered right whales."

"The Trump administration has cut designated critical habitat for the northern spotted owl by millions of acres in Oregon, Washington and California."

"The Trump administration has completed a review of plans to ease protections for a struggling bird species in seven states in the U.S. West, but there’s little time to put the relaxed rules for industry into action before President-elect Joe Biden takes office."