Pandemic Archives - Urban Edge Wildlife

Category: Pandemic

Where are the Wild Animals?

February 23, 2021

Not too long ago the trails in the little canyon in San Mateo County, California were rich with a wide diversity of wild animals including animal species that are designated as California Species of Concern*. Until recently, the trail cameras filmed lots of animal action—a large number used to patrol, mark and play on and […]

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Events

News

Marilyn Krieger found her calling in protecting cats, wild or domestic

January 20, 2022. An article about my wildlife and domestic cat work.

New Study Shows There Are Far Fewer Mountain Lions in California Than Previously Believed

January 16, 2024. The study pegs the mountain lion population in California in the range of 3,200 to 4,500 individuals, down from a previous estimate of 6,000.

The Roar or Purr: Unraveling the Vocalization of Saber-Toothed Tigers

September 04, 2023. A pre-history mystery. Did saber-tooth cats purr or roar?

When Puppies Protect, Wildlife Stay Safe

June 23. 2023. What do dogs, sheep, and pumas have in common? They’re all part of a new initiative from Wildlife Conservation Society Argentina aimed at reducing conflict between herders and the wild carnivores that stalk their flocks.

Rat Poison Ban Heads to California Senate

Sun Jun 18, 2023. "Recently, the necropsy of P-22, the mountain lion once caught by a trail camera against the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, found exposure to five different anticoagulant rodenticides in his liver. A bill to add one of them — diphacinone — to California’s list of banned poisons is on its way through the State Senate."

Leopards Are Living among People. And That Could Save the Species

April 1, 2023. "This is a story of two highly adaptable species sharing the same space—and a story of hope in these otherwise bleak times for wildlife. Here commonplace notions about large cats being fearsome and bloodthirsty break down. Instead we find wild carnivores and people trying to survive, having their young and living in their societies right next to each other."

Study Shows Human Activity Impacts Bobcat Behavior

August 25, 2022. A Northern Michigan University-led research project focusing on bobcats found evidence that human activity can exert a greater impact than environmental factors on carnivore predator-prey interactions, daily activity patterns and movement.

Canadian researchers seek paths for animals to migrate in response to climate change

July 19, 2022. "Over the long period of time," Jonathan Cole, who is completing a PhD on wildlife connectivity in this region at Concordia University says, "you'll start to get major extinctions, because the species will not be able to go to where they need to go to thrive in the right environmental conditions."

Honey, I shrunk the wild! Why human-wildlife conflicts are seeing a big jump

June 28, 2022. Although this article is mainly focused on India, the message it conveys is global. As wild habitats shrink, it has drawn wildlife closer to negative interactions with human habitations.

No, mountain lions won’t drop dead if California builds duplexes. But some towns are in their habitat

March 8, 2022. Whatever you may think of state housing policies, one thing is true: Woodside is indeed mountain lion habitat, and treating that habitat responsibly is critical to the survival of this species.

Top cat: why the puma is a leading influencer in the animal kingdom

January 18th, 2022. Now, a new study has reported the web of life these elusive cats support, showing how they are connected to more than 485 other species.

Researchers find concerns for animals tied to same habitats

January 11, 2022. "Animals that have strong site fidelity are having a tough time adjusting to the novel landscapes that are showing up around them as a result of humans," says Jerod Merkle, an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming and the co-lead author of the paper

The Secrets of Changing Your Cat's Behavior

January 10, 2022. I have the honor of kicking off Dr. Karen Becker's Cat Extravaganza week with a podcast and an article about cat behavior.

Signs Of Inbreeding Among Southern California Mountain Lions Raise Extinction Fears

January 08, 2022. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA)— Scientists tracking two local mountain lion populations, one in the Santa Monica Mountains and another in the Santa Anas, have identified the first reproductive signs of inbreeding among these groups, which are cut off from breeding options by busy freeways.

Using trail cameras to hunt wildlife in Arizona is banned as of New Year's Day

December 30, 2021. Hunters in Arizona will no longer be allowed to use remote cameras to help track wildlife as of Saturday when a ban on their use takes effect.

Carnivores may adjust schedule to avoid each other, researchers find (time and space sharing)

October 22, 2021. HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY— Just as humans may leave their home five minutes early to avoid a talkative neighbor or depart work late to avoid a rude coworker, carnivorous mammals may go out of their way to avoid other species. But they're not trying to navigate awkward social interactions; rather, they are negotiating space and resources for survival.

Climate change affects animal behavior

October 19, 2021. According to a study pertaining to more than a hundred animal species, environmental change brought about by humans has the greatest impact on the animals' activity in exploring their environment.

Cities are making mammals bigger

August 16, 2021. While climate change is causing some animals to shrink, a new study shows urbanization is causing many mammal species to grow both bigger and longer, possibly because of readily available food in places packed with people.

Mountain lions moved less, downsized territory during LA’s pandemic shutdown

August 6, 2021. Study counters popular belief that carnivores roam wild in absence of humans

Don’t hike so close to me: How the presence of humans can disturb wildlife up to half a mile away

July 20, 2021. The presence of humans, or even the existence of the trails they hike on, can have detrimental effects on wildlife.

New method lets researchers rapidly monitor snow leopard stress levels in the wild

July 7, 2021. Biologists can now analyze snow leopard stress hormones in the field--without stressing the animal.

Oakland Zoo animals receive experimental COVID-19 vaccine

July 4, 2021. OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Zoo became the first of its kind to protect its tigers, bears and other animals against COVID-19 using an experimental vaccine uniquely formulated for animals, video released by the zoo on Friday showed.

Cities are becoming a living lab for species evolution

October 22, 2019. Scientists have found that urban animals are not just adapting their behaviors, but changing at a genetic level compared to their country cousins.

Whole genome sequencing could help save pumas from inbreeding

October, 18, 2019. The first complete genetic sequences of individual mountain lions point the way to better conservation strategies for saving threatened populations of the wild animals.

California becomes first state to ban fur trapping after Gov. Newsom signs law

September 04, 2019. Way to go California! The Wildlife Protection Act of 2019, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, prohibits commercial or recreational trapping on both public and private lands.

Wildlife Experts: Neurological Damage Confirmed in Florida Panther, Bobcat

August 20, 2019. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking for the public’s help in documenting a disorder its experts have found in some Florida panthers and bobcats.

One million species face extinction, U.N. report says. And humans will suffer as a result.

May 06, 2019. Up to 1 million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction, with alarming implications for human survival, according to a United Nations report released Monday.

How wildlife bridges over highways make animals—and people—safer

April 16, 2019. Bridges for bears and tunnels for tortoises have significantly reduced the number of wildlife-car collisions worldwide.

Companion Animal Psychology—pet people to follow in 2019

January 16, 2019. I’m honored that Companion Animal Psychology included me in their list of pet people to follow in 2019.

Rat Poison Found in 85 Percent of Tested Mountain Lions, Bobcats, Fishers.
Poisonings Prompt California to Reassess Super-toxic Rodenticides

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— A new state analysis has documented super-toxic rat poisons in more than 85 percent of tested mountain lions, bobcats and protected Pacific fishers, prompting state regulators to open a new evaluation of whether to further restrict or ban the powerful toxins. Check out the analysis and press release for more details.