The California Department of Fish and Game changes its name to Department of Fish and Wildlife as it strives to incorporate a more ecosystem-based approach to game management. (Credit: CDFG)

California Has New Game Plan for Agency
(Riverside Press-Enterprise)
Say so long to the California of Department Fish and Game and hello to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that changes the name and clarifies the mission of the state government’s stewards of wildlife and habitat. The agency has carried out the often conflicting roles of promoting fishing and hunting while also working to protect wildlife and habitat. MORE

Panthers Have Made a Big Comeback in Florida, but They’re Still in Peril
(News-Press)    
Since Don Juan’s heyday in Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida panther population has rebounded considerably. Nevertheless, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission associate research scientist Dave Onorato warns that the species isn’t out of the woods yet. “We’ve had a nice increase in population and that’s a success story,” he said. “However, for the species to continue to make progress they’re going to have to start moving into central Florida.” MORE

Canada’s Manitoba Metis, Province Ink Deal for Hunting Rights
(CTV News)   
Canada’s Manitoba government and the province’s Metis have signed a deal to recognize hunting and fishing rights, an issue that has caused tension in courts across the country following a Supreme Court of Canada ruling almost a decade ago. The agreement, signed at the Manitoba Metis Federation’s annual general assembly, recognizes Metis hunting and fishing rights for domestic use in locations that have been agreed on by both the province and the federation. MORE

Pennsylvania Game Commissioners Give Wildlife Conservation Officers More ATV Powers
(The Patriot-News)  
Wildlife conservation officers have more enforcement authority over all-terrain vehicles operated illegally on state game lands as a result of action by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners. Under the commission’s revised regulations, WCO’s can now enforce violations of the state vehicle code by ATV operators on state game lands and lands open to public hunting through the commission’s public access programs. MORE

7 Bears Euthanized in Montana After Becoming Used to Being Fed
(NBC News)  
It was unusual even by standards in Montana, where black bears have to be euthanized every so often after incidents with humans: 7 bears, including 2 cubs, had to be put down over the last week because an individual had been feeding them and many others — reportedly for years. “The last thing we wanted to do is remove these bears,” Lee Anderson, a warden with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, said after five bears were killed in recent days. MORE

Water Shortage Delays Opening Sutter Wildlife Refuge
(Sacramento Bee)   
The fall opening of an important duck habitat and hunting area near Sacramento, Calif., has been delayed by a shortage of water to flood wetlands. The Sutter National Wildlife Refuge near Yuba City, operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, normally opens to duck hunting on Oct. 20. This year, that will be delayed because refuge managers lost access to canal water they normally use to flood wetlands that provide duck habitat. MORE

Florida Wildlife Officials Rule that Kids’ Gator Pool Parties are Unsafe
(Tampa Bay Times)
Invitations to the birthday pool party for 8-year-old Marshall Jones announced two special guests. Friends and parents jumped into the water to photograph and swim with the pair, Cupcake and Burger, two gators from the Alligator Attraction in John’s Pass. “Not a single kid freaked out,” said Chris Jones, Marshall’s dad. “Not one.” But investigators at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission think “gator parties” are unsafe for kids and parents. MORE

A Barrier for South Texas Wildlife
(The New York Times)  
A line of 18-foot-high steel posts spaced four inches apart flank the entrance of one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the United States, and one of the most endangered. Bifurcated by the fence is the Nature Conservancy’s Southmost Preserve near Brownsvillle, Texas, whose threatened species include the Southern yellow bat, the Texas tortoise and the ocelot, an endangered cat whose estimated American population is under 50. MORE

Costa Rica Poised to Ban Hunting as Sport in Latin America First
(Reuters)  
Costa Rica is poised to become the first Latin American country to ban hunting as a sport, after its congress provisionally approved reforms to its Wildlife Conservation Law. Lawmakers voting in favor of the ban, 41-5, and a second vote expected in the coming week is widely seen ratifying changes to the law, which aims to protect animals in one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. MORE

Scientists Examine Fall Migratory Pathways and Habits of Whimbrels
(Phys.org)  
As they traveled from the east coast of Canada to the northern shore of South America, Akpik, Mackenzie, Pingo and Taglu stunned researchers and the global conservation community by flying some 2,500 miles out to sea, through the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, a migration route that has never before been documented. The nonstop flight was quite a feat, especially for a medium-sized shorebird that cannot land on water. MORE

After 7 Rhinos Slaughtered, India Races to Protect One from Death
(NBC News)     
Had it not been for the slaughter of seven rhinos in India’s Assam state, a rhino swept out of a wildlife reserve by floodwaters might now be the eighth. Instead, dozens of elite park rangers surrounded a river area where the one-horned rhino was hiding, as experts weighed whether to try airlifting the massive animal to a safer area. The killings made headlines in Assam since some took place inside Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. MORE

Zimbabwe: 19 Jumbos Die
(All Africa)   
At least 19 elephants and two rhinos have died at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe due to lack of water as the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority battles to raise $100,000 to avert more deaths. The elephants died at Bumbusi, Mandavu, Masuna, Sinamatella, Robins and Main Camp. The authority’s spokesperson Mrs Caroline Washaya-Moyo confirmed the deaths, saying there was a water shortage in the park. MORE