Calif. Pelicans Hit by Mystery Illness

Fowl in path of spill will die painful deaths anyway, expert says

(NEWSER) - As oil drenches untold numbers of birds in the Gulf of Mexico, one scientist has a message for those rushing to clean and release them: You'd do better to just kill them. "According to serious studies, the middle-term survival rate of oil-soaked birds is under 1 percent," a German biologist tells der Spiegel , emphasizing that cleaned and released birds often die a more painful death within days. More»

(NEWSER) - The Army plans to evict more than 1,000 endangered desert tortoises to expand a tank training ground in the Mojave Desert, the Los Angeles Times reports. Conservationists warn that the last effort to shift the tortoises proved disastrous: Many were wiped out by predators, and others traveled up to 8 miles to return to their old territory. More»

Green groups hire private eye to probe California attack

(NEWSER) - Environmental groups probing the shotgun shooting of two California condors have hired a private eye and raised $40,500 in reward money for information leading to the culprits, the Los Angeles Times reports. The condors—two of just 81 in California and 322 in the world—were found last month suffering lead poisoning from shotgun pellets and may never fly again. More»

Development sending large numbers of native species into decline

(NEWSER) - Almost a third of America's bird species are in peril from habitat destruction and other threats, according to a federal report released yesterday. The study, which may spur the Obama administration to increase regulation in some areas to protect the animals, found that 67 of America's over 800 bird species are endangered and 184 more are threatened or in serious decline, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Calif. wildlife group moves to protect rare birds

(NEWSER) - Wildfires in Northern California spurred the rescue of eight California condors from their Monterey County refuge, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The unusual operation was performed by a US Coast Guard helicopter crew after a wildlife organization said that the fires threatened the condor sanctuary. The birds were taken to another preserve nearby. There are only 315 California condors in existence. More»