Check out the bobcats in South Texas

I first saw this piece in High Country News, which writes about the West, which does not include Texas. The piece appeared first in an online mag of the California Academy of Sciences, though, which I guess explains that.

It's a good piece about their resilience in the face of various threats. The photos are better displayed in High Country News, as a slider all at the top. But they're bigger in the webscroll at the second link.

First, I had no idea that bobcats could take down a young deer.

Second, as far as their resilience, versus the threats they face, I didn't know that they were seriously u hunted for their pelts. Disgusting.

Whichever link you click, go past the pictures to read the story.

The hypocrisy of Marlin Perkins, Natl Geo and more

Throwing tame animals into rivers (Perkins) or renting tame animals for "wild" shoots (National Geographic) is "fauxtagraphy," not photography.

Beyond the above offenders, this article details how those "wildlife"-themed Western calendars AREN'T taking pictures of actual wildlife, in many cases. Disgusting.

My respect for Marlin Perkins just dropped several notches. And, this is another reason why old-breed zoo management is, thankfully, dead and gone.

Smarter than the average bear – or bear-proof tin

A bear in New York’s Adirondack Mountains has figured out how to open “bear-proof” containers. And now apparently has understudies.

New orang population in Borneo

Scientists now estimate that East Kalimantan province may have 5,000 orangutans.

Obviously, this is a huge improvement in orangutan numbers, if it pans out.

But, let this not be an excuse for the government of Indonesia, and governments and individuals in the outside, to relax vigilance on logging in Borneo. That’s you we’re talking about, Beijing.

The Scottish Beaver Trial is NOT Guy Ritchie and Madonna

No, the Scottish Beaver Trial is not Guy Ritchie’s battle with Madonna. Instead, beavers will be seen in Scotland soon for the first time in 400 years

Friday scatblogging – tread lightly in nature parks

You need to tread lightly when hiking in places like our busier national parks, not in order to avoid stepping in scat of wild creatures, but to help make sure those wild creaters remain around to leave their scat in the first place.

Scat-based evidence of wildlife such as the coyote pictured here was as much as five times greater in parks that had no or limited human access versus parks that got a lot of traffic.

The study in question focused on larger carnivores. If they are scared off, then deer, elk and similar, as well as smaller herbivores, may have populations that grow unchecked.

Of course, with more and more exurban growth (which I hope gets stifled by gas prices), where are disturbed carnivores to move?

Welcome to Tejas, turtle friend

For the first time in 70-plus years, a leatherback turtle has made landfall in the Lone Star State, at Padre Island. The sighting has been confirmed by wildlife biologists.

High gas prices good for wildlife

Randy Udall presents this simple idea.

Gas prices rising ever higher are going to further cut down travel across the vast Western states.

With fewer cars on the roads, that makes it easier for wildlife to make longer treks.

Anecdotal proof?

A wolverine at the California side of Lake Tahoe, the first wolverine spotted in the Golden State in 85 years. A mountain lion in Chicago, of all places.