A bipartisan push could change state wildlife protection
By Alex Brown
Stateline.org/TNS
Scientists say the world is on the precipice of a mass extinction. The United Nations estimates that 1 million species are on the verge of being wiped out, threatened by climate change, habitat loss, pollution, invasive species and poaching.
In the United States, the federal government has oversight of the more than 1,600 species listed under the Endangered Species Act - and powerful legal tools to protect them. But more than 12,000 additional species have been identified as declining or rare, and wildlife experts fear that without action many of them will soon be endangered.
Coyote That Mauled Woman Having Picnic on the Loose in North Carolina
On 3/8/21 at 11:40 AM EST
Police and wildlife officials in Greensboro, North Carolina, have urged residents to avoid trails at a local marina following a series of suspected coyote attacks.
The Greensboro Police Department said officers responded to the Lake Brandt marina at 5945 Lake Brandt Road shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday, following reports that an animal was on the loose in the area and may present a threat to the public.
An effort to humanely trap the animal was launched after it was described as possibly being a coyote or a similar wild species, police said.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is warning people to not buy or use Marimo moss balls, which were found over the weekend to contain the invasive, destructive zebra mussel, which can harm other wildlife and clog pipes.
The commission is calling for all pet stores and aquarium owners to quickly and safely dispose of any moss ball plants after the zebra mussel was confirmed to be living in moss balls sold in North Carolina.
Zebra mussels are small, fingernail-sized shellfish named for the striped pattern on their shells. They were identified in Western states last week but detected March 5 by Art Bogan, research curator of mollusks with the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, to be living in moss balls designed for aquariums labeled as “Marimo Moss Ball Plant Grab & Go” and “Mini Marimo Moss Balls.”
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is warning the public to safely dispose of recently purchased aquarium moss balls after the invasive zebra mussels were discovered inside the product.
While there have been no confirmed cases in the state, the Wildlife Commission noticed that it appears the moss balls, were imported from Ukraine to a distributor in California that shipped the contaminated product to retail pet stores nationwide.
Moss balls are often used in home aquariums to help absorb harmful nutrients in the water and limit the growth of undesirable algae, according to state officials.
Wildlife officials said not only are zebra mussels harmful to other aquatic life, the invasive species can clog water pipes and restrict water supplies.