[I was so thrilled to learn that this judge put the wolves back on the endangered species list!!]

Federal judge restores protection for northern Rockies wolves
   
 
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a preliminary injunction late Friday that returns wolves in the Northern Rockies to endangered species protection.

The Natural Resources Defense Council and 11 other wolf advocacy groups demonstrated they would likely win the case on the merits of their arguments, Molloy said. His decision means the federal government will take over wolf management again and there will be no wolf hunting seasons in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

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WEIRD PREDATORS PETTING ZOO  

"Strap on your maul-resistant Kevlar body armor, get your goats, and enjoy a leisurely stroll among the animal kingdom's worst nightmares in the Cryptozoo's Weird Predators Petting Zoo!"

An Ogden, Utah, woman said she discovered a spider in her home that she believes to be a species native to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Lynnelle Carson said she caught the alleged camel spider in the living room of the home she recently moved into with her family, the Ogden Standard-Examiner  
reported. 

"I was working in the living room around 2 a.m. and I looked down and thought, 'Hey, there's a camel spider, I've got to catch that,'" Carson said.  Carson said she learned to recognize the species, which can grow to up to 6 inches long and can run at speeds of up to 10 mph, after her son found one at the family's previous home on an Air Force base several years ago. 

"They're not supposed to be here (in Utah). I've heard people say they are coming in luggage or on planes, so we're introducing these spiders here now," she said.  Camelspider.net, a Web site devoted to the species, said the creatures are not actually spiders, but solpugids, which are also members of the arachnid class.  

"These creatures are usually not dangerous to humans, but dangerous or not, these creatures are horrifying to encounter," the Web site said.

Recycle your cell phone with free shipping and a donation will be made to support Defenders’ wildlife-saving programs -- download a PDF mailing label today!

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Wolves Hit the Airwaves

In June, ABC’s Nightline focused on the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies region, examining some of the challenges facing wolves in the wild. The broadcast featured Defenders’ Northern Rockies Representative Suzanne Stone and our work with ranchers to protect wolves and livestock.

>>Watch Online

Polar Bear Whitewash

After months of delays, federal officials finally listed polar bears as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in May -- but the Bush/Cheney Administration has issued a new rule that dramatically limits new protections for these struggling bears and the places they need to survive.

Take action now: Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that threatened polar bears receive the protections they deserve.

Federal wildlife officials said they will consult with a   Virginia Beach, Va., man whose home has been targeted by a group of vultures.  Will Ciccone said all of his attempts to keep the vultures away from his property have failed and the birds have destroyed three grill covers, a hot tub cover, a pool cover and several chair cushions belonging to his family, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday. 

Ciccone said he tried rigging a paintball gun to fire at the birds and he displayed fake owls outside his  
home, but the vultures quickly adapted to his attempts an continued to congregate in his yard.  "If you've got cockroach problems, you kill them. If you've got ant problems, you kill them," he said. "I've got this problem, but I can't do anything about it." 

State wildlife officials have the authority to ward off the birds using non-lethal means, but Scott Barras, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, said those solutions are  
often temporary.  Only federal officials have the authority to use lethal means to get rid of the birds. Barras said his department plans to meet with the Ciccones and local authorities to find a solution to the vulture problem.

WEIRD PREDATORS PETTING ZOO  

"Strap on your maul-resistant Kevlar body armor, get your  
goats, and enjoy a leisurely stroll among the animal king-  
dom's worst nightmares in the Cryptozoo's Weird Predators  
Petting Zoo!"  

Bear cub in bar may lead to new law 

Members of the village council in Obetz, Ohio, said they are planning a law to ban exotic pets after a bartender took a bear cub with her to work. 

Obetz Village Council  members said the law would ban anyone from taking exotic pets -- including bears, jaguars, boars and cheetahs -- into the village, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported.  The  
move comes after Melody Pullen, who owns a menagerie outside the village, took a bear cub with her to the bar she owns in Obetz. She said she took the bear, named "Pooh," with her to the bar because it needed to be bottle-fed every three hours. 

Pullen said the cub was popular with customers but the local fire marshal, an officer from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Obetz police arrived at the business to see the animal.  Obetz Police Chief Ken Hinkle said Pooh was found not to be a threat to anyone and Pullen possessed a state permit to own the bear. 

Council members said the law is aimed at keeping "dangerous or undomesticated" animals out of the village.  "It's kind of like common sense," said Councilman James Triplett.