Update From DSC's Executive Director
Dear Members of DSC, As I last reported, DSC President, Craig Nyhus, and I have been in Africa for the last two weeks attending meetings with professional hunting associations and partners. As such, I wanted to provide a quick update. We began our travels in South Africa, attending the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa […]
DSC: Positive Elephant Finding Best Decision For Conservation, Anti-Poaching
(Nov. 17, 2017–DALLAS) DSC applauds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcement regarding a positive enhancement finding for elephants in the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The positive enhancement standard is strict, and requires that the Service find “that the [animal] is taken as part of a well-managed conservation program that contributes to the long-term […]
Surprisingly Fearless Wildlife Observed in Botswana
Scientists recently discovered a unique pattern in Botswana’s carnivore populations by studying resource availability and intraguild species relationships. First, what are intraguild species? They are different species that eat the same prey. Think of how a fox and coyote might both pursue rabbits in the same area. This relationship can lead to predation when a […]
Grizzly Reunion Brings Both Hope and New Challenges
The Greater Yellowstone ecosystem now boasts a healthy population of over 700 grizzly bears, which is a steady improvement from the population of 150 that warranted official endangered status in 1975. However, new growth brings new challenges. While the number of individuals has increased in the Yellowstone area, the gene pool remains limited. Genetic diversity […]
Secretary Zinke Announces the Creation of the International Wildlife Conservation Council
Original Press Release Link Here WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the creation of the International Wildlife Conservation Council. The Council will provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior. It will focus on increased public awareness domestically regarding conservation, wildlife law enforcement, and economic benefits that result […]
Tackling Demand for Elephants on Black Market
Legislative Moves: On October 4, the United Kingdom announced plans to ban all ivory sales. This will replace the current law that allows certain ivory items produced before March 3, 1947 to be sold. The exemptions of the new ban cover museum transactions, musical instruments (such as pianos with ivory keys), items containing traces of […]
Wildlife Research Roundup
1. Species Pushing Others Toward Extinction You’ve heard of problem leopards and nuisance hogs, but what about problem sea lions? For the winter steelhead, a rainbow trout, the sea lion is decimating population numbers as they try to pass over Willamette Falls in Oregon. Last year, sea lions ate 20 to 25 percent of the […]
Sneezing Wild Dogs and Colorful Ocelot Prey
Nature can be complex and unpredictable. Even when biologists or wildlife scientists know a behavior occurs, certain ones are difficult to interpret and capture. Here’s a look at some of the unique wildlife moments documented recently. Researchers have discovered a new communicative signal in wild dogs in Botswana. Wild dogs use sneezes to gauge consensus […]
Know the Facts and Speak Out
BY RICHARD T. CHEATHAM, DSC FOUNDATION PRESIDENT This article is featured in the Spring 2017 issue of Game Trails, our quarterly publication for DSC members. Hunting, as an essential element of a well-managed wildlife management plan, works. It protects wildlife. It preserves wild places. It feeds the hungry. It brings benefit to the people who live and […]