Latest news with #CDFW
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Prehistoric giant living in San Francisco Bay sees sharp decline
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A prehistoric fish that can grow up to 20 feet in length and is still found in the San Francisco Bay is seeing a steep decline in population across California, according to a new report released this week from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The number of white sturgeons, the largest freshwater fish in the United States, has been monitored in California since 1954. Wildlife officials said population estimates from the 1990s and earlier reached approximately 150,000 or more that were within the legal size to harvest. A five-year survey average between 2016-2021 showed an estimated population of 30,000. Preliminary results from the new 2024 survey released Wednesday estimated that only 6,447 white sturgeons of harvest size, currently 40 to 60 inches in length, remain in the California population. White sturgeons can live for more than 100 years and spawn for the first time after reaching 14 to 19 years old. Following the first spawn, the sturgeons continue to spawn every two to five years. A number of factors have impacted white sturgeon numbers in California, including loss of habitat due to dams, degraded river flows from a highly altered water system, historical sport fishing harvests, poaching and mortality due to toxic algal blooms. A Harmful Algal Bloom event in the summer of 2022 is believed to have killed thousands of sturgeons, according to CDFW. The 2024 survey was conducted in the spring and fall between San Pablo Bay and Rio Vista. Wildlife officials said the study design was peer-reviewed and is 'the most robust and comprehensive white sturgeon population monitoring survey ever conducted in California.' In June 2024, white sturgeons were added to a list of candidate species for protection under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). During the review process, white sturgeon receive full CESA protection from harm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
09-07-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
‘Go away!' SoCal hiker captures scary encounter with mountain lion on video
It's the type of nightmare scenario every Southern California hiker fears — you're walking alone on a trail when suddenly, a mountain lion appears on the path. But for Cortney Rasura last week, that nightmare became reality. In a wild video shared on Instagram, Rasura captured two moments when a mountain lion came onto her hiking trail, and at one point, appeared to be headed straight toward her. 'No!' she repeatedly yelled at the cat. 'No, go away!' Rasura encountered the mountain lion on July 3 on Gridley trail in Los Padres National Forest, she said in an interview with KTLA. After making several steps toward her, the mountain lion diverts from the trail and bounds up the hillside. You can hear Rasura's relief in the video as she mutters, 'thank you!' Rasura told the station that she's an experienced hiker, and knew to maintain eye contact with the cat and not run away. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife encourages people to take steps to avoid mountain lion encounters, such as hiking in groups, not hiking at dawn, dusk or nighttime and keeping food stored properly. But in an unplanned encounter, Rasura took several of the agency's recommended steps, including staying calm, not running away and making loud noises. The agency also recommends trying to look bigger, if possible, and warns people to never approach the big cat or crouch down. According to the CDFW, there have been a dozen mountain lion attacks on humans in the last decade in California, one fatal. Even still, the agency said such attacks remain quite rare, as humans are 1,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
California officials capture, kill mountain lion accused of attack on camp employee
( — A mountain lion accused of attacking a summer camp employee on June 14 was captured and killed, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Over the weekend, CDFW was able to locate and capture a mountain lion responsible for a June 14 attack on a summer camp employee in western Trinity County. The area is located in the middle of Redding and Shasta counties. Officials said a DNA analysis confirmed that the captured lion was the one responsible for the attack. Subsequently, the lion was euthanized. Rescue crews find body of 8th person after boat overturns on Lake Tahoe 'Although mountain lions typically pose little threat to humans, CDFW encourages those who live, work, and recreate in mountain lion country to take precautions to minimize the risk of encountering a mountain lion,' CDFW said on social media. 'These precautions include deer-proofing your property to avoid attracting a lion's main food source. To not hike, bike, or jog at dawn, dusk, or at night, and to avoid hiking, biking, or jogging alone.' CDFW also advised the public to remove dense vegetation from around homes to reduce hiding spaces. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
27-06-2025
- The Independent
Outcry as California bear fatally shot after Tahoe camper attack
The euthanization of a mother bear that broke into a trailer and attacked a camper in South Lake Tahoe has sparked widespread debate online. A woman was startled awake at around 4.30 a.m. on Sunday to find an American black bear pawing at her locked door at Eagle Point Campground in Emerald Bay State Park. The light-furred sow had two five-month-old cubs along with a 'long history of human conflict, including multiple home invasions and vehicle break-ins,' according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The camper banged pots and pans and screamed in an attempt to scare the bear. Despite her best efforts, the animal managed to force its way inside. The bear swiped at the woman, leaving her with cuts and bruises on her arm, wrist, and hand that required hospital treatment. In another incident later that morning, the bear clawed at the door of a campervan, ripping it open as teenagers slept inside. DNA evidence linked the bear to a spate of disturbances and attacks, which led to it being labeled as 'Public Safety Bear.' It ultimately meant it had to be targeted and 'humanely euthanized,' according to the CDFW's black bear policy. A state park ranger shot and killed the bear on Monday near the campground, CDFW spokesperson Peter Tira told SF Gate Thursday. The bear's death has sparked a wave of anger online, with many pointing fingers at humans for encroaching on bear territory. 'Funny how humans move into a bear's territory and then kill said bear because they become a their own home,' one furious Facebook user responded to the CDFW's post about the incident. 'Humans have endless places they can go. Bears don't, thanks to humans,' another added. 'Killing an animal because it's a nuisance is wrong.' Meanwhile, a third Facebook user thanked the CDFW for 'making the tough decisions,' adding: 'Keep up the good, hard work!' The sow's cubs have been orphaned and are being housed in a rehabilitation facility, with the hope that they can one day be returned to the wild. 'As wildlife professionals who devote our careers to the health and well-being of California's fish and wildlife species, euthanasia is a measure of last resort,' said Morgan Kilgour, regional manager for CDFW's North Central Region. 'Our foremost responsibility, however, remains the protection of human life and the safety of the Tahoe region.' The agency stated that it had been attempting to trap the bear since June 17, following multiple 911 calls. The animal failed to respond to seven attempts to haze it out of human-occupied areas. California has the largest population of black bears in the continental U.S., according to the department. Human‑bear interactions are especially high and urbanized in South Lake Tahoe. The region was home to the infamous 500lbs ' Hank the Tank,' who broke into dozens of homes in 2022. The region is home to more than a third of all bears in the Tahoe Basin, with about 500 on the South Shore alone, according to South Tahoe Now.
USA Today
25-06-2025
- USA Today
Wildlife officials deal with hostile bear that sent woman to hospital
A black bear that sent a woman to the hospital, broke into a vehicle filled with sleeping teenagers inside, broke into a car with a child fastened to a child seat inside, and prompted numerous 911 calls has been dealt with by wildlife officials. The female bear with a long history of human conflict in South Lake Tahoe, including multiple home invasions and vehicle break-ins, was euthanized Monday by a California State Parks ranger, according to the California Department of Fish and Game. On Sunday at 4:30 a.m., the troublesome bear entered an occupied trailer of a camper at Eagle Point Campground inside Emerald Bay State Park. The female occupant attempted to scare the bear off by banging pots and pans, and screaming at the bear, but to no avail. The bear forced its way into the trailer and swiped at the camper, leaving her with cuts and bruises on her arms and hand. She was taken to a nearby hospital. Later that day, the same bear ripped open the door on a camper-van with teenagers sleeping inside, and also harassed other campers in the same campground. The bear was deemed a 'Public Safety Bear' under CDFW's 2022 Black Bear Policy in California and wildlife officials set out to remove the threat, doing so on Monday. DNA testing confirmed it was the same bear in the attack on the woman. On June 10, the bear entered an occupied vehicle at the Eagle Point Campground that had a child fastened to a child seat inside. The bear was unresponsive to multiple efforts to haze it out of human-occupied areas. The CDFW and CSP had been attempting to trap the hostile bear since June 17. Wildlife officials did capture the sow's two cubs and delivered them to a wildlife rehabilitation facility in northern California in the hope they can eventually be returned to the wild after being rehabilitated. 'As wildlife professionals who devote our careers to the health and well-being of California's fish and wildlife species, euthanasia is a measure of last resort,' said Morgan Kilgour, regional manager for CDFW's North Central Region. 'Our foremost responsibility, however, remains the protection of human life and the safety of the Tahoe region... 'California State Parks is really the gold standard when it comes to human-bear conflict prevention. There is nothing State Parks could or should have done differently at Emerald Bay State Park. State Parks is a model with their well-maintained bear boxes and other bear-proof infrastructure and clean campgrounds. They do a thorough job of educating their visitors and camp hosts on preventing human-bear conflicts.'
