August 21st, 2009

By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

It’s not all about lions and tigers and bears, you know.

They are the familiar furry faces threatened with extinction, so they get a lot of time in the spotlight.

But where are the little-known endangered creatures, the ones that don’t get a lot of press? How about those at-risk species that aren’t so striking or noble, the ones that are downright odd – or ugly?

Thus, we turned to ARKive, a global initiative that gathers film, photos and audio of all the world’s animals, plants and even fungi to create a digital library. With their help, we’ve gathered a photo gallery of 10 slightly strange species that may be living on borrowed time. It’s time for their their 15 minutes of fame:

[Read more →]

March 4th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

This week the Obama Administration shored up the Endangered Species Act, restoring a rule rescinded by the Bush Administration that requires federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service when their activities could harm threatened or endangered species.

Obama announced the decision on Tuesday at the Interior Department, noting that “the work of scientist and experts in my administration, including right here in the Interior Department, will be respected.”

It was a statement that many conservationists could embrace as they work to maintain habitats, preserve federal park lands and stabilize animal populations under threat such as the Rocky Mountain gray wolves, the American Pika, polar bears, Atlantic lobsters, salmon and seals, among others.

[Read more →]

April 29th, 2008

By John DeFore

Are polar bears in danger of extinction? U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland wants to know, and has given the Bush administration two more weeks to find out.

Judge Wilken said today that the administration had no legitimate reason for failing to meet a January 9 deadline (one year after the bear was proposed for listing) on declaring the bears endangered or not. The judge

[Read more →]