In 1880, the first eight Game Protectors began serving to protect the natural resources of New York State. In 2022, Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Investigators across the state responded to more than 25,600 calls. What follows are recently reported incidents involving wildlife rescues: [Read more…] about Recent Wildlife Rescues & Encounters: Rattler, Owl, Eagle, Turtle & Rabid Fox
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State Legislature Passes Bill Banning Wildlife Killing Contests
On June 21, 2023, the New York State Assembly passed legislation carried by Deborah Glick, Chair of the Committee on Environmental Conservation to ban wildlife killing contests in New York State. This bill was passed by the State Senate in early June, carried by Senator Timothy Kennedy. If the legislation is signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul as expected, New York State will become the ninth state to ban wildlife killing contests. [Read more…] about State Legislature Passes Bill Banning Wildlife Killing Contests
How Animals Stay Warm In Winter
To survive the cold of winter, some animals take advantage of protected habitats, such as wooded areas or under a blanket of insulating snow. Ruffed grouse, for example, fly into piles of loose snow and create roosting cavities to rest in when not foraging. Mice and other small mammals remain active in tunnels under the snow. [Read more…] about How Animals Stay Warm In Winter
There’s More To Animal Fur Than Meets The Eye
A flash of orange streaks across the meadow – a red fox, like a starburst in the snow. Its fur shimmers in the early morning light, and I, bundled in my winter layers and still shivering cold, envy the fox’s luxurious coat. [Read more…] about There’s More To Animal Fur Than Meets The Eye
Look for Wildlife Tracks in Winter
Now is a great time to search for winter tracks or other animal signs visible in the snow. It can be fun to be a detective and figure out what animals have been walking through your yard or across a trail. [Read more…] about Look for Wildlife Tracks in Winter
Red Foxes Are Denning
As leaves erupt from their buds on hardwood trees, which will cloak all of New York terrain again in green, red fox pups venture from their dens and begin to experience our vast, lush spring landscape. [Read more…] about Red Foxes Are Denning
Red Fox Dens in Suburban Areas
Around the time spring flowers are blooming and migrating songbirds are arriving, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation starts receiving calls concerning fox sightings in and around rural and suburban areas.
Red fox are small furbearers, typically 10 -12 lbs., about the size of a house cat. During the spring, fox seek out den sites to raise their young (kits). Sometimes, for homeowners, these den sites are not in ideal locations, including under sheds and porches. [Read more…] about Red Fox Dens in Suburban Areas
Fox Calls: Yips, Shrieks, and Yaps
Sometimes it pays to be an insomniac. One frigid winter night, I climbed out of my restless bed and slipped outside to stand under a sky littered with stars and take in the complete silence of darkness. Suddenly, a ruckus broke out along the edge of the pond near my home. A series of high-pitched yips echoed from the shore. A wild yapping answered from closer to my own yard. [Read more…] about Fox Calls: Yips, Shrieks, and Yaps