Wildlife

Host Mikaela Lefrak talks with exotic pet owners and a veterinarian who treats pets ranging from snakes to hamsters.

In more than half of U.S. states, wildlife have tested positive for COVID-19, according to data from the USDA. Millions of dollars in federal money have gone toward testing animals like mink, ferrets and deer – species that can pass the virus to humans. Vermont is running its own study.

Penguins had a massive ancestor. That’s according to a team of scientists that unearthed a penguin fossil and says it belonged to a roughly 350-pound bird.

When a hunter kills a moose in Vermont, they have to bring the animal to a check station in Island Pond. Biologists use the information they collect to understand how the animals are faring. But it’s not just hunters who stop by — for the Essex County town, moose inspection is a spectacle.

Earlier this month nearly 50 volunteers armed with rakes and large pruning tools gathered for the annual spiny softshell turtle beach clean up day. The conservation effort, organized by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, helps ready the beach for hatching baby turtles.

Great Barrington's new regulation against feeding wildlife will be enforced by police. The goal is to stop human behavior that draws wildlife, especially bears, into populated areas.

Host Mikaela Lefrak speaks with the Bird Diva, Bridget Butler, about fall migration.

The mosquito-chomping little brown bat is about the size of a thumb. It’s one of nine bat species that can be found in Vermont. And, along with four others, it’s considered endangered in Vermont. They like to hang out in attics and old barns.But in recent years, biologists have seen a promising trend: their populations here appear to be stabilizing. And they say it’s thanks to volunteer community scientists that we know. As part of our Summer School series, Vermont Public’s Abagael Giles set out for a secret colony, to learn more about how to count them.

This hour, host Mikaela Lefrak speaks with a game warden and a biologist from Vermont's Fish and Wildlife Department about human-bear encounters.

Scientists face a challenge: A troubled species rebounds thanks to restoration efforts, only to make things worse for others by preying on them or outcompeting them for food and living space.