By Center for Biological Diversity
Bath Time for Black Bears in the Borderlands
Need a break from the news this week?
Head to Facebook or Instagram to watch a family of black bears bathing in the borderlands.
Our Southwest Conservation Advocate Russ McSpadden caught this therapeutic footage on one of his wildlife cameras near the U.S.-Mexico border. It's just one brief glimpse of the spectacular wildlife we work to protect in this biodiverse region — also home to Sonoran pronghorns, lesser long-nosed bats, Quino checkerspot butterflies, cactus ferruginous pygmy owls, and larger predators like jaguars, Mexican gray wolves, and ocelots.
Join Us: Defending California From Fossil Fuels
The Trump administration keeps escalating its assault on California coastlines and public lands. Our state has some of the strongest environmental protections in the nation, but the administration wants to nix them so Big Oil can profit.
The federal government is now advancing a plan to lease California public waters and lands to extractive industries. It's also trying to debilitate the California Coastal Commission — a state agency that protects our coastal environments — and remove power from the courts to make it easier for the administration to greenlight fossil fuel projects. We’re fighting back, and you can too. Join the Center and the Oil & Gas Action Network on Thursday, July 23, at 5 p.m. PT for a virtual call exploring how Californians can stand up for the ocean, wildlife, and public lands. You'll learn how you can get involved in protecting our state’s beloved wild places for future generations.
Don't miss out: Learn more and RSVP for the call.
Revelator: Captive Elephants
Riding elephants may seem fun, but it’s harmful to the animals — and that’s just one way India’s captive elephants are suffering. Two high-profile elephant deaths shine a light on the cruelty of this elephant servitude.
And if you haven’t yet, subscribe to The Revelator’s free weekly newsletter for more wildlife and conservation news.
That’s Wild: Robots Like Diving Birds
For most folks the word “robot” brings up images of a humanoid droid with clanky limbs and a tinny voice. Now a team of researchers at MIT have redefined the term with a set of light, graceful creations modeled after seabirds like puffins, petrels, kingfishers, and murrelets.
The new robots, engineered to operate in the ocean, can fly, dive, and swim, according to a study just published in Science. They can plunge into the water and — more difficult to achieve — leave it again. Their creators are still working to perfect them, but they hope the robots will have helpful applications like collecting data on harmful algal blooms and filming endangered marine animals.
