Wildlife

Lake Monsters: Here’s Why Sturgeon Grow to Be So Big in Shasta Lake

Massive sturgeon caught on Shasta Lake in 2018. Photo: Sou Saephan For anyone who’s been lucky enough to take a…

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Grizzly Bears Once Ruled California. Here’s Why They No Longer Roam the State.

Photo by Zden?k Machá?ek Why does the California State Flag feature an extinct animal, the California grizzly bear, a beast so…

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Bear Finds Lost GoPro in the Sierra Backcountry and Hilariously Records Himself Playing with It

The bears of Tahoe have learned how to brilliantly get their hands on human food, and it typically comes with…

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The Bats of the Yolo Causeway Marvel Onlookers with Nightly ‘Batnadoe’

Flickr/Bev Sykes Every summer just west of Sacramento, roughly a quarter of a million migrating Mexican free-tailed bats settle at…

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Video of Tahoe Cubs Playing in a Pond is the Cutest Thing You’ll See Today

The bear populations of Lake Tahoe are something of legend. Seeing a bear in the Tahoe Basin isn’t a rare…

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Northern California Wolf Packs Welcome 11 New Pups in 2022

Photo of the Whaleback Pack in 2011. Photo by Patrick Griffin. Despite massive wildfires destroying large patches of wolf territory…

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Massive Fish Kill on the Klamath River Believed to Be Caused by the McKinney Fire

Officials from the Karuk Tribe were surprised when they found a massive fish kill between Indian Creek and Seiad Creek…

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An Ode to Squirrels: The Badass Rodents Living in Your Backyard

Photo by Simone Mascellari When a buddy asked if I had seen any of the “Squirrel vs. Rattlesnake” videos on YouTube,…

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Chinook Salmon Make Their Return to the McCloud River

From left: Taylor Lipscomb, hatchery manager at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery near Redding;…

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Watch: Man Spots Rattlesnake Swimming Across the American River

It’s summertime in NorCal, which means when we’re out in the wild, it’s important to pay close attention to the…

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Bear Euthanized After Confrontation in North Lake Tahoe Home

After sneaking into a home and having a confrontation with the homeowner, a bear has been captured and euthanized in…

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Woman Attacked by Bear in North Lake Tahoe Home

Photo by Marion hobbs A woman was attacked by a bear in her North Lake Tahoe home on June 16, which…

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200,000 Juvenile Salmon Released into San Francisco Bay in Desperate Attempt to Save Them from Drought

Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife On Sunday evening, officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife transported…

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WATCH: Man Saves Fawn Swimming in the Middle of Folsom Lake

View this post on Instagram A fawn was rescued Sunday afternoon after it was spotted swimming in the middle of…

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California Wildlife Officials Uncover Illegal Rattlesnake Trafficking Operation

Photo: CDFW In case you’re wondering – yes, it’s very illegal to breed and traffic rattlesnakes. That’s why wildlife officials…

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Lake Tahoe To Receive 100,000 Lahontan Cutthroat Trout This Summer

Tahoe’s native fish are making a return this summer. The Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex in Gardnerville, Nev., began stocking…

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Mountain Lion Becomes Trapped in Classroom of Bay Area School

It was just before 8:30 am on Wednesday when a juvenile mountain lion curiously wandered into Pescadero High School in San…

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Raccoon Goes Viral After Getting Stuck in Santa Cruz Roof

Photo: Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter A raccoon went viral this week after getting stuck in a roof in the…

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The King of “Fastest Known Times” Collides with a Deer Going 41-MPH on a Bike in Mount Shasta

Jason Hardrath’s body is used to pain. After all, he did summit 100 peaks faster than anyone ever. He also…

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Heroic Dog Survives Mountain Lion Attack, Returns Home from Vet

The 2 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois that saved her owner from a mountain lion attack in Northern California is back home…

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Dog Saves Owner From Vicious Mountain Lion Attack Along the Trinity River

Photo: Forest Service Northern Region Erin Wilson and her dog Eva were enjoying a beautiful day at the Whites Bar…

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Watch the Condor Return to its Native Northern California Land After 100 Years

For the first time in 100 years, the endangered condor has returned to Northern California. During a livestream by the…

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Wildlife Officials will Release Chinook Salmon into Clear Creek Instead of Sacramento River this Year

Photo: Coleman National Fish Hatchery The dry winter of 2022 will be felt by humans throughout California this year. Water…

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Watch as Thousands of Seagulls Breed on the Humboldt Coast

It’s seagull breeding season on the Humboldt coast near Trinidad, California, meaning thousands of seagulls are nesting on their eggs…

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Tahoe Family Hears Snoring Noises Under Their Home, Finds a Family of Bears Hibernating

Photo: Bear League A Tahoe family was befuddled by “snoring-like noises” under their home this winter. They couldn’t locate the…

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Eel River Dam Removal is Moving Forward. It Will Create California’s Longest Free-Flowing River.

On Thursday, PG&E’s 50-year license for the Eel River Dams expired, with the company opting against renewing the costly Potter…

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Randy Robbins’ Image of the Lassen Pack Wins the California Wildlife Photo of the Year, Obviously

When award-winning photographer Randy Robbins shared his stunning image of the Lassen Pack from the remote Northern California wilderness, we called it the…

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WATCH: Falcons Hunt Megaflock of Thousands of Starling Birds in NorCal Sky

Watch the video here When the European starling was brought to the United States in the 1800’s they immediately flourished,…

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It’s Rattlesnake Season in NorCal. Here’s Some Tips on How to Avoid Them.

With the weather heating up in Northern California, hikers are undoubtedly excited to take advantage of the opportunity to visit…

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Bear Hilariously Stops and Poses for a Trail Cam in Northern California Wilderness

Randy Robbins has become well known throughout Northern California for his fantastic trail camera photography of wildlife in the region,…

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Shocking Photos Show Mountain Lions Decapitated by Trains in Northern California

For anyone who’s hiked along railroad tracks, finding animals hit by trains is actually quite common. In even the most…

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Yurok Tribe Brings Condors Back to Northern California for the First Time in Over a Century

Photo: Matt Mais/Yurok Tribe For the first time in 100 years, the endangered California condor will return to Northern California…

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Come Face-to-Face with a Giant Whale with this Northern California Kayak Tour

During the months of March, April and May in Northern California, the coastline is full of thousands of grey whales…

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Famed Redding Eagles Welcome Two Eaglets to their Nest

The famed Redding eagles have welcomed a new hatch into their Turtle Bay nest along the Sacramento River, with two…

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WATCH: Mountain Lion Caught on Camera Wandering Around on Fort Bragg Porch

Wildlife officials say that there is a good chance that at least once in your life, a mountain lion has…

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Video Shows Big Salmon Lying Dead Along the Dried-Up Banks of the Butte Creek

The Chinook salmon of Butte Creek are one of the largest population of spring run salmon left in Northern California.…

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Coming Home – Chronicles of a Trinity River Steelhead

She was late getting back to the Trinity this year, at least later than a lot of the others. They…

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Rare Salmon Spawn in Northern California Waterways for the First Time in Nearly 20 Years

Photo: Salmon Protection and Watershed Network The historic rain and snowfall in December brought a long list of positive milestones…

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This 38-Pound Rainbow Trout Caught on the Feather River Isn’t a Steelhead. Here’s How We Know.

Photo: Josh Giordano Fisherman Josh Giordano made headlines last week when he landed an estimated 38.2-pound rainbow trout on the…

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Suicidal Gobbler? Turkey Flies into a Ukiah Power Line on Thanksgiving Causing Power Outages

As if turkeys didn’t have enough to stress about on Thanksgiving, this year a wild gobbler caused a power outage…

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For the 2nd Year in a Row, Skiing Legend Finds Bear Living Under His Tahoe Hot Tub

As the temperatures continue to drop around the Tahoe Basin, bears are in search for extra calories and warm places…

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Trailblazing Gray Wolf Found Dead in California

On November 10, OR93 was found dead near Interstate 5 near the town of Lebec, California. Following a full investigation…

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CDFW Releases 2 Million Juvenile Chinook Salmon Threatened by Drought on the Klamath River

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has begun releasing juvenile fall-run Chinook salmon into the Klamath River now…

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Bears Seeking Food For Winter: Keep Tahoe Bears Wild!

A Lake Tahoe Basin black bear forages for natural food in the forest. Photo courtesy of the USDA Forest Service. Fall…

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Chinook Salmon are Attempting to Spawn in a Graffiti-Filled Channel in the Bay Area

Photo: Friends of San Lorenzo Creek The human impact on the Chinook salmon runs of Northern California are on full…

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Storms Provide Lifeline for Struggling Kokanee Salmon on Lake Tahoe

The drought had an enormous impact on wildlife throughout Northern California this year, with depleting water resources and raging wildfires…

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Nimbus Fish Hatchery to Increase Chinook Salmon Production by 500,000 Fish on the American River

A new mural adorns the fish feed bins at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery in Sacramento County. CDFW photo by George Gilmore.…

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Another Bacterial Outbreak Wreaks Havoc at the Hot Creek Trout Hatchery

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has detected a bacterial outbreak at its Hot Creek Trout Hatchery in…

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WATCH: Lake Tahoe’s Kokanee Salmon Suffering Heavy Losses Due to Low Water Levels

One of the most delightful fall activities in the Tahoe region is watching the Kokanee salmon return to Taylor Creek…

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VIDEO: Bear Demolishes Front Door to Break into Tahoe Cabin

If you’ve ever questioned the strength of a bear, this video will give you a glimpse into their incredible power.…

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Famed ‘Kings Beach Bear’ Shot And Killed In Campground Confrontation

In wildlife work, happy endings, feel-good stories and grand conclusions can be elusive. The story of the bear that went…

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Popular Northern California Safari Park Loses Accreditation Over Treatment of Animals

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has stripped the accreditation of Santa Rosa’s Safari West over concerns of the…

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Taylor Creek’s Annual Kokanee Salmon Run Halted by Drought

Photo: Jonathan Cook-Fisher One of the most delightful fall activities in the Tahoe region is watching the Kokanee salmon return…

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Experience the Beautiful Fall Salmon Run on the Klamath River

Brought to you by Discover Siskiyou It’s fall in Northern California, which means the salmon who were once hatched in…

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Salmon-Viewing Kayak Tours on the Feather River Have SOLD OUT

UPDATE: All tours have been sold out! Photo: Explore Butte County With the Chinook salmon once again returning to the…

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Northern California’s Newest Wolf Pack Welcomes First Litter of 7 Pups

The brand-new wolf pack that recently settled in California’s Siskiyou County has had their first litter of 7 pups, according…

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Returning South Lake Tahoe Evacuees Urged to Help Keep Bears Wild

Residents and visitors returning to the South Lake and West Shore areas of Lake Tahoe should be aware that bears…

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Woman Attacked by Bear While Camping at Lake Tahoe

Photo by Patrick  A 25-year-old woman was camping on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe over the weekend when she was…

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San Francisco Officials Are Searching for a Serial Wild Coyote Feeder

Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic lockdown in March 2020, coyotes sightings have been on frequent in areas of…

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‘Tamarack’ the Burned Bear Cub Escapes Wildlife Facility, On the Loose in South Lake Tahoe

It was a touching story when wildlife officials rescued a 6-mont-old bear cub that was badly burned in the Tamarack…

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Popular McCloud Falls Campground Closed Due to Bear Activity

Officials in the Shasta Trinity National Forest have temporarily closed the popular campground near McCloud Falls due to an assertive…

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Treatment Underway for Bear Cub Burned in the Tamarack Fire

When devastating wildfires hit the Northern California wilderness, we immediately think of all the humans who could lose their homes…

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Klamath Salmon Now Listed on California Endangered Species List

On June 16, after hours of debate and public testimony, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to approve…

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The Tragic Story of a Bear Cub Hit by a Car in Yosemite

There are speed limits in National Parks and they aren’t just so you won’t miss those stunning views. Bears are…

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Wildlife Officials Relocate Over a Million Hatchery Salmon Due to Klamath River Drought Conditions

Juvenile Chinook salmon are herded by CDFW staff in a raceway at the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery, Siskiyou County, Calif.,…

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How’d That Get There?! Dead Coyote Found Dangling from Tree in Mammoth

There are a lot of things in nature that can be very hard to explain. Finding a a dead coyote…

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Chico Woman Killed by 400-Pound Grizzly Bear During Montana Camping Attack

On the morning of Tuesday July 6, a 400-pound grizzly bear pulled a Chico woman out of her tent in…

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OPINION: Bear Shooting in South Lake Tahoe Should Be an Opportunity for Education, Not Outrage

The recent incident in which a visitor to South Lake Tahoe returned to his vacation rental one evening and shot…

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Lake Tahoe Tourist Shoots Charging Bear in Vacation Rental

Photo by Marion hobbs A man visiting the Lake Tahoe area returned to his vacation rental after dining out to…

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VIDEO: Momma Bear and Cubs Take a Dip at a Crowded Lake Tahoe Beach

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jen Watkins (@goldcountrycandles) A momma bear and her three cubs were…

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NPS Ordered to Federal Court to Explain Treatment of Tule Elk in Point Reyes

Photo by Y S The National Park Service has been ordered to federal court on Monday to explain their treatment of…

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Celebrity Bear Known for its Tahoe Shenanigans Has Gone Missing

The “Kings Beach Bear’s” GPS tracking collar as biologists found it this spring on the forest floor. CDFW photo by Mark…

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Brand-New Wolf Pack Discovered in Northern California’s Plumas County

Lassen Pack The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that a new wolf pack has established itself in southern Plumas…

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‘Extremely Rare’ Brown Trout Found in Sacramento River Fish Trap in Redding

At the Keswick Dam on the Sacramento River in Redding, wildlife officials at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery use a…

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VIDEO: Housecat Takes on Approaching Bobcat Outside Humboldt House

A lot of people would fear a bobcat if they saw it in the wild. But sometime housecats aren’t scared…

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VIDEO: Bear Hilariously Climbs into Driver Seat of Tahoe UPS Truck

Bear sightings in the communities surrounding Lake Tahoe have grown at an astonishing rate in the past few years. Flocking…

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Point Reyes Installs Water Troughs to Help ‘Thirsty and Dying’ Tule Elk

Photo by Ronan Furuta Following a year where 152 tule elk died in Point Reyes National Seashore, wildlife officials are attempting…

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Amid Devastating Fish Kill, Karuk Tribe Declares a Climate Emergency in the Klamath Basin

Photo: Klamath Salmon Media Collaborative Amid a massive salmon kill on the Klamath River, the Karuk Tribe has officially declared…

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It’s Illegal to Feed Deer in California. The Penalty? Up to 6 Months in Jail.

Photo by Chloe Leis Late spring and early summer is the peak time for California’s deer herds to give birth to…

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YIKES! Rattlesnake Seen Swimming in Whiskeytown Lake

With the coming of summer in Northern California, snakes of many species are through hunkering down, making human encounters with…

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30,000 Milkweeds Planted Along NorCal Rivers to Save Critically-Low Monarch Butterfly Population

Photo by Patrick Mayor The population of Western monarch butterflies is in a serious decline in California, mostly attributed to the…

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‘How Does Anyone Expect These Fish to Survive?’ Viral Video Shows Terrible Fish Stocking at Twin Lakes

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife spends millions of dollars every year on raising juvenile fish and stocking local…

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Hot Creek Fish Hatchery Halts Planting Following Disease Outbreak

IG/disnerd_runner The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has suspended all fish planting from the Hot Creek Trout Hatchery…

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OPINION: Battle Over Shasta-Trinity Spotted Owl is a MAJOR Example Why Northern California Suffers from Catastrophic Wildfires

Photo: Bureau of Land Management The U.S. Forest Service has been attempting to thin a 13,162-acre patch of forest in…

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The Redding Eagles Live Nest Webcam is MUST SEE TV!

It was a monumental event for eagles enthusiasts in March when the eagles in Redding’s Turtle Bay nest hatched three…

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Full-Grown ‘Vampire Fish’ Spotted in the American River

Photo of a lamprey fish on the Feather River. Photo taken by the California Department of Water Resources in 2017.…

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Yet Another Oregon Wolf Settles in Northern California

A gray wolf is caught on camera in Northern California Wolf activity in Northern California is reaching unprecedented levels as…

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Flock of Critically Endangered Condors ‘Absolutely Trash’ California House

Twitter/@SeanaLyn Following near extinction, different programs have successfully brought critically endangered condors back to California. There are only 160 condors…

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A Wild Life: Stories of Bear and Rattlesnake Encounters in the Wilderness

When you spend enough time in wild places, you’re bound to run into a few of the creatures that call…

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Fifth Dead Whale Washes Ashore in Less than a Month Near San Francisco Bay

Photo: San Francisco Whale Tours Springtime along the Northern California coast is famous for its whale migrations, where gray whales…

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Officials Plan to Drop 2,900 Pounds of Poison on the Farallon Islands. Here’s Why.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife just approved a plan to drop 2,900 pounds of poison-laced bait on the wildlife-rich Farallon…

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WATCH: Drunk Hotel Guest Nearly Bumps Into Bear in South Lake Tahoe

There you have it folks – this is what you get when you mix casinos and 24-hour bars with the…

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You Can Help Name Redding’s Three New Eaglets

It was exciting news when the eagle cam on the Sacramento River in Redding recorded the hatching of three new…

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VIDEO: Bear Falls Through Thin Ice on Frozen Tahoe Pond

The Tahoe region is known for its many bear sightings. From bears breaking into homes, to bears breaking into cars…

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