Virginia Morell

Science writer, reader, naturalist; loves adventure & fun. Author- Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures. LA Times Book Prize Finalist

[Conor Browne @brownecfm]

H5N1 is everywhere now.

Not only is this devastating for wild birds and certain sea mammal populations, the greater the number of infections, the greater the chance of a jump to humans.

Imperative to increase biosecurity globally in poultry farms.

https://t.co/8ghoKAuB4r

[Virginia Morell @VirginiaMorell]

@AnnFinkbeiner You stay inside during Fire/Smoke Season (basically, all summer). Wear N95 mask if you have to go outside.

[Virginia Morell @VirginiaMorell]

@DanMacnulty Thanks for these updates, sad as they are.

[Virginia Morell @VirginiaMorell]

@DanMacnulty @missoulian Heartbreak

[Dan MacNulty @DanMacnulty]

The neglected reality of the Yellowstone ecosystem is that the wolf is one of many agents of ecological change, and not always the most important one. This reality is well documented in the scientific literature if one looks for it.

[Arie Trouwborst @Arie_Trouwborst]

Third wolf pack confirmed in the Netherlands! Pups were camera-trapped in a territory straddling the provinces of Friesland and Drenthe. Two packs in the Veluwe area also produced fresh generations of Dutch wolves. 🐺🐺🐺🇳🇱
https://t.co/WFDONLBii8

[Dan MacNulty @DanMacnulty]

The news here is that it's legal, apparently, for hunters to use radio-telemetry and other electronic motion-tracking devices to hunt wolves in Montana. This is obviously bad news for radio-collared wolves and their non-collared companions. My thread explains.

[David Grimm @David_Grimm]

If the study holds up, “the world contains far more sentient beings than we ever realized.” https://t.co/xcAsFWmdw1

[Jewel Kling MD MPH @DrJewelKling]

Apparently “Dr” and “woman” do not match on British airways. Looking forward to their reply.

[David Grimm @David_Grimm]

“We are looking at a rough next few decades for the ocean, and we need all hands on deck.” https://t.co/sAiUfTHegv

[Staff Sergeant Gonell, Aquilino @SergeantAqGo]

The say we must Protect the unborn. What about the ones already born?

[Anton Sorokin @Anuranton]

Very excited to have 1 of my images published in the One Great Shot series at @hakaimagazine!
https://t.co/h5vXPapNqw

[David Schmitt @PsychoSchmitt]

A Novel Human Sex Difference: Male Sclera Are Redder and Yellower than Female Sclera...older sclera appear yellower, redder, slightly darker than younger sclera...when sclera manipulated to appear redder and yellower, faces perceived as more masculine https://t.co/NzFGFKYmK8

[Dr Kylie Cairns @dr_cairns]

Fact Check. DNA studies show there are practically no feral dogs or F1 dingo x dog hybrids living in the wild across Australia. Most wild canines are pure dingoes or carry predominately dingo ancestry. Stop spreading the wild dog myth https://t.co/S1lwf7YK4m

[Dan MacNulty @DanMacnulty]

1/ An underappreciated and increasingly tragic fact of wildlife conservation & management in the USA is that much of it is paid for by the sale of firearms (including handguns & assault rifles) whether for hunting, sport shooting, or personal defense.
https://t.co/8F1eP1d2ao

[Dan MacNulty @DanMacnulty]

A reminder that the wolf is not the only large carnivore subject to hunting when it moves outside the boundary of Yellowstone National Park. Statewide in Montana, "[t]here were 515 mountain lions hunted in 2020".
https://t.co/5CIVdeMfLY

[Dan MacNulty @DanMacnulty]

4/ If the study's predictions are accurate, the current hunting/trapping of large numbers of wolves in Montana may inadvertently facilitate the spread of CWD, particularly in Regions 1 and 3. See map for details.
Sources:
https://t.co/wkumsdcdc6
https://t.co/MOgZ6W07cg

[Dan MacNulty @DanMacnulty]

To be clear, my criticism was directed at the the MT Fish & Wildlife Commission, and not the professionals at MT Fish, Wildlife, & Parks. This distinction is important for understanding why Yellowstone lost 19 wolves to Montana hunters
https://t.co/ktW4NLpiAl via @billingsgazette

[Dan MacNulty @DanMacnulty]

The GPS track of a collared wolf traveling from Montana to Colorado illustrates how the region of southwest Wyoming subject to persistent aerial wolf hunting is a wolf movement corridor between the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Utah/Colorado.
Source: https://t.co/cSbpH7PsCc

[Dan MacNulty @DanMacnulty]

2/…most of the 209 wolves killed to date have been taken in wolf management units (WMU) that meet or exceed elk population objectives. Relatively few wolves have been killed in WMUs below elk population objective, including in northwest/western MT. See map for details