by Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
On 19 June 2025, conservationists and wildlife advocates worldwide will celebrate World Albatross Day, an opportunity to highlight the conservation crisis faced by these iconic ocean dwellers. This year’s theme aims to shed light on the alarming impact of diseases, particularly High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI; bird flu), on already vulnerable albatross and petrel populations. The current outbreak has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of wild birds globally, threatening the survival of numerous species.
Four critically endangered female eastern lowland gorillas (also known as Grauer’s gorillas) rescued from the illegal wildlife trade have been reintroduced to the wild in Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The gorillas will provide a critical genetic boost to a small, isolated population of gorillas living on Mt. Tshiaberimu.
Our team is back in the field for wolf monitoring season! In collaboration with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, we use non-invasive methods to unravel the demographic dynamics of wolves in California. We’ve already captured some stunning images of a wolf pack—an exciting glimpse into the secret lives of these elusive carnivores. Stay tuned for more updates as our season unfolds!________The California Carnivores Program at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has expanded to include other carnivore species in our research portfolio.
SeaDoc Society's original web series, Salish Sea Wild, has been nominated for two EMMY™ Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences! The show is produced by Bob Friel and hosted by SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos.
SeaDoc has two Salish Sea Wild episodes nominated in the North West Chapter's Environment/Science - Long Form Content category:
Our California Carnivores Program team recently captured and collared mountain lion F417, a beautiful and healthy young female. The data collected from her GPS collar will provide valuable spatial data on mountain lion connectivity in a critical area of the Tehachapi mountain range. This work is made possible with grant support from the Wildlife Conservation Network and permitting support from California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
Dr. Jane Riner developed strong interests in wildlife health through working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Wildlife Health Laboratory and Foley Laboratory in Infectious Disease Ecology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where she witnessed the value of medicine, research, policy, and collaboration with other organizations to meet the needs of wild species.
This past weekend our California Carnivores team captured and collared a young adult male mountain lion in the Gabilan Range who was initially reported for depredating on goats.
For the past four years, our Latin America Program director Dr. Marcy Uhart participated in beach surveys and provided training workshops on necropsy procedures, all contributing to a recent publication on sea turtle strandings in Argentina.
Skywalker gibbon couples wake up each morning and sing to each other, their voices echoing across the forest canopy of their home. The primate’s endearing love song helped scientists confirm what was formerly a strong hunch: Myanmar has the largest population of endangered Skywalker gibbons on Earth.
Our California Carnivore Project (formerly California Mountain Lion Project) team has some sad news to share: F312, a female GPS collared mountain lion that was nicknamed "Uno" by southern California photographers, died last night after being struck by a vehicle. Valiant efforts to save her life were undertaken by local veterinarian Dr.
For decades, fish-eating killer whales in the Pacific Northwest have been observed harassing and even killing porpoises without consuming them — a perplexing behavior that has long intrigued scientists.
Fernando joined our team a few months ago as the Co-Director of our California Carnivore Project, bringing with him an extensive expertise in carnivore veterinary medicine and conservation management. Fernando completed his veterinary medicine degree at the Complutense University of Madrid, and after graduation worked in private practices, zoological institutions, and wildlife rehabilitation centers in different countries. He also completed an internship in Zoological, Exotic and Wildlife Medicine at the Oklahoma State University.
As Los Angeles prepares to celebrate the life of beloved mountain lion P-22 this weekend, mountain lion mortality maps from the University of California, Davis, show that many cougars suffer similar fates along California’s roads and highways.
Check out this interview with Winston Vickers, current project lead for our California Mountain Lion Project and Dr. Jessica Sanchez, a postdoctoral fellow at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
