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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

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Euthanasia Of 'Peanut The Squirrel' Sparks Viral Outrage; Lawmaker Demands Investigation Euthanasia Of 'Peanut The Squirrel' Sparks Viral Outrage; Lawmaker Demands Investigation
Euthanasia Of 'Peanut The Squirrel' Sparks Viral Outrage; Lawmaker Demands Investigation Outrage is swirling after New York wildlife officials seized and later euthanized beloved social media sensation “Peanut” the squirrel. Chemung County resident Mark Longo, of Elmira, took to Instagram Wednesday, Oct 30, telling his 581,000 followers that Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officers had seized the animal, which he rescued in 2017 after its mother was struck by a car. “Well internet, you WON. You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness,” he wrote. “To the people who called (DEC), there’s a special place in hell for you.” In a…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Massive, Parasite-Carrying Snail Found In New York Park Massive, Parasite-Carrying Snail Found In New York Park
Massive, Parasite-Carrying Snail Found In New York Park Although a large, squirrel-sized snail found in a New York park may have looked harmless, it posed enough of a danger to people and the environment that its discovery prompted a police response.  The invasive giant African land snail was discovered within Brooklyn's Prospect Park in early May following a report from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.  After it was seen in the park, it was surrendered to the City Parks department in a box, officials said, promoting a response from …

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by Ben Crnic
News
Aggressive, Hungry Black Bear Returns To NY Home Shortly After Destroying Kitchen Aggressive, Hungry Black Bear Returns To NY Home Shortly After Destroying Kitchen
Aggressive, Hungry Black Bear Returns To NY Home Shortly After Destroying Kitchen An aggressive black bear apparently searching for food destroyed the kitchen of an upstate New York home and then returned to the residence shortly after the break in. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said an officer received a report of the incident in  Washington County on Friday, June 21 in the town of White Creek, located about halfway between Saratoga Springs and Albany. While the officer was at the residence reviewing photos of the bear, the animal returned to the yard and became aggressive.  DEC wildlife experts provided technical …

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
Where's Albert? 11-Foot Gator's Seizure From NY Home Sparks Backlash: 'Kind Of Messed Up' Where's Albert? 11-Foot Gator's Seizure From NY Home Sparks Backlash: 'Kind Of Messed Up'
Where's Albert? 11-Foot Gator's Seizure From NY Home Sparks Backlash: 'Kind Of Messed Up' Where is Albert the alligator? That’s what a New York man and his thousands of supporters are demanding to know after state wildlife officials seized his 11-foot, 750-pound gator from his home. Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officers showed up to Tony Cavallaro’s Erie County residence in the town Hamburg on Wednesday, March 13, after learning that he had built an addition to his home and installed an in-ground swimming pool to keep the gator. Officers accused Cavallaro of allowing members of the public, including children, to get into the water and pet Albert while the all…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Rare Bear Attack: Child Hospitalized In Northern Westchester County Rare Bear Attack: Child Hospitalized In Northern Westchester County
Rare Bear Attack: Child Hospitalized In Northern Westchester County New, updated report: Latest Update: 7-Year-Old ID'd As Victim Of Bear Attack Outside North Castle Home This story has been updated. A child was hospitalized after being attacked by a bear at a Northern Westchester County residence. The rare incident happened on Tuesday, Aug. 22 just after 11:15 a.m., when police in the town of North Castle received a report of the incident at 75 Hickory Kingdom Rd. According to North Castle Police, numerous emergency organizations responded to the scene and treated the child, who was later sent to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Reports Of Mountain Lion Sighting Prompt NY DEC Investigation Reports Of Mountain Lion Sighting Prompt NY DEC Investigation
Reports Of Mountain Lion Sighting Prompt NY DEC Investigation New York State officials shared the results of an investigation prompted by reports that a mountain lion was caught on a trail camera in the region. In an announcement on Thursday, July 14, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said it received a number of calls to investigate after a trail camera in Western New York showed what was believed to be a mountain lion. The DEC said its environmental conservation officers and wildlife staff worked with the homeowner to place a cutout of an average-sized mountain lion in the same location. Officials shared photos from the in…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
Video Shows Alligator Being Captured Near School In NY Video Shows Alligator Being Captured Near School In NY
Video Shows Alligator Being Captured Near School In NY Video footage has been released showing an alligator being captured near a school in the Hudson Valley. Though the video is just now being made available, the incident occurred Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 in Dutchess County outside Van Wyck Junior High School in Wappingers Falls. East Fishkill Police reported the four- to-five-foot alligator roaming around early that afternoon. "A next-door neighbor, who just happened to look out her living room window, saw the 50-pound animal scurrying from a culvert and into the parking lot of the nearby school and immediately called 911," Daily Vo…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Body Of Missing Fairfield County Man Found In Adirondacks In Upstate NY Body Of Missing Fairfield County Man Found In Adirondacks In Upstate NY
Body Of Missing Fairfield County Man Found In Adirondacks In Upstate NY The body of a Connecticut man who went missing while hiking in the high peaks of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York has been found. Fairfield County resident Thomas A. Howard, age 61, of Westport, went missing on Wednesday, March 16, while hiking on Mount Colden in the town of North Elba, in Essex County, New York, just south of Plattsburgh near the Canadian and Vermont borders. "We are saddened to report that the body of missing hiker, Thomas Howard, was recovered this morning in the Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness," the New York State Department of Environmental Conse…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Rare Virus Killing Deer In Parts Of Region Rare Virus Killing Deer In Parts Of Region
Rare Virus Killing Deer In Parts Of Region Dozens of dead white-tailed deer found at separate locations in parts of the region are now being linked to a rare virus. After conducting tests, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)  confirmed that several white-tailed deer in the towns of Nelsonville and Cold Spring in Putnam County and near Goshen in Orange County died after contracting Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).  EHD virus is carried by biting midges, small bugs often called no-see-ums or 'punkies,' according to the DEC. Once infected with EHD, deer usually die within 36 hours. The disea…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Massive Dead Whale Found On Long Island Shore Massive Dead Whale Found On Long Island Shore
Massive Dead Whale Found On Long Island Shore A massive whale was found washed up on a Long Island shore over the weekend. Members of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society responded to Amagansett late on Saturday, May 30, where there was a report of a 35-foot female humpback whale on the beach. The whale was originally reported just offshore of Amagansett by the United States Coast Guard and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Saturday night after it was seen in the surf at approximately 8 p.m., officials said. Shortly before 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 31, members of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society were…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Video: Bobcat Gets Up Close, Personal In Backyard Of Suburban NY Home Video: Bobcat Gets Up Close, Personal In Backyard Of Suburban NY Home
Video: Bobcat Gets Up Close, Personal In Backyard Of Suburban NY Home An area family got an unexpected visitor when a bobcat was caught on camera making the rounds. The bobcat was captured slinking through the backyard of the Putnam County home on Long Pond Road in Mahopac at approximately 7 p.m. on Friday, April 17, before trotting off into a neighbor’s yard. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, “Bobcats are about twice the size of a domestic cat and usually smaller than the Canada lynx.  "Their fur is dense, short, and soft and is generally shorter and more reddish in the summer and longer and more gray in the wint…

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by Zak Failla
News
Humpback Whale Makes Big City Splash In NY Harbor Humpback Whale Makes Big City Splash In NY Harbor
Humpback Whale Makes Big City Splash In NY Harbor A humpback whale made quite a splash with a group of fisherman in New York City, making a surprise appearance off the coast of Staten Island. The whale was spotted by Alex Carr and several of his co-workers from the Staten Island Zoo who were celebrating a friend’s birthday out on Raritan Bay. The large whale was approximately 100 feet from the boat at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 17 when Carr and his buddies managed to snap several photos. The whale hung around in the water for longer than a half-hour as the bemused fishermen watched it. This is the second sighting of a whale in New York…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Don't Fawn Over It: Here's What To Do If You Spot A Baby Deer All Alone Don't Fawn Over It: Here's What To Do If You Spot A Baby Deer All Alone
Don't Fawn Over It: Here's What To Do If You Spot A Baby Deer All Alone There are plenty of baby deer who are out and often alone and in the open, officials are advising area residents, while adding an important caveat: If you see one, leave it be. It is natural for a baby fawn in its first weeks of life to be lying in nature, according to wildlife experts. Their mothers park them in the open to keep them safe from predators, according to CLAWS, an education and animal rehabilitation nonprofit. As long as the fawn is lying or walking quietly, it should be left for its mother to pick up later. Human contact with wildlife can have unintended consequences t…

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by Donna Christopher
News
Great White Sharks Heading North As Waters Are Getting Warmer Great White Sharks Heading North As Waters Are Getting Warmer
Great White Sharks Heading North As Waters Are Getting Warmer Click here for an updated story: Great White Shark Tracked In Long Island Sound For First Time Ever, Says Ocean Research Group We’re gonna need a bigger boat. With the weather and waters in the Atlantic heating up, clusters of great white sharks have been spotted and tracked making their way north to hunt for food and cooler conditions. Dozens of sharks have been tracked by researching company Ocearch, with some spotted near the Hudson Valley and Long Island. To track the sharks, Ocearch captured, weighed, tagged and released them. The tags provide information on location, &nbs…

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by Zak Failla
Neighbors
DEC Provides Guide To Help Avoid Conflicts With Coyotes DEC Provides Guide To Help Avoid Conflicts With Coyotes
DEC Provides Guide To Help Avoid Conflicts With Coyotes With winter slowly transforming to spring and temperatures warming up, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has released its annual guide on how to avoid conflicts with coyotes. DEC officials released the guide on Monday as warmer weather will soon bring coyotes out from the wild to set up dens for pups that will arrive during the spring. "This time of year, DEC sees an uptick in questions from New Yorkers regarding coyotes and their behavior," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in the statement. "While coyotes are an integral and beneficial part of our natural ecosys…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Big Fish: Massive, 14-Foot Atlantic Sturgeon Spotted In Hudson River Big Fish: Massive, 14-Foot Atlantic Sturgeon Spotted In Hudson River
Big Fish: Massive, 14-Foot Atlantic Sturgeon Spotted In Hudson River At first, it came as a shock. Then it quickly turned into a happy discovery. Researchers aboard a boat using a special sonar system on the Hudson River spotted a huge fish that turned out to be an Atlantic sturgeon more than 14 feet in length. The discovery, which occurred last summer at Hyde Park in Dutchess County, is detailed in an article published this week by National Geographic. "When I first saw it, I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ ” John A. Madsen, a University Delaware geologist, who was accompanied by Dewayne A. Fox of Delaware State University, is quoted as saying in…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Black Bear Attacks NY Resident In Garage, Police Say Black Bear Attacks NY Resident In Garage, Police Say
Black Bear Attacks NY Resident In Garage, Police Say Click here for an updated story: NYPD Detective ID'd As Man Attacked In His Hudson Valley Garage By Black Bear A man was seriously injured after being attacked by a small black bear he found inside his garage in the Hudson Valley. The attack took place around 9:30 p.m. Sunday in Orange County on Mineral Spring Road in the town of Cornwall when the man, who was working in a detached garage on his property, went inside his home and came back out to find a bear inside the garage, said Cornwall Police Chief Todd Hazard. The man realized the bear was in the garage when he heard a growl and turn…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Rare Sighting: Moose Spotted In Area Rare Sighting: Moose Spotted In Area
Rare Sighting: Moose Spotted In Area Social media is abuzz with comments from Northern Westchester residents who've reported seeing a moose that has been making the rounds in the area. It was last spotted on Thursday, June 28 near the Teatown Lake Reservation Nature Preserve and Education Center, which is located in the towns of Yorktown, Cortlandt and New Castle. On Facebook, posters reported seeing the moose on Cedar Lane in Ossining and Croton-on-Hudson. One even noted that she saw a neighbor using a drone to try and track down the animal. “This morning at about 9:20, there was a moose standing on Cedar Lane between (a loc…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
There's A New Moose On The Loose In Area There's A New Moose On The Loose In Area
There's A New Moose On The Loose In Area The area is filled with all sorts of wild animals, from coyotes to black bears to bobcats, but moose sightings are extremely rare. That's why social media is abuzz with comments from Northern Westchester residents who've reported seeing a moose that has been making the rounds in the area. It was last spotted on Thursday, June 28 near the Teatown Lake Reservation Nature Preserve and Education Center, which is located in the towns of Yorktown, Cortlandt and New Castle. On Facebook, posters reported seeing the moose on Cedar Lane in Ossining and Croton-on-Hudson. One even noted that she saw a…

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by Zak Failla