Latest news with #TexasParksAndWildlife
CBS News
6 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Bighorn sheep are disappearing in Texas. Wildlife biologists are stepping in.
Bighorn sheep have become a rarity in Texas, but a group of wildlife biologists are on a mission to rescue the species. About 50% of the state's bighorn sheep population was decimated in the last five years due to disease, said Froylán Hernández of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Hernández is the program leader for the department's Desert Bighorn Sheep Program. The disease spread to the bighorn sheep from other animals, which people brought to the region. Bighorn sheep are native to the western mountains and were once revered by Native Americans. Last fall, wildlife biologists planned a rescue. They captured dozens of bighorn sheep, some pregnant, from the only disease-free Texas herd left. The biologists airlifted the sheep to veterinarians to ensure they were healthy, and then moved the sheep more than 200 miles to an isolated mountain range, free of disease-carrying species. Biologists returned to the herd this month in the Franklin Mountains in West Texas to see if the sheep survived, and maybe if the herd grew. They found a line of nine sheep, including lambs that were just days old. The Texas herd is growing again, and biologists hope it won't butt heads with humans or disease. "I am extremely, extremely happy, very, very satisfied," Hernández said. "It's monumental."
CBS News
23-07-2025
- CBS News
North Texas mom says faulty life jacket nearly drowned young son
When the Texas summer starts to sizzle, Ashley McCombs often loads up her boys and heads to Lake Weatherford. Sunday was one of those days. "And we did a little bit of fishing, and we got in the water; they had their little swimsuits on," McCombs recalled. She thought she was doing everything right to keep them safe: keeping them in sight, and 6-year-old Oaks was within arm's reach, wearing a life jacket. "All of a sudden, (he) just went missing. We could not find him," McCombs said. "And at that point, he had been pulled under the water. Because his life jacket had filled with water... just very heavy, very heavy. And it's just like, pouring water out of it." She said Oaks was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with non-lethal drowning. He was traumatized, but is going to be okay. But McCombs was still shaken by the close call. "Actually, this is the second life jacket with that same brand that did that," she said. "But I didn't even think twice about it. You know, I thought, 'oh, maybe it's just faulty.'" Experts say there are several reasons a life jacket can fail — it may be poorly fitted or not secured correctly. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, flotation devices are rated for specific water activities. For example, more buoyancy is needed for offshore activities than for swimming in calm water. A life jacket approved for swimming would be inadequate for whitewater paddling. But McCombs said none of that explained why a brand-new life jacket, fitted for a 6-year-old, failed. "I'm incredibly upset," McCombs said, "because what if I've lost my child or somebody else, you know, loses their child?" Her receipt showed she purchased the Coast Guard-approved life jacket at a local big box store less than two weeks ago. Now, her message to other parents is clear: "I would say watch your children. Don't trust the life jacket. Don't trust friends around you. But keep your eyes on your children at all times." And she had this to say to the manufacturer: "It's not like something simple not working, you know? But it's somebody's life that could be taken," McCombs said. "The life jacket has to work. Parents are trusting you."
CBS News
19-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
U.S. plans to combat spread of "man-eater" screwworms with $8.5M facility of flies in Texas
The U.S. government on Wednesday released a five-prong policy initiative to stop the spread of New World screwworms in live cattle and other animal imports, including its plan to build an $8.5 million insect dispersal facility in Texas. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said her department plans to open what amounts to a fly factory by the end of the year. The facility will breed millions of sterile New World screwworm (NWS) flies at Moore Air Base, according to the initiative. The male flies will then be released into the wild to mate with females and prevent them from laying eggs in wounds that become flesh-eating larvae. It would be only the second facility for breeding such flies in the Western Hemisphere, joining one in Panama that had largely kept the flies from migrating further north until last year. An adult New World screwworm fly (left) and a New World screwworm larvae (right). Denise Bonilla/USDA Agricultural Research Service via AP "The United States has defeated NWS before, and we will do it again," Rollins said during a news conference at the South Texas air base with other state and cattle industry officials. Late last year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department warned outdoor enthusiasts to watch out for animals that may be impacted by the dangerous "man-eater" parasites from flies that lay eggs in open wounds, nostrils, eyes and mouths. Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended imports of live cattle, horses and bison from Mexico. The New World Screwworm has been making its way further north through the Americas, Texas officials said, and the fly's appearance in southern Mexico has worried agriculture and cattle industry officials and veterinarians' groups. According to the USDA, the New World Screwworm "is a devastating pest." The scientific name for the parasite, Cochliomyia hominivorax, is roughly translated to "man-eater," according to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. "When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal," the USDA says. "NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds and, in rare cases, people." The USDA also plans to spend $21 million to convert a facility for breeding fruit flies near Mexico's southernmost border with Guatemala into one for breeding sterile New World screwworm flies, but it won't be ready for 18 months. The U.S. bred and released sterile New World screwworm flies into the wild decades ago, and it was largely banished from the country in the 1960s. Previously, it had been an annual scourge for cattle ranchers and dairy farmers, particularly in the Southeast. Mexican Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué said Wednesday in a post on X that Rollins' plan "seems to us a positive step in different aspects, it will strengthen the joint Mexico-U.S. work." "We trust the enthusiasm for cooperation that Secretary Rollins mentioned, and based on objective results and the reports from the USDA mission visiting us this week, we will be able to restart exports of our cattle as soon as possible," he said. The new Texas facility would be built at Moore Air Base, less than 20 miles from the Mexico border, and the USDA said it would also consider building a companion fly-breeding center there so that up to 300 million flies could be produced a week. The Panama facility breeds about 100 million a week, and the one in Mexico could breed as many as 100 million, as well. The USDA has said the flies have been detected as close as 700 miles from the U.S. border, and some U.S. agriculture and cattle industry officials have worried that if the migration isn't checked, the flies could reach the border by the end of summer. Pressure from the U.S. prompted Mexico to step up efforts to control the fly's spread. Buck Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattle rancher and the president of the National Beef Cattlemen's Association, said Moore Air Base had a fly-breeding facility in the 1960s that helped eradicate it in the U.S. While there are treatments for New World screwworm infestations, cattle industry officials still worry that farmers and ranchers could see huge economic losses. They, agriculture officials and scientists also said the larvae can infest any mammal, including household pets, and it has occasionally been seen in humans. "The only way to protect the American cattle herd from the devastating threat of New World screwworm is by having a sufficient supply of sterile flies to push this pest away from our border," Wehrbein said. Texas officials said they are grateful the U.S. is taking the screwworm threat seriously and are pleased with the plans for combating it, including the new facility in Texas. Officials in other states are watching the fly's migration, as well, and see that having sterile male flies outnumber the non-sterile ones is crucial to checking its migration. "We have a real concern about wildlife because of their ability to cross the border unchecked somewhat, whether it's feral pigs, deer, wild cattle, whatever the case may be," Kansas Animal Health Commissioner Justin Smith said in a recent interview. "There's an opportunity for them to be our exposure risk."
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Unexpected 13-foot visitor arrives at Broaddus ISD
BROADDUS, Texas (KETK) – While school is out for the summer, Broaddus ISD had an unexpected guest appear at one of their campuses earlier this week. 'It's absolutely deceptive' Farmers markets see trend of new stands not locally grown Broaddus ISD posted on Facebook Thursday afternoon that a 13-foot gator named' Gloria' was spotted near their campus. The district stated that Gloria was safely removed and has been asked to find a new school. Courtesy of Broaddus ISD 'We appreciate her coming to school but she is not allowed back,' Broaddus ISD said. 'Thank you for everyone that was involved.' Texas State Senator voices concerns over groundwater well permit This was not the first gator spotted in East Texas recently, as a little less than a week ago a 9-foot gator was found Downton Gladewater and was safely taken back to their natural habitat. East Texans maybe seeing more alligators recently since the species just finished their breeding season on May 30, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
County to celebrate renovation of Gallegos Skatepark
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso County will celebrate the renovation of Gallegos Skatepark with a ceremony this weekend. The ribbon-cutting celebration will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, at 7361 Bosque Rd. in Canutillo. Community members are encouraged to join County leaders as they unveil a dynamic new recreational space designed with local skaters in mind, according to the news release by the County. The County said the project was completed as part of the County's 2021 Parks Master Plan and partially funded by a Texas Parks and Wildlife Grant. It features an expansive new skate layout and a brand-new adventure course. 'This celebration also highlights the recent passage of the 2024 Capital Improvement Bond, which will bring even more improvements to Gallegos Park and parks countywide,' read the news release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
