Latest news with #invasivespecies
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump's 'Swamp Barbie' Brooke Rollins gets her hands dirty with jaw-dropping python capture
President Trump's cabinet members have looked to catch internet virality in the last few months, getting out of DC and into the field and in some cases, the marshlands. Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance have both worked out with members of the military, and Secretary Noem has ridden along on ICE raids. The latest addition to the administration seeking social media infamy is Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who shared a stunning photo Monday morning of her participation in a python hunt in the Florida Everglades. 'LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!' Rollins wrote quoting billionaire pop star Taylor Swift 's song of the same name, posted with a snake emoji. Rollins, 53, posted the set of pics from the Sunshine State from the hunt, which reportedly took place Sunday night. 'Last night I joined a python hunt in the Florida Everglades! Got hands-on with Florida's invasive species problem. Learned how to wrangle those slithery giants like a pro, joined a heart-pounding hunt under the swamp's moonlight, & saw up close how these pythons disrupt the ecosystem,' Rollins added in her post. 'Who's ready to join the hunt?, she also asked her followers, prompting them to engage with the post. X users obliged with comments and the response was decidedly mixed. One user who posts on X under the handle @starrygirl737 wrote, 'This sounds like an awesome experience!' Another user, @cFishFL, who appears to be a native Floridian wrote, 'Let us hunt year round for pythons in Everglades National Park!' Yet, another X user @galexy70 responded less favorably to the secretary, commenting 'Yay! More cosplay!' Rollins served as chief for domestic policy during Trump's first administration and was among the names mentioned in the running for chief of staff. Instead, she was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate to lead the Department of Agriculture in a 72-28 vote in February. Rollins is a conservative legal activist and public policy analyst who most recently served as president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank that developed policy and cultivated a network of personnel for the second Trump administration. By Monday afternoon, Rollins was back to posting more conventional political fare on her feed, announcing an allocation of $675 million in agricultural hurricane relief in Felda, Florida and touting the state's influential sugarcane industry.
The Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
ICE Barbie' gets a challenger: AG Secretary Brooke Rollins takes to X to show off snake-hunting adventure
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has a challenger in Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who took to X to show off a snake-hunting adventure in true ICE Barbie fashion. Rollins shared photos from a python hunt in the Florida Everglades that she participated in on Sunday, with the caption, 'Look what you made me do!' an apparent reference to Taylor Swift 's Reputation album. 'Got hands-on with Florida's invasive species problem. Learned how to wrangle those slithery giants like a pro, joined a heart-pounding hunt under the swamp's moonlight, & saw up close how these pythons disrupt the Ecosystem,' Rollins wrote on X on Monday. In one of the photos, Rollins had a python draped around her neck as she held its head in one hand and its tail with the other. She donned a camo 'Make America Great Again' hat for the adventure. The photo-op is reminiscent of Noem's past social media posts. Noem obtained the nickname 'ICE Barbie' for posting photos of herself glammed up and decked out in tactical vests at immigration enforcement raids amid President Donald Trump 's mass deportation operation. The Homeland Security secretary has also had her fair share of hunting photo-ops. She posted photos with a dead bear in 2023 from a hunt in Saskatchewan, Canada, and a dead moose in 2024 from a hunt in Yukon, Canada, the Daily Beast reported, noting that neither animal is invasive to those regions. Noem has been criticized for her photo-ops, which some see as glamorizing a very serious job. In April, Noem shared a video of her wielding a gun incorrectly while she wore a tactical vest between two ICE officers. Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly responded to the video on her show: 'Just stop trying to glamorize the mission and put yourself in the middle of it as you cosplay ICE agent, which you're not.' Meghan McCain also slammed the video, saying on her YouTube show, 'I don't think that it is productive to have a full face of hair and makeup and hair you're doing things like that.' She added: 'If I were giving her some advice, I would be like, 'How about pulling our hair back in a baseball cap and not doing a photo-op?''
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Officials impose ban on sale of popular pet available at most major retailers: 'Can also transfer diseases and parasites'
Officials impose ban on sale of popular pet available at most major retailers: 'Can also transfer diseases and parasites' Vermont has passed a proactive bill that aims to limit the spread of an invasive species that has threatened vulnerable species in the state. On June 5, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed Act 47 of H.231 into law. The legislation prohibits the sale and possession of pond sliders, a non-native turtle species that poses a threat to native turtle populations when released into the wild. The turtle species has become a popular find in many pet stores in the state. Pond slider turtles, such as red-eared slider turtles, have become a very popular choice as pets in many parts of the country. However, they can be detrimental to pond ecosystems and even pose health risks. They are considered an invasive species in many areas and can outcompete native turtles for resources such as food and basking spots. Additionally, they can carry and transmit diseases like Salmonella, which can be harmful to humans and other animals. Luke Groff, herpetologist with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, applauded the newly signed law. "This is very good news for our native turtles. Pond sliders can outcompete native turtles and cause them to have smaller body sizes, slower growth rates and higher mortality rates," Groff said. Groff added, "Sliders can also transfer diseases and parasites to native turtles. Ultimately, these impacts can result in population declines for our native species." Native to the central and southeastern United States, pond sliders have been introduced to many other parts of the world through the pet trade. Thanks to legislation like H.231, Vermont has started to fight back against the rise of harmful invasive species by attacking the main source of their spread. While pond slider turtles will no longer be able to be sold or purchased in Vermont, people will still be able to own the animals that are already in their possession. But Groff offered up one piece of advice. "If you have a pet slider already, you do not need to do anything different," added Groff. "Just keep taking good care of your pet and never release it into the wild." Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Fast Company
5 days ago
- Science
- Fast Company
Your dog could save us from America's most annoying invasive species
Spotted lanternflies have been making headlines since they were first sighted in the U.S. over a decade ago. The colorful, invasive bugs are a double whammy for fruit trees and other key crops, feeding on sap and leaving sugary excrement that attracts dangerous pathogens and fungi. But the costly insects may have met their match with an unlikely rival: your dog. Dogs have long been professionally trained to help detect invasive species for conservation efforts. What sets a new study, published July 16 in the journal PeerJ Life & Environment, apart is that these are not professionally trained dogs. They are the canine equivalent of citizen scientists, and they were still able to effectively find spotted lanternfly eggs. 'It was a proof-of-concept study to ask the question: Can we have citizen scientists and their very cool, everyday companion doggos go out and support the effort of conservation work in their home areas?' says lead study author Sally Dickinson, an applied animal behaviorist and search-and-rescue dog handler. 'It's enrichment for their dogs and enrichment for the people as well.' Few dogs are trained professionally for conservation efforts, so having everyday companion animals help out makes it a more scalable solution for managing invasive species—and many owners were excited to take part. A post about the study on social media was shared about a million times, Dickinson says, and researchers were able to create 182 dog-and-handler teams across the country. Some of them were retired working dogs, but many were everyday canines that like to sniff things out for fun. 'Anytime you can stimulate your dog, it's good for them,' Bill Wellborn, one of the study participants, said in a statement. 'Pepe [his Tibetan terrier] obviously enjoys it. And it's a way we can take dog skills and training to help our community.' The research team gave handlers a sample of spotted lanternflies' odor so that they could train their dogs to recognize it. Then, when the teams were ready, they put their odor recognition skills to the test in two evaluations. Indoors, the dogs were able to find the spotted lanternflies' eggs 82% of the time, and in the field, 58% of the time. Since the insects lay their eggs in easily overlooked locations—the undersides of lumber and tree bark crevices, for example—dogs make much more efficient searchers than humans. The canines' strong performance was not contingent on breed, Dickinson says. Dogs and handlers that have a great relationship, and are able to work as a team, were the ones that did very well in evaluations. Beyond protecting local plants and agricultural crops, the activity can be rewarding and fun for both dogs and humans as they get outside and get to work. 'There are obviously hundreds of other ways that you could volunteer to protect your local environment, but this is one way that you could do it with your dog,' Dickinson says. 'How cool is that? Go to a winery, work your dog, and have a great day. I mean, it sounds like the perfect life to me.'
New York Times
6 days ago
- Science
- New York Times
This Golden Fungus Is Spreading Wildly in North America's Forests
For a few years, foragers and fungi enthusiasts around the Midwest have been seeing something yellow. The butter-colored flushes of the golden oyster mushroom are difficult to miss. They bloom on dead or decaying trees, and they have become profuse in states around the Great Lakes. The fungi, which are native to Asia, are good to eat and easy to grow. But a new study shows that they may also be sapping the resources of native mushrooms. And their footprint is spreading fast. 'I don't think anyone would hesitate to call it invasive,' said Aishwarya Veerabahu, a mycologist and doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an author of the study, published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology. She and her colleagues call the golden oyster 'a literal and figurative bright yellow warning' in the study, adding that 'as of now, there are no management strategies available to control its spread.' The mushrooms were almost certainly introduced to the United States by humans, Ms. Veerabahu said. Golden oyster mushrooms and growing kits for them are sold in stores, and the fungus may have spread from backyards or compost piles. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
