Wildlife Of Israel

Saving Species on Ice: Is Cryopreservation the Future of Wildlife Conservation?

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For generations, wildlife conservation has centered on a straightforward idea: protect enough animals and enough habitat, and a species has a fighting chance. But what if part of the future of conservation takes place far away from the mountains, forests and grasslands where those animals live? What if some of the most important conservation work involves placing tiny pieces of animals into tanks of liquid nitrogen and keeping them there for decades?

A situation unfolding in New Zealand raises that question. Numbers of Mohaka sheep, a rare feral breed with a long history in the country, have declined to the point that conservationists are moving to preserve their genetics. The effort includes collecting and storing genetic material that could potentially be used in the future.

On the surface, this is a story about an unusual population of sheep. Look deeper, however, and it raises a much larger question: Could preserving cells, semen, eggs, embryos and other biological material become an increasingly important part of protecting rare breeds and endangered wildlife?

Saving Livestock?

Rare livestock breeds and isolated wildlife populations can carry genetic characteristics developed over many generations. Once those animals disappear, some of that genetic diversity can disappear with them.

This doesn’t mean every rare breed possesses some biological secret that will revolutionize agriculture or wildlife conservation. It does mean that once unique genetic material is lost, recovering it may be impossible. Semen and embryo banking are already established tools in livestock management, making the effort involving Mohaka sheep particularly interesting when viewed through the wider lens of conservation.

Saving living populations must remain the objective. Preserving their genetics, however, could provide another option if those populations crash or lose important genetic diversity along the way.

Wildlife conservationists have already been pursuing that idea for half a century.

The Frozen Zoo

Perhaps the greatest example can be found at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

In 1975, researchers established what became known as the Frozen Zoo®. Scientists began preserving living cells from wildlife even though they couldn’t possibly know what technologies might eventually make use of them.

Today the Frozen Zoo is part of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Wildlife Biodiversity Bank. Its collection contains thousands of living cell lines representing more than 1,300 species and subspecies, with material maintained at approximately minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Frozen Zoo

The significance isn’t simply how much material is stored. Some of those cells came from animals that died decades ago. In certain cases, genetic diversity represented by those individuals has subsequently disappeared or become poorly represented within the living population.

The animals are gone. The cells remain.

Scientists in 1975 couldn’t have predicted what conservationists would be capable of doing with those cells 50 years later. Likewise, nobody collecting biological material in 2026 can know what scientists might be capable of doing with it in 2075.

Genetic Insurance

The concept is sometimes described as genetic insurance, and there may be no better way to explain it. Cryopreservation cannot protect habitat, stop poaching, provide water during a drought or prevent a disease outbreak. Those conservation jobs still have to be done.

What it can potentially do is preserve options.

Small populations frequently experience genetic bottlenecks. Even if managers rebuild the number of animals, genetic diversity that disappeared during the decline doesn’t automatically return. Carefully preserved cells and reproductive material could provide future conservationists with opportunities that would otherwise be gone forever.

We already have examples showing that this isn’t purely theoretical.

Frozen Zoo material has contributed to cloning work involving endangered species, including black-footed ferrets and Przewalski’s horses. In those cases, the objective wasn’t simply to create another animal. Scientists were interested in genetics from individuals that were no longer represented, or were poorly represented, in the surviving population.

That changes the conversation considerably. Cryopreservation isn’t only about saving DNA so scientists can study an extinct animal someday. Viable cells, sperm, eggs and embryos may have potential applications that a DNA sequence stored in a computer does not.

What Should We Save Today?

This is where the Mohaka sheep story becomes much bigger than sheep.

By the time an endangered species reaches critically low numbers, a significant amount of its former genetic diversity may already be gone. That raises the question of whether biological banking should begin much earlier.

Wildlife managers routinely capture animals for research, disease testing, translocations and GPS collaring. Zoos, rehabilitation facilities and veterinarians regularly handle threatened and endangered wildlife. Could some of those encounters also become opportunities to preserve biological material for the future?

Photo by Chester Moore

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is thinking on an enormous scale. After the Frozen Zoo reached its 50th anniversary, the organization announced an ambitious goal of helping lead efforts to biobank endangered species around the world by 2075. Frozen Zoo 50th anniversary initiative

That doesn’t mean replacing animals on the landscape with samples in a freezer. Habitat protection, population management, disease research, migration corridors, translocations and traditional breeding programs remain essential. Cryopreservation could simply become another tool alongside them—an insurance policy against events and challenges we cannot predict.

And I do think it’s important to note we should not just slack off on boots on the ground conservation. That needs to be priority but this kind of technology needs to be looked at as well.

A Question for the Future

There is something remarkable about looking back at the scientists who began freezing wildlife cells in San Diego in 1975. They had no guarantee those cells would ever become useful, yet they preserved them anyway.

Half a century later, conservationists have technologies that would have been difficult to imagine when some of those samples entered storage. The same may be true of the biological material being preserved today.

That is what makes the declining Mohaka sheep worth watching. Their story raises a question that extends from rare livestock breeds to some of the world’s most endangered wildlife.

Perhaps the greatest value of a frozen cell isn’t what we can do with it today, but what someone may be able to do with it decades from now. When the conservationists of 2075 look back at the species struggling in our time, will they be grateful that we preserved those genetic options for them—or will they wonder why, when we still had the chance, we didn’t?

Chester Moore

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

@thechestermoore on Instagram

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Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.

Subscribe to the Dark Outdoors and Higher Calling Wildlife podcasts on all major podcasting platforms.

Hogs

A 725.8-Pound Feral Hog? This Texas Giant Is the Real Deal

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Wildlife has an incredible ability to surprise us.

And every once in a while, an animal comes along that makes you stop and take a second look.

This is one of those animals.

A Texas hunter recently killed an enormous free-ranging boar in Southeast Texas that weighed 725.8 pounds on a scale.

Watch the video below.

The black-and-white hog is so large—and has such unusual coloration—that some people seeing the photographs for the first time may wonder exactly what they’re looking at.

There’s some interesting wildlife biology behind that coloration.

According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, feral hogs can display a wide variety of colors and patterns. They can be black, brown, red, white, spotted or “belted.” AgriLife specifically notes that belted feral hogs can be black or brownish-red with a white band across the shoulders and forelimbs.

In other words, the dramatic black-and-white appearance of this animal is not something outside the documented color patterns of feral hogs.

I’ve encountered free-ranging hogs with similar coloration myself, although nothing approaching this animal’s tremendous size.

Texas A&M AgriLife also notes that the original breed and nutrition during development can influence a feral hog’s size and coloration. Texas’ feral hog history is complicated, with Eurasian wild boars introduced for hunting eventually breeding with free-ranging feral hogs already on the landscape.

That makes these animals an interesting study in adaptation, genetics and just how dramatically animals can vary within a population.

I’ve covered wildlife for decades, and this is the largest free-ranging feral hog I have personally seen documented on a scale.

That’s worth taking a closer look at.

I put together a new video examining this incredible Texas hog, including photographs, video and the story behind the animal.

Wildlife never stops surprising us.

Chester Moore
Higher Calling Wildlife

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

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Dark Outdoors

Could Black Mambas Survive In America?

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Chester Moore Files #2

Florida’s Burmese pythons changed what we know about exotic reptiles surviving in the United States. Could one of Africa’s most famous snakes survive here, too?

By Chester Moore

The black mamba is one of the most recognizable and feared snakes on the planet. Native to Africa, it is famous for its size, speed, potent venom and the dramatic black interior of its mouth that gives the species its name. It is also a snake that should be understood rather than sensationalized. Black mambas aren’t monsters pursuing people through the African bush. They are highly specialized predators occupying a wide range of habitats across portions of eastern and southern Africa.

But an interesting wildlife question emerges when we look at what has happened with exotic reptiles in the United States: Could a black mamba survive here? There is no evidence of an established population of black mambas in Florida, Texas or anywhere else in the United States. This isn’t a report of mambas suddenly appearing in the Everglades. It’s an examination of whether parts of the American South could potentially allow an escaped or released black mamba to survive—and why survival and establishment are two very different things.

Black Mamba Attacks & Other African Snake Encounters

The question was inspired in part by a fascinating episode of my Dark Outdoors podcast featuring real encounters with black mambas and other African snakes. The episode gives listeners a much better perspective on these animals by looking at actual encounters where the snakes naturally occur rather than the exaggerated portrayals that have helped give black mambas their fearsome reputation.

Listen to “Black Mamba Attacks & Other African Snake Encounters”:

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-mamba-attacks-other-african-snake-encounters/id1630809603?i=1000773845882

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7w9fPKoqAbNAehq3T29Kz8?si=T66SkaFMTim44HOftGt_Sg

Beyond the dramatic encounters, the episode got me thinking about the adaptability of reptiles and how difficult it can be to predict what an animal will do when moved into a new environment. We have an incredible example of that playing out right now in Florida.

The Burmese Python Changed the Conversation

A few decades ago, the idea of giant Asian constrictors reproducing in the Florida wilderness would have sounded like the plot of a creature feature. Today, Burmese pythons are an established part of South Florida’s invasive wildlife problem. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other agencies devote significant resources to python removal and research, and the snakes have become established across a vast area of difficult-to-access habitat while preying upon a tremendous variety of native animals.

Their success provides an important lesson about introduced wildlife. Sometimes an animal encounters an environment different enough from its native habitat that it simply cannot survive. Sometimes individuals survive but never reproduce. And sometimes the pieces line up, with climate, prey, habitat and reproduction combining to allow a species to become established. That is essentially what happened with the Burmese python.

Surviving a Florida Winter

One of the most interesting parts of the python story involves cold weather. South Florida is subtropical, but anyone who has spent much time there knows that subtropical doesn’t mean temperatures never drop. The historic January 2010 cold spell provided researchers with an opportunity to examine how invasive Burmese pythons handled unusually low temperatures, and a U.S. Geological Survey study documented substantial mortality among monitored pythons.

Cold killed snakes, but it didn’t kill all of them or eliminate the population. Later research found evidence of rapid genetic adaptation associated with climatic extremes in Florida’s Burmese python population. That doesn’t mean pythons have somehow become immune to cold, but it does demonstrate the remarkable ability of wildlife populations to respond to environmental pressures. It also makes me cautious whenever I hear someone declare that an exotic reptile “could never survive here.” Nature has a way of making absolute statements look foolish.

Understanding the Black Mamba

The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) has a broad distribution through parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite what its name suggests, the snake itself isn’t actually black. Individuals can be gray, olive, brownish or combinations of those colors. The famous black coloration is inside the mouth and can become very visible during a defensive display.

Black mambas inhabit more than one narrowly defined habitat. They occur in areas that include savanna, open woodland, rocky hills and riverine environments, using places such as hollow trees, rock crevices, burrows and other protected areas for shelter. They are active predators, feeding largely on small mammals and other vertebrate prey. Those characteristics are important when considering whether one could survive somewhere like South Florida.

Warm weather would certainly be available, as would rodents and other potential prey. South Florida also has no shortage of vegetation and protected places where a snake could shelter. But those similarities only get us so far.

Florida Isn’t Africa

This is where speculation about introduced wildlife often goes wrong. People look at temperature and say, “It’s hot in both places, so the animal could live there,” but ecology is much more complicated. Average temperatures don’t tell us how an animal responds to a three-day cold snap. They don’t tell us whether excessive moisture creates health problems or whether unfamiliar parasites and diseases affect the animal. They also don’t tell us whether suitable nesting sites exist or whether enough individuals could survive long enough to reproduce successfully.

An individual black mamba surviving for months in South Florida would be remarkable, but it wouldn’t constitute an established population. For that to happen, multiple animals would need to survive, encounter one another, reproduce successfully and produce young capable of surviving and eventually reproducing themselves. That cycle would have to continue year after year, which is a much higher biological hurdle.

Could South Florida Pass the Test?

Of anywhere in the continental United States, extreme South Florida raises some of the most interesting questions. The region has long warm seasons, abundant prey and tremendous amounts of potential reptile habitat. Its existing populations of nonnative reptiles demonstrate that species from tropical and subtropical environments sometimes find Florida surprisingly accommodating.

That doesn’t mean black mambas would. Humidity, rainfall patterns, cold fronts, flooding, parasites, diseases and other environmental factors could potentially prevent long-term survival or reproduction. Without specific research examining the black mamba’s climatic tolerances against conditions in Florida, saying the species would establish there goes well beyond the evidence. Saying an individual might survive, however, is a very different proposition, and that possibility is difficult to dismiss.

What About South Texas?

South Texas presents another fascinating comparison. The region has extreme summer heat, enormous rodent populations and extensive brush country offering potential cover and shelter. Parts of the Rio Grande Valley can feel downright tropical, but Texas also has something South Florida generally experiences to a much lesser degree: powerful winter cold fronts.

Temperatures can fall dramatically when Arctic air pushes deep into the state. The historic freezes Texans have experienced demonstrate how dangerous those events can be to tropical and subtropical wildlife. A black mamba might find plenty to like about a South Texas summer, but winter would be the real test.

An individual that located a deeply protected refuge might survive conditions that would kill an exposed snake, but moving from that possibility to an established breeding population requires numerous assumptions. That’s why I would put South Florida ahead of South Texas when discussing potential habitat, while considering neither location proven suitable for black mamba establishment.

Exotic Animals and Human Responsibility

There is one reason this isn’t purely a hypothetical exercise. Black mambas and many other exotic reptiles are maintained in captivity in the United States. Legitimate zoological facilities and experienced reptile keepers have maintained venomous snakes safely for years. Florida regulates venomous reptile possession and requires specific permitting, experience, facilities and secure caging.

Responsible keepers shouldn’t be painted with the same brush as irresponsible owners. The problem comes when exotic animals escape or people deliberately release animals they no longer want. Florida’s experience with nonnative wildlife shows why that matters. Once a species becomes established, wildlife managers can face an enormously expensive problem that continues for decades, and removing every individual from a vast ecosystem can become virtually impossible. The best time to prevent an invasive species is before it ever becomes invasive.

From Survival to Invasion

Whenever we hear about an unusual exotic animal appearing somewhere in America, it is helpful to separate four very different stages: survival, reproduction, establishment and invasion. An animal can pass the first test and fail the other three.

That’s why the answer to whether black mambas could “live in Florida” depends entirely upon what we mean by live. Could an escaped black mamba potentially survive for some period in South Florida? I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility. Could one survive a winter? Perhaps, depending on weather conditions and available shelter. Could the species establish itself permanently? We don’t know. There isn’t sufficient evidence to say that it could, and there certainly isn’t evidence that a wild breeding population currently exists.

Learning From the Python

The Burmese python invasion should make us humble about predicting what introduced wildlife can and cannot accomplish. It shouldn’t make us paranoid about every exotic reptile. Instead, it should remind us how complicated ecosystems are and how much responsibility comes with keeping animals that evolved thousands of miles away.

The black mamba is an extraordinary predator perfectly suited to the ecosystems where it naturally occurs. It deserves respect for what it actually is rather than fear based on what movies and sensational stories have made it out to be. Hopefully, the question of whether black mambas could establish themselves in Florida or Texas always remains hypothetical.

The python taught us an important lesson about exotic wildlife: once an animal enters a new environment, our predictions don’t necessarily determine what happens next. Climate, habitat, prey, reproduction and the animal’s own adaptability ultimately determine whether it disappears or becomes part of the landscape.

Hear Real Black Mamba Encounters

For a completely different perspective on these remarkable snakes, listen to “Black Mamba Attacks & Other African Snake Encounters” on my Dark Outdoors podcast. The episode explores real encounters involving black mambas and other African snakes and provides a look at what happens when people unexpectedly cross paths with some of the world’s most formidable reptiles.

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-mamba-attacks-other-african-snake-encounters/id1630809603?i=1000773845882

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7w9fPKoqAbNAehq3T29Kz8?si=T66SkaFMTim44HOftGt_Sg

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

@gulfgreatwhitesharksociety on Instagram

To support the efforts of Higher Calling Wildlife® click here.

Subscribe to the Dark Outdoors podcast on all major podcasting platforms.

@thechestermoore on Instagram

Chester Moore’s YouTube.

Higher Calling Wildlife on Facebook

Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.

Uncategorized

They Poached the Buffalo—Then Brought Out a Chainsaw

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Years ago, I traveled to a location where someone had illegally killed a buffalo, cut off its head with a chainsaw and left the rest of the animal behind.

It was one of the most disturbing wildlife crimes I have encountered, but unfortunately it was far from the only one.

As a hunter and lifelong wildlife conservationist, I believe an important distinction needs to be made whenever stories like this are told: Poaching is not hunting.

Legal, ethical hunting operates within seasons, regulations and conservation systems designed to manage wildlife populations. Poaching is the illegal taking of wildlife. The two should never be confused.

Hear the Full Story on Dark Outdoors®

I recently explored the buffalo case and several other disturbing wildlife crimes I’ve encountered or investigated in an episode of Dark Outdoors®.

Listen: “He Beheaded the Buffalo With a Chainsaw”

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/he-beheaded-the-buffalo-with-a-chainsaw/id1630809603

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4SG6LVStcRBMSyRKn54uMQ?si=39034865b8234bbf

The episode examines not only the buffalo case but also other examples of poaching and wildlife trafficking, including crimes that demonstrate just how serious—and sometimes dangerous—wildlife crime can become.

Wildlife Belongs to More Than One Generation

Wildlife conservation depends on limits.

Seasons, bag limits and other regulations aren’t simply obstacles placed in front of hunters. They are part of a larger wildlife-management system intended to ensure that wildlife populations remain viable for future generations.

Ethical hunters operate within that system.

Poachers deliberately operate outside it.

That difference matters because wildlife isn’t an unlimited resource. An animal illegally killed for its antlers, horns, hide, head or simply for someone’s amusement has been stolen from everyone who values that resource.

This is why I reject the tendency to describe serious poaching simply as “illegal hunting.” Hunting and poaching aren’t interchangeable terms.

The People Who Stand Between Wildlife and Criminals

Wildlife officers and game wardens work a side of conservation that most people rarely see.

Their jobs can involve far more than checking licenses or making sure hunters follow bag limits. They investigate illegal killing, trafficking and commercialization of wildlife, sometimes dealing with people who are willing to threaten or use violence to avoid being caught.

Federal wildlife law enforcement also deals with a global trade in illegally obtained animals and wildlife products. That world can involve smuggling networks moving wildlife and wildlife parts across international borders.

Wildlife crime can become big business, and protecting wildlife sometimes requires serious law-enforcement work.

Hunters Have a Stake in Fighting Poaching

Hunters should be among the loudest voices opposing wildlife crime.

The overwhelming majority of hunters aren’t the people cutting heads off illegally killed animals, slaughtering wildlife outside established regulations or trafficking protected species. They’re people who buy licenses, support conservation programs, follow seasons and care deeply about the future of wildlife.

I have hunted my whole life. This is me with an Eastern wild turkey I took in New York in 2019. The Moore family loves to eat wild game.

Calling a poacher a hunter gives the criminal a connection to legitimate hunting that he or she hasn’t earned.

A person who deliberately steals wildlife isn’t representing hunting.

They’re stealing from wildlife.

They’re stealing from hunters.

And they’re stealing from everyone else who believes wild animals should still be here for the next generation.

That’s why poaching isn’t hunting.

It’s wildlife crime.

Chester Moore

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

@gulfgreatwhitesharksociety on Instagram

To support the efforts of Higher Calling Wildlife® click here.

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Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.

Mysterious Wildlife

Could African Lions and Other Exotic Cats Be Roaming Texas?

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Texas is famous for its exotic wildlife.

Drive through parts of the Hill Country and South Texas and you might encounter axis deer, blackbuck antelope or other animals originating thousands of miles from the Lone Star State. But could something much larger and more dangerous occasionally escape into the Texas wilds?

Could African lions and other exotic cats be roaming Texas?

It’s a question I’ve considered for years while investigating reports of unusual cats across Texas and other parts of the South. Most strange-cat sightings probably have much more conventional explanations. Mountain lions can appear in unexpected places, bobcats can look surprisingly large under the right circumstances and eyewitness identification is never perfect.

But some reports are much harder to explain.

Hear the Investigation on Dark Outdoors®

I recently explored one of the strangest big-cat accounts ever brought to me, along with giant cat tracks and other unusual sightings, on Dark Outdoors®.

Listen: “He Found an African Lion in His Chicken Coop in Texas”

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/he-found-a-lion-in-his-chicken-coop-in-texas/id1630809603?i=1000788610512

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3QaAVZ7vnU4cvByWbY8CJg?si=Xw1X5E8NR5KmIzzt8pHNGQ

An African Lion in a Chicken Coop?

One of the strangest accounts ever brought to me came from a Texas man who said he walked outside and discovered an enormous cat in his chicken coop.

What he described wasn’t a mountain lion. He believed he was looking at an African lion.

There was no DNA test or other definitive evidence to prove the animal’s identity, so this case has to remain exactly what it is: an extraordinary eyewitness account. But it raises an interesting wildlife question.

Texas has a tremendous amount of privately held exotic wildlife. While most discussions involve exotic hoofed animals, large exotic cats have also been kept in captivity in the state. If one escaped or was released, how long could it survive?

And how quickly would anyone know it was there?

Big Cats Can Be Hard to Find

Anyone familiar with mountain lions understands just how elusive a large predator can be. A big cat can travel tremendous distances, move largely under the cover of darkness and live surprisingly close to people without being regularly detected.

Photo by Chester Moore

Texas also offers enormous expanses of suitable hiding places, from the thick forests of East Texas to river bottoms, coastal marshes, South Texas brush country and sprawling ranches.

That doesn’t mean prides of African lions are secretly living in Texas. There is no evidence for anything remotely like that. The more reasonable question is whether individual exotic cats have occasionally escaped or been released and survived in the wild for some period of time.

That’s a very different proposition.

What About the Other Mystery Cats?

I’ve investigated unusual cat reports for decades, and not all of them involve animals described as lions.

Some people report exceptionally large cats. Others describe unusual coloration or physical characteristics that don’t seem to fit what they expect from a mountain lion or bobcat. I’ve also personally investigated enormous cat tracks that raised some fascinating questions.

Tracks aren’t proof by themselves. Mud can enlarge an impression, overlapping tracks can create strange shapes and photographs can make judging scale difficult. Any responsible investigation has to consider those possibilities.

But unusual tracks combined with credible eyewitness reports are worth investigating rather than simply dismissing.

Evidence Is What Matters

There is a big difference between asking whether an exotic cat could be roaming Texas and claiming that one is.

Photographs and video are valuable. Clear tracks can provide additional clues. Hair, scat or other biological material could potentially provide much stronger evidence, particularly if DNA analysis were possible.

Until that kind of evidence exists in an individual case, these reports should be treated as reports—not confirmed animals. That doesn’t make them uninteresting. In fact, that’s exactly why I continue investigating them.

Texas is big enough, wild enough and has enough exotic wildlife that unusual animals sometimes turn up where they aren’t supposed to be.

Does that mean every report of a mystery cat is an escaped exotic? Certainly not. But could an African lion or another exotic cat occasionally escape into the Texas wilds and remain undetected for a time?

That’s a question worth investigating.

Chester Moore

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

@gulfgreatwhitesharksociety on Instagram

To support the efforts of Higher Calling Wildlife® click here.

Subscribe to the Dark Outdoors podcast on all major podcasting platforms.

@thechestermoore on Instagram

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Higher Calling Wildlife on Facebook

Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.

Sharks

What One Whale Shark Can Teach Us About Conservation

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The Chester Moore Files

File No. 001

By Chester Moore

Conservation often begins with a simple change in perspective.

An animal once feared becomes understood. A misunderstood species becomes appreciated. A creature people once wanted to avoid becomes one they want future generations to experience.

Few animals illustrate that transformation better than the whale shark.

Growing to more than 40 feet in length and weighing many tons, the whale shark is the largest fish in the world. At first glance, its enormous mouth and unmistakable shark silhouette can be intimidating. Yet this giant spends its life feeding on some of the smallest organisms in the ocean, filtering plankton, tiny fish and fish eggs from the water while posing virtually no threat to people.

That contrast between appearance and reality offers one of the greatest lessons in wildlife conservation.

Looking Beyond First Impressions

Throughout history, many wildlife species have been judged by reputation rather than reality.

Wolves were once viewed only as livestock killers. Birds of prey were widely persecuted before people understood their importance in healthy ecosystems. Sharks have perhaps endured the greatest misunderstanding of all.

Gentle Giants

Movies, sensational headlines and generations of folklore have convinced countless people that every shark is dangerous.

The whale shark reminds us that nature is far more complex—and far more fascinating—than our assumptions.

When people learn about these gentle giants, fear is often replaced by curiosity. That curiosity becomes appreciation, and appreciation becomes the foundation of conservation.

Every Wildlife Encounter Matters

Some wildlife encounters become more than memorable experiences.

They become opportunities to educate.

Decades ago, an enormous whale shark nicknamed “Gums” wandered into Sabine Lake along the Texas-Louisiana border. Many people who saw the giant fish were frightened simply because it was unfamiliar.

Today, that remarkable encounter serves as a reminder of how much we’ve learned.

Instead of asking whether the animal was dangerous, we now ask what it can teach us about whale shark movements, marine ecosystems and the importance of protecting one of the ocean’s most extraordinary species.

Sometimes a single encounter becomes part of a much larger conservation story.

An Ambassador for Ocean Conservation

Today, whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are officially listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. They were reclassified from Vulnerable to Endangered in 2016 after scientists documented significant global population declines.

Researchers have identified numerous threats to their survival, including vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, plastic pollution, habitat degradation and targeted fishing in parts of the world. Because whale sharks grow slowly, mature late and reproduce at relatively low rates, recovering from population declines can take many years.

Their future depends not only on scientific research but also on public support.

Every child who learns that whale sharks are gentle giants becomes another potential conservation advocate.

Every family that discovers the truth behind these remarkable fish helps replace fear with understanding.

The Heart of Conservation

At Higher Calling Wildlife, we’ve learned that meaningful conservation rarely begins with statistics.

It begins with connection.

Whether someone photographs a wild sheep in the mountains, watches sea turtles hatch, observes a hawk soaring overhead or encounters the story of a whale shark, those moments create something powerful.

They remind us that wildlife is not simply a collection of species.

It is part of a living creation entrusted to our care.

The more we understand wildlife, the more we recognize both its incredible value and our responsibility to protect it.

That’s why stories matter.

A single wildlife encounter can inspire a child to become a biologist.

A family trip to an aquarium can spark a lifelong love for marine conservation.

A historical story about a whale shark named Gums can still encourage people decades later to care about the future of the world’s largest fish.

Conservation doesn’t begin when someone earns a biology degree.

It begins the moment someone chooses wonder instead of fear.

Learn More About Gums

This article explores the conservation lessons inspired by one remarkable whale shark.

For the complete investigation into the famous whale shark known as “Gums,” including the history of its appearance in Sabine Lake, what scientists believe may have happened and what researchers now know about whale shark movements throughout the Gulf of Mexico, read The Chester Moore Files – File No. 001 at the Gulf Great White Shark Society.

Together, these companion articles show how one extraordinary wildlife encounter can deepen both our scientific understanding and our commitment to conserving the natural world.

Chester Moore

About The Chester Moore Files

The Chester Moore Files is an ongoing investigative series by Chester Moore documenting remarkable stories at the intersection of wildlife, conservation, science and history. Each File may be explored through multiple perspectives across Chester Moore’s media platforms, connecting investigative journalism, conservation education and specialized wildlife research.

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

To support the efforts of Higher Calling Wildlife® click here.

Subscribe to the Dark Outdoors podcast on all major podcasting platforms.

@thechestermoore on Instagram

Chester Moore’s YouTube.

Higher Calling Wildlife on Facebook

Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.

Wildlife Of Israel

A Summer of Wildlife Restoration in Jerusalem

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Summer 2026 is proving to be an important season for wildlife conservation at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.

Nine Persian fallow deer have been released into the wild. Hundreds of tadpoles from one of the world’s rarest amphibians have hatched. Griffon vulture eggs collected from nesting sites across Israel are part of an intensive effort to strengthen the country’s population of these great birds.

And much of this work is now connected through the Shai Doron Nature Conservation Center, which has opened in the zoo’s iconic Noah’s Ark building.

While summer visitors are enjoying camps, animal encounters, behind-the-scenes tours and other activities at the zoo and Gottesman Family Israel Aquarium, an important conservation story is unfolding behind the scenes.

For an institution whose identity has long been connected to the wildlife of the Bible and the Holy Land, summer 2026 is offering fresh evidence that those connections are about more than remembering the past.

The goal is helping wildlife survive into the future.

Nine Deer Return to the Wild

One of the biggest developments this summer involves an animal Higher Calling Wildlife readers have encountered before.

After delays caused by the war, nine Persian fallow deer were successfully released into the Nahal Dolev Nature Reserve.

According to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, the release helped increase the estimated wild population in the Judean Hills to approximately 110 animals.

That geographic distinction is important. The figure refers specifically to the Judean Hills population, not the total number of Persian fallow deer living in the wild across Israel.

It’s an encouraging summer update to one of Israel’s most remarkable wildlife restoration stories.

Higher Calling Wildlife recently took readers inside the history and conservation work behind this extraordinary comeback in Restoring Eden’s Deer, our in-depth look at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo’s Persian fallow deer restoration project.

The nine animals released this year represent the next chapter rather than a retelling of that story.

Each successful release moves the project farther from its beginnings in captive conservation and closer toward its ultimate objective: a thriving wild population.

Seeing Persian fallow deer living once again in the Judean Hills would have been almost unimaginable when the species’ future was hanging by a thread.

Today, the work continues one animal at a time.

A Summer Boost for Griffon Vultures

Another major conservation effort underway in 2026 is taking place at the National Incubation Center for Birds of Prey.

The zoo reports that 28 griffon vulture eggs arrived from nesting sites across Israel, with 16 determined to be fertile. Chicks that hatch will be placed with carefully selected foster pairs by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority as part of the national recovery program.

It is conservation at its most hands-on.

Wildlife restoration is often associated with enormous landscapes, habitat protection and animals being released into wilderness. Sometimes, however, the future of a species can depend upon something as fragile as an egg and the people with the knowledge to give the life inside it its best opportunity to survive.

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo has been involved in griffon vulture conservation for nearly three decades. Its work includes breeding birds, incubating eggs and helping raise young vultures for eventual release into the wild.

The challenges facing the birds are significant. Poisoning, collisions and electrocution involving power infrastructure, habitat loss and human disturbance have all contributed to their decline.

The summer 2026 eggs are therefore part of a much larger effort to keep these impressive scavengers in Israel’s skies.

300 Reasons for Hope

The smallest animals involved in the zoo’s summer conservation news might represent the most extraordinary development of all.

Approximately 300 Hula painted frog tadpoles have hatched at the zoo’s conservation breeding center after months of research and breeding efforts.

That number becomes even more impressive when you consider the history of the Hula painted frog.

The species was last observed in the wild in 1955 and was officially declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1996. Then, in November 2011, a Hula painted frog was discovered in the Hula Valley.

A species the world believed it had lost was alive.

But rediscovering an animal and securing its future are two very different things.

The frog remains critically endangered and survives in only a handful of wetlands and waterways in the Hula Valley. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, working closely with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, established an ex situ conservation program designed to create a backup population and increase scientific understanding of the animal.

Now summer 2026 brings an encouraging development in that effort.

Hundreds of tadpoles are alive at the conservation breeding center.

For an animal that disappeared from scientific observation for more than half a century, successful reproduction on this scale represents an important step.

Rediscovering an animal believed extinct is extraordinary.

Helping make sure it doesn’t disappear again is the harder task.

This summer, there are approximately 300 tiny reasons for hope.

New Life at the Zoo and Aquarium

Summer 2026 has brought other notable births and reproductive milestones as well.

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo celebrated the birth of its first Bornean orangutan baby. Thirteen-year-old Suga and 19-year-old Ito welcomed a male named Chahaya, a name meaning “halo” or “light” in Indonesian.

Bornean orangutans are critically endangered, making the birth important beyond its obvious appeal to zoo visitors.

The Jerusalem Zoo’s orangutans participate in the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria breeding program, which carefully manages breeding according to factors including genetics and age to help maintain a healthy and genetically diverse population.

According to the zoo, only one Bornean orangutan infant was born in European zoos last year, adding significance to Chahaya’s arrival.

There has been significant news underwater as well.

At the Gottesman Family Israel Aquarium, golden dogfish sharks laid eggs in the Mediterranean Sea exhibit for the first time in the aquarium’s history.

Often called “mermaid’s purses,” the egg cases are attached to a rope within the exhibit where visitors can observe them.

For families visiting this summer, that creates an unusual opportunity to see a part of the shark life cycle most people will never encounter in the wild.

A Summer of Restoration

There is something especially fitting about this work taking place at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, an institution whose conservation mission includes restoring endangered native wildlife—including species that had disappeared from Israel—to the country’s natural landscapes.

But summer 2026 is about much more than looking backward.

The Persian fallow deer released into the Nahal Dolev Nature Reserve are part of a living restoration story unfolding in the Judean Hills. The griffon vulture work represents an effort to keep one of the region’s great birds soaring overhead. And perhaps most remarkably, hundreds of Hula painted frog tadpoles offer new hope for a species once believed to have vanished forever.

Those are significant victories, but conservation is rarely finished with a single release, successful hatch or breeding season. Each represents another step in work that can stretch across decades.

That makes the opening of the Shai Doron Nature Conservation Center in the zoo’s iconic Noah’s Ark building particularly appropriate.

The biblical ark represents preservation in the face of tremendous loss. The conservation work underway in Jerusalem during the summer of 2026 carries a modern echo of that idea—protecting wildlife while there is still time and, whenever possible, returning animals to the wild landscapes where they belong.

This summer, those efforts can be measured in very different ways: nine deer stepping back into the wild, developing vulture eggs carrying the possibility of future birds in Israel’s skies, and hundreds of tiny tadpoles from a species once written off as extinct.

For the Persian fallow deer roaming the Judean Hills and the Hula painted frogs beginning a new generation in Jerusalem, restoration is no longer just an aspiration.

It is happening now

Chester Moore

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Hogs

The Polecat: A Cat That’s Not A Cat At All

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If you spend enough time around old-school outdoorsmen, sooner or later you will hear somebody call a skunk a “polecat.”

But the plains spotted skunk is neither a polecat in the Old World sense nor anything remotely related to a cat. It is a true skunk—and one of the most interesting and increasingly difficult-to-find little predators on the American landscape.

Now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is taking another look at its future.

The Service announced in July that it completed a 90-day finding on a petition seeking protection for the plains spotted skunk under the Endangered Species Act. The finding does not mean the animal has been listed as threatened or endangered. It means the petition contained enough substantial new information to warrant a more extensive 12-month status review.

USFWS Photo

That distinction is important.

In 2023, the USFWS determined that federal listing was not warranted based on the scientific and commercial information available at the time. According to the new finding, however, more recent information suggests plains spotted skunks may occupy a smaller distribution than previously believed or exist at very low numbers across portions of the Great Plains.

That was enough to reopen the question.

Not Your Typical Skunk

Most people who have spent time in the country know the striped skunk. They are relatively common, readily show up around roads, farms and rural neighborhoods, and occasionally announce their presence without ever being seen.

Spotted skunks are different.

They are considerably smaller and more slender than the familiar striped skunk. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department information describes spotted skunks as the smallest skunks, with males typically weighing less than two pounds and females around a pound. Their black-and-white pattern is also far more complex than the broad stripes of the common striped skunk.

Striped skunk (Photo by Faith Moore)

They are also famous for one of the strangest defensive displays in North American wildlife.

When threatened, spotted skunks can rise onto their front feet into an almost handstand-like position, pointing their hindquarters toward the threat before deploying the chemical defense that makes the skunk family famous.

Spotted skunk (Public Domain Photo)

Seeing one is memorable.

I have been fortunate enough to see a spotted skunk in the Texas Hill Country, and it was one of those wildlife encounters that immediately stood out. I have seen plenty of striped skunks over the years. A spotted skunk is something different altogether.

Where Are They Going?

The plains spotted skunk currently occurs in portions of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Texas Parks and Wildlife includes the plains spotted skunk among the state’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need. It is not currently federally or state listed in Texas, but its state conservation rank reflects significant concern over its status.

And that is what makes the new federal review worth watching.

The question isn’t whether spotted skunks have completely disappeared from the Great Plains. They haven’t. The question is how many remain, how widely they are distributed and whether their populations have declined enough to require federal protection.

During the 12-month review, USFWS will evaluate threats and consider the best available scientific and commercial information. Ultimately, the Service can determine that listing is warranted, not warranted, or warranted but precluded by higher-priority listing actions.

The agency is also requesting information from researchers, wildlife agencies and the public that could help establish a clearer picture of the species’ status.

A Little Predator Worth Watching

Big predators get most of the attention in wildlife conservation.

Wolves, bears and mountain lions generate headlines. A little black-and-white carnivore weighing a pound or two can disappear from parts of its range with far less public notice.

That doesn’t make the story less important.

The plains spotted skunk is part of the incredible diversity of predators native to America’s grasslands, woodlands and rural landscapes. It is a reminder that some of our most fascinating wildlife can live practically under our noses while remaining almost completely unseen.

The federal review should help answer an important question: Is the plains spotted skunk simply difficult to detect, or are there truly far fewer of them than there used to be?

For those of us fortunate enough to have encountered one, there is no mistaking how different these little “polecats” are from the striped skunks we commonly see.

And despite the nickname, there isn’t a cat involved at all.

The plains spotted skunk is simply one of America’s smallest, strangest and increasingly mysterious native carnivores.

Chester Moore

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

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Dark Outdoors

A Genetic Weapon Against the Screwworm?

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The New World screwworm is usually discussed as a livestock threat, but wildlife has plenty at stake. The parasite’s larvae invade wounds and feed on living tissue, meaning deer, wild sheep and other warm-blooded wildlife can become hosts without anyone knowing an animal is infected until it is too late.

We’ve already seen how serious that can become. During the 2016 outbreak in the Florida Keys, endangered Key deer suffered significant losses. Now, with screwworm once again a threat in the United States, an intriguing question is emerging: Could genetics eventually help fight it?

That’s the subject of my latest Dark Outdoors podcast, where I speak with Matt James of Colossal Biosciences about genetic technology and its potential role in combating New World screwworm.

Listen to the full conversation:

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Fighting a Fly With Biology

There is already a remarkable biological component to screwworm control. The sterile insect technique helped eradicate New World screwworm from the United States in 1966 by releasing huge numbers of sterilized male flies. When wild females mate with them, they produce no viable offspring.

Today, scientists are looking at whether genetics could take that concept further. USDA has developed NovoFly™, a genetically engineered screwworm strain designed to improve production of males for sterile insect releases. Researchers are also examining more advanced concepts that could potentially interfere with screwworm reproduction.

That doesn’t mean genetically engineered flies are going to replace established eradication methods tomorrow. Any technology capable of affecting a wild population deserves serious scientific and ecological scrutiny.

But the possibilities are fascinating.

A Wildlife Conservation Question

For wildlife, screwworm presents challenges that livestock producers don’t face. Ranchers can inspect cattle and treat wounds. Nobody is checking every whitetail buck injured during the rut or every wild sheep ram wounded while fighting.

That becomes especially concerning with threatened or endangered populations. Losing a relatively small number of animals can have consequences when the entire population is already limited.

Genetic technology is increasingly becoming part of the conservation conversation, from preserving endangered wildlife genetics to potentially using biotechnology against the parasites threatening them.

Could the next major advance in protecting wildlife come not only from what we do on the landscape, but from what scientists develop in the laboratory?

That’s the question Matt James and I explore on the award-winning Dark Outdoors® podcast.

For more stories on dangerous wildlife, emerging threats, strange encounters and the darker side of the natural world, visit the Dark Outdoors blog.

Chester Moore

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

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Mysterious Wildlife

The Dire Wolf May Change Science. The Red Wolf Could Change Conservation

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When Colossal Biosciences announced the birth of three genetically engineered wolves carrying key characteristics of the extinct dire wolf, the reaction was immediate. News outlets around the world proclaimed the return of an Ice Age predator that disappeared more than 10,000 years ago. Whether these animals represent true de-extinction or highly modified gray wolves remains the subject of scientific debate, but the announcement accomplished something few conservation stories ever do—it captured the world’s attention.

After spending time researching the project and interviewing Matt James, Chief Animal Officer of Colossal Biosciences and Executive Director of the Colossal Foundation, I found myself thinking less about the dire wolf and more about another wolf whose future remains uncertain. While the dire wolf may dominate headlines, I believe the real conservation story centers on the critically endangered red wolf and how technologies developed through de-extinction research could ultimately help preserve living species rather than simply recreate extinct ones.

Listen to the Dark Outdoors Podcast

I explore this topic in much greater detail in Dark Outdoors Podcast | Episode 079, examining the science behind the dire wolf project, the discovery of Galveston’s Ghost Wolves, and what these developments could mean for the future of wildlife conservation. I talk directly with Matt James of Colossal Bioscience.

🎧 Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1GW6xYdf0ER4D1SiVQLR2M?si=wVRYZaqbQmySCb7wYsIiIQ

🍎 Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/about-dire-wolves-de-extinction-and-the/id1630809603?i=1000780190301

More Than Bringing Back an Ice Age Predator

James emphasized throughout our conversation that Colossal’s mission extends far beyond recreating extinct animals. He views the dire wolf project as a demonstration of technologies that could someday prevent modern species from disappearing altogether.

“The big vision of Colossal Biosciences is simply to make extinction a thing of the past. The dire wolf project is proof of concept, but it’s also about creating tools that can prevent other animals from following the same fate.”

The project itself began with remarkably limited material—a 13,000-year-old tooth and a skull estimated to be more than 70,000 years old. From those ancient remains, researchers recovered dramatically more genetic information than had ever been available from the species.

“We got 500 times more data than we’d ever had on the dire wolf genome. That allowed us to identify the key areas that make a dire wolf unique, and then make those edits into the gray wolf genome.”

Rather than cloning an intact dire wolf, scientists used gray wolves as the genetic foundation and introduced carefully selected edits that produced animals expressing many of the characteristics associated with the extinct predator. James noted that restraint was intentional, with animal welfare guiding every step of the process.

“People ask, why not make 20,000 edits? But this is about welfare. We made 20 carefully chosen edits to get the core phenotypes while ensuring the animals’ health.”

Why the Red Wolf May Be the Bigger Story

While the dire wolf project understandably generated worldwide attention, it immediately reminded me of another story unfolding much closer to home. For years, I have investigated the mysterious canids now known as the Ghost Wolves of Galveston Island. Animals that many people assumed were simply coyotes turned out to carry significant red wolf ancestry, revealing that valuable genetics had persisted in the wild long after many believed they had disappeared.

That discovery has the potential to reshape red wolf conservation because today’s population descends from an extremely small founding group captured during the 1970s. Every red wolf alive today traces its ancestry to those few animals, leaving the species with limited genetic diversity.

James believes that represents one of the greatest challenges facing long-term recovery.

“There are about 250 animals in the captive breeding population, and they all came out of 14 animals. Only 12 of those ever bred, and really only about eight lines continue. That’s not a lot of diversity. We need to inject new diversity into that group if we’re going to see a robust recovery.”

The discovery of Ghost Wolves suggests that some of that lost diversity may still exist. According to James, Colossal has begun cloning selected animals from those Gulf Coast populations with the hope of preserving and eventually expanding valuable red wolf genetics.

“Despite a complete lack of management, those genes have survived. What we’re doing is starting to clone animals from that population to create a captive group. The idea is to enhance red wolf representation and reduce coyote integration, creating a tool the Fish and Wildlife Service could use.”

A New Chapter in Conservation

These developments represent more than an interesting scientific experiment. They signal the arrival of a new era in wildlife conservation, one in which cloning, gene editing, genomic sequencing, and reproductive technologies may become valuable additions to traditional conservation practices.

None of these innovations replace habitat protection, responsible wildlife management, or public support for conservation. Instead, they offer additional tools that could strengthen recovery efforts for species facing genetic bottlenecks or declining populations.

The ethical questions surrounding these technologies remain significant. Conservationists must consider where resources should be invested, how much human intervention is appropriate, and whether de-extinction should ever take precedence over protecting species that still survive in the wild. Those discussions are only beginning, but they are conversations the conservation community cannot afford to ignore.

For me, the greatest significance of the dire wolf project isn’t that it looks back toward an Ice Age predator. It’s that it points toward a future where the same technologies might help ensure animals like the red wolf never become extinct in the first place. The Ghost Wolves of the Texas coast remind us that nature often preserves hope in unexpected places, and modern genetics may finally provide the tools to unlock that potential.

Chester Moore

Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms

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To support the efforts of Higher Calling Wildlife® click here.

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@thechestermoore on Instagram

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Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.