The Columbian

Pets & Wildlife

Chubbs, the 29-pound cat who has gained followers worldwide from his perch at the Pasadena Humane Society, is up for adoption.

Chubbs the cat looking for his fur-ever flop

June 22, 2018, 6:05am Pets & Wildlife

Chubbs, the 29-pound cat who has gained social media followers worldwide from his perch at the Pasadena Humane Society, is going home. But exactly whose home he’s going to has yet to be decided. Read story

New octopus is on candid OctoCam at Newport center

June 22, 2018, 6:03am Pets & Wildlife

The tank in the visitor area of Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center is home to a new octopus. Read story

Do we have kittens? Do we ever! Is there anything better than kitten antics? Kittens are in foster homes, not at the shelter, and adoption events will be on June 30 and July 7. To be notified, please visit wcghs.org and submit an adoption application to adoptions@wcghs.org. Call the cat shelter for more information at 360-835-3464. Adoption fees are $125 for one, $200 for two.

Kittens looking for homes

June 22, 2018, 5:55am Life

Do we have kittens? Do we ever! Is there anything better than kitten antics? Read story

Koko with her caretaker, Francine “Penny” Patterson, in a scene from the 2016 documentary “Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks.” (Ron Cohn/The Gorilla Foundation-Koko.org)

Koko’s smarts, empathy changed views

June 21, 2018, 10:08am Life

SAN FRANCISCO -- Koko the gorilla, whose remarkable sign-language ability and motherly attachment to pet cats helped change the world's views about the intelligence of animals and their capacity for empathy, has died at 46. Read story

A male sage grouse tries to impress a group of hens, at left, near the base of the Rattlesnake Range on April 10, 2014, in southwest Natrona County, Wyo.

Sage grouse protections may change

June 21, 2018, 6:04am Northwest

The U.S. Forest Service proposed changes Wednesday to sage grouse protections in six Western states that call for eliminating special designations for crucial habitat as well as keeping areas open for mining. Read story

Man charged with killing dog in illegal trap

June 20, 2018, 9:16am Northwest

Authorities say a man has been arrested after a dog was caught and killed last week in an illegal trap south of Coos Bay. Read story

This June 11, 2018 photo provided by the National Park Service shows a mountain lion kitten identified as P-68. This is one of four new mountain lion kittens found by researchers studying the wild cats living in Southern California’s Santa Monica Mountains. They’re the first litter of kittens found in the Simi Hills, a small area of habitat between the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains ranges just north of Los Angeles.

4 new mountain lions kittens found in California mountains

June 19, 2018, 10:21am Life

Four new mountain lion kittens have been found by researchers studying the wild cats living in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains, wildlife officials announced in video posts Tuesday showing the blue-eyed babies meowing and one feisty one hissing and even taking a swipe at the person filming her. Read story

Paul Scarpelli, far left, Clark County’s former animal control manager, has had a long presence in the county’s animal welfare community. Now, he’s out of a job.

Animal control reduces services after staff exodus

June 18, 2018, 7:28pm Clark County News

Clark County has reduced its animal control services following the sudden departure of multiple employees, including animal control officers, in addition to manager Paul Scarpelli. Read story

File - This undated file photo provided by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks shows a wolf-like animal that was shot on May 16 after it was spotted in a private pasture with livestock near Denton, Mont. The mystery is over: Montana wildlife officials confirm that an unusual-looking animal shot in central Montana was actually a wolf. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials initially weren’t certain what the creature was when a rancher shot it near Denton in May. They noted the legs, front claws and canine teeth were shorter and its ears bigger than normally seen on wolves. Officials said in a statement Monday, June 18, 2018, that an inspection of the animal at its wildlife health laboratory revealed it to be a relatively normal looking wolf. DNA tests confirmed that the animal was a gray wolf.

Tests confirm mystery animal shot in Montana was a wolf

June 18, 2018, 12:58pm Northwest

The mystery is over: Wildlife officials have confirmed that an unusual-looking animal shot in central Montana was a gray wolf. Read story