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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some people call them sand piranhas. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientific name: \u003cem>Excirolana chiltoni\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These tiny crustaceans are on the prowl for protein, and they don’t care where they get it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From dead animals – like this pipefish – that washed up on the shore, to beachgoers’ flesh … in this case, your ankle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One bite feels like the nick of a razor blade – sharp and then stinging. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with enough time, a large group could likely clean the flesh straight off ya. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s one, biting away at a foot, spinning in a full circle to get as much of you as it can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re relatives of roly polies, which actually evolved from ocean animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Excirolana chiltoni\u003c/em> are found in shallow waters on the coasts of places like Canada, the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But because they’re tiny, travel in small groups and have sand-colored camouflage, they’re pretty easy to miss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sand piranhas live in the swash zone, where saturated sand is washed over by waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the whole wide beach, they stay in a band about the width of a car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once in a while they get stuck in a tidepool, but mostly these crustaceans burrow in wet sand between waves, taking cover from predators like these shore birds. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sand piranha digs in with some fearsome tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It holds steady with these hooks on its legs, then deploys this pair of mandibles. They scrape away at their meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these front legs, called maxillipeds, sweep food into its piehole.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And right now, you’re on the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t even try to ease your pain with anesthetic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How rude!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And once it’s down the hatch, there’s no hiding what it had for lunch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Don’t worry! That’s not human blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This sand piranha is chowing down on something called a bloodworm, named for its bright red worm blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sand piranhas travel up and down the beach as the tides change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Few creatures can survive the rough-and-tumble life here in the swash zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So these crustaceans get priority access to whatever washes up. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They help clean up all kinds of wayward corpses … like this sea pickle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keeping your favorite beach a little less stinky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, you don’t have to wait ‘til one of these tiny piranhas starts chomping on your foot to know they’re around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch out for these distinctive scribbles in the sand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you see them, keep moving your feet through that swash zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or better yet – dive in.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Osh, the elephant, browsed through acacia, oak and palm branches left in large piles around his enclosure on a bright autumn morning during his last month in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few families milled about the viewing area. Kids pointed excitedly, a familiar storybook animal alive before their eyes. Osh, for his part, did not seem to be similarly impressed. He kept his distance, occupied with the branches and leaves. But it would have been a mistake to assume he was ignoring us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s probably listening to us right now,” said Gina Kinzley, elephant manager at the Oakland Zoo. “He’s looking over his shoulder at us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kinzley is one of the people who know Osh, the 11-foot-tall African elephant, best in the world. She first met him when he was 11 and about half the size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I used to call him Tiny,” Kinzley said. “[It] was his nickname for many years until he wasn’t tiny anymore. But he’s very sweet. He’s very gentle. He’s very happy to see us and work with us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She worked with him a lot to get Osh ready for a 46-hour-road one-way trip. He relocated in October to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, where he could have companionship. Osh was the only elephant in Oakland for the previous year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He used to live with two females, but one passed away in March 2023, and the other, named Donna, transferred to the same elephant sanctuary in Tennessee a few months later so she could have more company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Female elephants have more social needs than males, in the wild they \u003ca href=\"https://globalelephants.org/the-basics/#:~:text=Female%20elephants%20spend%20their%20entire,to%20search%20for%20potential%20mates.\">are always part of a herd\u003c/a>. But males need buddies, too. Wild male elephants are part of a herd when they’re young and then may spend some time alone or live with other males.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took some time for the zoo to figure out what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We worked with the [Association of Zoos and Aquariums] on finding companionship for him. We were looking for younger bulls to potentially bring here, but there is nobody available for quite a few years, and we really don’t want him to be by himself,” Kinzley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very bittersweet because we love him dearly. But we know that it’s the best decision for him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994031\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994031\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An elephant in the distance, with a fence and people in the foreground.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phil Martin, left, and Kyle Davilla, right, visit Osh’s habitat at the Oakland Zoo on Aug. 28, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>A trend decades in the making\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Osh’s move is part of a larger trend in zoo management that’s been building over recent decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 40 zoos have closed their elephant exhibits since the early 90s, according to the nonprofit In Defense of Animals. This is a transition that has already played out in other countries, like the United Kingdom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it comes to wild animal welfare, the U.S. typically lags several decades behind what occurs in the U.K.,” said Jake Veasy, behavior expert and founder and CEO of Care for the Rare, an organization that helps zoos maximize animal welfare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There, the industry has seen a wholesale shift of elephants from urban zoos in the U.K. to larger, more extensive wildlife parks. And I would anticipate that continues [in the U.S.] as a consolidation — an increase in the average number of elephants and a dramatic increase in the amount of space they have available.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A decision to close an elephant exhibit can be met with mixed reactions from the public. Osh’s transfer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2024/10/13/oakland-zoo-says-goodbye-to-osh-the-last-elephant-remaining-before-35-year-old-exhibit-closes/\">celebrated by the zoo and visitors\u003c/a> and by Bay Area animal \u003ca href=\"https://www.idausa.org/campaign/elephants/latest-news/update-osh-the-elephants-sanctuary-arrival-highlights-stunning-zoo-admission/\">rights activists\u003c/a>. However, other zoos facing pressure to close their elephant exhibits have been met with criticism, even from \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-elephant-zoo-remove-20180123-htmlstory.html\">celebrities and local politicians\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Zoos are very defensive in talking about this kind of thing, but I don’t think they necessarily should be,” Veasy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994030\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994030\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A mom and baby look at an elephant.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1348\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-800x539.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-1020x687.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-1536x1035.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-1920x1294.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kiyoka Hansen and her 1-year-old son, Kai, visit Osh’s habitat at the Oakland Zoo on Aug. 28, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Elephants need a lot of room, but although space is important, Veasy said, it gets a lot of attention because it’s easy to measure. It can be harder for zoos to provide the kind of social conditions they need.\u003cbr>\n“We have a lot of historic damage to undo,” Veasy said. Elephants are a highly social species and should live in multigenerational herds. But “with the way elephants have been managed, over the past decades, that herd structure is absent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the longer term, if elephants are to persist in captive environments and be well cared for, he said, “a key component is rebuilding that herd structure because it’s so crucial to their welfare.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elephants are more social animals than humans, he believes. We have family groups, but we regularly live separate from our extended family with very little distress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For elephants, a matriarchal herd is a much tighter bond,” Veasy said. “Separation of those individuals can be very distressing to those elephants. That hasn’t had the attention it’s warranted for many years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994028\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994028\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An elephant in partial sun and shadows \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Osh, the 30-year-old male African elephant, eats tree branches in his habitat at the Oakland Zoo on Aug. 28, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Elephants not leaving zoos entirely\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Not all zoos are bidding farewell to their elephants, though. Dan Ashe, President and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said some are choosing to expand their elephant enclosures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see both sides,” Ashe said. “We see some members deciding that elephants are no longer in their future and some facilities investing heavily in elephants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several zoos, including San Diego and Cincinnati, are developing new large elephant habitats, costing tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago is planning to bring elephants back within the next 15 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Osh settling in\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Late last month, Osh arrived in Tennessee and, by all accounts, is settling in nicely. The sanctuary is 3,060 acres in size and currently holds 12 other elephants, with room to accept more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a natural forest environment, and on day one, Osh went out, and he knocked down a tree,” said Scott Hooper, the elephant bull program manager at the sanctuary. “Which is great. It’s a really natural behavior for elephants.”[aside tag=\"animals, elephant\" label=\"More Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playfully knocking over trees was something he and his friend Donna did a lot at the Oakland Zoo. Osh has also been sleeping overnight, another good sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Osh seems keen to get to know Artie, the African bull elephant he shares a fenceline with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And we’re just waiting for Artie to get a little more comfortable with Osh before we kind of let them share space together,” Hooper said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s definitely interested, and he’ll reach his trunk out and wait for Artie to come over. Artie just hasn’t built the confidence up yet, but that’s definitely a huge goal of ours with Osh and with all the elephant socialization down the road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Donna is also at the sanctuary, and the ultimate goal is to reunite them and allow the elephants to live as a herd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The sanctuary is not open for the visiting public to view elephants, but Osh’s fans can keep up with him on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elephants.com/elecam\">sanctuary’s webcams\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Osh, the elephant, browsed through acacia, oak and palm branches left in large piles around his enclosure on a bright autumn morning during his last month in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few families milled about the viewing area. Kids pointed excitedly, a familiar storybook animal alive before their eyes. Osh, for his part, did not seem to be similarly impressed. He kept his distance, occupied with the branches and leaves. But it would have been a mistake to assume he was ignoring us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s probably listening to us right now,” said Gina Kinzley, elephant manager at the Oakland Zoo. “He’s looking over his shoulder at us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kinzley is one of the people who know Osh, the 11-foot-tall African elephant, best in the world. She first met him when he was 11 and about half the size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I used to call him Tiny,” Kinzley said. “[It] was his nickname for many years until he wasn’t tiny anymore. But he’s very sweet. He’s very gentle. He’s very happy to see us and work with us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She worked with him a lot to get Osh ready for a 46-hour-road one-way trip. He relocated in October to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, where he could have companionship. Osh was the only elephant in Oakland for the previous year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He used to live with two females, but one passed away in March 2023, and the other, named Donna, transferred to the same elephant sanctuary in Tennessee a few months later so she could have more company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Female elephants have more social needs than males, in the wild they \u003ca href=\"https://globalelephants.org/the-basics/#:~:text=Female%20elephants%20spend%20their%20entire,to%20search%20for%20potential%20mates.\">are always part of a herd\u003c/a>. But males need buddies, too. Wild male elephants are part of a herd when they’re young and then may spend some time alone or live with other males.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took some time for the zoo to figure out what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We worked with the [Association of Zoos and Aquariums] on finding companionship for him. We were looking for younger bulls to potentially bring here, but there is nobody available for quite a few years, and we really don’t want him to be by himself,” Kinzley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very bittersweet because we love him dearly. But we know that it’s the best decision for him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994031\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994031\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An elephant in the distance, with a fence and people in the foreground.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-38-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phil Martin, left, and Kyle Davilla, right, visit Osh’s habitat at the Oakland Zoo on Aug. 28, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>A trend decades in the making\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Osh’s move is part of a larger trend in zoo management that’s been building over recent decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 40 zoos have closed their elephant exhibits since the early 90s, according to the nonprofit In Defense of Animals. This is a transition that has already played out in other countries, like the United Kingdom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it comes to wild animal welfare, the U.S. typically lags several decades behind what occurs in the U.K.,” said Jake Veasy, behavior expert and founder and CEO of Care for the Rare, an organization that helps zoos maximize animal welfare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There, the industry has seen a wholesale shift of elephants from urban zoos in the U.K. to larger, more extensive wildlife parks. And I would anticipate that continues [in the U.S.] as a consolidation — an increase in the average number of elephants and a dramatic increase in the amount of space they have available.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A decision to close an elephant exhibit can be met with mixed reactions from the public. Osh’s transfer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2024/10/13/oakland-zoo-says-goodbye-to-osh-the-last-elephant-remaining-before-35-year-old-exhibit-closes/\">celebrated by the zoo and visitors\u003c/a> and by Bay Area animal \u003ca href=\"https://www.idausa.org/campaign/elephants/latest-news/update-osh-the-elephants-sanctuary-arrival-highlights-stunning-zoo-admission/\">rights activists\u003c/a>. However, other zoos facing pressure to close their elephant exhibits have been met with criticism, even from \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-elephant-zoo-remove-20180123-htmlstory.html\">celebrities and local politicians\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Zoos are very defensive in talking about this kind of thing, but I don’t think they necessarily should be,” Veasy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994030\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994030\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A mom and baby look at an elephant.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1348\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-800x539.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-1020x687.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-1536x1035.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-26-KQED-1920x1294.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kiyoka Hansen and her 1-year-old son, Kai, visit Osh’s habitat at the Oakland Zoo on Aug. 28, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Elephants need a lot of room, but although space is important, Veasy said, it gets a lot of attention because it’s easy to measure. It can be harder for zoos to provide the kind of social conditions they need.\u003cbr>\n“We have a lot of historic damage to undo,” Veasy said. Elephants are a highly social species and should live in multigenerational herds. But “with the way elephants have been managed, over the past decades, that herd structure is absent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the longer term, if elephants are to persist in captive environments and be well cared for, he said, “a key component is rebuilding that herd structure because it’s so crucial to their welfare.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elephants are more social animals than humans, he believes. We have family groups, but we regularly live separate from our extended family with very little distress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For elephants, a matriarchal herd is a much tighter bond,” Veasy said. “Separation of those individuals can be very distressing to those elephants. That hasn’t had the attention it’s warranted for many years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994028\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994028\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An elephant in partial sun and shadows \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/08/20240828_OAKLANDZOO_GC-19-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Osh, the 30-year-old male African elephant, eats tree branches in his habitat at the Oakland Zoo on Aug. 28, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Elephants not leaving zoos entirely\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Not all zoos are bidding farewell to their elephants, though. Dan Ashe, President and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said some are choosing to expand their elephant enclosures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see both sides,” Ashe said. “We see some members deciding that elephants are no longer in their future and some facilities investing heavily in elephants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several zoos, including San Diego and Cincinnati, are developing new large elephant habitats, costing tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago is planning to bring elephants back within the next 15 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Osh settling in\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Late last month, Osh arrived in Tennessee and, by all accounts, is settling in nicely. The sanctuary is 3,060 acres in size and currently holds 12 other elephants, with room to accept more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a natural forest environment, and on day one, Osh went out, and he knocked down a tree,” said Scott Hooper, the elephant bull program manager at the sanctuary. “Which is great. It’s a really natural behavior for elephants.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playfully knocking over trees was something he and his friend Donna did a lot at the Oakland Zoo. Osh has also been sleeping overnight, another good sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Osh seems keen to get to know Artie, the African bull elephant he shares a fenceline with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And we’re just waiting for Artie to get a little more comfortable with Osh before we kind of let them share space together,” Hooper said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s definitely interested, and he’ll reach his trunk out and wait for Artie to come over. Artie just hasn’t built the confidence up yet, but that’s definitely a huge goal of ours with Osh and with all the elephant socialization down the road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Donna is also at the sanctuary, and the ultimate goal is to reunite them and allow the elephants to live as a herd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The sanctuary is not open for the visiting public to view elephants, but Osh’s fans can keep up with him on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elephants.com/elecam\">sanctuary’s webcams\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "endangered-african-penguin-chick-recovers-after-surgery-at-cal-academy",
"title": "Endangered African Penguin Chick Recovers After Surgery at Cal Academy",
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"content": "\u003cp>A baby African penguin at the California Academy of Sciences, named Iggie, developed a slipped Achilles tendon at just 2 months old, a common and potentially fatal injury for penguin chicks. Veterinarians at the Academy and other institutions successfully performed a first-of-its-kind tendon surgery, which could become a solution for this injury with other penguins. They hope it could change the future of these endangered species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, veterinarians \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DBCB49vpQYL/\">fitted Iggie with a tiny Teva-like, neoprene boot to support the tendon\u003c/a>, but this was just a temporary fix. Iggie couldn’t walk once the boot was removed. Freeland Dunker, senior veterinarian at the Academy, sought a more permanent solution by surgically screwing the tendons in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Basically, what we did is we placed a screw with a washer into the bone close to the ankle joint and went right through the tendon itself,” Dunker explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994988\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994988\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Recovering from surgery, Iggie gets his tendon checked by members of the Animal Health Department at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(California Academy of Sciences)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This type of surgery had been unsuccessful for two other penguins with similar injuries at the Academy, but Dunker was optimistic. “With consultation and some modifications, we felt that it would be worth a try for our little guy,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Iggie’s surgery was completed in June 2023, and rehabilitation began immediately. By August, Iggie was able to walk again without relying on the boot. With the help of Dunker, Iggie started using the Academy’s “penguin pool” for therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By September, Iggie was undergoing regular exercises with ramps and stairs. “In October, we worked with him to jump up and down the stairs multiple times a day and encouraged him to come in and out of the pool multiple times to strengthen that leg,” Dunker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These exercises were crucial to get Iggie ready for the exhibit at the Academy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994991\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994991\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Animal Health Department tend to Iggie during rehabilitation at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(California Academy of Sciences)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By January of 2024, six months post-surgery, Iggie was able to move in and out of the water without any problems and has been fine ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penguins, like humans, rely on their Achilles tendons for movement, and when this tendon slips, they cannot bear weight on the leg. A slip is common in penguin chicks, but previous treatment efforts had limited success. Dunker noted that Iggie’s rehabilitation went smoothly, with only minimal setbacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, baby penguins Fyn, Iggie, Lazola and Ozzie at the penguin exhibit in the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(California Academy of Sciences)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Maybe a little too much exercise would cause the joint to swell a bit, but with some penguin aspirin, he’d get back on track,” Dunker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The successful surgery and rehabilitation demonstrates that this procedure could offer hope for future cases of penguins with slipped Achilles tendons. “After consulting experts and performing surgery, we were able to rehabilitate the chick successfully,” Dunker said. “He’s now thriving.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The steep decline of African penguins\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These adorable but imperiled birds are the only penguin species that live in Africa and nest in South Africa and Namibia. Populations in both of those countries have dropped dramatically over the years. In 1993, there were about 44,000 pairs of African penguins. But by 2023, that number dropped to just 9,000 pairs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is critically low,” said Brenda Melton, director of animal care and welfare at the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium. Melton said that prediction models show this species could be extinct in the wild in the next ten years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994993\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994993\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Iggie, Lazola and Fyn hanging out (with an adult penguin photobomb in the bottom left), at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(California Academy of Sciences)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The sharp decline in African penguins is due to several factors. People harvesting guano, which penguins use for nesting, forced them into less protected environments, making it harder to protect their chicks. Climate change and overfishing have reduced their food supply, while a massive \u003ca href=\"https://www.birdrescue.org/2000-treasure-spill-south-africa-2/\">oil spill\u003c/a> in 2000 on the coast of South Africa further threatened populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite these harsh realities, conservation efforts are ongoing both in Africa and globally, and the Academy plays a role in those efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see Iggie and other African penguins at the Steinhart Aquarium at Cal Academy in person. \u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/learn-explore/animal-webcams/live-penguin-cams\">Or watch them live here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A baby African penguin at the California Academy of Sciences, named Iggie, developed a slipped Achilles tendon at just 2 months old, a common and potentially fatal injury for penguin chicks. Veterinarians at the Academy and other institutions successfully performed a first-of-its-kind tendon surgery, which could become a solution for this injury with other penguins. They hope it could change the future of these endangered species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, veterinarians \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DBCB49vpQYL/\">fitted Iggie with a tiny Teva-like, neoprene boot to support the tendon\u003c/a>, but this was just a temporary fix. Iggie couldn’t walk once the boot was removed. Freeland Dunker, senior veterinarian at the Academy, sought a more permanent solution by surgically screwing the tendons in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Basically, what we did is we placed a screw with a washer into the bone close to the ankle joint and went right through the tendon itself,” Dunker explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994988\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994988\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/DJHb0nNm-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Recovering from surgery, Iggie gets his tendon checked by members of the Animal Health Department at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(California Academy of Sciences)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This type of surgery had been unsuccessful for two other penguins with similar injuries at the Academy, but Dunker was optimistic. “With consultation and some modifications, we felt that it would be worth a try for our little guy,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Iggie’s surgery was completed in June 2023, and rehabilitation began immediately. By August, Iggie was able to walk again without relying on the boot. With the help of Dunker, Iggie started using the Academy’s “penguin pool” for therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By September, Iggie was undergoing regular exercises with ramps and stairs. “In October, we worked with him to jump up and down the stairs multiple times a day and encouraged him to come in and out of the pool multiple times to strengthen that leg,” Dunker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These exercises were crucial to get Iggie ready for the exhibit at the Academy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994991\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994991\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/TksQN6dA-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Animal Health Department tend to Iggie during rehabilitation at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(California Academy of Sciences)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By January of 2024, six months post-surgery, Iggie was able to move in and out of the water without any problems and has been fine ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penguins, like humans, rely on their Achilles tendons for movement, and when this tendon slips, they cannot bear weight on the leg. A slip is common in penguin chicks, but previous treatment efforts had limited success. Dunker noted that Iggie’s rehabilitation went smoothly, with only minimal setbacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/GSEah0Q8-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, baby penguins Fyn, Iggie, Lazola and Ozzie at the penguin exhibit in the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(California Academy of Sciences)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Maybe a little too much exercise would cause the joint to swell a bit, but with some penguin aspirin, he’d get back on track,” Dunker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The successful surgery and rehabilitation demonstrates that this procedure could offer hope for future cases of penguins with slipped Achilles tendons. “After consulting experts and performing surgery, we were able to rehabilitate the chick successfully,” Dunker said. “He’s now thriving.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The steep decline of African penguins\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These adorable but imperiled birds are the only penguin species that live in Africa and nest in South Africa and Namibia. Populations in both of those countries have dropped dramatically over the years. In 1993, there were about 44,000 pairs of African penguins. But by 2023, that number dropped to just 9,000 pairs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is critically low,” said Brenda Melton, director of animal care and welfare at the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium. Melton said that prediction models show this species could be extinct in the wild in the next ten years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994993\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994993\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/10/Psp3XkQX-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Iggie, Lazola and Fyn hanging out (with an adult penguin photobomb in the bottom left), at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(California Academy of Sciences)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The sharp decline in African penguins is due to several factors. People harvesting guano, which penguins use for nesting, forced them into less protected environments, making it harder to protect their chicks. Climate change and overfishing have reduced their food supply, while a massive \u003ca href=\"https://www.birdrescue.org/2000-treasure-spill-south-africa-2/\">oil spill\u003c/a> in 2000 on the coast of South Africa further threatened populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite these harsh realities, conservation efforts are ongoing both in Africa and globally, and the Academy plays a role in those efforts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see Iggie and other African penguins at the Steinhart Aquarium at Cal Academy in person. \u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/learn-explore/animal-webcams/live-penguin-cams\">Or watch them live here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Insects called burying beetles haul mouse carcasses down into the dirt and prep them to feed their future offspring. Also known as carrion beetles, they have some stiff competition … and some help from tiny traveling mites.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Why is this dead mouse moving?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, death is a magnet for life. And there’s something down there. It’s a yellow-bellied burying beetle, hustling to hide this mouse, before, say, a raccoon gets it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also has to work faster than these ants, which are here for bits of mouse to feed their larvae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there’s this fly, too, looking for a place to lay her eggs. More on that later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beetle, also known as a carrion beetle, doesn’t do the killing. It just profits off creatures whose time has run out, here on the California coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as small carcasses begin to get fragrant, the beetle sniffs them out with its sensitive clubbed antennae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next few hours, it digs up dirt from below the mouse. It pushes and pulls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes, that is just one beetle doing the hauling, moving that carcass safely underground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This carcass is about to become a nursery and a buffet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now it’s time to get something else done. The beetle hooks up with a partner. Underground, they roll the carcass into a ball. This reduces the amount of flesh exposed to bacteria … and decay. That’s one way to bond on a date!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mouse takes on the color of dirt. The beetles dab the ball with microbes, from their butts, that work like a preservative, slowing down the rotting. The meal has to keep so they can feed their offspring. See that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few days later, larvae hatch from the eggs mom laid right next to the carcass. They’re hungry and mom feeds them bits of prechewed mouse into their mouths. When they’re big enough, the larvae crawl right into that “pantry” and help themselves. It’s a party in here!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, some other creatures are also flourishing on this mouse carcass: mites that rode in on the beetles. They’re called “phoretic,” which means they’re piggybackers. They reproduce like mad and look like a huge nuisance to their carriers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What? Do I have something on my face?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the mites actually help the beetles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember the fly that laid her eggs on the carcass? Well, the mites devour fly eggs, which would otherwise grow into maggots hungry for this delicacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mites also eat a few beetle eggs from time to time. It’s the price the beetles pay so their larvae have the mouse to themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if a beetle family is large, a carcass sometimes isn’t enough to feed all the hungry mouths. So, mom gets rid of a few of her larvae … by eating them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She eats some so that others can thrive … continuing that strange dance between life and death.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there’s this fly, too, looking for a place to lay her eggs. More on that later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beetle, also known as a carrion beetle, doesn’t do the killing. It just profits off creatures whose time has run out, here on the California coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as small carcasses begin to get fragrant, the beetle sniffs them out with its sensitive clubbed antennae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next few hours, it digs up dirt from below the mouse. It pushes and pulls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes, that is just one beetle doing the hauling, moving that carcass safely underground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This carcass is about to become a nursery and a buffet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now it’s time to get something else done. The beetle hooks up with a partner. Underground, they roll the carcass into a ball. This reduces the amount of flesh exposed to bacteria … and decay. That’s one way to bond on a date!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mouse takes on the color of dirt. The beetles dab the ball with microbes, from their butts, that work like a preservative, slowing down the rotting. The meal has to keep so they can feed their offspring. See that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few days later, larvae hatch from the eggs mom laid right next to the carcass. They’re hungry and mom feeds them bits of prechewed mouse into their mouths. When they’re big enough, the larvae crawl right into that “pantry” and help themselves. It’s a party in here!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, some other creatures are also flourishing on this mouse carcass: mites that rode in on the beetles. They’re called “phoretic,” which means they’re piggybackers. They reproduce like mad and look like a huge nuisance to their carriers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What? Do I have something on my face?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the mites actually help the beetles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember the fly that laid her eggs on the carcass? Well, the mites devour fly eggs, which would otherwise grow into maggots hungry for this delicacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mites also eat a few beetle eggs from time to time. It’s the price the beetles pay so their larvae have the mouse to themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if a beetle family is large, a carcass sometimes isn’t enough to feed all the hungry mouths. So, mom gets rid of a few of her larvae … by eating them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She eats some so that others can thrive … continuing that strange dance between life and death.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Scientists have linked declining bat populations to an uptick in child mortality, research that underscores a cause-and-effect relationship between wildlife and human health that could have potentially serious consequences for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s numerous agricultural communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cascading effects start with \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/white-nose-syndrome-has-almost-completely-wiped-out-some-north-american-bat-colonies\">white-nose syndrome\u003c/a>, a disease caused by an invasive fungus that can devastate bat populations. With fewer predators like bats, insect populations grow, which prompts farmers to use more pesticides to keep them at bay. \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0344\">Research published Friday in the journal Science\u003c/a> shows that in counties where this took place, infant mortality rose by 8%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Study authors link that increase in child deaths to the uptick in insecticide use, which can be harmful to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582900/\">developing fetuses\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-12/documents/pest-impact-hsstaff.pdf\">infants\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fungus at the heart of the study, called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was first detected in California in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has been detected in California, I think there is room for concern that similar patterns of substitution towards insecticides will happen and lead to off-farm exposure,” said Eyal Frank, lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, the state has not seen a single case of the disease in bats (the fungus that causes it is not known to hurt people or common house pets).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12002977 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/BakersfieldClockTowerGetty1-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International and adjunct professor in ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, is not sure why California has so far been spared, but she noted that the disease kills during bats’ winter hibernation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s some optimism that maybe because we have milder winters in California, we might see less mortality, but it’s basically too soon to tell,” Frick said. “We need to do everything we can to protect our bat populations. Especially given how important bats are to agriculture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many scientists and researchers are working to reduce contact between the fungus and bats to prevent an outbreak of white-nose disease in California and nationally. This can be done, for example, by asking tourists to step onto a mat that can kill any fungal spores on their shoes before exploring popular cave sites where bats hibernate in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other researchers are working to develop a vaccine to prevent bats from developing the disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frick said the new research linking child mortality and bat population decline also underscores the connection between healthy biodiversity and healthy humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People think that conservation is this sort of altruistic exercise of trying to protect wildlife for wildlife’s sake, but [this research] really shows that we’re all connected, and protecting bats also protects our agricultural production and ourselves,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White-nose disease has killed more than 6 million bats in North America since it was first discovered in New York in 2006. The hardest-hit areas have been Pennsylvania, New York and elsewhere in the Northeast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Scientists have linked declining bat populations to an uptick in child mortality, research that underscores a cause-and-effect relationship between wildlife and human health that could have potentially serious consequences for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s numerous agricultural communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cascading effects start with \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/white-nose-syndrome-has-almost-completely-wiped-out-some-north-american-bat-colonies\">white-nose syndrome\u003c/a>, a disease caused by an invasive fungus that can devastate bat populations. With fewer predators like bats, insect populations grow, which prompts farmers to use more pesticides to keep them at bay. \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0344\">Research published Friday in the journal Science\u003c/a> shows that in counties where this took place, infant mortality rose by 8%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Study authors link that increase in child deaths to the uptick in insecticide use, which can be harmful to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582900/\">developing fetuses\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-12/documents/pest-impact-hsstaff.pdf\">infants\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fungus at the heart of the study, called Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was first detected in California in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has been detected in California, I think there is room for concern that similar patterns of substitution towards insecticides will happen and lead to off-farm exposure,” said Eyal Frank, lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, the state has not seen a single case of the disease in bats (the fungus that causes it is not known to hurt people or common house pets).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International and adjunct professor in ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, is not sure why California has so far been spared, but she noted that the disease kills during bats’ winter hibernation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s some optimism that maybe because we have milder winters in California, we might see less mortality, but it’s basically too soon to tell,” Frick said. “We need to do everything we can to protect our bat populations. Especially given how important bats are to agriculture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many scientists and researchers are working to reduce contact between the fungus and bats to prevent an outbreak of white-nose disease in California and nationally. This can be done, for example, by asking tourists to step onto a mat that can kill any fungal spores on their shoes before exploring popular cave sites where bats hibernate in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other researchers are working to develop a vaccine to prevent bats from developing the disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frick said the new research linking child mortality and bat population decline also underscores the connection between healthy biodiversity and healthy humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People think that conservation is this sort of altruistic exercise of trying to protect wildlife for wildlife’s sake, but [this research] really shows that we’re all connected, and protecting bats also protects our agricultural production and ourselves,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White-nose disease has killed more than 6 million bats in North America since it was first discovered in New York in 2006. The hardest-hit areas have been Pennsylvania, New York and elsewhere in the Northeast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Stay Safe: When to Avoid Swimming During Algal Blooms in the Bay Area",
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"content": "\u003cp>As\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11878134/bay-area-heat-wave-how-to-stay-safe-during-dangerously-hot-weather\"> California continues to experience sweltering heat waves this summer\u003c/a>, many of us might be tempted to seek out the nearest body of water for some refreshing respite from the high temperatures when they arrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, this weather can also bring potential danger to those waters in the form of algae blooms that discolor our lakes and bays and pose serious health hazards for humans and animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One such algae bloom in Discovery Bay, in eastern Contra Costa County, has already prompted the California State Water Resources Control Board to issue \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press_room/press_releases/2024/pr20240709-hab-discovery-bay.pdf\">a danger advisory last week, warning of harmful algal blooms\u003c/a>. The agency warns that these blooms, which thrive in warming water, “can pose a threat to people and pets” and urges visitors “to avoid swimming, boating and other activities and to keep pets out of the water until further notice.” The public is also warned not to eat fish or shellfish from this water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Down in Monterey County, officials also closed \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/fish-die-off-closes-monterey-county-lake-19565933.php\">Lake San Antonio to the public\u003c/a> on the heels of a massive fish die-off. While they are still waiting on the results of water testing, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said that oxygen depletion due to warm water may be to blame.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, during warm weather, how can you know if the water you — or your pets — want to swim in is safe? Keep reading about what to know about swimming in the Bay Area when the water gets warmer.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why can algae pose a danger to humans and animals?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Broadly speaking, an algal bloom happens when microscopic plant-like organisms discolor a body of water to the point visible to the human eye. The types of organisms can vary — along with the color they turn the water — but it takes millions (if not billions or trillions) of these little creatures for this kind of bloom to be visible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not every algal bloom is toxic to humans and animals, but the bright green bloom currently floating on the surface of Discovery Bay definitely could be, said Raphael Kudela, a phytoplankton ecologist at UC Santa Cruz. This bloom is caused by \u003ca href=\"https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanointro.html\">cyanobacteria\u003c/a>, which Kudela describes as “harmful algae that produces really nasty toxins.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state water boards warn that \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press_room/press_releases/2024/pr20240709-hab-discovery-bay.pdf\">these toxins can harm your skin upon contact\u003c/a>, causing itching and rashes — and if they’re swallowed, they can have effects like gastrointestinal issues and headaches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, the particular compound this bacteria produces — \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/indicators-cyanotoxins-microcystin#:~:text=Microcystin%20is%20a%20potent%20liver,bodies%20with%20persistent%20cyanobacteria%20blooms.\">microcystin \u003c/a>— also does specific damage to the liver when ingested. “Like many toxins, it’s dependent on how big the person is,” said Kudela, so children are particularly at risk because of their smaller size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The specific type of bloom in Discovery Bay poses a special risk to dogs — not just because of their size, Kudela said, but because “they get it on their fur, and they are cleaning themselves and licking it off, and then they happen to ingest it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for why these blooms have set up shop in Discovery Bay right now, Kudela noted that it’s actually a fairly regular annual occurrence for this human-created waterway on account of the hospitable environment it provides. “There’s not a lot of water circulation, and these blooms love those conditions,” he said. “They really like lots of nutrients, which comes from humans and agriculture, really warm water and not much turbulence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All the same, this year’s bloom is “a pretty intense one,” he remarked.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Are all algal blooms dangerous for swimming?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Despite their sometimes-alarming appearance, algal blooms are “pretty common,” Kudela said — which is why the state’s water boards will test them once they’ve appeared to find out whether they’re producing toxins that could be harmful to humans or animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “red tide” that appeared in San Francisco Bay in 2022 and again in 2023 was a bloom caused by a very different organism to the one currently producing toxins in Discovery Bay: A species called Heterosigma akashiwo. This microscopic organism looks like a swimming potato chip with a tail, Kudela said, and it thrived in the Bay’s shallow, quick-to-warm waters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That red tide proved particularly dangerous for fish, killing a huge number of them — although scientists still aren’t exactly sure whether that was down to the decomposing cells sucking the oxygen out of the water or if the organism itself produced a toxin. It’s still “a little bit of a mystery,” Kudela said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless, even though the red tide wasn’t proven to pose health hazards to humans or animals, the general expert advice was still to stay away from the discolored waters. Even though contact with that particular bloom “is probably not going to do much to you,” Kudela said, “you don’t want to be swimming around in really mucky sort of red water.” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1983775/as-algal-bloom-returns-to-the-bay-is-swimming-safe-for-humans-and-pets\">Read more about the science behind the Bay Area’s red tide in 2022 and 2023.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>So if I’m unsure what kind of algal bloom is in the water, is the general advice just ‘stay away regardless’?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Absolutely — the safest thing when encountering discolored water of any kind is just to stay the heck away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reason for that, Kudela said, is that even if a particular algae bloom \u003ci>isn’t \u003c/i>actively harmful to humans or pets because it’s producing toxins, it’s still “this rich organic matrix that’s loaded with bacteria and other things,” he said — and even if it’s not producing toxins, “you’re still getting a big dose of organic material” by swimming in it or swallowing it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This can, Kudela said, cause allergic reactions, the skin irritation known as “swimmer’s itch” and also nasty sinus infections if you inhale this matter into your nose. “If the water looks kind of nasty, you don’t want to be touching it,” he said. “You don’t want to be playing in it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Senn, senior scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, echoed this advice to KQED in 2023: Even if an algal bloom in your area hasn’t been proven harmful to humans or pets, “it makes sense to avoid discolored water in general,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know if a body of water is safe to swim in generally?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re headed to your local lake, river or stream this summer, the California Water Quality Monitoring Council recommends you do the following:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look for posted advisories in the form of signs by the water and read them carefully\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch for all algae and scum in the water and on the shore, and avoid it\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep an eye on children and pets, who won’t necessarily understand the dangers, and make sure they don’t go into the water or put any algae in their mouths\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don’t drink the water or use it for cooking\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rinse yourself, your family and your pets well with clean water after playing in any body of water generally.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>For fishing, the water boards recommend throwing away the guts of any fish you catch and cleaning the fillets with tap or bottled water before cooking them. You should also avoid eating shellfish if you think a harmful algal bloom is present.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/do/\">Read more safety tips for protecting yourself against potentially harmful algal blooms.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why do heat waves mean I’m more likely to encounter an algal bloom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Algae just love warm water, Kudela said, and “they tend to grow faster when the temperature is warmer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, higher temperatures don’t just heat the water — they calm it and prevent it from mixing. And since the algal blooms “don’t like a lot of mixing,” warm and stagnant water provides “perfect conditions to get one of these blooms going,” Kudela said — and “once they get going, it’ll continue until something disrupts it, or they run out of nutrients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The impact of climate change and increased warming is something that makes Kudela and his colleagues “very concerned,” he said. “We’re seeing this trend even over the last decade. We’re seeing more blooms, more intense blooms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s hard to say that’s directly related to climate change,” Kudela acknowledged. “But climate is certainly one of the factors that’s influencing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>What should I do if I spot an algal bloom?\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>First off, stay away and keep yourself, your children and your pets safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To report an algae bloom, you can reach SF Baykeeper’s pollution hotline by:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calling 1-800-KEEP-Bay.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emailing hotline@baykeeper.org.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/content/report-pollution\">Filling out a form online\u003c/a> to submit a confidential pollution tip.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Algal blooms can also be reported to the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Freshwater and Estuarine Harmful Algal Bloom Program. You can reach the agency hotline by:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calling 1-844-729-6466.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emailing CyanoHAB.Reports@waterboards.ca.gov.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Filling out\u003ca href=\"https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/do/bloomreport.html\"> a digital form to submit an algal bloom report\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Be sure to include the time, date, location and a description of what you saw.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Spotted a dead fish near an algal bloom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To report a dead fish in an area with a bloom present, you can\u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\"> download the app iNaturalist\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2023/08/03/harmful-algae-bloom-red-tide-bay-area-lake-merritt-inaturalist-project-research/\">Read more about how to report dead fish using iNaturalist from The Oaklandside\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11878134/bay-area-heat-wave-how-to-stay-safe-during-dangerously-hot-weather\"> California continues to experience sweltering heat waves this summer\u003c/a>, many of us might be tempted to seek out the nearest body of water for some refreshing respite from the high temperatures when they arrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, this weather can also bring potential danger to those waters in the form of algae blooms that discolor our lakes and bays and pose serious health hazards for humans and animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One such algae bloom in Discovery Bay, in eastern Contra Costa County, has already prompted the California State Water Resources Control Board to issue \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press_room/press_releases/2024/pr20240709-hab-discovery-bay.pdf\">a danger advisory last week, warning of harmful algal blooms\u003c/a>. The agency warns that these blooms, which thrive in warming water, “can pose a threat to people and pets” and urges visitors “to avoid swimming, boating and other activities and to keep pets out of the water until further notice.” The public is also warned not to eat fish or shellfish from this water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Down in Monterey County, officials also closed \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/fish-die-off-closes-monterey-county-lake-19565933.php\">Lake San Antonio to the public\u003c/a> on the heels of a massive fish die-off. While they are still waiting on the results of water testing, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said that oxygen depletion due to warm water may be to blame.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, during warm weather, how can you know if the water you — or your pets — want to swim in is safe? Keep reading about what to know about swimming in the Bay Area when the water gets warmer.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why can algae pose a danger to humans and animals?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Broadly speaking, an algal bloom happens when microscopic plant-like organisms discolor a body of water to the point visible to the human eye. The types of organisms can vary — along with the color they turn the water — but it takes millions (if not billions or trillions) of these little creatures for this kind of bloom to be visible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not every algal bloom is toxic to humans and animals, but the bright green bloom currently floating on the surface of Discovery Bay definitely could be, said Raphael Kudela, a phytoplankton ecologist at UC Santa Cruz. This bloom is caused by \u003ca href=\"https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanointro.html\">cyanobacteria\u003c/a>, which Kudela describes as “harmful algae that produces really nasty toxins.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state water boards warn that \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press_room/press_releases/2024/pr20240709-hab-discovery-bay.pdf\">these toxins can harm your skin upon contact\u003c/a>, causing itching and rashes — and if they’re swallowed, they can have effects like gastrointestinal issues and headaches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, the particular compound this bacteria produces — \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/indicators-cyanotoxins-microcystin#:~:text=Microcystin%20is%20a%20potent%20liver,bodies%20with%20persistent%20cyanobacteria%20blooms.\">microcystin \u003c/a>— also does specific damage to the liver when ingested. “Like many toxins, it’s dependent on how big the person is,” said Kudela, so children are particularly at risk because of their smaller size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The specific type of bloom in Discovery Bay poses a special risk to dogs — not just because of their size, Kudela said, but because “they get it on their fur, and they are cleaning themselves and licking it off, and then they happen to ingest it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for why these blooms have set up shop in Discovery Bay right now, Kudela noted that it’s actually a fairly regular annual occurrence for this human-created waterway on account of the hospitable environment it provides. “There’s not a lot of water circulation, and these blooms love those conditions,” he said. “They really like lots of nutrients, which comes from humans and agriculture, really warm water and not much turbulence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All the same, this year’s bloom is “a pretty intense one,” he remarked.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Are all algal blooms dangerous for swimming?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Despite their sometimes-alarming appearance, algal blooms are “pretty common,” Kudela said — which is why the state’s water boards will test them once they’ve appeared to find out whether they’re producing toxins that could be harmful to humans or animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “red tide” that appeared in San Francisco Bay in 2022 and again in 2023 was a bloom caused by a very different organism to the one currently producing toxins in Discovery Bay: A species called Heterosigma akashiwo. This microscopic organism looks like a swimming potato chip with a tail, Kudela said, and it thrived in the Bay’s shallow, quick-to-warm waters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That red tide proved particularly dangerous for fish, killing a huge number of them — although scientists still aren’t exactly sure whether that was down to the decomposing cells sucking the oxygen out of the water or if the organism itself produced a toxin. It’s still “a little bit of a mystery,” Kudela said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless, even though the red tide wasn’t proven to pose health hazards to humans or animals, the general expert advice was still to stay away from the discolored waters. Even though contact with that particular bloom “is probably not going to do much to you,” Kudela said, “you don’t want to be swimming around in really mucky sort of red water.” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1983775/as-algal-bloom-returns-to-the-bay-is-swimming-safe-for-humans-and-pets\">Read more about the science behind the Bay Area’s red tide in 2022 and 2023.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>So if I’m unsure what kind of algal bloom is in the water, is the general advice just ‘stay away regardless’?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Absolutely — the safest thing when encountering discolored water of any kind is just to stay the heck away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reason for that, Kudela said, is that even if a particular algae bloom \u003ci>isn’t \u003c/i>actively harmful to humans or pets because it’s producing toxins, it’s still “this rich organic matrix that’s loaded with bacteria and other things,” he said — and even if it’s not producing toxins, “you’re still getting a big dose of organic material” by swimming in it or swallowing it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This can, Kudela said, cause allergic reactions, the skin irritation known as “swimmer’s itch” and also nasty sinus infections if you inhale this matter into your nose. “If the water looks kind of nasty, you don’t want to be touching it,” he said. “You don’t want to be playing in it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Senn, senior scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, echoed this advice to KQED in 2023: Even if an algal bloom in your area hasn’t been proven harmful to humans or pets, “it makes sense to avoid discolored water in general,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How do I know if a body of water is safe to swim in generally?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re headed to your local lake, river or stream this summer, the California Water Quality Monitoring Council recommends you do the following:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look for posted advisories in the form of signs by the water and read them carefully\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch for all algae and scum in the water and on the shore, and avoid it\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep an eye on children and pets, who won’t necessarily understand the dangers, and make sure they don’t go into the water or put any algae in their mouths\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don’t drink the water or use it for cooking\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rinse yourself, your family and your pets well with clean water after playing in any body of water generally.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>For fishing, the water boards recommend throwing away the guts of any fish you catch and cleaning the fillets with tap or bottled water before cooking them. You should also avoid eating shellfish if you think a harmful algal bloom is present.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/do/\">Read more safety tips for protecting yourself against potentially harmful algal blooms.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why do heat waves mean I’m more likely to encounter an algal bloom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Algae just love warm water, Kudela said, and “they tend to grow faster when the temperature is warmer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, higher temperatures don’t just heat the water — they calm it and prevent it from mixing. And since the algal blooms “don’t like a lot of mixing,” warm and stagnant water provides “perfect conditions to get one of these blooms going,” Kudela said — and “once they get going, it’ll continue until something disrupts it, or they run out of nutrients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The impact of climate change and increased warming is something that makes Kudela and his colleagues “very concerned,” he said. “We’re seeing this trend even over the last decade. We’re seeing more blooms, more intense blooms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s hard to say that’s directly related to climate change,” Kudela acknowledged. “But climate is certainly one of the factors that’s influencing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>What should I do if I spot an algal bloom?\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>First off, stay away and keep yourself, your children and your pets safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To report an algae bloom, you can reach SF Baykeeper’s pollution hotline by:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calling 1-800-KEEP-Bay.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emailing hotline@baykeeper.org.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/content/report-pollution\">Filling out a form online\u003c/a> to submit a confidential pollution tip.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Algal blooms can also be reported to the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Freshwater and Estuarine Harmful Algal Bloom Program. You can reach the agency hotline by:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calling 1-844-729-6466.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emailing CyanoHAB.Reports@waterboards.ca.gov.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Filling out\u003ca href=\"https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/do/bloomreport.html\"> a digital form to submit an algal bloom report\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Be sure to include the time, date, location and a description of what you saw.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Spotted a dead fish near an algal bloom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To report a dead fish in an area with a bloom present, you can\u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\"> download the app iNaturalist\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2023/08/03/harmful-algae-bloom-red-tide-bay-area-lake-merritt-inaturalist-project-research/\">Read more about how to report dead fish using iNaturalist from The Oaklandside\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you’re a Bay Area wildlife watcher, you might be familiar with the American Avocet — slender shorebirds with a talent not just for color changes but also their elegant courting that’s been described as a “love dance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Bay Area teen wildlife photographer Parham Pourahmad was able to capture the beauty of these native California shorebirds in a series of stunning photographs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992992\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1921\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-2048x1537.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-1920x1441.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An avocet walks on a muddy island. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been trying to capture their mating ritual for, like, two years now,” said Pourahmad, 14, who also shared that it can be “really challenging” given the available light and the positioning of the birds themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2023, Pourahmad won the\u003ca href=\"https://cawatchablewildlife.org/photos2023/winnerpage2023.php?wm=2023-09-10\"> California Watchable Wildlife, \u003c/a>a photography competition with a photo of a red-shouldered hawk in Santa Cruz. He then started his \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wildphotop/\">Instagram account to showcase his images of Bay Area wildlife\u003c/a>, where he’s been posting his avocet photographs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992993\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1705px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992993\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1705\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-scaled.jpg 1705w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-800x1201.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-1020x1531.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-1023x1536.jpg 1023w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-1364x2048.jpg 1364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1705px) 100vw, 1705px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The male wraps his wing over the female as the dance comes to a close. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During the breeding season, around April through July, avocets undergo a fascinating transformation through a partial molting process: Their usual white and gray feathers are replaced with a striking orange hue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their bodies turn a beautiful brownish-pink. It’s really pretty,” said Amy Parsons, a water bird biologist at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992991\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992991\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-1020x510.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-768x384.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-2048x1024.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-1920x960.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An avocet protects its nest from a black-necked stilt. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While many birds molt at various life stages, the avocets’s color change is a dramatic example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the fall and winter, their heads are a dull gray, and they don’t really stand out,” Pourahmad said. “But starting about [mid-March] and lasting until mid-summer, their heads turn a vibrant orange, making them look really cool.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The avocet mating ritual, often described as a dance, features the pair moving in unison with their bills intertwined after mating. “Their bills cross to look like a kiss,” Pourahmad said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993023\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993023\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-1920x2400.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A close-up of the avocet’s mating kiss. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/1buf3kd/avocet_mating_ritual_in_the_bay_info_in_comments/\">It’s one of my favorite shots of the year,\u003c/a>” Pourahmad said. “The Bay Area is full of amazing sights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you want to spot these spectacular shorebirds for yourself, Pourahmad recommends locations like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/refuge/don-edwards-san-francisco-bay\">Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote-hills\">Coyote Hills Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Community-Services/Open-Space-Parks/Neighborhood-Parks/Baylands-Nature-Preserve\">Baylands Nature Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people in the San Francisco Bay don’t realize the rich, beautiful environment we have,” Parsons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992990\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992990\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A high-key photo of a wading avocet. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“You hear about \u003ca href=\"https://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/description.php?loc=22&p=0\">old salt evaporation ponds\u003c/a> and think they’re uninspiring, but they’re part of a vibrant ecosystem with many species passing through year-round.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11804822/a-beginners-guide-to-birding-in-the-bay-area\">For a guide to birding in the Bay Area for beginners, check out KQED’s guide from 2020\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992994\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992994\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A pair of avocets are mating, with the male bird on the back of the female. Avocets often nest on sandy shores or mud flats. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n",
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"headline": "Teen Photographer Captures Bay Area Avocets in Stunning Detail",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you’re a Bay Area wildlife watcher, you might be familiar with the American Avocet — slender shorebirds with a talent not just for color changes but also their elegant courting that’s been described as a “love dance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Bay Area teen wildlife photographer Parham Pourahmad was able to capture the beauty of these native California shorebirds in a series of stunning photographs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992992\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1921\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-2048x1537.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0960-1920x1441.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An avocet walks on a muddy island. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been trying to capture their mating ritual for, like, two years now,” said Pourahmad, 14, who also shared that it can be “really challenging” given the available light and the positioning of the birds themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2023, Pourahmad won the\u003ca href=\"https://cawatchablewildlife.org/photos2023/winnerpage2023.php?wm=2023-09-10\"> California Watchable Wildlife, \u003c/a>a photography competition with a photo of a red-shouldered hawk in Santa Cruz. He then started his \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wildphotop/\">Instagram account to showcase his images of Bay Area wildlife\u003c/a>, where he’s been posting his avocet photographs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992993\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1705px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992993\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1705\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-scaled.jpg 1705w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-800x1201.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-1020x1531.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-1023x1536.jpg 1023w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0422-1-1364x2048.jpg 1364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1705px) 100vw, 1705px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The male wraps his wing over the female as the dance comes to a close. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During the breeding season, around April through July, avocets undergo a fascinating transformation through a partial molting process: Their usual white and gray feathers are replaced with a striking orange hue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their bodies turn a beautiful brownish-pink. It’s really pretty,” said Amy Parsons, a water bird biologist at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992991\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992991\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-1020x510.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-768x384.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-2048x1024.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0856-2-1920x960.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An avocet protects its nest from a black-necked stilt. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While many birds molt at various life stages, the avocets’s color change is a dramatic example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the fall and winter, their heads are a dull gray, and they don’t really stand out,” Pourahmad said. “But starting about [mid-March] and lasting until mid-summer, their heads turn a vibrant orange, making them look really cool.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The avocet mating ritual, often described as a dance, features the pair moving in unison with their bills intertwined after mating. “Their bills cross to look like a kiss,” Pourahmad said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1993023\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1993023\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0557-1-2-1920x2400.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A close-up of the avocet’s mating kiss. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/1buf3kd/avocet_mating_ritual_in_the_bay_info_in_comments/\">It’s one of my favorite shots of the year,\u003c/a>” Pourahmad said. “The Bay Area is full of amazing sights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you want to spot these spectacular shorebirds for yourself, Pourahmad recommends locations like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/refuge/don-edwards-san-francisco-bay\">Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote-hills\">Coyote Hills Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Community-Services/Open-Space-Parks/Neighborhood-Parks/Baylands-Nature-Preserve\">Baylands Nature Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people in the San Francisco Bay don’t realize the rich, beautiful environment we have,” Parsons said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992990\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992990\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0195-8.16.22-PM-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A high-key photo of a wading avocet. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“You hear about \u003ca href=\"https://birding.sequoia-audubon.org/description.php?loc=22&p=0\">old salt evaporation ponds\u003c/a> and think they’re uninspiring, but they’re part of a vibrant ecosystem with many species passing through year-round.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11804822/a-beginners-guide-to-birding-in-the-bay-area\">For a guide to birding in the Bay Area for beginners, check out KQED’s guide from 2020\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992994\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992994\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/DSC_0450-1-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A pair of avocets are mating, with the male bird on the back of the female. Avocets often nest on sandy shores or mud flats. \u003ccite>(Parham Pourahmad)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Californians Urged to Avoid Raw Milk Amid Bird Flu Outbreak on Dairy Farms",
"headTitle": "Californians Urged to Avoid Raw Milk Amid Bird Flu Outbreak on Dairy Farms | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Raw milk can carry dangerous bacteria at any time. But as bird flu continues to circulate in cow herds across the U.S., federal regulators and health experts are cautioning California’s raw milk producers and consumers that the risks from drinking unpasteurized milk are heading in one direction: up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the warnings, raw milk continues to be produced and sold in the state’s grocers, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture told KQED its sale remains legal, which officials allow so long as \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Milk_and_Dairy_Food_Safety/rawmilk.html\">producers can show a\u003c/a> “continual and highly diligent attention to cleanliness and hygiene at both the farm and the bottling plant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike pasteurized milk, raw milk does not undergo a heating process that is meant to kill or inactivate harmful bacteria and viruses. Researchers do not yet know how the virus may be transmitted to humans, and scientists like UC Davis’ Essam Abdelfattah are concerned that people who drink raw milk could get sick. “Any human being drinking raw milk is putting themselves at higher risk for diseases,” Abdelfattah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With California allowing the sale of raw milk, regulators are putting consumers at a higher risk of exposure to multiple diseases, not only bacterial diseases but also avian influenza, he said. Abdelfattah is a veterinary scientist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Agriculture detected the\u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON512#:~:text=On%2025%20March%2C%20the%20USDA,recently%20received%20cows%20from%20Texas.\"> first cases of bird flu\u003c/a>, or H5N1, in dairy cattle on March 25 in Texas and Kansas. Since then, the USDA has \u003ca href=\"https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock\">detected dozens of herds positive for the virus\u003c/a> in 9 states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While none of these cases were in California, scientists recommend erring on the side of caution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Like many infectious agents, there is no magic wall between states,” said Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease physician at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means that the possibility of the virus reaching California shouldn’t be ruled out. “Personally, for me and my family members, people I care about, and my patients, I’ll tell them to lay off raw milk right now,” Chin-Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although scientists agree that the likelihood of human transmissions from cows is \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/inhumans.htm#:~:text=The%20detections%20of,against%20bird%20flu.\">currently low\u003c/a>, that could change in the next few months. “The ground zero of avian flu is not the cow; it’s the bird. And birds fly from state to state with wild abandon,” Chin-Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-flu-summary.htm\">two reported human cases of bird flu\u003c/a> in the U.S., one following an exposure to poultry in 2022 and one, more \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/p0401-avian-flu.html\">recently\u003c/a>, in a person who interacted with infected dairy cows in Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Debate over drinking raw milk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Food and Drug Administration bans the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-safety-and-raw-milk\">interstate sale of raw milk\u003c/a> and has long cautioned people against drinking it because of the risk of foodborne diseases; guidance that the agency is \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/updates-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery\">now reiterating\u003c/a> because of the spread of bird flu. The agency asked that the industry \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/food/milk-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/questions-and-answers-regarding-milk-safety-during-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai-outbreaks#:~:text=Because%20of%20the%20limited%20information,those%20infected%20with%20avian%20influenza\">stop manufacturing or selling raw milk products\u003c/a> from cows showing symptoms or that were exposed to the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also warns people that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/fast-facts.html\">drinking raw milk can lead to serious illness\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11986062,news_11970666\" label=\"Related Stories\"]Last month, the FDA reported that \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/updates-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai\">1 in 5 pasteurized milk products\u003c/a> nationwide tested positive for the H5N1 virus. Pasteurized milk appears to still be safe to consume because the process makes the virus inactive. Nevertheless, experts believe that the significant viral load might suggest that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/bird-flu-doesnt-pose-imminent-pandemic-risk-but-lack-of-transparency-planning-a-cause-for-concern/\">virus is spreading at a higher rate \u003c/a>than previously known.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Industry groups and producers of raw milk have pushed back, \u003ca href=\"https://www.rawmilkinstitute.org/updates/avian-flu-and-raw-milk-a-common-sense-approach#:~:text=The%20FDA%20acknowledges%20that%20%E2%80%9Cthere,raw%20milk%20can%20be%20carefully\">calling the warnings against raw milk related to avian flu “fear-mongering.”\u003c/a> Mark McAfee, the CEO and founder of Raw Farm, a dairy farm in Fresno and one of the largest raw milk producers in the country, said the sale of his company’s product “has never been higher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Farmers have figured out how to produce raw milk at a very low risk,” he said. He argues there are ways to produce raw milk that are clean and safe to drink. This includes sourcing milk from a single farm and ensuring that the milking equipment is clean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bonni Gilley, a Fresno resident, has been drinking raw milk for more than 20 years and said it hasn’t made her sick. The recent warning left her undeterred. “Raw means raw, like out of the lady, out of the cow,” she said. “To me, it’s more wholesome. I always look for products that are as close to being directly off the vine as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chin-Hong thinks continuing raw milk consumption, given the rapidly evolving nature of the virus, is “like playing Russian roulette.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The risk of infection isn’t the same for everyone,” Chin-Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to potential infection, he is most concerned about elderly people, young children, immunocompromised and pregnant individuals. “It’s often more challenging to treat these individuals just because their immune system isn’t quite as developed or robust. And the ability of drugs to work depends on some help from the immune system,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health officials have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/influenza-virus-vaccine-h5n1-national-stockpile\">stockpiling\u003c/a> vaccines and adjuvants and are ready to manufacture more if needed. Doctors can currently choose from \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/novel-av-treatment-guidance.htm\">four antiviral options\u003c/a> and administer them to those suspected of H5N1 infections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is currently no requirement to test raw milk for H5N1. The FDA and USDA said they are working on \u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/05/10/usda-hhs-announce-new-actions-reduce-impact-and-spread-h5n1#:~:text=To%20help%20states%20comply%20with,and%20Response%2C%20known%20as%20CEIRRs.\">testing retail milk and dairy samples\u003c/a> for H5N1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who choose to continue to drink raw milk should be extra cautious, Chin-Hong said. He recommends that people look out for any symptoms, such as headache, muscle aches, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, or vomiting, and contact their healthcare provider. “Because the earlier someone can get ahead of it, the better,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Slowing the spread of bird flu\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Jaydee Hanson, policy director at the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for food and agricultural issues, said too much attention has been given to drinking or not drinking milk. The bigger issue is containing the potential spread of the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For weeks, the USDA has \u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/04/24/usda-actions-protect-livestock-health-highly-pathogenic-h5n1-avian\">required H5N1 PCR or genetic testing\u003c/a> for all dairy cattle before they are moved between states. But Hanson thinks that rule is not strict enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The USDA and the FDA need to be banning any shipment of animals from farms that are known to have the bird flu to other operations, whether in the state or out of state,” he said. “We don’t want this virus to mutate and act in mammals the way it does in poultry. The FDA and the USDA need to get their act together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Avian flu can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/virus-transmission.htm\">transmitted \u003c/a>from birds to other animals through direct contact, such as with saliva, mucus, and feces of infected animals, or through another animal, like pigs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pigs are known to be susceptible to both avian and human influenza viruses. They theoretically could act as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/virus-transmission.htm\">intermediate host\u003c/a>, or a go-between, of the new kind of infection, passing on a hybrid mutation of the virus to a person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this hybrid virus survives in humans, it can be easily transmitted to other humans. Something similar happened in 2009 with another avian influenza virus, H1N1, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3841239/\">killed over 200,000 people worldwide\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the risk to the general public remains low, UC Davis’s Abdelfattah said people who work on farms and have regular contact with infected animals should be extra cautious because they are at higher risk of infection. “We need to care about the safety of these workers because these people are on the front line,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the precautions include wearing personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks while handling sick animals. California health officials told KQED that they will support a one-time distribution of respirators, gloves, safety goggles and other protective equipment to workers at dairy and poultry farms, as well as slaughterhouses, as these businesses scramble to protect against bird flu.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "With bird flu spreading on dairy farms across the U.S., federal scientists and health experts warn people about increased risks from drinking raw milk. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Raw milk can carry dangerous bacteria at any time. But as bird flu continues to circulate in cow herds across the U.S., federal regulators and health experts are cautioning California’s raw milk producers and consumers that the risks from drinking unpasteurized milk are heading in one direction: up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the warnings, raw milk continues to be produced and sold in the state’s grocers, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture told KQED its sale remains legal, which officials allow so long as \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Milk_and_Dairy_Food_Safety/rawmilk.html\">producers can show a\u003c/a> “continual and highly diligent attention to cleanliness and hygiene at both the farm and the bottling plant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike pasteurized milk, raw milk does not undergo a heating process that is meant to kill or inactivate harmful bacteria and viruses. Researchers do not yet know how the virus may be transmitted to humans, and scientists like UC Davis’ Essam Abdelfattah are concerned that people who drink raw milk could get sick. “Any human being drinking raw milk is putting themselves at higher risk for diseases,” Abdelfattah said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With California allowing the sale of raw milk, regulators are putting consumers at a higher risk of exposure to multiple diseases, not only bacterial diseases but also avian influenza, he said. Abdelfattah is a veterinary scientist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Agriculture detected the\u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON512#:~:text=On%2025%20March%2C%20the%20USDA,recently%20received%20cows%20from%20Texas.\"> first cases of bird flu\u003c/a>, or H5N1, in dairy cattle on March 25 in Texas and Kansas. Since then, the USDA has \u003ca href=\"https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock\">detected dozens of herds positive for the virus\u003c/a> in 9 states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While none of these cases were in California, scientists recommend erring on the side of caution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Like many infectious agents, there is no magic wall between states,” said Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease physician at UCSF.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means that the possibility of the virus reaching California shouldn’t be ruled out. “Personally, for me and my family members, people I care about, and my patients, I’ll tell them to lay off raw milk right now,” Chin-Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although scientists agree that the likelihood of human transmissions from cows is \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/inhumans.htm#:~:text=The%20detections%20of,against%20bird%20flu.\">currently low\u003c/a>, that could change in the next few months. “The ground zero of avian flu is not the cow; it’s the bird. And birds fly from state to state with wild abandon,” Chin-Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-flu-summary.htm\">two reported human cases of bird flu\u003c/a> in the U.S., one following an exposure to poultry in 2022 and one, more \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/p0401-avian-flu.html\">recently\u003c/a>, in a person who interacted with infected dairy cows in Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Debate over drinking raw milk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Food and Drug Administration bans the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-safety-and-raw-milk\">interstate sale of raw milk\u003c/a> and has long cautioned people against drinking it because of the risk of foodborne diseases; guidance that the agency is \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/updates-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery\">now reiterating\u003c/a> because of the spread of bird flu. The agency asked that the industry \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/food/milk-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/questions-and-answers-regarding-milk-safety-during-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai-outbreaks#:~:text=Because%20of%20the%20limited%20information,those%20infected%20with%20avian%20influenza\">stop manufacturing or selling raw milk products\u003c/a> from cows showing symptoms or that were exposed to the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also warns people that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/fast-facts.html\">drinking raw milk can lead to serious illness\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Last month, the FDA reported that \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/updates-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai\">1 in 5 pasteurized milk products\u003c/a> nationwide tested positive for the H5N1 virus. Pasteurized milk appears to still be safe to consume because the process makes the virus inactive. Nevertheless, experts believe that the significant viral load might suggest that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/bird-flu-doesnt-pose-imminent-pandemic-risk-but-lack-of-transparency-planning-a-cause-for-concern/\">virus is spreading at a higher rate \u003c/a>than previously known.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Industry groups and producers of raw milk have pushed back, \u003ca href=\"https://www.rawmilkinstitute.org/updates/avian-flu-and-raw-milk-a-common-sense-approach#:~:text=The%20FDA%20acknowledges%20that%20%E2%80%9Cthere,raw%20milk%20can%20be%20carefully\">calling the warnings against raw milk related to avian flu “fear-mongering.”\u003c/a> Mark McAfee, the CEO and founder of Raw Farm, a dairy farm in Fresno and one of the largest raw milk producers in the country, said the sale of his company’s product “has never been higher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Farmers have figured out how to produce raw milk at a very low risk,” he said. He argues there are ways to produce raw milk that are clean and safe to drink. This includes sourcing milk from a single farm and ensuring that the milking equipment is clean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bonni Gilley, a Fresno resident, has been drinking raw milk for more than 20 years and said it hasn’t made her sick. The recent warning left her undeterred. “Raw means raw, like out of the lady, out of the cow,” she said. “To me, it’s more wholesome. I always look for products that are as close to being directly off the vine as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Chin-Hong thinks continuing raw milk consumption, given the rapidly evolving nature of the virus, is “like playing Russian roulette.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The risk of infection isn’t the same for everyone,” Chin-Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to potential infection, he is most concerned about elderly people, young children, immunocompromised and pregnant individuals. “It’s often more challenging to treat these individuals just because their immune system isn’t quite as developed or robust. And the ability of drugs to work depends on some help from the immune system,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health officials have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/influenza-virus-vaccine-h5n1-national-stockpile\">stockpiling\u003c/a> vaccines and adjuvants and are ready to manufacture more if needed. Doctors can currently choose from \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/novel-av-treatment-guidance.htm\">four antiviral options\u003c/a> and administer them to those suspected of H5N1 infections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is currently no requirement to test raw milk for H5N1. The FDA and USDA said they are working on \u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/05/10/usda-hhs-announce-new-actions-reduce-impact-and-spread-h5n1#:~:text=To%20help%20states%20comply%20with,and%20Response%2C%20known%20as%20CEIRRs.\">testing retail milk and dairy samples\u003c/a> for H5N1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who choose to continue to drink raw milk should be extra cautious, Chin-Hong said. He recommends that people look out for any symptoms, such as headache, muscle aches, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, or vomiting, and contact their healthcare provider. “Because the earlier someone can get ahead of it, the better,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Slowing the spread of bird flu\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Jaydee Hanson, policy director at the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for food and agricultural issues, said too much attention has been given to drinking or not drinking milk. The bigger issue is containing the potential spread of the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For weeks, the USDA has \u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/04/24/usda-actions-protect-livestock-health-highly-pathogenic-h5n1-avian\">required H5N1 PCR or genetic testing\u003c/a> for all dairy cattle before they are moved between states. But Hanson thinks that rule is not strict enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The USDA and the FDA need to be banning any shipment of animals from farms that are known to have the bird flu to other operations, whether in the state or out of state,” he said. “We don’t want this virus to mutate and act in mammals the way it does in poultry. The FDA and the USDA need to get their act together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Avian flu can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/virus-transmission.htm\">transmitted \u003c/a>from birds to other animals through direct contact, such as with saliva, mucus, and feces of infected animals, or through another animal, like pigs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pigs are known to be susceptible to both avian and human influenza viruses. They theoretically could act as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/virus-transmission.htm\">intermediate host\u003c/a>, or a go-between, of the new kind of infection, passing on a hybrid mutation of the virus to a person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this hybrid virus survives in humans, it can be easily transmitted to other humans. Something similar happened in 2009 with another avian influenza virus, H1N1, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3841239/\">killed over 200,000 people worldwide\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the risk to the general public remains low, UC Davis’s Abdelfattah said people who work on farms and have regular contact with infected animals should be extra cautious because they are at higher risk of infection. “We need to care about the safety of these workers because these people are on the front line,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the precautions include wearing personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks while handling sick animals. California health officials told KQED that they will support a one-time distribution of respirators, gloves, safety goggles and other protective equipment to workers at dairy and poultry farms, as well as slaughterhouses, as these businesses scramble to protect against bird flu.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The Bay Area Butterfly Festival Is Happening This Weekend in Vallejo",
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"content": "\u003cp>When Vilma Aquino first moved to Mare Island back in 2007, she would see hundreds of butterflies as she drove along the main drag of Vallejo’s peninsula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought I had died and gone to heaven,” she said, recalling the beautiful black and orange hues of the winged insect, fluttering against the backdrop of the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nowadays, when she goes over to the overwintering grounds of the monarch butterflies near Saint Peter’s Chapel, her experience is much different. Recently, she was there, and when she looked up, “I could see twelve,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decline of monarch butterflies and other pollinators in this area is an urgent problem, she said, because they’re important for pollinating all kinds of different wildflowers and other plants like blueberries, figs, and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aquino is the founding member of \u003ca href=\"http://www.vallejopeoplesgarden.org/\">Vallejo People’s Garden\u003c/a>, a nonprofit, volunteer-run community organization that focuses on educating the community about organic gardening and ways people can steward the land to help pollinators and the health of the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She helped organize the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bay-area-butterfly-festival-2024-tickets-807492420567\">Bay Area Butterfly Festival\u003c/a> on Mare Island, happening on May 19. The event aims to bring thousands of people together to enjoy a day learning about the importance of pollinators and sustainability while enjoying food, live music, and a beautiful view of the Carquinez Strait from the boardwalk on Mare Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Organizers said it’s the first of its kind for the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vallejo is a major migration path for the western monarch butterfly and used to be a place where thousands of monarchs overwinter. Across California, habitat loss, use of pesticides, disease, and a changing climate have contributed to the decline in their population. \u003ca href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/monarch-butterflies-wintering-california-down-30-percent-from-last-year-180983720/\">Monarch populations in California are 30% down from last year \u003c/a>and are a tiny fraction of what they were a few decades ago, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://xerces.org/\">Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a historic overwintering site in Vallejo,” said Annina Puccio, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://monarchmilkweedproject.org/\">Monarch Milkweed Project\u003c/a>, a nonprofit organization focused on education around pollinators, especially monarch butterflies. The group is helping organize the festival/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID=news_11901374 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/Monarch-flower-1020x574.jpg']\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem is with the decimation of the monarch population; we have not seen the amount of monarchs that we used to see,” she said. “We’re running out of time, and we need to save [our pollinators]. It’s so important to our food sources.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a whole diversity of pollinators out there that most people don’t realize that they are pollinators and how important they are to the environment,” Puccio said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At this family-friendly festival, there will be more than a hundred vendors and exhibitors sharing the importance of butterflies like monarchs and ways people can help with the population decline of these pollinators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There will be kid-friendly activities like arts and crafts and educational games, local businesses selling sustainable art and ware, and food trucks offering a variety of cuisines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proceeds from the event will go back to educating the community, Aquino added. “For the Vallejo People’s Garden, it would be hyperlocal, where we can make a change in our own backyard to teach our community in helping bring back the population of the monarchs that overwinter here on Mare Island,” Aquino said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our goal is when people walk away from [the festival], they’re going to know so much more about our pollinators, and they’re going to know what they can do to make a difference,” Puccio said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Bay Area Butterfly Festival is on Sunday, May 19, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 860 Nimitz Ave., Vallejo.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Monarch butterflies, bees, birds, and other pollinators play an important role in our environment. That’s why community members want to make them the star of the show at the Bay Area Butterfly Festival on Mare Island, Vallejo.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Vilma Aquino first moved to Mare Island back in 2007, she would see hundreds of butterflies as she drove along the main drag of Vallejo’s peninsula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought I had died and gone to heaven,” she said, recalling the beautiful black and orange hues of the winged insect, fluttering against the backdrop of the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nowadays, when she goes over to the overwintering grounds of the monarch butterflies near Saint Peter’s Chapel, her experience is much different. Recently, she was there, and when she looked up, “I could see twelve,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decline of monarch butterflies and other pollinators in this area is an urgent problem, she said, because they’re important for pollinating all kinds of different wildflowers and other plants like blueberries, figs, and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aquino is the founding member of \u003ca href=\"http://www.vallejopeoplesgarden.org/\">Vallejo People’s Garden\u003c/a>, a nonprofit, volunteer-run community organization that focuses on educating the community about organic gardening and ways people can steward the land to help pollinators and the health of the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She helped organize the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bay-area-butterfly-festival-2024-tickets-807492420567\">Bay Area Butterfly Festival\u003c/a> on Mare Island, happening on May 19. The event aims to bring thousands of people together to enjoy a day learning about the importance of pollinators and sustainability while enjoying food, live music, and a beautiful view of the Carquinez Strait from the boardwalk on Mare Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Organizers said it’s the first of its kind for the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vallejo is a major migration path for the western monarch butterfly and used to be a place where thousands of monarchs overwinter. Across California, habitat loss, use of pesticides, disease, and a changing climate have contributed to the decline in their population. \u003ca href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/monarch-butterflies-wintering-california-down-30-percent-from-last-year-180983720/\">Monarch populations in California are 30% down from last year \u003c/a>and are a tiny fraction of what they were a few decades ago, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://xerces.org/\">Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a historic overwintering site in Vallejo,” said Annina Puccio, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://monarchmilkweedproject.org/\">Monarch Milkweed Project\u003c/a>, a nonprofit organization focused on education around pollinators, especially monarch butterflies. The group is helping organize the festival/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem is with the decimation of the monarch population; we have not seen the amount of monarchs that we used to see,” she said. “We’re running out of time, and we need to save [our pollinators]. It’s so important to our food sources.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a whole diversity of pollinators out there that most people don’t realize that they are pollinators and how important they are to the environment,” Puccio said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At this family-friendly festival, there will be more than a hundred vendors and exhibitors sharing the importance of butterflies like monarchs and ways people can help with the population decline of these pollinators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There will be kid-friendly activities like arts and crafts and educational games, local businesses selling sustainable art and ware, and food trucks offering a variety of cuisines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proceeds from the event will go back to educating the community, Aquino added. “For the Vallejo People’s Garden, it would be hyperlocal, where we can make a change in our own backyard to teach our community in helping bring back the population of the monarchs that overwinter here on Mare Island,” Aquino said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our goal is when people walk away from [the festival], they’re going to know so much more about our pollinators, and they’re going to know what they can do to make a difference,” Puccio said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Bay Area Butterfly Festival is on Sunday, May 19, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 860 Nimitz Ave., Vallejo.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How an Ocean Exploration Video Game Out of Monterey Bay Contributes to Science",
"headTitle": "How an Ocean Exploration Video Game Out of Monterey Bay Contributes to Science | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>As you drift along the currents in our underwater ocean world, you’ll find jellies, sea spiders, starfish, anemones, octopuses, isopods, and so many other species of marine life. Your mission as an ocean explorer is to collect as many species of ocean life as possible, identify them, and contribute to the field of science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the goal of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fathomverse.game/\">FathomVerse\u003c/a>, a new mobile game created by \u003ca href=\"https://www.oceanvisionai.org/\">Ocean Vision AI\u003c/a> at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, or MBARI. The free game allows anyone with a phone or tablet to participate in ocean exploration and discovery. It was recently launched on the \u003ca href=\"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fathomverse/id6469854247\">App Store\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mbari.fathomverse&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1\">Google Play\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar to Animal Crossing and Sims, this \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozy_game\">cozy game\u003c/a> gives off a relaxing vibe. It takes a gamer deep into the tranquil realms of the blue ocean while ambient music plays in the background as they slowly gather ocean animals as part of a mission. Depending on your mood, you can set the game to play music inspired by ocean soundscape or listen to a hydrophone — a collection of real sounds of the ocean and marine animals like whales, compiled by MBARI’s underwater microphone off California’s coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The game offers the choice between 40 different animal missions. On each mission, gamers receive a briefing that teaches them how to identify different sea creatures through diagrams that point out important characteristics. The goal of the game is to correctly identify as many marine life as possible, and collect points along the way, while unlocking more complex groups of animal missions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992562\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992562\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FathomVerse is a new mobile game created by Ocean Vision AI at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, or MBARI.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“By playing the game, you’re helping to improve AI models that researchers use to understand life in our ocean,” said Lilli Wakinekona Carlsen, engagement coordinator with Ocean Vision AI at MBARI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to advances in deep-sea imaging technology and remote-operated vehicles, researchers are able to collect massive amounts of visual data from the depths of our ocean — including photos and videos of marine life that’s all available on MBARI’s open-source image database, \u003ca href=\"https://fathomnet.org/fathomnet/#/\">FathomNet\u003c/a>. While AI can help researchers analyze this deluge of visual data more efficiently, we still need expert humans to ensure AI can correctly sort through and categorize underwater creatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need people in the loop to continuously verify and train the [AI] models. And right now, only a small number of experts can do that,” Carlsen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To solve this problem, FathomVerse seeks to engage ocean enthusiasts around the world to help review and label images so AI can correctly recognize ocean animals. “We were inspired by community science apps like iNaturalist and eBird. And we set out to gamify this process of training and verifying so that more people can join in our effort to improve the AI that we use for ocean exploration,” Carlsen added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCHd54kkiRs\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some inspiration for it came from another game: Pokémon Go. During the height of the pandemic, Kakani Katija saw a resurgence of the game, where players walk around and use their phones to capture Pokémon — imaginary creatures with special powers. She said that there’s a cultural phenomenon in this kind of game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are putting in this time and effort to look for animals that don’t even exist. We’ve created a generation of people who could tell you all the minutia around each Pokémon,” Katija said.\u003cbr>\n“I wanted to see the same excitement for ocean life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katija is MBARI’s principal engineer who led the development of FathomVerse. She said that there’s a large knowledge gap when it comes to the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea that animals have evolved over really long periods of time to do incredible things, to survive a really difficult and challenging place, there might be secrets there that we can unlock if we could adequately understand and observe them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To develop FathomVerse, Katija and MBARI software engineers collaborated with game design experts \u003ca href=\"https://www.ranj.com/en/\">&ranj Serious Games\u003c/a> — a Netherlands-based game development studio focused on positive behavioral change through play — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.internetofelephants.com/\">Internet of Elephants\u003c/a>, a nature tech enterprise based in Kenya focused on rekindling relationships between people and wildlife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The game is an opportunity to accelerate our capabilities of observing life in the ocean while also sharing the excitement and the wonder of the animals that we see with a much broader audience,” Katija said. It’s also an opportunity to lean on AI research and “present the use of AI in a really good light.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's FathomVerse brings you into an underwater world where you are an ocean explorer with a mission to save science. But the game is more than that: it’s helping train an AI model that could help scientists answer key questions about our oceans. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As you drift along the currents in our underwater ocean world, you’ll find jellies, sea spiders, starfish, anemones, octopuses, isopods, and so many other species of marine life. Your mission as an ocean explorer is to collect as many species of ocean life as possible, identify them, and contribute to the field of science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the goal of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fathomverse.game/\">FathomVerse\u003c/a>, a new mobile game created by \u003ca href=\"https://www.oceanvisionai.org/\">Ocean Vision AI\u003c/a> at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, or MBARI. The free game allows anyone with a phone or tablet to participate in ocean exploration and discovery. It was recently launched on the \u003ca href=\"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fathomverse/id6469854247\">App Store\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mbari.fathomverse&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1\">Google Play\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar to Animal Crossing and Sims, this \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozy_game\">cozy game\u003c/a> gives off a relaxing vibe. It takes a gamer deep into the tranquil realms of the blue ocean while ambient music plays in the background as they slowly gather ocean animals as part of a mission. Depending on your mood, you can set the game to play music inspired by ocean soundscape or listen to a hydrophone — a collection of real sounds of the ocean and marine animals like whales, compiled by MBARI’s underwater microphone off California’s coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The game offers the choice between 40 different animal missions. On each mission, gamers receive a briefing that teaches them how to identify different sea creatures through diagrams that point out important characteristics. The goal of the game is to correctly identify as many marine life as possible, and collect points along the way, while unlocking more complex groups of animal missions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1992562\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1992562\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/MBARI_FathomVerse_player_commuting_02_horizontal-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FathomVerse is a new mobile game created by Ocean Vision AI at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, or MBARI.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“By playing the game, you’re helping to improve AI models that researchers use to understand life in our ocean,” said Lilli Wakinekona Carlsen, engagement coordinator with Ocean Vision AI at MBARI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to advances in deep-sea imaging technology and remote-operated vehicles, researchers are able to collect massive amounts of visual data from the depths of our ocean — including photos and videos of marine life that’s all available on MBARI’s open-source image database, \u003ca href=\"https://fathomnet.org/fathomnet/#/\">FathomNet\u003c/a>. While AI can help researchers analyze this deluge of visual data more efficiently, we still need expert humans to ensure AI can correctly sort through and categorize underwater creatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need people in the loop to continuously verify and train the [AI] models. And right now, only a small number of experts can do that,” Carlsen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To solve this problem, FathomVerse seeks to engage ocean enthusiasts around the world to help review and label images so AI can correctly recognize ocean animals. “We were inspired by community science apps like iNaturalist and eBird. And we set out to gamify this process of training and verifying so that more people can join in our effort to improve the AI that we use for ocean exploration,” Carlsen added.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/KCHd54kkiRs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/KCHd54kkiRs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Some inspiration for it came from another game: Pokémon Go. During the height of the pandemic, Kakani Katija saw a resurgence of the game, where players walk around and use their phones to capture Pokémon — imaginary creatures with special powers. She said that there’s a cultural phenomenon in this kind of game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are putting in this time and effort to look for animals that don’t even exist. We’ve created a generation of people who could tell you all the minutia around each Pokémon,” Katija said.\u003cbr>\n“I wanted to see the same excitement for ocean life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katija is MBARI’s principal engineer who led the development of FathomVerse. She said that there’s a large knowledge gap when it comes to the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea that animals have evolved over really long periods of time to do incredible things, to survive a really difficult and challenging place, there might be secrets there that we can unlock if we could adequately understand and observe them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To develop FathomVerse, Katija and MBARI software engineers collaborated with game design experts \u003ca href=\"https://www.ranj.com/en/\">&ranj Serious Games\u003c/a> — a Netherlands-based game development studio focused on positive behavioral change through play — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.internetofelephants.com/\">Internet of Elephants\u003c/a>, a nature tech enterprise based in Kenya focused on rekindling relationships between people and wildlife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The game is an opportunity to accelerate our capabilities of observing life in the ocean while also sharing the excitement and the wonder of the animals that we see with a much broader audience,” Katija said. It’s also an opportunity to lean on AI research and “present the use of AI in a really good light.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "best-bay-area-hikes-wildlife-near-me",
"title": "Where to Hike in the Bay Area for the Best Wildlife Encounters",
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"content": "\u003cp>From \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984932/how-can-i-protect-my-dog-from-san-francisco-coyotes\">coyotes\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1985049/how-to-see-monarch-butterflies-are-visiting-california\">monarch butterflies\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/11762/river-otters-are-thriving-all-over-the-bay-area#:~:text=River%20otters%20have%20proven%20themselves,the%20continued%20otter%20population%20growth.\">river otters\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/27260/banana-slugs-secret-of-the-slime\">banana slugs\u003c/a>, the Bay Area — and California more widely — offers an incredible array of wildlife and biodiversity on our front doorstep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you have loved ones visiting for the holiday season, it’s a great time to get outdoors on a hike to see the many species of slimy, furry, majestic animals California has to offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#besthikessanfrancisco\">Wildlife hikes in San Francisco\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#besthikeseastbay\">Wildlife hikes in East Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#besthikesnorthbay\">Wildlife hikes in North Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#besthikessouthbay\">Wildlife hikes in South Bay and the Peninsula\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>California is home to over 30,000 species of plants and animals — and over half of them are in the Bay Area alone. The state is a hotspot for biodiversity thanks to its Mediterranean climate, our huge degree of latitudes and the wide range of habitats for plants and animals. With our soaring mountains and low-valley deserts, we also have the greatest range of elevation of any state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985513\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985513\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A banana slug eats from the soil in the Big Basin area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. \u003ccite>(Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Those latitudinal gradients also create all these different climates for different plants and animals to live in as well,” said Alison Young, co-director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has many different ecosystems, from oak woodlands to shrubby chaparral, grasslands and redwood forests, said Julie Andersen, senior wildlife biologist at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Each area hosts unique animal species, from acorn woodpeckers to kangaroo rats, burrowing owls, banana slugs and migratory birds. We are also located along the \u003ca href=\"https://www.audubon.org/pacific-flyway\">Pacific Flyway\u003c/a>, a major flight path for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Learning how to coexist with nature, providing pathways for wildlife, and being respectful will hopefully allow our amazing wildlife species to continue to thrive,” Andersen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#tellus\">Tell us: What else would you like to read a guide to from KQED?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>All this means that we’re spoiled for choice in the Bay Area and beyond for hikes that offer the chance to see a wide range of wildlife. And as for where the experts themselves favor, Young, a marine biologist, said she especially loves exploring the different tide pools in the Bay Area. Nudibranchs, seastars, and anemones are some of her favorite finds when out tide pooling, like those at \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/MPAs/Duxbury-Reef\">Duxbury Reef\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/fitzgerald-marine-reserve\">Fitzgerald Marine Reserve\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.treesandtents.com/trailguide/pillar-point-loop-easy-coastal-walk-near-half-moon-bay/#:~:text=When%20the%20weather%20is%20stormy,the%20famous%20Mavericks%20surf%20break.\">Pillar Points and Mavericks Cliffs Trail\u003c/a>. (Mark your calendars for the best times during the day to enjoy tide pools around the holidays, according to Young: The weekend after Thanksgiving, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas.)[aside postID='science_1985049,news_11910495,news_11953794' label='Related coverage']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I talk to people about tide pooling, everyone’s always like, “Oh, like it’s great, but you just have to wake up so early in the morning. I just can’t do it.” But this time of year in the winter, our low tides are actually in the afternoon,” Young said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For an optimal tide-pooling experience, Young advises people to look for low tides between -1.0 feet and -1.4 feet on tide charts like \u003ca href=\"https://www.saltwatertides.com/\">Saltwater Tides\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.html\">NOAA Tide Predictions\u003c/a>. She also advises folks to wear rubber boots or shoes with good tread to avoid slipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1930228\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1930228\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emily Otstott, a graduate student at San Francisco State University, searches for nudibranchs in the tidepools at Pillar Point, just north of Half Moon Bay, California, as part of her work for the California Academy of Sciences. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for a list of some favorite Bay Area trails from the \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/HZzRC0R94PIrAv8rCwOQ7m?domain=url.avanan.click\">California Academy of Sciences\u003c/a> and KQED staff that showcase our magnificent biodiversity. Be sure to \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">download the iNaturalist app\u003c/a>, log your sightings, and have a great time admiring our wonderful wildlife. \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1AD26VqjvhrvZt9EGcWGf_ol-0j-dj5s&usp=sharing\">You can also consult our map of the best wildlife hikes around the Bay Area:\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1AD26VqjvhrvZt9EGcWGf_ol-0j-dj5s&ehbc=2E312F&ll=37.82111339029839%2C-122.2362494962034&z=9\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"besthikessanfrancisco\">\u003c/a>Wildlife hikes in San Francisco\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/gallery/red-tailed-hawk\">See the red-tailed hawk in the Golden Gate Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>While you’re in the area, don’t forget to pay a visit to the \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Bison-Paddock-224\">bison paddock at Golden Gate Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/wildparrots/\">See some wild parrots on Telegraph Hill\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Don’t forget about the sea lions on \u003ca href=\"https://www.pier39.com/sealions/\">Pier 39 in Embarcadero\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>See swans and turtles at the \u003ca href=\"https://palaceoffinearts.com/\">Palace of Fine Arts\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>If you’re on \u003ca href=\"https://goldengateaudubon.org/conservation/snowy-plovers/snowy-plovers-in-san-francisco/\">Ocean Beach\u003c/a>, be on the lookout for Snowy Plovers (and if you’ve got a pole and snare, Dungeness Crab!)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>There are a few places in San Francisco where you might be able to see coyotes, such as Glen Canyon Park, Presidio, McLaren Park and Golden Gate Park. However, be warned that the number of conflicts between coyotes and people with dogs has been on the rise. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984932/how-can-i-protect-my-dog-from-san-francisco-coyotes\">Here’s a guide about how to keep yourself and your pets safe with coyotes around\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985509\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985509\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut.jpg\" alt=\"bison-golden-gate-park\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco has been replenishing the bison herd in Golden Gate Park since the late 1800s. \u003ccite>(Erasmo Martinez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"besthikesnorthbay\">\u003c/a>Wildlife hikes in North Bay\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Head on over to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/nature/tule_elk.htm\">Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin\u003c/a> to see tule elk, a native to California.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450\">Armstrong Redwoods in Sonoma\u003c/a> is a great spot to see some banana slugs, especially after the rain.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>One recommended spot to see spawning salmon is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/wildlife_viewing_cohosalmon.htm\">Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area\u003c/a> in Marin. The best time to see them is from early October to late December.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>If you’re at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm\">Muir Woods National Monument\u003c/a>, be sure to look around for banana slugs.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>See river otters at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sonomacounty.com/lodging/spring-lake-regional-park\">Spring Lake Regional Park in Sonoma\u003c/a>. Take part in the \u003ca href=\"https://riverotterecology.org/otter-spotter-community-based-science/\">Otter Spotter\u003c/a>, a community science program designed to collect, map and save otter sightings.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Looking to do some kayaking to see some bioluminescent plankton? Book a tour in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/nature/otherlifeforms.htm\">Tomales Bay\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1983841/glittering-tides-where-to-spot-bioluminescence-in-the-bay-area\">read our KQED guide to spotting bioluminescence\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The annual gray whale migration blows through Sonoma County from January to May, with good opportunities for whale spotting\u003ca href=\"https://www.sonomacounty.com/articles/whale-watching-along-sonoma-coast\"> all along the Sonoma Coast\u003c/a>, like at Salt Point State Park. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11953794/where-can-i-see-whales-around-the-bay-area\">Read KQED’s guide to seeing whales around the Bay Area.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/MPAs/Duxbury-Reef\">Duxbury Reef\u003c/a> in the southernmost part of Point Reyes in Marin is a great spot for tide pooling.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985512\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985512\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1294\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-800x539.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-1020x687.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-1536x1035.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">North American river otter (Lontra canadensis). \u003ccite>(C. Dani and I. Jeske / De Agostini Picture Library via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"besthikeseastbay\">\u003c/a>Wildlife hikes in East Bay\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Head to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden\">Tilden Regional Park\u003c/a>, Berkeley, to see banana slugs, newts, and salamanders. Take note that some roads in the park are closed to make way for newt crossings during newt migration season from November until March.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/reinhardt-redwood\">Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park\u003c/a> is also another great place to see banana slugs and salamanders, especially during or after the rain. “I think visiting the redwoods when it’s raining is one of the most magical things you can do,” Young said.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Not a trail, but a great spot to see the fastest bird in the world, the Peregrine Falcon. The falcons have called the \u003ca href=\"https://visit.berkeley.edu/campus-attractions/campanile\">Historic Campanile\u003c/a> on the UC Berkeley Campus their home since 2016. \u003ca href=\"https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/\">See them live via their webcams\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>You might also be able to see more Peregrine Falcons in \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/castle-rock\">Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area\u003c/a>, Contra Costa.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>If you’re looking for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984392/its-tarantula-mating-season-in-the-bay-area-heres-where-to-see-some-fuzzy-friends\">tarantulas during their mating season\u003c/a> (peaks in mid-October),\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol\"> Sunol Regional Wilderness\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/mountdiablo/\">Mount Diablo\u003c/a> are great places to see them.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>To see some turkeys in the area, you can head on over to the Strawberry Creek fire trail in \u003ca href=\"https://recwell.berkeley.edu/self-guided-adventures-strawberry-canyon/\">Strawberry Canyon\u003c/a> in Berkeley.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>You can see rabbits, lizards, snowy egrets, scaup and many other birds at \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/martin-luther-king\">Martin Luther King Shoreline Park\u003c/a> in Oakland.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bat rays and night herons at \u003ca href=\"https://www.lakemerritt.org/\">Lake Merrit\u003c/a> are animals you can look out for in Oakland.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>During the winter, western monarch butterflies make their way to a number of overwintering sites in the Bay Area. You can also see them at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood\">Ardenwood Historic Farm,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/parks-recreation/parks/aquatic-park\">Berkeley Aquatic Park\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.albanyca.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/56/1670\">Albany Hill Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984337\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1984337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A view of tall redwood trees seen towering above.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is a sprawling forest featuring redwood groves and rare wildlife, as well as trails, picnic areas and campsites. \u003ccite>(John Hudson Photography/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"besthikessouthbay\">\u003c/a>Wildlife hikes in South Bay and on the Peninsula\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27619\">Franklin Point Trail\u003c/a> in San Mateo leads to dunes and magnificent empty beaches. Once on the lookout, you might be able to get quite close to elephant seals. There’s also a chance to see whales, dolphins, and seabirds around.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>During a low tide, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/fitzgerald-marine-reserve\">Fitzgerald Marine Reserve\u003c/a> in San Mateo is a great place to enjoy the tide pools. You can see sea creatures like nudibranchs and sea stars.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/hike/mindego-hill/\">Mindego Hill trail in the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve\u003c/a> is a favorite location for bobcats and rabbits. If this strenuous hike is not for you, another recommendation is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/ancient-oaks\">Ancient Oaks trail\u003c/a> — a great place to see woodland birds.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_77890\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 3627px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77890\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3627\" height=\"2258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o.jpg 3627w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-400x249.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-800x498.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-1440x896.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-1180x735.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-960x598.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3627px) 100vw, 3627px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A northern elephant seal along the California coast. Elephant seals come out of the water to molt between May and July and to breed between December and April. \u003ccite>(Frank Schulenburg/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Beyond the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>You can see western monarchs overwintering at the Monarch Butterfly Grove in \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541\">Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=666\">Forest of Nisene Marks State Park\u003c/a> in Santa Cruz, just south of the Peninsula, is a great hiking area, and you’re bound to see a banana slug or two on your hikes.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/henrycowell/\">Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park\u003c/a> in Felton has some great trails to see banana slugs.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>See California condors and rare bats at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pinn/\">Pinnacles National Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Enjoy a coastal hike and see some cool tide pools at \u003ca href=\"https://www.treesandtents.com/trailguide/pillar-point-loop-easy-coastal-walk-near-half-moon-bay/#:~:text=When%20the%20weather%20is%20stormy,the%20famous%20Mavericks%20surf%20break.\">Pillar Point and Mavericks Cliff trail\u003c/a> in Half Moon Bay.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>See migrating Sandhill Cranes near \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regions/3/Crane-Tour\">Lodi in the California Delta\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983212\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1983212\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A monarch butterfly rests on a plant outside.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A monarch butterfly lands on a plant growing in the schoolyard at International Community School in Oakland on Oct. 20, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else would you like an explainer on from KQED?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2023. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID-19\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger, and help us decide what to cover here on our site and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[hearken id=\"10483\" src=\"https://modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/embed/10483.js\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published on November 24.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "If you’re looking for holiday hikes near you in the Bay Area, we’ve rounded up our recommendations for the best ones that offer the chance to spot some of our region’s incredible wildlife.",
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"title": "Top Bay Area Hikes for Wildlife Spotting | KQED",
"description": "Discover scenic Bay Area trails perfect for spotting wildlife, from birds to mammals. Plan your next adventure with these top hiking spots.",
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"headline": "Where to Hike in the Bay Area for the Best Wildlife Encounters",
"datePublished": "2023-12-28T11:55:51-08:00",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>From \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984932/how-can-i-protect-my-dog-from-san-francisco-coyotes\">coyotes\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1985049/how-to-see-monarch-butterflies-are-visiting-california\">monarch butterflies\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/11762/river-otters-are-thriving-all-over-the-bay-area#:~:text=River%20otters%20have%20proven%20themselves,the%20continued%20otter%20population%20growth.\">river otters\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/27260/banana-slugs-secret-of-the-slime\">banana slugs\u003c/a>, the Bay Area — and California more widely — offers an incredible array of wildlife and biodiversity on our front doorstep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you have loved ones visiting for the holiday season, it’s a great time to get outdoors on a hike to see the many species of slimy, furry, majestic animals California has to offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#besthikessanfrancisco\">Wildlife hikes in San Francisco\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#besthikeseastbay\">Wildlife hikes in East Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#besthikesnorthbay\">Wildlife hikes in North Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#besthikessouthbay\">Wildlife hikes in South Bay and the Peninsula\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>California is home to over 30,000 species of plants and animals — and over half of them are in the Bay Area alone. The state is a hotspot for biodiversity thanks to its Mediterranean climate, our huge degree of latitudes and the wide range of habitats for plants and animals. With our soaring mountains and low-valley deserts, we also have the greatest range of elevation of any state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985513\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985513\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1252553761-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A banana slug eats from the soil in the Big Basin area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. \u003ccite>(Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Those latitudinal gradients also create all these different climates for different plants and animals to live in as well,” said Alison Young, co-director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has many different ecosystems, from oak woodlands to shrubby chaparral, grasslands and redwood forests, said Julie Andersen, senior wildlife biologist at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Each area hosts unique animal species, from acorn woodpeckers to kangaroo rats, burrowing owls, banana slugs and migratory birds. We are also located along the \u003ca href=\"https://www.audubon.org/pacific-flyway\">Pacific Flyway\u003c/a>, a major flight path for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Learning how to coexist with nature, providing pathways for wildlife, and being respectful will hopefully allow our amazing wildlife species to continue to thrive,” Andersen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#tellus\">Tell us: What else would you like to read a guide to from KQED?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>All this means that we’re spoiled for choice in the Bay Area and beyond for hikes that offer the chance to see a wide range of wildlife. And as for where the experts themselves favor, Young, a marine biologist, said she especially loves exploring the different tide pools in the Bay Area. Nudibranchs, seastars, and anemones are some of her favorite finds when out tide pooling, like those at \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/MPAs/Duxbury-Reef\">Duxbury Reef\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/fitzgerald-marine-reserve\">Fitzgerald Marine Reserve\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.treesandtents.com/trailguide/pillar-point-loop-easy-coastal-walk-near-half-moon-bay/#:~:text=When%20the%20weather%20is%20stormy,the%20famous%20Mavericks%20surf%20break.\">Pillar Points and Mavericks Cliffs Trail\u003c/a>. (Mark your calendars for the best times during the day to enjoy tide pools around the holidays, according to Young: The weekend after Thanksgiving, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas.)\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I talk to people about tide pooling, everyone’s always like, “Oh, like it’s great, but you just have to wake up so early in the morning. I just can’t do it.” But this time of year in the winter, our low tides are actually in the afternoon,” Young said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For an optimal tide-pooling experience, Young advises people to look for low tides between -1.0 feet and -1.4 feet on tide charts like \u003ca href=\"https://www.saltwatertides.com/\">Saltwater Tides\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.html\">NOAA Tide Predictions\u003c/a>. She also advises folks to wear rubber boots or shoes with good tread to avoid slipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1930228\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1930228\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/08/Emily-at-Pillar-ooint-2-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emily Otstott, a graduate student at San Francisco State University, searches for nudibranchs in the tidepools at Pillar Point, just north of Half Moon Bay, California, as part of her work for the California Academy of Sciences. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for a list of some favorite Bay Area trails from the \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/HZzRC0R94PIrAv8rCwOQ7m?domain=url.avanan.click\">California Academy of Sciences\u003c/a> and KQED staff that showcase our magnificent biodiversity. Be sure to \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">download the iNaturalist app\u003c/a>, log your sightings, and have a great time admiring our wonderful wildlife. \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1AD26VqjvhrvZt9EGcWGf_ol-0j-dj5s&usp=sharing\">You can also consult our map of the best wildlife hikes around the Bay Area:\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1AD26VqjvhrvZt9EGcWGf_ol-0j-dj5s&ehbc=2E312F&ll=37.82111339029839%2C-122.2362494962034&z=9\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"besthikessanfrancisco\">\u003c/a>Wildlife hikes in San Francisco\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/gallery/red-tailed-hawk\">See the red-tailed hawk in the Golden Gate Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>While you’re in the area, don’t forget to pay a visit to the \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Bison-Paddock-224\">bison paddock at Golden Gate Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/wildparrots/\">See some wild parrots on Telegraph Hill\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Don’t forget about the sea lions on \u003ca href=\"https://www.pier39.com/sealions/\">Pier 39 in Embarcadero\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>See swans and turtles at the \u003ca href=\"https://palaceoffinearts.com/\">Palace of Fine Arts\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>If you’re on \u003ca href=\"https://goldengateaudubon.org/conservation/snowy-plovers/snowy-plovers-in-san-francisco/\">Ocean Beach\u003c/a>, be on the lookout for Snowy Plovers (and if you’ve got a pole and snare, Dungeness Crab!)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>There are a few places in San Francisco where you might be able to see coyotes, such as Glen Canyon Park, Presidio, McLaren Park and Golden Gate Park. However, be warned that the number of conflicts between coyotes and people with dogs has been on the rise. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984932/how-can-i-protect-my-dog-from-san-francisco-coyotes\">Here’s a guide about how to keep yourself and your pets safe with coyotes around\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985509\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985509\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut.jpg\" alt=\"bison-golden-gate-park\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/Bison_1-qut-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco has been replenishing the bison herd in Golden Gate Park since the late 1800s. \u003ccite>(Erasmo Martinez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"besthikesnorthbay\">\u003c/a>Wildlife hikes in North Bay\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Head on over to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/nature/tule_elk.htm\">Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin\u003c/a> to see tule elk, a native to California.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450\">Armstrong Redwoods in Sonoma\u003c/a> is a great spot to see some banana slugs, especially after the rain.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>One recommended spot to see spawning salmon is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/wildlife_viewing_cohosalmon.htm\">Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area\u003c/a> in Marin. The best time to see them is from early October to late December.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>If you’re at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm\">Muir Woods National Monument\u003c/a>, be sure to look around for banana slugs.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>See river otters at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sonomacounty.com/lodging/spring-lake-regional-park\">Spring Lake Regional Park in Sonoma\u003c/a>. Take part in the \u003ca href=\"https://riverotterecology.org/otter-spotter-community-based-science/\">Otter Spotter\u003c/a>, a community science program designed to collect, map and save otter sightings.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Looking to do some kayaking to see some bioluminescent plankton? Book a tour in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/nature/otherlifeforms.htm\">Tomales Bay\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1983841/glittering-tides-where-to-spot-bioluminescence-in-the-bay-area\">read our KQED guide to spotting bioluminescence\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The annual gray whale migration blows through Sonoma County from January to May, with good opportunities for whale spotting\u003ca href=\"https://www.sonomacounty.com/articles/whale-watching-along-sonoma-coast\"> all along the Sonoma Coast\u003c/a>, like at Salt Point State Park. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11953794/where-can-i-see-whales-around-the-bay-area\">Read KQED’s guide to seeing whales around the Bay Area.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/MPAs/Duxbury-Reef\">Duxbury Reef\u003c/a> in the southernmost part of Point Reyes in Marin is a great spot for tide pooling.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1985512\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1985512\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1294\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-800x539.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-1020x687.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-1156639917-qut-1536x1035.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">North American river otter (Lontra canadensis). \u003ccite>(C. Dani and I. Jeske / De Agostini Picture Library via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"besthikeseastbay\">\u003c/a>Wildlife hikes in East Bay\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Head to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden\">Tilden Regional Park\u003c/a>, Berkeley, to see banana slugs, newts, and salamanders. Take note that some roads in the park are closed to make way for newt crossings during newt migration season from November until March.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/reinhardt-redwood\">Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park\u003c/a> is also another great place to see banana slugs and salamanders, especially during or after the rain. “I think visiting the redwoods when it’s raining is one of the most magical things you can do,” Young said.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Not a trail, but a great spot to see the fastest bird in the world, the Peregrine Falcon. The falcons have called the \u003ca href=\"https://visit.berkeley.edu/campus-attractions/campanile\">Historic Campanile\u003c/a> on the UC Berkeley Campus their home since 2016. \u003ca href=\"https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/\">See them live via their webcams\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>You might also be able to see more Peregrine Falcons in \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/castle-rock\">Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area\u003c/a>, Contra Costa.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>If you’re looking for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984392/its-tarantula-mating-season-in-the-bay-area-heres-where-to-see-some-fuzzy-friends\">tarantulas during their mating season\u003c/a> (peaks in mid-October),\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol\"> Sunol Regional Wilderness\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/mountdiablo/\">Mount Diablo\u003c/a> are great places to see them.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>To see some turkeys in the area, you can head on over to the Strawberry Creek fire trail in \u003ca href=\"https://recwell.berkeley.edu/self-guided-adventures-strawberry-canyon/\">Strawberry Canyon\u003c/a> in Berkeley.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>You can see rabbits, lizards, snowy egrets, scaup and many other birds at \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/martin-luther-king\">Martin Luther King Shoreline Park\u003c/a> in Oakland.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bat rays and night herons at \u003ca href=\"https://www.lakemerritt.org/\">Lake Merrit\u003c/a> are animals you can look out for in Oakland.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>During the winter, western monarch butterflies make their way to a number of overwintering sites in the Bay Area. You can also see them at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood\">Ardenwood Historic Farm,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/parks-recreation/parks/aquatic-park\">Berkeley Aquatic Park\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.albanyca.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/56/1670\">Albany Hill Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984337\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1984337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A view of tall redwood trees seen towering above.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/09/GettyImages-1343594336-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is a sprawling forest featuring redwood groves and rare wildlife, as well as trails, picnic areas and campsites. \u003ccite>(John Hudson Photography/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"besthikessouthbay\">\u003c/a>Wildlife hikes in South Bay and on the Peninsula\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27619\">Franklin Point Trail\u003c/a> in San Mateo leads to dunes and magnificent empty beaches. Once on the lookout, you might be able to get quite close to elephant seals. There’s also a chance to see whales, dolphins, and seabirds around.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>During a low tide, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/fitzgerald-marine-reserve\">Fitzgerald Marine Reserve\u003c/a> in San Mateo is a great place to enjoy the tide pools. You can see sea creatures like nudibranchs and sea stars.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/hike/mindego-hill/\">Mindego Hill trail in the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve\u003c/a> is a favorite location for bobcats and rabbits. If this strenuous hike is not for you, another recommendation is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/ancient-oaks\">Ancient Oaks trail\u003c/a> — a great place to see woodland birds.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_77890\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 3627px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77890\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3627\" height=\"2258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o.jpg 3627w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-400x249.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-800x498.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-1440x896.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-1180x735.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8443220498_1708484588_o-960x598.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3627px) 100vw, 3627px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A northern elephant seal along the California coast. Elephant seals come out of the water to molt between May and July and to breed between December and April. \u003ccite>(Frank Schulenburg/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Beyond the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>You can see western monarchs overwintering at the Monarch Butterfly Grove in \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541\">Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=666\">Forest of Nisene Marks State Park\u003c/a> in Santa Cruz, just south of the Peninsula, is a great hiking area, and you’re bound to see a banana slug or two on your hikes.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/henrycowell/\">Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park\u003c/a> in Felton has some great trails to see banana slugs.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>See California condors and rare bats at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pinn/\">Pinnacles National Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Enjoy a coastal hike and see some cool tide pools at \u003ca href=\"https://www.treesandtents.com/trailguide/pillar-point-loop-easy-coastal-walk-near-half-moon-bay/#:~:text=When%20the%20weather%20is%20stormy,the%20famous%20Mavericks%20surf%20break.\">Pillar Point and Mavericks Cliff trail\u003c/a> in Half Moon Bay.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>See migrating Sandhill Cranes near \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regions/3/Crane-Tour\">Lodi in the California Delta\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983212\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1983212\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A monarch butterfly rests on a plant outside.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/06/RS59528_025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A monarch butterfly lands on a plant growing in the schoolyard at International Community School in Oakland on Oct. 20, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else would you like an explainer on from KQED?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2023. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID-19\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger, and help us decide what to cover here on our site and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Every year, up to half the honeybee colonies in the U.S. die. Varroa mites, the bees’ ghastly parasites, are one of the main culprits. After hitching a ride into a hive, a mite mom hides in a honeycomb cell, where she and her offspring feed on a growing bee. But beekeepers and scientists are helping honeybees fight back.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Here’s a go-to recipe for beekeepers. It’s called a “sugar shake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take a half-cup of bees. That’s about 300.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Put them in a jar and cover them with a mesh lid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Add two tablespoons confectioners’ sugar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shake for 30 seconds. We’re going for a nice, even coat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Empty the sugar onto a tray. And there you have it: frosted varroa mites, aka \u003cem>Varroa destructor\u003c/em>. They’re a honeybee’s worst enemy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fine-powdered sugar made them lose the grip they had on their hosts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A minute ago, the mites were on the bees in the hive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s as if you were carrying around a tick the size of a dinner plate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every year, up to half the managed honeybee hives in the United States die from hazards like pesticide exposure, lack of flowers to forage on year-round, and varroa mites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To feed, a varroa mite nestles between the bees’ protective plates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It digs in with its gnarly mouth, the gnathosoma. The mite sinks it into a crucial organ called the fat body. It’s a layer of tissue that lines the abdomen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nElina L. Niño, associate professor of cooperative extension in apiculture at UC Davis, has answered \u003ca href=\"https://elninobeelab.sf.ucdavis.edu/resources-community\">common questions about honeybees\u003c/a> from beekeepers, homeowners and gardeners, including where to send pests to be identified. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 2019 paper by Samuel Ramsey and colleagues details how they discovered that \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1818371116\">varroa mites feed on the fat body of honeybees\u003c/a>. For a long time, it was thought that the mites fed on honeybees’ blood, known as hemolymph.\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sort of like the human liver, the fat body helps the bee break down harmful stuff, including pesticides. And it maintains the bee’s immune system. So, when varroa mites attack the fat body, they seriously weaken the bee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mites can also transmit a virus that causes a bee to be born with deformed wings, no good for flying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s go back to the “sugar shake.” Beekeepers use them to monitor the varroa mites in their hives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As few as three mites per half-cup of bees could kill a hive within the year. That’s because varroa mites are great at sneaking into hives, hiding, and reproducing like mad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first mite gets into a hive by hitching a ride on a bee from another colony. Maybe the bee’s own colony wasn’t doing well and it was looking for a new home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mite sniffs around for a bee larva and sneaks in right before the bees cover the cell with wax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The defenseless larva is now trapped with its enemy, which begins to feed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the larva grows into a pupa, the mite, called a foundress, starts her family. Take a look underneath this bee pupa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mite’s firstborn is always a son. The rest are daughters. They’re hard to tell apart when they’re young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the siblings come of age inside the cell, they’ll meet up on this pile of mite poop – maybe they’re guided by the scent. And they’ll mate … with each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes two foundresses make it into a cell. Then their offspring get to mate with someone they’re not related to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mites live off the bee pupa, but they don’t kill it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the bee is all grown up, it chews its way out of the cell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mite slips onto its next victim. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, why don’t the bees just pick those mites off themselves?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, we didn’t start seeing varroa mites in the U.S. until the 1980s. They evolved on eastern honeybees, in Asia. That’s why the western honeybees in the Americas and Europe aren’t yet good at defending against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When beekeepers find mites in a sugar shake, they treat a hive with pesticide strips that kill the mites. But mites are becoming resistant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, researchers are selectively breeding honeybees to fight back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Agriculture and private companies are breeding bees that can sniff out varroa mites. When the bees find some, they uncap the cells and interrupt reproduction. The bees then, um, “recycle” the unlucky pupa. Yep, they’re eating it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Purdue and Central State universities, scientists breed honeybees known as “mite-biters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After collecting sperm from a male bee, they inseminate a queen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the queen and the male come from colonies that are particularly good at killing mites by chewing off their legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a grisly end for these tormentors and – just maybe – a fair shake for the honeybees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey sugar, what’s shakin’? We’ve got more bee stories for you. Bindweed turret bees fill their underground nests with pollen. See those “pollen pants”? But freeloading flies drop their own eggs into the nests … from the air!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, PBS Digital Studios wants to know what you enjoy on YouTube and what you want more of. Follow the link in the description to take their annual survey. You even get to vote on new show ideas. Thanks for representing, and please tell them Deep Look sent you.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nElina L. Niño, associate professor of cooperative extension in apiculture at UC Davis, has answered \u003ca href=\"https://elninobeelab.sf.ucdavis.edu/resources-community\">common questions about honeybees\u003c/a> from beekeepers, homeowners and gardeners, including where to send pests to be identified. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 2019 paper by Samuel Ramsey and colleagues details how they discovered that \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1818371116\">varroa mites feed on the fat body of honeybees\u003c/a>. For a long time, it was thought that the mites fed on honeybees’ blood, known as hemolymph.\u003cbr>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sort of like the human liver, the fat body helps the bee break down harmful stuff, including pesticides. And it maintains the bee’s immune system. So, when varroa mites attack the fat body, they seriously weaken the bee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mites can also transmit a virus that causes a bee to be born with deformed wings, no good for flying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s go back to the “sugar shake.” Beekeepers use them to monitor the varroa mites in their hives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As few as three mites per half-cup of bees could kill a hive within the year. That’s because varroa mites are great at sneaking into hives, hiding, and reproducing like mad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first mite gets into a hive by hitching a ride on a bee from another colony. Maybe the bee’s own colony wasn’t doing well and it was looking for a new home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mite sniffs around for a bee larva and sneaks in right before the bees cover the cell with wax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The defenseless larva is now trapped with its enemy, which begins to feed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the larva grows into a pupa, the mite, called a foundress, starts her family. Take a look underneath this bee pupa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mite’s firstborn is always a son. The rest are daughters. They’re hard to tell apart when they’re young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the siblings come of age inside the cell, they’ll meet up on this pile of mite poop – maybe they’re guided by the scent. And they’ll mate … with each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes two foundresses make it into a cell. Then their offspring get to mate with someone they’re not related to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mites live off the bee pupa, but they don’t kill it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the bee is all grown up, it chews its way out of the cell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mite slips onto its next victim. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, why don’t the bees just pick those mites off themselves?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, we didn’t start seeing varroa mites in the U.S. until the 1980s. They evolved on eastern honeybees, in Asia. That’s why the western honeybees in the Americas and Europe aren’t yet good at defending against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When beekeepers find mites in a sugar shake, they treat a hive with pesticide strips that kill the mites. But mites are becoming resistant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, researchers are selectively breeding honeybees to fight back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Agriculture and private companies are breeding bees that can sniff out varroa mites. When the bees find some, they uncap the cells and interrupt reproduction. The bees then, um, “recycle” the unlucky pupa. Yep, they’re eating it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Purdue and Central State universities, scientists breed honeybees known as “mite-biters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After collecting sperm from a male bee, they inseminate a queen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both the queen and the male come from colonies that are particularly good at killing mites by chewing off their legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a grisly end for these tormentors and – just maybe – a fair shake for the honeybees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hey sugar, what’s shakin’? We’ve got more bee stories for you. Bindweed turret bees fill their underground nests with pollen. See those “pollen pants”? But freeloading flies drop their own eggs into the nests … from the air!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, PBS Digital Studios wants to know what you enjoy on YouTube and what you want more of. Follow the link in the description to take their annual survey. You even get to vote on new show ideas. Thanks for representing, and please tell them Deep Look sent you.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"soldout": {
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