BY KEVIN WADLOW A Big Pine Key man confessed to the Friday shooting death of an endangered Key deer, state wildlife officers report. Grant M. Wilson, 33, was arrested Saturday on a felony count of killing a protected species. Officer Jeremy Foell of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigated. “Mr. Wilson advised … Read more
By Michael Quirk Key West Citizen Students encountering sharks has been a tagline for cheesy horror flicks over the years. It became a reality recently when Newfound Harbor Marine Institute at Seacamp and Sharks4Kids Inc. hosted six female students from Sugarloaf Middle School for its “Young Women in Marine Science” program. The two-day experience held at … Read more
Here’s something you don’t see every day: divers and marine conservationists hunting one of the world’s most beautiful fishes. As unlikely as this may seem, this scene is becoming more prevalent since the introduction of exotic lionfish in the Gulf States. Lionfish are an invasive species from the Indo Pacific that were introduced into Atlantic … Read more
A man was jailed Tuesday after police said he was caught on Duval Street with three large iguanas whose legs were “hog-tied” with duct tape as they dangled from his bicycle’s handlebars by wire. Jeremy Dugas, 35, of Key West, remained in the Stock Island jail Wednesday in lieu of $5,000 bond, facing a misdemeanor … Read more
By Timothy O’Hara Citizen Staff The Marathon Turtle Hospital received a new patient Friday, after a Key West Wildlife Center worker rescued a sick sea turtle near the seawall by the Key West International Airport. Don the loggerhead turtle, named after a man who spotted him and called rescuers, was severely emaciated when Key West … Read more
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The drive “Save the Key Deer” that started in 1950 issued a progress report. A survey when the drive began showed not more than 30 of the deer existed; in three years, the number had nearly tripled. Today: Estimates of the Key deer population have increased by about 60 percent from a 2004 estimate of 500 … Read more
The public is invited by the Key West Wildlife Center for a free informational presentation entitled “Manatee 101- An introduction to Manatees and FWC’s Manatee Research Program” given by Dr. Thomas Reinert, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). This presentation will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Key West Turtle Museum, … Read more
The breeding season, or rut, takes place in the fall and early winter. Most mating occurs in October. Pregnancy is about seven months or 200 days, with most fawns born between April and June. Fawns are tiny – only 2-4 pounds at birth. Most does have only one fawn per year. The males drop their antlers … Read more
By Kevin Wadlow kwadlow@keynoter Chris Burgess, a volunteer with the Student Conservation Association, uses a high-pressure hose to clear a space beneath a North Key Largo tree in a pilot program to create potential nesting areas for endangered Key Largowoodrats. A pilot project under way in the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge uses a high-pressure … Read more