CATCA Environmental and Wildlife Society

13/04/2026

https://www.freebuanoi.com/

09/04/2026

CEWS & IPPL organized this lovely event during the CITES CoP20

Celebrating the life of Dr Jane Goodall DBE at a Memorial Event at CITES

01/04/2026

Box turtles walk the same route for their ENTIRE LIVES.

Some for 50-100+ years.

Their home range is only about 750 feet across — but they know every inch of it.

Every food source. Every water source. Every hibernation spot.

When a fence goes up across that route:

→ The turtle walks the fence line. Back and forth. For days.
→ It overheats in the sun (turtles can't regulate body temperature well)
→ It starves (food is on the other side)
→ It becomes an easy target for predators (dogs, raccoons)
→ If it's a female trying to reach her nesting site — eggs are never laid

Box turtles are in serious decline across the eastern US:
→ Habitat fragmentation (fences, roads, development)
→ Road mortality (they freeze when cars approach — like deer, but slower)
→ Collection for the pet trade
→ Lawnmower injuries (they hide in tall grass)
→ They take 5-10 YEARS to reach reproductive age
→ They lay only 3-8 eggs per year
→ Losing even a few adults per year = population collapse

A 6-INCH GAP at the bottom of your fence:
→ Lets box turtles, toads, and small mammals pass through
→ Doesn't let your dog out (most dogs can't fit through 6 inches)
→ Costs $0 to add during fence construction
→ Can be retrofitted in 10 minutes

If you see a box turtle crossing a road:
→ Move it in the direction it was heading (NEVER put it "back" — it'll just try again)
→ Hold it low to the ground (they p*e when scared and can dehydrate)

One gap. 6 inches. 30 years of commute saved.

That's the easiest conservation win you'll ever make. 🐢

01/04/2026

Take action! The octopus due to stress are eating each other! :'(
Inside a cramped tank, an octopus reaches for escape but finds none. They circle endlessly with nowhere to hide. Mother octopuses are discarded, their eggs harvested for artificial incubation.

Overstressed and understimulated, they begin attacking each other — even eating their tankmates.

This is not natural behavior for one of the most intelligent beings on Earth. Yet it’s the reality inside the Western Hemisphere’s only operating octopus farm in Sisal, Yucatán, built to answer one question: can octopuses be farmed like chickens or pigs?

After twelve years, more than half have died. Nearly a third have been driven to cannibalism.

And right now, we have a chance to stop this cruelty.

Mexico’s Senate has introduced a bill to ban the industrial breeding, confinement, and farming of octopuses nationwide. It is now moving through Senate commissions, the decisive stage where public pressure can tip the outcome.

Inside a cramped tank, an octopus reaches for escape but finds none. They circle endlessly with nowhere to hide. Mother octopuses are discarded, their eggs harvested for artificial incubation. Overst

29/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FPX8qnd2G/

The monarch butterfly gets all the attention.

But the painted lady may be the greatest migrant on Earth.

→ Painted ladies migrate up to 9,000 miles
→ From North Africa to Scandinavia (Old World) or Mexico to Canada (New World)
→ BILLIONS migrate at once in some years
→ They travel in a SINGLE generation (no relay like monarchs)
→ They fly at altitudes of 1,000-3,000 feet — often invisible to us
→ Radar studies detected 11 BILLION painted ladies crossing the Sahara in a single season

In April, painted ladies are pushing through the US:
→ Moving north from Mexico and the Southwest
→ In "boom years" (every few years), the numbers are STAGGERING
→ They can cover 100+ miles per day
→ They DON'T follow a single route — they spread across the entire continent

What they need from YOUR yard:
→ Nectar sources: cosmos, zinnias, asters, coneflowers, thistles
→ Host plants for caterpillars: thistles, hollyhocks, mallows
→ NO pesticides (caterpillars die from even low-dose exposure)

The painted lady is the most widespread butterfly on Earth:
→ Found on every continent except Antarctica and South America
→ Adapts to almost any habitat
→ Completes 4-5 generations per year

Billions of butterflies. 9,000 miles. Invisible at altitude.

The greatest migration you've never heard of.

Happening over your head this month. 🦋

28/03/2026

The dead tree in your yard is the most important wildlife structure on your property.

Dead standing trees (called "snags") are CRITICAL habitat:

→ 85+ bird species in North America nest in tree cavities
→ Most cavity-nesting birds CANNOT excavate their own holes — they depend on woodpecker holes in dead wood
→ Bats roost under loose bark
→ Screech owls, kestrels, and wood ducks use large cavities
→ 300+ insect species live in dead wood (food for birds)
→ Fungi and lichens break down wood, recycling nutrients into soil

A dead tree provides MORE wildlife habitat than a living one.

Here's the problem:

→ HOAs demand dead tree removal for "aesthetics"
→ Homeowners remove them from liability fear
→ We've created a cavity housing crisis for wildlife

WHAT TO DO:

→ If the dead tree isn't a hazard (not near structures or power lines): LEAVE IT
→ If it IS a hazard: have an arborist reduce it to a 15-foot "wildlife snag" instead of full removal
→ Even a 10-foot stump becomes habitat
→ Tell your HOA it's a "wildlife habitat feature" (many states now have wildlife-friendly landscaping protections)

Alternative: install nest boxes to replace lost cavities
→ Screech owl box: $25-40
→ Bluebird box: $15-25
→ Kestrel box: $30-50

The prettiest yard on the block is biologically empty.

The "ugly" yard with the dead tree? That's the one keeping the neighborhood alive.

Dead wood isn't a mess. It's a miracle. 🪵

28/03/2026

https://www.tourismupdate.com/article/kzn-plans-removal-of-over-1-000-elephants? 😢 Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatani and Zambia, they are always trying to downlist their populations of elephants and get the approval from the CITES member countries "a one sell" of ivory tusks at CITES CoP's. Usually Zimbabwe and South Africa are the leaders in anti conservation of African elephants. No more massacre of elephants in South African Countries.

More than 1 000 elephants could be removed from protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal as authorities move to address what they describe as mounting ecol…

27/03/2026

Help me to continue my volunteer work of 50 years saving exotic and street animals Mexico and Guatemala https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-get-my-urgent-cervical-replacement-surgery-in-april?

My name is Ericka Ceballos. I am pleading with you to urgentl… Ericka Ceballos needs your support for Help me get my urgent cervical replacement surgery in April!

13/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122305634330210863&set=a.122123356904210863

Hello. I’m the Wheel Bug. Sorry for the intimidating armor and the "gear" on my back.

I am the largest of the Assassin Bugs. I don't hide; I hunt. I am the only thing brave enough to take on the pests that other predators avoid.

I specialize in eating Japanese Beetles, Stink Bugs, and Tent Caterpillars.

I am a one-bug security team. My "wheel" is actually a warning to birds to stay away. I have a painful bite if handled, but I have zero interest in humans—I’m too busy saving your crops.

What to do:
Admire me from a distance! If I’m in your garden, it’s a high-value signal that you have a balanced ecosystem. Don't touch, and definitely don't spray.

I’m sorry I look like a steampunk nightmare.
But your prize roses are pest-free because of me.

12/03/2026

Please, TAKE ACTION in this urgent matter. The Mexican Grey Wolf are the most endangered wolves in North America, and they doesn't need any more senseless killings to their already fragile populations. As of 2026, there are at least 319 wild Mexican wolves in the US and 45 in Mexico, and 380 in captive breeding programs, up from the 11 individuals that were released in Arizona in 1998. These numbers represent a minimum as the survey only counts wolf sightings confirmed by Interagency Field Team staff.
USFWS ISSUES LETHAL PERMIT FOR ENDANGERED MEXICAN GRAY WOLF (video via )
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a 45-day lethal take permit in Catron County, New Mexico, allowing up to seven authorized individuals (including ranchers and agents) to kill one endangered Mexican gray wolf. The permit does not identify a specific wolf, meaning any wolf in the area could be killed.
One of the wolves potentially at risk is Nora, a genetically valuable female who may be PREGNANT. Scientists say she carries rare and underrepresented genes that are critical for the recovery of the species. 💔🐺
Mexican gray wolves are the most endangered wolves in North America. The entire wild population descends from just seven founding wolves, and today only about 319 remain in the wild!!!
Killing a wolf like Nora wouldn’t just remove one animal.
It could mean losing irreplaceable genetic diversity and possibly an entire future generation of wolves.
These wolves are supposed to be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
📣 TAKE ACTION
Contact the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and tell them to revoke this lethal permit and protect Mexican gray wolves.
https://www.fws.gov/contact-us Instagram:
Example message you can send:
“I am urging the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to revoke the lethal permit issued in Catron County that allows the killing of an endangered Mexican gray wolf. This species is still recovering and every individual (especially genetically valuable females) matters for the future of the population.”
Share this post and speak up for wolves. 🐺