Mickey Larkins, vice president of the Florida Bear Hunters Association, plans to step into the next Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting in February "loaded for bears." Larkins is studying the population of black bears in the Florida Panhandle to convince the FWC to open a short black bear hunting season. ...more

December 5, 2009

After a massive manhunt, Paul Martikainen and his 3-year-old son were found aboard a sailboat this morning and are OK, Cocoa police said. They were found in the Gulf of Mexico more than 100 miles south of Sanibel, police spokeswoman Barbara Matthews said. ...more

December 1, 2009

A mysterious simian variously described as a baboon, monkey and, at one point, a raccoon may have been sighted again this morning, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. ...more

November 20, 2009

Seagrass in the 820 square miles of coastline between the Anclote River and Levy County appears to be holding its own, despite increasing pollution coming from springs and rivers. ...more

November 19, 2009

Eric Gonzalez and his wife Tiffany were driving on Linebaugh Avenue this afternoon when an animal darted in front of their 2007 Dodge Caravan. "Look out for that dog," Eric said his wife told him. "But when it crossed in front of us, it was running at an alarming speed," Gonzalez said. "As soon as it stood up on its back legs, I knew it wasn't a dog." ...more

November 18, 2009

Florida wildlife officials are urging boaters to be on the lookout for manatees that are migrating to warmer waters for the winter. ...more

November 17, 2009

Some municipal employees who typically deal with water conservation or other local issues spent Nov. 7 helping take in unwanted exotic animals. ...more

November 14, 2009

It's a monkey, not a raccoon, after all. ...more

November 11, 2009

Some were too large. Others were unruly. Some were just unwanted. Owners of exotic pets streamed to a location near Busch Gardens on Saturday, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission amnesty day. ...more

November 10, 2009

Pinellas sheriff's deputies George Moffett and David Littlejohn were familiar with calls of a burglary in progress, a tense situation even without the broken window or blood trail they found Saturday afternoon. ...more

November 9, 2009