sanctuary

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Newest Marine Sanctuary Goes to Indigenous Stewards

Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary includes 4.5K square miles of ocean off Central California

(Newser) - A new national marine sanctuary off the Central California coast will make history as the first in the US to be led by Indigenous people, NPR reports. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, to be managed by NOAA with input from Indigenous groups, is the result of a decade of...

One of Our Biggest Mammals Finally Gets a Sanctuary

Caribbean island of Dominica preserves about 300 square miles for nearly 3 dozen whale families

(Newser) - The tiny Caribbean island of Dominica is creating the world's first marine-protected area for one of Earth's largest animals: the endangered sperm whale. Nearly 300 square miles of royal blue waters on the western side of the island nation that serve as key nursing and feeding grounds will...

For First Time in 1,168 Days, She Walked Out of Utah Church

Vicky Chavez took sanctuary in the church with her 2 young daughters

(Newser) - After over three years living in a Salt Lake City church to avoid being deported, Honduran immigrant Vicky Chavez stepped outside Thursday with tears in her eyes as church congregants and friends cheered, celebrating her newfound freedom, the AP reports. Chavez and her two young daughters took sanctuary in First...

After Big Dem Wins, State's Gun Advocates Seek 'Sanctuary'

Virginia's Roanoke County just declared itself '2nd Amendment Sanctuary'; Roanoke the city declined

(Newser) - Officials of a Virginia city have rebuffed pleas by gun advocates asking it to declare the city a so-called "Second Amendment Sanctuary." Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea on Monday announced at a packed City Council meeting that he sees no benefit in validating what the US Constitution already guarantees,...

Immigration Showdown: Feds Are Suing California

Justice Department thinks state 'sanctuary' laws too lenient toward undocumented immigrants

(Newser) - The nation's debate on sanctuary cities and states is about to play out front and center in a federal courtroom. The Justice Department is suing the state of California over three new laws that provide protection to undocumented immigrants, reports NPR . Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be in the...

Colorado Animal Sanctuary Euthanizes All Animals

A week earlier, their request to move was denied

(Newser) - Amid a "shocking" tragedy, locals say something smells fishy in central Colorado. On April 12, after the owners of the Lion's Gate wild animal sanctuary requested to move to a nearby but more urban location citing safety concerns after recurring flooding on the property, Elbert County commissioners voted...

National Aquarium Moving Its Dolphins to Sanctuary

8 will head to seaside facility by end of 2020

(Newser) - Baltimore's National Aquarium says it will send its eight dolphins to "the nation's first seaside dolphin sanctuary" before the end of 2020 amid increasing pressure from animal activists. The animals will live out their lives in the outdoor facility, which has not been built, but will still...

Couple's Wedding Guest List: 1,100 Cats

It was the first wedding to be held at California's Cat House on the Kings

(Newser) - At most weddings, it would probably be considered impolite, or at the very least unusual, if the majority of guests began to lick themselves. But it was neither impolite nor unusual in the case of the 1,100 guests at a Canadian couple's destination wedding in California. Dominic Husson...

New Zealand Plans Ocean Sanctuary Twice Its Size

Kermadec ocean sanctuary would cover 240K square miles

(Newser) - A marine reserve about 600 miles northeast of New Zealand will get much, much bigger if Prime Minister John Key has his way. Just how big? Well, the Kermadec ocean sanctuary will stretch for 240,000 square miles—an area twice the size of New Zealand's landmass—if government...

Elephant Sanctuary Founder Crushed by Old Friend

Former juggler Jim Laurita gave circus animals a home

(Newser) - The remarkable life of Jim Laurita, a circus juggler turned veterinarian who founded an elephant sanctuary to care for his old friends, has been brought to a premature end by one of the animals he loved. The 56-year-old was found dead yesterday at the Hope Elephants sanctuary in Hope, Maine,...

Obama May Create Earth's Biggest Ocean Sanctuary

Would use executive authority to expand Bush-created monument

(Newser) - In 2009, President Bush created an 87,000-square-mile marine sanctuary in the Pacific. Now, his successor wants to expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to 782,000 miles, a move that would double the area of protected ocean worldwide, the Washington Post reports. The marine sanctuary would be...

Island Nation Creates Largest Shark Sanctuary

Protected area size of Mexico

(Newser) - A Mexico-size chunk of the Pacific will soon be a haven for sharks—and they have a tiny island nation to thank. The Marshall Islands’ government is declaring its waters off-limits to commercial shark fishing and the trade of shark products, the BBC reports, providing the creatures with 750,000...

Like Most Humans, Jacko's Bubbles Retired in Fla.

(Newser) - He sat in the studio as the "Bad" album was recorded, dined with countless celebrities, and was once perhaps the world's most famous chimp. But like so many oldsters, today Michael Jackson's onetime pal Bubbles lives a quiet life in the retirement haven of Florida, reports the Miami Herald....

Bird Shelters Overrun as Foreclosures Take Toll

Exotic animals not always welcome, and require special care

(Newser) - The US foreclosure epidemic, hard on all kinds of pets, appears particularly devastating for exotic birds, Reuters reports. People forced to vacate their homes are finding that cockatiels, macaws, and the like won’t fly at their new digs. Shelters for cats and dogs aren’t equipped to handle the...

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