Success Stories
Defenders of Wildlife has been protecting wildlife for more than 60 years, and we've got plenty of success stories to prove it. Below are some of our most recent wins for wildlife.
A Win for Wildlife! In April 2012 Florida Governor Rick Scott vetoed HB 1117, legislation that would have allowed state zoos and aquariums to lease state-owned land to conduct breeding and research on animals including giraffes, zebras and rhinos.
In April 2012, Florida’s Hendry County put into effect a new slow speed nighttime panther zone on a 5.25 mile stretch of CR 832/Keri Road, a rural road that bisects the Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest.
In March 2012, in its first vote on the issue since 2008, the U.S. Senate decisively voted down a measure to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration.
On March 19, 2012, about 60 genetically pure bison were relocated from a quarantine facility outside Yellowstone National Park to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in eastern Montana.
On October 17, 2011, a federal judge struck down a Bush administration rule that exempted greenhouse gas emissions from regulation under provisions of the Endangered Species Act.
Sea otters in California received some great news in September 2011 as Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation re-establishing the California Sea Otter Fund, the main source of funding for sea otter research and conservation efforts in the Golden State.
On June 24, 2011 the Oregon Senate unanimously approved a bill that establishes a county-based livestock compensation and wolf coexistence program to reduce conflicts between livestock and wolves.
In New Jersey, the Wildlife Habitat Council uses the Conservation Registry to find successful osprey habitat enhancement projects to help a corporate partner maximize their conservation investments.
Victory! Congress votes to protect endangered wildlife over special interests. Learn how Defenders and our supporters helped make this great win happen.
In May 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case challenging a 2009 decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which mandated that as of December 31, 2009 no domestically grown food crop could be grown with carbofuran, a highly toxic chemical that has killed millions of wild birds.