Defenders of Wildlife
@defenders.org
Defenders of Wildlife leads the pack when it comes to protecting wild animals and plants in their natural communities. #ActAgainstExtinction
Take a break and sit for a bit with us (and our wolf friend) as we celebrate 65 years of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!
December 6, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Take a break and sit for a bit with us (and our wolf friend) as we celebrate 65 years of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!
The trek home for the holidays can be a long one, but when you get there, you know you can finally kick your feet, or wings, or flippers, or hooves up with your loved ones!
December 5, 2025 at 5:11 PM
The trek home for the holidays can be a long one, but when you get there, you know you can finally kick your feet, or wings, or flippers, or hooves up with your loved ones!
They’ve spotted new spots in Arizona!
A new jaguar, dubbed “Cinco,” was recently detected in Southern Arizona – the latest of the five big cats spotted in the state after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border over the last 15 years.
Read more: dfnd.us/49VuGgD
A new jaguar, dubbed “Cinco,” was recently detected in Southern Arizona – the latest of the five big cats spotted in the state after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border over the last 15 years.
Read more: dfnd.us/49VuGgD
December 4, 2025 at 4:25 PM
They’ve spotted new spots in Arizona!
A new jaguar, dubbed “Cinco,” was recently detected in Southern Arizona – the latest of the five big cats spotted in the state after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border over the last 15 years.
Read more: dfnd.us/49VuGgD
A new jaguar, dubbed “Cinco,” was recently detected in Southern Arizona – the latest of the five big cats spotted in the state after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border over the last 15 years.
Read more: dfnd.us/49VuGgD
Hidden deep within the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Southern Cascades is a fox – the elusive Sierra Nevada red fox. These foxes are hard to find in their snow, rugged habitat high in the mountains so researchers rely on trail cameras and…their scat!
Learn more: dfnd.us/4oxRjLH
Learn more: dfnd.us/4oxRjLH
December 3, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Hidden deep within the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Southern Cascades is a fox – the elusive Sierra Nevada red fox. These foxes are hard to find in their snow, rugged habitat high in the mountains so researchers rely on trail cameras and…their scat!
Learn more: dfnd.us/4oxRjLH
Learn more: dfnd.us/4oxRjLH
Mussels at the Sea Otter house?
Crawfish at the Hellbender house?
Prairie dog at the Black-Footed Ferret house?
There’s plenty of options for a great meal, so whose house would you eat at?
Crawfish at the Hellbender house?
Prairie dog at the Black-Footed Ferret house?
There’s plenty of options for a great meal, so whose house would you eat at?
November 27, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Mussels at the Sea Otter house?
Crawfish at the Hellbender house?
Prairie dog at the Black-Footed Ferret house?
There’s plenty of options for a great meal, so whose house would you eat at?
Crawfish at the Hellbender house?
Prairie dog at the Black-Footed Ferret house?
There’s plenty of options for a great meal, so whose house would you eat at?
Watch where you’re walking on your next hike! Instead of crunching a great leaf, you might accidentally crunch an underground bee colony.
Rusty patched bumble bees rely heavily on undisturbed soil. In addition to providing new queens a place to hibernate, these bees’ colonies nest in the ground!
Rusty patched bumble bees rely heavily on undisturbed soil. In addition to providing new queens a place to hibernate, these bees’ colonies nest in the ground!
November 26, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Watch where you’re walking on your next hike! Instead of crunching a great leaf, you might accidentally crunch an underground bee colony.
Rusty patched bumble bees rely heavily on undisturbed soil. In addition to providing new queens a place to hibernate, these bees’ colonies nest in the ground!
Rusty patched bumble bees rely heavily on undisturbed soil. In addition to providing new queens a place to hibernate, these bees’ colonies nest in the ground!
There’s little lives and worlds all around you, at your feet, in the air, in your backyard. When you move too fast, you might miss them.
Don’t just stop and smell the roses. Listen to the birds, watch the deer go by, and practice the art of noticing.
Don’t just stop and smell the roses. Listen to the birds, watch the deer go by, and practice the art of noticing.
November 25, 2025 at 7:02 PM
There’s little lives and worlds all around you, at your feet, in the air, in your backyard. When you move too fast, you might miss them.
Don’t just stop and smell the roses. Listen to the birds, watch the deer go by, and practice the art of noticing.
Don’t just stop and smell the roses. Listen to the birds, watch the deer go by, and practice the art of noticing.
We're thankful to be able to wake up each day and fight for wildlife.
While there’s still much to do, we are grateful to be able to celebrate wins like a historic bison transfer, safeguarded refuges, new wolf packs in Colorado and more.
And most of all, we’re grateful to have you by our side!
While there’s still much to do, we are grateful to be able to celebrate wins like a historic bison transfer, safeguarded refuges, new wolf packs in Colorado and more.
And most of all, we’re grateful to have you by our side!
November 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
We're thankful to be able to wake up each day and fight for wildlife.
While there’s still much to do, we are grateful to be able to celebrate wins like a historic bison transfer, safeguarded refuges, new wolf packs in Colorado and more.
And most of all, we’re grateful to have you by our side!
While there’s still much to do, we are grateful to be able to celebrate wins like a historic bison transfer, safeguarded refuges, new wolf packs in Colorado and more.
And most of all, we’re grateful to have you by our side!
We are at a crossroads – extinction or recovery. We should walk down the road that has manatees and otters in our waters and wolves and owls in our forests, not speed down the one with dying animals, ecological devastation, and a betrayal of our conservation legacy.
Read more: dfnd.us/487jPgS
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Read more: dfnd.us/487jPgS
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November 19, 2025 at 10:05 PM
We are at a crossroads – extinction or recovery. We should walk down the road that has manatees and otters in our waters and wolves and owls in our forests, not speed down the one with dying animals, ecological devastation, and a betrayal of our conservation legacy.
Read more: dfnd.us/487jPgS
🧵⬇️
Read more: dfnd.us/487jPgS
🧵⬇️
You’re on a date, it’s going well. Then, he gets up and starts strutting around, inflating his chest and shaking his rump. Do you get up and walk away, or do you think he’s the one?
While this may be strange to you, if you were a sage-grouse it’d be perfectly normal!
Learn more: dfnd.us/42TwnH8
While this may be strange to you, if you were a sage-grouse it’d be perfectly normal!
Learn more: dfnd.us/42TwnH8
November 19, 2025 at 8:42 PM
You’re on a date, it’s going well. Then, he gets up and starts strutting around, inflating his chest and shaking his rump. Do you get up and walk away, or do you think he’s the one?
While this may be strange to you, if you were a sage-grouse it’d be perfectly normal!
Learn more: dfnd.us/42TwnH8
While this may be strange to you, if you were a sage-grouse it’d be perfectly normal!
Learn more: dfnd.us/42TwnH8
We can’t imagine a Yellowstone without wolves, an Everglades without alligators, a U.S. without bald eagles, and especially not a world without wildlife.
The Endangered Species Act protected those iconic species and will continue to protect even more – as long as WE protect IT.
The Endangered Species Act protected those iconic species and will continue to protect even more – as long as WE protect IT.
November 19, 2025 at 3:13 PM
We can’t imagine a Yellowstone without wolves, an Everglades without alligators, a U.S. without bald eagles, and especially not a world without wildlife.
The Endangered Species Act protected those iconic species and will continue to protect even more – as long as WE protect IT.
The Endangered Species Act protected those iconic species and will continue to protect even more – as long as WE protect IT.
Ever had to take your kids grocery shopping? Ever have a particularly good piece of salmon? Ever eat too much and have to nap for what feels like months?
If so, you might have a lot in common with an Alaskan brown bear!
If so, you might have a lot in common with an Alaskan brown bear!
November 18, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Ever had to take your kids grocery shopping? Ever have a particularly good piece of salmon? Ever eat too much and have to nap for what feels like months?
If so, you might have a lot in common with an Alaskan brown bear!
If so, you might have a lot in common with an Alaskan brown bear!
For manatees searching for warm waters, it can be a maze of obstacles in Florida.
When moving between waterways, they must avoid dredging operations, coastal development, and boats. They also must navigate manmade obstacles that should be simple to solve: dams and their locks.
dfnd.us/3LHyJD7
When moving between waterways, they must avoid dredging operations, coastal development, and boats. They also must navigate manmade obstacles that should be simple to solve: dams and their locks.
dfnd.us/3LHyJD7
A Big Dam Problem for Florida Manatees
Among the many reasons to appreciate Florida manatees, there is one simple truth: they’re not hard to find if you know where to look.
dfnd.us
November 18, 2025 at 4:28 PM
For manatees searching for warm waters, it can be a maze of obstacles in Florida.
When moving between waterways, they must avoid dredging operations, coastal development, and boats. They also must navigate manmade obstacles that should be simple to solve: dams and their locks.
dfnd.us/3LHyJD7
When moving between waterways, they must avoid dredging operations, coastal development, and boats. They also must navigate manmade obstacles that should be simple to solve: dams and their locks.
dfnd.us/3LHyJD7
Take a pause and float peacefully with us for Manatee Awareness Month.
November 15, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Take a pause and float peacefully with us for Manatee Awareness Month.
Today, we filed suit to challenge the unlawful sellout of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge – an essential and irreplaceable home for caribou, brown bear and global populations of Pacific brant and Emperor geese among many other species.
Read more: dfnd.us/4pcuoq0
Read more: dfnd.us/4pcuoq0
November 13, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Today, we filed suit to challenge the unlawful sellout of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge – an essential and irreplaceable home for caribou, brown bear and global populations of Pacific brant and Emperor geese among many other species.
Read more: dfnd.us/4pcuoq0
Read more: dfnd.us/4pcuoq0
Make some room in the jacuzzi please!
Did you know that Florida manatees cannot tolerate waters below 68° F for extended periods, as cold water can stun and even kill them? Whether natural or man-made, manatees depend on warm waters to survive the coldest days of winter.
dfnd.us/47BCcLT
Did you know that Florida manatees cannot tolerate waters below 68° F for extended periods, as cold water can stun and even kill them? Whether natural or man-made, manatees depend on warm waters to survive the coldest days of winter.
dfnd.us/47BCcLT
November 12, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Make some room in the jacuzzi please!
Did you know that Florida manatees cannot tolerate waters below 68° F for extended periods, as cold water can stun and even kill them? Whether natural or man-made, manatees depend on warm waters to survive the coldest days of winter.
dfnd.us/47BCcLT
Did you know that Florida manatees cannot tolerate waters below 68° F for extended periods, as cold water can stun and even kill them? Whether natural or man-made, manatees depend on warm waters to survive the coldest days of winter.
dfnd.us/47BCcLT
If we let the extinction crisis go unchecked and wildlife go unprotected, we will lose more than just animals. We will lose our greatest teachers, our furry friends and neighbors, and our ties to the natural world – all in our lifetime.
But with the Endangered Species Act, we can keep them safe.
But with the Endangered Species Act, we can keep them safe.
November 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
If we let the extinction crisis go unchecked and wildlife go unprotected, we will lose more than just animals. We will lose our greatest teachers, our furry friends and neighbors, and our ties to the natural world – all in our lifetime.
But with the Endangered Species Act, we can keep them safe.
But with the Endangered Species Act, we can keep them safe.
Picture a mother polar bear and her cub, curled up in a den beneath the snow when...BOOM! The sounds and vibrations of machinery shatter their peace. Confused and scared, the mother abandons her cub.
If seismic testing takes place in the Arctic Refuge, this could be their reality. dfnd.us/4nHBbqx
If seismic testing takes place in the Arctic Refuge, this could be their reality. dfnd.us/4nHBbqx
Shaking the Earth: What Seismic Exploration means for Alaska’s Wildlife
If you think back to your high school geology class, you may recall learning about seismic waves which are acoustic energy that travel th
dfnd.us
November 6, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Picture a mother polar bear and her cub, curled up in a den beneath the snow when...BOOM! The sounds and vibrations of machinery shatter their peace. Confused and scared, the mother abandons her cub.
If seismic testing takes place in the Arctic Refuge, this could be their reality. dfnd.us/4nHBbqx
If seismic testing takes place in the Arctic Refuge, this could be their reality. dfnd.us/4nHBbqx
#DYK polar bears are only found in the Arctic?
In fact, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain is the most important land habitat for denning polar bears in the U.S. Yet that’s exactly where disruptive seismic testing for oil and gas is set to take place.
dfnd.us/3IYVq4Q
In fact, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain is the most important land habitat for denning polar bears in the U.S. Yet that’s exactly where disruptive seismic testing for oil and gas is set to take place.
dfnd.us/3IYVq4Q
November 5, 2025 at 6:15 PM
#DYK polar bears are only found in the Arctic?
In fact, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain is the most important land habitat for denning polar bears in the U.S. Yet that’s exactly where disruptive seismic testing for oil and gas is set to take place.
dfnd.us/3IYVq4Q
In fact, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain is the most important land habitat for denning polar bears in the U.S. Yet that’s exactly where disruptive seismic testing for oil and gas is set to take place.
dfnd.us/3IYVq4Q
Us hitting the snooze as Daylight Savings ends...
November 2, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Us hitting the snooze as Daylight Savings ends...
Take a few deep breaths with our national mammal for National Bison Day.
November 1, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Take a few deep breaths with our national mammal for National Bison Day.
When you spend a lot of time hiking, snorkeling and working with wildlife, you may cross paths with some scary animals. But on a closer look, these fear-inducing animals are cool AND essential to their environment.
Read more to see 13 “creepy” animals as seen in the field!
dfnd.us/4oemwEj
Read more to see 13 “creepy” animals as seen in the field!
dfnd.us/4oemwEj
Top 13 Creepy but Cool Animals
When you spend a lot of time in nature and working with wildlife, you may cross paths with some frightfully scary animals. But on a closer look, things may not be as
dfnd.us
October 30, 2025 at 3:47 PM
When you spend a lot of time hiking, snorkeling and working with wildlife, you may cross paths with some scary animals. But on a closer look, these fear-inducing animals are cool AND essential to their environment.
Read more to see 13 “creepy” animals as seen in the field!
dfnd.us/4oemwEj
Read more to see 13 “creepy” animals as seen in the field!
dfnd.us/4oemwEj
Don’t call pest control!
#DYK: Little brown bats are natural pest control experts? A single bat is capable of eating up to 1,000 insects in just one hour! That’s hundreds of mosquitoes, moths, beetles and agricultural pests taken out of the air without a single drop of pesticide.
dfnd.us/4nANyoo
#DYK: Little brown bats are natural pest control experts? A single bat is capable of eating up to 1,000 insects in just one hour! That’s hundreds of mosquitoes, moths, beetles and agricultural pests taken out of the air without a single drop of pesticide.
dfnd.us/4nANyoo
October 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Don’t call pest control!
#DYK: Little brown bats are natural pest control experts? A single bat is capable of eating up to 1,000 insects in just one hour! That’s hundreds of mosquitoes, moths, beetles and agricultural pests taken out of the air without a single drop of pesticide.
dfnd.us/4nANyoo
#DYK: Little brown bats are natural pest control experts? A single bat is capable of eating up to 1,000 insects in just one hour! That’s hundreds of mosquitoes, moths, beetles and agricultural pests taken out of the air without a single drop of pesticide.
dfnd.us/4nANyoo
In “The Lorax,” the Once-ler chops down all the Truffula trees, ignoring the Lorax’s warnings until the land is barren and the animals are gone. What was meant as a cautionary children’s tale now feels more like a prophecy coming true.
Read more from our op-ed featured in USA Today. dfnd.us/4qvvbUo
Read more from our op-ed featured in USA Today. dfnd.us/4qvvbUo
Opinion: The Lorax's Warning Is Clear: Will We Speak for the Trees and Our Wildlife?
This blog presents a recent op-ed in
dfnd.us
October 27, 2025 at 8:55 PM
In “The Lorax,” the Once-ler chops down all the Truffula trees, ignoring the Lorax’s warnings until the land is barren and the animals are gone. What was meant as a cautionary children’s tale now feels more like a prophecy coming true.
Read more from our op-ed featured in USA Today. dfnd.us/4qvvbUo
Read more from our op-ed featured in USA Today. dfnd.us/4qvvbUo
It wasn’t enough to bulldoze the White House, now they’re selling out two of our largest national wildlife refuges to private interests in a move that threatens treasured biodiversity hotspots and imperiled wildlife habitat in Alaska’s Arctic and Izembek National Wildlife Refuges.
dfnd.us/474Eram
dfnd.us/474Eram
DOI Trades Away Alaskan Refuges, Sells Out Public Lands
The Trump administration dealt a blow to the National Wildlife Refuge System by removing protections from the Arctic and Izembek National Wildlife Refuges.
dfnd.us
October 24, 2025 at 2:55 PM
It wasn’t enough to bulldoze the White House, now they’re selling out two of our largest national wildlife refuges to private interests in a move that threatens treasured biodiversity hotspots and imperiled wildlife habitat in Alaska’s Arctic and Izembek National Wildlife Refuges.
dfnd.us/474Eram
dfnd.us/474Eram