FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Hunting lionfish can help the environment while earning a few bucks — just be careful not to touch the spines.

An alligator taken from the wild was found being kept in the garage of an Orlando home, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Wednesday the agency is trying to address concerns about increased human-bear conflicts in Franklin County.

In a release, the FWC reported that an officer was surveilling a nearby lake after complaints came in about illegal hunting in the area.

A woman in Orange County was cited after deputies learned she was keeping an alligator in a bathtub, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Captains of two Wild Florida airboats that collided on Cypress Lake in August told investigators they did not see the other boat coming until it was too late.

In a release, FWC officials said that law enforcement investigated the shooting, and the bear was euthanized due to the severity of her injuries.

Thirteen people were injured after two airboats crashed at Wild Florida in Osceola County, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials.

A batch of new warning signs have been posted in Satellite Beach after a crocodile was seen with a dog in its mouth.

The 2023-2024 hunting season is set to kick off in Florida, and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced the dates when hunters will be able to go out and nab their prey.

A Florida neighborhood is having to deal with a growing group of domestic rabbits on its streets after a breeder illegally let hers loose.

Multiple agencies responded to East Lake Toho to search for a woman recently reported missing, according to the St. Cloud Police Department.

Stranded or sunbathing? A beached manatee was rescued from the Ponce Inlet shore on Wednesday.

A Seminole County man was arrested after his dog died when he left it in a hot vehicle for hours on Sunday, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A 72-year-old man was found dead in a Tavares lake, officials say.

A 13-year-old boy was bitten by alligator in a Winter Springs creek on Tuesday, according to fire officials and a 911 call from the boy.

A contagious disease to deer, elk, moose and caribou has been detected in Florida.

This time of year bears are more active and juvenile bears are starting to leave their mother’s home range and may be seen in unexpected areas as they try to find a new home.

Rock Springs reopened in Orange County after being closed a couple days due to alligators.

A black bear showed up in a tree Sunday at Lake Eola Park, as seen throughout Orlando-area social media.

Law enforcement responded after a bear was been reported in Altamonte Springs, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offers some tips on what to do if you encounter a bear.

A young black bear recently spotted in College Park was struck and killed by a car, the FWC says.

Why did the gator cross the road?

Volusia County officials announced Friday that permits for coastal construction by homeowners would continue beyond the initial May 1 deadline.

A Cocoa man was found dead Tuesday in the St. Johns River, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A woman was rescued after being lost in thick vegetation near a Volusia County creek for more than 24 hours, Florida wildlife officials say.

It took seven people to help get the fish off of the boat.

Residents are complaining about burning eyes and breathing problems.

Run-ins with alligators for three people this week across Volusia County have some homeowners on edge.

An alligator attacking a dog in Deltona was shot and killed by the owner, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A body was found in Lake Griffin Tuesday, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials.

You have a higher chance of being struck by lightning than being attacked by a gator — but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

An 85-year-old woman was attacked and killed Monday by a gator in a Florida retirement community.

Two small manatees were rescued Monday on the West Coast of Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Staff members at Wild Florida Drive-Thru Safari Park shot and killed a 2,000-pound white rhinoceros after it escaped its enclosure, according to a report compiled by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it is now recommending charges against the man accused of beating a shark with a hammer.

Florida manatees are showing signs of improvement in the third winter of what state wildlife officials are calling an unusual mortality event.

Eight people were arrested and face charges of involvement in an illegal venomous snake trafficking ring in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The drop in temperatures means colder water, and more manatees coming to Blue Spring State Park seeking a warm spot.

State wildlife officials Wednesday approved a seasonal no-entry zone in an area of Brevard County waters where manatees gather, while preparing for a second winter of feeding the sea cows to try to prevent deaths.

Something fishy found along a Florida waterway sparked the curiosity of thousands of social media users.

An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

Hoping to protect manatees as they congregate this winter, state wildlife officials issued an emergency rule that will temporarily prevent boating in an area of the Indian River Lagoon near a Florida Power & Light power plant.

Researchers said shoal bass released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee in May, 2022 have had a significant impact on conservation efforts after Hurricane Michael wiped out 90% of the population.

The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had to rescue a white-tailed deer that was stuck on a part of its property after Hurricane Ian.

A civilian budget analyst for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was arrested after committing retail theft at a Walmart on Wednesday, according to Polk County deputies.

Two Miami men were arrested Sunday after deputies said they kidnapped a Key deer in Marathon.

Dive teams in Lake County found the body of a boater who disappeared after an accident on Lake Yale.

The body of a missing boater who fell overboard in East Lake Toho Saturday night was recovered Sunday morning, according to the City of St. Cloud and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

After a record number of manatee deaths mostly linked to malnutrition, state and federal wildlife officials hope to double rescue and rehabilitation capacity before the sea cows again congregate in warm waters during the winter.

Hunters will be able to catch alligators 24 hours a day when gator hunting season starts in Florida in August.

A search is underway for a Malabar man who went overboard while fishing with friends off the coast of Melbourne Beach, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Florida is lifting its three-decade ban on catching and killing goliath groupers.

More than 80 rescued Florida manatees are in rehabilitation centers across the U.S. as wildlife officials try to stem starvation deaths by the marine mammals because of poor water quality.

The SeaWorld theme park in Orlando is opening new pools to care for Florida manatees that are dying because of starvation due to poor water quality in their normal habitat.

Officials said they observed manatees showing up at the temporary field response station in Cocoa Thursday, where a supplemental feeding trial is set up to give the manatees lettuce.

A mink was caught on camera carrying a snake on a nature trail in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.

Starvation is blamed for a record number of manatee deaths in Florida this year, with at least 1,075 recorded in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s preliminary 2021 report so far.

More than 1,050 manatees have died in Florida so far this year, a little less than double the number killed in 2020.

Alain Charles, 34, was found by dive teams on Tuesday.

The FWC searches for a missing canoer in Brevard County.

The Argentine black and white tegu is multiplying and mobilizing in the backwoods and backyards of the Sunshine State — a creature more ominous than pythons because of its cold hardiness and indiscriminate palate.

A Florida man is accused of fatally shooting a black bear and a bear cub.

Manatees typically flock to Florida in November for warmer water, abundant seagrass and shallow shores.

The record number of manatee deaths has started impacting businesses that rely on manatee sightings.

A search was underway at a lake in Sanford for a boater who did not resurface from the water, officials said.

Nearly 960 manatees have died this year in Florida, according to the latest data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard said a body recovered eight miles southeast of Port Canaveral Tuesday afternoon is the body of the missing Daytona Beach attorney Jim Evans.

A witness said the tractor operator turned around and drove back over the alligator.

A record-shattering number of sea cows have died this year.

A juvenile was killed Friday after two watercrafts collided on the Indian River.

Two hundred and twenty-three Burmese pythons were removed from the Everglades during a contest in July, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Though it’s only July, the total number of Florida manatee deaths in 2021 has already reached a higher total than it did in all of 2020, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Florida has more than 1 million alligators and several laws to protect the beasts.

Manatees have been dying at alarming rates since the beginning of 2021.

An annual hunt started Friday to try to reduce the number of Burmese pythons that threaten native wildlife in the Everglades.

A dog chasing ducks was killed by a gator in Winter Garden when it ran by the water, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

New decals from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are now on sale to help raise funds for the conservation efforts of manatees and sea turtles.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data showed as of last week, 819 manatees have died throughout the state.

South Floridians are always on the lookout for creatures big and small, from alligators to pythons to disease-carrying mosquitoes. We can now add coyotes to that list.

A bear and a coyote recently took a walk together along a trail. Here's why wildlife officials think they were spotted together.

Sea cows in Florida are dying at an alarming rate.

They say neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will stop the U.S. Postal Service, but an alligator could get in the way.

A Florida woman is recovering from injuries after being attacked by an alligator while walking her dog.

Professional python hunters and amateurs alike can win prizes in Florida’s annual hunt for the Burmese pythons that are ravaging the state’s native species.

A new study says the hulking giants of the deep, North Atlantic right whales, are on average about three feet shorter than just 20 years ago.

The Animal Legal Defense has joined Gatorland offering a reward for information.

Two men who relocate gopher tortoises are suing Florida’s wildlife commission.

Community members near Wekiva Island are offering a $500 reward for information after residents said an alligator was found bound by tape.

The dates have been announced for Florida’s Gulf red snapper season this summer and it’s possible there could be a fall reopening later this year.

An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

This job isn't for the faint of heart.

A video from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows just how close two 15-year-olds got to drifting further out to sea last week. The pair of unidentified teens, a boy and a girl, were rescued about 1½ miles off Playalinda Beach on March 18 when strong winds and seas hit the area. Florida wildlife officials said authorities at the beach contacted the agency about 2:30 p.m., along with the U.S. Coast Guard after reports the teens were getting further offshore. The two can be seen on video sitting on a paddleboard with two rescuers in the water, leading them to the waiting patrol boat. “Our officers got them on the boat and were able to return them back to the beach,” Weber said.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle. It’s the sixth panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of nine total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. On Friday, the remains of a male panther cub were found on private land near the Collier County landfill, officials said. Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle. It’s the fifth panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of seven total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The remains of the panther were found last Wednesday in Hardee County on a rural road near Wauchula, wildlife officials said. Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – One male was rescued and another was found dead after their boat capsized Monday night on the St. Johns River in Seminole County, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The males were on a 13-foot boat near Mullet Lake Park around 7 p.m. when the vessel overturned for an unknown reason. Officials said both victims tried to swim toward the shore but one of them went under the water and never resurfaced. The other victim was found dead during the overnight hours on the water bottom near the boat. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the FWC conducted the search using dive teams and a helicopter.

The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 360, and scientists have said the animal's small population of breeding females could spell doom for the species. The National Marine Fisheries Service is developing new rules to reduce the possibility of entanglement in fishing gear, which can kill the whales. AdThe coming restrictions have sparked a rancorous debate between environmentalists and lobster fishermen over the proper way to save the whale. It's holding public hearings about the proposed rules in New England, including one for southern Maine on Feb. 23 and one for northern Maine on Feb. 24. AdThe right whales were hunted to near extinction during the commercial whaling era.