Animals
Divided Kentucky Senate advances bill attaching Fish and Wildlife to agriculture department
FRANKFORT — The GOP-dominated Senate narrowly advanced a controversial change for Kentucky’s wildlife management agency Friday while also voting to administratively attach the racing commission to the state agriculture department as well.? Sportsmen’s and wildlife conservation groups have strongly opposed the proposal, and lawmakers echoed their concerns during Friday’s debate.? Senate Bill 3, primarily sponsored […]
Bill making animal torture a felony on first offense advances
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill Thursday that would make it a Class D felony to torture a dog or cat on the first offense? Doing so is already a felony on subsequent offenses, according to the sponsor, Rep. Susan Witten, R-Louisville.? She spoke alongside Kentucky Humane Society celebrity rescue Ethan, […]
Kentucky hunters, anglers decry proposal to put Fish and Wildlife under agriculture department
FRANKFORT —Wildlife conservation and sportsmen groups on Tuesday voiced strong opposition to a bill that would put wildlife management under the purview of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and its Republican commissioner.? Senate Bill 3, sponsored by Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, would move the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) from the tourism […]
Want to buy a bull bison?
The Kentucky Department of Parks is accepting bids for two bison at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site. The one-year-old bulls are in excellent health. They are being sold in a two separate lots. Bids are being accepted now until March 14. For questions or to make an appointment to see the bison, contact Claire […]
Kentucky House passes bill making it a felony to torture dogs and cats
The Kentucky House kicked off the week by passing a bill that would make it a Class D felony to torture a dog or cat. House Bill 258 passed the chamber 80-9. A similar bill passed a few hurdles in the 2023 session but did not make it into law.? In late February, celebrity rescue […]
Small Kentucky farms are again exempt from hunting, fishing license requirements
FRANKFORT — One of the first bills to become law in this year’s legislative session clarifies that Kentuckians who own farms of five acres or smaller can fish or hunt on their own property without purchasing a hunting or fishing license.? Senate Bill 5, sponsored by Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, signed into law Thursday by […]
Celebrity rescue Ethan supports bill to make animal torture a felony in Kentucky?
FRANKFORT — In early 2021, Ethan the dog became a Louisville and Kentucky celebrity as the city rallied behind his recovery from horrific neglect. Ethan’s human, Jeff Callaway, told lawmakers Wednesday that after being sold as a puppy, he was traded for drugs and endured a “hellish” chapter of his life that ultimately led to […]
Kentucky Senate takes aim at ‘harassing’ drones photographing livestock, food production
FRANKFORT — A bill backed by Kentucky’s poultry industry and approved by the Senate Thursday would subject drone operators to new restrictions that opponents warn could help hide health and safety hazards in food production. Critics worry that Senate Bill 16, sponsored by Sen. John Schickel, a Republican from Northern Kentucky, could criminalize more activities […]
A few streams are freed from low head dams but many more remain in Kentucky
In the early years of this nation and state, settlers built small dams on rivers and streams to capture waterpower for mills, enable navigation and assure a water supply. In the middle part of the last century even more were built as government agencies tried to bring waterways under control. Today, thousands of those dams […]
How can Kentucky tackle veterinarian shortage? Working group presents its ideas.
Kentucky’s Veterinary Shortage Working Group met Tuesday to finalize a report 18 months in the making.? The report includes ways Kentucky can bring more veterinarians, especially those who practice on large animals, into the profession and give them further support to practice in Kentucky. The group, which is under the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, has […]
More dove fields added for upcoming Kentucky season
Kentucky hunters will have more dove fields for the upcoming season, the state’s Fish and Wildlife department said Friday.? Dove season opens in Kentucky on Sept. 1. Fish and Wildlife has signed “voluntary agreements with private landowners” in West and Central Kentucky to add two public fields for dove hunting.? These two new fields – […]
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife gives safety tips about black bear sightings
As the summer season begins, wildlife officials are advising Kentuckians about possible black bear sightings.? The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife says that sightings of black bears are common across the state. Encounters with the animals are possible, too, especially in early summer.? Recent sightings have been reported in eastern, southeastern and southcentral Kentucky, […]