The initiator of the advocacy group New York State for Exotic Animal Ownership, Carrie Leo serves as the director of Caring for Cottontails Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc. Carrie Leo is experienced in exotic animal care, wildlife education, and environmental conservation.
While exotic animals are predominantly, if not entirely, non-indigenous species, wildlife belong to the people of the state in which all state residents have an interest. Each state employs wildlife rehabilitators who are volunteers for the state's natural resources departments. They take in and care for a variety of species indigenous to the particular state in which the wildlife rehabilitator operates. The vast array of species wildlife rehabilitators may encounter vary from the smallest animal, such as some species of rodents and birds, to large predators such as wolves and black bears; the latter of which, the black bear, is an indigenous apex predator species if New York State, in particular.
A large bear with erect and rounded ears, a long narrow muzzle, and a short tail, black bears spend most of their time looking for food and can live on a wide variety of foods, including seeds and insects. Although many black bears exist in the wild, these animals can also be found in agricultural and semi-rural environments. Occasionally, black bears are seen in urban centers.
According to information available on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ("DEC" or "NYSDEC") website, black bears inhabit multiple regions in New York. With the current data, about 50 to 60 percent of black bears in New York inhabit the Adirondack region, while 30 to 35 percent are found in the Catskill region. Smaller numbers of black bears (about 10 to 15 percent of the state's total) live in the central-western region. The existence of black bears in other regions such as Mohawk Valley, Lake Ontario Plains, and St. Lawrence Valley was also recorded, and this routinely encountered population is apparently due to their ongoing search for new homes.
While exotic animals are predominantly, if not entirely, non-indigenous species, wildlife belong to the people of the state in which all state residents have an interest. Each state employs wildlife rehabilitators who are volunteers for the state's natural resources departments. They take in and care for a variety of species indigenous to the particular state in which the wildlife rehabilitator operates. The vast array of species wildlife rehabilitators may encounter vary from the smallest animal, such as some species of rodents and birds, to large predators such as wolves and black bears; the latter of which, the black bear, is an indigenous apex predator species if New York State, in particular.
A large bear with erect and rounded ears, a long narrow muzzle, and a short tail, black bears spend most of their time looking for food and can live on a wide variety of foods, including seeds and insects. Although many black bears exist in the wild, these animals can also be found in agricultural and semi-rural environments. Occasionally, black bears are seen in urban centers.
According to information available on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ("DEC" or "NYSDEC") website, black bears inhabit multiple regions in New York. With the current data, about 50 to 60 percent of black bears in New York inhabit the Adirondack region, while 30 to 35 percent are found in the Catskill region. Smaller numbers of black bears (about 10 to 15 percent of the state's total) live in the central-western region. The existence of black bears in other regions such as Mohawk Valley, Lake Ontario Plains, and St. Lawrence Valley was also recorded, and this routinely encountered population is apparently due to their ongoing search for new homes.
