The symbol of all things arctic, the polar bear, was added Wednesday to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife department’s protected list. Placing the iconic bear on the list means that it is within the realm of extinction.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne made the announcement today that many had feared. As polar ice caps have melted, the polar bear has had little room for hunting, much less surviving. The government agency announcing this move today also signals a change in the administration’s thinking about global warming and that it truly exists.

Kempthorne has always tried to remove the list from even existing. He seems to have caved in to the realities of the world he is now witnessing.

Along the Canadian polar ice caps, the number of polar bears has dwindled to 25,000.

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The Kentucky Derby held its triumphant spectacle in the Bluegrass State and there were brilliant winners and a shocking post-race death. Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby, the so-called “most thrilling two minutes in sports” - and moments after the euphoria of victory came the tragedy of defeat.

The filly, Eight Belles, soon after crossing the finish line, took a spill and suffered a life-ending break in both its front ankles. She was immediately euthanized. Big Brown was celebrating its victory over Eight Belles by 4 3/4 lengths in a thrilling horse race merely yards away. 

Immediately, the celebration of 150,000 people turned hauntingly quiet. It took a few moments to sink in, but the reality of the situation lay on the track in front of all of them and a world television audience and before long, it was over. Eight Belles has passed, released from its misery.

The Kentucky Derby has never seen such sensation quickly turn to sadness in its history.

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Ling Ling, Japan’s beloved giant panda, died yesterday at the Ueno Zoo.

The 22-year-old panda was born in China in 1985 and made his debut at the Tokyo zoo in 1992.  He was the only giant panda the country held in captivity in nationwide zoos. Ling Ling’s 22 years is equal to about 70 in human years.

After centuries of conflict between China and Japan, the gift of Ling Ling was seen as a gesture of good will and faith toward normalizing relations between the two countries. Now that Ling Ling has passed away, the Japanese government has asked China to lease one or two new pandas to wet an appetite of a Japanese citizenry that can’t get enough of the lovable giants.

Japan’s prime minister is set to welcome Chinese President Hu Jinatao to Tokyo this week and hopes to sign a deal to secure two more pandas in the very near future.

Japan’s Ling Ling is not to be confused with the Ling Ling the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. had for 20 years until her death in 1992.

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It was a surreal scene. A beach normally packed with swimmers and surfers was desolate. Friday morning, a local favorite, David Martin, 66, was training with the San Diego Triathlete Club in the waters off of Solana Beach. He died after being attacked by a Great White Shark.

After The Wire took to the air in the photo at right, it is easy to see how calm the area of the attack is after the beach has been cleared. The ocean was off-limits to swimmers and surfers over the weekend, but it didn’t stop those dedicated San Diego surfers who still waded into the water all weekend.

This is the first recorded shark attack in San Diego county since 1994 when a college student’s body was found off of Sunset Cliffs where the cause of death was deemed to be shark attack. Prior to that, the only documented shark attack in San Diego waters was back in 1959.

Anyone who frequents these waters is a little stunned this Monday. The questions of when, not if, are surrounding people’s thoughts about when to return to the Pacific. We all know that shark attacks are rare, but it doesn’t remove the thought that just because it’s rare, doesn’t mean it won’t happen again.

Taking to the air and by boat, officials scanned an eight-mile stretch of beach for three days searching for the Great White. There was no sign of the enormous creature that experts, after examining the victim’s wounds, said was easily a 17-foot long Great White Shark.

The scene in Solana Beach, a seaside community of only 13,000, was one of shock over the weekend. Whether in coffee shops or along the shoreline, the sentiment was one that it was a terrible tragedy, but in typical So Cal fashion, we all are taking comfort in the fact that Martin died doing what he loved.

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Nubs the dog has had a remarkable journey from the sands of Iraq to the beaches of San Diego. As The Wire previous reported, Nubs’ fate mirrors hundreds of other dogs adopted by Iraq veterans. Many “adopted” their Marine.

On Sunday, Nubs’ was reunited with the man he tracked down 65 miles in Iraq. Landing on a Camp Pendleton air strip north of San Diego, Major Brian Dennis had more than well-wishers awaiting his arrival. The German Shephard-Border Collie mix was a stray in Iraq that lived off of Dennis’ unit’s scraps. When the animal returned with its ears severed off, the Marine took to him and Dennis’ commrades named him Nubs.

Nubs arrived in San Diego over a month ago and Dennis returned Sunday from his seven-month tour in Iraq as a fighter pilot. At first hesitant, Nubs took a deep sniff of the man approaching him in full desert fatigues…and completely engulfed him with love.

Covering him with kisses, Nubs and Dennis have a special bond. When Dennis’ unit was moved 65 miles away from where they had met Nubs, the dog followed. Nubs arrived thirsty, yet relieved. Those same looks of unconditional love were displayed as soldier and dog was reunited.

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A Michigan woman on vacation headed out on a boat for a day of cruising in Florida never knowing that a stingray would end her life hours later.

While out on the Florida Keys Thursday, a spotted eagle ray leapt from the water and struck Judy Kay Zagorski. The force of the blow is what killed her, according to local authorities. Pushing her back violently into the boat, she hit her head and died from the injuries to her skull.

The area is about two hours south of Miami and the sheer oddity of this accident could not be expressed enough by those who witnessed the scene.

A Florida Fish and Game commission official reflected the bizarre nature of the death.

“It’s just as freakish of an accident as I have ever heard, Jorge Pino told CNN. “It happened instantly.”

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Guess the weight-loss craze that began in the ’80s has now crossed species. Zoos across the country are reporting their animals are coming in overweight and much like humans is a peril to their health.

Over years of study, researchers have found that the zoo animals’ diet is so far removed from what they eat in the wild, that drastic measures need to be taken to improve their health. Animals have come down with a slew of human-like aging ailments that zoo veterinarians are hoping to eliminate with a change in diet.

From osteoporosis to arthritis, gorillas and zebras across the nation’s zoos are growing old prematurely due to what they eat. So, like millions of Americans, health has come first and the old ways of eating are going out the window.

Animals are being put on a “Weight Watchers” type of diet regimen that closely monitors the levels of protein, carbs and other food elements previously never thought to have any influence on animal health.

Word on a gym being built at zoos is still premature.

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The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race crowned its champion early this morning. Once again, the crowd in Nome, Alaska was cheering ‘Yeah, Baby!’

Driver Lance Mackey won his second consecutive Iditarod race finishing the trek in nine and a half days. In a scene mirroring an Austin Powers convention, crowds encircled Mackey chanting the spy spoof’s iconic phrase repeatedly.

The Iditarod race began in 1925 as a means to celebrate the brave dogs who traversed the Alaskan wilderness bringing a serum for diphtheria to Nome - a city that has served as the starting and finishing point ever since.

With its 1,100-mile course, the event - almost a decade into a new century - still defines determination.

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Gathered at the San Diego airport was a throng of reporters and a few Marines. The soldiers, battle scorned and weary from the long War on Terror, suddenly became emotional children.

What could bring such tough men and women to tears? Four-legged friends from Iraq had arrived finally and were one step closer to their new homes. In what has played out many times since the Iraq war began, stray dogs have found themselves “adopting” soldiers and often, entire battalions.

The scene Saturday at Lindburg Field played out with an enormous amount of fanfare for a few furry creatures. But several in this group were special and indicative of the story many of these animals share.

One in particular’s story was incredible. Nubs took to the Marines along the Iraq-Syria border and they too became attached to him. After several tours as a fighter pilot, Major Brian Dennis volunteered for the border secure detail to see the country from the ground. One of his first friends was Nubs.

“This dog who had been through a lifetime of fighting, war, abuse…is going to live the good life,” Dennis told his family in an email.

Nubs, a German shepherd-Collie mix, was given his moniker because his ears had been burned off. Soon after spotting the dog, Nubs kept returning to Dennis for affection. At the end of December, Nubs had been stabbed by a screwdriver and needed immediate attention. Dennis found him and brought him back to health. After awaking from his surgery, Nubs would never leave Dennis’ side.

Then, the incredible happened. After Dennis and his troop was sent 65 miles away to another patrol, the soldier thought he had seen the last of his stray friend. That would not be the case, Nubs would track him down arriving two days later thirsty and missing his master. Military regulations forbid animals in the war zone, so Nubs was off to San Diego courtesy of Dennis’ buddies at Camp Pendleton who raised over $3,000 to bring the puppy to San Diego.

Now, Dennis’ friends and one special furry one, await his return. Soon both Dennis and Nubs will be running along the Pacific Ocean.

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A staple of western landscapes has returned to dot the scenery in full force. The gray wolf was removed from the endangered species list in what can only be seen as a victory for not only environmentalists, but the ecosystem….although growth may soon threaten them once again.

The Rocky Mountains is again the scene for the beautiful creatures to frolic freely without knocking on extinction’s door. But the news is not all good for the wolf, according to animal activists.

By taking the gray wolf off the endangered list, the animal is now to be regulated by the U.S. Fish and Game commission that will determine hunting seasons and numbers of killed that will be allowed. As the wolf has made its comeback, raises in complaints to the agency have gone up. Residents are routinely seeing the animals on their property and attacks on domestic animals have also risen.

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