The U.S. Department of Agriculture is determining whether an investigation is warranted into the death of a tiger that bit a western South Dakota wildlife sanctuary director, an agency spokeswoman said Wednesday. Officials will look into whether any noncompliance with federal law contributed to the incident at Spirit of the Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, where nearly 20 animals have recently been transferred away, said Tanya Espinosa, a spokeswoman for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Hundreds of national wildlife refuges that provide critical habitat for migratory birds and other species are crippled by a staffing shortage that has curtailed educational programs, hampered the fight against invasive species and weakened security at facilities that attract nearly 50 million visitors annually, a group of public employees and law enforcement said Wednesday. Staffing at the nation's 565 wildlife refuges and related properties shrank nearly 15 percent in the past decade, and more than one-third of those locations don't have any staff on site, the Washington, D.C.-based Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility said.

A "out of service" bag covers a pump handle at a Nashville gas station that has no fuel to sell on Sept. 17. A "out of service" bag covers a pump handle at a Nashville gas station that has no fuel to sell on Sept.