Senate bill names Kentucky's official state dog and others

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife held a ceremony this week to sign Senate Bill 37, which designates three new state symbols to the Commonwealth.

Kentucky now has an official state dog. It's the Treeing Walker Coonhound. Sponsors of the bill said it's the only breed to which Kentucky can lay exclusive claim. John W. Walker and George Washington Maupin, two breeders from Kentucky, are credited with the breed's initial development through the selective breeding of foxhounds in the 19th century to hunt raccoons.

We now have a state amphibian. The Eastern Hellbender is the largest salamander, growing up to two feet long. It's a species facing difficulties because of degraded water quality in its habitat. The Louisville Zoo has recently raised more than 300 hellbenders, to be released into the wild.

Kentucky's new official non-game mammal is the Eastern Spotted Skunk. They're found in about a third of Kentucky's eastern counties.  Populations have declined over the past several decades, and it is illegal to hunt or trap them. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources actively monitor their populations to better understand and restore their numbers.


(Photos: Wikipedia; KDFW)