Animals news

• Orthodox Jews arrested over wedding in Argentina

  26-05-2020 22:35 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Eight people were detained as they were preparing to celebrate an Orthodox Jewish wedding in Buenos Aires despite a lockdown, the local public prosecutor said on Tuesday.The wedding couple, the godparents and the rabbi who led the ceremony were arrested for "flagrantly" flouting the lockdown, the capital city's prosecutor Juan Bautista Mahiques told the A24 channel.The arrests came about after a video was shared of the wedding the previous Wednesday involving 150 guests in the Once neighborhood,
  
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• Three of the horses that bolted across London expected to troop the colour

  04-06-2024 20:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Trojan, Tennyson and Vanquish back on duty and army says ‘against all expectations’ should be at king’s birthday paradeThree military horses that sustained injuries after bolting through central London will probably take part in trooping the colour next week after making a recovery, the army has said.The incident in April resulted in four service personnel being thrown from their horses and five of the animals getting loose, colliding with vehicles including a double-decker bus
  
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• Bison gores elderly woman at Wyoming’s Yellowstone national park

  04-06-2024 17:28 via theguardian.com
  
  National parks service says bison aren’t agressive ‘but will defend their space when threatened’ after 83-year-old was woundedA bison gored and seriously wounded an elderly woman at Wyoming’s Yellowstone national park over the weekend, rangers said.The attack occurred on 1 June near the Storm Point trail at Yellowstone lake, where the animal was “defending its ground”, according to a news release by the US national parks service (NPS). Continue reading...
  
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• Pebbling: the viral romance trend that humans have stolen from penguins

  04-06-2024 15:49 via theguardian.com
  
  While the birds pick up stones and offer them as a gift to the object of their desire, people are displaying similar behaviour onlineName: Pebbling.Age: Gentoo penguins have been doing it pre-social media. Continue reading...
  
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• Badger culls to continue in England despite lack of scientific evidence

  04-06-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Defra issues new cull licences despite government adviser saying there is ‘no justification’Badger cull licences have been issued by the government despite its own scientific adviser saying there is “no justification” for doing so.Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs this month issued 17 new licences to continue culling badgers, overruling Dr Peter Brotherton, the director of science at Natural Englan
  
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• ‘Where do sharks hang out?’: the race to find safe spaces for the Galápagos’ ocean-going predators

  04-06-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Scientists are tagging sharks to map Pacific migration routes in a bid to expand marine reserves before more of these endangered species fall prey to illegal industrial fishingIt’s a three-person job to land a 2-metre shark: two to wrap ropes around its thrashing tail and midriff, a third to clamp shut its powerful jaws. Hanging over the side of the Sea Quest fishing skiff, the crew work quickly to minimise any distress to the animal, a female silky shark. Once onboard, a hose attached to
  
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• Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer: ‘The clock is ticking but the world will teach us what we need to do’ – podcast

  04-06-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  For a long time, western science and Indigenous knowledge have been seen as distinct ways of learning about the world. But as we plunge the planet deeper into environmental crises, it is becoming clear that it is time to pay attention to both. Bridging that gap has been the driving force behind the career of the botanist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer. She tells Madeleine Finlay what we can learn from the most ancient plants on Earth, why we need to cultivate gratitude fo
  
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• US breeder Envigo pleads guilty to mistreating beagles and fined $35.5m

  03-06-2024 20:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Fine is largest ever in an animal welfare case imposed by US justice departmentResearch animal breeder Envigo pleaded guilty to animal welfare and environmental crimes on Monday, resolving a two-year US justice department investigation into its mistreatment of thousands of beagles, prosecutors said.Envigo agreed in federal court in the western district of Virginia to pay $22m in fines, plus an additional $13.5m to support animal welfare and environmental projects, cover law enforcement expenses
  
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• US breeder Envigo pleads guilty for mistreating beagles and is fined $35.5m

  03-06-2024 20:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Fine is largest-ever in an animal welfare case imposed by the justice departmentResearch animal breeder Envigo pleaded guilty to animal welfare and environmental crimes on Monday, resolving a two-year US justice department investigation into its mistreatment of thousands of beagles, prosecutors said.Envigo agreed in federal court in the western district of Virginia to pay $22m in fines, plus an additional $13.5m to support animal welfare and environmental projects, cover law enforcement expenses
  
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• California shark attack injures swimmer and triggers beach closures

  03-06-2024 18:23 via theguardian.com
  
  The 46-year-old man who was bitten at Del Mar City beach suffered significant but not life-threatening injuriesA swimmer was seriously injured in a shark attack on the southern California coast Sunday, prompting temporary beach closures, authorities said.The attack happened Sunday morning at Del Mar City beach in Del Mar, about 20 miles (32km) north of San Diego, local officials said. Continue reading...
  
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• Politicians could learn from Rob Burrow’s honesty and dignity | Brief letters

  03-06-2024 18:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Motor neurone disease | Remembering war casualties | A teenager talking sense | Music for animals | Underpoured pintsRob Burrow’s story is one of modern-day courage, determination and comradeship (Rob Burrow, former Leeds scrum-half, dies at 41, years after MND diagnosis, 2 June). Over the coming weeks our politicians would do well to remember his inspiration, dignity and down-to-earth honesty.
  Toby Wood
  Peterborough• How I agree with Honor Cooper regarding the “excessive refere
  
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• Asian hornets overwintered in UK for first time, DNA testing shows

  03-06-2024 16:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Discovery of three queen hornets in East Sussex means it is likely the bee-killing insect will be here for good DNA testing has confirmed that Asian hornets overwintered in the UK for the first time this year, meaning it is very likely the bee-killing insect will be here for good.Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) dismember and eat bees, and have thrived in France, where they have caused concern because of the number of insects killed. They sit outside honeybee hives and capture bees as they enter a
  
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• The pet I’ll never forget: John Crace on Herbie - the dog so beloved he inspired a big tattoo

  03-06-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A gentle soul, Herbert seldom barks and never causes trouble. In fact, he’s so adored he received a love letter from a friend’s grandson ...It goes without saying that Herbert Hound’s arrival just a few weeks after our daughter left home to go to university was a total coincidence. Empty-nest syndrome? No thank you. He chose us every bit as much as we chose him. When we first came to visit him at his mother’s home in Essex – not Barking; Herbie gets fed up with that
  
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• Sure, the Taylor Swift millipede is the least of our problems – but what we call wildlife matters | Emma Beddington

  03-06-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The SpongeBob SquarePants fungus and Shakira wasp might sound funny, but there is a rising acceptance that eponyms in the natural world are a legacy of empire and oppressionUnsurprisingly, numerous species of animal (including a flightless weevil and a parasitic flatworm) are named after David Attenborough – but were you aware of the existence of a Shakira wasp (aleoides Shakira) and the Taylor Swift millipede (nannaria swiftae)?It’s not just fauna. Spring on middle-aged-lady Instagr
  
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• A dialogue with your pets? Do you really want a cat to say you look dog-rough today? | Coco Khan

  03-06-2024 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  I can see why scientists think two-way communication is a good idea. Butsome things are better left unsaidOne of my favourite theories about pet behaviour is that cats see their human owners as fellow cats – just very large, hairless, uncoordinated cats. It’s why, or so the lore goes, our pet cats treat us like friendly felines, sometimes licking or rubbing against us.How do I know this titbit? Because at some point in the past few years, I joined the ranks of the pet-obsessed millen
  
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• Country diary: A maybug wedding on the doorstep | Nicola Chester

  03-06-2024 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Inkpen, Berkshire: Cockchafers are noisy but striking, with their furry eyelashes and big dark eyesIt begins with a battering at the glass, as if someone is flinging gravel. Someone wanting me, calling me outside into the night. I willingly go. But first I turn off the porch light. I’d wondered if they would come this year, and as soon as I open the door, the distinctive drone of a heavy insect zooms in and it collides with my hair.I have walked, seemingly invited, into a maybug’s Ju
  
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• Dog breeds must be ‘rebooted’ to halt health problems, says expert

  02-06-2024 19:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Prof Clare Rusbridge calls for careful cross-breeding to introduce new genetic materialDog breeds must be “rebooted” through careful cross-breeding to save them from ingrained health problems, a leading expert has said.From French bulldogs with spinal and respiratory issues to cavalier King Charles spaniels with skull malformations and heart problems, many breeds are prone to specific disorders. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Curiosity’ fuels world’s most prolific fossilized poop collector

  02-06-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  George Frandsen’s Poozeum in Arizona features nearly 10,000 coprolites – fossilized feces originating in Earth’s distant pastInsights into “the diets, behaviors and environment of ancient creatures” that are available in their fossilized droppings motivated one US man to not only amass the world’s largest collection of such specimens – but also to quit his corporate career and open a so-called Poozeum, as he recounts in a new interview.In remarks publish
  
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• Scotland’s remote land of bogs and bugs in line for world heritage status

  02-06-2024 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A decision from Unesco on giving the peat-rich Flow Country the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef is just weeks away It is a land of mire, mist and midges that could soon be awarded a special status among the planet’s wild habitats. In a few weeks, Unesco is set to announce its decision on an application to allow the Flow Country in north Scotland to become a world heritage site.Such a designation is only given to places of special cultural, historical or scientific significance and
  
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• Endangered penguin chicks hatched at Chester zoo named after plants

  31-05-2024 11:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Zoo welcomes 11 Humboldt chicks, its highest number in a decade, with previous arrivals named after crispsIn previous years Chester zoo’s new penguin chicks have been named after crisps – Frazzle, Wotsit – and local football club owners – Ryan, Rob – but the names p … p … p … picked this year are notably less frivolous.“We’ve decided to go with plants,” said Zoe Sweetman, the penguins and parrots team manager at the zoo. Two of
  
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• Week in wildlife – in pictures: playful baby lemurs, kingfisher tug-of-war and a beautiful bee-eater

  31-05-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: A silent killer that loves the long days | Cal Flyn

  31-05-2024 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Stromness, Orkney: Short-eared owls are a such a compelling sight as they hunt in the light. They cruise the rugged heathland, then suddenly disappearIt’s been a week of clear skies and luminous evenings – a stretch of calm, still weather that has been felt as a physical release, even an act of mercy, after a seemingly unending winter. Finally, now, the days have stretched and warped into their long summer shape, the seabirds have been returning to the cliffs, and the uplands are gil
  
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• $10m prize launched for team that can truly talk to the animals

  30-05-2024 19:24 via theguardian.com
  
  AI expected to help researchers unlock two-way communication, say team that includes Tel Aviv UniversityIn the Dr Dolittle books and films, the ability to “talk to the animals” captured the imagination. Now scientists are being offered a $10m prize to create real conversations.The Coller Dolittle Challenge for Interspecies Two-Way Communication has been launched by the Jeremy Coller Foundation and Tel Aviv University. While the use of AI is not obligatory, the team say the technology
  
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• Beloved surfboard-stealing otter seen in California after disappearing for months

  30-05-2024 00:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Photos of otter 841, who gave birth to a pup last year, show her floating over holiday weekend in popular Santa Cruz surfing spotOtter 841, who shot to international fame last year for her surfboard-stealing interactions with northern California surfers and kayakers, has been spotted recently after disappearing for several months. Over Memorial day weekend, photos of the now six-year-old otter posted to social media showed her floating on her back at Steamer Lane, a popular surfing spot in Santa
  
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• Two giant pandas from China to arrive at US National Zoo

  29-05-2024 18:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Bao Li and Qing Bao will be the first pandas to reside at the Smithsonian zoo in Washington DC since last fallTwo new giant pandas will arrive at the Smithsonian’s National zoo in Washington DC later this year, marking a very welcome return after the zoo’s remaining pandas returned to China last fall.The Smithsonian announced on Wednesday that the pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, would arrive in the US capital by the end of the year. Both pandas currently reside in China, but Bao L
  
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• ‘Seeing her hurt was more than I could bear’: the family pets left in limbo amid Australia’s domestic violence crisis

  29-05-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Emergency accommodation helps those fleeing violence – but few will accept animalsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastSarah* looked down at her phone and saw the text. It had no words – just a picture of her dog tied up in the sun, on a dirt road she didn’t know. It was January, the hottest part of the year.She says it was sent by her husband, who she had left nine weeks earlier, fleeing
  
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• Country diary: My ponds are teeming with unseen life | Jan Miller

  29-05-2024 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Holywell, Flintshire: The joy of pond-dipping never goes away, and now I’m armed with more knowledge to find out what’s in my garden this springI’m dipping into one of our garden ponds on a glorious sunny day, as grasses, buttercups, wild blue geraniums, pink lady’s smock and red spikes of sorrel sway in the breeze. I’ve recently been on a workshop on microscopic pond life, where the tutor, Wyn, was well-practised at using a telescopic-handled golf ball retriever fo
  
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• Popular California beach closed after shark bumped surfer off his board

  28-05-2024 15:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Closure for 24 hours at San Clemente was announced after surfer reported the shark to lifeguards over the weekendA two-mile stretch of a popular southern California beach was closed for the Memorial Day holiday after a shark bumped a surfer off his board the night before, authorities said.The 24-hour closure at San Clemente was announced after the surfer came out of the water and reported the shark’s aggressive behavior to lifeguards around 8pm Sunday, the Orange County Register reported.
  
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• Bear attacks teenager while he was watching videos in Arizona cabin

  27-05-2024 19:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Three-year-old male bear was killed after swiping at boy’s face twice and ‘got him on the nose and the cheek’A three-year old black male bear was “dispatched” after bursting into a family’s cabin in Alpine, Arizona, and taking a swipe at a 15-year-old boy who was alone inside watching YouTube videos.The incident marks the 16th human-bear attack on people in Arizona since 1990. Only two of the attacks were deadly; in this case the bear’s body of the bear
  
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• Lemur pups Nova and Evie born at Scottish safari park

  27-05-2024 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Female pair are third litter born at Blair Drummond under endangered species breeding programmeA Scottish safari park has announced the birth of two female lemur pups native to Madagascar.Nova and Evie, who are living at Blair Drummond safari and adventure park, near Stirling, were born on 14 April, and the park has now publicly announced their birth. Continue reading...
  
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