Animals news

• Snake stem cells used to create venom-producing organoids

  23-01-2020 21:25
  Organoids have become an important tool for studying many disease processes and testing potential drugs. Now, they are being used in a surprising and unexpected way: for the production of snake venom. Researchers are reporting that they have created organoids of the venom glands of the Cape coral snake (Aspidelaps lubricus cowlesi) and that these glands are capable of producing venom.
  
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• Mitt Romney says his dog scandal doesn’t compare to Kristi Noem’s: ‘I didn’t shoot my dog’

  01-05-2024 15:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Republican senator says Noem’s story of killing her 14-month-old hunting dog makes her unlikely to be Trump’s running mateUS politics – latest updatesMitt Romney may have infamously tied a dog in a kennel to the roof of his car for a cross-country trip but at least he didn’t shoot it, the Utah Republican senator said, as outrage over the South Dakota governor, Kristi Noem, telling her story of killing a 14-month-old hunting dog continued to ripple through US politics.&ldq
  
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• Kristi Noem’s dog-killing embodies the cruel phonyness of today’s Republicans | Ryan Busse

  01-05-2024 12:01 via theguardian.com
  
  The South Dakota governor’s proud dog murder tells a lot about how posturing Trumpists like she and Greg Gianforte thinkAfter South Dakota’s Republican governor, Kristi Noem, proudly admitted in a forthcoming memoir to marching her young puppy Cricket to a gravel pit to kill her with a shotgun, she rationalized the despicable act by arguing that Cricket had been aggressive.She also said that she used the same gravel pit to shoot a “disgusting, musky, rancid” unnamed goat
  
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• Guide Dogs UK blames cost of living crisis as it plans 160 redundancies

  30-04-2024 17:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Largest trainer of dogs in country is trying to prevent an estimated £20m funding gap opening up by 2026.Guide Dogs UK, the largest trainer of dogs in the country, is to make about 160 people redundant – around 9% of its workforce – to prevent an estimated £20m funding gap opening up by 2026.The charity blamed Covid and the cost of living crisis: veterinary bills have increased by almost 20% and pet food bills by 12% since 2023, with further increases expected. Continue r
  
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• Man who allegedly kicked bison in Yellowstone park arrested for incident

  30-04-2024 16:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Clarence Yoder was reportedly injured by animal in return, before police arrested him for disorderly conduct and other chargesA man who allegedly harassed bison at Yellowstone national park by kicking one of the animals was injured in return and arrested in the first such encounter at the famed site this year.Officials said on Monday that police received a report about a man kicking a bison in the leg and being injured by one of the animals about seven miles from the park’s entrance, near
  
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• Kristi Noem ‘had a shot’ at Trump VP slot before dog-killing boast, sources say

  30-04-2024 15:26 via theguardian.com
  
  No dog person himself, apparently even Trump sees the bad optics in having a ‘puppy killer’ as a running mateKristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota, “had a shot” at being named Donald Trump’s presidential running mate – but blew it by boasting about shooting her dog to death, a Trump insider reportedly said.“She was already unlikely to be picked as VP but had a shot,” the New York Post quoted an unnamed Trump ally as saying. Continue
  
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• North Carolina child’s ‘monster in the closet’ was in fact 50,000 bees in the wall

  30-04-2024 15:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Family discovers ‘terrifying’ gigantic bee colony in wall of home with blood-like honey oozing down wall and $20,000 in damageA toddler told her mom that “monsters” were in her closet. But in fact, there were more than 50,000 bees there.A mother of three children under four years old was met with a “terrifying” surprise after she and her husband investigated why a handful of bees had flown into the attic of the couple’s North Carolina home. Continue read
  
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• ‘Incredible’ news for bears and wild horses as US shifts preservation plans

  30-04-2024 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  National Park Service will reintroduce bears to Washington’s North Cascades and won’t remove horses from South Dakota parkWildlife advocates are celebrating “incredible” news for the preservation of threatened bears, and a herd of historically significant wild horses, in separate north-western and upper midwestern national parks.In North Dakota, the National Parks Service (NPS) has dropped a plan that would have seen about 200 wild horses, descended from those belonging t
  
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• First case of walrus dying from bird flu recorded in Arctic

  30-04-2024 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Virus has already killed other mammals including sea lions and seals, while also taking toll on farm animalsThe first case of a walrus dying from bird flu has been detected on one of Norway’s Arctic islands, a researcher has said.The walrus was found last year on Hopen island in the Svalbard archipelago, Christian Lydersen, of the Norwegian Polar Institute, told AFP. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Husband eaters’: the double loss of Bangladesh’s ostracised tiger widows

  30-04-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  After the trauma of losing their spouse and breadwinner to the Sundarbans’ great predator, women are cast out by their superstitious communities. But they are coming together to rebuild their livesNobody saw exactly what happened in the minutes leading up to Aziz Murad’s death. But when his friends got back to the boat where they had left him, they found only his severed hand in the fishing net he was untying.“We were only gone for about five minutes,” says Abu Sufyan, wh
  
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• Japan to trial AI bear warning system after record number of attacks

  30-04-2024 05:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Six people have been killed and more than 200 injured in attacks by bears over the past yearJapan is to trial an AI bear-warning system after a record number of attacks on humans over the past year as the animals struggle to find their staple foods.A pilot system in Toyama prefecture, central Japan, will monitor live feeds from government, municipal and private security cameras to identify bears on the move in areas close to people, and send instant warnings to relevant local authorities, police
  
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• Australia’s best photos of the month – April 2024

  30-04-2024 04:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Women’s wrestling in Ballarat, Olympic breakdancers, sunflowers and a viral lawnmower man: here is Guardian Australia’s selection of some of the month’s best images Continue reading...
  
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• Zebras on the loose: escapees seen running from authorities on US road – video

  30-04-2024 01:28 via theguardian.com
  
  A driver has filmed several zebras running from a sheriff's car in Washington state. Local media has reported that the animals escaped from a trailer on Sunday night while being transported to MontanaRodeo workers help Washington police round up runaway zebras on interstateMultiple people injured as four horses escape into London causing chaos – video report Continue reading...
  
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• Photographer accidentally snaps rare bird in Oregon: ‘It’s mind-blowing’

  30-04-2024 00:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Michael Sanchez took photos of a bird at Hug Point that may be first official images in North America of the rare blue rock-thrushMichael Sanchez was setting up his new camera to capture a waterfall at Oregon’s Hug Point at sunrise when he spotted a little bird hopping around. He snapped a few photos, and didn’t think much more of it.A week later, those snapshots have made him the star – and the envy – of the local birding community. Sanchez, who is from Vancouver, Washin
  
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• Amateur birder in Oregon accidentally photographs bird never before seen in US

  30-04-2024 00:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Michael Sanchez snapped a few photos of a bird at Hug Point that may be first images in North America of the rare blue rock-thrushMichael Sanchez was setting up his new camera to capture a waterfall at Oregon’s Hug Point at sunrise when he spotted a little bird hopping around. He snapped a few photos, and didn’t think much more of it.A week later, those snapshots have made him the star – and the envy – of the local birding community. Sanchez, who is from Vancouver, Washin
  
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• Military horses injured galloping across London making progress, army says

  29-04-2024 23:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Quaker and Vida, who were among the animals who got loose, were hurt when they collided with vehicles but have now had surgeryThe two military horses who sustained injuries after colliding with vehicles in London are making progress after surgery, the British army has said.Quaker, a Cavalry black, and a grey horse called Vida were seen galloping through the streets of the capital after being frightened by builders moving rubble last Wednesday. The pair bolted while they were on an extended exerc
  
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• Rodeo workers help Washington police round up runaway zebras on interstate

  29-04-2024 19:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Three of the striped African mammals recaptured but one remains at large after escaping from trailer en route to MontanaThree zebras were successfully recaptured by state police and rodeo professionals after wandering on to a major interstate in Washington state, though one remains on the lam.On Sunday, four zebras escaped from their trailer while being transported to Montana via Interstate 90, the Seattle Times reported. Continue reading...
  
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• Utah cat found safe in California after sneaking into Amazon return box

  29-04-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Galena survived six days of travel with no food or water before being discovered in relatively good shape by Amazon employeeIn the famous Schrödinger’s cat hypothesis, a cat in a box is both alive and dead until someone looks inside – and in the case of one mischievous cat from Utah discovered inside an Amazon return package, it was very much alive.The cat, Galena, survived being shipped all the way from Lehi, Utah, across the US to California after sneaking into the package. Ga
  
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• Utah cat found in California after accidentally shipped in Amazon box

  29-04-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Galena survived six days of travel with no food or water before being discovered in relatively good shape by Amazon employeeIn the famous Schrödinger’s cat hypothesis, a cat in a box is both alive and dead until someone looks inside – and in the case of one mischievous cat from Utah discovered inside an Amazon return package, it was very much alive.The cat, Galena, survived being shipped all the way from Lehi, Utah, across the US to California after sneaking into the package. Ga
  
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• Giant pandas from China to visit San Diego zoo under conservation partnership

  29-04-2024 16:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, who are five and four, have a trip planned to southern California as part of partnership between US and ChinaA pair of giant pandas will soon make the journey from China to the US, where they will be cared for at the San Diego zoo as part of an ongoing conservation partnership between the two nations, officials said on Monday.The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said its caretakers recently visited China to meet the giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, ahead of their planne
  
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• British tourist injured in shark attack is ‘aware and can communicate’

  29-04-2024 00:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Peter Smith is in intensive care after suffering damage to an arm, leg and hand and puncture wounds to abdomenA British tourist who was seriously injured in a shark attack off a Caribbean island is “aware of what is happening and can communicate” in intensive care, his wife has said.Peter Smith, 64, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, was savaged 10 metres (33ft) off the shore near the Starfish hotel in Courland Bay on the north coast of Tobago on Friday morning. Continue reading...
  
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• Kristi Noem dogged by poor polling amid fallout from tale of killing puppy

  28-04-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Public disapproval mounts for South Dakota governor and vice-presidential hopeful whose book contains gruesome accountKristi Noem, the South Dakota governor and Republican vice-presidential hopeful, saw polling numbers plummet after the Guardian revealed that she writes in a new book about the day she shot dead a hunting dog and an un-castrated goat, a revelation that ignited a political storm.Announcing what it called its “Noem Puppy Murder Poll Findings”, New River Strategies, a De
  
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• Did five frightened horses bolting through London really mean the end was neigh? | Michael Hogan

  27-04-2024 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It says a lot about our turbulent times that we’ve started seeking omens in random eventsWoah there, cried the nation. Easy, boy. This week’s most arresting visuals came on Wednesday morning when runaway horses brought central London to a standstill. Five working animals from the Household Cavalry, based at Hyde Park barracks, were on exercise when they were spooked by noises from a building site and dramatically broke loose.The equine escapees caused chaos bolting through the capita
  
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• British army unsure if injured runaway horses will return to duties

  27-04-2024 14:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Vida and Quaker from the Household Cavalry are recovering from surgery after four horses broke loose in LondonThe army has said it is too early to know for sure if two military horses that suffered serious injuries after running loose through London will return to duties.Seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise in Belgravia on Wednesday when the horses were spooked by builders moving rubble. Continue reading...
  
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• Young country diary: What’s that droning noise coming from the river? | Anna

  27-04-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Belfast: At first I thought it was the planes flying overhead, then I looked down and saw the most spectacular thing I’ve seen in natureI love going back to the same riverside path at the edge of the city. It’s so familiar, but thanks to nature no visit is ever the same. I took my first outdoor steps here beside pink flowers with seeds you can pop, visited the ducks on a snowy Christmas morning and walked my friend’s dog through a meadow with cows.But one spring after
  
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• Briton in critical care after ‘unusual’ shark attack on Tobago

  27-04-2024 10:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Man, 64, being treated for injuries to arm, leg and stomach after attack in shallow watersA British man is in intensive care after an “unusual” shark attack on the Caribbean island of Tobago.The 64-year-old man was receiving critical care after the bull shark attack left him with injuries to his left arm, left leg and stomach, Tobago’s Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation said. Continue reading...
  
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• Briton, 64, in critical care after ‘unusual’ shark attack on Tobago

  27-04-2024 10:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Man is being treated for injuries to arm, leg and stomach after attack in shallow watersA British man is in intensive care after an “unusual” shark attack on the Caribbean island of Tobago.The 64-year-old man is receiving critical care after the bull shark attack left him with injuries to his left arm, left leg and stomach, Tobago’s Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation said. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘It was wet. It was filthy. It was aggressive. I said, I’ll take the racoon. But keeping exotic pets is cruel’

  27-04-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Lindsay McKenna’s wildlife centre takes in exotic animals when owners can’t cope. She and other experts fear the law is failing the very animals it is designed to protectWhen Lindsay McKenna went out to buy a piece of furniture from a seller, the last thing she expected was to return with a wild animal.“Something moved in the garage when I was in there helping the guy lift [the furniture],” she said. “It was a racoon in an incredibly small cage, it could hardly turn
  
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• Conservatives condemn Kristi Noem for ‘twisted’ admission of killing dog

  27-04-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Revelation in new book that possible Trump running mate killed ‘untrainable’ hunting dog prompts widespread revulsionConservative pundits have condemned the South Dakota governor and possible Trump running mate Kristi Noem, amid widespread horror over her admission in a new book that she killed both an “untrainable” dog and an unruly goat during a single day in hunting season.Alyssa Farah Griffin, a Trump White House staffer turned critic, said: “I’m a dog lov
  
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• Egg labels, egg-splained: from cage-free to free-range, how to eat ethically and economically

  26-04-2024 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Egg cartons are labeled with all sorts of descriptors, making grocery shopping a confusing experience. Experts tell us what these labels mean and how to shopShopping for eggs at the grocery store can be a confusing experience. Cartons are labeled with all kinds of descriptors – natural, organic, cage-free, free-range – and some cost more at checkout. But what do they actually mean, and for ethically minded consumers, are they actually worth the money?Protein-packed eggs are linked to
  
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