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PHUKET, Thailand (AFP) — Just over a year after he was maimed for gnawing on someone’s shoes, Cola is romping across a beach on new sleek paws: curved “blade runner” prosthetics modeled on those used by Paralympian sprinters. The former street pup nearly lost his life last year after a Bangkok man hacked off his front legs with a sword in revenge for chewing up his boots. A quick trip to the vet saved Cola […]
by Marie Wolfrom Agence France Presse SEDERON, France (AFP) — Furtive, wily and the animal of fairy tales, wolves fascinate nature lovers, but they raise fears among French sheep breeders who are trying to save their flocks. Amid debate in France on a future policy towards wolves, the government is being asked to come to the aide of sheep farming. “In one night, we lost 10 percent of our flock,” said Claire Lapie, 32, a […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — From a hairy-legged Goliath spider to a 2.5-foot (0.7-meter) Komodo dragon, a fear-inducing exhibition opens Friday at London’s Natural History Museum showcasing the world’s most venomous creatures. More than 200,000 venomous species live on land, in the air or in the sea — including the huge living spider that welcomes visitors to the museum from inside its tank. “It’s not dangerous, it’s one of the biggest misconceptions. The little spider […]
by Siavosh Ghazi Agence France Presse GARMSAR, Iran (AFP) — Iranian environmentalists have mobilized to protect the world’s last Asiatic cheetahs, estimated to number just 50 and faced with the threats of becoming roadkill, a shortage of prey and farmers’ dogs. “The last time our photo traps caught a cheetah here, it was two years ago. But we’re sure they are still in the region,” said Rajab Ali Kargar, deputy head of the National Protection […]
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) – The welfare of stray cats and dogs roaming Iraq’s capital Baghdad is far from a priority for most residents after years of bloodshed and insecurity. Homeless animals typically face cruelty or even extermination on the streets of the city, but now some pet lovers are looking to use social media to change attitudes and find loving owners for the four-legged friends. Agricultural college student Assan Attallah, 22, has just helped get […]
by Yulius Martoni Agence France Presse KARANGASEM, Indonesia (AFP) — Volunteers are risking their lives to save tens of thousands of animals left at the mercy of a rumbling volcano on the tourist island of Bali, making perilous trips into the red zone to relocate them. Mount Agung, about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the resort hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August, causing some 144,000 people to evacuate their homes over the past […]
by Kerry Sheridan Agence France-Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) – Dogs that are extra friendly share certain genetic similarities with people who are born with a developmental disorder sometimes called the “opposite of autism,” which makes them hyper social, researchers said Wednesday. The report in the journal Science Advances pinpointed changes in two genes that are related to extreme social behavior in dogs, and also in people who are born with Williams-Beuren Syndrome. People with this […]
by Marlowe Hood Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — It’s not quite E=mc2, but scientists unveiled Monday a simple, powerful formula that explains why some animals run, fly and swim faster than all others. Call it the “speed rule”: strength alone does not determine top velocity because land mammals, birds and fish can only accelerate for as long as they can draw from available energy stored in muscle tissue. An intermediate body size — […]
WYOMING, United States (Reuters) – Grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park will be stripped off Endangered Species Act safeguards this summer, United States Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced on Thursday (June 22), in a move conservation groups vowed to challenge in court. Dropping federal protection of Yellowstone’s grizzlies formally proposed in March 2016 under the Obama administration was based on the agency’s findings that the bears’ numbers have rebounded sufficiently in recent decades. The […]
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) – Tokyo Ueno Zoo on Sunday (June 18) released new images of a panda cub which was born on June 12. The mother, Shin Shin, 11, had the cub five years after her first cub was found dead just days after it was born. The new cub has yet to be named and the sex of the cub has yet to be determined, but its weight was estimated at around 180 grams, […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Swelling hopes for a baby panda in Tokyo have bumped up the stock price of a Chinese restaurant chain in the area, with locals setting their sights on a flurry of tourists. Eleven-year-old Shin Shin, who was brought to Ueno Zoo from China, has been showing signs of pregnancy since last week after mating with male Ri Ri in February, according to zoo officials. Giant pandas are notoriously clumsy at mating, […]
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Human noise is polluting more than half of natural protected areas in the United States, to such an extent that it could interfere with animals’ ability to hunt and survive, researchers said Thursday. Sounds were recorded at 492 sites meant as havens for biodiversity across the country, said the report in the journal Science. Researchers found that background noise exceeded three decibels (dB) in 63 percent of protected areas, it […]
