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SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A mouse plague ravaging Australia’s farmlands forced the evacuation of hundreds of inmates from a rural jail on Tuesday, as the rodents broke in and chewed through essential infrastructure. Scores of mice have gnawed through ceiling panels and wiring at a New South Wales prison, prompting authorities to scale back operations for repairs. “The health, safety and wellbeing of staff and inmates is our number one priority, so it’s important for […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia announced Wednesday it had registered what it said was the world’s first coronavirus vaccine for animals, describing the step as important for disrupting virus mutations. It said mass production of the vaccine could begin in April. The agriculture oversight agency Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement that the vaccine called Carnivak-Cov had been tested since October on dogs, cats, mink, foxes and other animals and was proven to be effective. […]
by Sara HUSSEIN Agence France Presse Overfishing has wiped out over 70 percent of some shark and ray populations in the last half-century, leaving a “gaping, growing hole” in ocean life, according to a new study. Researchers found alarming declines in species ranging from hammerhead sharks to manta rays. Among the worst affected is the oceanic whitetip, a powerful shark often described as particularly dangerous to man, which now hovers on the edge of […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Thousands of people in northwest China have tested positive for a bacterial disease after a leak from a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant making animal vaccines last year. Health officials in Lanzhou city said 3,245 people had contracted brucellosis, a disease often caused by close contact with infected animals or animal products that can bring about fevers, joint pain and headaches. Another 1,401 people tested as an early positive for the disease, […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Dozens of cows were stranded on rooftops by floods in South Korea, leaving rescue crews facing a problem the size of several bovines. The cattle floated upwards as floodwaters mounted at the weekend in Gurye, a farming town in the country’s south, and scrambled to safety on the roofs of several houses and other buildings. When the deluge receded, the animals found themselves stranded high and somewhat damp, and on […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Herbivores face a higher risk of extinction than predators, whether they are mammals, birds or reptiles, according to an extensive study of 24,500 species both living and extinct that was published Wednesday. The paper, which appeared in Science Advances, suggests herbivores have suffered a higher extinction rate over the past 50,000 years compared to other parts of the food web and the trend continues to this day. This contradicts the […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization said Tuesday that Dutch workers apparently infected with the coronavirus by minks could be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission. The WHO told AFP that it was in close contact with Dutch researchers investigating three cases where the virus appears to have been passed to humans from minks. “This would be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission,” the UN health agency told AFP in an […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Wu Wen, a giant panda loaned to a Dutch zoo by China, has given birth in a first for the Netherlands, Ouwehands animal park announced Saturday. Mating took place in January and the cub, which belongs to Beijing just like the mother and father Xing Ya, was born on May 1. “The mother and her cub are staying in the maternity den and are doing well,” the zoo in the […]
by Patrick GALEY Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Global warming will cause “catastrophic” biodiversity loss across the world if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t curbed, with some ecosystems liable to collapse as soon as 2030, according to new research into where and when die-offs may occur. Earth has never in human history warmed so quickly or uniformly as currently, but a variety of factors affect temperatures in individual regions, with significant seasonal and geographic variation. […]
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AFP) — A rare species of frog native to the eastern slopes of the Bolivian Andes has been spotted in the South American country for the first time in 18 years, the investigation team that made the discovery told AFP. The Bolivian Cochran frog is notable for its transparent belly, leading to its nickname, the “glass frog”. “The rediscovery of this species fills us with a ray of hope for the future […]
by Glenda KWEK Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — At least half of Australia’s only disease-free koala population, a key “insurance” for the species’ future, is feared dead with more badly hurt after bush-fires swept through an island sanctuary, rescuers said Sunday. Kangaroo Island, a popular nature-based tourist attraction off the coast of South Australia state, is home to many wild populations of native animals including the much-loved koala, where the populated was estimated at […]
CHENGDU, China (AFP) — Crowds in a Chinese eatery ignore their drinks to gather adoringly around four fluffy white ducks, phones poised ready for pictures, at the latest addition to the country’s growing list of popular animal cafes. “Hey! We go”, a business in the center of the southwestern city of Chengdu is proving perfect fodder for the social media-savvy generation. The four call ducks — a domesticated breed imported from Europe — can retail […]
