Animals news

• Number of abandoned cats soars by more than 30% in UK

  23-10-2024 01:01
  
  Leading animal rescue charity describes situation as a ‘deepening crisis’, as cost of caring for pets risesThe number of cats and kittens being abandoned in the UK has soared by more than 30% this year, according to a leading animal rescue charity, which described the situation as a “deepening crisis”.Last year Cats Protection helped a total of 184,000 cats, which equates to about 500 a day. However, the charity has launched an urgent appeal for donations as staff struggl
  
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• Rats trained to sniff out smuggled rhino horn and pangolin scales

  31-10-2024 16:09
  
  African giant pouched rats trained to alert their handlers when they find illegally trafficked wildlife productsRats could be the latest weapon deployed in the fight against endangered wildlife trafficking, according to a study of rodents trained to sniff out pangolin scales, rhino horns, elephant tusks and hardwood.Researchers trained eight African giant pouched rats to sniff out the contraband, even when it was hidden among items commonly used to hide trafficked goods, including peanuts, leave
  
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• Alarm grows over ‘disturbing’ lack of progress to save nature at Cop16

  31-10-2024 07:00
  
  Fears raised that biodiversity summit not addressing countries’ failure to meet a single target to stem destruction of natural worldGovernments risk another decade of failure on biodiversity loss, due to the slow implementation of an international agreement to halt the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems, experts have warned.Less than two years ago, the world reached a historic agreement at the Cop15 summit in Montreal to stop the human-caused destruction of life on our planet. The dea
  
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• Name that tumour: Donald, Elon, Vladimir, Nigel? | Brief letters

  30-10-2024 19:15
  
  Another battle after Boris is beaten | A Marxist pledge from Robert Jenrick? | Working people | Starmer’s mixed metaphors | A dog’s body clockWhen I had oesophageal cancer, you were kind enough to publish my letter (29 May 2022) about naming my tumour Boris, as an unwelcome growth that needed to be eliminated. Well, I won that one, but now the gods have decided to bestow prostate cancer upon me. My shortlist of names this time around is Donald, Elon, Vladimir and Nigel. Any better id
  
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• Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds

  30-10-2024 05:00
  
  Range of species have ethanol in diet, normally arising through fermented fruits, sap and nectarHumans may have turned drinking into something of an art form but when it comes to animals putting alcohol away, Homo sapiens are not such an outlier, researchers say.A review of published evidence shows that alcohol occurs naturally in nearly every ecosystem on Earth, making it likely that most animals that feast on sugary fruits and nectar regularly imbibe the intoxicating substance. Continue readin
  
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• Polar bears are back in Britain. But should they really be living here?

  29-10-2024 06:00
  
  In 2000, only one of these Arctic beasts was resident in the UK. Now there are 16. Is there any benefit to captivity for this climate-ravaged species?A small boy calls out the sights as the train speeds through the Suffolk countryside from London Liverpool Street.“Tractor. Church. Pigs. Polar bear! Dad! A polar bear!”Sailors visit the polar bear enclosure at London zoo in 1930. Below: a bear at Dudley Zoo in Worcestershire, 1937 (left), and Brumas, the first baby polar bear to be suc
  
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• Animals become less sociable as they age in similar way to humans, research shows

  29-10-2024 01:01
  
  While decline in interactions is seen as negative for humans, it can have health benefits for animalsWhile Victor Meldrew was a cantankerous caricature, humans are known to become less social as they get older. Now researchers say we are not alone with many animals behaving in the same way – and the trait is not always a bad thing.Experts studying animals from wild deer to insects, monkeys and birds have revealed a host of insights into the relationship between age and social connections.
  
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• Parrots missing from London zoo found behind Cambridgeshire garden

  28-10-2024 18:31
  
  Escaped blue-throated macaws, named Lily and Margot, were tracked down after numerous sightingsLondon zoo’s “critically endangered” missing parrots have been found 60 miles away behind afamily’s garden in Cambridgeshire.The escaped birds were tracked down after numerous sightings from local residents, and were eventually found in the back garden of a family in Buckden. They flew away once more before being traced to a field and public footpath in nearby Brampton. Continue
  
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• Hedgehogs ‘near threatened’ on red list after 30% decline over past decade

  28-10-2024 16:00
  
  The mammals were once common across Europe but urban development has pushed them towards extinctionHedgehogs are now listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list after a decline in numbers of at least 30% over the past decade across much of their range.While hedgehogs were once common across Europe, and were until now listed as of “least concern” on the red list, they are being pushed towards extinction by urban develo
  
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• The pet I’ll never forget: Shirley the much-loved dog, who couldn’t stop chasing fishermen

  28-10-2024 12:00
  
  She was the result of a ‘street accident’ and was an adorable puppy who saw me through a lot – from my son leaving home to the end of my marriageMy family had always wanted a dog. We had tried without success to take on a rescue, who had refused to be taken out for a walk and peed on the carpet in a powerful display of petulance. So when the elderly lady who lived opposite us told us that her dog, Flossie, an orange and white border collie cross, was pregnant as a result of wha
  
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• Country diary 1949: The badger is a friend to the farmer

  28-10-2024 07:00
  
  I have yet to meet the Cheshire farmer with a bad word for it, but so-called pest officers have gassed and trapped them in the forest1 November 1949CHESHIRE: Our chief authority on the life of the badger, Ernest Neal, whose knowledge was acquired by many days and nights of watching and by intensive study, wrote in 1948 in his book on the animal: “There is not the slightest doubt that the badger is a real friend to the farmer.” Very rarely a rogue badger has been known to kill poultry
  
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• Longdogs, lowriders and creative weiners: Dachshtober Longdog Festival – in pictures

  28-10-2024 02:57
  
  Dachshund lovers Australia-wide descend on Paterson in NSW for a day of racing, fancy dress and all-round sausage dog appreciationUnguarded moments: small-town life in New Zealand and Australia in the 80s and 90s – in pictures Continue reading...
  
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• High-flying life of Australia’s birds revealed in new detail – thanks to weather radars

  27-10-2024 15:00
  
  Researchers gain deeper understanding of bird migration in study that could have ‘profound’ implications for windfarmsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe yearly travel plans of birds up and down Australia’s east coast have been revealed for the first time, using the same tool that tracks the weather – a development experts say could have “profound” implications for conservation as more windfarms are built.Scientists have used weather
  
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• Why don’t Tasmanian magpies swoop people? It’s not black and white

  26-10-2024 21:00
  
  The island’s birds are known for their different behaviour to their mainland counterparts – but it’s not clear what’s behind itGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn Tasmania, no one has to wear an ice-cream container with eyes on their head when magpies are breeding.That’s because the magpies there don’t swoop – and no one knows why.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
  
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• Young country diary: My spade and I saved 24 jellyfish | Amaya

  26-10-2024 12:01
  
  Norfolk: I’ve seen this before, when they emerge from the sea and get stuck on the sand – so I knew exactly what I should doI went to our local beach the other day with my mummy and daddy. It was warm with a slight breeze and you could smell the seaweed.While we were there, the sea started to come in. I noticed that jellyfish were appearing from the water and getting stuck on the sand. I have seen this before and have done research on jellyfish (one day I’d love to be a ma
  
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• Safe sex for seagulls? Why bird contraception plan in Worcester may not fly

  25-10-2024 17:27
  
  Councillor has reportedly suggested using pills to control gulls, but experts say it may not be ethical or practicalTheir brazen chip-snatching, swooping and aggressive squawking has earned seagulls a reputation as the scourge of seaside towns, terrorising unsuspecting tourists and enraging residents alike.And as the marauding birds have ventured inland and established urban colonies, towns have deployed spikes, netting and even birds of prey as deterrents. Now Worcester city councillors appear
  
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• Week in wildlife in pictures: jaguar cuddles, a supermarket cockatoo and a seal in Canary Wharf

  25-10-2024 09:00
  
  The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Hooray the world seems to be getting worse by the hour. What are some tiny things to help us get through the day? | First Dog on the Moon

  25-10-2024 07:31
  
  Have a cup of tea while not looking at the news (it is all bad)Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...
  
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• Hawaii sets rules to stop spread of tree-killing coconut rhinoceros beetles

  24-10-2024 21:48
  
  Agriculture board approves regulations, including ban on moving infested soil between islands, to thwart pestsHawaii is doubling down in its fight against invasive coconut rhinoceros beetles, with state authorities greenlighting rules to prevent the damaging insects from spreading across the Pacific archipelago.The Hawaii agriculture board on Tuesday approved regulations, including a ban on moving infested soil and compost between islands and an increase of insect inspections, to thwart an influ
  
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• Dog owners warned about boom in ticks on Australia’s east coast after last year’s hot, wet summer

  24-10-2024 16:00
  
  Expert reminds owners ‘freeze it, don’t squeeze it’ when it comes to a tick, ideally with a tick-freezing spray from a chemistGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDog owners have been warned about a tick boom unfolding along Australia’s east coast, with some experts predicting an unusually bad season for furry friends.Veterinary scientist and parasitologist Peter Irwin, an emeritus professor at Murdoch University, said the severity of a tick season w
  
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• Dog owners warned about boom in ticks on Australia’s east coast after last year’s hot and wet summer

  24-10-2024 16:00
  
  Expert reminds owners ‘freeze it, don’t squeeze it’ when it comes to the parasites, ideally with a freezing spray from a chemistFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDog owners have been warned there is a tick boom unfolding along Australia’s east coast, with some experts predicting an unusually bad season for furry friends.Veterinary scientist and parasitologist Peter Irwin, an emeritus professor
  
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• Biodiversity declining even faster in ‘protected’ areas, scientists warn Cop16

  24-10-2024 07:00
  
  Just designating key areas will not meet 30x30 target on nature loss, study says, pointing to oil drilling in parksBiodiversity is declining more quickly within key protected areas than outside them, according to research that scientists say is a “wake-up call” to global leaders discussing how to stop nature loss at the UN’s Cop16 talks in Colombia.Protecting 30% of land and water for nature by 2030 was one of the key targets settled on by world leaders in a landmark 2022 agree
  
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• ‘There is a python with a platypus in its mouth’: botanist’s extreme monotreme v reptile encounter

  24-10-2024 06:00
  
  Plant enthusiasts stumble across 2-metre long snake consuming egg-laying mammal in Marys Creek State Forest in QueenslandA botanist was admiring a myrtle shrub in bloom in an obscure state forest just west of Gympie in Queensland when his companion uttered 10 words that can rarely have been heard before – at least in English.“I was just looking at a Gossia bidwillii, in flower and Darren calls out,” Elliot Bowerman said. Continue reading...
  
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• Carpet python discovered with platypus in its mouth in Australian creek – video

  24-10-2024 05:54
  
  Plant enthusiast Darren Williams made the discovery in Marys Creek State Forest just west of Gympie in Queensland. The male platypus was freshly killed, probably after what would have been a fierce struggle with the ambush predator. Williams and his companion Elliot Bowerman photographed the roughly 2-metre long carpet python with its jaw firmly clasped around the platypus before quickly moving on. 'We didn’t want to disturb the snake,' Bowerman said‘There is a python with a platypus
  
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• ‘Ambassador’ grizzly bear dies after being hit by car in Wyoming

  23-10-2024 23:25
  
  Grizzly No 399 was at least 28 years old and beloved by many in Grand Teton national parkA famous grizzly bear beloved for decades by countless tourists, biologists and professional wildlife photographers in Grand Teton national park is dead after being struck by a vehicle in western Wyoming.Grizzly No 399 died on Tuesday night on a highway in Snake River Canyon south of Jackson, park officials said in a statement on Wednesday. Continue reading...
  
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• Guardians of the Gibbons: can India save its only ape species from extinction?

  23-10-2024 11:56
  
  For over a century the villagers of Barekuri, north-east India’s biodiversity hotspot, have coexisted with the country’s only ape species, the hoolock gibbon. But this harmony stands in fragile ecological balance. Mohit Chutia, a 55-year-old farmer and father, has been taking care of one gibbon family while raising his own. When researcher Ishika Ramakrishna arrives to study human-gibbon interactions, she joins forces with Mohit and the villagers to tackle the gibbons' urgent populat
  
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• Guardians of the Gibbons: animal-human harmony hangs in the balance

  23-10-2024 11:56
  
  For over a century the villagers of Barekuri, north-east India’s biodiversity hotspot, have coexisted with the country’s only ape species, the hoolock gibbon. But this harmony stands in fragile ecological balance. Mohit Chutia, a 55-year-old farmer and father, has been taking care of one gibbon family while raising his own. When researcher Ishika Ramakrishna arrives to study human-gibbon interactions, she joins forces with Mohit and the villagers to tackle the gibbons’ urgent p
  
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• Mickey the cockatoo is free from his shopping centre prison. Here’s what you do when a bird flies in

  23-10-2024 07:19
  
  Remaining calm, removing any food from the area, and locking up cats and dogs are among the first things to do if a feathered friend drops inFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAfter four weeks trapped inside a Sydney shopping centre, Mickey the cockatoo seemed relieved to get out.Ravi Wasan – the director of Feathered Friends sanctuary who successfully captured the bird in the Coles supermarket at Macarthur Squar
  
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• Mickey the cockatoo rescued after four weeks 'living on brioche' in Sydney supermarket – video

  23-10-2024 04:24
  A sulphur-crested cockatoo named Mickey that had been 'living on brioche' inside a Sydney supermarket for four weeks has been captured by wildlife services and is expected to be set free soon. On Tuesday morning, another cockatoo, Old Lady Doris, was taken into the supermarket by the Feathered Friends bird rescue director Ravi Wasan to comfort the lost bird, allowing Wasan to successfully capture him. Wasan said Mickey looked 'physically fine' and was not hungry because he was eating 'really wel
  
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• Dog likely saved Maine woman from freezing to death in woods, officials say

  22-10-2024 17:27
  
  Labrador Lucy laid down on owner Pamela Helmstadter, 72, to protect her from cold after husband John, 82, fell and diedA dog may have saved a woman from dying alongside her husband after the couple – the animal’s owners – became lost for four frigid nights while on a walk in the woods in Maine, according to authorities.John Helmstadter, 82, and Pamela Helmstadter, 72, of Alexander, Maine, left their home on Sunday 13 October, to go for a walk with their one-year-old black labra
  
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