Animals news

• Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Oded Balilty

  17-05-2018 19:46 via yahoo.com
  Oded Balilty is a Pulitzer Prize-winning Israeli photographer.Born and raised in Jerusalem, he began his career as a photographer for the Israeli army magazine Bamahane.In 2002, at the height of the second Palestinian uprising, Balilty joined the Associated Press.
  
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• Revenge of the childless cat ladies - podcast

  16-09-2024 04:00 via theguardian.com
  
  How Donald Trump’s vice-presidential running mate JD Vance calling Democrats ‘childless cat ladies’ backfired. Elle Hunt reportsWhen Taylor Swift announced her support for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign last week, she signed the post ‘Childless cat lady’. It was a reference to the Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance’s interview with Tucker Carlson in 2021, in which he said Democratic party members were a “bunch of childless cat l
  
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• Rare smelly penguin wins New Zealand bird of the year contest

  16-09-2024 02:40 via theguardian.com
  
  The hoiho, which means ‘noise shouter’, triumphed in a year free from the usual scandals surrounding the competitionOne of the world’s rarest penguins has been crowned New Zealand’s bird of the year, in an unusually sedate year for the competition, free from the foreign interference and voting scandals of previous events.The endangered yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho, is the largest of New Zealand’s mainland penguin species and is distinctive for the pale yellow band
  
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• Oysters belong in the sea, not on our plates | Letter

  15-09-2024 18:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Dawn Carr of the Peta Foundation responds to to an article on ‘bivalve vegans’, while David Duell recalls a self-declared vegetarian who ate chickenVegan or not, we should all leave oysters in the ocean, where they belong (‘I’ll have them with hot sauce’: should vegans eat oysters?, 12 September).Without obvious legs or faces, oysters and other bivalves, such as scallops and clams, may appear less animal-like than other shellfish, but that doesn’t make them an
  
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• RFK Jr says he faces federal investigation for beheading whale

  15-09-2024 18:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Former presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr decries ‘weaponization of our government’ over 1994 incidentRobert F Kennedy Jr has said that he is being investigated by federal authorities for collecting the head from a decapitated whale carcass.During a campaign event on Saturday for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, in Glendale, Arizona, the former independent presidential candidate said: “I received a letter from the National Marine Fisheries Institute saying that the
  
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• ‘Entire ecosystem’ of fossils 8.7m years old found under Los Angeles high school

  15-09-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Researchers find two sites with fossils including saber-toothed salmon and megalodon, the huge prehistoric sharkMarine fossils dating back to as early as 8.7m years ago have been uncovered beneath a south Los Angeles high school.On Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported that researchers had discovered two sites on the campus of San Pedro high school under which fossils including those of a saber-toothed salmon and a megalodon, the gigantic prehistoric shark, were buried. Continue reading...
  
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• First large-scale UK onshore salmon project at risk over ‘factory farm’ claimss

  15-09-2024 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Animal rights campaigners win a judicial review over pioneering £120m scheme at Grimsby portOn former railway sidings at Grimsby docks in Lincolnshire, the seafood industry is backing new plans for an onshore salmon farm that it claims will create jobs, cut emissions and help meet the nation’s huge demand for the fish.The scheme would be the UK’s first large-scale onshore salmon farm, with the fish growing to a weight of four or five kilograms. The project’s backer says t
  
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• Magpie-swooping season is here. But you can avoid attack – if you play by their rules

  14-09-2024 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From donning ‘pie-proof’ bike helmets to conversing with the songbirds, the key to avoiding avian conflict might be learning to speak their language, experts say Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDown a gravel track in the backblocks west of Ipswich ride six middle-aged women. Their bikes are black, their shorts and exercise tops nondescript – but strapped atop their helmets are party hats.“You know those little cone hats you used to wear as a kid
  
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• Fury in Turkey as animal lovers and politicians attack ‘massacre law’ to deal with 4m stray dogs

  14-09-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  A new bill forcing local authorities to remove homeless animals from city streets has led to a furious backlashNext to the network of the highways that crisscross Turkey, among the lush forests or mountain peaks that dot the country, large stray dogs are a common sight. Most are pale white Akbaş dogs or Kangal shepherds, with their distinctive dark muzzle, pale golden coat and large bodies designed to herd livestock, although on the streets of Istanbul they are more commonly found lazing ou
  
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• I was addicted to a high-pressure job when a baby hare came into my life. How would raising it change me?

  14-09-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  I loved the adrenaline rush of work as a political adviser - but a chance encounter with a tiny leveret make me rethink everythingThe path near the barn where I lived was a short, unpaved track leading along the edge of a cornfield. I was deep in my thoughts one day, walking down this slope towards a narrow country lane, when I was brought up short by a tiny creature facing me on the grass strip running down the track’s centre. I stopped abruptly. Leveret. The word surfaced in my mind, eve
  
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• Nature boys and girls – here’s your chance to get published in the Guardian

  14-09-2024 10:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Our wildlife series Young Country Diary is looking for articles written by children, about their autumn encounters with natureOnce again, the Young Country Diary series is open for submissions! Every three months, as the UK enters a new season, we ask you to send us an article written by a child aged 8-14.The article needs to be about a recent encounter they’ve had with nature – whether it’s a majestic deer, a lost spider or a wood shedding its leaves. Continue reading...
  
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• Zimbabwe orders cull of 200 elephants amid food shortages from drought

  14-09-2024 07:50 via theguardian.com
  Environment minister says country has more elephants than it needs while critics of hunt say they are a major tourist drawcardZimbabwe will cull 200 elephants as it faces an unprecedented drought that has led to food shortages, a move that tackle a ballooning population of the animals, the country’s wildlife authority has said.Zimbabwe had “more elephants than it needed”, the environment minister said in parliament on Wednesday, adding that the government had instructed the Zim
  
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• Do fish have feelings? Scientists believe they’re getting closer to an answer

  14-09-2024 02:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Research suggesting certain species can learn, experience pain and form relationships has implications for our attitude to world’s most-eaten animalGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen scientists demonstrated a small tropical fish – the cleaner wrasse – could recognise itself in a mirror, Prof Culum Brown’s first thought was: “This is the coolest thing ever.”Brown, an ecologist who researches fish behaviour and intelligence at Sydney
  
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• South Wales villagers tormented by mystery plague of flies

  13-09-2024 13:51 via theguardian.com
  
  People in Bettws near Bridgend say swarms have made life hell, even prompting some to consider movingA plague of flies has descended on a South Wales village, causing residents to cancel invitations to visitors and even consider leaving their homes.People in Bettws, near Bridgend, said thousands of common houseflies had made their lives hell. Some reported being unable to eat a meal, with flies crawling over their food. One said it was affecting residents’ mental health. Continue reading..
  
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• Wild at Art 2024 winners: Australia’s threatened species through the eyes of children – in pictures

  13-09-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Nearly 5,000 primary school students took part in the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Wild at Art competition, which invites children to create an artwork depicting one of the country’s threatened native animals or plants‘A symbol of our nation’: waratah among 20 more species added to Australia’s threatened wildlife listGet our weekend culture and lifestyle email Continue reading...
  
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• Week in wildlife in pictures: a rebellious kingfisher, golfing bobcats and a sex-mad marsupial

  13-09-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Moo-Deng: the two-month-old baby pygmy hippo becoming an online giant – video

  13-09-2024 08:48 via theguardian.com
  
  A two-month-old pygmy hippo has become an internet sensation across Thailand and beyond, after footage of her wobbling around her enclosure, nibbling her zookeeper and being sprayed with water went viral online. Coffee has been made in her image, while online fans have made artwork showing off her cartoonish rosy cheeks and bright eyes. One cosmetics store has even jumped on the trend, telling social media users 'wear your blush like a baby hippo', alongside a selection of products in pink and p
  
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• ‘I set a goal to make her famous’: the baby pygmy hippo who became a giant online

  13-09-2024 07:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Moo-Deng from Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand has amassed a legion of fans thanks to her viral fame across TikTok, Facebook and InstagramA two-month-old pygmy hippo has become an internet sensation across Thailand and beyond after footage went viral online of her wobbling around her enclosure, nibbling her zookeeper and being sprayed with water.Moo-Deng has captured hearts across Asia. Fans have made cakes in her image and artworks showing off her cartoonish rosy cheeks and bright eyes. One cosm
  
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• Scientists hopeful antidote can help protect bumblebees from pesticides

  12-09-2024 17:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Study suggests hydrogel microparticles increase survival by 30% in bumblebees exposed to lethal doses of neonicotinoids Scientists have developed a “vaccine” for bees against pesticides – and it appears to work, according to an initial study.According to the findings, published in Nature Sustainability, hydrogel microparticles fed to bumblebees in sugar water caused a 30% higher survival rate in individuals exposed to lethal doses of neonicotinoids, and significantly milder sym
  
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• ‘I’ll have them with hot sauce’: should vegans eat oysters?

  12-09-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Bivalve veganism is built on the philosophy that molluscs such as mussels and oysters feel no pain. But some say the scientific jury is still outAlex Karol is fantasising about the next time she gets to slurp up some freshly shucked oysters. “I’ll have them with lemon juice, shallots, and a couple of drops of hot sauce. Sometimes, I have a couple with a splash of vodka,” says the London- and Toronto-based publicist. Cost curbs her craving for oysters to one meal a month, and so
  
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• The hell and horror of cow attacks: ‘I told my husband to leave me to die’

  12-09-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Cattle are the most common cause of death in the UK farming industry – with some figures suggesting cows kill more people than dogs. So what can you do if the herd approaches?“I remember feeling I was about to die,” says Jill Gilmore. She and her husband, Mark, were walking their dog, Finnegan, in the Stockport area and had just climbed over a stile on a public footpath. Jill was slightly ahead, with Finnegan on a short lead, when a group of cows appeared. “It was just in
  
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• Europe saved its predators from the brink of extinction. So why is it killing thousands of bears, wolves and lynx?

  12-09-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  With Sweden issuing permits to kill a fifth of its bears, and Romanian MPs voting to double its quota, and the debate over hunting season has become a political issueThe forest was unnaturally still when Soňa Chovanová Supeková first picked up the bear’s scent. It was roe deer rutting season in southern Slovakia, and the hills below the Carpathian mountains were busy with tourists biking and foraging for mushrooms. Fellow hunters who had come face to face with bears had
  
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• ‘Brat, slay, ick’: zoo marketing blurb written by gen Z staff goes viral

  11-09-2024 17:58 via theguardian.com
  Millions have viewed TikTok video starring deadpan Northumberland zoo directors and animals with ‘main character energy’Ralph the racoon is very demure, very mindful; the prairie dogs are poppin’; the bats are brat and Stilton the goat, in his mind at least, is the GOAT (that’s obviously Greatest Of All Time, sheesh).We know all this because a new social media video for Northumberland zoo has, virally, gone supersonic. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Miracle’ penguin found two weeks after escaping captivity in Japan

  11-09-2024 15:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Pen-chan defies expectations to be reunited with keeper safe and sound after swimming 30 miles in open seaA fugitive penguin in Japan has been found safe and sound two weeks after escaping into the sea and paddling for miles in what her keeper called a miracle.Pen-chan, a female Cape penguin born and raised in captivity, who had never swum in the open sea before or fended for herself, absconded from an event in the central Aichi region on 25 August. Continue reading...
  
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• Resisting fascism includes respecting our environment and fellow species | Terry Tempest Williams

  11-09-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  I do not think it is a leap to see our exploitive relationship with Earth as part of a centuries-long war against the environmentStanding on the edge of Utah’s terminal Great Salt Lake is to witness the religion of over water-consumption in the desert. Our inland sea is disappearing in climate chaos evidenced by extreme heat and a megadrought not seen in 2,500 years. Ten million migrating birds depend on this water body for food, rest and breeding. Flocks of Wilson’s phalaropes, smal
  
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• Birdwatch: Storm Lilian brings a Sabine’s gull to Somerset

  11-09-2024 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  This attractive gull had almost certainly never seen a human before, hence its tameness as birders gatheredA few weeks ago, a young bird fledged somewhere in the high Arctic – perhaps Canada, Greenland or Svalbard – and began its long, slow journey southwards, to spend the winter in the South Atlantic Ocean.On the way, it was caught up in Storm Lilian, and drifted towards the west coast of England. That explains how I caught up with this juvenile Sabine’s gull, happily feeding
  
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• Giant tortoises in Seychelles face threat from luxury hotel development

  11-09-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Conservationists and botanists express concern over plans for Qatari-funded upscale resort on Assomption IslandThe habitat of the largest giant tortoise population in the world is threatened by a Qatari-funded hotel development that aims to bring luxury yachts, private jets and well-heeled tourists to a remote island in the Indian Ocean, conservationists have warned.Plans for an upscale resort on Assomption, which is part of the Aldabra island group, are currently under discussion by the Seychel
  
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• Marsupial of the year heats up as koala and glider take on animal that mates itself to death

  10-09-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Project hopes competition will raise big money for underfunded organisations working to protect beloved speciesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTense competition is brewing between the greater glider and the koala in Australia’s marsupial of the year vote but there are hopes a silky-tailed species that “mates themselves to death” could win over voters and maybe even save it from heading towards
  
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• Crocodiles and snakes ‘washed into communities’ as flood hits Nigerian zoo

  10-09-2024 16:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Park in Borno state says more than 80% of its animals have been killed and urges residents to take precautionsFloods in northern Nigeria have killed more than 80% of the animals in a large zoo housing wildlife from lions and crocodiles to buffalo and ostriches, the facility has said.“Some deadly animals have been washed away into our communities, like crocodiles and snakes,” the Sanda Kyarimi Park zoo added in a statement on the floods in the northern Borno state, urging residents to
  
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• Golden eagle killed in Norway after attack on toddler in farmyard

  09-09-2024 18:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Young bird was believed to have attacked and injured at least four people in a week across wide areaA young golden eagle has been killed after reportedly attacking and wounding at least four people, including a 20-month-old toddler, in a large area of central and southern Norway.The public broadcaster NRK said that in the most recent attack on Saturday the bird swooped on the girl, who was was playing in her family’s farmyard in the central Trøndelag region, despite being beaten awa
  
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