Animals news

• ‘Your plastic is here’: how Easter Island copes with 500 pieces of rubbish an hour washing ashore

  18-06-2024 07:00
  
  One of the world’s most remote populations must deal with a flood of multinational plastic, much of it tossed overboard by the factory fishing ships hoovering up sealife just offshorePhotographs by Akira FranklinFrom a distance, the colourful beach at Ovahe seems a postcard-perfect mosaic of natural beauty. Craggy volcanic boulders, pockmarked from bubbling lava, jut from the sand, garnished by a necklace of pastel-coloured corals and seashells pounded to pieces by the wild, crashing surf.
  
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• ‘Thrown like a rag doll’: British tourist narrowly survives hippo attack in Zambia

  26-09-2024 11:49
  Roland Cherry, from Warwickshire, sustained severe bite wounds after being mauled by animal during safariA man narrowly survived after being dragged to the bottom of a river and “thrown through the air like a rag doll” when he was attacked by hippo while canoeing on holiday in Zambia.Roland Cherry, who was on five-week holiday through southern Africa with his wife, Shirley, sustained severe bite wounds across his body, including a 10in wound to his abdomen, as well as a thigh injury
  
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• Comedy wildlife photography awards 2024 – in pictures

  26-09-2024 09:00
  
  Loved-up brown bears and whispering raccoons feature in this light-hearted look at a selection of finalists from the Nikon Comedy Wildlife awards. A winner will be announced on 10 December Continue reading...
  
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• ‘You could single-handedly push it to extinction’: how social media is putting our rarest wildlife at risk

  26-09-2024 08:00
  From breeding spots overrun by visitors to photographers disturbing endangered species, experts say the rarer the find is, the bigger the problemWith its impressive size, striking plumage and rowdy displays, sighting a capercaillie is many birders’ dream. Only about 530 of the large woodland grouse survive in the wild, most in Scotland’s Cairngorms national park.But in recent years, those tasked with saving the species from extinction have had to walk a line between calling attention
  
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• Country diary: A wheatear stands out among the shingle | Paul Evans

  26-09-2024 06:30
  
  Dungeness, Kent: The bird’s beak is as black as the old lighthouse, and its occult beam rotates in her eyeThe wheatear is in stop-go motion. She’s in the stones, she’s in a sea-kale patch, she’s on a lump of concrete. At each point she is poised, head held high, and although she may have been hunting spiders in the shingle, her eye is on the main chance, which is far away across the sea.Dungeness is the “dangerous nose” (said Tilda Swinton, in her forewor
  
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• He’s 130, with three eyes and two girlfriends: meet New Zealand’s beloved tuatara Henry

  26-09-2024 01:30
  The unique reptile endemic to New Zealand is the sole survivor of an ancient species that once walked the earth with dinosaursAbout 130 years ago – as New Zealand women celebrated their world-first right to vote, athletes competed in the first international Olympic Games, and the first motion pictures were flickering into view – a tiny mottled green reptile with a spiny back was hatching on a small New Zealand island.The baby tuatara – a unique and rare reptile endemic to New Z
  
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• California bears make themselves at home as humans build closer to nature

  25-09-2024 14:00
  Residents in Sierra Madre report increased bear sightings – and some bears are finding their way into homes and yardsHumans are building homes closer to the forest in southern California, and bears are putting their foot, or their paw, down.Residents in Sierra Madre, a city neighboring the more than 700,000-acre (283,280-hectare) Angeles national forest, have had black bears break into their homes, cars and yards. Continue reading...
  
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• Surge in minke whales could be down to fewer basking sharks, Hebrides study says

  25-09-2024 07:00
  
  When sighting rates for basking sharks are high they are low for minke whales, says monitoring programmeThe highest ever recorded numbers of minke whales and the lowest number of basking sharks were observed in the Hebrides in 2023, according to a report.The latest findings of the 20-year monitoring programme by the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust suggest a possible association between these two highly mobile and long-lived species. When sighting rates for basking sharks are high, they are low
  
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• Minke whale sightings surge but basking sharks decline, finds Hebrides study

  25-09-2024 07:00
  
  When sighting rates for basking sharks are high they are low for minke whales, says monitoring programmeThe highest ever recorded numbers of minke whales and the lowest number of basking sharks were observed in the Hebrides in 2023, according to a report.The latest findings of the 20-year monitoring programme by the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust suggest a possible association between these two highly mobile and long-lived species. When sighting rates for basking sharks are high, they are low
  
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• Finland zoo will return its giant pandas to China, blaming inflation

  25-09-2024 02:56
  
  Ahtari Zoo said it had spent 8m euros on a facility for Lumi and Pyry since they were brought to Finland in 2018A zoo in Finland has blamed rising inflation and upkeep costs for its decision to return two giant pandas to China, more than eight years ahead of the date they were set to go back.The pandas, named Lumi and Pyry, were brought to Finland in January 2018, months after Chinese president Xi Jinping visited the Nordic country and signed a joint agreement on protecting the animals. Continue
  
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• New ghost shark species with unusually long nose discovered in deep seas off New Zealand

  25-09-2024 02:40
  The narrow-nosed spookfish is also found in Australian waters and is distinctive for its elongated snout and whip-like tailA new species of ghost shark, with an unusually long nose and a whip-like tail, has been discovered in the inky depths of New Zealand waters.Scientists at New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) initially believed the creature was part of an existing species found around the world, but further investigation revealed it was new, genetically di
  
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• New species of invasive flatworm discovered in three southern US states

  24-09-2024 19:34
  
  Amaga pseudobama was first spotted in 2020 in North Carolina and has now spread to Florida and GeorgiaA new species of invasive flatworm has been discovered in the United States and has been found in several states in the south, according to a new paper.The species, named Amaga pseudobama, was discovered by an international team of researchers and first spotted in 2020 in North Carolina. It is thought to be native to South America. Continue reading...
  
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• My dog has been reviewed online – and it wasn’t exactly glowing | Zoe Williams

  24-09-2024 12:00
  
  While the sitter’s words were not untrue, there were so many other things they could have said about my staffordshire bull terrierWhen Uber was first invented, my mother was incensed about the star-rating system. She did not wish to be evaluated for her manners, she said. It was outrageous. You paid someone to take you somewhere – your personality was none of their concern. “You could try just being nice?” I suggested. “I am nice! I’m always nice. I’m re
  
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• Suspected poisoning of 30 magpies in Cootamundra under investigation

  24-09-2024 11:29
  
  Local vet says nine birds have died and the rest are being treated, with many unable to stand or walkGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales environmental watchdog is investigating a suspected poisoning that has left nine magpies dead and more than a dozen others needing treatment.Karlie Johnston, the practice manager at Cooper Street veterinary hospital in Cootamundra, said 30 magpies had been brought into the vet in recent days. Many were unable to stand
  
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• NSW man tossed chicken known as Betty White to ‘feed a hungry alligator’, court hears

  24-09-2024 09:54
  
  Peter Smith accused of act of aggravated cruelty on ‘a silkie bantam chook’ at wildlife park in Salt AshFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man who tossed a chicken known as Betty White to its death in an alligator pen had simply wanted to feed the reptile, his lawyer has said.Peter Smith, 58, of Hunterview in regional New South Wales, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Raymond Terrace local court to one count o
  
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• ‘The otter came so close I could smell her fishy breath’: scribbles and sketches from Scotland’s wild isles

  24-09-2024 08:00
  
  In an extract from her new book, Still Waters & Wild Waves, the artist and illustrator Angela Harding documents the wildlife and landscapes of the Scottish islands Fair Isle and ShetlandWords and images: Angela Harding Today the UK woke up to a day of excitement. A day of street parties, a national holiday, and celebrations for a new king. It was also day three of gale-force winds on Fair Isle, and it was the day my mother died. A brief phone call from her care home, then the aloneness. The
  
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• Country diary: Glowworms, nature’s gooey gourmands, get to work | Amy-Jane Beer

  24-09-2024 06:30
  
  Ripon, North Yorkshire: The sun-dappled verges edged with willowherbs and brambles are good places for snails and this new batch of predators“Mate, the state of you.” Peter Cooper, an ecologist and species reintroduction specialist, is performing a delicate operation, using the tip of a fine paintbrush to extract a succession of tiny creatures from the shell whorls of a deceased and deliquescing snail on which they are feasting. He transfers them to a scrap of cellulose foam on which
  
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• Bird photographer of the year 2024 winners – in pictures

  24-09-2024 02:10
  
  The winning images in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition have been selected from 23,000 entries from around the world. The overall winner Patricia Homonylo’s image showed birds killed by colliding with windowsWildlife photographer of the year 2024 – preview Continue reading...
  
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• Wildlife officials on Alaska island urge all residents to help find one possible rat

  23-09-2024 15:27
  Search for rat that may not exist is part of effort to keep invasive species off remote but ecologically diverse islandsA purported sighting of a rat wouldn’t get much attention in many places around the world.But it caused a stir earlier this year on Alaska’s Saint Paul Island. Continue reading...
  
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• The pet I’ll never forget: Shackleton, the cat who faked his own death

  23-09-2024 12:00
  
  He turned up at our house in the dark days of lockdown, asking for food, then settled straight in. Once the veterinary surgeries reopened, we found out he was microchipped – but also, apparently, dead and buried …Late one night during the first Covid lockdown in 2020, my partner, Louisa, and I were watching TV in the sitting room when a tabby cat appeared in the darkness outside the patio door. He stared in through the glass, sat down and miaowed loudly.Next morning he was still the
  
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• The Fisherman and the Banker review – a coastal community’s astonishing fight for justice

  23-09-2024 10:00
  Shot over 10 years, Sheena Sumaria’s documentary follows an Indian fishing village as it takes on global financial giants to protect its biodiversity and the residents’ livelihoodsA quiet coastal village in India’s Gulf of Kutch is the site of an ancient fishing community’s heroic battle against some of the largest financial institutions in the world. Once a vibrant place of rich biodiversity, the area underwent a dramatic transformation after Tata, India’s largest
  
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• Pesto the penguin: 22.5kg chick in Melbourne aquarium set to shed weight after going viral - video

  23-09-2024 08:35
  A nine-month-old king penguin chick, which weighs 22.5kg, is the largest the Sea Life aquarium in Melbourne has ever seen – in comparison, his foster parents weigh 11kg each. Pesto eats 25 to 32 fish a day, says Jacinta Early, the aquarium’s education coordinator, about double the amount adult king penguins typically eat, though she says he's 'not at all considered to be an unhealthy weight'. Pesto is expected to lose weight in the coming weeks as he fledges, or develo
  
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• ‘Big baby’: Melbourne aquarium’s huge 22.5kg penguin chick Pesto set to slim down after becoming viral star

  23-09-2024 08:35
  
  Sea Life Aquarium Melbourne’s nine-month-old king penguin eats 25 to 32 fish a day and outweighs both foster parents combinedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPesto the penguin has broken the internet – and the scales – but its fans only have a few weeks left to see the chick at its heaviest.The king penguin, which is less than 9 months old and weighs 22.5kg, is the largest chick the Sea Life aquariu
  
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• I’m obsessed with sharks: I used to kill them, now I risk my life to film them

  23-09-2024 08:00
  
  I killed a great white when I was 18 to feed my family in Madagascar. But now I’m documenting the threat to these beautiful creatures from overfishingThe first time I came face to face with a great white shark, it was dead. I had caught it in my net. And I was so happy. I thought: I can bring a fortune back to my village. I can feed my family. I’m Malagasy – I come from Andavadoaka, a small fishing village on the south-west coast of Madagascar. It is a very dry place where no c
  
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• Country diary 1924: No mercy shown to the stoat and weasel

  23-09-2024 07:00
  25 September 1924: They are ferocious beasts, the greatest of all the pests on which the keeper wages warCUMBERLAND: No mercy is shown to the stoat and weasel. They are ferocious beasts. Watch one as it “chitters” at you from a hole in a stone wall, and you never cease to wonder that its glittering eyes should suggest such an impression of impudence, cruelty, evil, and malice. Evil, of course, they do, and were it not that they are easily trapped they would soon become the greatest o
  
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• Politics hat-trick can’t beat Arsenal at home | Brief letters

  22-09-2024 19:04
  Politics v football | Remembering Graham Rawle | Paintings at No 11 |Tupperware’s demise | A clever capybaraHaving received an email from John Crace inviting me to join him, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar for an evening event on Tuesday 3 December, I would just say that, much as I love John Crace, it’s obvious that he is a Spurs supporter, as he has picked the night that Arsenal are hosting Manchester United, so all good Guardian-reading Gooners like me will be attending that even
  
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• ‘Equivalent of Tasmanian tiger for bird watchers’ discovered in Western Australia desert

  22-09-2024 17:00
  
  Rangers and scientists thrilled as they find the largest known population of one of Australia’s rarest birds, the night parrot, living in Great Sandy desertGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe largest known population of one of Australia’s rarest birds has been found living in Western Australia’s Great Sandy desert.A team of Ngururrpa rangers and scientists detected the stronghold of up to 50 night parrots - a critically endangered species once feared
  
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• I decided to spend a day as a dog. It was completely idyllic, at first ... | Emma Beddington

  22-09-2024 15:00
  
  Being human is so complicated – all that doubt, dread and self-loathing. Dogs have a much better time of it. But can I access their world of pure sensation?You know how sometimes you think you’ve had a brilliant idea, then it bites you in the bum like an athletic but mean jack russell? Suggesting I could “live like a dog for a day to see if they’re happier” turned out to be one of those.It seemed so promising. When I heard the title of the philosopher Mark Rowlands&
  
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• Escaped capybara Cinnamon returned to Shropshire zoo

  21-09-2024 11:25
  
  Daring breakout by 25kg rodent, found in nearby woods, made headlines around the worldCinnamon, the missing capybara, is back in captivity in a Shropshire zoo after spending a week on the run in some nearby woods.After a huge search operation – involving 20 people and a thermal drone – the 25kg (55lb) rodent was found just 250 metres from her paddock at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Telford on Friday. Continue reading...
  
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• Cat lost in Yellowstone travels 800 miles to reunite with owners after two months

  20-09-2024 21:58
  Benny and Susanne Anguiano are back home in California with Rayne Beau, who ran into woods during camping tripFor two months, a California couple was heartbroken, worrying about the whereabouts of their beloved cat after losing him in Yellowstone national park, a wilderness larger than some US states.But as summer came to a close, so did their tragic story. Benny and Susanne Anguiano reunited with their lost feline Rayne Beau last month after an animal welfare group called to let them know their
  
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