Category Archives: Animals

US scientists who used scissors to kill lab rats must be fired, activists say

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Tulane university researchers accused of ‘serious’ violations that breached international protocol over animal deaths

An animal rights group is demanding the firing of researchers at a Louisiana university who killed laboratory rats with scissors and a blunt blade – and used out-of-date anesthetics for pain relief.

The episodes are detailed in separate, self-reported notices of violation to the federal Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (Olaw), which were sent by Tulane University in New Orleans and obtained by the Stop Animal Exploitation Now advocacy group.

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Red fire ant colonies found in Italy and could spread across Europe, says study

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Researchers identify 88 nests of destructive invasive non-native species near Syracuse in Sicily

An invasive non-native ant species has become established in Italy and could rapidly spread through Europe to the UK with global heating, a study warns.

The red fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, has a powerful sting, damages crops and can infest electrical equipment including cars and computers.

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Suella Braverman pushes for ban on American bully XLs after attack

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Home secretary calls breed ‘clear and lethal danger’ after attack on 11-year-old girl in Birmingham

Suella Braverman is pushing for a ban on American bully XL dogs, arguing they are a “clear and lethal danger”, particularly to children.

The home secretary announced she has commissioned urgent advice on outlawing the dogs after she highlighted an “appalling” attack on an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham.

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Pit bull puppy saved by California police after possible fentanyl exposure

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The pup’s owners were arrested in a Walmart parking lot on suspicion of animal cruelty and possession of narcotics

California police administered an overdose-reversing drug to a pit bull puppy in attempts to save it from a potential fentanyl overdose.

On Friday, the Irvine police department announced that it administered a dose of Narcan to the puppy after it was exposed to fentanyl in a car and began to “show signs of an overdose”.

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Queensland man in 60s dies from snake bite after removing animal from friend’s leg

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Ambulance service uncertain of the species that bit the man but says symptoms point to a brown snake

A man in his 60s has died from a snake bite in central Queensland, after helping to remove a snake which had coiled around his friend’s leg.

Two men were treated by the Queensland Ambulance Service in Koumala, a town 60km south of Mackay, shortly after 6.30pm on Saturday evening.

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Social media platforms to face £18m fines for publishing animal cruelty content

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In a change to the online safety bill, tech firms will have to proactively prevent material that facilitates animal torture from being posted

Social media firms must remove animal cruelty content from their platforms or face the threat of substantial fines under the latest change to the online safety bill.

Ministers said causing unnecessary suffering to an animal will become a priority offence in the bill, which means tech firms will have to proactively prevent such material from reaching users. Failure to do so could result in a fine of £18m, or up to 10% of a company’s global revenue.

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Three-legged Florida bear raids poolside fridge for cans of White Claw

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Video footage of ‘Tripod’ shows bear taking food and hard seltzer from area next to a swimming pool at a private residence

A three-legged bear in Florida has been spotted raiding a poolside refrigerator for cans of White Claw hard seltzer before heading back into the woods.

Known in the Lake Mary neighborhood as “Tripod”, the bear had been seen before, according to local TV station WESH. But on this particular visit to a resident’s garden, the bear launched a brazen theft of food and drinks on a swimming pool area.

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More decapitated crocodiles found in Queensland amid reports of body part black market

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Local Aboriginal land council says at least six crocodiles have been found shot dead in the past two months

Queensland wildlife officers are investigating the deaths and beheadings of several large crocodiles near the remote town of Normanton, in what appears to be a growing problem in the state.

Rangers from the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (CLAC) have reported six crocodiles shot in the past two months, with some of the dead carcasses missing their heads.

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‘Incomprehensible’ killing of popular brown bear in central Italy sparks outrage

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Search under way for two cubs after man shoots rare bear dead, reportedly telling police he fired out of fear

Italian politicians and wildlife experts have condemned the fatal shooting of an endangered brown bear, as a search was under way for her two cubs.

Amarena was one of the most popular of the Marsican brown bears in the Abruzzo national park in central Italy, often pictured in and around the area with her offspring.

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Appeal for information after body of grizzly bear found in Canadian river

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Conservation officers believe animal was shot and dragged into Squamish River in British Columbia

Conservation officers in Canada are asking the public for help after the body of a grizzly bear was discovered floating in a British Columbia river.

This week, the province’s conservation service said it was investigating the illegal killing of the bear, after remains were discovered near the town of Squamish.

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Seven new ‘walking leaf’ insect species discovered

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Researchers used genetic analysis to identify species that cannot be distinguished by appearance alone

Seven new leaf insect species, known as “walking leaves”, have been discovered.

The insects exhibit a sophisticated “twigs and leaf-like” camouflage allowing them to blend into their surroundings without detection, posing a challenge to both predators and researchers.

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Scientists demand end to dingo baiting after research reveals most are genetically pure

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Discovery that most canids in Australia are not hybrids with wild dogs leads researchers to push to change policy and terminology

Scientists are calling on governments to end baiting programs targeting dingoes in national parks, to ditch the “inappropriate and misleading” term “wild dog”, and to proactively engage with Indigenous Australians regarding dingo management.

Dozens of scientists have written to the New South Wales, Victorian and South Australian environment and agriculture ministers to push for changes to dingo policies in light of new scientific research.

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Put ‘pest’ animal species on the pill, don’t cull them, says scientist

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Humane alternatives to killing rampant creatures such as wild boar, deer and grey squirrels are being developed

Conflicts between humans and wildlife are triggering growing numbers of disease outbreaks, road accidents and crop damage. And the problem is likely to get worse unless new, humane measures to curtail animal numbers are developed in the near future, say scientists.

It is a critical environmental issue that will be debated this week at a major conference in Italy where experts will discuss how best to limit numbers of grey squirrels, wild boar, deer, feral goats, pigeons, parakeets and other creatures that are causing widespread ecological damage in many countries.

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India birds report identifies 178 species as being of high conservation concern

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Large-scale study indicates population declines after collation of data from country’s conservation organisations and birdwatchers

A report on India’s bird population has painted a grim picture for many of the country’s species.

The State of India’s Birds (SoIB) report – published on Friday – showed worrisome declines, with 178 species of wild birds identified as needing immediate priority for conservation.

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‘Senseless crime’: beloved peacock killed with bow and arrow in Las Vegas

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Authorities and neighbors seek culprit after pet bird Pete the peacock found impaled by arrow

A beloved Las Vegas neighborhood peacock has been killed with a hunter’s bow and arrow, and authorities are trying to find who was behind it.

Animal protection services officers are investigating the death of Pete the peacock, a pet that belonged to a resident in a gated neighborhood, the local news outlet KVVU reported on Thursday.

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Woman filmed kicking and slapping a horse cleared of animal cruelty

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Sarah Moulds, 39, bemoans ‘trial by social media’ that followed video of her striking pony going viral

A former teacher who lost her job after she was filmed kicking and striking a horse has been cleared of animal cruelty.

Sarah Moulds, 39, was found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, her grey pony named Bruce Almighty.

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Death of 1,000 crayfish in Blue Mountains under investigation by EPA

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Environment Protection Authority believes a pollution incident caused the event and are working with city council to identify the toxicant

The deaths of about 1,000 giant spiny crayfish are being investigated by the Environment Protection Authority in a likely pollution incident in the Blue Mountains this week.

Hundreds of dead crayfish were found in a tributary of Hazelbrook Creek, near Horseshoe Falls, on Wednesday by a tour guide.

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France’s animal shelters reach capacity as holidaymakers dump pets at roadside

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Protection group appeals for funds after accepting 12,000 animals since beginning of summer

French animals rescue centres say they have reached “saturation” with abandoned pets this summer.

More than 100,000 pets are abandoned to fend for themselves in France every year, more than half of them dumped just before or during long summer holidays when they are often found next to routes heading for the coast or countryside. Last summer, 60,000 pets were dumped, and animal rescuers say the figure is expected to be higher this year.

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African penguins could be extinct by 2035, campaigners say

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Population has declined dramatically due to overfishing and environmental changes in the Indian Ocean

African penguins are on track for extinction by 2035 if measures are not taken to ensure their survival, campaigners have said.

The population of African penguins has declined dramatically over the past 100 years. In the early 20th century, it is thought that there were probably several million breeding pairs: today, fewer than 11,000 breeding pairs remain, and the population continues to fall sharply.

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Cyprus to begin treating island’s sick cats with anti-Covid pills

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Vets receive medication originally meant for people amid virulent feline coronavirus that has killed thousands of cats

Veterinary services in Cyprus have received a first batch of anti-Covid pills, from a stockpile originally meant for humans, as efforts intensify to stop the spread of a virulent strain of feline coronavirus that has killed thousands of cats.

The island’s health ministry began discharging the treatment on 8 August – long celebrated as International Cat Day – in what is hoped will be the beginning of the end of the disease that has struck the Mediterranean country’s feline population.

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