The biggest swarms of the insects in a generation have devastated crops and grazing across Africa but are now being turned into sustainable, high-protein animal fodder and fertiliser
- Photographs by Baz Ratner
Category Archives: Animals
Lady Gaga’s dog walker describes ‘close call’ after he was shot in robbery
On social media, Ryan Fischer says ‘healing still needs to happen’ after he was attacked while walking three dogs
Lady Gaga’s dog walker, who was shot last week during a robbery in Hollywood when two of the singer’s French bulldogs were stolen, has described the violence and his recovery “from a very close call with death” in social media posts on Monday.
Ryan Fischer’s posts included pictures taken from his hospital bed, where he says a “lot of healing still needs to happen” but he looks forward to reuniting with the dogs.
Continue reading...Rooster fitted with blade for cockfight kills its owner in India
Bird with knife attached to leg ready to take on opponent inflicts fatal injuries to man’s groin
A rooster fitted with a knife for an illegal cockfight in southern India has killed its owner, sparking a manhunt for the organisers of the event, police said.
The bird had a knife attached to its leg ready to take on an opponent when it inflicted serious injuries to the man’s groin as it tried to escape, officers said. The man died from loss of blood before he could reach a hospital in the Karimnagar district of Telangana state earlier this week, local police officer B Jeevan told AFP.
Continue reading...Hundreds of calves stranded at sea due to suspected disease – video
Hundreds of calves crammed onboard a ship were checked by Spanish government veterinarians after months at sea, suspected of contracting the bovine disease bluetongue.
The Karim Allah docked at the south-eastern Spanish port of Cartagena on Thursday after struggling to find a buyer for its almost 900 cattle
Happy ‘farmily’: portraits of people and their animals – in pictures
Photographer Tasha Hall creates what she calls ‘farmily’ portraits – featuring families and their animals. Hall, from British Columbia in Canada, says she got the idea after wanting to include all her furry friends in a family portrait. She now travels the world capturing other families with their livestock and pets
Continue reading...Elephant kills Spanish zookeeper with one hit from trunk
Man was cleaning stables when he was hit by female, knocking his head against bars of enclosure
A zoo worker in Spain has died after he was struck by an elephant’s trunk, knocking his head against the bars of an enclosure, the zoo and local officials said.
The female elephant weighing around 4,000kg (8,800lb) hit the 44-year-old with her trunk on Wednesday morning at the Cabarceno Natural Park near the northern city of Santander, the zoo said. The man was rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries some three hours later.
Continue reading...Male lyrebirds resort to artful deception in the pursuit of procreation
Males use vocal trickery to fool females into thinking a threat is lurking, giving them time to sow their genetic seeds
Male lyrebirds in the throes of sexual union will mimic the sound of a distressed mob of other birds to fool their mate and stop her from escaping, new research from Australia has found.
The remarkable discovery was made after analysing audio and video of superb lyrebirds – a species known for extravagant dance routines and an ability to imitate the calls of more than 20 other species.
Continue reading...Baarack the sheep shorn of 35kg fleece after being found roaming in rural Australia – video
A rogue sheep found wandering in rural Victoria has been shorn of his heavily overgrown 35kg fleece. Nicknamed Baarack by his rescuers, the merino ram was taken to Edgar's Mission farm sanctuary, where the fleece was removed to save his life. 'He was in a bit of a bad way,' Kyle Behrend of the sanctuary said. 'He was underweight and, due to all of the wool around his face, he could barely see'
Continue reading...Global freshwater fish populations at risk of extinction, study finds
World’s Forgotten Fishes report lists pollution, overfishing and climate change as dangers
Freshwater fish are under threat, with as many as a third of global populations in danger of extinction, according to an assessment.
Populations of migratory freshwater fish have plummeted by 76% since 1970, and large fish – those weighing more than 30kg – have been all but wiped out in most rivers. The global population of megafish down by 94%, and 16 freshwater fish species were declared extinct last year.
Continue reading...Komodo dragons: ‘the biggest, worst lizard of the modern day’ | Helen Sullivan
From the Komodo’s mouth hang various strands of toxic drool, lightly coated in dust
The goanna wanted an egg. It had climbed a few metres up the trunk of a large cabbage palm and was looking at me: egg. Its nose pointed down, its eyes looked up, like a begging dog, and – distinctly unlike a dog of any kind – it flicked its forked tongue against the bark: egg. Although I was in possession of a carton, I declined the request. I have seen a goanna (Australian for monitor lizard) eat an egg and they have no idea how to do this in a normal way. They crunch the snack whole, a dull look on their faces, as most of the yolk dribbles down the sides of their mouths.
Of course, the best monitor lizard – and champion of disturbing feeding habits – is the Komodo dragon: a big beast that lives on small islands such as Indonesia’s Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang (50,000 years ago, Komodos lived in Australia, too). As the cult internet comic strip Achewood puts it, “Everyone knows that a Komodo Dragon is the biggest, worst lizard of the modern day.”
Continue reading...Mink farms a continuing Covid risk to humans and wildlife, warn EU experts
Health experts call for regular testing of staff and animals after coronavirus found at 400 breeding units across Europe
All mink farms are at risk of becoming infected with Covid-19 and spreading the virus, and staff and animals should be regularly tested, EU disease and food safety experts said on Thursday.
Mink are highly susceptible to coronavirus, which spreads rapidly in intensive farms that often breed thousands of animals in open housing caged systems (outdoor wire cages covered with a roof). Humans are the most likely initial source of infection.
Denmark, the world’s largest exporter of mink fur, announced that it would cull up to 15 million mink in November, after discovering a mutated variant of the virus that scientists feared might have jeopardised the effectiveness of future vaccines.
Continue reading...Gone fishing: the fight to save one of the world’s most elusive wild cats
With webbed feet and a tail for a rudder, Asia’s fishing cats face shrinking habitats. But conservation efforts in West Bengal are helping it swim against the tide
For more than a decade, wildlife biologist Tiasa Adhya has spent many a day (and night) in a small wooden boat, silently gliding through dense vegetation in the wetlands and mangroves of West Bengal, scanning the banks for signs of a rarely seen wild cat – the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).
“Fishing cats are fascinating animals,” she says. “They have co-inhabited riverine deltas and floodplains alongside humans for centuries. Ancient cultures like the Khmer empire show evidence of fishing cats.” As co-founder of the world’s longest-running fishing cat research and conservation project, Kolkata-based Adhya is dedicated to this endangered felid, one of the least-studied and understood wildcats.
Continue reading...Russian lab to research prehistoric viruses in animals dug from melted permafrost
Project aims to identify paleoviruses and study virus evolution using the remains, Siberian lab says
A Russian state laboratory has announced that it is launching research into prehistoric viruses by analysing the remains of animals recovered from melted permafrost.
The Siberia-based Vektor lab said in a statement on Tuesday that the aim of the project was to identify paleoviruses and conduct advanced research into virus evolution.
Continue reading...Hundreds of Florida manatees filmed basking alongside dolphins – video
Almost 200 threatened Florida manatees have been filmed together basking in shallow waters off the state’s west coast. The remarkable drone footage also shows a pod of playful dolphins swimming through the group. The video of the manatees and dolphins at play, taken by See Through Canoe, is unusual in that it captures the species together in such high numbers. The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission estimates that only about 7,500 manatees exist in the wild in the south-eastern US.
Continue reading...Italian mayor warns public after black panther sightings
Residents urged to avoid local fields and countryside as authorities in Puglia search for animal
Italian authorities are scouting an area in Puglia where locals have reported seeing a black panther on the loose.
In the last two weeks, several witnesses have spotted and filmed a large, black feline prowling around the province of Bari, near the towns of Castellana Grotte and Acquaviva delle Fonti.
Continue reading...Undercover footage at French pig farm shows ‘abusive’ conditions
The unit, which supplies the Herta brand, had been cleared by French state vets and claimed to be addressing concerns
French veterinary officials have been accused of publishing “falsely reassuring” inspection findings after undercover footage at a farm appeared to show pigs in conditions that continued to breach regulations following allegations of abuse in December.
The farm is a supplier for the Herta brand of frankfurter, part-owned by Nestlé, which is sold by most major UK supermarkets.
Continue reading...Pigs can be trained to use computer joysticks, say researchers
Study found pigs were able to move a cursor to hit a wall on a screen and earn a treat
They’ve long been thought of as smarter than your average animal, but now researchers claim they have taught pigs to use a joystick, suggesting they are even cleverer than previously thought.
Pigs have previously been found to be capable of a host of tasks, including solving multiple-choice puzzles, and learning commands such as “sit”.
Continue reading...Seed-sized chameleon found in Madagascar may be world’s tiniest reptile
Male nano-chameleon, named Brookesia nana, has body only 13.5mm long
Scientists say they have discovered a sunflower-seed-sized subspecies of chameleon that may well be the smallest reptile on Earth.
Two of the miniature lizards, one male and one female, were discovered by a German-Madagascan expedition team in northern Madagascar.
Continue reading...Giant pandas play in the Washington DC snow – video
Giant pandas at the Smithsonian’s national zoo enjoyed the cold weather in the US capital by rolling and sliding around in the snow in their enclosure. In a clip shared by the zoo, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian took full advantage of the wintry conditions
Continue reading...Grubs up! Mealworms are on the menu – but are we ready for them?
The mealworm market is expected to boom after the EU ruled them safe to eat. Insects are a popular food in most countries, so can Europeans get over the yuck factor?
It’s a bit … well, mealy. Dry (because it’s been dried), a little crunchy, not strongly flavoured, neither pleasant nor unpleasant. Salt would probably help, or chilli, lime – something, anything, to spice it up a bit. And definitely a beer, if I was going to consume much more, to help wash it down.
I’m eating mealworms. Dried yellow mealworms, the larvae of the beetle Tenebrio molitor. Why? Because they are nutritious, made up mainly of protein, fat and fibre. Because there are potentially environmental and economic benefits, as they require less feed and produce less waste and carbon dioxide than other sources of animal protein. And because Efsa, the EU food safety agency, has just declared them safe to eat.
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