Weird animals
If you study animals, humans really are odd. Our bodies and instincts mesh with the natural world, but our conscious thought, logic, morality, and love are bizarre. PICTURE: alice-photo/iStockphoto It’s like something, or someone, dropped a conscious soul into our fleshly bodies. We have all sorts of weird theories to explain this – alien seeding, […]
Pandemic prevention: Costs divide rich, poor countries ahead of WHO treaty talks
DEBORAH J NELSON, RYAN MCNEILL and HELEN REID, of Reuters, report ahead of this week’s discussions of a pandemic prevention treaty…
In wake of disasters, Chile animal shelter offers hope to wildlife
Santiago, ChileReuters In the misty forests just outside of Chile’s capital Santiago, a rescued puma stalks the leafy surroundings of the Refugio Animal Cascada, a shelter hoping to rehabilitate and house wildlife affected by the country’s natural disasters. The shelter, first opened two decades ago, has seen a host of new residents this year following […]
Rescuers race to save pets in submerged Ukraine city after dam collapse
Kherson, Ukraine Reuters Rescue workers are scrambling to save thousands of animals trapped by floodwaters in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson following the destruction of the vast Kakhovka dam some 60 kilometres upstream. Many dogs, cats and other pets are in peril after owners abandoned them when fleeing floodwaters unleashed by the collapse of […]
A Sustainable Life: Check your tyres – you might be adding unnecessary microplastics to the environment
SAMANTHA GARRARD, a marine ecosystem services researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, explains why maintaining optimal tyre pressure is important…
Huge chunk of plants, animals in US at risk of extinction – report
Reuters A leading conservation research group found that 40 per cent of animals and 34 per cent of plants in the United States are at risk of extinction, while 41 per cent of ecosystems are facing collapse. Everything from crayfish and cacti to freshwater mussels and iconic American species such as the Venus flytrap are […]
Postcards: In the ruins of east Ukraine, farmers won’t leave their animals
HERBERT VILLARRAGA, of Reuters, reports from Yampil…
Analysis – UN nature deal can help wildlife as long as countries deliver
Montreal, CanadaReuters A new conservation deal adopted this week at the UN summit in Montreal puts the world on a strong track to halt the rapid decline in nature – but only if wealthy nations deliver enough funding and all countries prioritise conservation. Goals set out in the agreement, known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity […]
Watch out for the sheep: Live animals bring spectacle and humour to nativity scenes
Though they aren’t mentioned in the Bible Christmas story, live animals have been part of nativity scenes since the 1200s. But, as BOB SMIETANA of Religion News Service, reports, sometimes things go awry, including a recent case of cows on the loose…
Pets returned to shelters in Hungary as owners face rising costs
Budapest, HungaryReuters Chelsy, a soft-eyed dog with an immune illness, has been returned to a Hungarian animal shelter two years after he was adopted as his owners can no longer afford the vet’s bills or his food, forced to sell their own home to make ends meet. Chelsy, four, is not alone. People turn up […]