BEIJING (AP) — China cracked down on the sale of exotic species after an outbreak of a new virus in 2002 was linked to markets selling live animals. The germ turned out to be a coronavirus that caused SARS. The ban was later lifted, and the animals reappeared. Now another coronavirus is spreading through China, so far killing 1,380 people and sickening more than 64,000 — eight times the number sickened by SARS. The suspected origin? The same type of market. With more than 60 million people under lockdown in more than a dozen Chinese cities, the new outbreak is prompting calls to permanently ban the sale of wildlife, which many say is being fueled by a limited group of wealthy people who consider the animals delicacies. The spreading illness also serves as a grim reminder that how animals are handled anywhere can endanger people everywhere. To read more on this story, click here:Virus Renews Safety Concerns About Slaughtering Wild Animals
It is one of Canada’s stealthiest predators, so spotting a single lynx is rare enough for travelers in the country’s hinterland. But a driver in the western province of Manitoba recently managed to capture on video an entire family of the wild cats as they crossed the road. Shaun Kirchmann was travelling along Highway 6 from Grand Rapids to Winnipeg, when a silhouette close to the tree line caught his eye. The Manitoba Hydro employee pulled over to the side of the road, hopeful the shape he had spotted would move closer into view. Moose and deer are common sights along much of the country’s highway systems, and wolves and coyotes can occasionally be seen too. But Kirchmann was shocked as a mother lynx and her five kittens emerged from the trees, cautiously padding through the snow towards the highway. “It was one, two, three … I just kept seeing heads poke out of the bushes and I was just stunned. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a family of lynx.’ But I’d never heard of this many lynx being together,” Kirchmann told CBC News. The wild cats, known for their distinctive black-tipped ears, spend much of their life hidden in thick forest, and are rarely seen in groups, making Kirchmann’s sighting all the more special. Manitoba Hydro shared Kirchmann’s video on Facebook, racking up more than 5,600 views. “Caution: cat crossing. Our employee Shaun Kirchmann filmed this lynx litter on the highway to Grand Rapids after he saw a bunch of little heads peeking from the trees,” said the company. Canadian lynx, which are larger than bobcats, have a large range throughout the country. Their diet consists mainly of snowshoe hare, which has white fur in the winter and brown during the spring and summer. Population numbers remain healthy for the lynx in Canada, but it is considered a threatened species much of the United States, the result of excessive trapping and timber harvest.
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A Florida city shut down a section of a lake Thursday after receiving reports of swarming snakes. Turns out, the slithery creatures were just celebrating Valentine's Day a little early. The Lakeland Parks & Recreation department wrote on its Facebook page that a group of non-venomous water snakes congregated to mate near a traffic roundabout. It included one photo of the lake shoreline, and a closeup shot of a brown snake nestled in leaves. To read more on this story, click here:Mating Snakes Prompt Closure of Part of Florida Park
WHAT HUMAN FOOD CAN CATS EAT, AND WHAT NOT TO FEED CATS Thinking about giving your kitty some of the extras off your plate? Make sure you know what foods are okay for your cat, and which aren’t. With help from CityLeash & Pet360, we’ve compiled this list of foods that are and aren’t okay to feed your cat. Remember, each cat is different and may need different food or diet requirements, so you should contact your veterinarian before changing their diet. WHAT CAN CATS EAT? PROTEINS THAT ARE SAFE FOR CATS Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they need meat to live. Meat is a great source of protein for your cat. However, too much fat can give your cat a stomachache, so make sure to trim off any excess fatty portions beforehand and to cook all meat thoroughly before you feed it to your cat*. To read more on this story, click here:Human Food For Cats: A Basic Guide
Some basic skills of an office employee include the ability to organize office supplies, answer phones, and work a computer – office kittens Debit and Credit have all of those skills – almost. ‘Hired’ by the finance/IT department of a transportation company in Ohio, the rescue kittens were employed not for their natural ability to play with boxes but to boost office morale. The adorable brother and sister have managed not only to delight their office but the entire internet. Introduced on Reddit by one of their fellow employees, the sweet kitties were caught on camera hiding under and wrestling with an empty box lid. Understandably people wanted to see more of their hijinx. Debit and Credit now have their own Instagram account with 6.2k followers. To read more on this story, click here:Company Adopts 2 Office Kittens, Debit And Credit, To Boost Employee Morale, Succeeds Perfectly (21 Pics)
“Never Declaw a Cat. It’s an Amputation, Not a Manicure.” (TMU) — Classic rock icon Ozzy Osbourne is featured in a new PETA advertisement urging people to not declaw their cats and suggesting that the procedure is like a partial amputation. In the advertisement, Ozzy is depicted with his fingers cut off along with a tagline that reads, “Never Declaw a Cat. It’s an Amputation, Not a Manicure.” To read more on this story, click here:Ozzy Osbourne Appears in New Ad to Discourage Cat Declawing
Dogs are a life-long commitment, plain and simple. Currently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are launching an investigation following an incident where their defensive tackle, Rakeem Nunez-Roches’ dog was picked up on the side of a busy Florida road. Nunez-Roches, who had been known to breed Pit Bull breed dogs, was alleged to have abandoned the Cane Corso. The poor dog was discovered sitting alone on the road for 36 hours – exhausted and starving. Several people attempted to coax the scared dog into their vehicles but ultimately were unsuccessful. Marianna Montague, a volunteer with Cane Corso Rescue, was finally managed to get the dog and bring her to the Hillsborough County Animal Services, where she was scanned for a chip. That is when they found out that she belonged to Nunez-Roches.
3D-printed titanium limbs helped a frostbitten feline get back on her feet. A female cat in Russia that lost all four of her paws to frostbite can walk, run and even climb stairs again, thanks to the veterinarians who replaced her missing limbs with 3D-printed prosthetics made from titanium. The hardy gray feline, named Dymka ("mist" in Russian), is about 4 years old. A passing driver found her in December 2018 in the snow in Novokuznetsk in Siberia and brought her to a clinic in Novosibirsk, according to Russian news site Komsomolskaya Pravda. Dymka was suffering from frostbite of her paws, ears and tail — so much so that veterinarian Sergei Gorshkov had to amputate those damaged extremities, The Moscow Times reported. To read more on this story, click here:Cat With 4 Frostbitten Paws Gets New Feet Made Of Titanium
I admit it: I talk to my pets. I even have a different voice for each one. My non-animal friends think it’s silly and more than a little crazy to carry on these one-sided conversations. But Nicholas Epley, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago, disagrees. He feels it’s perfectly normal to engage in this behavior, and it may actually indicate a higher level of social cognition. Epley is the author of Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on the phenomenon of anthropomorphism – the tendency to assign human thoughts, feelings or characteristics to a non-human object or being. Anthropomorphism is common in children, who are able to amuse themselves for hours on end talking to imaginary friends and toys. It’s perfectly healthy behavior, and helps them to develop the social skills they will need later in life. To read more on this story, click here:People Who Talk To Their Pets Are Smarter Than Those Who Don’t
Having spent his entire working life at the Rotterdam’s Diergaarde Blijdorp Zoo, 54-year-old Mario just had one final request as he battled cancer. He wanted to see his friends one last time. With the help of the Ambulance Wish Foundation, Mario’s wish came true. Mario had committed 25 years to care for these majestic creatures, and now entered the zoo for the last time. After entering the giraffe enclosure, it only took a few minutes for the giraffes to recognize the man who had faithfully tended to them for years. To read more on this story, click here:Dying Zoo Keeper Receives Goodbye Kisses from Giraffes He Cared 25-Years For
Seeing siblings meet for the first time is always heartwarming, but this is just flat-out adorable. When this golden retriever meets his biological baby sister for the first time, he immediately starts to play with her and their interaction is all caught on video. There’s a reason this video went massively viral, you’ll watch it over and over again! To read more on this story and see the video, click here:Golden Retriever Meets New Baby Sister And His Precious Reaction Has Been Viewed By Over 9M
Veterinarians told Insider about some common pet-care mistakes many owners make. Giving your cat or dog medication that's meant for humans could be fatal. Letting your dog meet new dogs face-first may not always be appropriate. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Helping your pet live their best life isn't always easy. But there are a few ways you could unknowingly be making their life a bit more difficult or even be missing out key warning signs related to their health. Here are common mistakes pet owners make and how to fix them, according to veterinarians. You should never try to cut matted fur out of a pet's ear. If long-haired dogs and cats aren't regularly groomed the fur on their ears can become thickly matted — but that doesn't mean you should grab your scissors and chop it off. "Matts are difficult to brush or comb out, so sometimes pet owners decide to take matters into their own hands and cut them out with scissors," Christie Long, veterinarian and head of veterinary medicine at Modern Animal, told Insider. "This is a mistake. Because it can be difficult to determine where the matt ends and the ear itself begins, it's easy to cut the ear." The best way to deal with matted fur is to use a soft-bristled brush to gently comb out the matt. If this isn't possible — or you have an uncooperative pet — a trip a professional groomer may be in order. Socializing your new puppy early is vital. To read more on this story, click here:Veterinarians Reveal 10 Of The Most Common Mistakes Pet Owners Make
Galapagos giant tortoise has so much sex he retires after saving his species originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A Galapagos giant tortoise estimated to be about 130 years old is returning home after having so much sex that he saved his species. Diego, part of the Chelonoidis hoodensis species that lives on the Galapagos island of Espanola, was one of the tortoises brought to the U.S. between 1928 and 1933 and was later placed into the Charles Darwin Research Station for protection after the species was declared critically endangered in the 1960s, according to the San Diego Zoo. To read more on this story, click here:Galapagos Giant Tortoise Has So Much Sex He Retires After Saving His Species
Australia has been facing an unprecedented national crisis with bushfires devastating rural communities across the country. And as residents of the threatened communities are forced to abandon their homes, many animals are too feeling the effects of the deadly fires, with more than 500 million animals estimated to have perished so far. As zoos and local charities scramble in an attempt to treat the effected wildlife, Bindi Irwin has revealed that the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, which is owned by her family, has opened its doors and has so far treated an estimated 90,000 animals. Bindi Irwin, 21, announced that the hospital is treating effected animals through her official Instagram account. To read more on this story, click here:Irwin Family Opens Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital’s Doors To Treat Over 90,000 Animals During Bushfire Emergency
