The nation's hospitals, facing dire shortages of lifesaving ventilators as the coronavirus outbreak continues, are finding help from an unlikely source: animal doctors. The country's largest veterinary schools, animal hospitals and even zoos are offering up ventilators to hospitals that are scrambling to care for a growing number of critically ill coronavirus patients. Similar efforts elsewhere could produce hundreds of machines and save countless lives. "Every single one of these ventilators makes a difference," Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe, chief executive officer of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, told ABC News. To read on this story, click here:Ventilators shipped from veterinarians to hospitals to combat COVID-19 shortage
The thought of being anywhere near a giant spider is terrifying to most of us. It’s easy to see why gigantic arachnids appear in books and films as villainous creatures — they just look like the stuff of nightmares. Luckily, big bad spiders like Shelob in Lord of the Rings and Aragog in Harry Potter only exist in the fictional world. However, there are scary spiders in this world that are very much real, like the Goliath Birdeater. To read more on this story, click here: Meet The Goliath Birdeater, The World’s Largest Tarantula That Eats Sparrows
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, in effect the executive committee of the Chinese Communist Party, in late February issued an edict banning the country’s “wet markets,” including those in Wuhan, the source of the current COVID-19 outbreak. The statement notes that “it is necessary to strengthen market supervision, resolutely ban and severely crack down on illegal wildlife markets and trade, and control major public health risks from the source.” The Straits Times of Singapore has reported that eight laws have been passed in the last week. We have no details on the contents of the legislation. It’s too soon to know, though, whether we have been down this road before. To read more on this story, click here:The Chinese Wild-Animal Industry and Wet Markets Must Go
The oldest fossil of a modern bird, dating from the age of dinosaurs, has been discovered, a new study reports. The tiny fossil, nicknamed the "wonderchicken," includes a nearly complete skull hidden inside nondescript pieces of rock, and dates to more than 66 million years ago. That's less than 1 million years before the asteroid impact that killed off all the large dinosaurs. "The moment I first saw what was beneath the rock was the most exciting moment of my scientific career," said study lead author Daniel Field of the University of Cambridge in the U.K. in a statement. To read more on this story, click here:Oldest Bird Fossil Discovered, Nicknamed 'Wonderchicken'
Longtime readers of the site know my affinity for fish so this one hits home – thanks to Patricia for passing on from Penn Quarter Teaism: “Well friends… wanted to do a live video but wasn’t sure how to do it on Facebook and Instagram at the same time. If you’re stuck at home with kids who normally like to come watch the fish, you can entertain them with this. To read more on this story, click here: Save Teaism’s Koi!!
While there's no evidence that pets can catch coronavirus, some vets believe there's a way they can spread the virus through touching pet hair. POTOMAC, Md. — Veterinarians are taking unprecedented precautions in the age of coronavirus, such as not allowing walk-in appointments and meeting pet owners outside. It's all in an effort to protect people from fomites. The Centers for Disease Control says there is no evidence that pets can catch coronavirus. But some veterinarians believe that pets can pass it on. If a person doesn't know they have coronavirus, but has a virus droplet on their hands and then pets a dog in someone’s backyard, the virus could end up on the pet’s hair. To read more on this story, click here:How To Prevent Your Pets From Spreading Coronavirus
Most of us would do anything for our pets: we adjust our homes for them, buy them their favorite foods, and pay for expensive vet bills. Some of us would even put our lives on the line for them without expecting the favor to be returned. So, for all we do for them, it’s pretty amazing when our furry friends do make a sacrifice for us! And while it’s dogs that are often trained to be helpful and loyal, our feline family members are there for us, too! Just take a look at these incredible cats who saved their owners’ lives… To read more on this story, click here:Brave Superhero Cats That Saved People’s Lives
This Encounter Captured Millions Of Hearts When a videographer unexpectedly encountered a group of seal pups while scuba diving in the sea, their behavior completely took him by surprise. 55-year-old Gary Grayson loves nothing more than taking a walk (or a swim) on the wild side. However, when he ended up bumping into a seal just off the south coast of England, nothing could prepare him for the response he would receive after posting a video of the strange encounter online… To read more on this story, click here:Scuba Diver’s Strange Encounter With Seal Pup Goes Viral
