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Tag: Animals

  • Nevada rangeland taxed by wild horses, land managers plan to round up thousands of the animals

    Nevada rangeland taxed by wild horses, land managers plan to round up thousands of the animals

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    WINNEMUCCA, Nev. — U.S. land managers are planning to round up more than 2,800 wild horses across four Nevada counties beginning next week in an effort to reduce pressure on the drought-stricken rangeland.

    The Bureau of Land Management announced details of the operation Friday, saying the current wild horse population across portions of Pershing, Humboldt, Churchill and Lander counties is more than six times what it should be.

    Officials said there’s not enough water and forage to support that number.

    “Herd overpopulation and severe drought conditions have cumulative impacts on public lands, including wild horse health that must be mitigated,” said Chris Mitchell, the manager of the agency’s Humboldt River Field Office.

    Mitchell said the goal is to restore an ecological balance across millions of acres of public land in northern Nevada. The area also includes habitat for the greater sage grouse as well as bighorn sheep, mule deer and pronghorn antelope.

    The horses that are rounded up as part of the operation will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for the agency’s adoption and sale program.

    Earlier this year, horse advocates were unsuccessful in stopping another roundup after a federal judge determined the Bureau of Land Management appeared to be complying with the law and doing everything it could to gather the wild horses as humanely as possible.

    The Bureau of Land Management reported in November that it has removed nearly 70,000 wild horses and burros and treated nearly 5,600 with fertility control since 2018 as part of its plan to reduce the issues caused by overpopulation, overgrazing and severe drought.

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  • Taylor Swift's new romance, debt-erasing gifts and the eclipse are among most joyous moments of 2023

    Taylor Swift's new romance, debt-erasing gifts and the eclipse are among most joyous moments of 2023

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    KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A romance that united sports and music fans, a celestial wonder that drew millions of eyes skyward and a spiritual homecoming for some Native American tribes were just some of the moments that inspired us and brought joy in 2023.

    In a year that saw multiple wars, deadly mass shootings, earthquakes, wildfires, sexual harassment stories and other tragedies, these events were among those that broke through the tumult of 2023 and made people feel hopeful.

    As Taylor Swift would say, “Hold on to the memories.” Here are a few of them:

    ___

    That’s how Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce planned to woo superstar Taylor Swift when he went to her Eras Tour concert stop in the Missouri capital. It didn’t work — at first.

    But the romantic gesture, and public admission of defeat on his “New Heights” podcast, caught the Grammy Award-winner’s attention. After the power pair took their relationship public — she went to a Chiefs game and sat in a box with Kelce’s mom, to the delight of fans — they began taking the world by storm.

    Sportscasters calculated Swift’s effect on Kelce’s game stats and TV viewership, national magazines offered up comprehensive dating timelines, and Swift fans scoured Kelce’s old social media posts to make sure he was fit for their queen.

    On tour in Buenos Aires, the then-33-year-old singer changed a lyric from “Karma is the guy on the screen” to “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs.” And fans went crazy when she jumped into Kelce’s arms for an iconic post-concert kiss.

    “I think we’re all excited about it. Until they start making good romcoms again, this is what we have,” said Michal Owens, a 37-year-old longtime fan from the Indianapolis suburb of Zionsville.

    While pint-sized pairs of trick-or-treaters donned glitzy dresses and Chiefs jerseys this Halloween, Owens transformed her outdoor display into a tribute. The mother of three dressed one 12-foot-tall (3.66-meters-tall) skeleton in a Chiefs jersey, another in a sparkly dress and then stacked three smaller skeletons atop one another to create what she called a “tower of Swifties.”

    “We’ve got so many things in the world to be sad about,” she said. “Why not find something to root for and give us some joy?”

    ____

    From Oregon’s coast to the beaches of Corpus Christi, Texas, millions of people in October donned special glasses and gazed upward to take in the dazzling “ ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.

    “It’s kind of spiritual, but in a way that is almost tangible,” University of Texas at San Antonio astrophysics professor Angela Speck said as she recalled the type of eclipse that ancient Mayan astronomers called a “broken sun.”

    Crowds in the path of the eclipse erupted in cheers when the moon blocked out all but a brilliant circle of the sun’s outer edge. Participants at an international balloon fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, whooped from the launch pad. Broadcasters for NASA said they felt a chill as the moon cast a shadow over the earth — and one broadcaster was so overcome with emotion that she began crying.

    The phenomenon was a prelude to the total solar eclipse that will sweep across Mexico, the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, in April 2024. But the next “ring of fire” eclipse won’t be visible in the U.S. until 2039 and then only in parts of Alaska.

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    Surprise letters are showing up in mailboxes, informing recipients that their medical debt is wiped away.

    They have Casey McIntyre to thank. The 38-year-old New York City book publisher nearly died of cancer in May. But in what her husband, Andrew Rose Gregory, called a “bonus summer,” the young mother made plans to help people after she was gone. Her goal: To erase medical debt.

    In a message posted after her death in November, she asked for donations, writing, “I loved each and every one of you with my whole heart and I promise you, I knew how deeply I was loved.”

    By December, more than $900,000 had been raised, enough to erase nearly $90 million in debt. That’s because the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt says every dollar donated buys about $100 in debt.

    “Her positive spirit is just resonating with a lot of people,” said Allison Sesso, the nonprofit’s president and CEO.

    The effort was inspired by the people McIntyre met during treatment. They weren’t just worried about their health but how to pay for their care. She had good insurance — and “couldn’t even fathom having to deal with that on top of the cancer,” Sesso said.

    The fundraiser, which quickly shattered its initial goal of $20,000, gave her family a sliver of “something positive” to focus on amid their grief. It was particularly hard for the family because when McIntyre died, her daughter was just a toddler, not yet 2.

    “This sounds crazy but she didn’t seem angry at all,” said Sesso. “She was like, ‘This happened. I’ve accepted that this has happened, and I’m going to do this positive thing.’”

    ____

    When the Grand Canyon became a national park over a century ago, many Native Americans who called it home were displaced.

    In 2023, meaningful steps were taken to address the federal government’s actions. In May, a ceremony marked the renaming of a popular campground in the inner canyon from Indian Garden to Havasupai Gardens, or “Ha’a Gyoh,” in the Havasupai language.

    It marked a pivotal moment in the tribe’s relationship with the U.S. government nearly a century after the last tribal member was forcibly removed from the park. The Havasupai Tribe was landless for a time until the federal government set aside a plot in the depths of the Grand Canyon for members.

    Then in August, President Joe Biden signed a national monument designation — over the opposition of Republican lawmakers and the uranium mining industry — to help preserve about 1,562 square miles (4,046 square kilometers) to the north and south of Grand Canyon National Park.

    It was another big step for the Havasupai, and for the 10 other tribes that consider the Grand Canyon their ancestral homeland.

    The new national monument is called Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni. “Baaj Nwaavjo” meaning “where tribes roam,” for the Havasupai people, while “I’tah Kukveni” translates to “our footprints,” for the Hopi Tribe.

    The move restricts new mining claims and brings tribal voices to the table to manage the environment, said Jack Pongyesva, of the Grand Canyon Trust, an advocacy group that represents tribal and environmental issues in the region.

    He said it also could open the door for more cultural tourism, where visitors could learn not just about the landscape but about the tribes — from the tribes themselves.

    Pongyesva, a member of the Hopi Tribe, said the dedication is “The beginning of hopefully this healing and looking back and seeing what was wrong and moving forward together.”

    ___

    Firs are mainstays of Christmas tree lots. But on the Isle Royale National Park near Michigan’s border with Canada, balsam firs were being devoured.

    Gray wolves on the remote island cluster in Lake Superior were already dying out from inbreeding, causing the moose population to become a “runaway freight train” and strip trees that were wolves’ primary food during long, snowbound winters, said Michigan Tech biologist Rolf Peterson.

    An ambitious plan was hatched to airlift wolves from the mainland to the park — and it’s starting to make a big difference. A report this year shows the resurging wolf population is thriving and the moose total is shrinking, giving the trees a chance to recover.

    There were critics of the plan, but Peterson said there weren’t other viable options. Because of climate change, particularly global warming, there are fewer ice bridges, reducing wolves’ ability to trek from the mainland and diversify the gene pool.

    “That was a huge undertaking,” Peterson said, and it turned out “spectacularly well.”

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  • 12 Animals That Hibernate (Plus a Free Worksheet Bundle)

    12 Animals That Hibernate (Plus a Free Worksheet Bundle)

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    Talking about animals that hibernate is a great way to get kids thinking about the behaviors and adaptations that help animals survive in their climates. Learning about a variety of animals that use hibernation to survive builds kids’ background knowledge and can dispel myths. (Spoiler: Hibernating isn’t the same as sleeping!) Learn more about hibernation and check out 12 interesting animals that hibernate below.

    Plus be sure to grab your free hibernation worksheet bundle by filling out the form on this page.

    What is hibernation?

    Animals hibernate to conserve energy. Conserving energy helps these animals survive when food and water are scarce. (Most famously, animals hibernate during cold winter temperatures, but scientists have more recently learned that some animals hibernate in summer to withstand the extreme heat; this is called “estivation.”)

    Animals that hibernate are not just asleep. During sleep, normal functions continue at a resting rate. According to National Geographic, hibernation is an extended state of “torpor.” Torpor is when an animal’s body temperature cools, allowing its metabolism—the rate at which its body uses energy—to slow to less than 5% of normal. This means hibernating animals slow their heartbeat, breathing, and other bodily functions way down. Brain activity drops to almost none. Plus, to answer the question a student is sure to ask: While in torpor, animals don’t even go to the bathroom!

    Hibernating animals do come out of their torpor periodically, bringing their temperature, heart rate, and breathing closer to normal for a bit. Scientists are still trying to figure out why. (Weirdly, some animals use these arousal periods to sleep!)

    Researchers study hibernating animals’ behavior patterns, brain chemistry, and genes to learn more about how and why they hibernate. There’s even hope that this research could be applied to humans one day. To learn more, watch the TED-Ed talk “How Does Hibernation Work?”

    Animals that undergo hibernation, brumation, and diapause

    Animals’ hibernation behavior can vary, so it’s fun to learn about a variety of animals that hibernate. From teeny-tiny mice to the giant black bear, here are some favorite animals that hibernate to teach your class about.

    Technically, only warm-blooded animals hibernate. Cold-blooded animals can undergo a similar slow-down called “brumation.” When insects go into a dormant state, it’s called “diapause.” We’ve included examples of each of these on our list so you can talk with students about them too!

    1. Groundhog (Hibernation)

    Ralph Katieb via Unsplash

    Also called woodchucks, groundhogs feed heavily on green plants and fruits in summer to store fat. Then, they hibernate starting in late fall for up to 150 days. The National Wildlife Foundation’s fact sheet on groundhogs states that during hibernation, they curl up into a ball and drop their body temperature to as low as 37 degrees Fahrenheit. Their breathing slows to around two breaths per minute. Groundhog Day on February 2 has some scientific basis: Some males emerge from hibernation around that time to scout out nearby burrows of female groundhogs.

    2. Arctic Ground Squirrel (Hibernation)

    Close-up of an arctic ground squirrel as an example of animals that hibernate
    Rigo Olvera via Pexels

    While most squirrels don’t hibernate, arctic ground squirrels are hibernators. These cold-dwelling diggers spend their active summer months creating mazes of underground burrows and tunnels in the Arctic region. The National Park Service reports that ground squirrels hibernate as soon as they’ve eaten enough to build up their fat stores, as early as August. This means they spend a whopping seven to eight months in hibernation. Their claim to fame is how cold they get. Their body temperature dips to the lowest temperature ever recorded in a mammal, below freezing. Every few weeks, they shiver and shake to briefly warm themselves to their normal temperature, then return to their frigid state.

    3. Meadow Jumping Mouse (Hibernation)

    Meadow jumping mouse
    U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons

    Most species of mice don’t hibernate, though they may go into torpor for parts of the day to save energy in very cold temperatures. However, the meadow jumping mouse, and its relative the woodland jumping mouse, are true hibernators. According to the University of Michigan, they are known for having long tails and long back feet and prefer grassy areas near water. To hibernate during winter, meadow jumping mice burrow 1 to 3 feet belowground and make grass nests.

    4. Little Brown Bat (Hibernation)

    Little brown bat as an example of animals that hibernate
    PublicDomainImages via Pixabay

    Bats deal with cold temperatures by migrating, hibernating, or both, depending on the species. It used to be common for little brown bats to hibernate in very large colonies of thousands of bats, typically in caves. Bat Conservation International reports that a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome has depleted the little brown bat population. Now, those extra-large hibernation parties aren’t as common. Hibernating bats usually arouse themselves every few weeks, but in their deepest torpor, they might go half an hour without taking a breath!

    5. Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemur (Hibernation)

    Two fat-tailed dwarf lemurs on a branch
    Duke Lemur Center

    These critters from Madagascar are the only primates that hibernate, and they have a special adaptation to make it work. They store up to 40% of their body fat in their tails. They burn this fat while they hibernate for up to seven months. Like other hibernating animals, their metabolism briefly goes back to normal every so often, then drops again. Learn more about lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center.

    6. Bear (Hibernation)

    Black bear as an example of animals that hibernate
    Aaron J Hill via Pexels

    Bears might be the most famous hibernators of all, but they don’t follow all the same behavior patterns as smaller animals. Smithsonian magazine reports that bears’ extra-warm coats mean they don’t lose as much body heat, so their temperature doesn’t drop as drastically as other animals. This means they don’t need to arouse from their torpor to warm up like other animals do. They do, however, get up and move around sometimes in their slowed-down state. Mama bears can even give birth while hibernating! The babies snuggle up until spring.

    7. Common Poorwill (Hibernation)

    Common poorwill bird with head tucked into wing as an example of animals that hibernate
    Rachel Portwood/Shutterstock via National Audubon Society

    The common poorwill is the only known hibernating bird. The National Audubon Society shares that when faced with cold temperatures and food shortages, this bird can go into torpor for days or weeks at a time. The Hopi tribe’s name for this bird means “sleeping one.”

    8. Hedgehog (Hibernation)

    A hedgehog standing on brown leaves as an example of animals that hibernate
    Sierra NiCole Narvaeth via Unsplash

    Hedgehogs aren’t native to North America, but different types live in Europe, Asia, and Africa. They hibernate to survive the temperatures and lack of food in cold climates. These cuties find a cozy spot in a pile of leaves or under a structure and curl into a little ball to enter torpor. They do wake up sometimes, as other hibernating animals do, and might even use this time to find a new nest to snuggle back down in.

    9. Garter Snake (Brumation)

    Garter snake in brown grass
    Thomas Shockey via Pexels

    Snakes are cold-blooded, which means their temperature changes with their surroundings. Cold-blooded animals that live in wintry climates, like garter snakes, do something very similar to hibernating: They brumate. Instead of using stored fat for energy like hibernating animals do, animals in brumation use glycogen (stored sugar) to stay alive while their bodies slow way down. Snakes often brumate in underground dens, below the frozen layer of soil. According to Discover magazine, garter snake dens might house up to 20,000 snakes. Yikes!

    10. Wood Frog (Brumation)

    Wood frog on brown leaves
    Jane Parker via Mass Audubon

    Frogs are cold-blooded amphibians, so they use glycogen (stored sugar) to stay alive when their bodies slow down into brumation to survive cold temperatures. Wood frogs can get especially chilly. Scientific American explains that during brumation, a wood frog stops breathing and its heart stops beating. The glycogen in its body acts like antifreeze so its organs stay safe. So, even in freezing temperatures, wood frogs tucked away in cracks between rocks or under leaves don’t die. As temperatures warm up in the spring, they slowly thaw out.

    11. Painted Turtle (Brumation)

    Painted turtle on a log
    Onkel Ramirez via Pexels

    Like many other turtles found in northern climates, painted turtles survive the winter by burrowing under mud or frozen water and going into brumation—slowing their metabolism way down for the winter months. In brumation, they can survive winter without food or coming to the surface for air, according to the University of Minnesota. They get the small amounts of oxygen they need from the water, through a process known as cloacal respiration. This is basically breathing through their rear ends. If you’re brave enough to discuss it with your class, PBS NewsHour has some more information on turtle “butt-breathing”!

    12. Bee (Diapause)

    Swarm of bees
    Mostafa Eissa via Pexels

    Bees lower their metabolism to enter diapause (the insect equivalent of hibernation) and stay in their nests to survive winter. The state they “pause” in depends on when they were born. Bees born in spring will already be adults, while bees born in fall will be “prepupae” who haven’t even left the nest yet. Organizations that focus on protecting pollinators, like the Tufts Pollinator Initiative, encourage people to plant fall-blooming native plants so bees can fuel up on nectar before winter, and leave piles of leaves as shelter for nests. If bees don’t stay safe in their nests during cold weather, they will die.

    Get Your Free Hibernation Worksheet Bundle

    Gif featuring worksheet pages about hiberation.
    We Are Teachers

    Want to make teaching hibernation fun and easy? Just fill out the form on this page to get your free hibernation worksheet bundle. You’ll get:

    • Cut-and-sort activity
    • Fill-in-the blanks worksheet
    • Reading comprehension passage and questions

    Also, check out Nocturnal Animals Students Should Know (Plus Books to Teach About Them).

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    Lindsay Barrett

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  • Federal judge denies cattle industry’s request to temporarily halt wolf reintroduction in Colorado

    Federal judge denies cattle industry’s request to temporarily halt wolf reintroduction in Colorado

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    DENVER — A federal judge has allowed the reintroduction of gray wolves in Colorado to move forward in the coming days by denying a request Friday from the state’s cattle industry for a temporary delay in the predators’ release.

    While the lawsuit will continue, Judge Regina Rodriguez’s ruling allows Colorado to proceed with its plan to find, capture and transport up to 10 wolves from Oregon starting Sunday. The deadline to put paws on the ground under the voter-approved initiative is December 31.

    The lawsuit from the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and The Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association alleges that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately review the potential impacts of Colorado’s plan to release up to 50 wolves in Colorado over the next several years.

    The groups argued that the inevitable wolf attacks on livestock would come at significant cost to ranchers, the industry that helps drive the local economies where wolves would be released.

    Attorneys for the U.S. government said that the requirements for environmental reviews had been met, and that any future harms would not be irreparable, which is the standard required for the temporary injunction sought by the industry.

    They pointed to a state compensation program that pays owners if their livestock are killed by wolves. That compensation program — up to $15,000 per animal provided by the state for lost animals — is partly why Rodriguez sided with state and federal agencies.

    Rodriguez further argued that ranchers’ concerns didn’t outweigh the public interest in meeting the will of the people of Colorado, who voted for wolf reintroduction in a 2020 ballot initiative.

    Gray wolves were exterminated across most of the U.S. by the 1930s under government-sponsored poisoning and trapping campaigns. They received endangered species protections in 1975, when there were about 1,000 left in northern Minnesota.

    Wolves have since rebounded in the Great Lakes region. They’ve also returned to numerous western states — Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington and, most recently, California — following an earlier reintroduction effort that brought wolves from Canada to central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s.

    ___

    Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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  • Belgian tourist dies in an animal attack at Mexico's Pacific coast resort of Zihuatanejo

    Belgian tourist dies in an animal attack at Mexico's Pacific coast resort of Zihuatanejo

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    MEXICO CITY — A Belgian tourist was killed in an attack Thursday by either a shark or a crocodile at Mexico’s Pacific coast resort of Zihuatanejo, officials said.

    The civil defense office in the southern state of Guerrero said a man and a woman were bitten in the legs by an unidentified animal.

    The man was reported dead at the scene, while the woman was taken to a hospital. State officials said the man was from Belgium and the woman’s nationality was not immediately clear.

    The office said it was studying the wounds to determine whether they were bitten by a shark or a crocodile, both of which inhabit the area.

    If confirmed as a shark attack, it would be the second such fatality this month on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast.

    In early December, a Mexican woman died after she was severely bitten in the leg by a shark just off the beach town of Melaque, west of the seaport of Manzanillo.

    In 2019, a U.S. diver survived a shark bite on the forearm in Magdalena Bay off the Baja California Sur coast.

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  • Raja the elephant, a big draw at the St. Louis Zoo, is moving to Columbus to breed

    Raja the elephant, a big draw at the St. Louis Zoo, is moving to Columbus to breed

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    ST. LOUIS — Raja the elephant has been one of the biggest attractions — literally and figuratively — at the St. Louis Zoo for decades. Now, he’s moving away.

    The zoo announced Thursday that the male Asian elephant born at the zoo nearly 31 years ago will be relocated to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, probably in about a year. The hope is that he’ll bond with four females in Columbus, breed, and mentor a young male there.

    Raja was the first elephant ever born at the St. Louis Zoo, and the 10,000-pound animals’ birthday on Dec. 27 is a big deal each year, complete with treats, songs and lots of visitors signing an oversized birthday card.

    “This news is bittersweet for all of us,” Michael Macek, director of the St. Louis Zoo, said in a statement. “We know Raja is dear to his fans and to the Zoo family and he’ll be missed here, but we know this is for the best for Raja and the survival of this species.”

    Asian elephants are endangered, with fewer than 50,000 in the wild, according to The World Wildlife Fund. Habitat loss and poaching are blamed for their plight. They are the largest land mammal on the Asian continent.

    The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan recommended the move of Raja, the St. Louis Zoo said. The program seeks to manage the Asian elephant population in North America and maximize the health, wellbeing and genetic diversity of the elephants, the zoo said.

    Raja is the father of the only three female Asian elephants of breeding age in St. Louis. The other three females there are too old to reproduce, and one of them is Raja’s mother. In October, Rani, a 27-year-old female Asian elephant, died after becoming agitated when a small loose dog managed to get into the zoo and upset the herd.

    Macek said the move of Raja mirrors the natural behavior of wild elephants. While females raise the calves and live in multi-generational family groups, males live alone or in small bachelor herds. They breed, then move on, Macek said.

    “Raja moving to Columbus provides an environment where he and others can naturally grow their families, which is an important component to their wellbeing,” Macek said.

    The move is expected to occur in late 2024 or early 2025. When Raja leaves, the St. Louis Zoo will have room for a new male. The zoo said that male is tentatively expected to be a 15-year-old named Samudra from the Oregon Zoo in Portland.

    Meanwhile, Raja’s 16-year-old daughter Jade is pregnant with her first calf and due to give birth at around the time that Raja leaves — Asian elephants are typically pregnant for up to 22 months. It will be the first elephant calf born at the zoo through artificial insemination. The father is housed at the Denver Zoo.

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  • Raja the elephant, a big draw at the St. Louis Zoo, is moving to Columbus to breed

    Raja the elephant, a big draw at the St. Louis Zoo, is moving to Columbus to breed

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    ST. LOUIS — Raja the elephant has been one of the biggest attractions — literally and figuratively — at the St. Louis Zoo for decades. Now, he’s moving away.

    The zoo announced Thursday that the male Asian elephant born at the zoo nearly 31 years ago will be relocated to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, probably in about a year. The hope is that he’ll bond with four females in Columbus, breed, and mentor a young male there.

    Raja was the first elephant ever born at the St. Louis Zoo, and the 10,000-pound animals’ birthday on Dec. 27 is a big deal each year, complete with treats, songs and lots of visitors signing an oversized birthday card.

    “This news is bittersweet for all of us,” Michael Macek, director of the St. Louis Zoo, said in a statement. “We know Raja is dear to his fans and to the Zoo family and he’ll be missed here, but we know this is for the best for Raja and the survival of this species.”

    Asian elephants are endangered, with fewer than 50,000 in the wild, according to The World Wildlife Fund. Habitat loss and poaching are blamed for their plight. They are the largest land mammal on the Asian continent.

    The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan recommended the move of Raja, the St. Louis Zoo said. The program seeks to manage the Asian elephant population in North America and maximize the health, wellbeing and genetic diversity of the elephants, the zoo said.

    Raja is the father of the only three female Asian elephants of breeding age in St. Louis. The other three females there are too old to reproduce, and one of them is Raja’s mother. In October, Rani, a 27-year-old female Asian elephant, died after becoming agitated when a small loose dog managed to get into the zoo and upset the herd.

    Macek said the move of Raja mirrors the natural behavior of wild elephants. While females raise the calves and live in multi-generational family groups, males live alone or in small bachelor herds. They breed, then move on, Macek said.

    “Raja moving to Columbus provides an environment where he and others can naturally grow their families, which is an important component to their wellbeing,” Macek said.

    The move is expected to occur in late 2024 or early 2025. When Raja leaves, the St. Louis Zoo will have room for a new male. The zoo said that male is tentatively expected to be a 15-year-old named Samudra from the Oregon Zoo in Portland.

    Meanwhile, Raja’s 16-year-old daughter Jade is pregnant with her first calf and due to give birth at around the time that Raja leaves — Asian elephants are typically pregnant for up to 22 months. It will be the first elephant calf born at the zoo through artificial insemination. The father is housed at the Denver Zoo.

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  • Five whales came to a Connecticut aquarium in 2021. Three have now died

    Five whales came to a Connecticut aquarium in 2021. Three have now died

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    MYSTIC, Conn. — A 9-year-old beluga whale at Mystic Aquarium named Kharabali has died, marking the third death among five whales that were transported there from Canada in 2021.

    Kharabali began swimming abnormally in November, and “her strange behavior continued to progress.” She was eventually moved to the intensive care facility at the aquarium’s Aquatic Animal Study Center and died Monday, the aquarium announced Tuesday.

    A necropsy will be conducted to determine the cause of her death.

    “Her spirit touched us all, and we are heartbroken by her passing. Kharabali received the utmost care and love during her time with us, and we will always cherish the moments we shared,” Dr. Allison Tuttle, the chief zoological officer, said in a news release.

    Kharabali is the third whale from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to die after arriving at Mystic Aquarium. A male beluga named Havok died in August 2021, and a female name Havana died in February of 2022.

    Both of those whales had underlying incurable conditions that led to their deaths, the aquarium said.

    An inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after Havoc’s death found problems with the care of that whale and others. An aquarium spokeswoman said at the time that issues brought up in the inspection were being addressed.

    A third whale, Jetta, who became ill in 2021, is now thriving, according to the aquarium.

    Animal rights activists had sued unsuccessfully to block the whale’s transport, saying a permit granted by the U.S. Commerce secretary and the National Marine Fisheries Service didn’t adequately address the potential harm to the belugas caused by being moved to the Connecticut aquarium.

    The whales, which ranged in age from 7 to 12 at the time of the transport, were born in captivity, and officials say they cannot safely be released into the ocean.

    The aquarium said that it provided Kharabali with round-the-clock medical treatment and monitoring.

    “This loss weighs heavily on us,” the aquarium said in its news release, “especially our animal care staff.”

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  • Cold, stunned sea turtles from New England given holiday names amid rehab in Florida

    Cold, stunned sea turtles from New England given holiday names amid rehab in Florida

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    This Rudolph won’t be leading his pals Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid through the Christmas Eve sky

    JUNO BEACH, Fla. — This Rudolph will not be leading his pals Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid through the Christmas Eve sky, but maybe he will lead them back out to sea one day.

    For now the seven Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles and six of their pals have been given holiday-themed names as they are treated at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach. Other names include Dreidel, Zawadi, Grinch and Elf.

    They were were among 52 sea turtles flown to Tampa last week from the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts. They were suffering from a condition known as cold stun from the frigid waters in New England, which make them hypothermic.

    “They float at the surface, they can’t eat, they can’t dive and eventually wash up on shore,” said Marika Weber, a vet technician at Loggerhead.

    She said the New England Aquarium was overwhelmed with more than 200 sea turtles experiencing cold stun. That’s why 52 were sent to Florida.

    In addition to the 13 sent to Juno Beach in Palm Beach County, 16 were taken to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and the remaining turtles went to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota and The Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

    The turtles will continue rehabbing at the aquarium, where guests are welcome to visit and watch their journey, and eventually they will return to their natural habitat.

    Florida saw a record number of sea turtle nests this year. Preliminary statistics show more than 133,840 loggerhead turtle nests, breaking the previous mark from n 2016. The same is true for green turtles, with the estimate of at least 76,500 nests well above 2017 levels.

    High sea turtle nest numbers also have been reported in South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia, although not all set records like Florida.

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  • American tourist killed in shark attack in Bahamas, police say

    American tourist killed in shark attack in Bahamas, police say

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    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A female tourist from Boston was killed Monday by a shark while paddleboarding in the Bahamas, police told reporters.

    The victim, who was not identified, was attacked less than a mile off the western end of New Providence island, where the capital, Nassau, is located. She was paddleboarding with a man who was not injured, according to Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson.

    “We extend our heartfelt condolences…for this most unfortunate situation,” she said.

    Police said a lifeguard rescued both people with a boat upon seeing what was happening, but the woman suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body and was declared dead at the scene despite CPR efforts.

    It was not immediately clear what type of shark attacked the woman. A police superintendent did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.

    Gavin Naylor, director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, said in an interview that there have been a couple of shark-related fatalities reported in the Bahamas in the past five years.

    He noted that the Bahamas has a “huge” tourist population, adding that there are a lot of people in the water and a lot of visitors who want to view sharks from a fishing boat or dive with them.

    “So the sharks get acclimated, and the animals are a little bit less cautious than they otherwise might be,” he said.

    Between 30 to 40 shark species live around the Bahamas, although the Caribbean reef shark, the bull shark, the tiger shark and the black tip shark have the highest bite frequency, Naylor said.

    “Usually, it’s an accidental bite. They think it’s something else,” he said. “Once in a while, they’ll actually single out people, and it’s very intentional.”

    Shark attacks are rare, with only an average of five to six attacks reported worldwide a year, with most of them occurring in Australia, Naylor said.

    At least 33 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1580, with the island ranking ninth worldwide, according to the International Shark Attack File.

    The Nassau Guardian newspaper reported that authorities in the Bahamas are still searching for a German woman who went missing late last month after she was apparently attacked while diving.

    Last year, a shark killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger from Pennsylvania who was snorkeling in the northern Bahamas near Green Cay.

    Most shark attacks in the Caribbean occur in the Bahamas, although a rare shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin three years ago.

    ____

    Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

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  • Escaped baboons roam around Gaza ruins after zoo ‘destroyed in airstrikes’

    Escaped baboons roam around Gaza ruins after zoo ‘destroyed in airstrikes’

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    A GROUP of baboons was seen roaming the destroyed streets of Gaza after the local zoo was reportedly destroyed in Israeli airstrikes.

    The three monkeys were some of the few lucky animals to survive the blitz in Gaza as many were killed in explosions or starved to death.

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    A group of baboons was seen roaming the destroyed streets of GazaCredit: Twitter / Nadav Eyal
    Many animals escaped the local zoo during the war, whereas tsadly died when caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hamas

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    Many animals escaped the local zoo during the war, whereas tsadly died when caught in the crossfire between Israel and HamasCredit: Twitter / Nadav Eyal

    Under the auspices of the truce, an IDF veterinarian was dispatched to capture these poor animals, YNet columnist Nadav Eyal tweeted.

    He wrote: “Together with the brigade in the field, he succeeded and they were tranquillised.

    “The trio is set to be transferred to treatment and returned to Gaza at the end of the war.”

    Heartbreaking footage showed what is left of the Gaza Zoo after keepers were forced to abandon it when the war began in October.

    The zoo, part of the Al-Bisan recreational park in Jabalya, was hit multiple times during airstrikes.

    Once home to around 100 species, it has now been reduced to rubble.

    Last week’s truce allowed staff to return, but it was too late to save most animals as they were caught in the crossfire.

    Yahya Al Sarraj, head of Gaza Municipality, claims at least two appeals to rescue the animals were made to the international community, including the UN and the Red Cross.

    “Unfortunately, the Israeli forces didn’t allow us to reach the place,” he told Al Jazeera.

    Rifaat Al Arair explained how “90 per cent of the animals died” as a result, with corpses of rare foxes, baboons, hyenas, and wolves still lying on their cages.

    A lion was a few of the lucky creatures to survive the blitzing of Gaza, but the animal reportedly hasn’t had anything to eat in over a month.

    A lonely wolf was also seen clearly distressed as it ran back and forth nonstop inside its pen.

    In one of the cages, a dead peacock lays in front of two hungry lions.

    In another, a crocodile lounges in the hot sun with almost no water in the enclosure, which also holds a pelican and a duck.

    Staff members say that as well as the many injured animals, many haven’t eaten in days as the zoo lacks funds to buy food, CNN reports.

    “Eight to 10 monkeys were killed. Also a peacock, a gazelle, a lion, and a fox,”chief veterinarian Abu Sameer told CNN.

    “The situation is very bad. We can’t get the animals out to clean the cages.

    “Many of them are getting sick because they are weak and it is dirty. But we don’t have any alternative places.”

    He added: “They have not eaten for 10 to 15 days.

    “We could not reach them during the fighting.

    “When it got calmer at least we could bring them some water.”

    It comes as the all-out war between Israel and Hamas erupted again just moments after the ceasefire expired this morning.

    Israeli fighter jets blitzed Hamas targets in Gaza today after the IDF claimed Hamas “violated” the truce and launched a rocket attack on Israel in the early hours of Friday.

    Israeli forces are now set to strike Hamas’ final stronghold – Khan Younis.

    Flyers dropped from warplanes across southern Gaza urging residents to evacuate suggest Israel is preparing to widen its offensive.

    The leaflets dropped all over al Qarara, Khirbet al Khuza’a, Abasan and Bani Suhaila in the Khan Younis area, read: “You are under orders to evacuate immediately and to go to the shelters in the Rafah area.

    “The city of Khan Younis is a dangerous combat zone. We have warned you.

    “Israel Defence Forces.”

    Khan Younis has become a giant shelter for the displaced during the war and Israel believes it’s where Hamas will make its final stand.

    The Gaza Zoo was reduced to rubble after being hit by airstrikes

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    The Gaza Zoo was reduced to rubble after being hit by airstrikesCredit: Al Jazeera
    Dead animals are still lying in their cages

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    Dead animals are still lying in their cagesCredit: Al Jazeera
    This lion is one of the few animals left but it has not eaten in weeks

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    This lion is one of the few animals left but it has not eaten in weeksCredit: Al Jazeera
    Zookeepers said shells like the one pictured above have been found scattered across the property

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    Zookeepers said shells like the one pictured above have been found scattered across the propertyCredit: Al Jazeera

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    Juliana Cruz Lima

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  • Young humpback whale leaps out of Seattle bay, dazzling onlookers

    Young humpback whale leaps out of Seattle bay, dazzling onlookers

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    A humpback whale visiting the waters off Seattle gave people on shore a show Thursday morning

    ByMANUEL VALDES Associated Press

    November 30, 2023, 8:03 PM

    In this image taken from a video, a humpback whale breaches from the waters off Seattle on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. The whale has been spotted swimming in Elliott Bay for three days. Humpback whales visit the waters of the Seattle area as they migrate up and down the West Coast. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

    The Associated Press

    SEATTLE — A humpback whale visiting the waters off Seattle dazzled onlookers Thursday morning with several breaches in they bay just beyond the city’s downtown area.

    The whale has been spotted for the last three days swimming around Elliott Bay. But on Thursday, the whale breached for about 40 minutes, also performing several pectoral fin slaps and dives.

    Local whale watching groups have identified the young humpback as the calf of an adult female with the identification BCY0995, better known as “Smiley.”

    It’s not unusual for humpback whales to visit the waters off Seattle as they migrate along the West Coast.

    Smiley’s last calf, Chip, was fatally struck by a Washington state ferry in 2020, according to the Canadian group Vancouver Island Whale Watch. On Thursday, personnel from Soundwatch Boater Education Program shadowed the whale for most of its time in the bay to alert other vessels of it.

    Jeff Hogan, co-coordinator of the program’s Seattle branch, said he counted about 30 breaches. And afterward, the young whale slept.

    He said the whale looked healthy.

    “It was a joyful day,” Hogan said. “Everyone was working together to go out of their way to make space for that animal to do its thing. If we want these guys to be here and come back, we gotta do that.”

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  • Abused cat with broken back treated like “just a toy” recovers in shelter

    Abused cat with broken back treated like “just a toy” recovers in shelter

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    For some people, animals are family members, things of beauty and even preferable to humans. But to others, they are a nuisance or not thought of at all.

    Animal cruelty and neglect are a concerning, regular occurrence throughout the world, and not all are as lucky as Kiri the cat. She was rescued by Sandra Mouawad, who runs the Paws Crossed rescue center in Lebanon.

    “Kiri used to live in Bekaa in Lebanon, where she and some other cats would get fed and cared for by the neighbors,” Mouawad told Newsweek. “As I was told, some of the neighbors didn’t care for cats, and one day one of the children was seen throwing stones at her and apparently laughing as if she was just a toy.”

    Mouawad said Kiri’s back was broken in half.

    In a video posted to the rescue center’s TikTok account, @pawscrossedle, with over 1.8 million views, Kiri, a fluffy ginger and white cat, can be seen dragging her immobile back legs across the ground. Mouawad shared pictures of Kiri’s broken back and said surgery will give her a 60 percent chance of walking again.

    “A fellow rescuer asked me if I can help her find someone to help this cat because she is overwhelmed and can’t pay $1,500 for MRI and surgery,” Mouawad said. “I didn’t want to take a new case because the shelter is full, but I ended up taking her in.”

    After CT scans, surgery, physiotherapy ultrasound, electrotherapy and “a lot of love,” Kiri is recovering well.

    While she now dedicates her life to rescuing animals, Mouawad wasn’t always an animal person.

    “I was never overly fond of animals at first,” she said, “but after we adopted our first family dog I began to truly understand the pure love they can bring to your heart, and I couldn’t witness so much hate towards them and do nothing.”

    Animal welfare is arguably not high on many people’s list of priorities in Lebanon.

    “Due to the combined impact of the economic crisis, the absence of the government, the Covid-19 pandemic and the explosion that happened in Beirut in August 2020, pet owners are struggling more and more to afford to keep their pets while rescue organizations in Lebanon are facing a steep increase of pets being abandoned,” writes Florence Massena in The New Arab.

    Kiri, who suffered a broken back, was rescued by Sandra Mouawad in Lebanon.
    Sandra Mouawad

    Similarly, in some countries dealing with economic and social unrest, animal welfare is considered a Western indulgence.

    “There’s so much ignorance here,” said Mouawad. “People don’t think that cats and dogs have feelings, and there are very few consequences for the evil actions against them here. New laws are coming to in to protect them, but people don’t take it seriously. They hit and run, poison and abuse when they’ve had enough of them or ended up with a breed they can’t handle, it’s crazy.”

    Users on TikTok were full of support for Mouawad and Kiri.

    “Why can’t people teach their kids to be KIND to animals. They are the best things on this earth,” said one user.

    Another said: “How awful I’m so sorry I’m gonna interact as many times as I can to help.”

    Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.