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Tag: Animals

  • Grizzly bears test positive for bird flu in Montana, officials say | CNN

    Grizzly bears test positive for bird flu in Montana, officials say | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Three grizzly bears were euthanized in Montana after they became ill and tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus, according to the state’s Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

    These were the first documented cases of bird flu in a grizzly in Montana and the first nationwide for this outbreak of HPAI, according to Dr. Jennifer Ramsey, the department’s wildlife veterinarian.

    The juvenile bears were in three separate locations in the western part of the state during the fall, the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a statement.

    The bears “were observed to be in poor condition and exhibited disorientation and partial blindness, among other neurological issues,” the statement said. “They were euthanized due to their sickness and poor condition.”

    Avian influenza – commonly called bird flu – is a naturally occurring virus that spreads quickly in birds. There were documented cases of HPAI in a skunk and a fox in Montana last year, and the virus has been seen in raccoons, black bears and a coyote in other states and countries, according to the Montana agency.

    “The virus is spread from one bird to another,” Dr. Ramsey told CNN via email. “These mammals likely got infected from consuming carcasses of HPAI infected birds.”

    “Fortunately, unlike avian cases, generally small numbers of mammal cases have been reported in North America,” Ramsey said. “For now, we are continuing to test any bears that demonstrate neurologic symptoms or for which a cause of death is unknown.”

    While finding three grizzlies with bird flu in a short period of time may raise concerns, Ramsey said it may well be that there have been more cases that haven’t been detected.

    “When wildlife mortalities occur in such small numbers or individuals, and in species like skunks, foxes and bears that don’t spend a lot of time in situations where they are highly visible to the public, they can be hard to detect,” the wildlife veterinarian said.

    “When you get that first detection you tend to start looking harder, and you’re more likely to find new cases,” she said. “When a large number of birds are found dead on a body of water, it gets noticed and reported… when someone sees a dead skunk, they may think nothing of it and not report it.”

    While it’s unknown just how prevalent the virus is in wild birds, “we know that the virus is active basically across the entire state due to the wide distribution of cases of HPAI mortality in some species of wild birds,” Ramsey said.

    The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in November the country was approaching “a record number of birds affected compared to previous bird flu outbreaks,” with more than 49 million birds in 46 states dying or being killed due to exposure to infected birds.

    Human infections with bird flu are rare but are possible, “usually after close contact with infected birds. The current risk to the general public from bird flu viruses is low,” the CDC says on its website.

    The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is asking people to report any birds or animals acting “unusual or unexplained cases of sickness and/or death.”

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  • Unusual dinosaur fossil discovery made in India | CNN

    Unusual dinosaur fossil discovery made in India | CNN

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    Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.



    CNN
     — 

    Paleontologists working in central India have made a rare discovery — a fossilized dinosaur hatchery with 92 nests and 256 eggs belonging to colonies of giant plant-eating titanosaurs.

    A study of the nests and their bowling ball-size eggs has revealed intimate details about the lives of the colossal, long-necked sauropods that lumbered across what’s now central India more than 66 million years ago.

    The eggs, which ranged between 15 centimeters and 17 centimeters (6 inches and 6.7 inches) in diameter, likely belonged to a number of titanosaur species. The number of eggs in each nest ranged from one to 20, said lead study author Guntupalli Prasad, a paleontologist in the department of geology at the University of Delhi. Many of the nests were found close together.

    The findings suggested titanosaurs, among the largest dinosaurs to have lived, were not always the most attentive parents, Prasad said.

    “Since titanosaurs were huge in size, closely spaced nests would not have allowed them to visit the nests to maneuver and incubate the eggs or feed the hatchlings … as the parents would step on the eggs and trample them.”

    Finding a very large number of dinosaur nests is unusual, as preservation conditions have to be “just so” to have turned all the delicate eggs to fossils, said Dr. Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor of dinosaur paleobiology at the University of Calgary in Canada, who studies dinosaur eggs. Zelenitsky was not involved in the research.

    The nests were close together, suggesting that the dinosaurs laid eggs in groups, similar to many present-day birds that form colonies.

    The first dinosaur eggs in the region were discovered in the 1990s, but the latest study focused on a nesting site in Dhar district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, where excavations and fieldwork took place in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

    The eggs discovered there were so well preserved that the team was able to detect degraded protein fragments from the eggshells.

    Titanosaurs’ nesting behaviors shared characteristics with that of today’s birds and crocodiles, the research suggested.

    From the close proximity of the nests, researchers inferred the dinosaurs laid eggs together in colonies or rookeries, as many birds do in the present day.

    “Such nesting colonies would have been a sight to see back in the Cretaceous where the landscape would have been dotted by a huge number of large dinosaur nests,” Zelenitsky said.

    Prasad said one particular egg — known as an ovum-in-ovo, or egg-in-egg — the team had studied showed birdlike reproductive behavior and indicated that, similar to birds, some dinosaurs may have laid eggs sequentially. Ovum-in-ovo forms happen in birds when an egg becomes embedded in another egg still in the process of forming before they are laid.

    “Sequential laying is the release of eggs one by one with some time gap in between two laying events. This is seen in birds. Modern reptiles, for example turtles and crocodiles, on the other hand, lay all eggs together as a clutch,” he said.

    The eggs would have been laid in marshy flatlands and buried in shallow pits, akin to the nesting sites of modern-day crocodiles, Prasad said. Similar to crocodile hatcheries, nesting close to water may have been important to prevent the eggs from drying out and offspring dying prior to hatching, Zelenitsky added.

    The titanosaur eggs measured 6 inches to 7 inches in diameter.

    But unlike birds and crocodiles, which both incubate their eggs, Prasad said that, based on the physical characteristics of the nests, titanosaurs likely laid their eggs and then left the baby dinos to fend for themselves — although more data is needed to be sure.

    Other dinosaurs were thought to be more attentive parents. A dinosaur was discovered in Mongolia in the 1920s, for example, lying near a nest of eggs thought to belong to a rival. Paleontologists at the time assumed the animal had died while attempting to plunder the nest — and named the creature oviraptor, or “egg thief.”

    The so-called dinosaur thief’s reputation wasn’t restored until the 1990s, when another discovery revealed the eggs were, in fact, its own and that the creature likely sat upon them in a neatly arranged nest.

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  • Locally caught freshwater fish contain PFAS toxins, study finds | CNN

    Locally caught freshwater fish contain PFAS toxins, study finds | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Life, But Greener newsletter. Our limited newsletter series guides you on how to minimize your personal role in the climate crisis — and reduce your eco-anxiety.



    CNN
     — 

    Fish caught in the fresh waters of the nation’s streams and rivers and the Great Lakes contain dangerously high levels of PFOS, short for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, a known synthetic toxin phased out by the federal government, according to a study of data from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

    The chemical PFOS is part of a family of manufactured additives known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, widely used since the 1950s to make consumer products nonstick and resistant to stains, water and grease damage.

    Called “forever chemicals” because they fail to break down easily in the environment, PFAS has leached into the nation’s drinking water via public water systems and private wells. The chemicals then accumulate in the bodies of fish, shellfish, livestock, dairy and game animals that people eat, experts say.

    “The levels of PFOS found in freshwater fish often exceeded an astounding 8,000 parts per trillion,” said study coauthor David Andrews, a senior scientist at Environmental Working Group, the nonprofit environmental health organization that analyzed the data.

    In comparison, the EPA has allowed only 70 parts per trillion of PFOS in the nation’s drinking water. Due to growing health concerns, in 2022 the EPA recommended the allowable level of PFOS in drinking water be lowered from 70 to 0.02 parts per trillion.

    “You’d have to drink an incredible amount of water — we estimate a month of contaminated water — to get the same exposure as you would from a single serving of freshwater fish,” Andrews said.

    “Consuming even a single (locally caught freshwater) fish per year can measurably and significantly change the levels of PFOS in your blood,” Andrews said.

    Chemicals in the PFAS family are linked to high cholesterol, cancer and various chronic diseases, as well as a limited antibody response to vaccines in both adults and children, according to a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

    “This is an important paper,” said toxicologist Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.

    “To find this level of contamination in fish across the country, even in areas not close to industry where you might expect heavy contamination, is very concerning. These chemicals are everywhere,” she said.

    Read more: Doctors should test levels of PFAS in people at high risk, report says

    It’s nearly impossible to avoid PFAS, experts say. Manufacturers add the chemicals to thousands of products, including nonstick cookware, mobile phones, carpeting, clothing, makeup, furniture and food packaging.

    A 2020 investigation found PFAS in the wrapping of many fast foods and “environmentally friendly” molded fiber bowls and containers.

    A 2021 study found PFAS in 52% of tested cosmetics, with the highest levels in waterproof mascara (82%), foundations (63%) and long-lasting lipstick (62%). Polytetrafluoroethylene, the coating on nonstick pans, was the most common additive.

    Read more: Makeup may contain potentially toxic chemicals called PFAS, study finds

    In fact, PFAS chemicals have been found in the blood serum of 98% of Americans, according to a 2019 report using data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

    “These chemicals are ubiquitous in the American environment. More than 2,800 communities in the US, including all 50 states and two territories, have documented PFAS contamination,” Dr. Ned Calonge, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health and chair of the Academies committee that wrote the report, told CNN previously.

    Read more: Dangerous chemicals found in food wrappers at major fast-food restaurants and grocery chains, report says

    Scientists at the Environmental Working Group used data from the EPA’s own monitoring programs — the National Rivers and Streams Assessment, which has been periodically testing stream conditions since 2008, and the Great Lakes Human Health Fish Fillet Tissue Study, which tests lake water every five years.

    “The analysis focused on EPA wild-caught fish in rivers, streams and throughout the Great Lakes from 2013 to 2015 as that was the latest data available,” Andrews said.

    The contamination was widespread, impacting “nearly every fish across the country,” he said. “I believe there was one sample without detected levels of PFOS.”

    The EWG created an interactive map of the results with details for each state. Fish caught near urban areas contained nearly three times more PFOS and overall PFAS than those caught in nonurban locations, the study found. The highest levels were found in fish from the Great Lakes.

    The analysis showed PFOS accounted for an average 74% of the contamination in the fish. The remaining 25% was a mixture of other PFAS known to be equally damaging to human health, Andrews said.

    CNN reached out to the EPA for comment but did not hear back before this story published.

    Based on the study’s findings, people who fish for sport might “strongly” consider releasing their catch instead of taking the fish home for a meal, Andrews said.

    Yet many people in lower socioeconomic groups, indigenous peoples and immigrants in the US rely eating freshly caught fish.

    “They need it for food or because it’s their culture,” Birnbaum said. “There are Native American tribes and Burmese immigrants and others who fish because this is who they are. This is key to their culture. And you can’t just tell them not to fish.”

    Read more: Water- and stain-resistant products contain toxic plastics, study says. Here’s what to do

    The predominant chemical in the fish, PFOS, and its sister perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, are known as “long-chain” PFAS, made from an 8-carbon chain.

    Read more: Plastics and pesticides: Health impacts of synthetic chemicals in US products doubled in last 5 years, study finds

    Manufacturers agreed in the early 2000s to voluntarily stop using long-chain PFAS in US consumer products, although they can still be found in some imported items. Due to growing health concerns, the use of PFOS and PFOA in food packaging was phased out in 2016 by the US Food and Drug Administration.

    However, industry reworked the chemicals by making them into 4- and 6-carbon chains — today over 9,000 different PFAS exist, according to the CDC. Experts say these newer versions appear to have many of the same dangerous health effects as the 8-chain PFAS, leaving consumers and the environment still at risk.

    Many of these longer-chain PFAS can be stored for years in different organs in the human body, according to the National Academies report. Scientists are examining the impact of newer versions.

    “Some of these chemicals have half-lives in the range of five years,” National Academies report committee member Jane Hoppin, an environmental epidemiologist and director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, told CNN previously.

    Read more: FDA must do more to regulate thousands of chemicals added to your food, petitioners say

    “Let’s say you have 10 nanograms of PFAS in your body right now. Even with no additional exposure, five years from now you would still have 5 nanograms,” she said. “Five years later, you would have 2.5 and then five years after that, you’d have one 1.25 nanograms. It would be about 25 years before all the PFAS leave your body.”

    That’s why it’s “no surprise” to find such high levels of PFOA in freshwater fish, said the director of environmental pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, Dr. Leonardo Trasande, who was not involved in the new study.

    “These truly are ‘forever chemicals,’” Trasande said. “This reinforces the reality that we need to get all PFAS out of consumer products and people’s lives.”

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  • South Africa: Search on after tiger escapes, attacks man

    South Africa: Search on after tiger escapes, attacks man

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    JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Authorities in South Africa are searching for a tiger that escaped from its enclosure at a private farm near Johannesburg over the weekend, injured a man and killed a dog.

    Local media said the man survived the attack but was taken to the hospital.

    Residents have been warned to be on high alert in the Walkerville region south of Johannesburg and avoid confronting the animal, as a group of about 30 people search the area where its latest tracks were identified.

    Officials directing the search suspected that the female tiger, named Sheba, was hiding in a bushy area for shade and were hoping it would start moving around again once the summer heat subsided or when it needed to drink water.

    Members of a special police task force were expected to start leading the search on Monday and take over from a local community police group and the SPCA animal protection group.

    Gresham Mandy, who leads the community police group, said the first priority was to tranquilize the animal with a dart and bring it back safely. He said that the tiger escaped after a fence at the smallholding where it was kept was cut by burglars.

    “It seems like the thieves cut the fence to enter and exit the property. The tiger saw that and used the cut fence to escape,” Mandy said.

    The big cat, which is believed to be eight years old, was kept on the farm as a pet.

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  • Officials: Whale found dead in NJ likely struck by vessel

    Officials: Whale found dead in NJ likely struck by vessel

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    BRIGANTINE, N.J. (AP) — Marine animal welfare officials say the most recent whale found dead on a New Jersey shoreline had apparently been struck by a vessel.

    The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said Sunday that preliminary results of a necropsy on the humpback whale that washed up Thursday on the North End Natural Area in Brigantine indicates that the animal had “blunt trauma injuries consistent with those from a vessel strike.”

    “Injuries and hemorrhaging were observed on the head and thoracic region, as well as along the right side and the pectoral flipper,” the center said in a statement. “These findings will be confirmed through laboratory analysis in the coming weeks.”

    The whale was a 32-foot, 7-inch female estimated to weigh about 12 tons and was apparently in good condition judging by the thickness of its blubber, the center said.

    “The whale’s stomach was full of partially digested fish and there was fecal matter in the intestines, indicating the whale had been actively feeding prior to these injuries,” the center said.

    “Vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the largest known human threats to whales of all species,” the center said. “Although there has been speculation about whether these whale deaths are linked to wind energy development, at this point no whale mortality has been attributed to offshore wind activities.”

    Brigantine, just north of Atlantic City, has seen two other dead whales on its beaches in recent weeks, among the seven whale deaths in a little over a month in New Jersey and New York.

    Some lawmakers have called for a temporary pause in ocean-floor preparation work for offshore wind projects in the two states. New Jersey’s governor said he doesn’t agree with that idea. Most of New Jersey’s environmental groups called an association between the deaths and the offshore wind work “unfounded and premature.”

    The center also said there are currently a lot of large whales in waters off New Jersey, likely attracted by small fish they feed on that are also attracting stripers or striped bass. Officials urged boaters to travel slowly (less than 10 knots) and keep an eye out for whales.

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  • 9-year-old Maryland girl discovers ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ megalodon tooth | CNN

    9-year-old Maryland girl discovers ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ megalodon tooth | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A 9-year-old aspiring paleontologist found the find of a lifetime on Christmas morning: a massive 5-inch tooth from a prehistoric megalodon.

    Molly Sampson, a fourth grader from Prince Frederick, Maryland, made the astonishing find on Calvert Beach.

    Molly told CNN that she has spent years combing Maryland’s beaches for shark teeth, inspired by her father’s love of fossils.

    “They’re just cool because they’re really old,” she said.

    Molly’s mother Alicia Sampson added that her daughter has long harbored a love of exploring the outdoors. “She loves treasure hunting,” she explained.

    Maryland’s Calvert Cliffs State Park is known as a hotspot for fossil finding, Alicia Sampson added.

    For Christmas, Molly asked her parents for cold-water waders so that she could hunt for shark teeth and other fossils in the Chesapeake Bay. Equipped with her new gear, she set out at 9:30 a.m. to search for the remnants of ancient predators.

    “I saw something big, and it looked like a shark tooth,” she said. “We were about knee deep in the water.”

    She explained that she tried to grab the tooth with a sifting tool, but it was too big. She was “amazed” when she realized just how large the tooth was. “I was so excited and surprised.”

    The Sampsons took their exciting find to the Calvert Marine Museum, where paleontology curator Stephen Godfrey confirmed their suspicions: It was indeed the tooth of a megalodon, the massive sharks that lived more than 23 million years ago.

    Godfrey told CNN that there are usually only five or six megalodon teeth comparable in size to Molly’s find discovered along Calvert Cliffs each year.

    “There are people that can spend a lifetime and not find a tooth the size Molly found,” he said.

    “This is like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of find.”

    Amateur fossil hunters typically find around 100 megalodon teeth on Calvert Cliffs per year, he added. But most of them are much smaller than Molly’s huge tooth. The largest megalodon teeth ever found have been just over 7 inches.

    The size of the tooth indicates that this particular megalodon was between 45 and 50 feet long.

    Godfrey explained that millions of years ago, the waters off Calvert Cliffs would have been home to whales and dolphins that would have served as bountiful prey for megalodons looking to eat. Because sharks replace their teeth over the course of their lives and because the teeth are made up of hardy enamel, they are “by far the most abundant vertebrate fossil.”

    Megalodons hold a particular fascination for humans because they served as the “apex predator on Earth” for millions of years, he said.

    Both Godfrey and Alicia Sampson said they hope Molly’s find helps inspire other children, especially girls, to pursue their scientific interests.

    “This will inspire people of all ages, children included, to pursue their natural inclination in nature, art music, there’s so many possibilities that are available to us today,” said Godfrey.

    Alicia Sampson said children around the globe have sent letters to Molly sharing their excitement at her discovery. She set up an Instagram page to share her daughters’ outdoor adventures.

    “We really want to reach other kids and get them excited about like being outside,” she said.

    Molly said she hopes to display the huge tooth in a shadowbox in her room – and one day hopes to become a paleontologist.

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  • Chester Zoo announces birth of critically endangered Western chimpanzee | CNN

    Chester Zoo announces birth of critically endangered Western chimpanzee | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Extremely rare – and extremely adorable.

    The Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England, has welcomed the birth of a Western chimpanzee, the most endangered subspecies of chimpanzees.

    The zoo announced the baby boy’s birth in a Thursday news release. The little one, born to mother ZeeZee, will join a troop of 22 Western chimpanzees at the British zoo.

    “We’re incredibly proud to see a precious new baby in the chimpanzee troop,” said Andrew Lenihan, team manager at the zoo’s primate section, in the release. “Mum ZeeZee and her new arrival instantly bonded and she’s been doing a great job of cradling him closely and caring for him.”

    Lenihan said that the baby is already quickly becoming accepted by his extended family.

    “A birth always creates a lot of excitement in the group and raising a youngster soon becomes a real extended family affair,” Lenihan went on. “You’ll often see the new baby being passed between other females who want to lend a helping hand and give ZeeZee some well-deserved rest, and that’s exactly what her daughter, Stevie, is doing with her new brother. It looks as though she’s taken a real shine to him, which is great to see.”

    Additionally, the tiny baby is an essential asset to the critically endangered population.

    “He may not know it, but ZeeZee’s new baby is a small but vital boost to the global population of Western chimpanzees, at a time when it’s most needed for this critically endangered species,” Lenihan added.

    Following a decades-old tradition, Chester Zoo’s newborn will be named after a famous rock star, according to the news release.

    The Western chimpanzee is the only chimpanzee subspecies categorized as “critically endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which indicates they are facing “an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.” The species has gone extinct in Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo, but still lives in some parts of West Africa, with the largest population remaining in Guinea.

    The subspecies has faced an 80% population decline over the last 25 years, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The ape’s numbers have plummeted due to habitat destruction, poaching, and disease.

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  • Dog Chained Up And Abandoned With No Food Or Water For 3 Freezing Days

    Dog Chained Up And Abandoned With No Food Or Water For 3 Freezing Days

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    A Rottweiler named Coco Puff is receiving some much needed TLC after being discovered abandoned in cruel conditions in a New Jersey backyard.

    Ross Licitra, executive director of the Monmouth County SPCA — which is currently caring for Coco Puff — told HuffPost over the phone that the 3-year-old dog was found sleeping on a concrete slab and was attached to a railing with a very short chain leash.

    She had no food or water, and was presumably freezing.

    “She was exposed to literally the absolute coldest, coldest day of the year,” Licitra emphasized to HuffPost. “It was brutal.”

    Licitra says Coco Puff’s owners left her on Dec. 24, which was one of the coldest Christmas Eves in the state’s history. She sat there for three days before someone called the Neptune Township Police and she was rescued.

    “[Her owners] would’ve been better off if they just let Coco run, which of course we never want to say,” Licitra said. “But at least Coco would have been able to find shelter or run up to somebody because she is an incredibly lovely, beautiful dog that is so friendly.”

    A better look at the conditions Coco Puff was left in for three days.

    Licitra told HuffPost that after speaking to the dog’s owners — Iquan Carson and Shonquel Lindsey — and their landlord, he learned the couple had to leave their home on Christmas Eve because their pipes froze over, and stayed in a nearby hotel. He noted that although the couple stayed nearby, they never once left to check in on their pet.

    “They made absolutely no effort whatsoever to find any type of shelter or any type of nutrition or anything for Coco,” Licitra said. “They just basically chained her to the railing and walked away. That’s all they did.”

    He said Coco Puff was “scared” and “confused” when she finally came into their care, but they determined after medical examinations that she didn’t suffer from hypothermia. Bloodwork showed she may have kidney stones, as well as a genetic eye condition that affects her vision, according to a Monmouth County SPCA Facebook post. Licitra noted that they initially thought Coco Puff was a 10-year-old dog, but discovered after examining her teeth that she was actually much younger.

    Coco Puff, who is described by the rescue as “gentle, loyal, and loving,” will continue to receive care at Monmouth County SPCA, but will eventually be available for adoption.

    Licitra told HuffPost that her owners, Carson and Lindsey, have both been charged with two counts of animal cruelty — one for cruel restraint, and another for failure to provide necessary care.

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  • Georgia Bulldogs crush the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs 65-7 to win second consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship | CNN

    Georgia Bulldogs crush the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs 65-7 to win second consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs scored on their first six drives and dominated No. 3 Texas Christian University 65-7 to win their second consecutive College Football Playoff championship game on Monday night in Inglewood, California.

    In the convincing win, Heisman Trophy-finalist quarterback Stetson Bennett passed for four touchdowns and ran for two more to lead the Bulldogs (15-0), who became the first team to win back-to-back national titles since Alabama in 2011 and 2012.

    Bennett finished 18-of-25 with 304 yards passing in his final collegiate contest. He left the game with 13:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.

    Georgia built a 38-7 halftime lead, scoring the final 28 points before intermission after TCU’s Max Duggan, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, rushed for a touchdown that made it 10-7 with 5:45 left in the first quarter.

    The Bulldogs controlled play and the clock in the half, having the ball for almost 19 of the first 30 minutes and outgaining the Horned Frogs (13-2) 354 yards to just 121.

    The onslaught continued in the second half until Georgia head coach Kirby Smart effectively called off the dogs and began using more second-team players in the fourth quarter. By then it was 52-7.

    Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, a sophomore wide receiver, had two touchdown grabs, including a wide-open, 37-yard reception that brought the first six of the Bulldogs’ 55 consecutive points.

    Sophomore tight end Brock Bowers, the national player of the year at his position, had one touchdown catch in his seven receptions and 152 yards receiving.

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  • NYC mayor, a vocal rat opponent, faces more fines for rat infestation at Brooklyn property | CNN

    NYC mayor, a vocal rat opponent, faces more fines for rat infestation at Brooklyn property | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    New York Mayor Eric Adams was hit with new fines over a rat infestation at one of his properties in Brooklyn, just one day after a different rodent infestation ticket at the same property was dismissed.

    According to two summonses from the New York Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) dated December 7, Adams is facing fines of up to $1,200 for failing to eliminate conditions that “encourage the nesting of rats” and failing to eliminate a rodent infestation shown by active rodent signs at a property he owns in Brooklyn.

    Adams said he’s “concerned” that he received the new summons and vowed to challenge them and show “that rats don’t run this city.”

    “As I have said repeatedly, it is so important that each of us does our part to address the rats that all New Yorkers hate and that’s why I keep my yard clean and garbage in covered trash bins,” Adams said in a statement to CNN.

    “I am concerned that, despite previously spending nearly $7,000 on rat mitigation efforts, I received two new summonses on the same day, even though a neutral hearing officer found that I ‘demonstrate[d] sufficient steps taken…to prevent and control infestation at [my] property.’ I will again challenge these violations and show that rats don’t run this city.”

    Adams was facing another fine for a rat infestation at the same property earlier in 2022, but the ticket was dismissed during a hearing on December 6, OATH records show – one day before the other fines were issued.

    The mayor has been very vocal about his personal vendetta against the rodents. He most recently recruited for a new “director of rodent mitigation,” aka “rat czar” to rid the city’s streets of its most notorious furry inhabitants.

    “Do you have what it takes to do the impossible?” the job listing read. “A virulent vehemence for vermin? A background in urban planning, project management, or government? And most importantly, the drive, determination and killer instinct needed to fight the real enemy – New York City’s relentless rat population?”

    A hearing date for the new violations has been set for January 12.

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  • Man Walking Dog Will Be Judge Of What Warrants Sniffing

    Man Walking Dog Will Be Judge Of What Warrants Sniffing

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    Image for article titled Man Walking Dog Will Be Judge Of What Warrants Sniffing

    BOISE, ID—Tugging on the leash with a groan while walking his easily distracted dog, local man Kenneth Granger announced Monday that he would be the judge of what warranted sniffing. “Come on, no, you do not need to smell that fence again,” said a visibly annoyed Granger, noting that he found nothing particularly interesting about the partially dilapidated chain-link fence that he and his dog, Bandit, passed more than six times a day on average, and that to him only smelled like metal. “I thought I taught you to be a little more discerning, but until then, I’ll be the judge of what is and is not deserving of an extra whiff. A normal tree? Yeah, right, buddy, we have those in the yard—no need to waste another five seconds on this one. Oh, back to the fire hydrant—way to lean into stereotypes. Look, if I were you, I would go see what’s up with that single abandoned glove over there. Maybe it doesn’t smell as fascinating as a plain old signpost, but at least it’s something new.” At press time, Granger was seen nodding encouragingly as Bandit buried his snout in a stranger’s crotch.

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  • 13 bison dead after truck hits herd near Yellowstone park

    13 bison dead after truck hits herd near Yellowstone park

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    WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. — Thirteen bison were killed or had to be euthanized after their herd was struck by a semi-truck involved in an accident with two other vehicles on a dark Montana highway just outside Yellowstone National Park, authorities said Friday.

    The semi-truck struck the bison after dark on Wednesday night. Some bison were killed in the crash, and others were put down due to the severity of their injuries, the West Yellowstone Police Department said in a statement.

    No one in the truck or in the two other vehicles was hurt, said Police Chief Mike Gavagan.

    Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the accident, which occurred at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. Highway 191, just north of the town of West Yellowstone. The town serves as a western entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

    Police initially said all three vehicles struck the bison but later reported that only the truck did.

    Speed may not have been a factor in the accident, police said, though “road conditions at the time would dictate traveling below the posted speed limit.”

    Bison in the region often congregate near roadways in the winter, where it’s easier for them to navigate amid heavy snow, the police department said. The animals can be hard to see at night because of their dark brown color and because their eyes don’t reflect light, including headlights, like deers’ eyes do, it said.

    “We deal with wildlife being struck and killed on the roadways in our area on a regular basis due to the abundance of wildlife in our area and our close proximity to Yellowstone National Park,” the police statement said.

    “We are always saddened by any of these incidents, particularly when so many animals are lost.”

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  • US gets 1 bid for oil and gas lease in Alaska’s Cook Inlet

    US gets 1 bid for oil and gas lease in Alaska’s Cook Inlet

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    The U.S. government on Friday said it received one bid for the right to drill offshore for oil and gas in Alaska’s Cook Inlet near habitat for bears, salmon, humpback whales and endangered beluga whales.

    Hilcorp Alaska LLC submitted the sole bid — $63,983 for an area covering 2,304 hectares or 5,693 acres.

    The company is a unit of Hilcorp, which is the largest privately held oil and gas exploration and production company in the United States. It already has leases to drill for oil and gas in onshore areas of Cook Inlet, which stretches from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska.

    The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which conducted the sale via livestream, was offering leases for 193 blocks totaling some 958,000 acres (388,000 hectares) but received just one bid for one block.

    The U.S. Interior Department in May said it would not move forward with the Cook Inlet lease sale due to a “lack of industry interest.” But over the summer, Congress passed legislation that called for a Cook Inlet lease sale by year’s end and two Gulf of Mexico lease sales next year. The provisions were part of the Inflation Reduction Act, a sprawling package that also included major investments to fight climate change.

    Environmentalists criticized the sale, saying oil and gas leases undermine efforts to address climate change. They also expressed concern that an oil spill could harm wildlife, subsistence gathering and commercial and sport fishing.

    Hilcorp said it was proud of its work to revitalize natural gas production in Cook Inlet, which it said nearly two-thirds of Alaskans depend on to heat and power their homes and businesses.

    “We look forward to continuing to responsibly produce Alaskan oil and natural gas, create Alaskan jobs and contribute to the state’s economy for decades to come,” the company said in a statement.

    Dyani Chapman, the director of Alaska Environment, a nonprofit organization, said Alaska should be looking forward to a cleaner, greener future in the coming year.

    “Instead, we’re closing out 2022 with a lease for more dirty, dangerous offshore drilling,” Chapman said in a statement. “For the sake of our beluga whales, northern sea otters, salmon and more, we urge companies to recognize that drilling in Cook Inlet should be left in the past.”

    Environmental groups earlier this month sued the Biden administration over the sale, saying an environmental review failed to adequately evaluate how it would affect whales. It also argued that a greenhouse gas emissions analysis was based on flawed modeling and that the review failed to consider “a reasonable range of alternatives” for the lease sale.

    The Cook Inlet basin is Alaska’s oldest producing oil and gas basin, dating back to the 1950s, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

    The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says the new lease will be awarded after a 90-day evaluation process to ensure the public receives fair market value. The Department of Justice will also review the sale for antitrust considerations.

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

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  • Whale Watch Week returns in-person in Oregon after pandemic

    Whale Watch Week returns in-person in Oregon after pandemic

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    PORTLAND, Ore. — Whale Watch Week in Oregon returned in-person for the first time since the pandemic on Wednesday, drawing visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the annual gray whale migration to the state’s coastline.

    By early afternoon, more than 500 people had flocked to the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay, where a volunteer equipped with binoculars pointed out whales in the distance. A spokesperson for Oregon State Parks, which organizes the event, described scenes of excited spectators as several were spotted.

    “She’s seeing the spray and calling it out,” Stefanie Knowlton told The Associated Press on the phone as she watched the center’s volunteer, the crowd cheering in the background. “There’s just so much energy. You could just really feel that people were ready to come back and watch whales together.”

    Volunteers will be at 17 state parks along the coast through Sunday to help people spot the nearly 20,000 gray whales that make the southward journey to Mexico every year.

    One of the sites, Cape Meares, was closed Wednesday after strong winds the previous day knocked over trees, Knowlton said.

    Oregon State Parks organizes whale watching events twice a year, in the winter for gray whales’ southern migration and in the spring for their return to northern waters near Alaska.

    Oregon’s central coast is also a hot spot for whale watching from June to mid-November, when the gray whales that remained in the state’s coastal waters during the summer migration come close to shore to feed, according to the agency.

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  • Bringing a dog along for a holiday stay? Make sure to plan

    Bringing a dog along for a holiday stay? Make sure to plan

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Traveling with dogs can be stressful. Throw in holiday home stays at one of the most chaotic times of the year and double that stress for humans and animals alike — especially when hosts have pets of their own.

    Large gatherings, unfamiliar smells and sounds, mixing older or sedate dogs with energetic pups, and introducing small children or cats to a dog with no prior exposure are among the issues that can spoil the experience or, worst case, cause physical harm.

    But tensions can be dialed way down with a little preparation, said certified dog behaviorist Gabrielle Johnson of Richmond, Virginia. Knowing when to pull the plug and head for a pet-friendly hotel or boarder is also key.

    “Certainly holidays can be a tricky time because everyone’s out of their routine, out of their schedule. We’re in tight spaces. Stress is high,” Johnson said.

    Johnson warns that dogs that are typically fine at home may be pushed too far. Learning to read unusual body language is important.

    “Things like yawning, licking their lips, turning away, looking away, freezing, getting tense,” they said. “We want to see soft, wiggly, loose, relaxed. If we see some of those (other) signs, it may be an indicator that it’s time to get our dog out of that situation.”

    Taking a crate along is a great idea for already crate-trained dogs but don’t try to force it for the first time, trainers said. Packing a bed and familiar blankets, toys, dishes, and food and treats are musts.

    First-time introductions between dogs should be done on neutral ground, outdoors. The humans should plan ahead in case pets need to be separated, including considering baby gates, particularly when dogs are eating. Owners who suspect anxiety might be a problem could consider medication.

    Nicole Ellis, a certified professional dog trainer for Rover.com, suggests practicing with dogs who have not traveled much. If a dog is going from a quiet rural area to a noisier urban environment, take a few shorter trips to simulate the holiday surroundings, she said.

    She also advises packing mental enrichment toys to help a dog decompress and navigate a new environment without getting rowdy. Licking and chewing also help a dog self-soothe, Ellis said.

    James Paasche of Central Point, Oregon, will spend six days in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, 6-year-old daughter and 11-year-old dog, Walter, for Christmas.

    Paasche’s brother has three dogs of his own, including two older ones. Walter, anxious his entire life, has met only his younger canine cousin. He takes medication but once nipped at a child on a previous stay at another home. The children of Paasche’s brother are older, but he’s concerned about the two new dogs.

    “You know how it is with older dogs, they get a little more set in their ways and are less amenable to new things that puppies and younger dogs just don’t care about,” Paasche said. The hosts have a garage for Walter if things go awry.

    Dr. Jamie Richardson, head of veterinary medicine for Small Door Vet in New York, said keeping a dog’s diet consistent should be top of mind.

    “Their GI tracts can get upset very easily with change,” she said. “Don’t assume your food will be available locally.”

    Richardson said dogs should be introduced to young children slowly and very carefully. If toddlers don’t understand the concept of leaving a dog alone, they should be separated.

    Home stays aren’t all gloom and doom, though.

    Phoebe Yung of Brooklyn adopted a pandemic pup, a rat terrier named Moose. She and her husband travel with Moose often, including long trips to Europe. The holidays have them driving to Montreal to stay with relatives — including two young children — for six days.

    “When she sees her pet carrier she jumps right in,” Yung said of Moose. “We really try to follow the rules of any house we’re in. We bring along a mat, and when she’s sniffing around a new place and seems to find a spot she’s comfortable with we put it down and that’s her spot.”

    Young children scare Moose, but she runs away and shakes in a corner rather than getting aggressive, Yung said. She added that she would step in if Moose gets too stressed.

    Emily Keegans, Seattle Humane’s chief of animal behavior, said dog owners should ask themselves if the situation is going to be a happy one for their animals, and communicate with hosts.

    “If I have friends or family come to stay at my house, my first question is ‘How does your dog get along with cats?’” she said. If the answer isn’t promising, she’ll put her cat in another room and talk through logistics.

    Lily Hargis lives in Richmond with Milo, the Labrador-Australian shepherd mix she rescued last year. She spent her last three Christmases visiting her great-grandmother — who has no pets — in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

    “I’ll never forget the stress of that first holiday with Milo in her home, how worried I was about his behavior being perfect and reflecting on me,” Hargis said. “I think it’s especially tough when there’s a generational gap.”

    Happily, her great-grandmother warmed up to Milo right away: “Within five minutes she had him up on the couch and in her lap getting cuddles.”

    This year, Christmas will be closer to home, but she has other worries involving Bourbon, her stepsister’s ancient pit bull who “won’t tolerate any shenanigans.”

    To prepare, Hargis and her mother spent several sessions with Johnson, working on getting Milo and Bourbon to a place “where they could comfortably relax in the space together.”

    “It just felt necessary,” Hargis explained. “There are so many aspects of the holidays that require our dogs to do things they really don’t practice much.”

    As soon as they arrive, Hargis will prepare frozen Kongs and other enrichment items to help Milo decompress in a quiet room.

    “Honestly, I sometimes get jealous of how well his holidays are curated to avoid stress and maximize fun,” Hargis said. “It makes me want to see how I can do the same for myself.”

    ___

    Follow Leanne Italie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/litalie

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    For more AP Lifestyles stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/lifestyle.

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