A Minnesota woman left and old pear out for the squirrels in her backyard. One squirrel was videoed in a drunken stupor, because the pear had fermented.
The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced the name of its latest Internet star. Thousands of people sent the zoo their suggested names for the four-month-old giant panda cub.
"Relationships with animals are simple," notes one researcher. In a year when life feels fraught, pets have been healers, helping human companions get exercise, quell anxiety and make new friends.
In 2015, the mosquito-borne virus Zika exploded in South America. Health experts predicted it would erupt in Africa. But a major outbreak never happened. Now scientists think they understand why.
The cull was ordered after a mutated version of the coronavirus was found to have spread among the country's mink herd. It later emerged the government did not have legislation in place for the order.
In the Canadian Rockies, moose learned cars can be a source for the needed mineral salt in the winter. Officials say large animals getting too attracted to cars and roads can be a bad combination.
Wen the worker found the owl, it was hungry and dehydrated, but otherwise fine. The owl was taken to a nearby wildlife center. The owl has been named as you might have guessed: Rockefeller.
A hen bred in Belgium — she's named New Kim — just fetched a record price at auction: $1.9 million. The anonymous Chinese buyer also purchased the previous record holder last year.
The strain found in the minks is the same one found in humans, an agriculture official said, and a breeder at one farm also tested positive. Some 2,500 minks have reportedly been culled already.
Officials in the Japanese town of Takikawa saw bears roaming around and were worried about an attack. So they used a fur covered wolf scarecrow that howls when it detects motion to scare them away.
A gas station in California received multiple visits from a 16-year-old bear, who gorged himself on candy and crackers, according to KOVR-TV. The wildlife department relocated the bear.
New research shows that otters can learn to solve puzzles by watching other otters do them — and they seem to retain long-term memory for accomplishing the feats.
The nationwide increase in pet adoptions during the pandemic is good news for orphaned animals. It's also good for humans. Research shows pets can improve both physical and mental health.
Researchers let the monkeys pick what sounds would play in their enclosure: zen music, falling rain, other nature sounds or traffic. It turns out the white-faced sakis most often picked traffic.
The owners of a cat named Panda spent time searching the neighborhood and posting on Facebook for the lost cat. Days later, a Home Depot employee found Panda in a shipping crate in Kenai, Ala.
A long tradition of presidential pets will be revived in January. And a little history will be made, too: President-elect Joe Biden's younger dog will be the first rescue dog in the White House.
Nestlé, one of the largest food groups in the world, announced this week plans to introduce insect-based dog and cat food in Switzerland. U.S. options to come next year.
Wilbur handily unseated incumbent Brynneth Pawltro, a rescued pit bull. Wilbur earned 13,143 votes — the highest winning total recorded in the canine election. The event is done as a fundraiser.
Anton Nguyen of Brisbane was awakened in the middle of the night when his parrot Eric started yelling. Eric noticed the house was on fire even before the smoke alarm went off.
Doorkins Magnificat was a stray cat who became a beloved mainstay at Southwark Cathedral in London. When she died, week the dean of the cathedral livestreamed a memorial service honoring the feline.
Angela Hansberger missed going to restaurants for her job as a food writer. So, she opened her very own tiny restaurant, where she serves tiny meals to a chipmunk named Thelonius Munk.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing federal protections for gray wolves in the contiguous U.S., saying the species' recovery is a success. Wildlife groups are promising to sue.
