wild animals

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Deadly 'Rabbit Fever' Spreads in Utah
Deadly 'Rabbit Fever'
Spreads in Utah
Apr 19, 2024 11:25 AM CDT

Deadly 'Rabbit Fever' Spreads in Utah

Tularemia, which can infect humans, confirmed in 3 dead beavers

(Newser) - Authorities in Utah are warning about an outbreak of the potentially deadly tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, which, despite its name, can infect various rodents and mammals, including humans, cats, and dogs. So far, it's only been confirmed in beavers. Nine healthy-looking beavers and one vole were found...

US Woman's 'Dream Adventure' With Elephants Turns Fatal

Gail Mattson, 79, was killed when a bull elephant flipped a safari vehicle in Zambia

(Newser) - An American tourist on a safari tour of Zambia's Kafue National Park died Saturday when an elephant charged the vehicle carrying her. The woman, whom KSTP identifies as 79-year-old Gail Mattson of Minnesota and Arizona, was staying at Lufupa Camp and had ventured out with five others for a...

Magpie Who Bonded With Dog Is Seized
Magpie Who Bonded
With Dog Is Seized
Mar 28, 2024 12:24 PM CDT

Magpie Who Bonded With Dog Is Seized

Aussie caretakers fight to reunite social media stars Peggy and Molly

(Newser) - A magpie taken in as a chick stole the hearts of millions of people around the world who were warmed by the bird's unlikely friendship with its Aussie caretakers' bull terrier. But caretakers Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen say their hearts have been torn apart in having to surrender...

Hundreds of Animal Species Hit by 'Catastrophic' Flu Strain

Elephant seals, seabirds, and now a polar bear—could humans be hit hard next with H5N1?

(Newser) - "It is catastrophic ... the largest die-off for the species, period." That's how Martin Mendez, a marine biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, describes to the Washington Post the fate of hundreds of elephant seals last fall in Argentina, found dead along the shore of the Valdes Peninsula....

Drought Kills at Least 100 Elephants
Drought Kills
at Least 100
Elephants
Dec 19, 2023 12:00 PM CST

Drought Kills at Least 100 Elephants

El Nino blamed for lack of water killing pachyderms in recent weeks in Zimbabwe's largest national park

(Newser) - At least 100 elephants have died in Zimbabwe's largest national park in recent weeks because of drought, their carcasses a grisly sign of what wildlife authorities and conservation groups say is the impact of climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon. Authorities warn that more could die as...

An Errant Moose Is Transfixing the Internet

Minnesota's Rutt the moose is being tracked by a herd of fans

(Newser) - A herd of followers are tracking a moose on the loose in southern Minnesota, hoping the majestic animal's journey ends safely after it was spotted Tuesday 140 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The AP report that fans have been tracking the young male moose since late September and posting updates,...

8 Miles of Parkway Closed Due to People Bothering a Bear

Blue Ridge Parkway section in North Carolina shut down after visitors' interactions with young bear

(Newser) - An 8-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina has been shuttered for the indefinite future, after visitors were spotted giving food to and trying to hold a juvenile bear. In a release cited by WXII , the National Park Service says that officials have closed down the part...

Women Sue After Airbnb Turns Into 'House of Horror'

Suit against rental site, Michigan homeowners comes after women say they were attacked by bats

(Newser) - According to its Airbnb listing, the "Castle House" in Alpena, Michigan, is an "incredible historic home" that's "bursting with charm." According to a group of eight women who rented the abode earlier this year, the place is actually like a "horror movie," complete...

Kayaker Stumbles on Stranded Sheep, 'Britain's Loneliest'

Woman first spotted creature at bottom of Scottish cliff in 2021, then again recently

(Newser) - A kayaker has made what she calls a "heart-rending" discovery: a sheep she believes has been stuck at the bottom of a Scottish cliff, by itself, for quite some time. Now, Jillian Turner is pleading for help for the woolly creature. The Brora resident tells the Northern Times that...

Man Saving Moose From Halloween Decor Goes Viral

After human helps it get untangled from decorations in BC, moose gives him a friendly lick

(Newser) - Halloween proved especially frightening for one Canadian moose over the weekend, or at least one family's Halloween decorations did. The CBC reports that Shaydon Soucy was driving with his wife Saturday to visit a friend in the British Columbia city of Fort St. John when they spotted something odd...

Surfboard-Stealing Otter's Aggression Explained by a Birth

Otter 841 spotted with pup off Santa Cruz

(Newser) - Attempts to capture an aggressive surfboard-stealing sea otter in California are on hold as "Otter 841" is now accompanied by a pup. The female sea otter has reportedly given birth and was spotted Wednesday "far off the Santa Cruz coast, rolling and spinning in the kelp and waves...

These Animals Are Tearing Up a Luxury Golf Course

Social media users complain of lost habitats as Arizona's Seven Canyons battles piglike javelinas

(Newser) - Seven Canyons is a 200-acre private golf course ranked among the top 25 courses in Arizona by Golf Digest . But the luxury course in Sedona is looking a little worse for wear as of late, with what the Guardian describes as "a sprawling patchwork of oversized divots that would...

Behind This Endangered Rhino, Reason to Celebrate
With This Birth,
'Hope for a Species'
VIDEO
Oct 4, 2023 1:20 PM CDT

With This Birth, 'Hope for a Species'

Endangered Sumatran rhino calf born in Indonesia through captive breeding program

(Newser) - In a birth being celebrated around the world, a baby girl has been delivered healthy, weighing in at 60 pounds. Don't worry, it's not a human baby but a critically endangered Sumatran rhino, whose birth "represents hope for a species threatened with extinction," per CNN . The...

Airbnb Oddity: 700 Pounds of Acorns Stashed in Wall

A couple of very industrious critters caused a little trouble at a California rental

(Newser) - Sometimes when you walk into an Airbnb, you don't want to know what its previous occupants have been up to. And sometimes once you know, there's no unknowing. In the case of a two-story house in Glen Ellen, California, the previous occupants had been very busy, but in...

This Turkey Is Making Life Hell for a Minnesota Town
This Turkey
Is Making
Life Hell for a
Minnesota Town
in case you missed it
Jan 29, 2023 11:20 AM CST

This Turkey Is Making Life Hell for a Minnesota Town

Residents, including kids, now walk around with makeshift weapons to fend off 'terrorizing' bird

(Newser) - The Minnesota town of Coon Rapids is known for its dozens of scenic parks, Golf Digest-recognized golf club, and renowned Mercy Hospital. Now, it's got a new claim to fame: a most troublesome wild turkey that's been menacing residents of a mobile home park for more than a...

Emboldened Wolves to Be Shot at With Paintballs

Dutch officials complain wolves are becoming too tame, while activists allege a plot to kill

(Newser) - A recent video showing a wolf strolling casually past a worried family of four in a national park in the Netherlands shows how some of the country's wolves have lost their fear of humans. Hoping to see that fear return, authorities are now turning to paintballs. A new decision...

Wildlife Populations Worldwide Have Dropped 69% in 50 Years

So says a new report by World Wildlife Fund, Zoological Society of London

(Newser) - Humans' aggressive deforestation, plundering of the Earth for its natural resources, and contamination of the planet's air and water is not only putting our own species in a precarious position—it's managed to help wipe out more than two-thirds of the world's wildlife population in not even...

Colorado Town Suffers 2nd Bear Attack in 2 Months

New Castle man is expected to recover after animal went after him in his yard

(Newser) - A Colorado man is recuperating after a bear attacked him at his home over the weekend—the second such attack in his town since late August. Per a release from Colorado Parks & Wildlife cited by KKTV , the New Castle resident heard noises coming from his backyard around 10:30pm...

Utah Just Nabbed Its First Wolverine

Creature never before caught in the state is fitted with a GPS collar

(Newser) - Wolverines are notoriously reclusive creatures in the state of Utah, with only eight confirmed sightings over the last 40 years or so, per Smithsonian . Utah's wolverines, though, might be about to give up their secrets, thanks to the first-ever capture of one of the animals there. State wildlife officials...

White Whale Spotted, Caught On Video Near Jamaica

Dutch sailor managed to film a short video

(Newser) - Sperm whales aren’t exactly common—the vulnerable species was hunted almost to extinction between the 1800s and 1980s. White ones are even rarer, with only a few spotted in the last 20 years or so. The number of total sightings—not counting Moby Dick of literature—is vanishingly small...

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