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Drought in Hwange national park was the cause of most of the deaths, and wildlife experts fear the climate crisis could make such events look normal One of the 160 elephants that died in late 2023 in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park as drought hit the region. Photograph: Courtesy of Bhejane Trust At least 160 elephants have died as drought conditions hit Zimbabwe, and with hot, dry weather likely to continue, conservationists fear there could be more deaths to come. The elephants died between August and December last year in the 14,651 sq km Hwange national park, which is home to...

VICTORIA — The City of Victoria has terminated a city employee who cut the head off a dead cougar in November. The city said in a statement that it had “concluded its investigation process into this incident and we can confirm the individual responsible is no longer employed by the city.” The city confirmed the employee had been fired. The city worker had initially been given a written warning after the head of a dead cougar was cut off while the carcass was being stored in a city facility. Victoria police shot and killed the cougar on Nov. 21, 2023,...

When it comes to birds with the gift of mimicry, parrots usually steal the show. However, there is a common bird native to the UK that has proven to be just as talented in this area. The European starling has astounded people worldwide with its remarkable ability to mimic various sounds, including the human voice. In a video shared by Nature Is Amazing on Twitter, viewers are treated to an incredible display of this bird's mimicry skills. With over six million views and six thousand bookmarks, it's evident that people are truly blown away by this unique talent.

Pack of feral pigs caught on camera damaging lawns in Bexar County neighborhood VIDEO AT LINK............. A pack of 10 wild hogs rooted up several lawns in a Bexar County neighborhood over the holiday weekend. The pigs were caught on camera damaging multiple yards as they used their snouts to forage for underground food. The neighborhood, located about three miles south of SeaWorld, was hit a few weeks earlier, resulting in major damage to multiple yards. One of the homes that was initially hit had its yard completely uprooted. The more recent incursion left damage to at least four properties....

...few have described wokeism as the cruel creed that it is.Wokeism’s natural logic is to destroy the lives of people of both genders, of all races, and—if need be—those of every age, all to leverage an otherwise unworkable ideological agenda. It is nihilist and destroys everything it touches. It tears apart foes and friends alike, whether by fueling media-driven hatred of Donald Trump or faux-deification of the disaster that is now Joe Biden.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Ruminant, more like.Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and yes, even Rudolph have evolved an excellent strategy to rest efficiently, a new study finds. Published today in the journal Current Biology, this paper by researchers in Switzerland and Norway gifts us a discovery about how rumination — the process of rechewing partially digested food called cud — rejuvenates reindeer. Like cows, deer, camels, and llamas, reindeer are ruminants. All ruminants are four-stomached herbivores who feed on rough plants, regurgitate the partially digested cud, then chew it again and swallow. But the new paper, which analyzed...

Wildlife trafficking is an ongoing problem in Spain and throughout Europe. In a recent crackdown, authorities in Guadalajara have made a significant arrest and seized 170 kilos of live elvers. On a routine inspection, Guardia Civil officers apprehended an individual on Tuesday, December 12, near Cifuentes, Guadalajara. During a Citizen Security patrol, officers identified a rental van which was parked at a service station. Upon questioning the driver of the vehicle appeared nervous. The officer’s suspicions were well-founded as the van, which seemingly carried clothing, hid a more sinister cargo. Elver Smuggling Exposed In what appeared to be an ordinary...

That was no roo-tine call. Police in Canada tried to capture an escaped kangaroo that had been on the run since last week by grabbing it by the tail — but not before the hopping-mad fugitive punched one of the cops in the face. A pair of kangaroos were being transported to a zoo in Quebec last Thursday when one of them, a 4-year-old female born in captivity, escaped its handlers by jumping over their heads during a rest stop at the Oshawa Zoo and Fun Farm in Ontario, the park’s supervisor and head keeper, Cameron Preyde, told CBC Toronto....

In October of this year, a video emerged online, capturing a kangaroo's attempt to drown a dog in a river in Australia. However, this incident is not an isolated occurrence, as it turns out that marsupials have employed this peculiar tactic before. Mick Moloney, while strolling along the banks of the Murray River in northwestern Victoria, Australia, suddenly realized that his loyal companion, Hutchy, was nowhere to be found. His gaze shifted towards the water, where he witnessed a kangaroo standing waist-deep, with its arms submerged. To his astonishment, Hutchy emerged from the water gasping for air, expelling water from...

An ultra-rare gigantic rat so big that it puts New York City's subway-dwelling rodents to shame has been caught on camera for the first time. Uromys vika, a giant rat known for being "one of the world's rarest rodents" according to the University of Melbourne, is found in just one isolated spot throughout the world – the island of Vangunu in the Solomon Islands. The species was only first identified by a single animal discovered in 2017, but recently, university researchers said that after placing out glass oil lamps filled with sesame oil, they captured 95 images of four different...

As odd as it might seem, a train conductor confirmed to Cowboy State Daily that grizzly bears and other wild animals frequently get intoxicated on fermented grain spilled from rail cars, and too many of them end up getting killed as a result. Paul Summers told Cowboy State Daily he’s seen it with his own eyes. “Especially in the summertime, it’s common to see bears, including grizzlies, drunk on grain. You will see them wobbling,” he said. “You will see them staggering.” In fact, he said the bears’ own stubbornness often works against them, as they don’t want to move...

The endangered southern cassowary, a giant flightless bird native to Australia and New Guinea, was spotted by onlookers on Oct. 31 along the shores of Bingil Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, according to the local government. Beachgoers in Australia last month initially thought it was a turtle or a shark’s dorsal fin in the ocean. But upon closer inspection, they were stunned to see a cassowary – sometimes dubbed "the world’s most dangerous bird" – emerge from the ocean and shake itself off. The endangered southern cassowary, a giant flightless bird native to Australia and New Guinea, was...

The recent capture of a 17-foot, 198-pound python in Florida generated national headlines, mostly because it was the second-heaviest python ever caught in the Sunshine State. The main image showed five men posing with the dead python, which, as one meteorologist remarked, boasted a head “the size of a football.” Such captures are indeed noteworthy. Burmese pythons are highly invasive and threaten native wildlife. They do not belong in Florida and the state encourages hunting and removal. But what people rarely see, because the swamp-dwelling reptiles are nocturnal, are giant live pythons roaming in broad daylight.

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

A Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden employee was hospitalized Thursday after she was bitten by a highly venomous rattlesnake. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake snapped at the employee around 4 p.m. in a “behind the scenes area” not open to guests, the zoo’s communications director Michelle Curley told the Cincinnati Enquirer. The unnamed staffer — who works in the reptile house — was taken to the hospital in stable condition. She had only received a partial bite and did not require antivenom, Curley said, adding her prognosis is good.

Scientists in South America have made a remarkable discovery just in time for the spooky season. They have identified a new species of wasp that possesses a rather macabre method of hunting and feeding. These vampiric vespids inject their larvae beneath the skin of their prey, causing a slow and agonizing demise from the inside out.

TWO people have been seriously injured after they were attacked by a wild boar in Navarra’s Ollo Valley region. As reported by the 112 Emergency Services, the incident occurred at around 12:45 pm this Sunday, October 1, in the popular Manantial de Arteta hiking area of Ultzurrun municipality. The coordinating centre immediately deployed an appliance from the Cordovilla Fire Brigade to the location, according to a statement from the Government of Navarra. They were joined by members of the Fire Technical Rescue Group, a rescue helicopter, a medical helicopter, two medical ambulances and Foral Police patrol vehicles. They both suffered...

A remarkable incident unfolded in southern Australia when a farmer, Frank Pao-Ling Tsai, stumbled upon a creature believed to be locally extinct for over a century. Tsai, a dedicated trout farmer residing in Beachport, South Australia, was jolted awake by a commotion emanating from his chicken coop in the early morning of Tuesday, September 26. Intrigued and concerned, he swiftly ventured outside to investigate the source of the disturbance. To his astonishment, Tsai discovered a peculiar spotted creature amidst the chaos, accompanied by the unfortunate demise of one of his chickens. Initially perplexed by the unfamiliar sight, Tsai recounted his...

Yellowstone today is on high alert for “touron” behavior, but in the Roaring ’20s it was an all-out petting zoo. Attractions included the popular feeding of the bears -- a nightly dinner show that became more popular than Old Faithful. Hardly a day has gone by this summer season where a tourist in Yellowstone National Park hasn’t been caught doing something illegal, dangerous, stupid — or all three. Facebook page Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of The Idiots! has become the TMZ of the NPS (National Park Service). Public shaming hasn’t seemed to slow offenders much. Healthy fines do not appear...

Global wildlife trafficking is on the rise, adding a dimension to transnational crime and increasing the risk that U.S. corporations could unwittingly become entangled in the illicit trade. A new white paper by Moody’s Analytics highlights the growing risk for private enterprise, and the growing involvement of transnational crime in wildlife smuggling. “Brands sometimes are involved in supply chains and they might not truly know who their supplier is,” said Richard Graham, Third Party Risk Management lead at Moody’s Analytics. “If you’re doing business with someone that is a supplier that is involved in some sort of wildlife trafficking, via...