Laboratory opossums, specifically Monodelphis domestica, play a big role in biomedical research. Keeping them healthy and happy means feeding them right. So, what's the best way to do that? Researchers looked into how opossums interact with their food and how different feeding methods affect their health. They tested four methods: putting food pellets direct...
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, over 150 false killer whales found themselves trapped on a remote beach near Arthur River in Tasmania. This was a tough situation for everyone involved. The beach was far from easy to reach, and the ocean conditions were rough, making it nearly impossible for experts to help. The whales were discovered on Tuesday afternoon. B...
Zoo animal welfare is under the microscope these days. While zoos have made strides in care and management, there's still room for improvement. To push things forward, turning theoretical welfare ideas into real-life actions is crucial. Let's start with a well-known definition to set a baseline for practical welfare assessment. Consider coping and comfort as key sig...
Imagine having a crystal ball to predict the best conditions for your pigs. Well, scientists have created something similar: a smart model that uses deep learning to forecast the environment in pig houses. This model combines several advanced techniques, including Bayesian optimization, squeeze and excitation blocks, convolutional neural networks, and gated recurrent...
Handling stress is a big deal in fish farming. Zebrafish, a common fish in labs and farms, hasn't been studied enough for their stress response when they're young. Scientists wanted to see how zebrafish larvae react to a sudden stress situation. They spun the tiny fish in a vortex for a minute and checked their behavior and body changes after 10 minutes, 1 hour, and ...
Charlotte Dujardin, a top British equestrian known for her Olympic medals, was suspended for one year and fined about $12, 000. This penalty came after officials reviewed a video showing Dujardin hitting her horse excessively. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports announced the verdict on Thursday, December 5. Dujardin accepted the verdict and apologized...
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that our global health system needs a lot of improvement. A new WHO pandemic treaty is being discussed, and including animal welfare is really important. This study looks at what key groups from civil society think about this. They found that things like preventing diseases that jump from animals to humans, a One Health approach, bette...
Ever been to a zoo or aquarium? It's fun, right? But scientists have found something worrying. They looked at 225 zoos and aquariums in Southeast Asia. What did they see? Over a thousand instances of visitors doing harmful things to animals. Wild, huh? The worst stuff? Taking selfies with animals and riding them. You'd think accredited zoos, those that follow rules, ...
In remote Pine City, New York, a well-known squirrel named Peanut met a sad end. Peanut, who gained fame on social media with his caretaker Mark Longo, was euthanized after authorities seized him and a raccoon named Fred from Longo's home. This happened after some people complained, and officers from the state's department of environmental conservation (DEC) and the ...
In a tragic event at the Vuon Xoai zoo in Vietnam, over a dozen tigers lost their lives due to bird flu. The animals were fed raw chicken bought locally, which carried the virus. The manager, Nguyen Ba Phuc, reported that the tigers died quickly, showing symptoms like weakness and loss of appetite. Tests confirmed they had H5N1, a bird flu strain that has affected va...