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 fro
Did you know that lions and tigers aren't the only ones who might enjoy a little tipple? It turns out, many animals in the wild are drawn to ethanol found naturally in plants. Scientists decided to dig into this topic by looking at a bunch of scientific papers and historical accounts. They found tha
Imagine this: animals throughout the world are chowing down on berries and fruits that have turned slightly alcoholic. This phenomenon, scientists now believe, is widespread and has been happening for ages. Kimberley Hockings from the University of Exeter explains that ethanol, the type of alcohol f
Hey, New York hunters! There's a scary disease known as 'zombie deer disease' that's back in the state after almost 20 years. This disease, called chronic wasting disease (CWD), makes the brains of deer and elk turn spongy, and it's always fatal. Recently, a case was found in a northern county near
Ever thought about a virus jumping from cows to humans? It might sound strange, but scientists have discovered that the highly infectious bird flu, H5N1, has done just that. This specific variant, called huTX37-H5N1, can infect mammals like mice and ferrets, and it's lethal in lab experiments. What'
Fancy a wild adventure without leaving town? The Baton Rouge Zoo, managed by BREC, has been through a major makeover recently. Over the past three years, they've added seven new exhibits and renovated eleven others. The zoo's director, Jim Fleshman, explains that the changes aim to improve both visi
Imagine stepping back in time to the age of dinosaurs. In Colorado, paleontologists have found the fossils of a new mammal species that lived around 70 to 75 million years ago. This creature, named Heleocola piceanus, was an opossum-like animal related to today's marsupials. The discovery is excitin
On a regular Friday morning in Middleborough, Massachusetts, something unusual caught the attention of the local animal control officers. They stumbled upon a house on Precinct Street bursting with animals living in awful conditions. Seems like the owner wasn't doing her job. There were 17 dogs, alo
Last week, nine monkeys in Hong Kong's oldest zoo passed away within two days due to an infection. The cause? A bacterial disease called melioidosis. This illness is spread through contaminated soil and water, and it's common in the region. Experts think the monkeys might have caught it from digging
Picture a backyard packed with 100 hungry raccoons. This wasn't a story from a children's book, but a real-life event in Poulsbo, Washington. A lady had been feeding raccoons for years with no issues, but suddenly, the population skyrocketed. She faced a massive group of bushy-tailed critters outsid
