animal – News Stories About animal - Page 8

Thief Nabs Tiny Croc
From Norway Aquarium

Apr 1, 2008 9:00 AM CDT

Thief Nabs Tiny Croc From Norway Aquarium

Dwarf caiman will chomp fingers, but not organs, says director

(Newser) - A thief has managed to walk out of a Norwegian aquarium with a croc stuffed in a bag, Reuters reports. The 2.3-foot long Schneider's dwarf caiman named "Taggen" was spirited away sometime over the weekend while the aquarium was busy. Police are investigating, and a $5,000 reward...

SF Museum Cancels
'Animal Snuff' Art Show

Mar 30, 2008 8:13 AM CDT

SF Museum Cancels 'Animal Snuff' Art Show

6 animals bludgeoned with sledgehammer in video clips

(Newser) - Following death threats, a San Francisco art museum has canceled a controversial exhibit that included video clips of animals apparently being bludgeoned to death. "We remain committed to freedom of speech as fundamental to this institution, but we have to take people's safety very seriously," said the president...

Swan-Boat Romance
Takes Wing (Again)

Mar 28, 2008 2:57 PM CDT

Swan-Boat Romance Takes Wing (Again)

After actual feathered male forsakes her, Petra flocks back to plastic paramour

(Newser) - After her real-life avian lover flew the coop, a German black swan has returned to her ex—a swan-shaped paddleboat, the AP reports. Petra was joined at the wing with the craft in 2006—but that relationship seemed to have sung its swan song when both were taken to a...

Donkey Retires From Ballet

Mar 24, 2008 5:54 PM CDT

Donkey Retires From Ballet

Monika ends successful run with Russia's Mariinsky ballet

(Newser) - A veteran Russian artiste is headed for retirement today: Monika, a 21-year-old female donkey. She has performed for 19 years as the trusty steed of Sancho Panza in the Mariinsky ballet's production of Don Quixote. "She loves to perform and she loves applause," said Tatyana Solomatina of the...

German Boars
Run Wild

Mar 17, 2008 4:25 PM CDT

German Boars Run Wild

Savage beasts go shopping, try gardening, attend church

(Newser) - Wild boars wreaked havoc in a German town this weekend, attempting to shop for hardware, go to church, and do some gardening, Der Spiegel reports. One of the beasts, acting like "an elephant in a porcelain store," was eventually cornered at the checkout of the home-improvement center, police...

US Sued Over Polar Bears

Mar 10, 2008 5:28 PM CDT

US Sued Over Polar Bears

Feds delay decision on whether species is endangered

(Newser) - Three environmental groups sued the US government today for dawdling in deciding whether polar bears will be considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The original decision was due Jan. 9, and yesterday was the most recent deadline, Reuters reports. "It's up to a federal court to throw this...

'Puppy Kill' Video Triggers Probe

Mar 4, 2008 8:46 AM CST

'Puppy Kill' Video Triggers Probe

Military investigating video showing puppy hurled from cliff

(Newser) - Military officials are investigating a video posted on YouTube that appears to show a Marine hurling a puppy off a cliff, the Marine Corps Times reports. The video shows a Marine joking with buddies in a rocky landscape before throwing the animal. An official from the Hawaii base where the...

Big Cats Are Back at SF Zoo

Feb 21, 2008 5:55 PM CST

Big Cats Are Back at SF Zoo

Lions, tigers return to outdoor grottoes after fatal Christmas attack

(Newser) - Seven tigers and lions are back in their outdoor grottoes at the San Francisco Zoo for the first time since a Siberian tiger killed a man on Christmas Day. The pens got a $1.7 million security upgrade after Tatiana escaped and attacked three people. Officials said the enclosure's front...

Balmy, With a Chance of Pythons

Feb 21, 2008 9:16 AM CST

Balmy, With a Chance of Pythons

Dumped American pets thriving in wild on global warming

(Newser) - Burmese pythons could rapidly establish a stranglehold on the southern US due in part to snake-loving global warming, according to a new government report. With climate change and more pet owners releasing unwanted snakes into the wild, the adaptable serpent could soon call home any area from Northern California through...

'Silent' Song
Tops Kiwi Charts

Feb 19, 2008 11:40 AM CST

'Silent' Song Tops Kiwi Charts

Single only canines can hear sells so well that it may go global

(Newser) - A song that only dogs can hear has hit the top of the charts in New Zealand and may be headed for the US, Reuters reports. "A Very Silent Night," a charity single to benefit the country's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was recorded at...

'Frog From Hell' Fossil Turns up in Madagascar

Feb 19, 2008 3:15 AM CST

'Frog From Hell' Fossil Turns up in Madagascar

'Beelzebufo' munched on baby dinosaurs

(Newser) - Fossil hunters digging in Madagascar have discovered a 70 million-year-old, 10 pound ancestor of the horned frog. Over twice as large as its modern-day descendants, the "slightly squashed beach-ball" shaped creature probably lunched on small lizards and baby dinosaurs, and has earned the charming nicknames "frog from hell"...

New Cub a Web Sensation

Jan 11, 2008 7:45 PM CST

New Cub a Web Sensation

German fans send thousand of emails suggesting names for furry celeb

(Newser) - The Nuremberg zoo's cuddly new polar bear cub still doesn't have a name, but it does have a website—and a fast-growing legion of smitten fans. "We're getting 15 emails with name suggestions every minute," said a city spokesman. For the time being, zookeepers have dubbed the cub...

Zoo Will Raise Polar Bear Cub After All

Jan 9, 2008 9:17 AM CST

Zoo Will Raise Polar Bear Cub After All

Officials reverse 'hands-off' policy when mother bear acts up

(Newser) - The Nuremberg Zoo has reversed its wildly unpopular policy against hand-rearing polar bear cubs, reports Der Speigel. The zoo took the remaining cub away from its mother yesterday after she appeared nervous and started walking around her enclosure with the tiny animal in her mouth. Two other cubs died and...

Zoo: Polar Bear Cubs Gone, Eaten by Mom

Jan 8, 2008 9:15 AM CST

Zoo: Polar Bear Cubs Gone, Eaten by Mom

German zoo under fire after vowing not to interfere to save cubs

(Newser) - Two polar bear cubs that captured Germany's attention have died, and the zoo thinks their mother ate them, Der Spiegel reports. The Nuremberg Zoo's decision not to interfere with the cubs' survival, despite reports that the mother might have been neglecting them, caused a storm of criticism, which is now...

Zoo Will Let Polar Cubs Die, Rather Than Raise by Hand

Jan 6, 2008 6:06 PM CST

Zoo Will Let Polar Cubs Die, Rather Than Raise by Hand

Nuremburg doesn't want 'Knutomania'

(Newser) - Officials at a Nuremburg zoo have vowed not to rescue the cubs of two polar bears who gave birth about a month ago, even though one is showing signs of disinterest in her offspring, leaving them to cry plaintively for long periods of time. Zoo officials say they don't want...

Wild Boars Run Amok in France

Dec 24, 2007 11:31 AM CST

Wild Boars Run Amok in France

One scatters shoppers, while another ties up trains

(Newser) - Shoppers weren't the only thing going hog-wild over the weekend, reports the Independent. One wild boar rampaged amid last-minute gift-buyers in a clothing store in France, while another stepped in front of a high-speed train, delaying trains for hours.

Boorish Boars Overrun Texas

Nov 19, 2007 2:45 PM CST

Boorish Boars Overrun Texas

Feral swine win out in war against humans

(Newser) - Everything's bigger in Texas, and the pig population is no exception. They aren't cute porkers, either—wild boars wreck crops and cause some $52 million in annual damages in the state. For some, that means an opportunity for heavy-duty huntin', but the solo efforts aren't enough to slow a wave...

Iran, US Team to Save Cheetah

Nov 1, 2007 8:29 PM CDT

Iran, US Team to Save Cheetah

American scientists won't be allowed into Iran to help endangered Asiatic species

(Newser) - In an unlikely collaboration, the US and Iran will undertake efforts this month to save the endangered Asiatic cheetah, whose numbers could be as low as 60, Der Spiegel reports. The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society will send a team to the Kavir Desert in central Iran for a cheetah-tracking...

Lions and Tigers and Bears—Oh, My!

Sep 21, 2007 2:16 PM CDT

Lions and Tigers and Bears—Oh, My!

The deadliest beasts in the animal kingdom aren't all the usual suspects

(Newser) - Surprise, surprise—the deadliest animal is the mosquito! Carrying diseases like malaria, skeeters cause over 2 million deaths a year. LiveScience tells you what else to keep an eye peeled for:

Mosquito
Asian cobra
Australian box jellyfish

South African Park Houses Grim Exhibit

Sep 19, 2007 7:51 PM CDT

South African Park Houses Grim Exhibit

Non-poached hides and other animal parts prepared for sale

(Newser) - South Africa's Kruger National Park provides a bizarre but legal service: a legitimate source of animal parts for the world's manufacturers of buffalo upholstery, zebra footrests, and giraffe-bone handgun grips. The park's employees harvest the remains of animals that die of natural causes and store them in stockpiles, taking orders...