In the mind of a horse: What it needs to be happy

Joy. Fear. Affection. Science has confirmed what many animal owners have long known: animals do have intense emotions. However, what they actually feel is not always what owners are used to thinking. “Advances in the science of animal emotions have had a transformative effect on our worldview,” says Dr Helena Telkanranta, main author of the acclaimed non-fiction graphic novel The Mind of a Horse. Science Meets Comics. “Scientists now know that all mammals, birds, and...

Pet food brand ties up with Disney for Mufasa release

Orijen, a pet food brand, is collaborating with Disney to celebrate the release of Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) in theatres on Friday. The collaboration aims to highlight the importance of feeding pets high-quality, ‘WholePrey’ ingredients, Champion Petfoods, the company behind Orijen, said in a press release. Orijen has teamed up with Disney to celebrate the movie’s launch and highlight its products, which are packed with ‘WholePrey’ ingredients, including muscle meat, poultry or fish, organs,...

Landslides damage Sumatra’s only orangutan rehab centre

The Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme’s quarantine and rehabilitation centre in Indonesia is facing a crisis after landslides, triggered by heavy rain, struck at 1 am on November 27, damaging critical infrastructure. In operation since 2001, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme runs the only quarantine and care facility for the great apes on Sumatra, the world’s sixth largest island and a part of Indonesia. Its quarantine centre in North Sumatra rehabilitates orangutans confiscated from illegal captivity....

Can the ‘alalā be saved? Scientists make second attempt

Five ‘alalā, also known as the Hawaiian crow, have been released in the forests of Maui for the first time. The birds were hatched and prepared for release in the care of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center in Volcano and the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Makawao. The release of the ‘alalā, scientific name Corvus hawaiiensis, on Maui is a milestone in a longstanding conservation programme that is...

Return of the Persian onager: An Arabian success story

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve has announced the successful reintroduction of the Persian onager to Saudi Arabia, marking the return to the kingdom of the Asian wild ass subspecies after an absence of more than a century. Seven Persian onagers, scientific name Equus hemionus ssp. onager, were translocated from the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature’s Shaumari Reserve in Jordan to the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve in April, establishing the...

Aussie greyhound trainer pleads guilty to shocking cruelty

You have Australians who speak to their pet animals as if they were human and let them sleep in their beds. And then you have the likes of former greyhound trainer Leslie Bates. The greyhound racing business in Australia, as elsewhere in the world where it survives in the face of growing opprobrium, is increasingly getting exposed for what it is in reality: a cruel human attempt to find enjoyment in and profit from animal...

Vet’s suicide raises questions of easy access to deadly drugs

A well-regarded young veterinarian in Winchester, England, took his own life with a drug used to euthanize pets at least partly because he was disturbed by wealthy customers asking him to put down their animals unnecessarily, The Independent newspaper reported. The vet’s suicide has prompted a coroner to warn about the easy access to dangerous drugs in the veterinary profession. The Winchester Coroner’s Court in Hampshire was told John Ellis, 35, tricked a veterinary nurse...

43 rhesus macaques escape from U.S. lab, 32 recaptured

At least 43 rhesus macaques escaped last week from a research facility in South Carolina, USA, after a caretaker accidentally failed to secure the gate to their enclosure. The incident has brought into focus once again the plight of monkeys captured and/or bred for biomedical research. Until yesterday, 32 of the simians had been recaptured, but 11 are still out in the woods surrounding the research facility in Yemassee, according to a CBS News report....

Japan sends 16 crested ibises to China after 8 years

A total of 16 precious Japan-born crested ibises, offspring of birds sent from China, arrived in China last week following an event that unfolded on Sado island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The event marked not just a rare species exchange between China and Japan, but also a significant milestone in the longstanding ecological conservation collaboration between the two countries, according to reports in the Chinese daily Global Times and the Japanese news agency Kyodo. Representatives from...

Growel Group enters pet food business with Carniwel

While some large Indian corporations such as Godrej Consumer Products Ltd have announced plans to enter the rapidly growing pet foods market, the Growel Group, a leader in aquaculture feeds, aqua healthcare, and the seafood processing industry since 1994, has stolen a march over them with their recent launch of the brand, Carniwel. According to a press statement from the company, the Carniwel brand, crafted with high-quality nutritious ingredients and manufactured entirely in India, falls...