Animal Pictures of the Day: Selective focus shot of a flamingo

Presenting a collection of eye-catching animal pictures from around the world. Watch this space daily! Also, do you have animal pictures that you shot and would like to share with a wider audience? Connect with us at connect@thesnout.in For more Photogallery Watch out.     Check out more pictures here: Picture of the Day Have arresting animal pictures, whether of pets, wildlife, or animals at a farm or zoo, that you took yourself and would...

Did you know? The king cobra is not one species but four

Did you know? Human beings in their conceit think ‘god’ made them in his—isn’t it always his?—image. But many of our fellow members of the club called Kingdom Animalia are gifted with abilities that human beings cannot replicate even with all the technology at their disposal. The series Did You Know? is an attempt to find and share such amazing information that the world of fauna is replete with. If you have an interesting nugget...

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....

Diwali special: 7 Indian films with animals in significant roles

Diwali is here, and it’s vacation time for most of the kids. While evenings are usually occupied by friends, games, and fireworks (for those who still like to set off a few), the rest of the day is available for other activities, including entertainment. Now, films with animals in significant roles—either leading roles in animated films or roles that help to move the narrative forward in live-action dramas—have been children’s favourites and family attractions over...

Reward for information on Florida cat killer doubled to $15,000

Alley Cat Allies, leader of a global movement to protect cats and kittens, has doubled its reward offer from $7,500 to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for killing several cats in the town of Lake Clarke Shores, Palm Beach County, Florida, around April. According to investigators, the cats appeared to have been shot. Anyone with information on the cat killer or killers is requested to...

Study confirms captive elephants are not thriving either

On the very day that a worrying news report appeared saying India’s elephant population may have dropped by as much as 20% in the five years from the last published census of 2017, a new peer-reviewed study published in the journal Peer J has found that, despite efforts by zoos, captive elephants continue to face serious problems. The study, titled Continuing Challenges of Elephant Captivity: The Captive Environment, Health Issues, and Welfare Implications, represents the...

The Eco-Logical View, by Manjul

Manjul ranks among the leading cartoonists of the world today. Besides his sharp commentary on Indian and global politics and on social issues in India, Manjul produces a cartoon series that deals exclusively with environmental issues. This series, titled Eco-Logical, is meant for his subscribers on Patreon. As you may observe when you go through the selection of cartoons from the Eco-Logical series presented here, deforestation, global warming, and mindless, out-of-control “development” in cahoots with...

Dechra Pharma to acquire veterinary therapeutics company Invetx

Novo Holdings A/S, an international life sciences investor, has announced that its portfolio company, Invetx, will be acquired by Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC, an international veterinary pharmaceuticals business, for up to $520 million in total consideration on a cash-free, debt-free basis. Invetx creates novel, protein-based animal health therapeutics to transform standards of care in veterinary medicine. With its best-in-class, fully integrated discovery development and commercial manufacturing platform, Invetx leverages biotechnologies validated for human health to create...

Don’t leave pets behind, says PETA, but do policymakers care?

As Typhoon Carina swept across the Philippine Sea towards Taiwan and the Chinese coast earlier this week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known by its acronym PETA, issued an urgent appeal to people in the countries in the storm’s path not to leave their pets behind if they needed to evacuate because of flooding or landslides. The appeal was a fresh reminder of the lack of consideration for pets and, indeed, animals...

Pets may know when it’s time to say goodbye, says scientist

Do animals know when they are about to die, and say a final goodbye to their owners or families? Dr Rupert Sheldrake, a researcher in the U.K. who is considered a ‘heretic’—curiously, a term that originated in religion—by the “scientific” community, certainly seems to think so. Sheldrake, who worked at an agricultural institute near Hyderabad, India, 50 years ago, developing new varieties and cropping systems in chickpeas, or chana, says he has spent almost a...