All articles tagged with #wildlife
A veteran AP photographer explains using a sound-triggered remote camera setup (with a MIOPS device) and multiple angles around Cape Canaveral to capture Artemis II’s liftoff, including cameras inside the perimeter and wildlife reacting to the launch, in a scene that underscores the mission’s historical significance as NASA looks toward Artemis III.
Orange County reports two rabies-positive animals—a raccoon in Chapel Hill and a cat in Hillsborough—leading to animal-control actions; a dog bitten by the raccoon is being treated, and the person exposed to the cat is receiving rabies prophylaxis. Health officials note risk assessment is used to decide post-exposure treatment, and pet-vaccination rules require boosters for exposed vaccinated pets (within 96 hours) or quarantine/euthanasia for unvaccinated pets. Rabies remains fatal; bats are common hosts, and contact animal control or 911 after hours if exposure occurs.
A humpback whale stranded again off Germany’s Baltic coast near Wismar Bay, extending a days-long odyssey as authorities and onlookers monitor the massive animal lying in shallow water with boats nearby and seabirds perched nearby (late March 2026).
A hibernating dormouse was found fast asleep inside an old deflated helium balloon caught in a tree during a Essex Wildlife Trust litter-picking event. It was unharmed and relocated to a safe habitat, highlighting the species’ vulnerability and the dangers that litter, like balloons, pose to wildlife.
Wildwood Trust, a wildlife park near Canterbury in southeast England, euthanized its entire five-wolf pack after internal fighting escalated and left three wolves critically injured; with other interventions failing, and after consultations with European wolf specialists, veterinary experts, and an independent ethical review, the park said euthanasia was the humane option to prevent further suffering, though staff described the decision as heartbreakingly difficult.
A humpback whale stranded on a sandbank at a Baltic Sea resort in Timmendorfer Strand, Germany, swam away from the sandbank after a last-ditch rescue, but authorities say it remains in danger as the animal’s condition is assessed.
An oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, attributed to an unidentified vessel and nearby natural seeps near Salinas, has spread hundreds of miles, killed wildlife, and polluted Mexican nature reserves, prompting fishing suspensions along the affected coast.
A real possum wandered into the Hobart Airport gift shop in Tasmania, hid among a display of soft toys, then wandered into the departure lounge before staff safely escorted it outside; the animal appeared undistressed and was released back outdoors.
A black bear in Monrovia swiped a woman walking her dog on Oakglade Drive around 9:20 a.m., causing non-life-threatening injuries; police describe the incident as unusual and have notified the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bears are common in the region, but attacks remain rare.
Reddit user in Melbourne captured a sulphur-crested cockatoo raiding his bin weekly, revealing a clever, socially learned trash-hoarding behavior among cockatoos that researchers say spreads across Australian neighborhoods.
A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, was arrested at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for attempting to smuggle about 2,248 live queen garden ants (1,948 in test tubes and 300 hidden in tissue rolls) to China, signaling ties to a broader ant‑trafficking network. The ants, protected under biodiversity treaties, are regulated trade; prosecutors asked to forensically examine his devices as investigations widen and more arrests are anticipated. A similar high‑profile case last year underscored the seriousness of wildlife trafficking in Kenya.
A raccoon found acting sick on Fawn Drive in Granby, CT was euthanized and later tested positive for rabies. Police urge residents to avoid wildlife that appears injured or abnormal and to report such wildlife to the Granby Police Department at 860-844-5335. Seeing a raccoon during the day isn’t necessarily a sign of illness, but residents should ensure pets are up to date on rabies vaccinations and exercise caution as warmer weather brings more wildlife activity; nearby Southwick has also seen rabies cases in raccoons this winter.
Researchers in Italy captured on video the first-known instance of a red fox entering a wolf den, grabbing a wolf pup and likely killing it—an opportunistic attack that shows mesocarnivores can directly affect an apex predator’s reproductive success; the incident occurred while adult wolves were away hunting, and the den was later relocated, though it’s unclear how common such interactions are.
Punch, a seven‑month‑old Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth and is being raised with a stuffed orangutan; he has gone viral for dragging the plush around his enclosure and seeking comfort, with zookeepers and older monkeys reacting in various scenes captured in Reuters/Storyful photos.
Punch, a baby macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan who was raised with a stuffed orangutan after being abandoned at birth, went viral after a video showed an adult monkey dragging him. The zoo says Punch is resilient and learning to socialize with other troop members, urging the public to support him rather than pity him. IKEA Japan donated stuffed animals to Punch, and officials note ongoing progress in grooming and interactions within the troop, despite occasional scolding.