Three Siberian tigers rescued in Lebanon from an attempt to smuggle them into war-ravaged Syria are being resettled to France, an animal rights group says. (AFP Video) https://youtu.be/x6lzu–ql6c
Environment
White humpback whale spotted off Australia’s north-east coast
Gold Coast, Australia (Reuters) — A white humpback whale was spotted swimming off Australia’s Gold Coast on Tuesday (July 11). Authorities believe it may be a white whale called “Migaloo,” making its annual migration towards the Great Barrier Reef. Migaloo’s name is an indigenous word meaning white person, Australian media reported. Up to 5,000 humpbacks migrate north up Australia’s east coast between April and August each year from waters in the Antarctic to feed and breed […]
Warmer Arctic harms crops in US, Canada: study
by Marlowe Hood Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Exceptionally warm years in the Arctic have provoked extra-cold winters and springs further to the south, decreasing crop yields across central Canada and the United States, researchers said Monday. “Our study demonstrates for the first time an apparent linkage between Arctic temperature variations and agricultural productivity in mid-latitudes,” they reported in the journal Nature Geoscience. Overall, global warming during the last half-century has boosted plant […]
World’s ‘oldest’ hippo dies at Philippine zoo
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Bertha, believed to be the world’s oldest hippopotamus, has died aged 65, the Manila zoo said Monday, having beaten the typical lifespan for the mostly herbivorous mammals by decades. The 2.5-tonne female was found dead Friday in her enclosure, with a post mortem examination concluding that Bertha, the zoo’s oldest resident, had died from multiple organ failure, zoo director James Dichaves said. “Bertha was among the pioneer animals here. Her mate […]
Visitors flock to Berlin Zoo to see giant pandas
BERLIN, Germany (CCTV) — Visitors flocked to the new panda garden in Berlin Zoo on Thursday, on the first day it was opened to the public. On Wednesday, a grand launch ceremony was held, officiated by visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. When the zoo gate was opened to visitors on Thursday, some raced directly for the panda garden to catch a first glimpse of the exciting new arrivals. According to […]
UNESCO urges Poland to stop logging ancient forest
Kraków, Poland (AFP) — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Wednesday “strongly” urged Poland to stop logging the older parts of the ancient Bialowieza forest, a world heritage site that includes some of Europe’s last primeval woodland. The large-scale logging authorized by the Polish government began in May of last year and has since drawn concern from environmental activists, scientists and the European Union. UNESCO “strongly urges (Poland) to immediately halt all logging and wood […]
Check it out: a baby pygmy hippo
SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Talk about a cute critter: a hippo small enough to fit in a pet cage. Unveiled to the press Wednesday at a zoo in Chile is a two-week-old, female, baby pygmy hippopotamus, yet unnamed. The mother’s name is Coca and the dad goes by Hipolito. They weigh about 250 kilos (550 pounds) — a tenth of the weight of regular, jumbo hippos. The baby now tips the scales at 14 kilos, nearly […]
Featured video: NASA video shows how astronauts see Earth’s light show from space
NASA has released a video showing how light shows like these can be seen by astronauts gazing back down on Earth. Time-lapse imagery captured on June 25, 2017, by Expedition 52. (Video courtesy NASA)
Acid spill damages nature reserve in southern Israel
SOUTHERN Israel, Israel (Reuters) — Potash and fertilizer producer Israel Chemicals (ICL) said on Sunday (July 2) it cannot estimate the level of damage caused to the company or the environment by a spill at its fertilizer plant in Israel’s Negev desert. Large amounts of highly acidic wastewater poured into the desert on Friday (June 30) when a wall of an evaporation pool partially collapsed at the Rotem Amfert facility, according to Israel’s Ministry of […]
UNESCO to court controversy with World Heritage picks
by Joëlle Garrus Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The Old City of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and a rare collection of futuristic buildings in Eritrea are among sites hoping to gain protected status from UNESCO when it meets in Poland from Sunday. The meeting of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations’ scientific and cultural body in Krakow will also examine concerns about high-rise buildings that threaten the historic center of […]
New study links common pesticide to bee deaths
by Jean-Louis Santini Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) – Two of the most extensive field studies conducted to date in Europe and Canada have confirmed the hypothesis that neonicotinoid insecticides are harmful to bees and other pollinating species. The results, published Thursday in the United States journal Science, also reveal that local environments can mitigate the impact of the pesticide, which is widely used in farming despite being dubbed a “bee killer.” The chemical […]
Rare Siamese crocodile eggs found in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP) — Conservationists in Cambodia have found a nest with 19 eggs from one of the world’s most endangered crocodiles, boosting hopes for a rare species threatened by poachers and habitat loss. The clutch of fist-sized eggs was discovered this week by environmental officers and local villagers near a pond in southwestern Koh Kong province, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which assisted with the discovery. The group had been searching […]
