Animals

Myanmar announces birth of rare white elephant

Historically, white elephants were considered extremely auspicious in south-east Asian culture and the region's ancient rulers acquired as many as they could to boost their fortunes.

Strikingly long-eared child goat takes Pakistan by storm

Simba, which has garnered both local and international media attention, also won a beauty contest.

Scientists find 224 new species in Mekong region despite climate threats

A colourless cavefish and an iridescent snake are among the species discovered in the area that is home to some of the world's most endangered species.

Wandering elephants near China’s Kunming, people urged to stay indoors

The elephants have already walked 500 km (300 miles) from a nature reserve in Yunnan’s mountainous southwest and have reached the Jinning district on the edge of Kunming city.

'The Animals' guitarist Hilton Valentine dies aged 77

The band was best known for its 1964 hit House of the Rising Sun, which rose to the top of the charts in both Britain and the United States.

Sickly dancing bears leave Pakistan as Islamabad zoo closes

Pakistan's Islamabad High Court has ordered the zoo to close earlier this year because of the facility's outrageous conditions blamed on systemic negligence.

Climate warning: World's largest wetland in Brazil is burning

Thousands of blazes are sweeping through the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, threatening one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.

France baffled as horse mutilation spree continues

Authorities have sent a team of 40 gendarmes, backed up by police dogs and a helicopter, to one crime scene but so far have not found any culprits.

South African court allows sheep exports to Middle East

Court gives no reason for dismissing concerns raised by activists over cramped spaces and extreme heat that lead to some animals being "cooked alive" on voyages across the Equator during the summer months.

Virus stalls work to keep alive a rare rhino subspecies

The grand animals are killed for their horns, used as carving material and in traditional Chinese medicine. Groundbreaking work to keep alive the northern white rhino subspecies by in-vitro fertilization has been stalled by travel restrictions.

Zoos turn to social media to delight, raise money amid virus

Social media is one way zoos worldwide are engaging with people who can no longer visit — their main source of income — and raise some much-needed cash.

Two cats in NY become first US pets to test positive for virus

The finding, which comes after positive tests in some tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo, adds to a small number of confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide.