Animals
Indonesia bans elephant riding in landmark moment for animal welfare
Indonesia has formally prohibited elephant riding across the country, issuing one of the most sweeping bans of its kind in Southeast Asia. A win for animal rights: In an order issued late 2025, the…
Racehorse who never won a race but won Japan’s heart dies at 29
Haru Urara, the Japanese racehorse who became a national symbol of endurance after finishing winless in all 113 of her races, died on Sept. 9 at age 29 at a farm in Chiba Prefecture. She completed…
Scientists map genome of ‘Asian unicorn’ last seen in 2013
Scientists have sequenced the genome of the (“Pseudoryx nghetinhensis”), one of the world’s rarest mammals, offering new hope for its conservation. Known as the “Asian unicorn” due to its rarity and…
Moo Deng who? Thai zoo’s golden tabby tiger melts hearts with cuddly looks
A 3-year-old golden tabby tiger is melting the hearts of Facebook users with her cuddly looks, potentially giving baby hippo Moo Deng a run for her money. The Chiang Mai Night Safari debuted photos…
Puppy filmed being abused on Buddhist pilgrimage site in China gets adopted
A puppy abused by a man on a Buddhist pilgrimage site in China has been adopted after a video of the incident ignited outrage on local social media earlier this month. What happened: The abuse…
Sick dog who guarded dead owner’s grave for 2 years finds love and hope
Zhongbao (“Loyal Baby”), a dog in China who suffered a severe skin disease after staying by her deceased owner’s grave for two years, now looks unrecognizably better thanks to a good Samaritan. What…
Meet Kirby, Houston Zoo’s new baby Asian elephant
The Houston Zoo on Friday welcomed Kirby, a 314-pound female Asian elephant calf born to 34-year-old Shanti after a 19-hour labor. The pachyderm strengthens the zoo’s growing herd, joining siblings…
Moo Deng gets her own catchy theme song in four languages
Moo Deng, the viral four-month-old pygmy hippo from Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, now has her very own song. The 50-second track, titled “Moodeng Moodeng,” was produced and written by Thai composer…
Watch: Malaysian man runs 10-kilometer marathon with 16-pound cat on his shoulders
A Malaysian man is winning hearts on TikTok for taking his cat with him as they join a marathon. The 42-year-old man, identified as Apak, shared an adorable video on Oct. 28 of himself and his cat,…
Moo Deng predicts the next US president
Thailand’s famous baby pygmy hippo, Moo Deng, has predicted a win for former U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. The animal, whose name means “bouncy pork” in Thai, has…
Shohei Ohtani’s dog steals spotlight at Dodgers’ victory parade
Decoy, the beloved dog of Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, took the spotlight at the team’s victory parade in Los Angeles on Friday after the Dodgers clinched the World Series…
Colorado’s top court weighs whether zoo elephants can be recognized as ‘persons’
The Colorado Supreme Court is considering whether five elephants at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo can be recognized as “persons” under the law, allowing them to pursue legal action for their release. The…
Chinese pet cafes’ furry ‘employees’ boost business
Cafes in China are taking a unique approach to attract customers by “employing” pets, allowing owners to send their furry companions to work and earn “snack money.” This trend, known as…
Chinese aquarium slammed for using fake whale shark
Visitors to the newly opened Xiaomeisha Ocean World in Shenzhen, China, are furious after discovering that its star attraction — a whale shark — was a robot. The aquarium, which opened on Oct. 1…
Watch: Giant pandas from China arrive at National Zoo in DC
Two giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, arrived at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, rekindling the tradition of “panda diplomacy” between China and the U.S. The 3-year-old…
Watch: Malaysian gas station surprised by truck carrying 2 elephants
In a truly random encounter, a truck transporting two large elephants pulled up at a gas station in Malaysia, causing quite the surprise. A 20-second video of the strange moment made its way to…
Chinese woman devotes 700 days studying law to put man who killed her dog to jail
A Chinese woman quit her journalism job to study law for nearly two years so she could put the man who allegedly poisoned her dog behind bars. Li Yihan claims that her dog, a 13-year-old white West…
Thai animal rights group defends zoo against PETA’s Moo Deng abuse claims
The Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) is defending Khao Kheow Open Zoo against the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) accusation of animal abuse against…
South Korea offers incentives to dog meat farmers ahead of ban
South Korea announced a plan on Thursday that would provide subsidies and incentives to dog meat farmers and related businesses ahead of a nationwide ban on dog meat consumption set in early 2027.…
Singapore dog who survived hit-and-run is looking for new home
Da Bai, a stray dog who survived a hit-and-run incident in Singapore after the public raised 20,000 Singaporean dollars ($15,500) for his medical needs, is now looking for a new home. Local charity…
Japan’s famous cat island may soon lose its feline residents, insider warns
Aoshima, an island in Japan’s Ehime Prefecture home to around 130 cats, is reportedly in danger of losing them all. Known Aioshima tipster @aoshima_cat, who frequently shares updates about the…
Superstar baby hippo Moo Deng gets her own 24/7 livestream
Moo Deng, a 2-month-old female pygmy hippo at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, is set to have her own 24-hour livestream by the end of September, following her viral rise to fame on social media.…
Chinese zoo admits to using dogs as fake pandas after one caught barking
A zoo in China’s Guangdong province admitted to passing off two painted Chow Chows as “panda dogs” after a public backlash. The revelation came when one of the supposed pandas was reportedly caught…
Viral video of man kicking Japan’s ‘divine messenger’ deer prompts local crackdown
A viral video of what appears to be a male tourist kicking a deer in Nara, Japan, has sparked public outrage, prompting local authorities to implement measures promoting respect for the sacred…
Ig Nobel Prize awarded for discovery mammals can breathe through their anuses
A team of Japanese scientists were honored with the Ig Nobel Prize in physiology on Thursday for their groundbreaking discovery that mammals, including humans, can absorb oxygen through their…
Visitors to Thailand’s superstar baby hippo Moo Deng warned to behave
Khao Kheow Open Zoo, located near Pattaya, is asking its visitors to be on their best behavior when coming to see Moo Deng (“Bouncy Pig”), a 2-month-old female pygmy hippopotamus who has gained…
Absence of Bronx Zoo’s Asian elephant fuels debate over captivity
Happy, a 50-year-old Asian elephant at the Bronx Zoo, has been absent from public view since July, sparking concerns from animal rights activists and zoo visitors. Despite assurances from the zoo…
Dog strollers outsell baby strollers in South Korea amid birth rate crisis
Sales of pet strollers reportedly surpassed those for babies in recent years in South Korea. This trend, which comes as the country faces declining birth rates, underscores a broader shift in…
This purrfect Japanese company has 10 feline ’employees’
Qnote, a web and app design company in Tokyo, is a haven for cat lovers, having 10 felines that freely interact with employees during work hours. Each cat has a designated “job,” with Futaba — the…
People in Japan are being attacked by a ‘horny, lonely’ dolphin
Japanese biologists believe that a “lonely” Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin searching for a mate is responsible for a series of attacks on 18 beachgoers near the town of Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture,…
$15,000 raised in Singapore for stray dog’s face surgery
Animal lovers raised 20,000 Singaporean dollars ($15,200) to help cover a stray dog’s surgery after an alleged hit-and-run incident in Singapore left him with a fractured face. Local charity Causes…
Giant pandas from China debut in San Diego
The San Diego Zoo’s newest giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, debuted in the zoo’s expanded Panda Ridge habitat, which mimics China’s landscapes, on Thursday. The pandas arrived in San Diego in…
Dogs resort to eating dead owner in Bangkok house
Over two dozen dogs were found locked in a Bangkok house, having resorted to eating the remains of their deceased owner, 62-year-old Attapol Charoenpithak, in a desperate attempt to survive.…
Man attempts to smuggle 104 snakes in his pants into mainland China
A man was caught at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border trying to smuggle 104 live snakes in his pants, Chinese customs officials said on July 9. The traveler, who claimed he had “nothing to declare,” was…
Burbank showcases life-size baby Asian elephant sculptures to support conservation
The city of Burbank, California, is currently hosting an “Elephant Parade” featuring 25 hand-painted, life-size baby elephant sculptures, displayed across the city until Aug. 31 to raise awareness…
Suni Lee’s secret weapon: Beacon the therapy dog
Beacon, the first official therapy dog for USA Gymnastics, has become a social media sensation after gymnast Sunisa Lee publicly thanked the 4-year-old dog on Sunday for its support during the…
