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Gov. Vetoes Ban on 'Lap Dog Driving'

Calif. motorists can still tool around with Fido at the wheel

(Newser) - Californians can keep driving with pets on their laps since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill that would have banned such behavior, reports the Sacramento Bee. The "Paris Hilton Bill," as it was named by conservatives, was one of 95 measures that the Terminator terminated over the...

Missing: 5-Year-Old; 20 Inches Long, Big Nose

Anteater breaks out of Tokyo confinement for second time since 2005

(Newser) - Tae the anteater is on the run—again. Dozens of humans are searching for the 5-year-old, a resident of Tokyo's Sunshine International Aquarium who engineered a jailbreak Saturday by opening a sliding door, the Asahi Shimbun reports. Tae previously enjoyed a taste of freedom in 2005, when she skipped out...

Pigs Savaged in PETA Farm Video

Undercover film shows workers beating sows, slamming piglets to ground

(Newser) - Undercover investigators for the anti-cruelty organization PETA have filmed shocking cruelty to pigs at an Iowa farm, AP reports. Pigs are seen being beaten with metal rods while a supervisor brags of jamming rods in sows' anuses. Unhealthy piglets are slammed against the floor and left to die writhing in...

Locals in Fla. Keys Stay Back for Animals

6-toed cats, nervous birds among the lucky as Ike moves in

(Newser) - Animal lovers are staying back in the Florida Keys to make sure six-toed cats and frisky dolphins survive a brush from Hurricane Ike, the Fort Mill Times reports. While some residents flee, kennel owners and wild life managers are bunking up with extra food and medicine. "They are very,...

Cops Tase, Kill Renegade Emu
 Cops Tase, Kill Renegade Emu 

Cops Tase, Kill Renegade Emu

Bird dies after state troopers are forced to tase it

(Newser) - An Emu ran wild on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for two hours Monday and died after state troopers used a taser on it, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Motorists said the bird ran up and down the shoulder of the road until getting stuck in traffic lanes with high barriers on either...

Pet Adoption Hurdles Irk Would-Be Owners

Animal shelters need to make process more friendlier, critics say

(Newser) - Animal shelters are hitting would-be pet owners with a vetting process they say puts them on a short leash, the Chicago Tribune reports. Prospective owners often face pages of queries on condo rules, finances, marital status—and even home visits. “We got a lecture about how having a dog...

Emu Fought the Law, Law Won
 Emu Fought
 the Law, Law Won

Emu Fought the Law, Law Won

Plop-plop spent days on the lam

(Newser) - A pet emu is cooling its heels in jail today after leading police on a wild chase around Bay County, Fla., the News Herald of Panama City reports. Set free by a harsh storm and a low fence, Plop-plop was finally captured Monday, when police got a call from a...

Madagascar Chameleon Has Shortest Life on 4 Legs

Furcifer labordi dies about a year after it's conceived—and 16-20 weeks out of shell

(Newser) - A small chameleon native to Madagascar looks to own the world record for shortest life span for a creature with four legs and a backbone, the New York Times reports. The Furcifer labordi dies about a year after conception, with just 16-20 weeks on earth after it leaves its shell....

Octopus Has How Many Legs? Guess Again

New research shows denizens of the deep show specialization, and handedness

(Newser) - Octopuses may not be eight-legged creatures after all, new research suggests. They do indeed have eight limbs, but some function more like arms, AFP reports. It breaks down like this: the front two are the most nimble and armlike, and are used for exploration; the back two are used mostly...

South Jersey Man Finds Gator on Side the Road

No explantion where 4-foot, 60-to-80-pound beast in cage came from

(Newser) - A South Jersey man spotted something unusual on his way to work yesterday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports: a caged alligator on the side of a road. Fred Schubert decided to help out the 4-foot, 60-to-80-pound beast, loading the cage into his pickup. After calling several wildlife agencies, an official came...

A Shark-Hater Fesses Up
 A Shark-Hater Fesses Up 
OPINION

A Shark-Hater Fesses Up

Distaste for 'tigers of the deep' is no longer politically correect

(Newser) - Sharks were once eminently despicable creatures. Remember Jaws? Now, though, perceptions have shifted—they’re seen as endangered, misunderstood animals who chomp humans only when they mistake them for seals. (That's why they take one bite and "sheepishly" move on.) It's a source of great disappointment to Joe...

Bat Deaths Perplex Scientists
 Bat Deaths Perplex Scientists 

Bat Deaths Perplex Scientists

Syndrome could devastate population

(Newser) - Experts are still in the dark about what’s causing the deaths of vast numbers of bats in the Northeast, but some theories have emerged, Salon reports. Some scientists believe white-nose syndrome is driven by global warming, while others are looking hard at pesticides. In either case, humans may have...

It's Raining Baby Pandas in China

Four born in 14 hours in Sichuan province

(Newser) - Four giant pandas were born within 14 hours of each other at a Chinese breeding center over the weekend, giving a much-needed population boost to the endangered species. Nine-year-old Qiyuan gave birth to twins, and two other 8-year-old pandas each gave birth to a cub in Sichuan province, BBC reports....

Starving Russian Bears Menace Miners
Starving Russian Bears Menace Miners

Starving Russian Bears Menace Miners

Pack of 30 bears surround platinum mine, eat guards

(Newser) - A pack of starving bears has surrounded a platinum mine in Russia's remote Kamchatka peninsula, the Los Angeles Times reports. Two guards have been eaten, and terrified miners are refusing to work. The government has sent a team of snipers to kill the ravenous bears, thought to be starving because...

'Yeti' Hairs Sent for DNA Tests
 'Yeti' Hairs Sent for DNA Tests

'Yeti' Hairs Sent for DNA Tests

Hairs found in jungle may belong to unknown species of primate

(Newser) - Scientists hope DNA tests will clear up the mystery of hairs claimed to be from a "yeti," or giant ape-like creature, the BBC reports. The hairs, found in dense jungle in India, are not from any known animal in the area. They also bear a strong resemblance to...

8 Signs the Animal Kingdom Is in Trouble

On land, at sea, and in sky, planet's woes threaten inhabitants

(Newser) - Biologists have mounting evidence that human activity is causing real damage to the natural world. LiveScience lists overlooked indications that things are seriously out of whack.
  1. Earlier migration: Several bird species are getting their timing wrong.
  2. Jellyfish rule: The creatures are hitching rides on ships.

'One in a Million' Conjoined Birds Found in Arkansas

Pair dies after landowner rescues them fallen from tree

(Newser) - A pair of barn swallows born joined at the hip are being sent to the Smithsonian Institute for study, the AP reports. An Arkansas landowner found them fallen out of a tree this week and kept them for a day, but they refused to eat and died. Conjoined birds are...

Roots of Speech Found in Humming Fish

All vocalizing creatures share common brain circuit, researchers find

(Newser) - The songs of birds, the hums and grunts of toadfish, and the lofty speech of humans all use the same ancient brain circuit, despite an evolutionary split 400 million years ago, reports National Geographic. Researchers have discovered that the base of the hindbrain and upper spinal cord is the starting...

Tabby Adopts Red Panda Cub
 Tabby Adopts Red Panda Cub 

Tabby Adopts Red Panda Cub

Dutch zookeeper's cat lets abandoned panda join her litter

(Newser) - A newborn red panda rejected by its mother has been adopted by a zookeeper's cat, the BBC reports. The panda and its sibling were first put on an incubator at the Dutch zoo but the tabby cat, who had recently given birth, proved willing to take the kitten-sized panda cubs...

Michael Vick's Pit Bulls Get Second Chance

Spared euthanasia, abused dogs succeed in foster care, rehab

(Newser) - The pit bulls rescued from disgraced NFL star Michael Vick's underground fighting ring are getting a rare second chance, the Washington Post reports. A federal judge ordered each dog evaluated individually and fined Vick $1 million for their care. Now, 25 of the 49 dogs have been adopted into foster...

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