Latest Zoology News

Study finds India doubled its tiger population in a decade and credits conservation efforts

Jan. 30, 2025 14:05 PM EST

BENGALURU, India (AP) — India doubled its tiger population in a little over a decade by protecting the big cats from poaching and habitat loss, ensuring they have enough prey, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and increasing communities’ living standards near tiger areas, a study published...

Many animals and plants are losing their genetic diversity, making them more vulnerable

Jan. 29, 2025 11:12 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two-thirds of animal and plant populations are declining in genetic diversity, which makes it harder to adapt to environmental changes, according to research published Wednesday. Long before a species goes extinct, the population becomes smaller and more...

An unlikely symbol of cooperation, the barn owl brings Arab and Israeli scientists together

Jan. 29, 2025 04:37 AM EST

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — It soars over the borders and divisions of the war-torn Middle East, bringing Arab and Israeli academics together. An unlikely symbol of cooperation, the barn owl is now getting global attention. Experts from 12 countries gathered in Greece...

The CIA believes COVID most likely originated from a lab but has low confidence in its own finding

Jan. 26, 2025 11:54 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment that points the finger at China even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion. ...

Taiwan plans to cull up to 120,000 green iguanas due to their negative impact on agriculture

Jan. 23, 2025 10:59 AM EST

PINGTUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan plans to cull up to 120,000 green iguanas, with supporters urging humane methods to bring down the animal's population, which is wreaking havoc on the island's agricultural sector. Around 200,000 of the reptiles are believed to be in the island's...

Rio's thirsty zoo animals get icy treats to cool down in Brazil’s stifling summer heat

Jan. 22, 2025 14:32 PM EST

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Rio de Janeiro zoo is giving ice pops to a bear, a jaguar, wolves and monkeys as Brazil swelters. The cold treats are part of the animals’ well-being program, providing thermal comfort. Some also have access to water tanks or air-conditioning to cool down....

Trump targets Alaska's oil and other resources as environmentalists gear up for a fight

Jan. 22, 2025 01:02 AM EST

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — President Donald Trump's expansive executive order aimed at boosting oil and gas drilling, mining and logging in Alaska is being cheered by state political leaders who see new fossil fuel development as critical to Alaska's economic future and criticized by environmental...

Alabama refuge is a paradise for birders and thousands of migrating sandhill cranes

Jan. 19, 2025 00:13 AM EST

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — In flooded agricultural fields near the Tennessee River, tens of thousands of sandhill cranes stand tall among broken corn stalks and shallow water searching for corn, berries, seeds and insects. The sound and sight of so many cranes clustered together creates...

Maine town approves plan to remove two Royal River dams

Jan. 13, 2025 11:34 AM EST

The Yarmouth town council voted unanimously this month to remove two town-owned dams on the Royal River and consider fish passage improvements at a stretch of rapids in between them, a historic vote more than two decades in the making. The decision follows a federal proposal released...

A startup city in Kenya tries to tackle Africa's problem of urbanizing while poor

Jan. 12, 2025 01:58 AM EST

KIAMBU, Kenya (AP) — Turn into Tatu City on the outskirts of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, and it feels like entering a different world. Even the country's most reckless drivers are transformed, slowing to a crawl and not tossing trash out the window — thanks to surveillance cameras...