Animal Care

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious office at West Virginia's busiest airport. The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the milelong airfield to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists in Australia have identified the oldest known fossil footprints of a reptile-like animal, dated to around 350 million years ago. The discovery suggests that after the first animals emerged from the ocean around 400 million years ago, they evolved the ability... Read More

WASHINGTON — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Mike Quigley, D-Ill., on Wednesday introduced a bill aimed at establishing a first-of-its-kind federal grant program to expand access to veterinary care for retired federal and military working dogs. The Honoring Our K9... Read More

ROCKPORT, Mass. (AP) — Rockport residents have a history of fighting off invaders, but not this time. During the War of 1812, townsfolk in the tiny fishing village hurled rocks at British soldiers using their stockings as slings. Now, they’re... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s “bodega cats” are beloved fixtures in the Big Apple — but they’re on the wrong side of the law. The convenience store cats that live at many of the city’s bodegas and delis... Read More

WASHINGTON — The landscapes and terrain of the Earth have changed gradually over time. Tectonic activity, large-scale weather events, climate change and natural progression have all had an impact. One other key factor? Animals. The Earth provides a home to... Read More

Dairy cattle in Nevada have been infected with a new type of bird flu that's different from the version that has spread in U.S. herds since last year, Agriculture Department officials said Wednesday. The detection indicates that distinct forms of the virus... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — Thinking about backyard chickens as egg prices soar? Think hard, especially in light of the bird flu outbreak. Keeping home chickens as a pastime has continued to grow since the pandemic. But if eggs are the goal,... Read More

WASHINGTON — Eleven months after the National Zoo sent its three giant pandas back to China, a new pair of the popular bears are about to wing their way to Washington, D.C. “It's official,” First Lady Dr. Jill Biden declared... Read More

CORTELEONA E GENZONE, Italy (AP) — One of Giovanni Airoli’s sows tested positive for African swine fever in late August. Within a week, all 6,200 sows, piglets and fattening pigs on his farm south of Milan were slaughtered under strict protocols to... Read More

DENVER (AP) — Simon Rubick had lost almost everything to decades of alcoholism and drug addiction. In 2022, he found himself without a vehicle and without a home, which forced his two teenage children to move in with friends. He... Read More

KANAIO, Hawaii (AP) — Fear. Anxiety. Anger. Depression. Overwhelmed. Janice Dapitan began her second counseling session by writing those words on a whiteboard, reflecting what she felt in that moment. The day fire destroyed her hometown of Lahaina — and... Read More

PHOENIX (AP) — As much of the world swelters, it's not just people who need help with the dog days of summer. Pet owners have to consider how to both shield and cool down furry family members as intense — at times... Read More

Another Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu, the third human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows, health officials said Thursday. The dairy worker reported a cough, congestion, sore throat and watery eyes. The other two... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two giant pandas are coming to Washington’s National Zoo from China by the end of the year. The zoo made the announcement Wednesday, about half a year after it sent its three pandas back to China. Other American... Read More

CANOAS, Brazil (AP) — Hundreds of volunteers have set up a makeshift dog shelter in an abandoned, roofless warehouse in the city of Canoas, one of the hardest hit by floods in southern Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state. They... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — All dogs coming into the U.S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new government rules published Wednesday. The new rules require vaccination for... Read More

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (AP) — Some local residents and an animal-rights group are protesting plans for a monkey-breeding facility in southwest Georgia. Opponents on Tuesday urged the Bainbridge City Council to block plans by a company called Safer Human Medicine to... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — It's small in stature, big on activity and known for a “smile,” and it's ready to compete with 200 other dog breeds. Say hello to the Lancashire heeler, the latest breed recognized by the American Kennel... Read More

CHICAGO (AP) — An 8-week-old arrival from Alaska chirps loudly before devouring ice chips in the nursery at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. He is Pup EL2306 — proper name to be determined — a northern sea otter who was found alone... Read More

WASHINGTON — It is the end of an era at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. By Dec. 7, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, the giant pandas who have lived at the conservation park since 2000, and their... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army announced changes Wednesday to the way it will care for the gray and black horses that carry service members' flag-draped caskets to their final resting places in Arlington National Cemetery after the deaths of horses in the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Monday conditionally approved Varenzin-CA1, the first drug for the control of nonregenerative anemia associated with chronic kidney disease in cats.  Nonregenerative anemia is a potentially fatal condition in which a cat’s bone... Read More