animals

Researchers in a rainforest in Indonesia spotted an injury on the face of a male orangutan they named Rakus. They were stunned to watch him treat his wound with a medicinal plant.

Orangutan in the wild applied medicinal plant to heal its own injury, biologists say

1:55pm May 03, 2024

by Bill Chappell

It is "the first known case of active wound treatment in a wild animal with a medical plant," biologist Isabelle Laumer told NPR. She says the orangutan, called Rakus, is now thriving.

A two-spot octopus, like the type an Oklahoma family brought home as a pet.

Terrance the octopus came to live with a family. Then she laid dozens of eggs

6:51am April 10, 2024

The Clifford family was as prepared as possible to welcome Terrance the octopus. But there was one thing they missed: she was pregnant. And then she laid a whole lot of eggs.

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Workers prepare Benito the giraffe for transport at the city-run Central Park Zoo in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Sunday. After a campaign by environmentalists, Benito left Mexico's northern border and its extreme weather conditions Sunday night and headed for a conservation park in central Mexico.

World News

Giraffe Benito has a new home in Mexico. Now comes the hard part — fitting in

6:45pm January 23, 2024

by The Associated Press

The 4-year-old giraffe arrived Tuesday at his new home in a large animal park in central Mexico. He was transferred following pressure from animal advocates, and after he spent the last year alone.

Science

Cats play fetch, too — as long as they're in control, a study finds

5:11pm December 15, 2023

by Diba Mohtasham

A new study showed that cats fetched objects instinctively, in the absence of overt training. Fetching is defined as when the animal retrieves an object that's thrown.

National

When disaster strikes, these good boys and girls are your rescue crew

4:43pm November 03, 2023

FEMA has 280 certified detection dogs trained to find people in disasters, and it has another 80 that look for human remains. And they are the goodest boys and girls.

A collage of our audience members' beloved pets and their memorials to their animal companions. Clockwise from top left: Mena Bingham's sunflower garden for her cat Sara; a statue to honor Beth Fadely's dog, Bella; Linda Smith's cat Holly; Sheryl Bauerschmidt's dog Birdie; a glass cat figurine in the bay window where Marie Hernandez's cat, Fina, used to sit.

Arts

8 loving ways to honor a pet's memory: Write an obit, grow a garden, dedicate a day

2:48pm September 27, 2023

by Malaka Gharib

How do you deal with the heartbreak of losing a beloved pet? Our audience shares creative and inspiring ways to process grief — and celebrate the lives of our animal companions.

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Environment

Nets, coolers and courage: A day in the life of a volunteer bee conservationist

6:00am July 01, 2023

by Christopher Intagliata

Over three years, hundreds of volunteers will fan out across California to survey wild bees, with the goal of piecing together a picture of where they live and which species are in trouble.

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National

A wolverine was spotted in California. Here's what happens next

6:01pm June 07, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

Though unconfirmed, he's thought to be a young creature roaming in search of a partner. Relatable!

Carol Buckley works to coax Mundi into the transport cage that will carry her from the Puerto Rico zoo to Buckley's elephant refuge in Georgia. Buckley, an expert on elephants in captivity, arrived on the island two weeks ahead of the May 12 flight so she'd have time to earn the elephant's trust.

Puerto Rico lost its only elephant — and cracked open a well of emotions

6:01pm June 07, 2023

by Adrian Florido

Mundi the African elephant was the pride of Puerto Rico's only zoo. But her fate became entangled in the island's recent struggles with natural disasters and a debilitating debt crisis.

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National

After nearly 200 years, the Yuchi Tribe of Oklahoma reconnects with bison

9:43am March 26, 2023

by Kaitlyn Radde

Tribal members say the new herd will strengthen ceremonial practices and connect them not only with the animal but also with other Indigenous nations.