Animals

The right whale population has fallen again, bringing them closer to extinction

4:39pm October 24, 2022

by Barbara Moran

The population of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale has fallen again. Scientists now estimate it stands at 340, the latest indication the whales are edging closer to extinction.

There have been at least 19 recorded black bear attacks since the 1970s.

National

A Washington state woman fended off a black bear attack

5:01am October 24, 2022

by Giulia Heyward

The woman sustained non-life threatening injuries and is being treated at a hospital, according to officials. Wildlife officers killed a bear found nearby.

World News

Follow the money: An intelligence agent's methods for busting wildlife traffickers

7:29am October 21, 2022

Pangolins are shy, nocturnal creatures covered in scales. They're also the most trafficked animal in the world. Intelligence expert Sarah Stoner explains how her team disrupts wildlife trafficking.

Queue Listen Now

Rusty was found in Adams Morgan, which borders the park lands around the zoo.

National

Rusty the red panda, who briefly ran free in D.C. in 2013, has unexpectedly died

6:11am October 21, 2022

by Halisia Hubbard

Rusty the red panda escaped his National Zoo enclosure and was briefly free in Washington, D.C., in 2013. He has died at age 10 of unknown causes.

Larry the Cat plays with bunting in the garden of number 10 Downing Street on June 1, 2012 in London, England.

World News

Larry the Cat outlasts fourth U.K. prime minister

5:01am October 21, 2022

by Giulia Heyward

The 15-year-old tabby is the Chief Mouser of No. 10 Downing Street, where Britain's prime ministers both work and reside. Larry has been in the post since David Cameron ran the government.

Lately, more and more people have been getting axolotls as pets.

It seems like everyone wants an axolotl since the salamander was added to Minecraft

11:51am October 20, 2022

by Halisia Hubbard

The axolotl has captured hearts thanks to TikTok and the popular video game Minecraft. More and more people have been getting them as pets, which is impacting how they're bred and sold.

Harmless garter snake causes a scene on an airplane before being captured

6:53am October 20, 2022

Passengers on a United Airlines flight Monday may have felt a bit like Samuel L. Jackson's character in the thriller Snakes on a Plane. No word yet on how the snake slithered into business class.

Queue Listen Now

Minnesota farmer is injured after swerving into a cornfield to avoid a puppy

5:49am October 19, 2022

Scott Legried drove into a cornfield — saving the dog — but ending up with substantial injuries, The Washington Post reports. Legried's community came to the rescue, harvesting his crops for him.

Queue Listen Now

State officials are asking residents to stomp and squash the spotted lanternfly

4:26pm October 18, 2022

by Roxy Todd

Stomp, squash, smash. That's the direction from officials in states infested with the spotted lanternfly. The pest is spreading in Virginia, where winemakers are trying to guard their grapes.

Toast was a very small cat, Saha said, but the loudest one he has met.

Books
Arts

The story behind a new book's strange dedication to Toast the cat

5:00am October 18, 2022

by Halisia Hubbard

"For Toast, the cat, who was no help at all," reads the dedication page of researcher Jonathan Saha's book, Colonizing Animals. A picture of the page went viral on Twitter.