A woman in Thailand was woken up to loud voices crashing and banging in the early hours of Saturday.

Ratchadawan Puengprasoppon recognised that the voices were coming from the kitchen. When she reached the kitchen, she saw an elephant poking its head through the kitchen wall, searching for food.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/how-saving-tasmanian-devils-meant-sentencing-little-penguins-to-death-on-maria-island-392931" hreflang="en">How saving Tasmanian Devils meant sentencing Little Penguins to death on Maria Island</a>

The elephant is named Boonchuay and lives in Thailand’s Kaeng Krachan national park. When Ratchadawan Puengprasoppon entered the kitchen, she saw the elephant’s trunk knocking out drawers, cooking pans and other things.

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Spotting elephants in kitchens is becoming increasingly common now in these areas as these large wild animals, apparently, like scouting kitchens on days of local markets.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earth-has-a-heartbeat-and-nobody-knows-what-causes-it-392975" hreflang="en">Earth has a 'heartbeat' and nobody knows what causes it</a>

"They come to visit quite often. They always come when there is the local market because they can smell food," said Itthipon Thaimonkol, the park’s superintendent.

This is not the first time Boonchuay has taken such a hike. He had, earlier too, paid a visit to Ratchadawan’s kitchen once and had caused damage up to £1,140 (50,000 baht).

A woman in Thailand was woken up to loud voices crashing and banging in the early hours of Saturday. Ratchadawan Puengprasoppon recognised that the voices were coming from the kitchen.

A woman in Thailand was woken up to loud voices crashing and banging in the early hours of Saturday. Ratchadawan Puengprasoppon recognised that the voices were coming from the kitchen. When she reached the kitchen, she saw an elephant poking its head through the kitchen wall, searching for food. Also read | How saving Tasmanian Devils meant sentencing Little Penguins to death on Maria Island The elephant is named Boonchuay and lives in Thailand’s Kaeng Krachan national park. When Ratchadawan Puengprasoppon entered the kitchen, she saw the elephant’s trunk knocking out drawers, cooking pans and other things. 📺 Elephant breaks into kitchen in Thailand looking for snacks https://t.co/pdyvHrxWfb 👨🏻‍💻 Likeado en YouTube 👨🏻‍💻 — Diego de la Cruz Salas (@cruzpe) June 21, 2021 × Spotting elephants in kitchens is becoming increasingly common now in these areas as these large wild animals, apparently, like scouting kitchens on days of local markets. Also read | Earth has a 'heartbeat' and nobody knows what causes it "They come to visit quite often. They always come when there is the local market because they can smell food," said Itthipon Thaimonkol, the park’s superintendent. This is not the first time Boonchuay has taken such a hike. He had, earlier too, paid a visit to Ratchadawan’s kitchen once and had caused damage up to £1,140 (50,000 baht).

Elephant in the room? Thailand local has unexpected dinner guest

COVID is not just a menace for humans, but for animals too. 28 elephants tested for COVID-19 in India, days after a 9-year-old lioness succumbed to coronavirus. Similarly, 10 Asiatic lions have been kept under observation at Chennai zoo.

India: 9 Asiatic lions test positive for COVID-19

For Khanyisa, life was difficult from the start. Born as an albino, at four-months-old she got caught in a poaching snare in South Africa's Kruger National Park that cut through her mouth. Trapped for four days, dehydrated and unable to eat because of her wounds, she was rescued and taken to a sanctuary in Mpumalanga, north east of Johannesburg.

Rescued S.African albino calf thrives with new herd

Chimpanzees develop specific handshake-like gestures depending on their social group, according to the results of a 12-year observational study published on Wednesday that sheds light on the animals' complex social structures.

Chimps are often referred to as being the most "humanlike" non-human species, given their propensity to perform complicated tasks, such as tool use, which were long thought to be the sole preserve of mankind.&nbsp;

Edwin van Leeuwen, an expert in animal behaviour at the University of Antwerp and the city's Royal Zoological Society, studied dozens of chimpanzees sheltered at Zambia's Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust over a 12-year span.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/galapagos-tortoise-thought-to-be-extinct-found-in-ecuador-387449" hreflang="en">Galapagos tortoise, thought to be extinct, found in Ecuador</a>

Despite a large turnover in the chimp population due to deaths and births, Van Leeuwen was able to observe specific and repeated hand gestures among chimps in two distinct groups.&nbsp;

The gesture, known as the grooming handclasp, involves "each of the participants simultaneously (extending) an arm overhead and the other (clasping) the other's wrist or hand or both clasping each other's hand," according to the results of his study, published in the journal Royal Society Biology Letters.

Through years of observation, Van Leeuwen found that palm-to-palm grasping was "substantially more pronounced" in one group, or society, of chimps than the other.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/dogs-can-detect-covid-19-among-humans-in-less-than-a-second-uk-study-finds-387127" hreflang="en">Dogs can detect COVID-19 among humans in less than a second, UK study finds</a>

He also found that female chimps were far more likely than males to grasp palms, while males were more likely to grasp wrists, likely due to males' desires to assert or affirm dominance.

"The fact that they have developed different styles in different groups reflects that they learn the style socially within their groups," Van Leeuwen told AFP.&nbsp;

He said the chimps appeared to have learned to perform the grasps "to some extent" as a ritual, reminiscent of secret handshakes performed by humans.&nbsp;

"The handclasp fits into the whole social interaction that two individuals engage in sometimes, making it a special connection within an already intimate grooming bout."

'Some serious, some care-free'

Van Leeuwen said his study was evidence of chimps' ability to preserve "the stability of traditions", a behaviour that among humans is thought of as cultural persistence.

He said the behaviour could not be explained by genetic or environmental factors since the composition of the two separate chimp groups was essentially identical -- yet they each developed distinct grasping techniques.

He said the specific gestures and their longevity within each group could be a result of "the shared trait of social learning".

With more than a decade spent observing the chimps' behaviour, Van Leeuwen said he got to know the personality traits of each individual animal.&nbsp;

"Like humans, they have their individual ways of doing -- be it during play, eating or grooming," he said.&nbsp;

"Some chimpanzees are very serious, always on the look-out for ripples in the social atmosphere," added Van Leeuwen.&nbsp;

"Some are more care-free and interact with even high-ranking individuals in their group with light touches of play."

Chimpanzees develop specific handshake-like gestures depending on their social group, according to the results of a 12-year observational study published on Wednesday that sheds light on the animals' complex social structures.

Chimpanzees develop specific handshake-like gestures depending on their social group, according to the results of a 12-year observational study published on Wednesday that sheds light on the animals' complex social structures. Chimps are often referred to as being the most "humanlike" non-human species, given their propensity to perform complicated tasks, such as tool use, which were long thought to be the sole preserve of mankind. Edwin van Leeuwen, an expert in animal behaviour at the University of Antwerp and the city's Royal Zoological Society, studied dozens of chimpanzees sheltered at Zambia's Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust over a 12-year span. Also read | Galapagos tortoise, thought to be extinct, found in Ecuador Despite a large turnover in the chimp population due to deaths and births, Van Leeuwen was able to observe specific and repeated hand gestures among chimps in two distinct groups. The gesture, known as the grooming handclasp, involves "each of the participants simultaneously (extending) an arm overhead and the other (clasping) the other's wrist or hand or both clasping each other's hand," according to the results of his study, published in the journal Royal Society Biology Letters. Through years of observation, Van Leeuwen found that palm-to-palm grasping was "substantially more pronounced" in one group, or society, of chimps than the other. Also read | Dogs can detect COVID-19 among humans in less than a second, UK study finds He also found that female chimps were far more likely than males to grasp palms, while males were more likely to grasp wrists, likely due to males' desires to assert or affirm dominance. "The fact that they have developed different styles in different groups reflects that they learn the style socially within their groups," Van Leeuwen told AFP. He said the chimps appeared to have learned to perform the grasps "to some extent" as a ritual, reminiscent of secret handshakes performed by humans. "The handclasp fits into the whole social interaction that two individuals engage in sometimes, making it a special connection within an already intimate grooming bout." 'Some serious, some care-free' Van Leeuwen said his study was evidence of chimps' ability to preserve "the stability of traditions", a behaviour that among humans is thought of as cultural persistence. He said the behaviour could not be explained by genetic or environmental factors since the composition of the two separate chimp groups was essentially identical -- yet they each developed distinct grasping techniques. He said the specific gestures and their longevity within each group could be a result of "the shared trait of social learning". With more than a decade spent observing the chimps' behaviour, Van Leeuwen said he got to know the personality traits of each individual animal. "Like humans, they have their individual ways of doing -- be it during play, eating or grooming," he said. "Some chimpanzees are very serious, always on the look-out for ripples in the social atmosphere," added Van Leeuwen. "Some are more care-free and interact with even high-ranking individuals in their group with light touches of play."

Chimpanzees learn 'handshakes' according to social group: Study

The British government is going to formally recognise animals as sentient beings as part of a post-Brexit welfare plan.

The government will introduce legislation to declare that animals are capable of feeling sensations and emotions. The new ‘Animal Sentience Bill’ will be put before parliament soon.

The new laws would also ban the live export of animals for slaughter and fattening, and explore prohibiting the sale of foie gras.

UK environment secretary George Eustice said in a statement: "We are a nation of animal lovers and were the first country in the world to pass animal welfare laws.

"Our action plan for animal welfare will deliver on our manifesto commitment to ban the export of live animal exports for slaughter and fattening, prohibit keeping primates as pets, and bring in new laws to tackle puppy smuggling.

"As an independent nation, we are now able to go further than ever to build on our excellent track record."&nbsp;

Additional proposals include looking into a ban on the importing of hunting trophies from endangered animals, ending the import and export of detached shark fins and boosting the welfare of farm animals as they are transported.

(With inputs from agencies)

The British government is going to formally recognise animals as sentient beings as part of a post-Brexit welfare plan. The government will introduce legislation to declare that animals are capable of feeling sensations and emotions.

The British government is going to formally recognise animals as sentient beings as part of a post-Brexit welfare plan. The government will introduce legislation to declare that animals are capable of feeling sensations and emotions. The new ‘Animal Sentience Bill’ will be put before parliament soon. The new laws would also ban the live export of animals for slaughter and fattening, and explore prohibiting the sale of foie gras. UK environment secretary George Eustice said in a statement: "We are a nation of animal lovers and were the first country in the world to pass animal welfare laws. "Our action plan for animal welfare will deliver on our manifesto commitment to ban the export of live animal exports for slaughter and fattening, prohibit keeping primates as pets, and bring in new laws to tackle puppy smuggling. "As an independent nation, we are now able to go further than ever to build on our excellent track record." Additional proposals include looking into a ban on the importing of hunting trophies from endangered animals, ending the import and export of detached shark fins and boosting the welfare of farm animals as they are transported. (With inputs from agencies)

Animals will be formally recognised as sentient beings in the UK

Cats are notorious for parking themselves in boxes of varying shapes and sizes. But their favourite remains anything that resembles a square.&nbsp;Social media is flooded with videos of cats spending hours in cardboard boxes lying stray in their homes and the odd satisfaction it brings to the felines.

Most caretakers also find it difficult to remove cats from these boxes, sometimes subjected to their claw treatment. #CatSquare trended heavily on social media in 2017 when multiple cats parked themselves in squares which were drawn on floors using tape.

Now, a new study may help us understand why cats love sitting in all things square! Published in “Applied Animal Behaviour Science”, the study claims that cats love to sit in 2-D shapes that resemble the shapes of a square, reported first by Gizmodo. The study is titled “If I fits I sits: A citizen science investigation into illusory contour susceptibility in domestic cats”.

The study’s co-author Gabriella Smith told Gizmodo that they were looking to understand whether felines would sit in a box that would essentially be an illusion and not an actual square to understand the phenomena better.

Cats caught in the act

To achieve this, an experiment was created urging pet owners to create the illusion of square-like shapes by using basic materials like paper and tape. They then created corners without sides, referred to as “Kanizsa Square Illusion” in the science community. This provides the watcher with the illusion of edges in the absence of any shape to create fake squares.

It can be best compared to what the famous game Pac-Man looks like, with illusory corners of a square being fed to the cat’s eyes. Owners were then asked to place these fake squares along with real squares across the house. A third category of a misshaped fake Kanizsa was also deployed. To prevent any influence, even in the form of eye contact, owners were urged to wear sunglasses if they were directly observing the cats, ScienceAlert reported.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/soon-cats-in-uk-likely-to-be-microchipped-as-theft-increases-377807" hreflang="en">Soon cats in UK likely to be microchipped as theft increases</a>

The researchers wanted to see whether cats were spending at least three seconds in any of these objects and tested 400 cats for the same. Over six days, only 30 cat owners were to complete their experiment.

Out of these 30 cats, nine cats consistently sat in one of the shapes. They sat on the regular square eight times, the Kanizsa “fake square” seven times, and its misshapen derivative&nbsp;only once.

Essentially, what this reveals is that cats chose the illusory square as much as the real square, meaning they’re susceptible to the same thing experienced by humans when it comes to 2-D objects. Just like us, they chose 2-D shapes not for the space it inhabits&nbsp;but for its sides, and perhaps the sense of comfort it brings to us... or the illusion of it at the very least!

Cats are notorious for parking themselves in boxes of varying shapes and sizes. But their favourite remains anything that resembles a square. Social media is flooded with videos of cats spending hours in cardboard boxes lying stray in their homes and the odd satisfaction it brings to the felines.

Cats are notorious for parking themselves in boxes of varying shapes and sizes. But their favourite remains anything that resembles a square. Social media is flooded with videos of cats spending hours in cardboard boxes lying stray in their homes and the odd satisfaction it brings to the felines. Most caretakers also find it difficult to remove cats from these boxes, sometimes subjected to their claw treatment. #CatSquare trended heavily on social media in 2017 when multiple cats parked themselves in squares which were drawn on floors using tape. Now, a new study may help us understand why cats love sitting in all things square! Published in “Applied Animal Behaviour Science”, the study claims that cats love to sit in 2-D shapes that resemble the shapes of a square, reported first by Gizmodo. The study is titled “If I fits I sits: A citizen science investigation into illusory contour susceptibility in domestic cats”. The study’s co-author Gabriella Smith told Gizmodo that they were looking to understand whether felines would sit in a box that would essentially be an illusion and not an actual square to understand the phenomena better. Cats caught in the act To achieve this, an experiment was created urging pet owners to create the illusion of square-like shapes by using basic materials like paper and tape. They then created corners without sides, referred to as “Kanizsa Square Illusion” in the science community. This provides the watcher with the illusion of edges in the absence of any shape to create fake squares. It can be best compared to what the famous game Pac-Man looks like, with illusory corners of a square being fed to the cat’s eyes. Owners were then asked to place these fake squares along with real squares across the house. A third category of a misshaped fake Kanizsa was also deployed. To prevent any influence, even in the form of eye contact, owners were urged to wear sunglasses if they were directly observing the cats, ScienceAlert reported. Also read: Soon cats in UK likely to be microchipped as theft increases The researchers wanted to see whether cats were spending at least three seconds in any of these objects and tested 400 cats for the same. Over six days, only 30 cat owners were to complete their experiment. Out of these 30 cats, nine cats consistently sat in one of the shapes. They sat on the regular square eight times, the Kanizsa “fake square” seven times, and its misshapen derivative only once. Essentially, what this reveals is that cats chose the illusory square as much as the real square, meaning they’re susceptible to the same thing experienced by humans when it comes to 2-D objects. Just like us, they chose 2-D shapes not for the space it inhabits but for its sides, and perhaps the sense of comfort it brings to us... or the illusion of it at the very least!

We finally know why cats love to sit in square-like boxes!

A new trend has started in China which has led to the deaths of animals and birds and has received immense backlash from social media users and animal welfare groups.

Known as 'blind box'&nbsp;pets, in this new trend live pets are sold packed in mystery "blind boxes". People in China are ordering live and "cute" pets online through various listings. These pets are then packed in mystery “blind boxes” and sent to the buyer’s address in a box.

"The moment many buyers open the box hoping for a live creature, they actually find an animal that's died of suffocation, starvation, cold or heat," a Twitter post explained the deadly side of this trend.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/bird-party-endangered-california-condors-invade-locals-home-383351" hreflang="en">Bird party! Endangered California condors invade local's home</a>

This exploitation of animals was brought to notice when a group of volunteers in the southwestern city of Chengdu found nearly 160 baby animals packed in crates on Monday night. Many of these animals were already dead by the time they were found and rescued.

When the courier was found, the crate was full of "screams of puppies and kittens", an animal rescue centre said.

"If the door is closed then there is no air circulation at all, so they can only be suffocated!," the centre explained.

Social media took upon themselves to unravel these "mystery blind boxes" and discovered that many people are offering to buy live pets online by posting advertisements such as "very cute purebreed cats and dogs" which are available as cheap as $1.50 (9.9RMB).

Selling live pets through courier is illegal in China, however, that does not seem to stop the locals from playing with the lives of animals.

"This is not a 'cute' novelty, nor is it a toy that you can throw away once you're bored. Pet blind boxes make me feel that this society is even more terrifying and crazy," a social media user wrote.

A new trend has started in China which has led to the deaths of animals and birds and has received immense backlash from social media users and animal welfare groups.

A new trend has started in China which has led to the deaths of animals and birds and has received immense backlash from social media users and animal welfare groups. Known as 'blind box' pets, in this new trend live pets are sold packed in mystery "blind boxes". People in China are ordering live and "cute" pets online through various listings. These pets are then packed in mystery “blind boxes” and sent to the buyer’s address in a box. "The moment many buyers open the box hoping for a live creature, they actually find an animal that's died of suffocation, starvation, cold or heat," a Twitter post explained the deadly side of this trend. Also read | Bird party! Endangered California condors invade local's home This exploitation of animals was brought to notice when a group of volunteers in the southwestern city of Chengdu found nearly 160 baby animals packed in crates on Monday night. Many of these animals were already dead by the time they were found and rescued. When the courier was found, the crate was full of "screams of puppies and kittens", an animal rescue centre said. "If the door is closed then there is no air circulation at all, so they can only be suffocated!," the centre explained. Social media took upon themselves to unravel these "mystery blind boxes" and discovered that many people are offering to buy live pets online by posting advertisements such as "very cute purebreed cats and dogs" which are available as cheap as $1.50 (9.9RMB). Selling live pets through courier is illegal in China, however, that does not seem to stop the locals from playing with the lives of animals. "This is not a 'cute' novelty, nor is it a toy that you can throw away once you're bored. Pet blind boxes make me feel that this society is even more terrifying and crazy," a social media user wrote.

China's latest trend of mystery 'blind boxes' leads to deaths of puppies and kittens

UK authorities have warned cat owners who showed positive test results for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> to maintain distance from their pets and should avoid cuddling or touching them.

This development comes after few kittens caught symptoms from their owners and signaled respiratory issues.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="Scientists reveal why some people are always hungry">Scientists reveal why some people are always hungry</a>

Such&nbsp;two cases of human-to-cat transmission of coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2,&nbsp;were identified by scientists at the University of Glasgow as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the UK.&nbsp;

"There has been a very small number of cases of the virus that causes COVID-19 identified in domestic animals worldwide and it appears likely that the transmission was from infected humans to animals," Daniella Dos Santos, senior vice president at the British Veterinary Association, told The Daily Telegraph.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/pet-nups-spain-introduces-laws-for-pet-custody-after-divorce-379344" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/pet-nups-spain-introduces-laws-for-pet-custody-after-divorce-379344&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiQ0f-ftpfwAhVgxDgGHa-RDtoQFjADegQIBxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0ylrk0d9SvE_u2AC6RMSOU" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/petflix-uk-sees-surge-in-pet-care-products-as-people-return-to-offices-378410" target="_blank">Petflix! UK sees surge in pet-care products as people return to offices</a>

"Our advice to pet owners who have COVID-19 or who are self-isolating with symptoms remains to restrict contact with their pets as a precautionary measure and to practise good hygiene, including regular handwashing,"&nbsp;Santos added.

The doctor advised to make sure pet parents wash their hands before and after any interaction with pets and suggested wearing face masks.

"If your pet shows any symptoms which you suspect may be caused by the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans, please do not take it to the vet but call the practice for advice first and alert them to the household's status," Santos advised.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-spain-to-approve-joint-custody-of-pets-379347">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-spain-to-approve-joint-custody-of-pets-379347/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

As per the scientific research, cats do not possess any threat to their owners as&nbsp;currently&nbsp;there is no evidence of cat-to-human transmission.&nbsp;

However, the researchers doubt that pets could potentially act as a "viral reservoir" providing continued transmission and highlighted the need to improve understanding of whether they can possess any danger of infection.&nbsp;

Professor Margaret Hosie, from the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research who performed the research, said: "Currently, animal-to-human transmission represents a relatively low risk to public health in areas where human-to-human transmission remains high.

"Whenever human cases decrease, the chance of transmission among animals becomes increasingly important as a potential source of SARS-CoV-2 reintroduction to humans.

"Thus we need to improve our understanding of whether uncovered animals may play any role in transmission."

The first case observed was of a four-month-old female Ragdoll Kitten where its owner developed corona-like symptoms in March 2020, though he never got himself tested.&nbsp;

In April 2020, the Kitten was rushed to a vet following&nbsp;breathing difficulties but its situation worsened and it later had to be put down. A scan revealed viral pneumonia and SARS-CoV-2 in its lungs.

The other cat was a six-year-old female Siamese from a family where its owner was diagnosed with COVID-19. It was taken to the vet with nasal discharge and conjunctivitis. However, its symptoms were not serious and it survived.&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;infection was subsequently confirmed from swabs.

Scientists think the two cases are an underestimate of instances of human-to-animal transmission, as animal testing is rare and restricted.

A lot of cats with COVID-19 symptoms have been reported around the world, who are assumed to catch symptoms from their respective owners.&nbsp;

UK authorities have warned cat owners who showed positive test results for COVID-19 to maintain distance from their pets and should avoid cuddling or touching them.

UK authorities have warned cat owners who showed positive test results for COVID-19 to maintain distance from their pets and should avoid cuddling or touching them. This development comes after few kittens caught symptoms from their owners and signaled respiratory issues. Also read | Scientists reveal why some people are always hungry Such two cases of human-to-cat transmission of coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, were identified by scientists at the University of Glasgow as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the UK. "There has been a very small number of cases of the virus that causes COVID-19 identified in domestic animals worldwide and it appears likely that the transmission was from infected humans to animals," Daniella Dos Santos, senior vice president at the British Veterinary Association, told The Daily Telegraph. Also read | Petflix! UK sees surge in pet-care products as people return to offices "Our advice to pet owners who have COVID-19 or who are self-isolating with symptoms remains to restrict contact with their pets as a precautionary measure and to practise good hygiene, including regular handwashing," Santos added. The doctor advised to make sure pet parents wash their hands before and after any interaction with pets and suggested wearing face masks. "If your pet shows any symptoms which you suspect may be caused by the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans, please do not take it to the vet but call the practice for advice first and alert them to the household's status," Santos advised. Watch | As per the scientific research, cats do not possess any threat to their owners as currently there is no evidence of cat-to-human transmission. However, the researchers doubt that pets could potentially act as a "viral reservoir" providing continued transmission and highlighted the need to improve understanding of whether they can possess any danger of infection. Professor Margaret Hosie, from the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research who performed the research, said: "Currently, animal-to-human transmission represents a relatively low risk to public health in areas where human-to-human transmission remains high. "Whenever human cases decrease, the chance of transmission among animals becomes increasingly important as a potential source of SARS-CoV-2 reintroduction to humans. "Thus we need to improve our understanding of whether uncovered animals may play any role in transmission." The first case observed was of a four-month-old female Ragdoll Kitten where its owner developed corona-like symptoms in March 2020, though he never got himself tested. In April 2020, the Kitten was rushed to a vet following breathing difficulties but its situation worsened and it later had to be put down. A scan revealed viral pneumonia and SARS-CoV-2 in its lungs. The other cat was a six-year-old female Siamese from a family where its owner was diagnosed with COVID-19. It was taken to the vet with nasal discharge and conjunctivitis. However, its symptoms were not serious and it survived. COVID-19 infection was subsequently confirmed from swabs. Scientists think the two cases are an underestimate of instances of human-to-animal transmission, as animal testing is rare and restricted. A lot of cats with COVID-19 symptoms have been reported around the world, who are assumed to catch symptoms from their respective owners.

‘No cuddling’: UK warns people after cat tests positive for coronavirus

Russia has registered the world's first vaccine for animals against Covid-19, its agricultural regulator said on Wednesday, after tests showed it generated antibodies against the virus in dogs, cats, foxes and mink.&nbsp;

Mass production of the vaccine, called Carnivac-Cov, can start in April, regulator Rosselkhoznadzor said.&nbsp;

The World Health Organisation has expressed concern over the transmission of the virus between humans and animals. The regulator said the vaccine would be able to protect vulnerable species and thwart viral mutations.&nbsp;

Russia has so far only registered two cases of Covid-19 among animals, both in cats.&nbsp;

Denmark culled all 17 million mink on its farms last year after concluding that a strain of the virus had passed from humans to mink and that mutated strains of the virus had then turned up among people.&nbsp;

Rosselkhoznadzor said Russian fur farms planned to buy the vaccine, along with businesses in Greece, Poland and Austria. Russia's fur farm industry accounts for around 3% of the global market, down from 30% in the Soviet era, according to the main trade body.&nbsp;

Alexander Gintsburg, head of the institute that developed Russia's Sputnik V human vaccine, was quoted in Izvestia newspaper on Monday as saying Covid-19 was likely to hit animals next.&nbsp;

“The next stage of the epidemic is the infection with the coronavirus of farm and domestic animals," Gintsburg said.&nbsp;

Some scientists say that cats and dogs do not play a major role in transmitting the coronavirus to humans and that their own symptoms are often mild if they contract Covid-19.&nbsp;

Clinical trials of the Russian animal vaccine began in October last year and involved dogs, cats, Arctic foxes, mink, foxes and other animals.&nbsp;

"The results of the trials allow us to conclude that the vaccine is safe and highly immunogenic as all the vaccinated animals developed antibodies to the coronavirus," Konstantin Savenkov, Rosselkhoznadzor's deputy head, said in the statement.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Russia has registered the world's first vaccine for animals against Covid-19, its agricultural regulator said on Wednesday, after tests showed it generated antibodies against the virus in dogs, cats, foxes and mink.

Russia has registered the world's first vaccine for animals against Covid-19, its agricultural regulator said on Wednesday, after tests showed it generated antibodies against the virus in dogs, cats, foxes and mink. Mass production of the vaccine, called Carnivac-Cov, can start in April, regulator Rosselkhoznadzor said. The World Health Organisation has expressed concern over the transmission of the virus between humans and animals. The regulator said the vaccine would be able to protect vulnerable species and thwart viral mutations. Russia has so far only registered two cases of Covid-19 among animals, both in cats. Denmark culled all 17 million mink on its farms last year after concluding that a strain of the virus had passed from humans to mink and that mutated strains of the virus had then turned up among people. Rosselkhoznadzor said Russian fur farms planned to buy the vaccine, along with businesses in Greece, Poland and Austria. Russia's fur farm industry accounts for around 3% of the global market, down from 30% in the Soviet era, according to the main trade body. Alexander Gintsburg, head of the institute that developed Russia's Sputnik V human vaccine, was quoted in Izvestia newspaper on Monday as saying Covid-19 was likely to hit animals next. “The next stage of the epidemic is the infection with the coronavirus of farm and domestic animals," Gintsburg said. Some scientists say that cats and dogs do not play a major role in transmitting the coronavirus to humans and that their own symptoms are often mild if they contract Covid-19. Clinical trials of the Russian animal vaccine began in October last year and involved dogs, cats, Arctic foxes, mink, foxes and other animals. "The results of the trials allow us to conclude that the vaccine is safe and highly immunogenic as all the vaccinated animals developed antibodies to the coronavirus," Konstantin Savenkov, Rosselkhoznadzor's deputy head, said in the statement. (With inputs from agencies)

In a first, Russia registers Covid-19 vaccine for animals 

Coronavirus might have fuelled an era of digital learning and communication among humans. Now, animals are not far behind. Chimpanzees at two Czech zoos are starting to enjoy video conferencing!

Even though humans may be tired of the digital lifestyle, the chimps are just starting to love it! Chimpanzees at the Safari Park Dvur Kralove and the troop situated in a zoo 150 kms away in Brno can now interact with each other and keep a track of each other’s daily activities on mega screens.

<img alt="chimpanz" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ff4bcf23-fcec-4162-b981-2815f08ea224" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/1_51.jpg" />

The zookeepers came up with the idea owing to the lack of interaction given the ongoing pandemic. The sound is always cut off from the screen. But ever since the video project kicked off last week, interest in the interaction has increased.

Gabriela Linhartova, an ape keeper at Dvur Kralove which lies 135 kilometres east of Prague was quoted by Reuters as saying that in the beginning, “[chimps] approached the screen with defensive or threatening gestures, there was interaction”.

<img alt="chimp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="856115b7-81c3-49b6-a0b8-419014a2ed3d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/3_32.jpg" />

“It has since moved into the mode of ‘I am in the movies’ or ‘I am watching TV’. When they see some tense situations, it gets them up off the couch, like us when we watch a live sport event”, Kralove added.

<img alt="chimp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="60e8b333-c71e-4cb6-9184-1444dba31cd5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2_41.jpg" />

Just like humans, the chimpanzees enjoy snacking while watching their animals in action and have been spotted chewing on nuts with eyes fixed on the screen.

The video conferences are aired on the park’s website, and are expected to run daily from 8 am-4 pm till the end of March, after which zoo authorities will decide whether to continue.

(Images and inputs by Reuters)

Coronavirus might have fuelled an era of digital learning and communication among humans. Now, animals are not far behind. Chimpanzees at two Czech zoos are starting to enjoy video conferencing!

Coronavirus might have fuelled an era of digital learning and communication among humans. Now, animals are not far behind. Chimpanzees at two Czech zoos are starting to enjoy video conferencing! Even though humans may be tired of the digital lifestyle, the chimps are just starting to love it! Chimpanzees at the Safari Park Dvur Kralove and the troop situated in a zoo 150 kms away in Brno can now interact with each other and keep a track of each other’s daily activities on mega screens. The zookeepers came up with the idea owing to the lack of interaction given the ongoing pandemic. The sound is always cut off from the screen. But ever since the video project kicked off last week, interest in the interaction has increased. Gabriela Linhartova, an ape keeper at Dvur Kralove which lies 135 kilometres east of Prague was quoted by Reuters as saying that in the beginning, “[chimps] approached the screen with defensive or threatening gestures, there was interaction”. “It has since moved into the mode of ‘I am in the movies’ or ‘I am watching TV’. When they see some tense situations, it gets them up off the couch, like us when we watch a live sport event”, Kralove added. Just like humans, the chimpanzees enjoy snacking while watching their animals in action and have been spotted chewing on nuts with eyes fixed on the screen. The video conferences are aired on the park’s website, and are expected to run daily from 8 am-4 pm till the end of March, after which zoo authorities will decide whether to continue. (Images and inputs by Reuters)

In pics: Video conferencing brings chimpanzees in different zoos closer

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has rearranged our lifestyles, habits, and sources of pleasure. Now that being physically distant is the new normal, people may feel lonely or left out. In fact, a new study posited that removing lockdowns will cause anxiety among many people.

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People around the world have been toying with solutions and tweaks to battle the pandemic driven loneliness, and a German farm isn’t far behind!

<img alt="hh" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="56d463a2-34bd-4bc1-b59b-246fb8d7fd9b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2_38.jpg" />

Feeling deprived of human contact? Fear not, for this farm will let you cuddle its sheep.

"We have marvellous sheep here who like it very much if they get visitors," Lexa Voss, who runs an educational programme on a farm near Hattingen in western Germany told Reuters. Voss’ plan is to encourage people to get closer to animals.

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"I allow people to visit the sheep unattended, and have a wonderful time with them in nature and far away from any masks and social distancing”, Voss added.

All visitors require prior appointments, but may get as close as they want to the sheep. Even though the sessions are free of charge, visitors may make donations to sustain the farm.

(Images and inputs by Reuters)

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has rearranged our lifestyles, habits, and sources of pleasure. Now that being physically distant is the new normal, people may feel lonely or left out.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has rearranged our lifestyles, habits, and sources of pleasure. Now that being physically distant is the new normal, people may feel lonely or left out. In fact, a new study posited that removing lockdowns will cause anxiety among many people. People around the world have been toying with solutions and tweaks to battle the pandemic driven loneliness, and a German farm isn’t far behind! Feeling deprived of human contact? Fear not, for this farm will let you cuddle its sheep. "We have marvellous sheep here who like it very much if they get visitors," Lexa Voss, who runs an educational programme on a farm near Hattingen in western Germany told Reuters. Voss’ plan is to encourage people to get closer to animals. "I allow people to visit the sheep unattended, and have a wonderful time with them in nature and far away from any masks and social distancing”, Voss added. All visitors require prior appointments, but may get as close as they want to the sheep. Even though the sessions are free of charge, visitors may make donations to sustain the farm. (Images and inputs by Reuters)

In pics: COVID making your life blue? You can cuddle with sheep at this German farm!

China remains the hotbed of all things&nbsp;uncanny! Turns out, the next time you’re in the country, your hotel could be harbouring wild animals in an enclosure for your viewing pleasure. The move, which is expected to receive backlash for animal rights activists, is already gaining traction on social media.

A new hotel opened up with enclosures inside holding polar bears on March 12 in China. Local media reported that all rooms in the Harbin Polarland offer a view of the polar bear enclosure inside the hotel.&nbsp;China Daily said that guests can eat and rest with polar bears, which are placed carefully on the other side of reinforced glass.

The newspaper shared photographs of polar bears in an enclosure brightly lit and decorated with faux ice. The enclosure has been developed in line with zoos around the world, for it has large windows from which humans can see the bears.

<img alt="polar bear" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f772faa2-7ac2-4356-9598-28da078bca92" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/oof%20%286%29.jpg" />

Animal activists around the world are increasingly critical of such display enclosures and zoos, claiming that animals belong in the wild and that this lifestyle is ill-suited for the animals.

China, too, has been at&nbsp;the centre of controversies surroundings its treatment of animals since the COVID-19 pandemic began in one of its cities - Wuhan.

<img alt="polar bear" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="be83a8a3-7a2f-4e50-be12-088131083335" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/oof%20%287%29.jpg" />

The virus came from an exotic animal, which was reportedly being kept at the Wuhan wet market. The consumption of exotic animals is common in parts of China. But owing to fears of another zoonotic outbreak, activists all over the world are demanding the closure of such markets.&nbsp;

Scientists believe that the virus was transferred to humans from a bat or a pangolin. Not sure yet, scientists have urged to not consume any wild animals to avert another pandemic.

(With inputs and images from Reuters)

China remains the hotbed of all things uncanny! Turns out, the next time you’re in the country, your hotel could be harbouring wild animals in an enclosure for your viewing pleasure.

China remains the hotbed of all things uncanny! Turns out, the next time you’re in the country, your hotel could be harbouring wild animals in an enclosure for your viewing pleasure. The move, which is expected to receive backlash for animal rights activists, is already gaining traction on social media. A new hotel opened up with enclosures inside holding polar bears on March 12 in China. Local media reported that all rooms in the Harbin Polarland offer a view of the polar bear enclosure inside the hotel. China Daily said that guests can eat and rest with polar bears, which are placed carefully on the other side of reinforced glass. The newspaper shared photographs of polar bears in an enclosure brightly lit and decorated with faux ice. The enclosure has been developed in line with zoos around the world, for it has large windows from which humans can see the bears. Animal activists around the world are increasingly critical of such display enclosures and zoos, claiming that animals belong in the wild and that this lifestyle is ill-suited for the animals. China, too, has been at the centre of controversies surroundings its treatment of animals since the COVID-19 pandemic began in one of its cities - Wuhan. The virus came from an exotic animal, which was reportedly being kept at the Wuhan wet market. The consumption of exotic animals is common in parts of China. But owing to fears of another zoonotic outbreak, activists all over the world are demanding the closure of such markets. Scientists believe that the virus was transferred to humans from a bat or a pangolin. Not sure yet, scientists have urged to not consume any wild animals to avert another pandemic. (With inputs and images from Reuters)

Watch: This hotel in China opened with a private 'polar bear enclosure' for guests

Thai Navy undertakes 'purrfect' rescue to save cats stuck on capsized boat

A critically endangered female black rhino calf was born to mother Bakhita at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia on Wednesday (February 24).

New-born rhino calf takes first wobbly steps in Australian zoo

Taronga Zoo Sydney's first koala joey in over a year has finally emerged from his mother's pouch, zoo officials revealed on Wednesday (February 24).

First koala joey for Australian zoo in over a year emerges, rides on mother's back

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A modern miracle just took place in Oklahoma, United States. A dog was recently born with six legs, and much to the doctors' shock, the animal is surviving against all odds. 
 
The "miracle" was shared by Neel Veterinary Hospital on Facebook, where the dog was born. In the Facebook post, it was explained how the puppy, whose name is Skipper, was able to survive for longer than other dogs who are born with the same issue. 
 
The dog suffers a disorder called "monocephalus dipygus", which explains the 6 legs.
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<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/NeelVeterinaryHospital/posts/3713009785419026" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore">
This is a miracle named Skipper. Literally. She has survived longer than we suspect any other canine has (at just 4 days...
Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NeelVeterinaryHospital/">Neel Veterinary Hospital</a> on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/NeelVeterinaryHospital/posts/3713009785419026">Sunday, 21 February 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

“You might notice she looks a little different - 6 legs! She has a type of congenital conjoining disorders called monocephalus dipygus and monocephalus rachipagus dibrachius tetrapus which simply means she has 1 head and chest cavity but 2 pelvic regions, 2 lower urinary tracts, 2 reproductive systems, 2 tails and 6 legs among other things,” the Facebook post said. 
 
The dog though is in a healthy condition with her organs in great shape.

“Positively, her organs appear to be in great shape, she is peeing and pooping, and is very strong! She nurses well and is growing appropriately so far. All of her legs move and respond to stimulus just like a normal puppy,” the post added. 
 
But it's not all sunny from here on. The dog may need physical therapy to maintain mobility and may need assistance later on in life.

In the Facebook post, the hospital added how they intend to study her condition in-depth to bring relief to her. ''She is doing well at home now'', the post added.

A modern miracle just took place in Oklahoma, United States. A dog was recently born with six legs, and much to the doctors' shock, the animal is surviving against all odds.

A modern miracle just took place in Oklahoma, United States. A dog was recently born with six legs, and much to the doctors' shock, the animal is surviving against all odds. The "miracle" was shared by Neel Veterinary Hospital on Facebook, where the dog was born. In the Facebook post, it was explained how the puppy, whose name is Skipper, was able to survive for longer than other dogs who are born with the same issue. The dog suffers a disorder called "monocephalus dipygus", which explains the 6 legs. This is a miracle named Skipper. Literally. She has survived longer than we suspect any other canine has (at just 4 days... Posted by Neel Veterinary Hospital on Sunday, 21 February 2021 “You might notice she looks a little different - 6 legs! She has a type of congenital conjoining disorders called monocephalus dipygus and monocephalus rachipagus dibrachius tetrapus which simply means she has 1 head and chest cavity but 2 pelvic regions, 2 lower urinary tracts, 2 reproductive systems, 2 tails and 6 legs among other things,” the Facebook post said. The dog though is in a healthy condition with her organs in great shape. “Positively, her organs appear to be in great shape, she is peeing and pooping, and is very strong! She nurses well and is growing appropriately so far. All of her legs move and respond to stimulus just like a normal puppy,” the post added. But it's not all sunny from here on. The dog may need physical therapy to maintain mobility and may need assistance later on in life. In the Facebook post, the hospital added how they intend to study her condition in-depth to bring relief to her. ''She is doing well at home now'', the post added.

'A miracle': Puppy born with six legs beats all odds to survive

Peering through enclosure windows, they were a popular source of entertainment at Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo. But the human visitors haven't been around for a month, since the start of a national coronavirus lockdown in Israel, and the animals miss staring at them, zookeepers say.

Coronavirus lockdown a lonely time for Jerusalem zoo animals

Amsterdam's zoo Artis, one of the oldest animal parks in Europe, said on Thursday it will stop keeping lions because it can't afford them due to the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Amsterdam zoo Artis gives up lions amid coronavirus cash crunch

While most of Reid Park Zoo's animals cosied up in warmth amid a rare snow flurry on Tuesday (January 26), the elephants of this Arizonian zoo decided to stay out for a snowy romp instead.

Elephants take snowy romp in sun-kissed Arizona

Two swans strayed onto a high-speed railway line in Germany. One of the swans got caught in an overhead power cable and died. What happened next was pure love,

The other swan, upon losing its partner, settled on the railway track&nbsp;beside the cold body of its partner, mournings its huge loss.

Officials tried luring the mourning bird away but it would not leave the body of its companion. It sat there for almost an hour till fire-fighters lifted it.

We are often told that swans symbolise true love and this mourning swan showed us why.

Swans mate for life. They are the emblem of love and fidelity. Aphrodite is the Greek god of love and&nbsp;is often depicted riding a swan, or her chariot is drawn by swans.

This story reference is relevant to show that animals and birds too have emotions, and are&nbsp;sensitive. They, too,&nbsp;feel pain and they feel it strongly.

Some time ago, a German photographer captured two widowed penguins comforting each other in Australia.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/spate-of-bird-flu-outbreak-in-europe-swans-go-into-quarantine-in-belgium-344451">WATCH|</a>

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It says so much about the compassion these creatures feel. Humans, too, need to be more compassionate towards birds and animals.&nbsp;

The fire-fighters showed compassion and let the swan mourn the loss of its companion. As a result, 23 trains were delayed. The officials waited 50 minutes before lifting the dead swan and its mourning partner was released onto a river.

Two swans strayed onto a high-speed railway line in Germany. One of the swans got caught in an overhead power cable and died. What happened next was pure love, The other swan, upon losing its partner, settled on the railway track beside the cold body of its partner, mournings its huge loss.

Two swans strayed onto a high-speed railway line in Germany. One of the swans got caught in an overhead power cable and died. What happened next was pure love, The other swan, upon losing its partner, settled on the railway track beside the cold body of its partner, mournings its huge loss. Officials tried luring the mourning bird away but it would not leave the body of its companion. It sat there for almost an hour till fire-fighters lifted it. We are often told that swans symbolise true love and this mourning swan showed us why. Swans mate for life. They are the emblem of love and fidelity. Aphrodite is the Greek god of love and is often depicted riding a swan, or her chariot is drawn by swans. This story reference is relevant to show that animals and birds too have emotions, and are sensitive. They, too, feel pain and they feel it strongly. Some time ago, a German photographer captured two widowed penguins comforting each other in Australia. WATCH| × It says so much about the compassion these creatures feel. Humans, too, need to be more compassionate towards birds and animals. The fire-fighters showed compassion and let the swan mourn the loss of its companion. As a result, 23 trains were delayed. The officials waited 50 minutes before lifting the dead swan and its mourning partner was released onto a river.

True love: Swan mourning on tracks leads to delay in 23 trains

Two giant pandas welcomed frost in their enclosure, the CCTV camera of Moscow Zoo showed their reactions to the ice crust covering pounds on Monday (July 31).

Pandas in Moscow zoo enjoy first ice

"Ichiha" and "Popo" are two red pandas who have become the novelty of a Chilean zoo hosting them as part of a conservation project for their endangered species.

Chilean zoo welcomes two red pandas

London Zoo reopened its gates on Wednesday (December 2) as England emerged from a month-long coronavirus lockdown.

London Zoo brings festive cheer as it reopens after lockdown

Beavers are back - literally! For the first time in 400 years, beavers have built a dam in Exmoor, England. Beavers are semi-aquatic rodents, and they were introduced into the region by the National Trust, who also undertook restoration work in the area.

The dam was spotted at the Holnicote Estate close to Minehead in England. These were also the first beavers to be released into the wild by the trust in 125 years of its existence.&nbsp;The dam creation process includes collection of vegetation.&nbsp;After they moved into a 2.7 acre enclosure in January, the trust, along with the Exeter University have been monitoring them.

SkyNews reported that local workers and rangers have referred to the beavers as “ecosystem engineers” for they have successfully created a wetland just nine months after water was introduced.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/wuhan-food-markets-are-selling-wild-animals-again-324272" hreflang="en">Wuhan food markets are selling wild animals, again</a>

The construction done by beavers has created deep pools of water - which not only provides animals protection from predators but also a safe place to hoard food.

Humans also get the benefits of this creation. Beaver dams are capable of preventing flood, as they slow down the stream water and then store water as it flows. The project manager, Ben Eardley told Sky News that owing to the ongoing climate crisis which continues to worse, beaver dams are one of many solutions.

He referred to the dam as “incredibly special”, and says that the appearance of such dams is testimony to the changing landscape.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/fatal-crashes-including-wild-animals-dipped-by-over-50-due-to-coronavirus-restrictions-says-study-324252" hreflang="en">Fatal crashes including wild animals dipped by over 50% due to coronavirus restrictions, says study</a>

Even though the dam has been in place for only a few weeks, it has been able to create a wetland! Eardley claims that they have spotted kingfishers. With the extension of habitat, they expect to see amphibians, insects, bats, and birds.

While referring to the rain that took place in the region recently, he said that this is testimony to the role played by beavers in engineering the landscape.

In the 16th century, beavers became extinct in the UK, for they were hunted for fur, meat, and scent glands. Over the last 20 years, the animals have been reintroduced in the country.

Beavers are back - literally! For the first time in 400 years, beavers have built a dam in Exmoor, England. Beavers are semi-aquatic rodents, and they were introduced into the region by the National Trust, who also undertook restoration work in the area.

Beavers are back - literally! For the first time in 400 years, beavers have built a dam in Exmoor, England. Beavers are semi-aquatic rodents, and they were introduced into the region by the National Trust, who also undertook restoration work in the area. The dam was spotted at the Holnicote Estate close to Minehead in England. These were also the first beavers to be released into the wild by the trust in 125 years of its existence. The dam creation process includes collection of vegetation. After they moved into a 2.7 acre enclosure in January, the trust, along with the Exeter University have been monitoring them. SkyNews reported that local workers and rangers have referred to the beavers as “ecosystem engineers” for they have successfully created a wetland just nine months after water was introduced. Also read: Wuhan food markets are selling wild animals, again The construction done by beavers has created deep pools of water - which not only provides animals protection from predators but also a safe place to hoard food. Humans also get the benefits of this creation. Beaver dams are capable of preventing flood, as they slow down the stream water and then store water as it flows. The project manager, Ben Eardley told Sky News that owing to the ongoing climate crisis which continues to worse, beaver dams are one of many solutions. He referred to the dam as “incredibly special”, and says that the appearance of such dams is testimony to the changing landscape. Also read: Fatal crashes including wild animals dipped by over 50% due to coronavirus restrictions, says study Even though the dam has been in place for only a few weeks, it has been able to create a wetland! Eardley claims that they have spotted kingfishers. With the extension of habitat, they expect to see amphibians, insects, bats, and birds. While referring to the rain that took place in the region recently, he said that this is testimony to the role played by beavers in engineering the landscape. In the 16th century, beavers became extinct in the UK, for they were hunted for fur, meat, and scent glands. Over the last 20 years, the animals have been reintroduced in the country.

'Ecosystem engineers': Beavers create first dam in Exmoor, England in over 400 years!

Ed Miller and Mary Nguyen are Silicon Valley software developers by day, but moonlight at solving an unusually fuzzy problem.

A few years ago the pair became mesmerized, like many of us, by an Alaskan webcam broadcasting brown bears from Katmai National Park. They also happened to be seeking a project to hone their machine learning expertise.

“We thought, machine learning is really great at identifying people, what could it do for bears?” Miller said. Could artificial intelligence used for face recognition be harnessed to discern one bear face from another?

At Knight Inlet in British Columbia, Canada, Melanie Clapham was pondering the same question. Clapham, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Victoria working with Chris Darimont of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, was keen to explore face recognition technology as an aid to her grizzly bear studies. But her expertise was bear biology, not AI.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/reducing-greenhouse-gas-emission-even-to-zero-wont-stop-global-warming-study-342988" hreflang="en">Reducing greenhouse gas emission even to zero won't stop global warming: Study</a>

Fortuitously, the four found a match on Wildlabs.net, an online broker of collaborations between technologists and conservationists. Combining their skill sets, Miller and Nguyen volunteered spare time over several years for this passion project that would eventually bear fruit, reporting the results of their experiment last week in the journal Ecology and Evolution. The project they produced, BearID, could help conservationists monitor the health of bear populations in various parts of the world, and perhaps aid work with other animals, too.

They got started by looking for other animals that had gotten the deep learning treatment.

“In typical engineering fashion, we’re always looking for a shortcut,” Miller said.

They discovered “dog hipsterizer,” a program that found the faces, eyes and noses of dogs in photos and placed rimmed glasses and mustaches on them. “That was where we started,” Nguyen said.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/researchers-find-method-to-rapidly-clear-alcohol-from-lungs-by-breathing-342882" hreflang="en">Researchers find method to rapidly clear alcohol from lungs by breathing</a>

Although trained on dogs, dog hipsterizer worked reasonably well on the similarly shaped faces of bears, giving them a programming head start. Nevertheless, Nguyen said, the work’s initial stages were tedious. Creating a training data set for the deep learning program involved examining over 4,000 photos with bears in them and then manually highlighting each bear’s eyes, nose and ears by drawing boxes around them so the program could learn to find these features.

The system also had to overcome a challenge of brown bears’ physical appearance.

To monitor populations, “we have to be able to recognize individuals,” said Clapham. But bears don’t have any feature comparable to a fingerprint, such as a zebra’s stripes or a giraffe’s spots.

From 4,675 fully labeled bear faces on DSLR photographs, taken from research and bear-viewing sites at Brooks River, Alabama, and Knight Inlet, they randomly split images into training and testing data sets. Once trained from 3,740 bear faces, deep learning went to work “unsupervised,” Clapham said, to see how well it could spot differences between known bears from 935 photographs.

First, the deep learning algorithm finds the bear face using distinctive landmarks like eyes, nose tip, ears and forehead top. Then the app rotates the face to extract, encode and classify facial features.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canadas-health-chief-fears-for-peoples-mental-health-as-alcohol-consumption-spikes-304145#:~:text=Canada's%20consumption%20of%20alcohol%20and,bigger%20problem%20of%20mental%20fatigue.">Canada's health chief fears for people's mental health as alcohol consumption spikes</a>

The system identified bears at an accuracy rate of 84%, correctly distinguishing between known bears such as Lucky, Toffee, Flora and Steve.

But how does it actually tell those bears apart? Before the era of deep learning, “we tried to imagine how humans perceive faces and how we distinguish individuals,” said Alexander Loos, a research engineer at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology, in Germany, who was not involved in the study but has collaborated with Clapham in the past. Programmers would manually input face descriptors into a computer.

But with deep learning, programmers input the images into a neural network that figures out how best to identify individuals. “The network itself extracts the features,” Loos said, which is a huge advantage.

He also cautioned that, “It’s basically a black box. You don’t know what it’s doing,” and that if the data set being examined is unintentionally biased, certain errors can emerge.

For instance, if some bears are photographed more often in light than in dark conditions, the lighting difference can cause misclassification of the bears. (Data bias can be a problem in human facial recognition by AI, with misidentifications known to be more likely for people of color).

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/gene-within-gene-scientists-make-worrying-discovery-about-coronavirus-nucleotides-342539" hreflang="en">'Gene within gene': Scientists make worrying discovery about coronavirus nucleotides</a>

Whatever BearID is really doing, Clapham, who recognizes many Knight Inlet bears by sight, was surprised and encouraged by where the program fell short.

“The bears that I confused, the network confused as well,” she said, suggesting that the app behaves similarly to the neural network in her brain.

However, this first release of BearID is just the start. She hopes the open-source application will become more accurate with more inputs, use and time.

The app is of great interest to the Knight Inlet Lodge in Glendale Cove, which has run grizzly bear tours for decades, and its current owner, the Nanwakolas Council, whose members come from First Nations of Canada.

“Fifteen years ago when we started doing land use planning, there was just one provincial bear health expert for the whole province,” said Kikaxklalagee / Dallas Smith, the president of Nanwakolas Council and a member of the Tlowitsis Nation. That hampered the Nations’ understanding of the health of bears on their territory. He said he felt excited that this “Jason Bourne-ish” technology would allow for more informed stewardship of bears. “We’re trying to make it a sustainable, limited footprint operation.”

And BearID may not stop with North American bears, as Clapham is already in conversation with others keen to use it for species like sloth bears, sun bears and Asiatic bears, as well as wolves.

“What we’d love is that one day we have somewhere where people can upload camera trap images and the system tells you not only what species you’ve seen, but also what individual you’ve seen,” and maybe its sex and age as well, she said.

Ed Miller and Mary Nguyen are Silicon Valley software developers by day, but moonlight at solving an unusually fuzzy problem. A few years ago the pair became mesmerized, like many of us, by an Alaskan webcam broadcasting brown bears from Katmai National Park.

Ed Miller and Mary Nguyen are Silicon Valley software developers by day, but moonlight at solving an unusually fuzzy problem. A few years ago the pair became mesmerized, like many of us, by an Alaskan webcam broadcasting brown bears from Katmai National Park. They also happened to be seeking a project to hone their machine learning expertise. “We thought, machine learning is really great at identifying people, what could it do for bears?” Miller said. Could artificial intelligence used for face recognition be harnessed to discern one bear face from another? At Knight Inlet in British Columbia, Canada, Melanie Clapham was pondering the same question. Clapham, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Victoria working with Chris Darimont of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, was keen to explore face recognition technology as an aid to her grizzly bear studies. But her expertise was bear biology, not AI. Also read| Reducing greenhouse gas emission even to zero won't stop global warming: Study Fortuitously, the four found a match on Wildlabs.net, an online broker of collaborations between technologists and conservationists. Combining their skill sets, Miller and Nguyen volunteered spare time over several years for this passion project that would eventually bear fruit, reporting the results of their experiment last week in the journal Ecology and Evolution. The project they produced, BearID, could help conservationists monitor the health of bear populations in various parts of the world, and perhaps aid work with other animals, too. They got started by looking for other animals that had gotten the deep learning treatment. “In typical engineering fashion, we’re always looking for a shortcut,” Miller said. They discovered “dog hipsterizer,” a program that found the faces, eyes and noses of dogs in photos and placed rimmed glasses and mustaches on them. “That was where we started,” Nguyen said. Also read| Researchers find method to rapidly clear alcohol from lungs by breathing Although trained on dogs, dog hipsterizer worked reasonably well on the similarly shaped faces of bears, giving them a programming head start. Nevertheless, Nguyen said, the work’s initial stages were tedious. Creating a training data set for the deep learning program involved examining over 4,000 photos with bears in them and then manually highlighting each bear’s eyes, nose and ears by drawing boxes around them so the program could learn to find these features. The system also had to overcome a challenge of brown bears’ physical appearance. To monitor populations, “we have to be able to recognize individuals,” said Clapham. But bears don’t have any feature comparable to a fingerprint, such as a zebra’s stripes or a giraffe’s spots. From 4,675 fully labeled bear faces on DSLR photographs, taken from research and bear-viewing sites at Brooks River, Alabama, and Knight Inlet, they randomly split images into training and testing data sets. Once trained from 3,740 bear faces, deep learning went to work “unsupervised,” Clapham said, to see how well it could spot differences between known bears from 935 photographs. First, the deep learning algorithm finds the bear face using distinctive landmarks like eyes, nose tip, ears and forehead top. Then the app rotates the face to extract, encode and classify facial features. Also read | Canada's health chief fears for people's mental health as alcohol consumption spikes The system identified bears at an accuracy rate of 84%, correctly distinguishing between known bears such as Lucky, Toffee, Flora and Steve. But how does it actually tell those bears apart? Before the era of deep learning, “we tried to imagine how humans perceive faces and how we distinguish individuals,” said Alexander Loos, a research engineer at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology, in Germany, who was not involved in the study but has collaborated with Clapham in the past. Programmers would manually input face descriptors into a computer. But with deep learning, programmers input the images into a neural network that figures out how best to identify individuals. “The network itself extracts the features,” Loos said, which is a huge advantage. He also cautioned that, “It’s basically a black box. You don’t know what it’s doing,” and that if the data set being examined is unintentionally biased, certain errors can emerge. For instance, if some bears are photographed more often in light than in dark conditions, the lighting difference can cause misclassification of the bears. (Data bias can be a problem in human facial recognition by AI, with misidentifications known to be more likely for people of color). Also read| 'Gene within gene': Scientists make worrying discovery about coronavirus nucleotides Whatever BearID is really doing, Clapham, who recognizes many Knight Inlet bears by sight, was surprised and encouraged by where the program fell short. “The bears that I confused, the network confused as well,” she said, suggesting that the app behaves similarly to the neural network in her brain. However, this first release of BearID is just the start. She hopes the open-source application will become more accurate with more inputs, use and time. The app is of great interest to the Knight Inlet Lodge in Glendale Cove, which has run grizzly bear tours for decades, and its current owner, the Nanwakolas Council, whose members come from First Nations of Canada. “Fifteen years ago when we started doing land use planning, there was just one provincial bear health expert for the whole province,” said Kikaxklalagee / Dallas Smith, the president of Nanwakolas Council and a member of the Tlowitsis Nation. That hampered the Nations’ understanding of the health of bears on their territory. He said he felt excited that this “Jason Bourne-ish” technology would allow for more informed stewardship of bears. “We’re trying to make it a sustainable, limited footprint operation.” And BearID may not stop with North American bears, as Clapham is already in conversation with others keen to use it for species like sloth bears, sun bears and Asiatic bears, as well as wolves. “What we’d love is that one day we have somewhere where people can upload camera trap images and the system tells you not only what species you’ve seen, but also what individual you’ve seen,” and maybe its sex and age as well, she said.

Training facial recognition on some new furry friends: Bears

Have zoo animals become so used to the sound of humanity that they no longer prefer natural noises? A group of researchers seem to think so. In Finland, a group of monkeys exhibited a preference for the sounds of traffic over the sound of nature.

At the Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki, a monkey enclosure was fitted with sensors. The white-faced saki monkeys were then given the option to choose between a playlist loaded with traffic noises, nature, rain, and dance music among many.

In pics:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/8-animals-you-didnt-know-could-sing-312908" hreflang="en">8 animals you didn't know could sing!</a>

Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, a researcher at the Aalto University in&nbsp;Finland, told Sky News that they were surprised to find that the monkeys preferred traffic sounds more than the apperceived calming sounds.

Among monkeys, the traffic playlist was the top hit. While the playlist played, monkeys groomed themselves, and even slept with he sounds on. This is peculiar because they did not perform any of these activities while listening to other playlists.

According to the zoo’s research coordinator - Kirsi Pynnonen, the noise on roads mimics patterns and mechanisms in which animals communicate with each other.

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She told Sky News that animals employ “high-pitched hissing, squeaking, and croaking to stay in contact with each other”.

The experiment was done as part of an ongoing research which intends to understand how technology can be employed to improve the condition of animals that live in captivity.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/russia-spreads-fake-news-about-oxfords-covid-19-vaccine-claims-it-turns-humans-into-monkeys-335768" hreflang="en">Russia spreads fake news about Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine; claims it turns humans into monkeys</a>

Dr Hirskyj-Douglas signalled that this is just the beginning, and that later animals could control lighting and temperature settings, and even play games on their own.

Next up, the team of researchers will set up screens to offer monkeys the chance to watch what they wish to see on the big screen.

Have zoo animals become so used to the sound of humanity that they no longer prefer natural noises? A group of researchers seem to think so. In Finland, a group of monkeys exhibited a preference for the sounds of traffic over the sound of nature.

Have zoo animals become so used to the sound of humanity that they no longer prefer natural noises? A group of researchers seem to think so. In Finland, a group of monkeys exhibited a preference for the sounds of traffic over the sound of nature. At the Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki, a monkey enclosure was fitted with sensors. The white-faced saki monkeys were then given the option to choose between a playlist loaded with traffic noises, nature, rain, and dance music among many. In pics: 8 animals you didn't know could sing! Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, a researcher at the Aalto University in Finland, told Sky News that they were surprised to find that the monkeys preferred traffic sounds more than the apperceived calming sounds. Among monkeys, the traffic playlist was the top hit. While the playlist played, monkeys groomed themselves, and even slept with he sounds on. This is peculiar because they did not perform any of these activities while listening to other playlists. According to the zoo’s research coordinator - Kirsi Pynnonen, the noise on roads mimics patterns and mechanisms in which animals communicate with each other. Also read: Scientists just developed spray-on bandages! She told Sky News that animals employ “high-pitched hissing, squeaking, and croaking to stay in contact with each other”. The experiment was done as part of an ongoing research which intends to understand how technology can be employed to improve the condition of animals that live in captivity. Also read: Russia spreads fake news about Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine; claims it turns humans into monkeys Dr Hirskyj-Douglas signalled that this is just the beginning, and that later animals could control lighting and temperature settings, and even play games on their own. Next up, the team of researchers will set up screens to offer monkeys the chance to watch what they wish to see on the big screen.

Monkeys in a Finnish zoo preferred noise of traffic over nature, ongoing study finds

A clutch of critically-endangered water frogs rescued from a muddy puddle in Chile's driest desert has birthed 200 offspring at the country's national zoo, the Chilean government announced on Wednesday (October 21).

Chile celebrates breeding of endangered Loa water frogs

Pet paramedic Wong Kam-cheong is about to hit the road in his pet ambulance, off to make a house call to pick up a dog. Wong is part of a team of about a dozen pet paramedics in Hong Kong driving a fleet of three pet ambulances around the city with a mission to rescue cats and dogs in need of medical care.

Hong Kong pet ambulance service aims to rescue four-legged friends

At her home in the western suburbs of Sydney, Tracey, a WIRES or Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service, volunteer looks after two rare koala joey twins and their mother Gladys, who were captured after urban development encroached on their habitat.

The fight for survival for New South Wales koalas

Coronavirus-wary animal owners in the Philippines had their pets blessed via a drive-through ceremony on Sunday to mark World Animal Day and the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Pandemic prompts drive-through pet blessing in Philippines

Some extremely cute additions have arrived at Lima's Parque de Leyendas zoo after the recent hatching of two penguin chicks and the birth of a baby alpaca.

Penguin chicks and a baby alpaca the newest additions to Peru zoo

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