Bird flu is a mass killer, and mink farms are perfect for infection and transmission. Should they be banned?

Bird flu is a mass killer, and mink farms are perfect for infection and transmission. Should they be banned?

If you wanted to kill as many people as possible, deniably and with no criminal consequences, what would you do? You’d do well to start with a bird flu. Bird flus are responsible for all the known flu pandemics: the great influenza that started more than a century ago, “Asian flu”, “Hong Kong flu” and […]

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Debate over radical plan to farm kangaroos in Australia – Should it be legalized?

Debate over radical plan to farm kangaroos in Australia – Should it be legalized?

Kangaroos would be farmed across Australia under a radical new plan advocates say would create income for landholders and better animal welfare outcomes. While many farmers shoot macropods, like kangaroos and wallabies, to make way for livestock and crops, the proposal would see pastoralists paid to retain and “manage” them. In an upcoming paper, Professor George […]

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POLL: Should the ‘Glorious Twelfth’, which is on the brink after a poor grouse breeding season, be cancelled and permanently banned?

POLL: Should the ‘Glorious Twelfth’, which is on the brink after a poor grouse breeding season, be cancelled and permanently banned?

The “Glorious Twelfth” may be effectively cancelled this year, shooting estates have said, as the grouse breeding season has been so poor. Hard frosts while the birds were laying has meant that fewer were born, and some eggs are still yet to hatch. Sleet and cold rain during the hatching season earlier this summer caused […]

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POLL: Should invasive animal species, which have cost UK economy more than £5bn over past 50 years, be culled?

POLL: Should invasive animal species, which have cost UK economy more than £5bn over past 50 years, be culled?

Alien invaders in the shape of animals and plants have cost the UK more than £5billion over the past 50 years, researchers estimate. The grey squirrel, European rabbit and Japanese knotweed are among the newcomers placing a financial strain on the economy. And they warn that the cost ‑ one of the highest in Europe […]

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POLL: Should the gathering and removal of over 3,500 wild horses in Southwest Wyoming be allowed?

POLL: Should the gathering and removal of over 3,500 wild horses in Southwest Wyoming be allowed?

ROCK SPRINGS — The Bureau of Land Management is planning to gather and remove approximately 3,555 wild horses from the Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, Great Divide Basin, White Mountain and Little Colorado herd management areas this fall. The gather is necessary to return the five HMAs to the appropriate management level, and any mares […]

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POLL: Coyote-killing contests have been outlawed in several states – should they be banned nationwide?

POLL: Coyote-killing contests have been outlawed in several states – should they be banned nationwide?

Nevada wildlife officials are considering a ban on coyote-killing contests, which have been outlawed in several other states. In question is whether the competitions are acceptable wildlife conservation measures or brutal examples of cruelty to animals. Emotions run high on both sides of the issue. The rules of a coyote-killing contest are simple: kill as […]

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