22 Asiatic black bears had spent their entire lives locked in small metal cages at a South Korean breeding farm. In this horrific place, not only were they prisoners, but their gallbladders and bile were harvested and marketed as cures for sore throats, cancer, and more recently, as a coronavirus treatment. “They lived in the […]
Tag: coronavirus
POLL: Should experimental coronavirus vaccine be tested on zoo animals?
According to the New York Times, in early July an experimental coronavirus vaccine for animals began making its rounds at the Oakland Zoo in California. During the course of the summer, about 100 zoo animals are going to receive the vaccine, including mountain lions, ferrets, bears, and tigers. The veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis is donating […]
China Seizes Two Tonnes Of Smuggled Pangolin Scales
Customs agents in southwest China have seized 2.2 tonnes of pangolin scales and busted an endangered wildlife smuggling gang, state media reported. Two suspects were detained in the city of Yulin in Guangxi by customs officers, who also seized two kilograms of pangolin paws, the People’s Daily said Tuesday. The pangolin scales had been smuggled […]
Raccoon Dogs Electrocuted in Fur Farms in China
The Mirror reports that raccoon dogs at a Chinese fur farm were electrocuted incorrectly, enduring brutal pain and consciousness throughout the ordeal. Experts warn about the conditions on 13 fur farms in China that have similar dangerous conditions. Campaigners from Humane Society International (HSI) filmed scenes at the largest fur-producing country in the world to bring […]
WHO Calls for Live Wild Animal Market Ban
Sky News reports that the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for a ban on the sale of live wild animals in food markets. This statement came after a visit to Wuhan, China, after scientists identified a local market as the origin of the coronavirus. The United Nations agency urged countries to suspend the sale […]
Botswana offers rights to kill 287 elephants in bid to boost stalled hunting industry
GABORONE (BLOOMBERG) – Botswana is offering rights to shoot 287 elephants as the southern African country, which has the world’s biggest population of the animals, tries to breathe life into a hunting industry stalled by the Covid-19 outbreak. The hunting season will begin on April 6, with licences to kill leopards, zebras and buffaloes also […]
Alleged poachers walk free from justice because police failed to summon them
Around a dozen alleged poachers have dodged justice because police failed to summon them to court for more than two years. Police and court sources told Times of Malta that an internal police probe is being conducted into the Environmental Protection Unit, which handles hunting and trapping crimes, after several court cases fell through this […]
First COVID-19 cases in zoo gorillas raise alarm about wild populations
Two gorillas at San Diego Zoo in California have tested positive for COVID-19, in the first reported cases of great apes contracting the novel coronavirus. Three of the primates showed symptoms as of this week, and zoo authorities have not ruled out other troop members also being infected. Since the pandemic broke out last year, […]