Mental health is defined as “a person’s condition about their psychological well-being.” Mental health disorders include but are not limited to mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, dementia, and autism. Many things cause mental health issues. Mental health disorders and issues can be inherited such as bipolar disorder. But some mental health issues are caused by a combination of environmental, physiological, … Continue reading Mental Health: The Causes and Effects

Australia’s endemic platypus was reintroduced Friday into the country’s oldest national park south of Sydney as part of a landmark conservation project after disappearing from the region more than half a century ago. The platypus is known for its beak, webbed feet, and poisonous spores. It is one of only two egg-laying mammals in the world and spends most of its time in the water … Continue reading Platypus

The Colorado Parks and Conservation Commission unanimously approved the final draft of the agency’s wolf recovery and management plan. This comes after nearly two years of gathering feedback from various stakeholders, including ranchers, scientists, conservationists, wolf experts, and community members.   “The plan developed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife is a significant step toward reintroducing gray wolves to Colorado,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, CEO of Defenders … Continue reading Gray Wolves

Ya Ya the Giant panda came to the United States (US) 20 years ago as a fluffy gesture of friendly relations between China and the US. But she returned home on Thursday and made headlines for the nationalist frenzy online. The news of her landing in Shanghai has raised concerns about Ya Ya’s care and condition at Tennessee’s Memphis Zoo as well as Yaya’s iconic … Continue reading Ya Ya the Giant Panda

SAN DIEGO – A sea lion by the name of Freeway was unstoppable. He looked at restaurants by the water, zipped down a congested city street, and waddled into a city creek. Finally, scientists at SeaWorld San Diego claimed that a growing illness had caused enough harm that the park decided to put him to sleep in order to save him pain. “It is with … Continue reading Freeway

Lolita the orca will be returned to her “home waters” to live out the remainder of her days, more than 50 years after she was captured in the Pacific Ocean and kept for years at the Miami Seaquarium.  The Miami Seaquarium, the Florida nonprofit organization Friends of Lolita, and Jim Irsay, the philanthropist and owner of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, revealed Lolita’s hopeful outcome at … Continue reading Lolita the Orca

Four otters on the California coast were killed by a rare and extraordinarily potent type of a parasite typically found in cat feces, a discovery that researchers described as unprecedented and potentially harmful to people and other animals on Wednesday.  The rare strain of the parasite, known as Toxoplasma gondii, has never before been found in sea otters or any other aquatic mammal or bird, … Continue reading Otters

Officials said this week that an 8-foot alligator that was reportedly seized from a Texas zoo two decades ago and kept as a pet had recently been returned.  According to the zoo and the Texas Game Wardens, the alligator was returned to the Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo in New Braunfels on Friday.  According to Jen Shugert, a spokesman for Game Wardens, it was … Continue reading Texas Alligator

Following years of alleged carelessness, a lack of funding, and animal fatalities that activists highlighted, Puerto Rico is closing the U.S. territory’s sole zoo. Since hurricanes Irma and Maria tore across the island in September 2017, the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo in the western coastal town of Mayaguez has been closed, raising concerns from campaigners about the zoo’s more than 300 animals and their … Continue reading Puerto Rico Zoo’s

On Thursday, an Andean bear at the St. Louis Zoo broke out of his enclosure for the second time this month. This particular bear is physically unique. That’s because of the rings of light fur around its eyes, which can resemble eyeglasses (or spectacles) when compared to the rest of the bear’s black or dark brown fur, which is why the Andean bear of South … Continue reading St. Louis Zoo Escape