All posts tagged "Animaux"

Washington (AFP) - Humans are driving the loss of entire branches of the "Tree of Life," according to a new study published on Monday which warns of the threat of a sixth mass extinction.  "The extinction crisis is as bad as the climate change crisis. It is not recognized," said Gerardo Ceballos, professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and co-author of the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).  "What is at stake is the future of mankind," he told AFP.  The study is unique because instead of merely examining the loss of a species, it exami......

Los Angeles (AFP) - Wanted: one ornery sea otter that has been attacking California surfers and commandeering their boards. Wildlife authorities in the city of Santa Cruz, about a 90-minute drive south of San Francisco, have actually posted a warning to the public about the creature, which they say is a five-year-old female. She has been attacking surfers for weeks but of late her marauding has risen to a new level. In a stunning video posted Monday on Twitter, the otter climbs up on one surfer's board, and hangs on as he tries to shake and roll it to get her off. At one point the otter lunges......

Washington (AFP) - New York's Central Park has a statue dedicated to him, and there's even been a movie about him: a sled dog named Balto. Now he is the focus of a DNA study, 90 years after he died, to see what made the pooch so famously tough. In 1925, this Siberian husky was part of an expedition in Alaska called the serum run, the goal of which was to bring life-saving medicine to young people in the remote town of Nome that were threatened by diphtheria. The mission in horrendous blizzards conditions involved a series of sled dog teams transporting the anti-toxin relay-style from the city ......

Ferndale (United States) (AFP) - In New York, one of the most celebrated culinary centers in the world, a war over foie gras is pitting the city, backed by animal rights activists, against duck farmers and restaurant owners, whose position is supported by the state. Karen Frommer, enjoying a meal at an upscale restaurant in Manhattan, shrugs when asked about the Big Apple's ban on the sale, consumption and possession of the controversial delicacy. "We will never be able to deal with vegans at all," the 78-year-old tells AFP. "But if they are always focused on the feeding of the ducks, let them......

New York (AFP) - A "very lethargic" alligator was captured in a New York park, city officials said Monday, likely released by its owner far away from the species' warmer habitat in the southeast United States. The reptile was spotted Sunday morning in Prospect Park, a favorite place for Brooklyn residents to picnic and stroll with their pets, especially when winter temperatures are in the 50s Fahrenheit (10-15 Celsius) like over the holiday weekend. Rangers captured the four-foot-long (1.2 meters) alligator, which was "found very lethargic and possibly cold shocked," New York City Parks said i......