Animals

A lost dog was found after living more than 6 years in the woods

1:45pm December 20, 2023

by Michel Martin

Rose was found after six and a half years living in the woods. Neighbors told rescuers they'd been feeding the stray terrier for years. Rose had run away from home in West Sussex, England.

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Debate continues over changing the Florida state bird

7:22pm December 19, 2023

by Regan McCarthy

For decades, there's been an effort to change the state bird of Florida — now a mockingbird — to something a little more unique to the state. But pushback has been long and intense.

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Why suicide rates are high among veterinary professionals

4:43pm December 19, 2023

by Anna Spidel

High stress levels and suicide rates are an issue among veterinary professionals. Experts say occupational stressors like burnout and compassion fatigue — access to euthanasia drugs — play a part.

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Gray wolves reintroduced to Colorado 80 years after they were eradicated in the state

5:06am December 19, 2023

by Sam Brasch

Five gray wolves now have a new home in Colorado. It's part of a plan to restore biodiversity and reintroduce the predators, 80 years after they were eradicated in the state.

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A Kentucky family found a baby owl in their Christmas tree

5:52am December 18, 2023

by A Martínez

A family in Kentucky completely missed the baby owl in their Christmas tree. The little owl had been there, unnoticed for four days. It was released and hopefully found another tree to call home.

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Science

Cats play fetch, too — as long as they're in control, a study finds

5:11pm December 15, 2023

by Diba Mohtasham

A new study showed that cats fetched objects instinctively, in the absence of overt training. Fetching is defined as when the animal retrieves an object that's thrown.

This week in science: dunking birds, a hole in the sun and lack of emoji biodiversity

5:35pm December 14, 2023

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Regina Barber and Viet Le of Short Wave about parrots dunking food in water, a giant hole in the sun and the lifeforms neglected by emoji makers.

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An American bald eagle flies over Mill Pond while carrying a newly caught fish on July 21, 2018 in Centerport, New York.

National

Two men charged with killing approximately 3,600 birds, including bald eagles

4:58pm December 14, 2023

by Diba Mohtasham

One of the men charged bragged about going on a "killing spree" to to get feathers from eagles for future sales.

New research suggests that zebra finches must sing a lot to maintain top-tier singing performances.

These songbirds sing for hours a day to keep their vocal muscles in shape

9:00am December 13, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Zebra finches who did not sing every day quickly lose their vocal prowess, a new study finds. The results could potentially shed light on vocal rehabilitation for humans, too.

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Orphaned sea otter found in Alaska has a new home in Chicago

5:20am December 13, 2023

by Steve Inskeep

An orphaned sea otter pup was wounded, dehydrated and malnourished when people in Seward, Alaska, found him. He was taken on a cross-country trip and now has a new home at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium.