Hannah: Hello, animal lovers! Welcome back! Alright, Jenna, start us off with some bear-able news.
Jenna: Funny you should mention bears – I have just the article for that. Near Lake Tahoe, deputies responded to a call about a bear cub that was trapped in a dumpster and wailing for help. When they arrived, the cub’s mother and sibling had not left the cub’s side. By opening up the dumpster and supplying a ladder, deputies were able to help the cub find its way out of the dumpster to rejoin its family.
Hannah: I love happy endings! In other news, wild African elephants and animal advocates are celebrating this week as news breaks that extensive limits will be placed on the exportation of these gentle giants.
Jenna: African elephants will benefit from this, almost complete, ban international leaders have passed.
Hannah: Absolutely! These are intellectual and emotionally complex animals. Often times, baby elephants will be taken from their herd and shipped internationally for entertainment purposes. This is not only harmful to the young, but their families as well. Elephants are known to mourn over their losses. With these new limitations in place, there must be proof of conservational benefit in order for exportation to be approved.
Jenna: That is an overall win for African elephants! Would now be a good time for a joke?
Hannah: I’d say so!
Jenna: Why doesn’t the elephant use the computer?
Hannah: You’ve got me. Why?
Jenna: Because it is afraid of the mouse!
Hannah: Okay, that’s a pretty good one. I’ll have to try that one on my family! Well, plant-based meats have intrigued the public. The well-known fast food restaurant Kentucky Fried Chicken tried out their first ever plant-based chicken on customers in Atlanta, Georgia. The line of customers wrapped around the building before the restaurant even opened and the product sold out within five hours!
Jenna: It sounds like that was a successful test run. I read about the need to eliminate cross-contamination through separate fryers, so it might be a little while before KFC is able to put this vegan option in all of its locations. I will be patiently awaiting the day it arrives.
Hannah: Me too. I’ve heard great reviews!
Jenna: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Brazil has reported the death of over 500 million bees in just 3 months! This comes shortly after the approval of hundreds of pesticides.
Hannah: Exposure to these pesticides are plummeting bee populations, a species that is often misunderstood. Bees hold an important role in the environment; they pollinate a ton of our food! Without them, we would lose fruits, vegetables, and, not to mention, honey!
Jenna: We have to protect those little guys! Well, I think it’s time we ought to buzzzz out of here.
Hannah: Sounds good! See you next week!
250 Escaped Pigs Run Rogue Through Vermont Town, Hot Dog Buns Help Lure Them Back from HuffPost
Why More Dogs and Cats Are Making It Out of Shelters Alive from The New York Times
Deputies rescue bear cub trapped in dumpster near Lake Tahoe from ABC News
From Timid Street Pup to Confident Therapy Dog from ASPCA News
Why forest elephant extinction will make climate change much worse from World Economic Forum
Family Hears a ‘Thump’ And Can’t Believe What Falls From Ceiling from The Dodo
African Elephants Can No Longer Be Caught In The Wild And Sent To Faraway Zoos from National Geographic
She thought she had water in her ear. It was a venomous brown recluse spider. from The Washington Post
Half a billion bees dead as Brazil approves hundreds more pesticides from Mongabay
KFC’s first-ever Beyond Chicken sold out completely in five hours from Mashable
Bolsonaro expresses ‘love’ for Amazon as it burns, offers no policy shift from Mongabay
Planned roads could imperil Florida’s panthers—and last remaining wilderness from National Geographic
This 50-year-old dog walker retired after making more than $1 million — working just three days a week from MarketWatch
Why Soviets Sent Dogs to Space While Americans Used Primates from The Atlantic
‘I’m Just For Animals’: The Veterinarian Who Rescues Animals From Conflict Zones from NPR
The Creature Feature News Team would like to give a big thank you to Stefanie Benjamin, Heather Dixon-Fowler, and John Delconte for providing articles!
Photo credits to David Clode
Creature Feature 