Pets & Wildlife

Massachusetts State Police Trooper Brian Cooper displays a dosage of Naloxone during a training session with his K-9 Drako in Revere, Mass.

Drug kits save K-9s from opioid overdoses

June 7, 2017, 9:50pm Pets & Wildlife

Police dogs simply follow their noses to sniff out narcotics. But inhaling powerful opioids can be deadly, so officers have a new tool to protect their four-legged partners: naloxone, a drug that has already been used for years to reverse overdoses in humans. Read story

This undated photo obtained by The Associated Press shows Desmond, a dog that was beaten, starved and strangled in Connecticut in 2012 by his owner, Alex Wullaert, who admitted to the violence but avoided jail time under a probation program for first-time offenders. Animal rights advocates, who strongly objected to the ruling, used this photo on T-shirts and posters as they pushed for better legal advocacy for abused animals. With the passage of "Desmond's Law" in 2016, Connecticut became the first state to allow court-appointed lawyers and law students to advocate for animals in cruelty and abuse cases.

In one state, abused animals get a legal voice in court

June 2, 2017, 10:11am Life

Many states have victim's advocates or child advocates, people in the judicial system who represent those affected by crime or abuse. Now, one state has created legal advocates for abused animals, an experiment being watched nationwide for signs of success. Read story

Chimalpopoca, or “Popo,” named after an Aztec king, would be a fierce ruler over the sovereignty of your internet accounts.

Pet names make bad passwords, usually

June 2, 2017, 6:00am Life

Internet security and homeless animals might seem to have little in common. But they come together quite adorably in Skallagrimsson, a boxer mix puppy who is available for adoption in New York City. Read story

An image from “Adventure Cats,” by Laura J. Moss.

Lionhearted cats answer the call to adventure

June 2, 2017, 6:00am Pets & Wildlife

Cats that cavort in the snow, camp in the wilderness, sail on the ocean? Read story

Dispute over research chimps settled

June 2, 2017, 5:06am Life

A dispute over the fate of more than 60 chimpanzees in Liberia has been settled, according to the New York Blood Center, which used the animals for biomedical research before leaving them on remote river islands, and the Humane Society of the United States, which has been their primary caretaker… Read story

South Africa’s ‘lion whisperer’ gets up close with big cats

Kevin Richardson, popularly known as the “lion whisperer,” interacts with one of his lions while out for a walk in the Dinokeng Game Reserve, near Pretoria, South Africa. Richardson seeks to raise awareness about the plight of Africa’s lions, whose numbers in the wild have dwindled in past decades.

May 29, 2017, 1:30pm Life

DINOKENG GAME RESERVE, South Africa — The male lion brushes through the tall grass and strides into a clearing in a South African wildlife sanctuary. A man beckons the big cat with purring sounds. The lion, Bayetsi, responds with a gentle growl and caresses Kevin Richardson, popularly known as the… Read story

Service dogs not just for the blind

The author with Queequeg, her German shepherd being trained as a service dog.

May 26, 2017, 6:05am Life

Service dogs, most people probably think, are for blind people. And maybe for someone who uses a wheelchair. Not so much for those who appear hale and hearty. We don’t realize what a dog could do for someone with an invisible disability such as seizures or diabetes. Or for someone… Read story