Tag - animals

 
 

ANIMALS

A sticker advertising dogecoin in Hong Kong in 2022. Kabosu, the shiba inu rescue dog who became the face of the cryptocurrency, has died.
JAPAN
May 24, 2024
Shiba inu of dogecoin fame dies at 18
Kabosu “fell into a deep sleep this morning and passed away quietly,” owner Atsuko Sato posted on social media platform X.
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.
PODCAST / deep dive
May 23, 2024
What does climate change sound like in Okinawa?
This week, Japan Times climate editor Chris Russell joins us to discuss what researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology are listening to.
Increasingly denuded areas can be seen on the slopes of Mount Ibuki in Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture, on April 10.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
May 13, 2024
Deer cause damage to Mount Ibuki, known for its rare alpine flowers
As the amount of snowfall has decreased, affected by global warming, the number of deer has increased.
Japan will add large fin whales to its list of commercial whaling species.
JAPAN
May 9, 2024
Japan to start hunting fin whales after five years of commercial whaling
The country resumed commercial whaling in 2019, after withdrawing from an international body that regulates the commercial hunt of the marine mammals.
Pasco Shikishima has recalled 104,000 packs of its white Chojuku bread after parts of a rat's body were discovered in two of them.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 9, 2024
Japan bread recalled after rat parts found inside packs
Pasco Shikishima has recalled over 100,000 packets of its processed white Chojuku bread and suspended the assembly line that produces it pending a probe.
Orangutans at Malaysia's National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur in 2021. The orangutan is critically endangered, with a population of less than 105,000 on the island of Borneo, according to conservation group WWF.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 9, 2024
Malaysia eyes 'orangutan diplomacy' with nations that import palm oil
But concerned wildlife advocates are calling for alternative measures to protect the ape's habitat and improve the sustainable production of the commodity.
Scientists have observed an orangutan applying medicinal herbs to a face wound in an apparently successful attempt to heal an injury, the first time such behavior has been recorded.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 3, 2024
Orangutan's use of medicinal plant to treat wound intrigues scientists
Researchers said they believed this was the first documented case of a wild animal self-treating a wound.
Satomi Sakashita talks about Noto Island's dolphins, at The Ocean and The Orgel cafe in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on March 21.
JAPAN
May 2, 2024
Noto woman committed to protecting Japan’s dolphins after quake
Satomi Sakashita, 62, who runs a cafe that offers dolphin-watching, has dedicated many years to their conservation.
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Apr 21, 2024
Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time
From Okinawa to Australia, “passive acoustic monitoring” projects are feeding scientists with data about changes to ecosystems and biodiversity.
A Tokaido shinkansen. It is unclear whether the snake was venomous or how it ended up on the train, and there was no injury or panic among passengers.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2024
Snake on a train: Discovery of serpent delays Tokyo-Nagoya shinkansen
Shinkansen customers can bring small dogs, cats and other animals, including pigeons on board — but not snakes.
As of April 4, the bird flu virus had been confirmed in more than a dozen herds across six U.S. states, with Kansas, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas all reporting infected cows.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 17, 2024
Bird flu in cows demands vigilance, not panic
Bird flu had been confirmed in herds across six U.S. states, with Kansas, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas all reporting infected cows.
Black bears have been added to the list of "designated wildlife species for control" by the Environment Ministry.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2024
Japan adds black and brown bears to subsidized hunting list
The government is stepping up the control measures as bear attacks on humans hit a record high in fiscal 2023 that ended in March.
A staff member attends to a dog at a day care center for pets operated by Peace Winds Japan in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2024
Nonprofit group provides vital pet care in quake-hit Ishikawa
Peace Winds Japan, based in Hiroshima, has been assisting with pet care in disaster-hit areas since the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake.
Deer that are kept in a fenced-off area in the city of Nara
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2024
Nara Prefecture to expand area for culling iconic deer
The prefectural panel will discuss culling methods and other details to draw up a new protection program in fiscal 2025.
Prince Hisahito (center) holds a hornet's nest in the insect science laboratory of Tamagawa University in the Tokyo city of Machida on Saturday, as Crown Price Akishino (right) observes.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2024
Prince Hisahito visits Tamagawa University
Prince Hisahito visited Tamagawa University in the city of Machida in Tokyo with his father, Crown Prince Akishino.
A helmet jellyfish recorded at depth in the Lurefjord, Norway. The creatures experience acute physical effects from short-term exposure to suspended sediment, which could be caused by deep-sea mining.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Apr 7, 2024
The weird deep-sea world, and how mining threatens it
Demand for metals such as lithium and nickel has driven a rush to take a stake in the seabed, with Japan being a major advocate of deep-sea mining.
A chicken in its coop on Fogline Farm in Pescadero, California, on March 1. Unlike the coronavirus, the H5N1 virus has been studied for years. Vaccines and treatments are available should they ever become necessary.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 6, 2024
Is bird flu coming to people next? Are we ready?
Outbreaks have been found among dairy cows in multiple states, as well as at least one infection in a farmworker in Texas.
If it's too hot to do much (and the costs for air conditioning continue to surge) during the day, it might be time to consider shifting the bulk of our activities to cooler nighttime hours.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 6, 2024
A solution for scorching days: Do everything at night.
Working night shifts, however, comes with a host of health problems, increasing the risk of diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.
Dogs are long-lived enough to serve as better models for human aging than mice, but short-lived enough that aging treatments can be tested in just a few years.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2024
Your dog will have an anti-aging drug before you do
Dogs are long-lived enough to serve as better models for human aging than mice, but short-lived enough that aging treatments can be tested in a few years.
H5N1 has been discovered in dairy cows in the U.S. states of Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Michigan and Idaho.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 4, 2024
What to know about bird flu in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Health officials and scientists say the risk to humans remains low, but many questions remain.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?