This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish. Summer arrives, and with it comes an arachnophobic furor—frantic reports about the intrusion of recluse spiders into our homes. Also known as fiddlebacks or violin spiders, these are arachnids of the genus Loxosceles. They’re found in warm areas across the world, … Read more
Avian influenza has been detected on a second poultry farm in the Hawkesbury district, northwest of Sydney. A positive result for the H7N8 strain at the second property was confirmed by the CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said on Saturday. The farm is within the restricted biosecurity zone 1.5km … Read more
Almost a quarter of a million birds will die on a NSW farm in an attempt to stop the spread of the state’s bird flu outbreak. The orders come after avian influenza was picked up on a mixed barnyard and free-range poultry farm in the Hawkesbury district, northwest of Sydney. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Hawkesbury … Read more
MWINGI, Kenya — Esther Kangali felt a sharp pain while on her mother’s farm in eastern Kenya. She looked down and saw a large snake coiling around her left leg. She screamed, and her mother came running. Kangali was rushed to a nearby health center, but it lacked antivenom to treat the snake’s bite. A … Read more
Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill Updated: Jun 18, 2024 / 09:45 AM CDT (The Hill) — Nationwide Insurance says it plans to cancel pet insurance coverage for about 100,000 animals across the nation, citing rising veterinary costs. The cancellation of the thousands of coverage plans will take place between now and next summer as part of … Read more
PIXLEY, Calif. — The stench of cow feces, urine and ammonia forces residents to keep windows and doors closed in parts of California’s farming country. Some people constantly run air purifiers at home to counter the smell and, they say, fight off air-related ailments. “We have a lot of health problems going around in this … Read more
NEW YORK — In the last two years, bird flu has been blamed for the deaths of millions of wild and domestic birds worldwide. It’s killed legions of seals and sea lions, wiped out mink farms, and dispatched cats, dogs, skunks, foxes and even a polar bear. But it seems to have hardly touched people. … Read more
DES MOINES, Iowa — As the U.S. dairy industry confronts a bird flu outbreak, with cases reported at dozens of farms and the disease spreading to people, the egg industry could serve as an example of how to slow the disease but also shows how difficult it can be to eradicate the virus. There have … Read more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says consumers should avoid consuming shellfish from Oregon and Washington state as they may be contaminated with toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. At least 31 people have been sickened in Oregon so far, according to state health officials. Here’s what to know about the federal agency’s advisory. The … Read more
NEW YORK — As a city kid, Amy Attas had big dreams of roaming the countryside, healing animals a la James Herriot’s classic “All Creatures Great and Small.” How did it go? Well, the veterinarian made it from Queens to Manhattan, spending the last 32 years traversing the streets of her hometown as a full-time … Read more
