World News Roundup: January 27, 2017

(The Dodo)

Following a grim weekend of searching for missing people after an avalanche buried an Italian hotel, rescue workers found three 6-week-old Abruzzo sheepdog puppies that had been trapped in the hotel’s boiler room for 5 days. Turns out the pups’ parents also survived after being swept away by the avalanche.

Indians Sharply Divided Over Cultural Tradition (The Washington Post)

The annual harvest-related, bull-taming sport called Jallikattu sharply divided Indians last week. “Thousands of angry young people flocked to the streets on Wednesday in southern India to protest a three-year-old ban on an ancient festival that animal rights activists say is cruel.”

Change Feeding Style to Change Cat Behavior, Scientists Say (The Independent)

According to scientists working with the 2017 Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair in the United Kingdom, “Cats would have healthier lifestyles if they were fed 5 or more small portions of food a day instead of less frequent bigger portions.”

Feline Diabetes and a Dry Food Diet (Wiley Online Library)

Swedish researchers have found an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in normal-weight cats that are fed predominantly dry food. According to the authors of this case-control study, “The association … warrants further attention.”

Social Media Outrage Over Rat Photos Shows Changing Attitudes in China (CNN)

Images of rats tied up and spread-eagled on Chinese social media were met with outrage from almost 6000 commenters. “The largely negative reaction to the viral rat photos shows how attitudes in China—a country once notorious for cases of animal cruelty—are changing.”

200 Dogs Rescued from South Korean Dog Meat Farm (Newstalk)

Humane Society International (HSI) is transporting dogs rescued from a dog meat operation in Gangwon province, South Korea—site of the 2018 Winter Olympics—to shelters in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. According to HSI, “An estimated 30 million dogs are killed each year, primarily in Asia, for the global dog meat trade.”