World News Roundup: March 31, 2017

Two Surviving Animals Rescued at Mosul Zoo (Independent)

Lula the bear and Simba the lion were the last two surviving animals at Mosul’s Motazah Al-Morour Zoo, an Isis-controlled zoo in Iraq. Mosul is suffering its 5th month of a brutal offensive, and “since the battle to seize Mosul from the extremist group began, some 40 animals [at the zoo] have starved to death or been killed by airstrikes.”

Man Found Swallowed Whole By Python (USA Today)

“A missing Indonesian man was found inside a massive python on the island of Sulawesi” after villagers cut open the 23-foot-long reticulated python. The villagers recorded the discovery: “In the video, people crowd around as the snake's skin is pulled back, revealing an intact body laying on its side.”

RSPCA Caseload Nearly 150,000 in 2016 (The Guardian)

According to figures released by the Royal Society for the Prevention fo Cruelty to Animals, the animal welfare charity “investigated almost 150,000 cases in 2016,” which is about a 5% increase from last year, averaging more than 400 investigations per day. “Calls to its 24-hour cruelty hotline rose by nearly 4%, averaging one every 27 seconds.”

Pet Flies in Style to Receive Treatments (Daily Mail)

British pet owner Mark Pearson found out his cocker spaniel had a rare brain disease that needed specialist treatment, but the specialist’s office was a whopping 90 miles away. So Pearson decided to beat the traffic in style: He flew his precious pup via helicopter to the veterinary visits. “We bought the helicopter and together with the treatment the whole thing's cost us about £14,000.”

5 Illnesses Pets and Humans Have in Common (BBC)

Diabetes and hypothyroidism “are just two of the common human diseases thought to be on the rise in the pet world.” About 3 in every 1000 dogs in the United Kingdom has diabetes, and about 4 in every 1000 dogs are seen by veterinarians for underactive thyroid.

Is the Tasmanian Tiger Back from the Dead? (New Atlas)

“It has been more than 80 years since the last Tasmanian tiger died in captivity, but there are a few parties that suspect this carnivorous marsupial still roams the Australian outback after dark.” Scientists are getting ready for a field survey in hopes of catching the nocturnal creature that is supposedly back from the dead.

Study Finds Hurdle for Campylobacter Vaccine (Medical News Today)

“New University of Liverpool research reveals that the immune response of farmed chickens does not develop fast enough to fight off Campylobacter during the animal’s short lifespan. The findings have important implications in the challenge toward developing a poultry vaccine for the bug, which is the UK's leading cause of food poisoning.”