5 bear cubs rescued, their mum's killed, from wildlife trade: malnourished and frightened, but are now receiving around-the-clock care from our experienced bear care and veterinary teams.

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Dear valued supporter A week ago, we shared the difficult news that three bear cubs we were on our way to rescue, had disappeared within the illegal wildlife trade. Today, we're incredibly relieved to report that the cubs were found by authorities and are now safe with us at Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary. But that's not all. In a separate operation authorities confiscated two more moon bear cubs from the illegal wildlife trade, bringing the total to five rescued cubs in one extraordinary week, and 11 cubs rescued this year. Watch the rescue These bears have all had a very traumatic start to life and the original three cubs are particularly fragile at the moment. They are malnourished and frightened, but are now receiving around-the-clock care from our experienced bear care and veterinary teams. We want to thank you for the outpouring of kind messages we received last week, as we navigated one of the many challenges that come with combating wildlife crime across Southeast Asia – staying ahead of those who seek to profit from the illegal wildlife trade. Thank you for always standing up for bears. Without continued support, rescues like these simply would not be possible. Read more Cub Care Kit donation A$35.00 Help us provide milk formula and other essential cub supplies to these vulnerable new rescues. View

The weekly update from Safe Haven for Donkeys :Thanks to your kindness, we have been able to fund a new community vet team in Egypt, with vital hoof care provided by our farrier.

 

Thank you so much to everyone who gave so generously to our Easter appeal earlier this year. Thanks to your kindness, we have been able to fund a new community vet team in Egypt, led by Dr Ahmed, with vital hoof care provided by Ali, our farrier. This team is now bringing much-needed care to working donkeys and horses in rural communities in the Aswan region, where many animals have little or no access to veterinary treatment. Your support is already making a real difference. This week, Dr Ahmed and Ali visited four villages, helping animals who desperately needed their care. I hope you’ll feel proud to see what you’ve made possible. Wendy Safe Haven UK Office An update from our Community vet team in Egypt During their visits, the team found many working donkeys in urgent need of care. Some were underweight and weak. Others had painful wounds, hoof problems, or eye conditions made worse by flies and irritation. The team dewormed every donkey they examined, helping to tackle internal parasites that can leave animals weak, undernourished and vulnerable to further illness. They also cleaned and dressed wounds, treated painful hoof problems and distributed fly masks to help protect animals from constant irritation around the eyes and open wounds. As owners waited patiently with their donkeys and horses to see our community vet team, the need for this vital care is clear. In hot and dusty places, flies are more than a nuisance. They can quickly make existing injuries worse and lead to serious complications. One painful fly-related condition, called habronemiasis, often affects wounds and sensitive areas around the eyes. Treatment includes carefully cleaning and dressing the affected areas, as well as flushing the tear ducts to help relieve irritation and support recovery. Flies and their larvae can cause painful conditions such as habronemiasis One horse was suffering from severe lameness caused by thrush, a painful infection of the hoof. The team carefully cleaned the hoof, removing dead and infected tissue, treating the area and applied a protective bandage. Encouragingly, the owner has already reported that the horse is improving and seems much more comfortable. Dr Ahmed will continue to monitor the horse until he has fully recovered. This horse had a painful thrush infection in his hoof. Dr Ahmed treated the infection and, soon afterwards, the horse was already much more comfortable.  Another serious case involved a donkey suffering from tetanus after a puncture wound to the hoof. Tetanus is a life-threatening disease that affects the nervous system. The donkey was also severely dehydrated. The team set to work providing fluid therapy, alongside anti-inflammatory medication to ease pain, and a course of antibiotics. The owner was advised to keep the donkey in a quiet, calm environment while he recovers. Tetanus can be life-threatening. Prompt vet treatment is vital. Thankfully our team - funded by your support - was there to help. This work helping working equines is only possible with your support. Thank You  Your support helps us fund our vet teams in Gaza, the West Bank, and Egypt, bringing vital veterinary treatment directly to working donkeys, mules and horses in desperate need. You are also caring for rescue donkeys at our sanctuaries in Israel and the West Bank, where they receive nutritious food, specialist care, and the safety of a forever home.  Thank you for caring for these gentle animals. Help continue this vital care This donkey - in desperate need of vet treatment - is just one of the animals you've helped to support in recent weeks. Thank you. If you'd like to read previous updates of our work, please click here to visit out blog. You can also view today's update online by clicking here. Registered charity number 1083468

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Congratulations! The pitter patter of pelican chicks can now be heard in St.James’s Park London for the first time in 360 years

 

First pelicans in 360 years hatch in St James’s Park London

Birds have been in the park since the Russian ambassador gave King Charles II two in 1664 – but none ever bred there

They arrived in the royal park shortly before the Great Fire of London, when the Russian ambassador presented a pair to King Charles II as a gift.

But although pelicans have been living in St James’s Park since 1664, none ever learned the art of courtship – until now, when for the first time in more than 360 years, chicks have been born.

The first of four chicks hatched on 17 May and all have now survived their first month, to the delight of the Royal Parks manager, Mark Wasilewski. “This really is a first for us,” he said. “We’re gobsmacked.”

There are six adult great white pelicans living in the park: two males, called Sun and Moon, and four females, called Star, Isla, Tiffany and Gargi.

“Pelicans normally only breed when they’re in large groups of 10, 12 or more,” said Wasilewski. “We’ve always had between two and six – never a great number – and as the pelicans ave passed away, we’ve decided when it’s time to bring in some more … just to keep that tradition going, which we think is a really important tradition for St James’s Park.”

Five eggs were laid in three nests, and eight-year-old Star and 30-year-old Gargi, an “elderly female pelican”, shared sitting on one nest. “One of the two males must have impregnated one of them, but unfortunately we don’t know which of the two actually laid the eggs,” he said. “And we don’t know which dad has played around.”

Gargi has been a permanent resident of St James’s Park since she was found in a garden in Southend 1996, although she has occasionally been spotted flying to London zoo in Regent’s Park to steal fish.

Wasilewski is working with Blackpool zoo, Royal Veterinary College, the Zoological Society of London and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, to provide expert care for the chicks. He said they had a ferocious appetite – “which is good news” – and were “ever so ugly”. “Someone said they look a little like dinosaurs. They’re completely black, they’re featherless and already they’ve got the little pointed bills.”

They are beginning to grow “nice furry chestnut-brown down”, but they will not start getting feathers until they are eight or nine weeks old.

The chicks are “just beginning to waddle” around the nest but are vulnerable until they take to the water with their parents when they are about 12 weeks old. Visitors have been urged to give them space and avoid disturbing them.

“They’re growing at an enormously fast rate. Week one, they were the size of a pigeon. Week two, they were the size of a very small duck. We were looking at the eldest one and we think it’s probably about 2ft high now already.”

The chicks in their nest: ‘Someone said they look a little like dinosaurs.’ Photograph: The Royal Parks/PA

When the first egg hatched “our wildest dreams were fulfilled”, he said. “We were always hoping that something like that would happen but we never really thought it would. It’s absolutely delightful … with the world as it is, to see something like this. It’s nature at its best.”

Wildlife officers have particularly enjoyed “seeing the mothers nestling the youngsters under their wings”.

The pelicans were enclosed on Duck Island during the avian flu outbreak earlier this year and were released on 9 April. “On the 13 April, we discovered they were making a nest. So when you’re cooped on Duck Island with nothing to do for several weeks, we know now what they do,” he said

Videos: hundreds of thousands of mice are swarming Australia’s farms a huge financial and emotional disaster

 

© CSIRO / CC BY 3.0

A mouse plague  has struck parts of Australia, and it's not for the first time. The startling scenes in this Instagram post show hundreds of thousands of mice streaming around agricultural equipment and across roads. Farmers and the authorities can only do their best against a relentless onslaught.

Australia's Worst Mouse Plague in Living Memory

News reports coming out of Australia are shocking. Farmers in many parts of the country are facing financial ruin as they spend time and money on baiting rodents and replanting ruined crops. Then there is the emotional cost as they lie awake at night listening to the mice racing across their ceilings and around AC units. Add to this the inevitable stench caused by having so many rodents concentrated in one area.

The current mouse plague is affecting large parts of Western and Southern Australia. In a previous mouse plague in 2021, prisoners in New South Wales had to be relocated after mice caused extensive damage to a jail.

What Has Caused the Mouse Plague?

Part of the reason for this plague is the recent bumper harvest. There is a lot of grain spilled in paddocks, and that's an easily accessible and plentiful food source for the mice. On top of that, early summer rain has encouraged young, green shoots to sprout, providing even more food.

The History of Australian Mouse Plagues

The house mouse (Mus domesticus) was introduced to Australia by the first European settlers during the late 18th century. The first ever plague was reported in 1917, involving an estimated 32 million mice. Since then, these phenomena have been recorded regularly.

Mice were introduced to Australia in the 18th century.

©iStock.com/Víctor Suárez Naranjo

Plagues occur when mouse breeding accelerates rapidly. Their breeding season starts in October and continues until the following May. They can reproduce at an alarming rate, producing litters of up to 11 offspring every three weeks, and can begin breeding as early as five weeks old. It takes just four to five generations for a plague to develop.

However, certain conditions must be met to support large mouse populations: sufficient food and water, suitable temperatures, and adequate nesting sites.

The Impact of a Mouse Plague

Mouse plagues are a financial disaster. Wheat, the main winter cereal crop grown in southern and eastern Australia, suffers the most from mouse plagues. However, mice also damage other crops, animal husbandry facilities, farm machinery, vehicles, and homes. Mice also transmit diseases such as Salmonella to humans and domestic animals, leptospirosis to humans and animals, and encephalomyocarditis virus to pigs.

Controlling the Plague

This sort of catastrophe needs an integrated pest management strategy to tackle it. Buildings need to be mouse-proofed, and good hygiene practices need to be introduced. Rodenticides are the most effective control option. However, even this leaves farmers with the task of disposing of millions of mouse corpses, which is deeply unpleasant!

Sharon Parry

Fri, June 19, 2026 at 2:32 PM GMT+2