Animals

Monarch population, host plants hurting from climate change. Expert shares how to help
A years-long drought pattern, winter whiplash and warming temperatures are all hurting the vulnerable species, according to University of Minnesota Professor Emilie Snell-Rood, who studies monarchs and other pollinators.
Miniature poodle named Sage wins Westminster Kennel Club dog show
The miniature poodle won the top prize Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, in what veteran handler Kaz Hosaka said would be his final time at the United States' most prestigious canine event. After 45 years of competing and two best in show dogs, he plans to retire.
Westminster dogs are ‘poetry in motion’: A Minnesotan judge’s reflections on the prestigious dog show
Barbara Selton from Bloomington is a masters obedience judge at the Westminster Dog Show. Best in Show will be announced Tuesday evening.
A seafood bounty lures sea lions to S.F.'s Pier 39 in numbers not seen in 15 years
It's a popular rest stop for sea lions, but the docks at the tourist hot spot these days are unusually packed out with the slippery residents. Conservationists are buoyed by the surge in visitors.
Orangutan in the wild applied medicinal plant to heal its own injury, biologists say
It is "the first known case of active wound treatment in a wild animal with a medical plant," biologist Isabelle Laumer told NPR. She says the orangutan, called Rakus, is now thriving.
Hobbyist photographer snaps photo of extremely rare bird in 1st U.S. sighting
Michael Sanchez was testing out his new camera when he happened upon a feathered subject. The blue rock-thrush he photographed on the coast of northern Oregon last week has excited the birding world.
Remote Lake Superior island wolf numbers are stable but moose population declining, researchers say
Wildlife researchers say the wolf population on a remote Lake Superior island is stable. But they announced Tuesday that the moose population had declined by 14 percent from last year. Scientists have conducted an annual survey of Isle Royale’s wolves and moose since 1958.