“The researchers identified three genes they believed were important for the bird flu (formally known as avian influenza) virus to reproduce in the chickens. They made two small changes to one of the genes using a technique known as gene editing.
The resulting chickens had no side effects after two years. They also had increased resistance to bird flu, but were not fully immune: half the chickens infected with a high dose of the virus developed an infection.”
From BBC.
Hindustan Times | Conservation & Biodiversity
“Assam did not record a single incident of rhino poaching in 2025 due to the state’s excellent conservation efforts, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday…
In 2022, the state was, for the first time since 1977, able to ensure that poachers did not kill a single rhino. But one rhino death was reported in 2023 while two were killed in 2024, which led the authorities to launch Operation Falcon, a multi-agency crackdown that have foiled nine poaching attempts.
A senior Assam police officer said 42 poachers were arrested in the state in 2024 and 2025, who were linked to six poaching gangs.”
From Hindustan Times.
“South Korea said it will formally end its dwindling yet much-criticized bear bile farming industry…
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced Tuesday it will ban breeding and possession of bears and extraction of their bile beginning January 1.”
From CNN.
“In just a few short years, new diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have taken the world by storm. In the United States, one in eight adults say they’ve tried one of these medications, which are known as GLP-1 drugs, and that number seems sure to rise as prices fall and new oral formulations hit the market.
Fluffy and Fido could be next.
On Tuesday, Okava Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company based in San Francisco, is set to announce that it has officially begun a pilot study of a GLP-1 drug for cats with obesity. The company is testing a novel approach: Instead of receiving weekly injections of the drugs, as has been common in human patients, the cats will get small, injectable implants, slightly larger than a microchip, that will slowly release the drug for as long as six months…
Results are expected next summer. If they are promising, they could represent the next frontier for a class of drugs that has upended human medicine, and a potentially transformative treatment option for millions of pets. Some veterinarians have already begun administering human GLP-1 drugs, off label, to diabetic cats.”
From New York Times.
“An international team of vets has made a breakthrough in a vaccine trial for a virus that killed seven elephants at Chester Zoo.
Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) is a leading cause of death for young Asian elephants, both captive and wild, with no cure. Trials with adult elephants at Chester Zoo found a new vaccine safely triggered a strong immune response. The team (University of Surrey, Chester Zoo, Animal and Plant Health Agency) observed no side effects.”
From The Independent.
