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☆ Britain Says Bye-Bye to Its Only Pandas as They’ll Soon Depart for China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, crowds gathered to say goodbye and catch one final look at Yang Guang and Tian Tian, who for 12 years have enraptured millions of visitors and residents of Edinburgh. “We’ve flown up for the day; we must be mad,” Lauren Darling, who recently visited the zoo, told The Telegraph. But American zoo officials and scientists said that it came down to biology, or “panda time,” since the three pandas should be going back to China because they are at an advanced age. A similar reason was cited by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The pandas, the zoo said, arrived in Edinburgh in December 2011 as part of a 10-year arrangement between the organization’s charity and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which allowed them to keep the pandas an extra two years because of the pandemic.

Persons: Yang Guang, Tian Tian, “ We’ve, ” Lauren Darling, It’s, Rebecca Plant Organizations: Telegraph, National Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: Edinburgh, Britain, Washington, China

☆ Britain bids farewell to its only giant pandas after 12 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zookeepers have spent the last few weeks making sure the two pandas, Yang Guang and Tian Tian, are used to crates in preparation for their long journey, expected at some point in early December. [1/4]Yang Guang, one of the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, eats bamboo stalks in its enclosure, in Edinburgh, Britain, November 29, 2023. REUTERS/Lesley Martin Acquire Licensing Rights"Yang Guang and Tian Tian have had an incredible impact by inspiring millions of people to care about nature," he said in a statement. The return of the Edinburgh bears to China comes as a number of giant pandas have also headed home from the U.S., part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. That began in 1972, when the government of China presented two giant pandas as gifts to the U.S. after President Richard Nixon's historic Cold War visit to the communist country.

Persons: Zookeepers, Yang Guang, Tian Tian, David Field, Lesley Martin, Richard Nixon's, Washington's, Sarah Young, Jan Harvey Organizations: Edinburgh Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association, REUTERS, Edinburgh, Thomson Locations: China, Edinburgh, Britain, U.S, Memphis, San Diego

☆ Comedy Wildlife Photo Award 2023 winners revealed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The judges of the UK-based Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards have studied more than 1,800 images submitted from 85 countries, assessing whether they are chucklesome, rib-tickling or an out-and-out hoot. And the overall winner for 2023 – drumroll, please, for this is a photo that welcomes musical accompaniment – is a kangaroo striking an air guitar pose. Wildlife conservationThere were an additional 10 entries that were recognized as Highly Commended winners. The awards, founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, also promote wildlife conservation. The first Comedy Wildlife Guided African Safari will launch in Tanzania in October 2024, guided by the awards’ co-founders Hicks and Sullam and wildlife expert Kate Humble.

Persons: – drumroll, Jason Moore, He’s, Mara, photographerJacek, Otter, joey, ”, Paul Joynson, Hicks, Tom Sullam, Kate Humble Organizations: CNN, Whitley Fund for Nature Locations: Perth, Australia, Tanzania, Sullam

The San Diego Zoo sent its pandas home in 2019 and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. Whatever the reason, San Diego Zoo officials were hopeful. "It is a moment with some heartbreak in it,” National Zoo Director Brandie Smith said at the time. The San Diego Zoo has been panda-less for four years and may need to upgrade or refurbish its facilities. The National Zoo had announced plans to renovate its panda house and outdoor enclosure, but the timing on those plans is unclear.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji —, ”, Daniel Ashe, ” Dennis Wilder, ” Wilder, Wilder, Gavin Newsom's, Xi’s, Paul A, Baribault, Ling, Hsing, Brandie Smith, Le Le, Didi Tang, Amy Taxin Organizations: WASHINGTON, San Diego Zoo, National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, Veteran, Economic Cooperation, Association of Zoos, Aquariums, Georgetown University’s Initiative, U.S, California Gov, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, “, Zoo, Associated Press Locations: America, California, San Diego, U.S, Memphis , Tennessee, China, Veteran China, People's Republic, Asia, San Francisco, United States, Washington, Memphis, Santa Ana , California

Later, Beijing loaned the pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, eight days ago began their long trip to China. After their departure, only four pandas are left in the United States, in the Atlanta Zoo. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as China’s “national treasure,” flooded China’s social media. The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Xi, Joe Biden, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Biden, Ashraf Khalil Organizations: FRANCISCO, U.S ., National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Garden, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Associated Press Locations: China, United States, California, San Diego, U.S, Beijing, Washington, San Francisco, Memphis , Tennessee

The pandas, accompanied by three zookeepers, will travel to a reserve in China’s mountainous Sichuan province, where an estimated 1,800 pandas are still found in the wild, according to the National Zoo. "It's a moment of joy because this is one more step in 50 years of a successful giant panda conservation program and hopefully the beginning of 50 more years of successful giant panda conservation," she said. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, arrived at the National Zoo in 2000. The trio, made famous by the zoo's "Giant Panda Cam" with more than 100 million views, were part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. Kimberly Blalock, a young visitor at the National Zoo on Tuesday, was among the last to see the pandas on display in Washington.

Persons: Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, munch, Brandie Smith, It's, Mei Xiang, Richard Nixon's, Kimberly Blalock, Kevin Fogarty, Kia Johnson, Rich McKay, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Boeing, FedEx Panda Express, Dulles International, National Zoo ., National Zoo, U.S . Pandas, China Wildlife Conservation, U.S, Georgia's Zoo, Thomson Locations: China, Sichuan, U.S, Memphis, San Diego, Georgia's, Georgia's Zoo Atlanta, Washington, Atlanta

LABELLE, Fla. (AP) — Two endangered Florida panthers have been struck and killed by vehicles, officials said. A 2-year-old male panther's remains were found Monday near the Spirit-of-the-Wild Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County, and a 3-year-old female panther was found dead a day later near the Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area in Glades County, wildlife officials said. All 10 known panther deaths this year were caused by vehicle collisions, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but their habitat now is mostly confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

Organizations: Florida panthers, Wild Wildlife Management, Management, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Locations: LABELLE, Fla, Hendry County, Glades County, Florida, of Mexico

The 2023 Earthshot Prize winners:This year’s winners were chosen from a shortlist of 15 finalists by Prince William and the Earthshot Prize Council, chaired by Christiana Figueres, a former UN climate chief, who played a key role in negotiating the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. The Prince of Wales speaks with the winners of the 2023 Earthshot Prize following the awards ceremony on Tuesday night. Irwin added that the Earthshot Prize offers “hope,” which “is something we all need to hang on to.”The Singapore skyline was lit up in green to celebrate the Earthshot Prize on Monday. Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty ImagesFigueres, who is also an Earthshot Prize trustee, told CNN that it was “such a joy” to work with the Prince of Wales. The prince said he was “thrilled” to be in Singapore for the third Earthshot Prize ceremony and outlined his vision for supporting this year’s shortlist of finalists.

Persons: Wales, Prince William, “, ” William, Christiana Figueres, Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Ernest Gibson, Jack Ma, Prince, Chris Jackson, Nidhi Pant, Emily Owen, ’, Ted Lasso ”, Hannah Waddingham, Sterling K, Brown, Cate Blanchett, Nomzamo, Robert Irwin, OneRepublic, Irwin, ”, Hunter, Steve Irwin, Mohd Rasfan, Prince of Wales, William, we’ve, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loong, Catherine, Princess, Prince George Organizations: CNN’s Royal, Singapore CNN, Earthshot, Theatre, MediaCorp, Royal Foundation, WildAid, Technologies, S4S Technologies, CNN, ”, Voices, Getty, Figueres, BBC, PBS, Singapore, Jewel, HSBC Locations: Singapore, India, UN, Paris, Peru, South America, Hong Kong, South African, ”, AFP, Gardens, Kallang

SINGAPORE (AP) — Britain’s Prince William cheered on 15 finalists of his third Earthshot Prize in Singapore Tuesday ahead of the awards ceremony where five of them will win 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) each to scale up groundbreaking innovations to fight climate change. William spoke to the finalists — all whom are attending the ceremony for the first time for networking opportunities — at Gardens by the Bay, an artistic horticulture attraction. The winners are grouped into five categories: nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change. The finalists included a U.S. company that found a way to recycle polycotton fabrics, which makes up half of all textile waste. Apart from the prize money, all 15 finalists will receive a year of technical support and resources to help them accelerate their ideas.

Persons: — Britain’s Prince William, William, —, Rania al Abdullah, Jack Ma, Stella McCartney, David Attenborough, Ngozi Okonjo, Yao Ming, Kate, couldn't, George, Hannah Waddingham, Sterling K, Brown, Bebe Rexha, Oscar, Cate Blanchett, Donnie Yen, Lana Condor, Mbatha, Robert Irwin Organizations: SINGAPORE, World Trade Organization, NBA, William’s Royal Foundation, MediaCorp, Sterling Locations: Singapore, Gardens, U.S, Indian, Sierra Leone’s, Freetown, Poland, Europe, U.K, Asia, London, Boston, Republic

SINGAPORE (AP) — Prince William arrived Sunday in Singapore for the Earthshot Prize awards, the first to be held in Asia, to support environmental innovators with solutions to battle climate change and save the planet. William, 41, shook hands, signed autographs and sportingly took selfies with many of them during a walkabout. “It’s fantastic to be back in Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, after eleven years," he said in a statement upon landing. That inspired the prince and his partners to set a similar goal for finding solutions to pressing environmental problems by 2030. William, a keen sportsman, will also try his hand at dragon boating, a popular sport in Singapore and many parts of the world.

Persons: — Prince William, William, sportingly, Johanes Mario, Catherine, Hannah Waddingham, Robert Irwin, Oscar, Cate Blanchett, Lana Condor, Nomzamo, John F, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loon, Robert Irwin's Organizations: SINGAPORE, Sunday, Changi, Royal Foundation, Boston, Singapore’s, Singapore, United, Wildlife Locations: Singapore, Asia, Wildlife, London, William, Kensington, Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE (AP) — Britain's Prince William took to the waters in Singapore for a morning of dragon boating Monday, ahead of activities for the annual Earthshot Prize awards aimed at promoting solutions for the planet’s environmental threats. Working in pairs, William and the other 19 paddlers rowed vigorously to the steady beat of a drummer standing in the bow. His boat triumphed in a brief race with another boat captained by British High Commissioner Kara Owen. Dragon boat racing, originating from China, can be traced back nearly 2,000 years before it became a modern international sport in 1976. That inspired the prince and his partners to set a similar goal for finding solutions to environmental problems by 2030.

Persons: — Britain's Prince William, Prince, Wales, William, Kara Owen, Kate, Princess, “, Laura Greenwood, Hannah Waddingham, Sterling K, Brown, Robert Irwin, Oscar, Cate Blanchett, Lana Condor, John F, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loong Organizations: SINGAPORE, British Dragons, British High, Royal Foundation, Sterling, Singapore, United, Wildlife Locations: Singapore, Kallang, Wales, Canada, China, British, Asia, London, Boston, Kensington, Southeast Asia

☆ He Pioneered Carbon Offsets to Save Tropical Forests. Now the Market Is Collapsing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Phred Dvorak | Photographs Christie Hemm Klok For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Mike Korchinsky gave up a lucrative career in management consulting after an “epiphany in the African bush,” turning to wildlife conservation and ultimately helping create one of the most popular tools for cutting carbon emissions. Now, the 62-year-old from the California Bay Area is fighting to keep that business—and his own revenue stream—alive amid a crisis of confidence that is shaking the industry he helped start.

Persons: Mike Korchinsky, — Locations: California

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo's three celebrity giant pandas will be heading home a little earlier than expected. Zoo officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that adult bears Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji will be returning to China sometime in mid-November. The zoo’s exchange agreement with the Chinese government, originally brokered by President Richard Nixon 50 years ago, expires Dec. 7. The San Diego zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. The pandas return to China when they reach old age, and any cubs born in the United States are sent to China around age 3 or 4.

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Richard Nixon, Annalisa Meyer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Associated Press, U.S, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Zoo, Atlanta Zoo Locations: China, Beijing, San Diego, Memphis , Tennessee, America, United States

She joined personnel from the Turtle Hospital to carry Rocky across the sand on Sunday to the water’s edge. After being guided into the water, Rocky swam away from the beach before diving down into the Atlantic as Nyad, Stoll and several hundred spectators applauded. Among them were more than 30 of Nyad’s Cuba swim support crew that returned to Key West for the 10th anniversary celebration. Other weekend events in Key West also marked the anniversary including a Saturday beach party where Nyad and team members took turns sharing their memories of the swim. Nyad's swim has been turned into a new feature film, “Nyad,” starring Annette Bening as the swimmer and Jodie Foster as Stoll, her friend and trainer.

Persons: Diana Nyad, Bonnie Stoll, Nyad, ”, Rocky, Stoll, “, Annette Bening, Jodie Foster Organizations: WEST, Key West, Florida, Nyad, Labor, Turtle, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation, Key Locations: Fla, Cuba, Key, Florida Straits, Havana

☆ ‘Remembering Leopards’: A book of photography is helping to save this elusive big cat
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Callum Sutherland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Through her Remembering Wildlife project, British photographer Margot Raggett is fighting against this trend. All profits are donated to conservation efforts for that animal, with more than £1 million ($1.2 million) raised since the project began, according to Remembering Wildlife. Raggett believes that showcasing beautiful images of the big cat raises awareness and captures the public’s attention. But it remains the world’s rarest big cat, according to WWF. “Remembering Wildlife is like one hose fighting a forest fire,” she says.

Persons: Margot Raggett, Mara, Jonathan, Angela Scott, Neil Aldridge, Suzi Eszterhas, Raggett, aren’t, ”, Sascha Fonseca, Vidya Athreya, Athreya, Owen Grobbler Raggett, “, Jonathan Scott, Pete Oxford, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Wildlife, ” Leopards, WWF, Conservation Society, Remembering Wildlife, Rangers Locations: British, Ladakh, India, China, Russia, Hoedspruit, South Africa, Afghanistan, Africa, Odzala, Republic of Congo

☆ Comedy Wildlife Photo Award 2023 finalists revealed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Fat Bear Week is underway, with public voting starting Wednesday after the event was nearly a casualty of a US government shutdown, and now the UK-based Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards has revealed its 2023 shortlist. Should the crown go to the spherical seal galumphing at speed along the English coast? The awards, founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, also promote wildlife conservation. Adrian Ślązok/Courtesy Comedy Wildlife Photography AwardsThe expert judges include UK celebrities such as TV presenter Kate Humble and comedian Hugh Dennis, as well as renowned wildlife photographers Daisy Gilardini and Will Bullard-Lucas. The first Comedy Wildlife Guided African Safari will launch in Tanzania in October 2024, guided by the awards’ co-founders Hicks and Sullam and wildlife expert Humble.

Persons: CNN — It’s, There’s, joey, ”, Paul Joynson, Hicks, Tom Sullam, Adrian Ślązok, Kate Humble, Hugh Dennis, Daisy Gilardini, Will Bullard, Lucas, Mara Organizations: CNN, Whitley Fund for Nature Locations: Tanzania, Sullam

CNN —A female sea lion briefly escaped from her enclosure in New York’s Central Park Zoo Friday when heavy rain caused her pool to flood. Water levels in the sea lions’ pool have since receded, and all animals are in their designated exhibits, the news release noted. Central Park Zoo is part of the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks, which also includes the Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and New York Aquarium. California sea lions like the ones housed by the Central Park Zoo are native to the West Coast, according to NOAA. As adults, female sea lions can weigh up to 240 pounds and measure up to 6 feet long, NOAA said.

Persons: Jim Breheny, “, Breheny, ” Breheny, ” Organizations: CNN, Zoo, Wildlife Conservation, Aquarium . Staff, Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park, New York, Wildlife Conservation Society, Central, NOAA, Mammal Locations: New, Prospect, Wildlife, New York, California, West Coast

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has vetoed Republican-sponsored bills intended to undo federal protections for two endangered species that have seen their populations plummet over the years: the lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat. The two GOP measures would overturn “science-based rulemaking" that offers important protections for the once-abundant species and would undermine the Endangered Species Act, Biden said. Environmentalists have long sought stronger federal protections for the prairie bird, which they consider severely at risk due to oil and gas development, livestock grazing and farming, along with roads and power lines. Veto of the lesser-prairie chicken measure puts the bird "on a more certain path to recovery,” said Michael Parr, president of American Bird Conservancy. The American public, regardless of party affiliation, overwhelmingly supports the Endangered Species Act and believes it should be fully funded to protect species from extinction.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Bruce Westerman of, “, ”, Michael Parr, ” Jamie Rappaport Clark Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, GOP, Congress, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Natural Resources, Republicans, Washington , D.C, Council, Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental, American Bird Conservancy, of Wildlife, American Locations: Midwest, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado , Oklahoma, Kansas, United States, Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, America, East, South America, Washington ,, Canada, U.S

☆ Florida Turtle Nests Are Doing Great. When They Hatch, Expect Mostly Girls.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Elizabeth Anne Brown | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Green sea turtles had an exceptional nesting season on Florida’s beaches in 2023, with volunteers counting more than 74,300 nests, according to preliminary data. That beats the previous record, from 2017, by a staggering 40 percent. “The increase is an explosion” and a welcome surprise, said Simona Ceriani, a research scientist who coordinated the annual survey for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state agency that regulates and manages wildlife. Sea turtles don’t reach sexual maturity until their twenties or thirties, so what Florida is seeing now is very likely the result of conservation measures put in place after green sea turtles were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1978, Dr. Ceriani said. Those impressive nesting numbers are just “half the story,” according to Jeanette Wyneken, a professor at Florida Atlantic University who has studied nesting sea turtles for more than three decades.

Persons: Simona Ceriani, Ceriani, Jeanette Wyneken Organizations: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Atlantic University Locations: Florida

☆ US National Zoo bids farewell to pandas as government shutdown looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Visitors take photos of giant panda Mei Xiang eating bamboo during the reopening morning of Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, U.S., May 21, 2021. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The shutdown would not disrupt animal care, but the zoo's popular live "Panda Cam" would go dark. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, China, U.S, Washington, United States

☆ US National Zoo Bids Farewell to Pandas as Government Shutdown Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Washington's National Zoo is honoring its three giant pandas with nine days of events ahead of their return to China but stormy weather and a looming U.S. government shutdown have put something of a damper on the festivities. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The zoo, operated by the Smithsonian Institute, receives federal funding, and would be forced to close to the public during a government shutdown, according to its website. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: China, U.S, Washington, United States

CNN —Florida authorities have identified the woman found dead after an alligator was seen with a body in its mouth. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday identified the victim as Sabrina Peckham, 41. A witness, JaMarcus Bullard, told CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 he earlier saw an alligator with a body its mouth. Officials humanely killed In the the 13-foot, 8.5-inch male, according to the sheriff’s office and Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission. Alligators have been spotted in the area before, but resident Jennifer Dean told Spectrum News 13 that she had never seen one this large.

Persons: Sabrina Peckham, JaMarcus Bullard, ” Bullard, Jennifer Dean, ” Dean Organizations: CNN, Pinellas County Sheriff’s, Florida Wildlife Conservation Locations: Florida, Largo, Tampa, Pinellas County

The zoo is run by the local government, which was said to be running out of money and therefore unable to feed its charges. These vehicles are legal entities created by Chinese cities to circumvent borrowing restrictions imposed by the central government in Beijing. “Why hurt small businesses which are the weakest?”Noodle sellers in Shanghai have been fined for adding cucumber to their dishes. Last year, Beijing issued a directive forbidding local governments from imposing “arbitrary fines” to generate income, and dispatched inspection teams to check that the policy was being followed. The scale of financial stress among China’s local governments is so big that “creative” sources of income can only cover a relatively small shortfall, he said.

Persons: hadn’t, Xi Jinping’s, ”, Willy Lam, Lam, “, Aly Song, Jiemian, Logan Wright, hasn’t, Li Qiang, Steve Tsang, Joseph Cheng, —, Martha Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Species Fund, CNN Local, China Newsweek, ” CNN, China National Radio, Washington, Jamestown Foundation, CNN, ”, Weibo, “, SOAS China, SOAS University of London, City University of Hong Locations: China, Hong Kong, Dongshan, Liaoning, Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Huizhou, Nanchang, Qingdao, City University of Hong Kong

☆ Bear spotted at Disney World prompts closure of parts of Magic Kingdom
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Natasha Chen | Marlon Sorto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A bear that prompted partial closures at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on Monday was captured without incident and is being relocated, according to a news release from Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Nearly a dozen attractions were closed on Monday at the time authorities were trying to locate the bear at Magic Kingdom, according to the My Disney Experience app. WESHIt was not clear if the closures, or how many, were related to the bear sighting. CNN has reached out to Disney for more details about specific closures but has not heard back yet. There are three other major parks at the resort: EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

Persons: ” FWC, FWC, Sawyer, Craig Williams, Disney, “, Shawn Nottingham, Carlos Suarez, Melissa Alonso, Kate Conerly Organizations: CNN, Walt Disney World’s, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Ocala National Forest, Disney, Walt Disney World Railroad, Liberty Square, Hall, Presidents, Haunted, Liberty, WESH, Hollywood Studios, Animal Locations: Ocala, Magic, Caribbean, Frontierland, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom

☆ The first known hybrid between a dog and a fox was discovered in Brazil after being hit by a car
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The first known hybrid between a pampas fox and a domestic dog was discovered in Brazil. Her father was a domestic dog of an unspecified breed. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe dog-fox resembles both a dog and a fox and shares characteristics with both animals, scientists said. Other names suggested for the animal were "graxorra" and "dogxim," which reference the Portuguese names for the pampas fox and female dog. This type of hybridization can threaten wildlife conservation due to risks of introgression and disease transmission by the dog, the study said.

Persons: Flávia Ferrari, Ferrari, Bruna Elenara Organizations: Service, British, The Telegraph, Telegraph, Universidade Federal Locations: Brazil, Wall, Silicon, South America, Universidade, Rio Grande do Sul, North America, Europe, Africa, Universidade Federal, Santa Maria

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