Latest news with #PragueZoo
Sky News
a day ago
- Climate
- Sky News
UK records hottest day of year so far - as 40C highs close schools in Europe
The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far – while Europe has also faced extreme heat, and wildfires have raged in Turkey. A temperature of 34.7C (94.4F) was recorded at St James's Park in central London on Tuesday afternoon, the Met Office said, beating a high of 34.4C (93.9F) in Writtle, Essex, earlier in the day. The UK's previous warmest day of 2025 was Saturday 21 June, when 33.2C (91.8F) was recorded in Charlwood, Surrey. Much of Europe is also facing hotter-than-usual temperatures, with a high of 40C (104F) recorded in Paris. More than 1,300 schools in France were partially or fully closed on Tuesday after the country's national weather agency placed several regions under the highest red alert. The Paris region was particularly hard hit, and the Eiffel Tower's summit was closed to visitors as locals and tourists alike were warned to take care in the heat. In Italy, 17 major cities - out of a total of 27 - were experiencing a heat wave, according to the country's health ministry. At the Prague Zoo, staff are currently distributing up to 10 metric tons of ice per day to keep animals cool as temperatures in the Czech Republic reach 37C (98.6F). Numerous Spanish cities have also reported sweltering temperatures, with highs over the 40C in Madrid, Sevilla and Barcelona. Speaking in Seville on Monday, António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said: "Extreme heat is no longer a rare event - it has become the new normal." The city is forecast to roast in more the 40C heat for the next three days. Meanwhile, wildfires on Turkey's coastal provinces are raging for a second day running. 2:17 More than 50,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, including 42,000 from the western province of Izmir, where officials say strong winds have fanned the flames. Turkey's Hatay Province has also seen wildfires. A Met Office spokesperson said Tuesday was likely to mark "the peak of this current heatwave in terms of absolute temperatures we're expecting" in the UK. Colder temperatures will come in from the north overnight and into Wednesday morning, Stephen Dixon said.
The Star
18-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
Conserving a rare insect thought extinct for more than 80 years
The Lord Howe Island stick insect can grow up to 15cm long. The Prague Zoo has joined an international effort to ensure the survival of a rare insect that had been considered extinct for more than 80 years. The zoo is among six institutions around the world that have been able to create living conditions for the largest species of flightless insect, the Lord Howe Island stick insect, which grows up to 15cm long. They are on display, a rare chance that only London and San Diego also offer. The insect, also known as the Lord Howe Island phasmid, is native to a remote archipelago in the Tasman Sea off Australia. An expert keeper displays critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insects, nicknamed 'tree lobster', at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic. — PETR DAVID JOSEK/AP The uninhabited archipelago was discovered in 1778. Rats that arrived with a ship stranded offshore in 1918 appeared to wipe out the insect's population. Mountain climbers found signs of the insects in the 1960s on a rocky island 23km offshore from Lord Howe. In 2001, it was confirmed that specimens were surviving there. Two pairs were taken to Australia for breeding, a step considered necessary for the critically endangered species. The Prague Zoo is among six institutions around the world that have been able to create living conditions for the largest species of flightless insect. 'They had to make an enormous effort to survive 100 years on such a tough place as the Balls Pyramid, and now need such sensitive care to live in captivity,' Vojtech Vít, an expert keeper at the Prague Zoo, said recently. The zoo had to create an air-conditioned building with disinfection equipment for keepers at the entrance to protect the insects that are susceptible to bacterial and virus infections, and get approval from Australian authorities for breeding. The goal of the breeding programme is to return the insect to its natural environment on Lord Howe Island after rats were eradicated there in 2019. – AP
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-04-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Prague Zoo Joins Effort to Ensure Survival of Rare Insect
The Prague Zoo has joined an international effort to ensure the survival of a rare insect that had been considered extinct for more than 80 years. The zoo is among six institutions around the world that have been able to create living conditions for the largest species of flightless insect, the Lord Howe Island stick insect, which grows up to 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) long. They are on display, a rare chance that only London and San Diego also offer, The Associated Press reported. The insect, also known as the Lord Howe Island phasmid, is native to a remote archipelago in the Tasman Sea off Australia. The uninhabited archipelago was discovered in 1778. Rats that arrived with a ship stranded offshore in 1918 appeared to wipe out the insect's population. Mountain climbers found signs of the insects in the 1960s on a rocky island 23 kilometers (14 miles) offshore from Lord Howe. In 2001, it was confirmed that specimens were surviving there. Two pairs were taken to Australia for breeding, a step considered necessary for the critically endangered species. 'They had to make an enormous effort to survive 100 years on such a tough place as the Balls Pyramid, and now need such sensitive care to live in captivity," Vojtěch Vít, an expert keeper at the Prague Zoo, said Tuesday. The zoo had to create an air-conditioned building with disinfection equipment for keepers at the entrance to protect the insects that are susceptible to bacterial and virus infections, and get approval from Australian authorities for breeding. The goal of the breeding program is to return the insect to its natural environment on Lord Howe Island after rats were eradicated there in 2019.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Prague Zoo joins bid to ensure survival of rare insect once considered extinct
The Prague Zoo has joined an international effort to ensure the survival of a rare insect that had been considered extinct for more than 80 years. The zoo in the Czech Republic is among six institutions around the world that have been able to create living conditions for the largest species of flightless insect, the Lord Howe Island stick insect, which grows up to 15cm (5.9 inches) long. They are on display, a rare chance that only London and San Diego also offer. The insect, also known as the Lord Howe Island phasmid, is native to a remote archipelago in the Tasman Sea off Australia. The uninhabited archipelago was discovered in 1778. Rats that arrived with a ship stranded offshore in 1918 appeared to wipe out the insect's population. Mountain climbers found signs of the insects in the 1960s on a rocky island 23km (14 miles) offshore from Lord Howe. In 2001, it was confirmed that specimens were surviving there. Two pairs were taken to Australia for breeding, a step considered necessary for the critically endangered species. 'They had to make an enormous effort to survive 100 years on such a tough place as the Balls Pyramid, and now need such sensitive care to live in captivity,' Vojtech Vit, an expert keeper at the Prague Zoo, said. The zoo had to create an air-conditioned building with disinfection equipment for keepers at the entrance to protect the insects which are susceptible to bacterial and virus infections, and get approval from Australian authorities for breeding. The goal of the breeding programme is to return the insect to its natural environment on Lord Howe Island after rats were eradicated there in 2019.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Prague Zoo joins the effort to ensure the survival of a rare insect once considered extinct
PRAGUE (AP) — The Prague Zoo has joined an international effort to ensure the survival of a rare insect that had been considered extinct for more than 80 years. The zoo is among six institutions around the world that have been able to create living conditions for the largest species of flightless insect, the Lord Howe Island stick insect, which grows up to 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) long. They are on display, a rare chance that only London and San Diego also offer. The insect, also known as the Lord Howe Island phasmid, is native to a remote archipelago in the Tasman Sea off Australia. The uninhabited archipelago was discovered in 1778. Rats that arrived with a ship stranded offshore in 1918 appeared to wipe out the insect's population. Mountain climbers found signs of the insects in the 1960s on a rocky island 23 kilometers (14 miles) offshore from Lord Howe. In 2001, it was confirmed that specimens were surviving there. Two pairs were taken to Australia for breeding, a step considered necessary for the critically endangered species. 'They had to make an enormous effort to survive 100 years on such a tough place as the Balls Pyramid, and now need such sensitive care to live in captivity," Vojtěch Vít, an expert keeper at the Prague Zoo, said Tuesday. The zoo had to create an air-conditioned building with disinfection equipment for keepers at the entrance to protect the insects that are susceptible to bacterial and virus infections, and get approval from Australian authorities for breeding. The goal of the breeding program is to return the insect to its natural environment on Lord Howe Island after rats were eradicated there in 2019.
