Latest news with #cattle
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Heartbreaking explanation for a kangaroo filmed acting erratically on the side of a highway
Confronting footage has emerged of a kangaroo suffering from a fatal condition after eating a certain type of weed introduced from Europe. Kangaroos across NSW, Victoria and South Australia have been dying from 'Phalaris staggers' which is a neurological condition that causes tremors and makes them lose their balance and collapse. Phalaris Aquatica is a crop grown to feed cattle and farmers can administer cobalt to their animals to protect them against the effects of Phalaris, but kangaroos are not given the preventative measure. After eating the grass, kangaroos become confused, disoriented and can be seen staggering around and shaking their heads. Leoni Sorrentino, from the volunteer group Wildlife Rescuers, told Daily Mail Australia that the problem had been around since the grass was introduced in the 19th century. She said the kangaroos affected suffer tremendously after eating the weed. 'They just get worse and end up having a horrific death,' she said. 'We're not allowed to relocate them so it makes it really hard.' Ms Sorrentino said kangaroos are most at risk of coming across the weed in times of drought, bushfires and in the cooler months from April to September. She alone had to euthanise eight kangaroos last week and said she heard of another group who had to put down six more animals. 'This year has been the worst since I've been a rescuer,' she said. 'It's quite a hardy weed. Even in bushfires, it will grow before anything else grows. The roots are sweet so they continue to keep eating them. 'There's been no tests done on how it affects them, neurologically, so we don't know if it passes to joeys through mum's milk because they're coming in sick as well.' Ms Sorrentino said the condition affected kangaroos so badly that they didn't know what was going on around them. 'It's to the point that they have no idea that anyone is standing near them and that's how we're able to grab them,' she said. 'Some are too far gone and they're just laying on the ground. They're just fox bait, unfortunately.'
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
Quebec dairy farmer chasing down runaway herd with help of drones, neighbours
A Holstein cow stands in a pasture at a dairy farm near Calgary in an Aug. 31, 2016, file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh A Quebec dairy farmer is relying on drones and the help of family and friends to try to track down a herd of Holstein cattle that escaped their enclosure over the weekend. François Morissette says 24 young animals ran through a fence Saturday night after getting spooked by fireworks. Since then, they've dispersed into small groups and travelled several kilometres around Saint-Gabriel-de-Rimouski, about 300 kilometres northeast of Quebec City. Morrissette says he's been able to round up 15 of the skittish animals but nine remain missing. He says he's getting help from family and neighbours, including a person who has used a drone to help find them. He says he's not giving up on recapturing the rest of the herd, even though they've run into the woods where they're much harder to track. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2025.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Critics say Newcastle student halls will reduce space for cows
The redevelopment of a large student campus could prevent cows grazing on a section of a city's fields, critics have University's Castle Leazes Halls were recently knocked down to make way for a new block, which will include a fenced footpath across a section of the Town resident Richard Temperley said the fenced-off area on Leazes Moor risked becoming "scrubland" if the cattle could not graze Freemen of Newcastle said they would still tend to the fenced off area and the barrier was needed to prevent people interacting with the cattle. Mr Temperley, who lived in Castle Leazes while he was a student, said the cows were "very special" for a lot of people in Newcastle."They are a bit like the canals and the gondolas in Venice, they are distinctive but they are also a bit impractical as well," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Joyce Gregson, 83, described the development as "absolutely obscene"."Why do they want to do it? How will it benefit anybody?" she said. "We already have an existing path going across the moor the students use." The new Castle Leazes Development will contain 2,009 bedrooms, almost 600 more than the previous halls. The Freemen of Newcastle, who care for the Town Moor, said they had been concerned the larger campus would lead to more people interacting with grazing cattle and the fenced-off path was "the only viable option"."The Freemen will continue to maintain all of Castle Leazes Moor, including the fenced-off area," a spokesman said. Newcastle University and accommodation firm Unite Students said a public consultation had been used to understand the "potential impacts of the redevelopment" and how they could be said the path had been designed to improve accessibility to the main university campus for all users. Newcastle City Council said the path and its fencing would not stop the land being used as "open green space". Follow BBC Newcastle on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
After screwworm scare, US-Mexico border set to reopen for cattle imports
MEXICO CITY — Mexico and the United States said they would gradually reopen the United States border to cattle imports from Mexico in July after U.S. agriculture officials suspended them in May over fears of the northward spread of the screwworm, agriculture officials in both countries said Monday. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said via X that 'key progress' had been made. She noted that more than 100 million sterile flies were being dispersed weekly and there had been no northward spread in eight weeks. The U.S. restricted Mexican cattle shipments in late November following the detection of the pest, but lifted the ban in February after protocols were put in place to evaluate the animals prior to entry into the country. But after an 'unacceptable northward advancement' of the screwworm, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement it was suspending them again in May. Mexico Agriculture and Rural Development Secretary Julio Berdegué said he participated in a virtual meeting with Rollins Monday and that the border opening would begin July 7. Rollins and Berdegué applauded the close cooperation between both governments. The screwworm is a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly that can invade the tissues of any warm-blooded animal, including humans. The parasite enters the skin, causing serious and life-threatening damage and lesions.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
After screwworm scare, US-Mexico border set to reopen for cattle imports
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico and the United States said they would gradually reopen the United States border to cattle imports from Mexico in July after U.S. agriculture officials suspended them in May over fears of the northward spread of the screwworm, agriculture officials in both countries said Monday. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said via X that 'key progress' had been made. She noted that more than 100 million sterile flies were being dispersed weekly and there had been no northward spread in eight weeks. The U.S. restricted Mexican cattle shipments in late November following the detection of the pest, but lifted the ban in February after protocols were put in place to evaluate the animals prior to entry into the country. But after an 'unacceptable northward advancement' of the screwworm, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement it was suspending them again in May. Mexico Agriculture and Rural Development Secretary Julio Berdegué said he participated in a virtual meeting with Rollins Monday and that the border opening would begin July 7. Rollins and Berdegué applauded the close cooperation between both governments. The screwworm is a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly that can invade the tissues of any warm-blooded animal, including humans. The parasite enters the skin, causing serious and life-threatening damage and lesions. The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
