A rare "white" cardinal has been spotted in Tennessee and it carries special meaning for the person who saw it.

The viewer in Lebanon says the feathered friend has been visiting since October 2. It first arrived on their birthday and the anniversary of their father's death, who died more than 20 years ago.

According to the Farmer's Almanac, cardinals have long been seen as a message from a loved one watching over you.

Since that day, the bird has been spotted making several reoccurring visits. The viewer says it's their "special bird."

Both Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and folks at the Nashville Zoo said if it is truly a white bird, it would be a "leucistic" Northern Cardinal. Leucism is caused by a lack of pigment in the feathers.

TWRA and the zoo say the birds are rare, but not unheard of. There are usually a few reported in the state every year.

According to Gardens All, white cardinals account for about 1 in every 1,800 cardinals.

Cardinals, in the family Cardinalidae, are passerine birds found in North and South America. They are also known as cardinal-grosbeaks and cardinal-buntings.

The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in the tanager family Thraupidae. On the other hand, DNA analysis of the genera Piranga (which includes the scarlet tanager, summer tanager, and western tanager), Chlorothraupis, and Habia showed their closer relationship to the cardinal family. They have been reassigned to that family by the American Ornithological Society.

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Look up at the night sky tonight to catch a glimpse of February's full moon, which will be 100% full on Saturday at 3:17 a.m. ET. The full moon will be visible around the world, but poor weather may block the view for some. Moon gazers can watch a live stream of the full moon in Rome from The Virtual Telescope Project.

Native American tribes in the northeastern United States call February's full moon the "Snow Moon" because of the heavy snowfall this time of year, according to the Maine Farmer's Almanac.

Tribes across the United States have their own names for February's full moon, according to the Western Washington University Planetarium. The Arapaho in the Great Plains have the closest name to Snow Moon, which is "frost sparkling in the sun."

Other tribes have names that are the opposite, like the Zuni Tribe in New Mexico who call it "onon u'la'ukwamme," which means "no snow in trails."

Some tribes named this full moon after animals. The Tlingit Tribe in the Pacific Northwest call it "s'eek dis" or "black bear moon." The Haida Tribe in Alaska call it "hlgit'un kungáay" or "goose moon."

This full moon is also significant in other cultures. It marks Māgha Pūjā, an important Buddhist festival that celebrates Buddha gathering his first 1,250 disciples. Typical of a normal year, 2021 will also have 12 full moons. (Last year had 13 full moons, two of which were in October.)

February Moon names from different cultures Ice (Celtic). Old Moon (Cree). Gray Moon (Pima). Wind Moon (Creek). Winter Moon (Taos). Nuts Moon (Natchez). Avunnivik Moon (Inuit). Geese Moon (Omaha). Bony Moon (Cherokee). Purification Moon (Hopi). Little bud Moon (Kiowa). Snow Moon (Neo-Pagan). Lateness Moon (Mohawk). Shoulder Moon (Wishram). Rabbit Moon (Potawatomi). Sucker Moon (Anishnaabe). Long Dry Moon (Assiniboine). Little Famine Moon (Choctaw). Storm Moon (Medieval English). Sparkling Frost Moon (Arapaho). Running Fish Moon (Winnebago). Coyote Frighten Moon (San Juan). Spruce Tips Moon (Passamaquoddy). Raccoon Moon, Trees Pop Moon (Sioux). Hunger Moon : Dark, Storm Moon : Full (Janic). Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, Trappers Moon (Algonquin).

Other moon names : Wolf Moon, Wild Moon, Quickening Moon, Solmonath Moon, Chaste Moon, Horning Moon, Red Moon, Big Winter Moon, Cleansing Moon.

February's full moon is also known as the "Full Hunger Moon" because food was scarce and hunting was difficult for ancient tribes during this month.

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Firefighters with the Medina Fire Department used special oxygen masks to rescue turtles that were pulled from a shed fire.

Wednesday afternoon, crews responded to a shed fire. When they arrived on the scene, they were told by neighbors that the owner had multiple turtles inside the shed.

Crews put out the fire and began removing about 10 turtles, including two large tortoises, from the smoke-filled shed.

The Medina Fire Department carries oxygen masks that are specially designed to be used on animals and crews used those to administer oxygen to the turtles.

The fire department said about half of the turtles were able to be rescued.

According to the fire department, the shed was insulated and heated to house the turtles and it is believed that one of the heating elements started the fire.

Photos Source Medina Fire Dept

"This afternoon the duty crew was dispatched to a report of smoke showing from a possible shed fire. Upon arrival we confirmed that it was a working fire and were quickly informed by the neighbors that the owner had multiple turtles inside. The crew put the fire out and began removing approximately 10 turtles which included two large tortoises from the smoke filled shed. MFD carries oxygen masks that are specially designed to be used on animals and we used it to administer oxygen therapy. Unfortunately about half of the turtles didnt make it. The shed had been insulated and heated to house the turtles and it is believed that one of the heating elements started the fire." Medina Fire Dept

Source Turtles are easily recognised by their bony, cartilaginous shell. This super-tough casing acts like a shield to protect them from predators – some turtles can even tuck their head up inside their shell for extra protection! Contrary to popular belief, a turtle cannot come out of its shell. The turtle’s shell grows with them, so it’s impossible for them to grow too big for it!

A 65-year-old homeless woman was found sleeping in bin bags on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico, with her six dogs. Luz Maria Olmedo Beltran, known as Chole, has been living this way for eight years.

The elderly woman, who has a son, refuses to go to a homeless shelter as they won’t accept her beloved pets. Police have tried to convince Luz to go to a shelter in the past but she protests each time, determined to stay side-by-side with her dogs, one of which is about to give birth.

A Tijuana based photographer, Omar Camarillo, spotted Luz and decided to snap her pictures. Since the images captured a lot of attention, people have tried to help Luz and donated items for her and the dogs. Since then, Luz has been able to move into a shelter that allows for dogs, for 50 pesos a day.

When police tried to convince Luz to leave the streets and move to a shelter, the elderly woman broke out in tears. ‘I don’t want to go, I don’t need help, I’m fine here,’ she said to the police.

As they were unable to leave her on the streets, police managed to convince Luz to give her son’s address. Though they dropped her off at his place, Luz was soon back on the streets with her cherished companions.

Photographer Omar tells Metro.co.uk: ‘That day when I took the photos, t was raining, I was walking down the street and I could see the lady taking shelter from the cold and rain with her dogs inside the garbage bags.

Image credits: Omar Camarillo

‘I was impressed by the conditions in which the woman lives. I realise that “La Chole” has a great heart because she helps animals despite having many shortcomings.’ Omar returned to take pictures of Luz’s new abode; a tent. She says she would like the government to donate a place to her so she can take care of more animals.

After reading the story, Alejandra Cordova Castro was deeply touched and decided to help “Chole” with what she and the dogs need the most: water, food, blankets, socks, etc. It’s a simple, kind gesture that doesn’t cost much, but means the world to the elderly woman trying to survive in her harsh reality.

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A bobcat is very lucky to be alive after he got stuck to the train tracks while trying to enjoy a meal.

Coby Reid spotted the wild cat on the train tracks near the Canadian town of Trail, a town in southeastern British Columbia, in the early morning.

Reid is an inspector for the railroad and told CBC’s Radio West that he noticed the cat’s hind paws were frozen to the tracks.

The cat had caught a duck, but in the process of eating it on the tracks, the water-logged bobcat got frozen to the metal.

Reid wrote on Facebook that the bobcat “was enjoying his breakfast (duck) and froze to the rail.”

Reid said that he and his co-workers first attempted to cover the animal with a coat, but the bobcat didn’t like that.

They captured video of them trying to warm up the cat. He told CBC Radio West’s host Sarah Penton that the bobcat wasn’t the “cute cat you see in the pictures…He was hissing at us, lunging at us.”

The workers called their boss who brought a pail of warm water to free the cat. It took them roughly an hour to carefully unstick the bobcat from the rail.

Once freed, Reid said the bobcat was reluctant to leave his dinner behind but the group of men scared the cat away and threw the duck carcass to the side of the tracks.

It was very fortunate for the bobcat that the men came around when they did, because just 30 minutes after freeing him, a train roared by.

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All eyes are on the southern US states, most of all, on Texas. A powerful winter storm has brought everything to a standstill this week, leaving millions without power, and has claimed the lives of at least 21 people in the area. But this dark and frigid time is also a time of bravery and compassion.

Texans are bringing their pets, farm animals, and wild animals inside their homes to protect them from the icy cold and to keep them warm. They're also rushing to save sea turtles. If this isn’t proof that our true humanity shines through in the toughest times, I don’t know what is.

Near Houston, more than a dozen dogs were rescued from the freezing cold, with the remains of at least one found in the snow. Shelters in Austin and the Texas Panhandle pleaded with the public for generators and scrambled to defrost wells. At a primate sanctuary in San Antonio, monkeys, lemurs and at least one chimpanzee froze to death after electricity went out at the 70-acre facility.

“I never, ever thought my office would turn into a morgue, but it has,” Brooke Chavez, the director of Primarily Primates, told the San Antonio Express-News. “We won’t truly know how many animals have died until the temperatures rise and the snow starts to melt.”

The same is true of conditions on South Padre Island, where conservationists told The Post it often takes days for them to determine how many turtles have been able to survive as the reptiles slowly regain warmth.

Sanjuana Zavala, a spokeswoman for Sea Turtle, Inc., said green sea turtles live year-round in the Laguna Madre, a salty lagoon sandwiched between the mainland and barrier islands on Texas’s Gulf Coast.

The turtles, sometimes called the “lawn mowers of the ocean,” thrive off the area’s thick, underwater vegetation and keep the ecosystem balanced. But when water temperatures drop below about 50 degrees Fahrenheit — a rarity in South Padre Island — the chill can cause them to become “cold stunned.”

A turtle’s heart rate lowers, its flippers become paralyzed and its body will float comatose above the water, sometimes washing ashore, Zavala said. This state of hypothermic shock can put them at risk of predators, boats and even drowning.

In a normal year, volunteers with Sea Turtle, Inc. might rescue anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred cold-stunned turtles, warming them inside the group’s rescue center. Yet before the weekend was up, they already appeared to be filling up their own space to the brim.

“We knew this was not a regular cold stun,” she said, “and we knew we had to do something.”

The turtle rescue put out a call for help, and soon, much of the island was involved in an all-hands-on-deck effort to transport turtles to an overflow facility at the South Padre Island Convention Centre, where generators and good insulation could keep the animals warm.

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My mom is retired, & she spends her winters volunteering at a sea turtle rescue center in south Texas. The cold snap is stunning the local turtles & they’re doing a lot of rescues. She sent me this photo today of the back of her Subaru. It’s *literally* turtles all the way down. pic.twitter.com/xaDRNjLDoQ

— Lara (@lara_hand) February 15, 2021

A wildlife photographer has shared a once-in-a-lifetime photo of what he believes is a “never before seen” yellow penguin.

Belgian landscape and wildlife photographer Yves Adams was leading a two-month photo exhibition in the South Atlantic in December 2019 when the group made a stop on an island in South Georgia to photograph a colony of over 120,000 king penguins.

While unloading some safety equipment and food onto Salisbury Plain, Adams noticed an unusual sight he had never seen before: a penguin with bright yellow plumage.

“I’d never seen or heard of a yellow penguin before,” the photographer tells Kennedy News. “There were 120,000 birds on that beach and this was the only yellow one there.”

Luckily for the photographers, the tropical-looking penguin landed on the beach close to the group, meaning they had a perfect view of it unobstructed by the sea of penguins and seals in the area.

“We were so lucky the bird landed right where we were,” the photographer says. “Our view wasn’t blocked by a sea of massive animals. Normally it’s almost impossible to move on this beach because of them all.

“It was heaven that he landed by us. If it had been 50 meters away we wouldn’t have been able to get this show of a lifetime.”

The penguin’s strange coloring is due to a condition called leucism, which results in a loss of pigmentation.

“This is a leucistic penguin,” Adams says. “Its cells don’t create melanin anymore so its black feathers become this yellow and creamy color.”

Scientists have found that the yellow pigment in penguin feathers is chemically distinct from all other molecules that are known to give color to feathers.

“Penguins use the yellow pigment to attract mates and we strongly suspect that the yellow molecule is synthesized internally,” researcher Daniel Thomas tells Smithsonian Insider. “[It’s] distinct from any of the five known classes of avian plumage pigmentation and represents a new sixth class of feather pigment. As far as we are aware, the molecule is unlike any of the yellow pigments found in a penguin’s diet.”

In the case of this fully-yellow penguin, however, it’s unclear whether its distinctive plumage makes the bird ultra-attractive or ultra-repulsive to the ladies.

Yves captured thousands of photos over the course of the expedition, which continued for 8 more weeks after this memorable sighting, and the photographer has just found and edited these photos in the course of trawling through the large collection.

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Visitors to Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains now have a chance to spot a rare white American bison.The new addition joined the park’s herd of 25 earlier this year and was named Takoda, a Sioux word meaning “friend to everyone”.

Visitors to Dogwood Canyon Nature Park can see Takoda and the rest of the bison herd during the Wildlife Tram Tour, a two-hour guided ride through the canyon and into the ridgetops of Arkansas where herds of bison, elk and deer reside. Park officials hope thestrikingaddition will provide newopportunities to educate the public on the unique history of the American bison and the delicatebalance of conservation that saved the species from near-extinction. According to traditional Native American teaching spanning thousands of years, the white bison is a sacred animal.

Once an exceptionally rare occurrence, the birth of a white bison promotes prayerful communication between Indigenous people and the Great Spirit, and was also a sign of peace and good fortune. Today, though still rare, the phenomenon is more commondueto crossbreeding with cattle as a result of attempts by ranchers to save the species from extinctionafteroriginal populations plummeted between 1830 and 1900.Just 200 years ago,nearly 60 million American bison roamed the plains of North America, spanning from Mexico to Canada.

In the 19thand 20thcenturies, poor wildlife management practices including market hunting led to dramatic declines. Experts estimate that by 1900, only a few hundred bison remained.Thanks to intentional efforts led by conservation leaders in the early 20thcentury, the bison remains an iconic symbol of America today.

“Welcoming a remarkable white bison like this to Dogwood Canyon Nature Park allows us to expand on the important message that Native Americanslive out an unwavering conservation ethic,” said Bob Ziehmer, Senior Director of Conservation for Bass Pro Shops. “Their wisdom and understanding about the vital balance between land and people inspires our coreconservation principals, even today.” Dogwood Canyon Nature Park islocated just 15 miles west of Branson in Lampe, Missouri and offers a variety of ways for people of all ages and abilities to connect with nature year-round.

The park offersscenicwalking and biking paths, horseback ridingexcursions andfly fishing for rainbow trout in addition to the popular two-hour Wildlife Tram Tour, a narrated ride through the canyon past waterfalls and handcrafted stone bridges that crosses into the pastures of Arkansas where visitors can see herds of American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and white-tailed deer. Seasonally-themed educational programmingis offeredinsidetheNature Conservation Center, an interactive learning facility that connects to a treehouse built by Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters.

The park is also home to the Dogwood Canyon Mill, a fully-functioning restored gristmill that pays homage to the rich milling heritage of the Ozarks, and a museum featuring Native American and Civil War artifacts. Spanning 10,000 acres straddling the Missouri-Arkansas border, the property’s natural resources were once largely depleted due to decades of logging and mining throughout the early 20thcentury.

Today, the park serves as a thriving habitat for native flora and fauna thanks to decades of dedicated restorationefforts led byJohnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops founder and renownedconservationist. The park is owned and operated by the not-for-profit Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife Foundation to ensure the public can enjoy the historically and ecologically significant grounds for generations to come.

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Officials have transported 50 Yellowstone National Park bison to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in Montana.

The animals transferred Friday were under quarantine by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service located north of the park in the Gardiner Basin, Billings Gazette reported.

The move was the fifth transfer since April 2019, with a total of 154 bison moved from the park to the reservation.

The relocations are meant to divert disease-free Yellowstone bison to restoration programs led by tribal groups.

“As a keystone species, bison are critical to the health of the ecosystem as well as to other species that inhabit grasslands,” said Chamois Andersen, senior Rockies and Plains representative for Defenders of Wildlife.

"Thanks to these efforts, more than 16 tribes have started cultural herds with animals from Yellowstone, descendants of the wild bison that once roamed the prairie in the millions,” Andersen said.

There are 64 female and 25 male bison still under quarantine in Yellowstone facilities. Later this month, corrals are scheduled to gather bison for slaughter, with the meat distributed to participating tribes.

The quarantine and slaughter programs, along with hunting outside the park, are used to reduce bison populations.

The Fort Peck Reservation, headquartered in Poplar, is the second largest reservation in Montana covering over two million acres of land. There are an estimated 11,786 enrolled tribal members, of whom approximately 6,000 reside on or near the reservation. Fort Peck Reservation is home to two separate Indian nations, the Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes, each composed of numerous bands.

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Wolf hunting will be banned throughout Spain following an agreement between the central government and some autonomous regions.

The State Commission for Natural Heritage of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge has approved the inclusion of all existing wolf populations in Spain on the list of species under special protection.

That means that from Thursday, February 4, wolves will automatically cease to be a species which can be hunted anywhere in Spain.

The proposal was presented by the Commission and required a double vote because the first one was a tie.

Eventually, a simple majority, necessary to adopt the decision, has given it the go-ahead, thus giving all wolf populations throughout the national territory the same status.

Until now, wolf populations south of the River Duero were already included in the list. However, it was still a species which could be hunted north of the Duero.

Cantabria, Asturias, Castilla y Leon and Galicia, all of them regions with wolf populations north of the Duero, have voted against the proposal, a position to which other regions governed by the Partido Popular have seconded, according to sources.

However, the remaining regions throughout the country voted in favour of the proposal and it will now be submitted to Minister Teresa Ribera, to order it be made a law.

The turtle dove has also been proposed for addition to the list, but two votes were held and both were tied, so for now it will not go ahead.

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The American red wolf is staring down extinction, with only about 20 left in the wild – but the species has an important new ally in the Saint Louis Zoo.

Responding to an urgent call to keep this species from going extinct, the Zoo is transforming part of its land in Franklin County, Mo., into a conservation habitat where 24 American red wolves will live and breed in a private, protected natural setting.

The Zoo is developing approximately 20 acres of its 355-acre property in Franklin County, known as the Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve, with separately secured habitats for 12 mating pairs of wolves in 2021. The wolves will come from other conservation organizations in 2022. The campus will not be open to visitors, as the Zoo wants the wolves to learn natural survival skills without much human interaction in the secured facility.

The few remaining wild American red wolves are secretive, elusive animals active after dusk, but many cannot avoid the daytime actions of humans that are limiting their natural range. These wolves typically have one breeding pair in each close-knit pack. The wild population has been decimated, with the majority of American red wolf deaths caused by humans, including illegal hunting, vehicle strikes and habitat loss.

The Zoo is collaborating on this critical conservation project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which is responsible for managing the wild American red wolf population and reintroduction efforts in the eastern U.S., as well as with the Conservation Centers for Species Survival (C2S2), a science-based global initiative taking collective action to save animals from extinction.

"American red wolves are key species," said Jeffrey Bonner, Ph.D., Dana Brown President and CEO, Saint Louis Zoo. "Once populations are restored, they should create a balanced natural environment, fulfilling their predator-related roles to maintain stability within the ecosystem."

The St. Louis region has a rich history in wolf conservation lead by the Endangered Wolf Center located in Eureka, Mo. After retiring as director of the Saint Louis Zoo in 1970, Marlin Perkins and his wife Carol turned their attention toward wolf conservation. In 1971, they joined with a group of individuals to found the Endangered Wolf Center in an effort to address the serious plight of wolves at risk of extinction. Today, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited Endangered Wolf Center is a global leader in preserving and protecting several endangered wild canid species, including the American red wolf.

For many years, the Zoo has collaborated with the Endangered Wolf Center in various ways. As the Zoo plans its entry into the effort to save American red wolves from extinction, the Endangered Wolf Center has generously shared its 50 years of expertise and advice related to the location and construction of the Zoo's new wolf habitats.

"We are absolutely thrilled that the Saint Louis Zoo is joining the pack to save the American red wolf," said Virginia Busch, CEO, Endangered Wolf Center. "We look forward to expanding our collaboration with the Zoo in the future."

"The quick work of the Saint Louis Zoo to answer the call to action for this North American species is crucial for its survival," said Angelina Casillas, Programs Coordinator, C2S2. "American red wolves are critically endangered, and this long-term commitment by the Saint Louis Zoo will be key to growing the population in zoos and restoring a sustainable, healthy population to the wild."

The Zoo's 12 habitats will provide roughly 25 percent of the spaces needed within the American Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the AZA to double the population in zoos to its optimal size. This SSP manages the population of American red wolves in human care and works to protect the species in the wild. In addition to the SSP program, American red wolves are one of the species in AZA's Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE). Through SAFE, the entire AZA-accredited zoo and aquarium community focuses its conservation science, wildlife expertise, and outreach to millions of annual visitors on saving species in the wild.

"The Saint Louis Zoo has been a leader in conservation efforts for many years and for many species," said Chris Lasher of the North Carolina Zoo, who is the American Red Wolf SSP coordinator and SAFE program leader. "Their focus on the American red wolf will provide critical support in saving this species from extinction."

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The man named Junrell Fuentes Revilla was riding his motorbike on what seemed to be a day like any other, through the mountains of Cebu, Philippines. Suddenly, a dog came out of nowhere and started running right after him. The four-legged boy was barking relentlessly as if he was desperate to tell something to Junrell.

Sensing that something was not quite right, Junrell stopped his motorbike and followed the dog to see where he led him. The dog took him right to a dumpsite, where a tiny bundle was lying. It turned out, this was a newborn baby boy wrapped in a brown towel and left completely abandoned.

But thanks to the canine hero, the baby was found in good health and was rushed to the nearest police station. The touching story has quickly spread over social media in the Philippines and many felt touched by the dog’s exceptional bravery. Not all heroes wear capes, and not all of them are humans.

The baby ended up under the care of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office. Authorities urged the abandoning mother to come forward and anyone with information to reach out.

The dog Blacky has become a hero after he wouldn’t stop barking at a passing motorist, who stopped and followed him right to the dumpsite

It was there that a newborn baby wrapped in a towel was found completely abandoned. The heroic dog was initially thought to be a stray, but it turned out he had a home.

Image credits: Hope for Strays

Gea explained that the stray animal problem in the Philippines is so huge that it needs help from people. “If people would choose to adopt rather than to shop, if pet owners were more responsible and did more spaying and neutering of strays and their pets, then it would make the problem go away.”

“No stray would get hurt, cold, and hungry if we all chose kindness every day,” Gea told us and said that all animals’ lives are very precious. Just like Blacky, dogs and cats can actually save people and bring happiness to our lives.

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Experts from charities SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, Trees for Life and Vincent Wildlife Trust have launched a new study this month called 'Lynx to Scotland' to understand whether people would be willing to live alongside the big cats.

Peter Cairns, Executive Director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, said: 'With a global biodiversity crisis, we have a responsibility to have open and constructive conversations around restoring key native species to the Scottish landscape – and science shows that apex predators like lynx play a vital ecological role in maintaining healthy living systems.'

The study is being funded by Anders Holch Povlsen, a Danish billionaire who owns the Bestseller clothes retail chain, and Lisbet Rausing, from the Swedish family which made billions from Tetra Pak. These super-rich Scandinavians are looking to re-wild their estates, which cover about 300,000 acres, according to the charities.

Eurasian lynx are native to Britain, but were driven to extinction some 500-1,000 years ago through hunting and habitat loss.The big cats, which are around the same size as a Labrador dog, now live in mainland Europe, although they're rarely seen by humans.

Lynx are solitary and have huge territories, and prefer woodland cover where they can find prey, as well as den sites for their kittens. The experts believe that the Scottish Highlands have sufficient space to support around 400 wild lynx.

This area is also home to a huge number of woodland deer, which must carefully be managed. Steve Micklewright, Chief Executive of Trees for Life, said: 'Scotland has more woodland deer than any other European country, and their relentless browsing often prevents the expansion and healthy regeneration of our natural woodlands.

'By preying on roe deer, lynx would restore ecological processes that have been missing for centuries, and provide a free and efficient deer management service.'

While lynx are thought to be harmless to humans, the experts acknowledge that their reintroduction to the UK will bring challenges.

Jenny MacPherson, Science and Research Programme Manager with the Vincent Wildlife Trust, which will lead the study, said: 'Reintroducing lynx would inevitably bring challenges.

'Lynx to Scotland will actively include stakeholders representing the full range of perspectives, in order to produce meaningful conclusions about the level of support or tolerance for lynx, and therefore, the likely success of any future reintroduction.'

The study will run through 2021, with results expected in February 2022.

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January's full moon, popularly known as the wolf moon, is almost upon us. Here's "howl" to watch it shine brightly this Thursday (Jan. 28).

The moon will be at its fullest for just an instant — on Thursday, that happens at 2:16 p.m. EST (19:16 UTC). But, as with every full moon cycle, the moon will appear full for about three days, from Wednesday through Saturday morning (Jan. 27–30), according to NASA.

The full moon will be so bright, you can just gaze upward at the (hopefully clear) night sky to see it. If you have access to binoculars or a telescope, you may be able to spot some lunar features, such as the Sea of Tranquility or the bright Copernicus Crater, NASA reported.

If it's a cloudy night, you can always take a virtual tour of the moon with Moon Trek, managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. With Moon Trek, it's possible to view the historic landing sites from the Apollo missions, as well as other moonscapes.

To see a live feed of January's full wolf moon rising over Rome, the Virtual Telescope Project has a free webcast, which begins at 10:45 a.m. EST (15:45 UTC) on Thursday and is run by Italian astrophysicist Gianluca Masi.

The full January moon carries a cool nickname, the “wolf moon” — a monicker that was coined by Native American tribes that would often hear packs of hungry wolves howling on cold and snowy nights in the middle of winter.

“It was traditionally thought that they howled due to hunger, but there is no evidence for this," the publication says. “However, wolves do tend to howl more often during winter months, and generally howl to define territory, locate pack members, and gather for hunting.”

Full moon names date back to Native Americans of a few hundred years ago, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. To keep track of the changing seasons, these tribes gave distinctive names to each recurring full moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred.

There were some variations in the moon names, but in general, the same ones were used throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England, continuing west to Lake Superior.

European settlers followed their own customs and created some of their own names.

The Full Wolf Moon. Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Native American villages. This moon was also known as the Old Moon or the Moon after Yule. In some tribes it was called the Full Snow Moon, but most applied that name to the next moon.

January Moon Names: Man Moon (Taos). Joyful Moon (Hopi). Avunniviayuk (Inuit). Quite Moon (Celtic). Ice Moon (San Juan). Cold Moon (Cherokee). Ice Moon (Neo-Pagan). Flying Ant Moon(Apache). Big Cold Moon (Mohawk). Cooking Moon (Choctaw). Strong Cold Moon (Sioux). Little Winter Moon (Creek). Her Cold Moon (Wishram). Cold Meal Moon (Natchez). Moon After Yule (Cherokee). Wolf Moon (Medieval English). Strong Cold Moon (Cheyenne). Quiet : Dark, Wolf : Full (Janic). Great Spirit Moon (Anishnaabe). Whirling Wind Moon (Passamaquoddy). Wolf Moon, Old Moon, Winter Moon, Yule Moon (Algonquin).

VIDEO Wolves serenade the moon

A devoted dog has spent days waiting outside a hospital in northern Turkey where her sick owner was receiving treatment. The pet, Boncuk (Bon-DJUK), which means bead, followed the ambulance that transported her owner, Cemal Senturk, to hospital in the Black Sea city of Trabzon on Jan. 14. She then made daily visits to the facility, private news agency DHA reported on Wednesday.

Senturk’s daughter, Aynur Egeli, said she would take Boncuk home but the dog would repeatedly run off and return to the hospital. Hospital security guard Muhammet Akdeniz told DHA: “She comes every day around 9 a.m. and waits until nightfall. She doesn’t go in.”

A devoted dog has spent days waiting outside a hospital in northern Turkey where her sick owner was receiving treatment.

The pet, Boncuk (Bon-DJUK), which means bead, followed the ambulance that transported her owner, Cemal Senturk, to hospital in the Black Sea city of Trabzon on Jan. 14. She then made daily visits to the facility, private news agency DHA reported on Wednesday.

Senturk’s daughter, Aynur Egeli, said she would take Boncuk home but the dog would repeatedly run off and return to the hospital. Hospital security guard Muhammet Akdeniz told DHA: “She comes every day around 9 a.m. and waits until nightfall. She doesn’t go in.”

“When the door opens she pokes her head inside,” he said.

On Wednesday, Boncuk was finally reunited with Senturk when he was pushed outside in a wheelchair for a brief meeting with his dog.

“She’s very used to me. And I miss her, too, constantly,” he told DHA.

Senturk was discharged from the hospital later on Wednesday and returned home with Boncuk.

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In a town of Warren, Ohio, a dog was thrown out into a dumpster like trash. Judging by the size of the dumpster, the dog couldn’t have ended up there all by himself. The dog was visibly shocked, shaking, and hurt. The discovery raises a lot of worrying questions.

First and foremost, who would dare to do such a thing? Have they no heart? Did the dog even get a chance at having a good life? And most importantly, is the pit bull’s health OK? “It’s very troubling that someone would do that.

All they had to do was pick up the phone, call me, call the Trumbull County Dog Pound, call the Welfare League, someone would have been more than happy to take the dog away from them,” said the animal control officer Jason Onatz.

The officials are trying to track down whoever did this and persecute them to the full extent of the law. Apparently, the dog didn’t have the great life and care it deserved and was found underweight and in pain, with its hind legs not working properly.

To add insult to injury, or more accurately, an injury to an insult, the dog had fresh and old cuts on its body, raising even more questions about the situation that it was in.

The dog was immediately taken to the vet and had a serious check-up. Most of the aforementioned problems the pit bull had were confirmed. The wounds on all four limbs, his neck, and back area were infected. The vet also found a broken canine tooth in the dog’s gum, which needs to be extracted. X-rays were scheduled to diagnose the problem with the pit bull’s hind legs

The Animal Welfare League of Trumbull (AWLTrumbull) has asked the public to step up and provide more information about the incident, as well as for some donations for the dog’s medicine and care. Poor puppy is slowly but surely recovering under intense care. Let’s hope the lovely pit bull’s life can only get better from this point onwards.

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In the wild, orangutan fathers play no direct role in the upbringing of their offspring. Meanwhile, the bond between an orangutan mother who raises her offspring single-handedly and her child is thought to be one of the strongest in nature. In fact, orangutan moms invest more time in each offspring than any other known mammal.

But 2-year-old orangutan Cerah was left by herself after her mom unexpectedly died last month at the Denver Zoo. And to the complete surprise of the staff members, Cerah’s dad Berani stepped up to undertake the unusual job on his own—raising his daughter as the best dad he could be.

“Cerah couldn’t have asked for a better dad. Berani is so attentive and protective of her, seeing all her needs,” the zookeepers said in a Facebook post shared two days ago.

And the heartwarming pictures of the dad and daughter snuggling speak louder than any words. They prove that love creates miracles, it heals and creates a one-of-a-kind bond that otherwise wouldn’t have been there.

After 2-year-old Cerah became motherless, her dad Berani stepped up to take care of her, which is not typical of male orangutans Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. They use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage.

The apes' learning abilities have been studied extensively. There may be distinctive cultures within populations. Orangutans have been featured in literature and art since at least the 18th century, particularly in works which comment on human society. Field studies of the apes were pioneered by primatologist Birutė Galdikas and they have been kept in captive facilities around the world since at least the early 19th century.

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All three orangutan species are considered critically endangered. Human activities have caused severe declines in populations and ranges. Threats to wild orangutan populations include poaching, habitat destruction because of palm oil cultivation, and the illegal pet trade. Several conservation and rehabilitation organisations are dedicated to the survival of orangutans in the wild.