The albino buffalo nicknamed &#8220;Donald Trump,&#8221; who was supposed to be slaughtered this week as part of the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha, was spared Wednesday after internet backlash drew security concerns.
Just a few hours before the scheduled sacrifice, Bangladesh Home Minister ​Salahuddin Ahmed ordered the animal to be pardoned and was then relocated to the national zoo in Dhaka, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/viral-fame-spares-donald-trump-buffalo-eid-sacrifice-bangladesh-2026-05-27/">Reuters</a>. A ministry official said the decision came “at the last moment &#8230; due to security concerns and the unusual level of public interest.”
Ziauddin Mridha, the farm owner ​who purchased the buffalo 10 months ago, sold the animal to a person who was preparing for the festival. The government ordered Mridha to refund the buyer.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Viral albino buffalo “Donald Trump” moved to Bangladesh National Zoo for public display in Dhaka. <a href="https://t.co/1rC4rqYVw6">pic.twitter.com/1rC4rqYVw6</a>
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) <a href="https://x.com/AdityaRajKaul/status/2059978033361305754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The rare animal became a local celebrity in the city of Narayanganj and a viral sensation because of its uncanny resemblance to Trump, namely its blond combover, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-trump-looking-buffalo-is-taking-over-the-internet?row=0&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay">reported</a>. Crowds flocked to the farm to catch a glimpse of the buffalo, with videos and photos flooding social media, eventually making international headlines.
Mridha admitted he didn’t notice the resemblance at first. “My younger brother jokingly named it Donald Trump after seeing the hair on its head,” he told <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/rare-buffalo-steals-spotlight-in-bangladesh-for-looking-exactly-like-donald-trump-11510390" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NDTV</a>. “It is very calm in nature. Albino buffaloes are generally peaceful and do not become aggressive unless provoked.&#8221;
Fans around the world took to social media to share the good news.
&#8220;Even a buffalo named Donald Trump survives assassination attempts &#8230;&#8221; one user <a href="https://x.com/_NafayFarooq/status/2059978876428960094">posted</a> on X.
&#8220;Life is really funny sometimes. At this point, the buffalo needs security and its own social media page,&#8221; another <a href="https://x.com/Kingkosec/status/2059969268251234521">said</a>.
&#8220;Viral fame hits different when it literally spares your life,&#8221; another X user <a href="https://x.com/BinBillionaire/status/2059932693102575894">quipped</a>.
From feeding troughs to worldwide recognition, it sure pays to look like Trump.

BANGLADESH-US-POLITICS-BUFFALO

Government Intervenes To Spare Sacrificial ‘Donald Trump’ Buffalo

Animals

Donald Trump

World

Donald Trump has once again taken over the internet. 
No, not the president of the United States. The albino buffalo from Bangladesh.
Nicknamed after the commander-in-chief, this rare animal has become a local celebrity in the city of Narayanganj and a viral sensation online because of its uncanny resemblance to Trump, particularly its blond combover.
Crowds have flocked to the farm to catch a glimpse of the unique buffalo, with videos and photos flooding social media.
Ziauddin Mridha, the farm owner who purchased the animal from a cattle market ten months ago, said he didn&#8217;t notice the resemblance at first. 
&#8220;My younger brother jokingly named it Donald Trump after seeing the hair on its head,&#8221; Mridha told <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/rare-buffalo-steals-spotlight-in-bangladesh-for-looking-exactly-like-donald-trump-11510390">NDTV</a>.
&#8220;It is very calm in nature. Albino buffaloes are generally peaceful and do not become aggressive unless provoked,&#8221; Mridha added.
Depending on who you ask, the same could probably be said for the real Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🇧🇩 ☪️ 🐃 Bangladesh&#8217;s &#8216;Donald Trump&#8217; buffalo attracts fans
Crowds in Bangladesh are flocking to snap photos with an unlikely social media star &#8212; a rare albino buffalo with flowing blond locks nicknamed &#8220;Donald Trump&#8221; which is due to be sacrificed within days as part of an… <a href="https://t.co/AxSmyzW5p2">pic.twitter.com/AxSmyzW5p2</a>
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/2057464612933582906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mridha <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYlYtaLFUJs/?hl=en">said</a> crowds have visited throughout May, many watching as handlers poured water over the buffalo&#8217;s hair before combing it behind its horns into the perfect Trump-do.
One resident named Mim was skeptical of the comparisons she&#8217;d seen online and felt they were exaggerated until seeing the animal in person.
&#8220;It actually looks like Trump. The name suits it well,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/rare-buffalo-steals-spotlight-in-bangladesh-for-looking-exactly-like-donald-trump-11510390">said.</a>
Another visitor agreed, saying the buffalo&#8217;s &#8220;facial structure&#8221; and hair strongly resembled the president.
<div id="attachment_1100879" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1100879" class="wp-image-1100879 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2276758738-865x576.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2276758738-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2276758738-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2276758738-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2276758738.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Salahuddin AHMED / AFP via Getty Images</div>
Unfortunately, to the internet&#8217;s dismay, the beloved buffalo, along with 12,000 other livestock, is expected to be slaughtered within the coming days for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival called the &#8220;Feast of the Sacrifice.&#8221;
Maybe if notified, the real Trump could step in to save the day.

ChatGPT Image May 22, 2026, 04_13_08 PM

This Trump-Looking Buffalo Is Taking Over The Internet

Social Media

A U.S. Army veteran who rescued his 11-year-old dog from ISIS is now fighting to save her again after local authorities in Virginia “kidnapped” the animal.
Brendan Jones, a military veteran with 18 years of counterterrorism experience, rescued his dog Lucy from the grips of ISIS while deployed in the Middle East. Now, he&#8217;s building a &#8220;<a href="https://hannity.com/media-room/save-lucy-army-vets-beloved-pup-who-survived-isis-now-locked-in-virginia-kennel/">pressure campaign</a>&#8221; to save Lucy from an animal shelter. 
Around a month ago, Lucy was taken from the family&#8217;s rural property near Strasburg, Virginia, after a neighbor claimed that the dog threatened her and accused Jones of failing to comply with Virginia’s dangerous dog registry requirements.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You know who you are. On April 17, you saw me in my yard with my dog. You watched a freak mishap occur. You saw the collar slip over my dog&#8217;s head. You saw me immediately react, bringing my dog under control as quickly as I could manage without her leaving my property. You heard… <a href="https://t.co/yaefu9pngK">pic.twitter.com/yaefu9pngK</a>
— Brendan Jones 🇺🇸 (@jonesbrendanm) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonesbrendanm/status/2051483782125875278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://x.com/jonesbrendanm/status/2051483782125875278?s=20">On social media,</a> Jones called the incident a &#8220;freak mishap&#8221; and immediately brought the dog under control. He also said that Lucy never left his property.
&#8220;A passerby, a local attorney&#8217;s wife, escalated it to the authorities,&#8221; <a href="https://www.change.org/p/help-bring-home-a-veterans-11-year-old-rescue-dog-after-a-brief-leash-slip?recruiter=535315019&amp;recruited_by_id=db9f7a10-0f9e-11e6-a491-2183983b1494&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_campaign=share_petition&amp;utm_term=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;share_id=xHNTp9KntX">Jones and his wife Dolly wrote</a>. &#8220;Now, at 11 years old, Lucy is unjustly confined in a shelter; confused, lonely, and awaiting death for doing nothing but barking — something all dogs do!&#8221;
Lucy, according to Jones, had been declared “dangerous” a year earlier after she nipped a passerby. He <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/dog-saved-isis-army-veteran-kidnapped-family-yard-local-authorities">said</a> the incident was out of character and occurred while the dog was recovering from surgery and still groggy. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
She was drugged up post surgery. Not in her right mind. She was injured and in pain. She was wearing a boot and hobbling on three lets. She was wearing a cone and couldn&#8217;t see. In this vulnerable and confused state, a strange hand suddenly appeared next to her head. She felt… <a href="https://t.co/IQaG4QujHv">pic.twitter.com/IQaG4QujHv</a>
— Brendan Jones 🇺🇸 (@jonesbrendanm) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonesbrendanm/status/2056191576263582075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
Dolly Jones, Brendan&#8217;s wife, said the couple has faced repeated conflicts with neighbors, including over a dozen police calls and multiple court appearances over animal-related noise complaints. Jones argued that the incident involving Lucy was &#8220;the weapon they needed to wield against us.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s been heartbreaking for everybody,&#8221; Dolly Jones said on &#8220;<a href="https://hannity.com/media-room/save-lucy-army-vets-beloved-pup-who-survived-isis-now-locked-in-virginia-kennel/">The Sean Hannity Show</a>.&#8221; &#8220;When they actually came and kidnapped her off our property, the kids were outside playing, and the cops came up and removed her from the field, put her in the car. It&#8217;s been devastating.&#8221; 
Brendan found and fell in love with Lucy in 2015 while &#8220;camping in the reddish moondust on the border between Jordan and Syria.&#8221;
&#8220;A young dog, pearl white in color, hung out with us at camp. We kind of adopted her and fed her leftovers. She appreciated having a full belly and a respite from the packs of wild dogs and angry Bedouins,&#8221; he said on social media. &#8220;We named her Lucy, which was appropriate, because it was similar to the Arabic word &#8216;Lulu,&#8217; which means pearl.&#8221;
Then, he bribed a Jordanian officer to get Lucy veterinary care. 
&#8220;First, I asked him straight up to take the dog to the vet in Amman. He laughed, spat on the ground, and said something disparaging about Americans and their love for filthy dogs. So I went for his Achilles heel — his love of Oakley sunglasses. I told him I would give him my Oakleys if he drove the dog 3.5 hours to Amman and delivered her to the vet. That got him. He said he would,&#8221; Jones said. 
Following the birth of his newborn son, Jones said Lucy helped fill the void of his emotional pain overseas. 
&#8220;I missed being a dad, I missed the dad life, and that&#8217;s not the headspace you want when you&#8217;re overseas in danger, when you have to be focused on the mission,&#8221; he told Hannity. &#8220;Lucy helped me get over that, because she filled that void that was missing. I would sit outside our gate after we adopted her and just pet her, play with her, feed her; it helped me overcome the pain that I felt.&#8221; 
Lucy is still sitting in her cell at the pound, <a href="https://x.com/jonesbrendanm/status/2057510905621975420?s=20">according to Jones</a>, and the dog is unlikely to be released before Jones&#8217; next court date, which is set for June 12. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Took Lucy treats. Couldn&#8217;t see her. One of the ladies took a video of her. She sent it to me along with the following message:
&#8220;Praying for a positive outcome soon for Lucy! 🙏&#8221;
These people are heroes. God bless them. But I want my dog back.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveLucy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaveLucy</a><a href="https://twitter.com/Herb_Minstrel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Herb_Minstrel</a> <a href="https://t.co/htCgWM3CEo">pic.twitter.com/htCgWM3CEo</a>
— Brendan Jones 🇺🇸 (@jonesbrendanm) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonesbrendanm/status/2056427493830033833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;We&#8217;re hoping that her life be bookended by miracles, one to get her here and one to save her from the Islamic State, and one to get her out of the hands of our own state,&#8221; Jones told Hannity.  
The Jones family <a href="https://www.change.org/p/help-bring-home-a-veterans-11-year-old-rescue-dog-after-a-brief-leash-slip?recruiter=535315019&amp;recruited_by_id=db9f7a10-0f9e-11e6-a491-2183983b1494&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_campaign=share_petition&amp;utm_term=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;share_id=xHNTp9KntX">created an online petition</a> calling for Lucy&#8217;s release.

HHhVlD7XgAEkKWv

Army Veteran Saved His Dog From ISIS — Then His Neighbors Had Her Kidnapped

Dogs

News

Virginia

Unique milestone photos are nothing new, but one Texas-based grad is taking things to the next level.
Kat Daley, a graduating McNeese State University student, is going viral online for a photo shoot she did with a live 14-foot alligator named “Big Al.” This moment was personal for her as she helps run Gator Country in Beaumont, Texas, with her fiancé, Eddie.
“I really wanted to highlight what I do with these animals every day and what they mean to me,” she <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/us-news/glamorous-coed-takes-insane-graduation-pics-with-alligator/">told</a> The New York Post in an interview.
<div id="attachment_1097265" style="width: 717px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1097265" class="size-large wp-image-1097265" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-2-707x576.png" alt="Gator with Daley" width="707" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-2-707x576.png 707w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-2-300x245.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-2-768x626.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-2.png 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 707px) 100vw, 707px" />Laura Oglesbee Photography</div>
Daley said the photos were partially to show off her life’s work, and partially to help de-stigmatize the animals themselves.
“I feel like reptiles are demonized in the media a lot more than they need to be, alligators specifically. They’re not as aggressive as people like to think. When people don’t interfere with those wild animals, they aren’t gonna interfere with us,” she told the Post.
Her photographer Laura Oglesbee said Daley was calm and professional during the shoot. 
“The alligators are trained, they only do it with Big Al and Big Tex, who have been trained for a long time. It’s not just some random alligator,” she told the outlet. 
Oglesbee said that she was more hesitant about the shots of Daley holding a venomous rattlesnake, which necessitated her using a “wide angle lens” and staying far, far away.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="She kissed a 14 foot alligator for graduation photos" width="422" height="750" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2eYRsouKmCo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Daley is graduating from McNeese State University with a general studies degree and plans to stay on at Gator Country working for now. The facility, located about 80 miles outside of Houston, takes in around 250 nuisance gators which are captured each year.
“We bring them here, take care of them, feed them, pretty much let them live out their best lives they can in captivity because they don’t have a chance in the wild,” she told The Post of her employer. 
<div id="attachment_1097269" style="width: 822px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1097269" class="size-large wp-image-1097269" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-3-812x576.png" alt="Daley Gator" width="812" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-3-812x576.png 812w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-3-300x213.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-3-768x545.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Daley-Gator-3.png 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px" />Laura Oglesbee Photography</div>
“I love the conservation aspect of it, where we get to save these animals that would otherwise be destroyed. But I also love the education aspect, getting people to see and interact with these animals and see they’re not so scary.”
Daley concluded, “Honestly I kind of already have my dream job, so I think I’m just gonna stay right here and see where it takes me.”

Gator Kiss Daley

SEE IT: She Kissed A 14-Foot Alligator For Graduation Photos

Alligator

Graduation

Texas

Former reality star Spencer Pratt, who is running for mayor of Los Angeles against incumbent Karen Bass, is taking a stand for animals that are allegedly being tortured by homeless people in the community.
The mayoral hopeful has been posting about animals being abused on Skid Row and beyond for weeks, sharing graphic videos of dogs overdosing on fentanyl and one presented with his eyes sewn shut.
“As Mayor, I will stand up a dedicated LAPD task force, Tactical PAWS: Policing Animal Welfare &amp; Safety. We will end the horrific atrocities that Karen Basura (his nickname for Bass) and [coucilwoman] Nithya Raman have allowed on our streets. ZERO tolerance for animal abusers,” he wrote in a post on April 20.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
As Mayor, I will stand up a dedicated LAPD task force, Tactical PAWS: Policing Animal Welfare &amp; Safety. We will end the horrific atrocities that Karen Basura and Nithya Raman have allowed on our streets. ZERO tolerance for animal abusers! <a href="https://t.co/QyUPKpdLEB">https://t.co/QyUPKpdLEB</a> <a href="https://t.co/XDnpJk4aba">pic.twitter.com/XDnpJk4aba</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerpratt/status/2046277962664996895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“This is uncaring Karen’s legacy,” he said of Bass in response to a video of a dog with drugs in its system receiving medical care. “Unbelievable levels of evil from the druggies that are left to massacre these poor animals. This ends when I’m mayor.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is uncaring Karen’s legacy. Unbelievable levels of evil from the druggies that are left to massacre these poor animals. This ends when I’m mayor. <a href="https://t.co/jJ64X0sQ5R">https://t.co/jJ64X0sQ5R</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerpratt/status/2047197321079980376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In another video <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXhkUNNAdT9/">shared</a> to Instagram on Friday, he accused Bass and Raman of “facilitating the torture, mutilation, abuse, and murder of thousands of dogs by crazy drug addicts who breed them for money, set them on fire, [and] conduct Nazi-like experiments.”
Pratt says the dogs become drug testers and are frequently overdosing.
The former star of “The Hills” said that Raman allegedly “walked out” of a recent city council meeting after an animal rescue worker begged for help with the problem.
Pratt also said a rally was happening at The Barkery in Encino on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. to raise awareness and “save our pets from the zombies.”
The reality alum announced that he is running for mayor of Los Angeles on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fire, which is the event that he says radicalized him to make a change in his community. The Republican and former star of “The Hills” has been critical of local Democrats for their actions before and after the fires. Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, and his parents all lost their homes.
“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling; it’s fundamentally broken. It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash,” Pratt said in part while announcing his campaign.
Pratt is a first-time candidate facing more than a dozen other contenders in the nonpartisan mayoral primary in June, including current Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Bass, who is seeking re-election. Pratt’s campaign website describes him as “Karen Bass’ worst nightmare.”

Spencer Pratt

Reality Star Rips Dem Karen Bass For Allowing Homeless To ‘Conduct Nazi-Like Experiments’ On Dogs

California

Drugs

Elections

Homeless

Karen Bass

Los Angeles

Mayor

Politics

A pair of giant pandas will make their way to America as part of a ten-year agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, according to a statement from China on Friday. The male, Ping Ping, and the female, Fu Shuang, will relocate to Zoo Atlanta, becoming the third zoo in the United States to currently house the animals.
The announcement comes just weeks before President Donald Trump is set to visit Beijing, where he will meet with China’s President Xi Jinping.
Specific departure dates have not yet been given, but the zoo is currently working on facility upgrades and preparation work for the pandas&#8217; arrival, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-pandas-zoo-atlanta-743549119313ddeea6b1d838f76fe8b3">statement</a>.
Zoo Atlanta <a href="https://zooatlanta.org/two-new-giant-pandas-are-expected-to-arrive-at-zoo-atlanta/">said</a> Thursday that it was delighted and honored to be trusted to take care of the pandas. “We can’t wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas,” said the zoo’s president, Raymond B. King. 
The zoo cited a previous panda agreement with the association from 1999 to 2024, which &#8220;resulted in a highly productive 25 years of partnership,&#8221; where pandas Lun Lun and Yang Yang gave birth to seven cubs. They returned to China once the partnership concluded.
America was briefly &#8220;panda-less&#8221; in 2024 when several agreements ended, marking the first time without pandas in fifty years since the first pair arrived in 1972.
Pandas have long been a broader symbol of China&#8217;s ties to foreign nations, where the country loans them to strengthen its relationships; the animals are typically sent back when the agreement ends. &#8220;Panda diplomacy,&#8221; as it&#8217;s commonly called, has been a practice since the People&#8217;s Republic of China&#8217;s founding in 1949 and can conversely be used to show the nation&#8217;s negative feelings toward another country.
In 2010, China <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/what-is-chinas-panda-diplomacy-how-does-it-work-2024-06-18/#:~:text=Former%20Chinese%20leader%20Mao%20Zedong,opens%20new%20tab%20Read%20more">recalled</a> two pandas from Zoo Atlanta after warnings from the nation of a meeting between then-President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama. Though there was no formal statement on the matter, some speculated the timing reflected Beijing&#8217;s displeasure with Washington.
The San Diego Zoo and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are the other two locations in the U.S. with pandas.

A Chinese Panda on a Tree

‘Panda Diplomacy’ Is Back And An American Zoo Just Hit The Jackpot

Atlanta

China

Communist China

General

Panda

U.S.

A long-stable community of chimpanzees in Uganda has fractured into a sustained, lethal conflict that researchers are now describing as a kind of civil war, raising new questions about the roots of violence not just in primates, but in human societies.
The conflict is unfolding among the Ngogo chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, a group that scientists have studied continuously since the mid-1990s. For roughly two decades, the apes lived as a single, unusually large and cohesive community, at one point numbering around 200 individuals.
“They were living the good life by being together,” primatologist John Mitani, a longtime researcher on the project, told The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/ngogo-uganda-chimpanzee-civil-war-99f04332">Wall Street Journal</a>. The chimps hunted together, shared territory, and even coordinated attacks against rival groups outside their own. That stability and cooperation began to break down around 2015.
According to a new study published in <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz4944">Science</a>, the group started to split into factions after several key male chimpanzees died, weakening the social bonds that had tied different cliques together. Around the same time, a shift in the dominance hierarchy introduced new tensions, with a new alpha male rising to power.
At first, the changes were subtle; chimpanzees that once moved freely between subgroups began avoiding each other, interactions that had once ended in grooming and cooperation started to turn hostile. Then, in a moment researchers described as unmistakable, the shift became visible.
“All hell broke loose,” Mitani recalled of a 2015 encounter between two factions that suddenly turned violent. Over the next three years, the split hardened, and by 2018, what had once been a single group had fully divided into two separate communities, occupying different parts of the forest, no longer mating with one another, and treating a shared territory as a contested border.
Then the killing began.
Members of the smaller faction, called the Western group, began launching coordinated attacks on the larger Central group. Researchers observed organized patrols, targeted ambushes, and repeated attempts to kill rival males — among other <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/02/chimps-use-military-style-tactics-to-gain-advantage-on-rivals-study-reveals">common tactics</a> used by chimpanzees. By 2021, the violence had escalated further, expanding to include attacks on infants.
In total, researchers have documented more than 28 deaths among the Ngogo chimps, including those of 19 infants, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/science/chimpanzees-war-ngogo-uganda.html">according</a> to The New York Times. The real number is likely higher, as some bodies are never recovered.
What makes the situation unusual is not just the scale of the violence, but who it is directed at. Chimpanzees are known to attack rival groups, but in this case, the victims are former allies — animals that once lived, hunted, and socialized together for years.
Researchers say they still do not have a definitive explanation for why the split happened. One theory is that the group simply grew too large, straining the social ties that kept it together. Another points to the loss of key individuals who acted as “bridges” between different cliques. Changes in leadership and competition for mates may have further accelerated the breakdown.
Aaron Sandel, another co-author on the study, said those overlapping pressures may have been enough to push the group past a tipping point.
The findings are significant because they challenge a common assumption about conflict, that it is driven primarily by cultural or ideological differences. Scientists and philosophers have long debated where human warfare is rooted: whether it lay mainly in cultural differences, desire for wealth and security, or whether it can emerge more fundamentally from the breakdown of social cohesion.
The Ngogo chimps suggest the latter may play a larger role than previously thought. Researchers caution against drawing direct parallels, but the pattern is difficult to ignore. A large successful group, the gradual erosion of internal bonds leading to the emergence of factions, and eventually, sustained violence between former members of the same group.
For now, “It’s an ongoing conflict,” Mitani said, with no signs of slowing down.
And for the scientists tracking it in real time, the experience is as unsettling as it is revealing. “I feel like a war correspondent,” Sandel said. “I want to be there to see it, but it’s sad. I’ve seen so many dead bodies of chimps.”

1280px-Chimpanzees_in_Uganda_(5984913059)

Bloody Civil War Between Two Factions Of Chimpanzees Has Scientists Baffled

Africa

A Pennsylvania couple has been charged with endangering the welfare of children after their 17-month-old child was injured near the wolf enclosure at ZooAmerica over the weekend. The zoo is a popular destination within the larger Hersheypark theme park.
The <a href="https://crimewatch.net/us/pa/dauphin/derry-twp-pd/3742/post/incident-zooamerica-april-4-2026?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ_zTxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe8kebCDNRaWE4lMEIYUt8E76-XKPpsTSeDEqKFm1EzzCskHj32P83r0MybM8_aem_8dD6Bi2utx4i2_QgMHoB4A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incident report</a> from the Derry Township Police Department states that the parents, who are from Lititz, Pennsylvania, are believed to have walked around 25 to 30 feet away from the child to sit on benches, and at that point, allegedly became distracted by their cellphones. The toddler slipped through a small opening in a wooden barrier perimeter fence and reached the metal fence surrounding the gray wolf enclosure.
“From the injuries sustained, it appears as though one of the wolves in the enclosure instinctively and naturally grabbed onto the child’s hand with its mouth. Several bystanders intervened and helped pull the child away,” the police statement noted.
Court records show that both Carrie B. Sortor, 43, and Stephen J.B. Wilson, 61, are awaiting a preliminary hearing on April 28.
The zoo said in a statement that the wolf’s response “is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression.”
“Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing. Guests are expected to remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times,” the statement continued. &#8220;The child was never inside the wolf’s enclosure, and we are relieved the injuries were minor.”
ZooAmerica currently houses three gray wolves, according to its <a href="https://www.zooamerica.com/animals/gray-wolf/">website</a>: a male wolf named Twister and two female sisters, Hazel and Freya.
Hersheypark <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgL3US1_0hI">made headlines</a> last year when video footage of a lost boy wandering along a non-operational monorail line went viral. The child was rescued by a heroic park visitor and sustained no injuries.

AggressiveWolf

Toddler Injured By Wolf At Zoo As Parents Scrolled Their Phones

Children

Crime

Pennsylvania

Officials in the nation’s capital will deploy birth control to try to get the city’s rodent population under control after years of failure.
D.C. Health said on Wednesday they will start placing &#8220;fertility control bait” in targeted neighborhoods as part of a “blitz” targeting the rat population. At the same time, officials pleaded for Washington, D.C., residents to stop throwing food trash on the ground.
“You have said that we need a more effective strategy, and so we have come up with a new strategy,” D.C. Health Director Ayanna Bennett said.
The rat control program is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/04/03/dc-rat-control-birth-control-pilot/">predicted</a> to cost around $130,000 and will focus on the Adams Morgan neighborhood first before expanding to the wider city. That part of town is known for its bars and international restaurants.
&#8220;We’re gonna get the rat population down and then we’re gonna come back in three weeks to see if any of those babies survived and get them, too. But, they cannot stay down if they find anything to eat,” Bennett said. “So that means everybody cannot be throwing food on the ground. The mayor doesn’t like it and it’s helping the rats. We don’t want your trash to be outside of the bin, if at all possible.”
D.C Health <a href="https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/rodent-and-vector-control-division">revealed</a> more about the “targeted rodent control pilot” program, saying that it would improve public health in “areas experiencing high rodent impact.”
The “three-pronged blitz” will include placing rat poison at rat burrows and “non-lethal rodent fertility control bait designed to reduce rodent reproduction over time.”
“The blitz activities will occur in three-week cycles, where a team of inspectors will apply all three control methods and conduct frequent monitoring,” D.C. Health said.
The rat blitz was welcomed by residents, who have long complained about the city’s inability to keep the rat population down.
&#8220;They be in the dumpsters. They be running in groups, like, two, three — a few too many,&#8221; one local man <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-is-putting-rats-on-birth-control/4085151/">told</a> NBC News4.
&#8220;Anything that they can do to help limit the rats I would probably be in favor of,&#8221; another man said. &#8220;I’ve never heard of it. I trust that the science is real. But if it is, the less rats in D.C. is a good thing.&#8221;
Other cities like New York have tried similar strategies to control the rat population.
&#8220;Two rats in a given year can reproduce 15,000 descendants,&#8221; New York City Councilmember Shaun Abreu <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/rat-birth-control-nyc/">said</a> last year. &#8220;We have to go at the source.&#8221;

Dirty disgusting rats on area that was filled with sewage, smelly, damp, and garbage bags. Referring to the problem of rats in the city, disease outbreaks from animals, filth of city. Selective focus.

The Nation’s Capital Deploys An Unlikely Weapon In Its Failing War On Rats

Birth Control

Washington D.C.

“Gay” sheep made their fashion debut on the runway in NYC as the “I Wool Survive” collection premiered, featuring pieces made from the wool of alleged male sexually-oriented sheep.
The event aims to promote a German farmer and his plight to rescue “homosexual” sheep. Michael Stücke, who is gay, oversees a flock of these rescued rams at an organization he dubbed Rainbow Wool. The rescue’s website claims that as many as 8% of rams are sexually oriented toward other males, which leads to them being slaughtered for being non-procreative.
“Sadly, gay rams are often sent to slaughter because they can’t fulfill a farm’s ‘breeding role.’ We rescue them before that happens, giving them a safe home where they can live and love freely,” the Rainbow Wool <a href="https://rainbow-wool.com/">website</a> says, touting their inhabitants as “the world’s first gay flock of sheep.”
The “I Wool Survive” fashion collection was created to advance this cause and bring more attention to the issue. Celebrity designer Michael Schmidt teamed up with the gay dating app, Grindr, to create the collection and host a fashion show at the Altman Building in Manhattan on November 13. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Rainbow Wool | Launch EN" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0doFeaBRtZo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Stücke said in a press release that the 36-piece collection “proves that being gay is part of nature itself.”
“The wool from these rams isn’t just material — it’s a message spun from animals who live freely and are loved,” he added. 
Grindr’s senior vice president of brand marketing, Tristan Pineiro, explained why the company was interested in attaching its name to the collection.
“It’s a great, feel-good story, but there’s also a message at the heart of it,” the marketing exec said, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/fashion/2025/11/20/grindr-fashion-show-gay-sheep-wool/">per</a> The Washington Post. “It’s not just a fluffy story.”
“The sheep are a kind of metaphor for all of us,” Pineiro went on. “Because they’re gay, they get discarded. They get thrown aside because they don’t conform to what they’re supposed to.”

Gay sheep

‘I Wool Survive’: Garments Spun From ‘Gay Sheep’ Receive An NYC Fashion Debut

'I Wool Survive': Garments Spun From 'Gay Sheep' Get An NYC Fashion Debut

Fashion

Germany

Homosexuality

LGBT

New York City

A London restaurant has closed over alleged frozen dog meat and multiple health code violations.
Vietnamese restaurant Pho Na shut down after inspectors found suspicious meat labeled &#8220;goat wrapped in leaves,&#8221; Metro <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2025/08/14/london-vietnamese-restaurant-shut-down-after-dog-meat-found-in-freezer-23911343/">reported</a>. An analysis confirmed the meat was dog, not goat.
The health inspectors also found cockroaches and mice droppings in the restaurant, the outlet said.
The owner, Vuong Quoc Nguyen, denied the health code violations in court Tuesday. His defense attorney said Nguyen was unaware that the product was dog meat, because it had been given to him by someone else. The attorney also said Nguyen never intended to sell the meat and had hired pest control to deal with the cockroaches.
The Lewisham Council said it did not order Nguyen to close Pho Na and said the store was &#8220;sold independently.&#8221;
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About 40% of people in Vietnam eat dog meat, <a href="https://www.humaneworld.org/en/campaign/ending-viet-nams-dog-cat-meat-trades">according</a> to the Humane World for Animals. The dog meat trade kills about five million dogs a year.
It is illegal to sell dog meat in the United Kingdom, but it is legal to kill and eat dogs if the animals are killed humanely.
The U.K. almost banned the consumption of dog meat in 2019, but the Ministry of Justice blocked the move over concerns that it was &#8220;culturally insensitive,&#8221; The Sun <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9934112/legal-ban-eating-dogs-blocked-far-east/">reported</a> at the time.
Former Member of Parliament Giles Watling told the outlet he was &#8220;surprised&#8221; by the decision.
&#8220;We do not eat [dogs], and that is a very important message to send to the rest of the world,&#8221; Watling said at the time. &#8220;It’s not culturally insensitive because we’re not telling them what to do – we’re just telling them what we do.&#8221;
The United States <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6720?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22dog+meat%22%5D%7D&amp;s=2&amp;r=2">banned</a> &#8220;knowingly slaughtering a dog or cat for human consumption&#8221; in 2018.

VIETNAM-DOG MEAT-CYCLISTS

London Vietnamese Restaurant Shut Down After Inspectors Find Frozen Dog Meat

Food

Health

U.K.

Cottontail rabbits with tentacles sprouting from their faces have been <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/13/science/frankenstein-bunnies-with-head-spikes-invade-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearing</a> in Fort Collins, Colorado, according to local residents.
One woman said she saw a rabbit with “black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.”
“I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t,” she said. “He came back a second year, and it grew.”
The <a href="https://cpw.state.co.us/species/cottontail-rabbits#:~:text=Rabbit%20Papillomas,be%20treated%20by%20a%20veterinarian." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service</a> says the “Frankenstein” rabbits are suffering from cottontail papilloma virus, also called the Shope papilloma virus, a skin virus that produces black, horn-like growths, mainly around the head.
Despite their terrifying appearance, the growths aren’t inherently harmful to the rabbits. However, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service notes that excessive growth around the eyes and mouth can prevent them from seeing and eating, leading to starvation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 WARNING: “Frankenstein” rabbits with black, spike-like growths on their heads are spreading across the US. 
Experts say it’s a viral infection and warn: Do NOT touch them. <a href="https://t.co/HOsKuvbC6s">pic.twitter.com/HOsKuvbC6s</a>
— Wienerdogwifi (@wienerdogwifi) <a href="https://twitter.com/wienerdogwifi/status/1955622822065091004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Most infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away.”
The virus is more likely to spread in the summer, when there is a proliferation of insects capable of transmitting it. It can also spread through direct contact.
The disease is specific to rabbits and does not seem to pose a threat to humans or other animals. Wildlife experts still advise people not to approach infected rabbits.
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However, it can still be contracted by domestic rabbits, which experience a more severe reaction. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service advises pet owners to visit a veterinarian if this happens.
The Shope papilloma virus is thought to have <a href="https://www.si.edu/stories/worlds-scariest-rabbit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired</a> the “jackalope,” a mythological creature that possesses the body of a jackrabbit and the horns of an antelope.
The Frankenstein rabbits are not the only strange creatures to make headlines recently. Radioactive “hot wasps” have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/science/radioactive-wasps-nuclear-savannah-river.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discovered</a> near a South Carolina nuclear site. The Department of Energy says the four wasp nests do not pose a threat to humans.

Young rabbits

‘Frankenstein’ Rabbits With Face Tentacles Plague Colorado

Colorado

Nuclear

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