BEIJING – Ni hao — hello — Mei Lan! Chinese zookeepers are advertising for a tutor to teach Chinese to an American-born giant panda arriving this week in her parents' homeland.
The language lessons, a special diet and even blind dates are also part of the red-carpet welcome being rolled out for 3-year-old Mei Lan, or [...]

Animals rights groups are taking the City of Edmonton to court over Lucy, the Asian elephant at the city-run Valley Zoo.
The two-page originating notice was filed in Edmonton on Monday by high-profile lawyer Clayton Ruby on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Zoocheck Canada and Tove Reece, an Edmonton animal rights [...]

Two men have been charged after 45 rabbits were found living in "deplorable" conditions in an old transit bus in the city's south end, the Edmonton Humane Society announced Monday.
The animals were found by peace officers in the bus at 27th Avenue and 96th Street on Nov. 10, after someone contacted the humane society.
"It's alleged [...]

The woman charged in October with running a puppy mill in Edmonton's west end has pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty and was fined $5,000.
May Poon was facing eight charges under Alberta's Animal Protection Act, including causing distress to animals.
In April, a neighbour discovered 32 dogs and 10 cats housed in small cages — [...]

The Alberta SPCA has seized 33 horses from a private property over allegations they were in distress.
The animals were taken from the property in Springbank area, west of Calgary, on Jan. 5 under the Animal Protection Act, but no charges have yet been laid, Morris Airey, director of animal protection services, said on Friday.
Airey could [...]

At least five Canadian search experts and their dogs have departed for Haiti to help find victims and survivors in the rubble, following Tuesday's massive earthquake.
Mark Pullen, a Burnaby firefighter, was one of three members of the Canadian Search and Disaster Dog Association (CASDDA) that left Vancouver International Airport on Wednesday night.
Once in Haiti, they'll [...]

A new Parks Canada study that shows cars, trucks and trains kill more than 20 black bears a year in mountain national parks has wildlife advocates calling for measures to reduce the carnage.
The study by mountain parks carnivore specialist Mike Gibeau and ecosystem technician Barbara Bertch says 94 per cent of the 477 black bear [...]

A hippo escaped from a flooded private zoo in Montenegro on Tuesday, shocking villagers who found her strolling near their homes.
Even more shocking, the zoo owner plans to wait a bit before trying to recapture the 2-ton hippo named Nikica.
Nikica escaped as heavy rains sent water flooding through the zoo, raising the water level in [...]

A coyote-killing competition in Ottawa has animal welfare groups up in arms.
The "Great Coyote Cull Contest" gives participants a chance to win a new shotgun in a draw if they provide proof of their kills.
The competition is sponsored by the Osgoode Township Fish, Game and Conservation Club in the city's rural southern outskirts. It was [...]

A 66-year-old man was mauled to death by a pet tiger that he kept on his property in southwestern Ontario, provincial police said Sunday.
Ontario Provincial Police were dispatched to a property in Southwold, about 28 kilometres southwest of London, which was known to be home to exotic animals.
Norman Buwalda, who spent years battling with neighbours [...]