Suspected ‘Russian spy’ Beluga Whale was shot dead: Animal rights groups

Animal rights groups on Wednesday said gunfire killed a beluga whale that rose to fame in Norway after its unusual harness sparked suspicions the creature was trained by Russia as a spy.

Nearly 80% of Swiss voters reject ban on animal testing

Voters in Switzerland overwhelmingly rejected a referendum Sunday on banning the use of animals as test subjects.

Chinese Scientists Say Omicron's DNA Evolved in Rodents before Jumping to Humans - Tasnim News Agency

 (Tasnim) – Chinese scientists say they may have unearthed evidence linking the origin of the heavily-mutated COVID variant in mice.

Omicron strain can mutate among animals at first - expert - TASS

Specificities of mutation of the novel Omicron coronavirus strain can evidence that its mutation had occurred in a population of large animals and then passed to human beings, founder and chief executive of DNKOM research center Andrei Isaev told TASS.

WHO report says animals likely source of COVID: AP | Al Jazeera

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press.

South Korea’s Seoul to test pet cats, dogs for COVID | Al Jazeera

Several weeks after South Korea reported its first COVID-19 case involving a pet cat, Seoul will start testing cats and dogs for coronavirus infection if they show symptoms of the illness, an official from the country’s capital said on Tuesday.

Several gorillas at San Diego Zoo in US test positive for COVID | Al Jazeera

Several gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for the coronavirus in what are believed to be the first known cases among such primates in the United States and possibly the world.