Police in Vietnam have seized more than 400 cats in a major bust of an animal theft ring last week. Animal welfare groups and local media say the investigation saved hundreds of animals destined for the dinner plate. Local news reports say an investigation into a spate of pet thefts led Ho Chi Minh City police to the cat meat crime ring. Nine people have been detained. The animal groups say more than 40 cats have been reunited with their owners. They say the operation is sobering reminder of the enormous scale of Vietnam's cat meat trade. Cat lovers hope the operation will bring more attention to campaigns to end dog and cat meat consumption.

A Wisconsin beagle research facility that’s drawn animal welfare protests is closing and its remaining dogs are being taken in by a Florida rescue group. Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced Monday that it has reached an agreement for the permanent closure of Ridglan Farms and the transfer of its 475 remaining beagles starting this week. The rescue group said some of the beagles will be sent to its Florida and Alabama campuses where they will be spayed, neutered, and prepared for adoption. The group acquired more than 2,000 of the facility’s beagles in April. The dog breeding and research business said all the dogs being transferred are “happy, healthy animals.”

Scientists have unearthed marine communities thriving on a millions-year-old whale graveyard. These graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor, becoming a sustaining snack for nearby critters. Researchers used a submersible to explore the remains in the southeastern Indian Ocean and found bones dating back 5.3 million years, as well as living creatures like jellyfish and tubeworms. The researchers say many factors likely conspired to preserve the bones, including the bones' high density, their location deep underwater and a special coating of minerals. The new study was published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The Canadian government has endorsed a plan to move the last remaining captive whales from a shuttered theme park and zoo in Ontario to aquariums in the U.S. and Spain. There are 30 belugas and four dolphins at Marineland in Niagara Falls in Ontario that still face mass euthanasia should the deal fall through. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has issued the first batch of permits to move the whales and is set to issue different permits closer to the move, which is expected to take place in the next few months. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said on Wednesday that there's "still more work to be done, but it’s a step forward.”

A Bronx Zoo elephant who gave researchers new insights and became the crux of a closely watched animal rights case has died. The zoo says 55-year-old Happy was euthanized Tuesday after a weekslong decline. The zoo says she showed signs of potential declining kidney or liver function, and a necropsy revealed several large inoperable uterine tumors and arthritis. The Asian elephant lived at the zoo since 1977. In 2005, she showed researchers that elephants can recognize themselves in a mirror. A group called the Nonhuman Rights Project sued the Bronx Zoo in 2018, seeking to have Happy declared a “person” for legal purposes and moved to a large animal sanctuary. New York’s top court ultimately rejected the activists’ claim.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has captured the internet's attention by wrangling two snakes bare-handed. The U.S. health secretary shared a video Tuesday of himself grabbing non-venomous black racer snakes from the patio of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. Reactions to the video, shared on Kennedy's personal social media accounts, ranged from joy to concern. Experts say the snakes are harmless but warn against handling them by the tails due to potential harm. Kennedy, known for his wildlife encounters, has shared similar videos before, including one showing him handling a rattlesnake in 2024. Some of his past actions, like placing a bear carcass in Central Park as a prank in 2014, have sparked criticism.

A biotech company that aims to resurrect lost creatures says it has hatched live chicks in an artificial environment. Colossal Biosciences says 26 baby chickens were born from a 3D printed lattice structure that mimics an eggshell. Colossal says the artificial egg technology could be scaled up to genetically engineer living birds to resemble New Zealand’s extinct South Island giant moa. Independent scientists say the technology is impressive, but de-extinction is likely impossible. Colossal previously announced it genetically engineered living animals to resemble extinct species, including mice with long hair like the woolly mammoth and wolf pups that take after dire wolves.