Zoo-housed Lions Show Wild-style Behaviours When Fed Whole Carcasses

An Australian study "Effects of implementing a whole-carcass feeding routine on the behaviour of zoo-housed African lions (Panthera leo)" published August 2026 has found that feeding zoo-housed lions whole-animal carcasses on a feast-and-fast schedule encourages behaviours more closely aligned with those seen in the wild. 

The research from Adelaide University and Monarto Safari Park in South Australia released in ⁠Applied Animal Behaviour Science examined how African lions responded when animal care staff introduced whole-animal carcasses every nine days, building on an existing feast-and-fast feeding routine for a group of adult males. 

Using around-the-clock video monitoring over three months, researchers found the lions spent significantly longer feeding, rested more after meals and displayed activity patterns that mirrored the natural cycles of wild lions. 

Lead author Lesia Hryhorenko from Adelaide University's School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences said the study offers new insights into how feeding schedules influence the behavior of carnivores in human care. 

"Wild lions don't eat at the same time every day. They experience natural periods of feasting and fasting depending on hunting success", Hryhorenko said. "We wanted to understand how African lions in human care respond when feeding routines more closely resemble those natural patterns". 

The researchers monitored three adult male lions at Monarto Safari Park before and after the introduction of whole-carcass feeding. During the experimental phase, zookeepers fed the three adult male lions approximately 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of carcasses, which remained available for up to three days, followed by a period of rest and digestion. 

Eight infrared cameras recorded the lions' behavior continuously, creating one of the most detailed 24-hour data sets yet collected on African lions in human care under a carcass-feeding regime. 

The study found that feeding activity increased dramatically on carcass days, with lions spending almost three times longer feeding than they normally would. 

Feeding bouts were also more frequent and lasted longer as the animals tore, manipulated and consumed the carcasses, exhibiting a wider range of natural feeding behaviors. After feeding, the lions spent much more time lying down and resting. As the fasting period progressed, movement gradually increased again, creating a behavioral rhythm that closely resembled the feast-and-fast cycles observed in wild lion populations. 

"Providing whole carcasses changes much more than the nutritional content of the diet", Hryhorenko said. "It gives lions the opportunity to engage in behaviors such as tearing, pulling and manipulating food over extended periods, which are important components of their natural feeding ecology". 

Researchers also examined pacing, a repetitive behavior often associated with anticipation in carnivores in human care. While pacing increased slightly over the course of the study, it did not steadily rise during fasting periods. Instead, peaks occurred around routine keeper arrival and habitat-shifting times, suggesting the behavior was linked more closely to predictable feeding routines than hunger. 

The researchers observed no increase in aggression or social instability around carcass-feeding events. 

Co-author Alexandra Whittaker, an associate professor, said the study highlights the value of long-term, continuous monitoring when assessing animal behavior and management practices. 

"Many zoo studies focus only on what happens immediately after food is provided", Whittaker said. "Our results show that feeding schedules can influence behavior for days afterward, making it essential to look at behavioral patterns across the entire feeding cycle rather than a single feeding event". 

The researchers say future studies combining behavioral observations with physiological measures could help further evaluate how different feeding regimes affect animal welfare and well-being.

Butterflies On The Move

Around the world, ongoing environmental changes are prompting many butterfly species to relocate and search for new homes, a process referred to as species range shifts or species redistribution. 

As temperatures, rainfall and habitats change, butterflies can relocate over long distances, or even move vertically up and down mountain ranges. 

A new global study found one in ten known butterfly species has already shifted in range. So, where are they going – and why? 

Data from a collection of more than 6,180 reports (565 studies and 68 expert assessments) of butterfly range shift and which covered 1,758 species across 105 countries, showed 80% of the documented butterfly species had expanded their ranges latitudinally, meaning east to west, or longitudinally, meaning north to south. It found that 27% had reduced their range and 22% had shifted up or down slopes on hills or mountains. 

Many species showed a combination of these range changes. The public narrative is often simplistic: as the world warms, species are shifting towards cooler temperatures at higher latitudes, or moving upwards in mountains. This is happening, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. 

In fact, butterflies need more than to find new homes at the right temperature. Caterpillars often depend on specific host plants; adults need nectar, shelter and safe places to breed; and populations also require connected habitats so individuals can move easily through the landscape, meet, reproduce and breed. 

Some species show how fast changes can happen. The tawny coster (Acraea terpsicore) native to the Indian subcontinent, primarily centered in India and Sri Lanka, has expanded through Southeast Asia and into Australia. In Brazil, Godartiana byses has expanded from Rio de Janeiro and Bahia into São Paulo, a shift linked to climate warming. 

Other species show the opposite pattern. The small blue (Cupido minimus) has lost 40% of its habitat in the United Kingdom over the past 150 years. In Germany, the cranberry fritillary (Boloria aquilonaris) has lost much of its original habitat because of bog drainage. In Romania, an increase in farming has been linked to a severe range contraction of the danube clouded yellow (Colias myrmidone). 

Even range shifts along mountain slopes are not always straightforward. In Mexico, the painted lady (Vanessa cardui) shifted upslope at a rate of about 83 metres per year between 1988 and 2011. Over the same period, the queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) shifted downslope at a rate of about 32m per year. 

Together, these examples show butterfly species range shifts are not simply a story of animals moving towards the poles. 

In the comprehensive study, climate change and extreme weather events were the most common reasons why butterflies shifted their range. 

But climate change is not the only factor. Agriculture, forestry, urban development and habitat destruction are also reshaping where butterflies can live and reproduce. These disturbances destroy host plants and breeding sites, and fragment large habitats into patches too small to sustain a healthy population. 

It is important to note that butterflies are part of the living fabric around us. Adult butterflies contribute to pollination. Caterpillars feed birds, spiders and other insects. When butterflies disappear, it can signal the plants, grasslands or woodlands once visited by butterflies are also changing. 

This matters for conservation. Many protected areas are based on maps of where species lived in the past. But if butterflies and other species are moving, those maps quickly become outdated. 

The message is simple. Conservation cannot only protect habitats where species once lived – it must include the places where they will relocate, and the wildlife corridors they will use to get there. If not, we may keep protecting yesterday’s nature while tomorrow’s nature has nowhere left to go.

Philippines Prepares to Fight Alone

This news flew under the radar. It may have been overlooked eight months ago, yet it still matters today.

If war breaks out, General Romeo Brawner Jr. (left), chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) declared his country will fight alone. Tayo muna ang lalaban, he had said on November 04, 2025. 

Addressing troops at the opening of the ⁠AJEX DAGIT-PA military exercises, Brawner clarified the military's strategy under the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

But there's a caveat. It's only for 20-30 days. The Philippines believes its allies – the USA under the ⁠Mutual Defense Treaty, along with Japan and Australia – will have rushed to the Perla del Mar de Oriente by then to save them! 😅😅😅

The AFP chief has been regularly talking up war with China, his country's declared threat. I prefer to call a spade a spade. China is his foe, period.

Thirteen Argentina followers are roaming the streets of Buenos Aires proudly sporting their team’s jersey – but they’re not on two legs, they’re on all fours, letting out the occasional bark. 

As Argentina rides World Cup fever, a dog walker has added his pack to the local fanbase. 

Thirty-three-year-old Nahuel Meneghini, walks the streets of the capital’s city center with the dogs wearing the team’s jerseys, leashes and collars in support of La Albiceleste. 

“I did it out of love for them and for Argentina. And for the World Cup”, said Meneghini – known as “Nano” – while speaking to The Associated Press on Thursday during a walk with the canine group. The dog walker, also dressed head-to-toe like a fan, skilfully managed all the leashes, guiding the dogs along the narrow sidewalks of the capital’s San Cristóbal neighborhood. 

FYI, Argentina defeated Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time on Friday, in the Round of 32 clash at the ⁠2026 FIFA World Cup.

While I'm mostly indifferent to the World Cup, I still keep an eye on the results. 😉

Axis Redux

Beware of Japan! And Germany!

In 1940, the imperial regimes of both of these two countries (as well as Italy) joined what would be known as the Axis powers, bound by a shared desire for territorial expansion and imperial supremacy. 

They fought a world war, and they lost it, and their populations spent the next 85 years with shrunken militaries and a heavy reliance on their former enemy, America, for security. 

Now, both countries are moving to reduce their reliance on US security guarantees and are accelerating efforts to bolster their own defense capabilities. And, once again, they are strengthening ties. 

Their cooperation is expected to gather momentum at the meeting of the leaders of the Group of 7 (G7) in Évian-les-Bains, France, taking place now. It already includes sharing know-how, technology and weapons, like drones and helicopters, critical to the countries’ respective efforts to rearm. 

In a few years, Germany’s military spending could be larger than that of France and Britain – combined. Japan commits half as much as Germany, but it is still one of the world’s top spenders on defense, with a budget this year of about $58 billion. 

Already, Germany has forged close ties with Ukraine in developing and deploying new weapons and has asked France to help provide it with a nuclear deterrent. 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who won office last year with nationalist calls to revive the military, has deployed long-range missiles – capable of reaching China – in southern Japan, and has reversed postwar bans on arms exports. The country recently sealed a $6.5 billion deal to supply warships to Australia, and it is in talks with the Philippines and Indonesia about exporting warships. 

Make no mistake, this is an Axis redux – as both countries enthusiastically embrace the ambition to reassert their dominance. Indeed, Germany and Japan are primed and eager to unleash their military might once more.

And the US is encouraging the two countries – but they have to be stopped before they start getting ideas and threaten the world! 

Methinks, Japan should confront its wartime legacy and seek genuine reconciliation with the countries it once invaded. It should also respect the postwar international framework and the spirit of its pacifist constitution instead of pursuing belligerent strategies.

100,000 Cockroaches Seized

Wildlife officers have busted an illegal cockroach-breeding operation in rural Australia, seizing a skin-crawling haul worth more than $100,000 on the black market for exotic bugs. 

More than 100,000 contraband cockroaches were found in a raid on a commercial breeder in the town of Bathurst, 200km west of Sydney, Australia's environment department said on Friday. They found Madagascar "hissing" cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa), a bulky insect named for its noisy defence mechanism, and dubia cockroaches (Blaptica dubia), an invasive critter bred as a snack for pet lizards.

Both species cannot be legally imported into Australia or kept, bred or sold. 

Photos showed one of the seized Madagascar cockroaches was almost big enough to completely cover the palm of an adult hand. 

"We take our job protecting Australia's unique biodiversity and breaches of national environment law very seriously", a spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said. "We're seeing illegal breeding and trading of exotic cockroaches and we're putting pet businesses and pet owners on notice". 

The department said the illicit insects had an estimated value of AU$200,000 ($140,000). 

Officials now have the unenviable task of euthanising the creepy-crawlies, an insect so hardy it spawned an urban legend they could survive a nuclear blast.

Yes, Lobsters Feel Pain

New research on Norway lobsters adds to a growing body of evidence that these crustaceans feel pain – something scientists have long suspected and even inspired David Foster Wallace's famous 2004 essay "Consider the Lobster". 

In a study published April 13, 2026 in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers found that two drugs used for pain relief in humans – aspirin and lidocaine – significantly reduced the escape responses of Norway lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus) when they were electrically shocked. 

The researchers argue that the medicines were muting the animals' pain processing and that the tail flip is therefore a pain reflex, rather than a simple stress reaction. The team says the findings suggest lobsters deserve greater ethical consideration. 

"The fact that painkillers developed for humans also work on Norway lobsters shows how similar we function", Lynne Sneddon, a professor of zoophysiology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said in a statement. "That's why it's important to care about how we treat and kill crustaceans, just as we do with chickens and cows". 

Countries including Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, Austria and some states in Australia ‪have already banned the boiling of live crustaceans on welfare grounds, and the new findings may add pressure for broader reforms in how these animals are treated and killed. 

[Recommended humane methods for killing arthropods involve electrical stunning (e.g., Crustastun), followed by rapid mechanical destruction of the nervous system (pithing), such as spiking or splitting the carapace, to ensure instant death. These methods prevent suffering by targeting the ganglia, which are distributed along the body, and should be preceded by cooling in a refrigerator or ice slurry for 15–30 minutes to reduce mobility and, likely, sensitivity]. 

To understand how lobsters respond to painful stimuli, the researchers separated 105 Norway lobsters into multiple groups. These included several control groups of lobsters that weren't shocked, along with two shock groups treated with either lidocaine or aspirin. The lidocaine was dissolved in the individual lobster's tank, while the aspirin was injected into the animal directly.

The researchers then gave a 9.09-volt-per-meter electrical shock for 10 seconds to the three shock groups and observed their behavior before, during and up to two hours after the shock. 

When shocked, the lobsters tried to escape by using a tail flip, a common escape maneuver in some crustaceans that rockets them out of danger in small, rapid spurts. The tail flips were seen only in the electrically shocked group of lobsters, not in the control groups. 

Yet when the animals received lidocaine or aspirin before being shocked, the rate of tail flips dropped sharply: Only seven of the 13 lidocaine-treated lobsters and three of the 13 aspirin-treated lobsters tail-flipped, with more intense responses seen in the untreated group.

According to the researchers, their results suggest that the electrical shocks weren't just triggering muscular contractions in the lobsters but instead created a painful experience. That's because if the behavior was merely electrically stimulated, the painkillers wouldn't be expected to suppress the tail flip. 

Instead, painkiller treatment reduced the escape behavior. From this finding, the researchers suggested that the tail flip may have had a neurological component known as nociception. This is when signals from the body part exposed to the harmful stimulus travel to the brain and trigger a negative internal state associated with pain. 

This study joins a growing body of research indicating that crabs, octopuses and other invertebrates can experience pain. In past studies, hermit crabs shocked inside their shells eventually abandoned their homes to avoid experiencing the painful stimulus.

Octopus (Phylum: Mollusca, Class: Cephalopoda, Order: Octopoda) have shown even stronger clues about pain processing; in one widely cited study, "Behavioral and neurophysiological evidence suggests affective pain experience in octopus" published February 23, 2021 in iScience – they avoided places linked to injury and favored those associated with pain relief. This evidence is beginning to gradually change policies about how these animals are being treated. 

In the UK, crabs, lobsters and octopuses are now recognized as sentient animals "capable of experiencing pain and suffering" under the 2022 Animal Welfare Act.

30 Tiny Concrete Apartments for Ground-dwelling Amphibians

Robust whistling frogs (Austrochaperina robusta) are terrestrial-breeding microhylid frogs that live in the ground in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. 

These small amphibians are just 2cm long and their brown bodies are difficult to spot among the leaves. So, they can be very hard to study. 

Researchers tried to learn more about these elusive animals by building different types of tiny homes for them – and the frogs had a clear favourite. Concrete ‘apartments’ were far more popular than wooden dwellings, according to a new study published in Ecology and Evolution on March 12, 2026.

Robust whistling frogs usually live underneath rocks and logs so the scientists created 30 wooden homes to help them feel at home. 

“We found fallen trees on-site and chopped them into the right size”, says lead author Jordy Groffen (left), a scientist at Queensland's James Cook University. 

They also made 30 apartment-like homes out of concrete to mimic the rocks that the frogs sometimes hide under. "They’re boulder-sized and have six chambers with multiple passages”, he says. “Some of them had beautiful moss growing over them”. 

Then, the researchers monitored the shelters over a two-year period to see which ones were more popular with the little amphibians. To make it a fair comparison, the little lodgings were positioned in pairs (one wooden, one concrete). 

“Each chamber was accessible via a removable plug”, write the authors in the study. This allowed them to peek inside – without disturbing the animals – and even take photos of the inhabitants. 

They were surprised by the results. "The frogs liked the shelters more than we expected”, he says. “It’s a new non-invasive way to monitor and help frog populations”. 

The concrete shelters were the clear winner. The researchers observed the frogs using the artificial homes 801 times. In 75 per cent of the records, they chose the concrete option. “This was partly because the concrete shelters did not degrade with time, but also likely reflects thermal buffering benefits”, write the authors in the paper. 

It took a little time for the frogs to get used to their new homes. “Although they used them straight away, it still took two years before they bred in them,” says Groffen. “But when they did breed in them, they loved it”, he says. 

The experts found six egg clutches, all of which were under the concrete homes. This provides an exciting opportunity for scientists to learn more about the little-studied egg stage of this species. 

Typically, researchers study the reproduction of these frogs by listening to the mating calls of adult males. Seeking out the eggs can put the young at risk. “Normally you only find eggs by flipping things over, which can damage the micro habitat,” says Groffen. "There’s a chance you might hurt the frogs or their eggs”. 

Knowing that man-made concrete shelters make the perfect hideaway for frogs could help protect other species of ground-dwelling frogs, such as the endangered Bellenden Ker nursery frog. 

Groffen adds: “This gives us new tools to help protect them”.

Nepal's Fake Helicopter Rescue Scam

Mount Everest guides in Nepal ran a fake helicopter rescue racket to dupe insurance companies in Australia and the UK, as part of a $20m fraud scheme, according to an investigation by the Nepali police. 

Investigations by the paper revealed that the guides first staged a medical emergency, called in a helicopter, and checked tourists into a hospital. An insurance claim was then filed, which made it difficult for the foreign insurers, mostly operating from Australia and the UK, to verify incidents that purportedly happened at altitudes of 3,000 meters above sea level in remote Himalayan locations, according to the report. 

The newspaper first published an investigative report in 2019 about the alleged scam. While Nepalese authorities did not immediately act on the allegations, in 2025 the Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) reopened the case and found that the practice is widespread. 

The CIB probe revealed two methods the guides used to fake an emergency, according to the report. 

The first involved tourists who did not want to trek back down from high-altitude points. After an Everest Base Camp trek, which can take up to two weeks on foot, the scammers convinced tourists unwilling to trek back to pretend to be sick. They were then ferried back in a helicopter. 

In the second method, guides exploited mild and common symptoms of altitude sickness, and then told the tourists that only an immediate evacuation could save their lives. The guides also ferried multiple tourists in a single chopper, while supplying separate invoices to each passenger’s insurance company, portraying it as a dedicated flight, inflating claims of $4,000 to as high as $12,000, the report said. Medical officers acting in concert with scammers prepared discharge summaries using the digital signatures of senior doctors, while creating fake hospital admission records. 

Official investigators found that 4,782 foreign patients were treated across local hospitals between 2022 and 2025 in the scam. Some hospitals that received millions linked to the scam have also been identified, according to the report. 

On March 12, the CIB charged 32 people with offenses against the state and arrested nine of them. The other suspects are believed to be on the run.

China’s Tourists Turn Away From Japan to Southeast Asia

Ren Zihan, a resident of the northern Chinese city of Dalian, feels as if all her friends are vacationing in Southeast Asia lately. Pictures of durians and hawker food have filled her social media feed, the 32-year-old tells The Business Times. 

“It seems as if everyone is in Malaysia and Singapore at the moment”. 

Beyond the usual phenomenon of travellers seeking warmer destinations during the winter months, a new factor is pushing Chinese tourists south. Southeast Asia has been a popular destination for some time, but Chinese travellers are now flocking to the region in greater numbers. 

This follows the diplomatic spat last November between China and Japan. 

“There’s a dramatic shift under way”, notes Mayur Patel, commercial and industry affairs leader for the Asia-Pacific at aviation analytics firm OAG. “Aircraft freed from suspended Japan routes are being redeployed to Southeast Asian leisure destinations, where Chinese demand is holding up”.

FYI, Japan was a major destination for Chinese tourists – prior to Beijing unleashing a diplomatic and economic offensive against the country, freezing bilateral travel – these travellers made up a significant share of the arrivals in the country. From the start of 2025 to October, 8.2 million visitors – nearly one-quarter of Japan’s total arrivals – were from mainland China, based on OAG data. 

All that has changed. In January and February 2026, after the flight cancellations, one-way seat capacity from China to Japan fell by between 47 and 50 percent compared with the year-ago period. And flights from China to Southeast Asia experienced a significant increase in seat capacity – in the first two months of 2026, it rose about 15 to 20 percent year on year, indicates Alton Aviation data. 

In the wake of Beijing’s travel advisories, South Korea, Europe and Australia have also overtaken Japan as preferred destinations among the Chinese, based on survey data from China Trading Desk. 

But Southeast Asia’s combination of value, variety and accessibility makes the region particularly attractive to them, notes Edmund Ong, senior regional director for Southeast Asia at online travel agency Trip.com. 

Shorter flight times mean easier connectivity to the region, he adds. There is also a seasonal boost, as Southeast Asia’s warm climate is especially appealing during the colder Spring Festival period in China. 

Eric Zhu, Asia aviation and defence analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, agrees. “We do expect Chinese travellers to be budget-conscious this year, which favours the lower-cost, short-haul options found within Southeast Asia”. 

Within the region, some countries have received a stronger boost than others. In February 2026, the greatest year-on-year increases for flight bookings from China were to Vietnam (41 percent) and Malaysia (38 percent), according to OAG. 

Singapore’s and Malaysia’s popularity could also grow further, says China Trading Desk, whose survey found that the two countries have overtaken even South Korea in the list of destinations most respondents plan to visit. 

Interestingly, demand for regional travel has also diversified, with greater flight connectivity between Southeast Asian destinations allowing tourists to hop between cities or countries. Chinese tourists in the region have increasingly been drawn to what Trip.com calls “second-tier destinations”, the likes of which include Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia and Phu Quoc island in Vietnam. 

“They are taking longer trips and spreading their travel across multiple destinations, such as visiting Singapore and Malaysia in a single trip”, says Ong. 

And Vietnam is a key beneficiary, Patel of OAG observes. The country now boasts 51 route connections – including from secondary cities such as Danang and Phu Quoc – to other Southeast Asian destinations, up from 45 in 2019. 

For Japan, the economic consequences are considerable. Tourism accounted for 7.5 percent of Japan’s gross domestic product in 2024, or about 44.6 trillion yen, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). 

With China making up about 23 percent of all tourists to Japan in 2025, prior to November, a pullback from this major source will hurt overall GDP substantially. China Trading Desk’s Bhatt predicts that Japan will lose between $9 billion and $10.5 billion in revenue this year, compared with a scenario in which the diplomatic spat never happened. As for Southeast Asia, WTTC estimates that the tourism sector contributed $374 billion to the region’s combined GDP in 2024, or around 9.4 percent. 

Diverted Chinese demand could amplify this further. Bhatt believes that overall Chinese tourist spending may grow by 10.2 percent in 2026 to $280 billion, with about $35 billion of this spent within Southeast Asia. 

The region’s hospitality and tourism sector has been courting Chinese travellers for a while. On Trip.com – which originated as a travel agency for Chinese tourists – hotels can be filtered by “Chinese-friendly” offerings such as Mandarin-speaking service staff. Global hotel chain Hilton has integrated Chinese platforms into its booking processes. WeChat is offered as a payment option, and rooms are listed on Alibaba’s travel platform, Fliggy. 

“Mandarin-speaking team members in key gateway destinations also help to make stays more familiar and comfortable”, says Sebastien Kaeuffer, vice-president for Southeast Asia at Hilton. 

Let's hope the expanding interest in Southeast Asia stays because the region benefits economically. Especially Malaysia.

Rescue of the Lost Songs of the Regent Honeyeater

The regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) is Australia’s most threatened songbird. Once common across south-eastern Australia, including major cities, its population has collapsed due to widespread land clearing. 

Fewer than 400 birds remain, and the species is now listed as Critically Endangered.

But there's renewed hope for this bird's survival since scientists from The Australian National University and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia have successfully restored its lost traditional song. 

The new study reveals how targeted “song tutoring” at Taronga Zoo in Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo has revived a disappearing cultural trait vital to the species’ survival. 

Birdsong plays a vital role in mate attraction, territory establishment and social cohesion. Like human language, many bird species learn their songs from experienced ‘tutors’. Without access to these tutors, young birds can develop incorrect or simplified songs – with serious consequences for breeding success.

With fewer than 250 individuals remaining in the wild, the regent honeyeater has faced not only population decline but also cultural erosion. 

“Everything we know about the function of birdsong suggests that having a cohesive dialect will be critical to the success of the reintroduction program and the survival of the species”, lead author Dr Daniel Appleby (left) said. 

Previous research showed that young wild birds, unable to find older males of their own species, were mistakenly learning the songs of other birds. 

At the same time, zoo-bred regent honeyeaters were singing songs that differed from all known wild variants – potentially reducing their chances of successfully integrating and breeding in the wild after release. 

In response, researchers launched a series of innovative song tutoring experiments within Taronga’s conservation breeding program. 

Using recordings and direct exposure to just two wild-born male tutors, scientists taught young zoo-bred males the species’ traditional wild song – a song that has now been lost from the wild populations and was becoming increasingly simplified as numbers declined. 

The results were striking. In subsequent years, zoo-bred males that had learned the traditional song went on to tutor the next generation. 

“After a year of negative results, we could not believe our ears when some small tweaks to our tutoring approach led to the juveniles singing like wild birds”, Dr Ross Crates (right) said. 

Today, more than 50 per cent of zoo-bred males sing songs that closely resemble the historic wild song. Remarkably, the zoo population is now the only remaining source of the traditional regent honeyeater song.

By releasing these birds into the wild, researchers hope the culturally restored males will pass on the traditional song to wild birds, helping to stabilise and even rebuild song culture in the natural population. 

“Hearing the zoo-bred birds sing their wild song for the first time was incredibly moving – like a piece of their identity coming back to life”, Dr Joy Tripovich (left) shared. 

“Restoring this precious song gives real hope for the species’ future”. 

This cultural rescue could significantly improve breeding success and overall fitness of zoo-bred birds – a critical step toward preventing extinction of the regent honeyeater. 

“We are extremely grateful to the two wild males recruited to the zoo population. Without them, the traditional wild song would have been lost forever”, Dr Crates said. 

The study highlights the growing recognition that the conservation of biodiversity must also include conserving animal culture. By integrating behavioural science into conservation programs, researchers demonstrate that protecting species means protecting not only their genes, but also their learned traditions. 

 “Our work teaching regent honeyeaters to sing wild type songs has far reaching implications for captive breeding and reintroductions”, Dr Appleby said. 

As global biodiversity continues to decline, the findings provide a powerful example of how innovative, culture-aware conservation strategies can deliver tangible outcomes for species on the brink. 

The study is published in Nature Scientific Reports, February 25, 2026.

Please, Who Killed Altantuya Shaariibuu?

Two decades, one question – who ordered her killing? 

Two decades after the brutal murder of his daughter, Mongolian national Setev Shaariibuu is still seeking a single, unanswered question: who ordered the two former police officers to kill Altantuya in 2006?

[FYI, Altantuya Shaariibuu, the 28-year-old Mongolian translator and model was murdered in Malaysia in October 2006, her body destroyed with military-grade explosives in Puncak Alam on the outskirts of Shah Alam, Selangor. Convicted in 2015 for the murder were former police officers, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, who were part of then-Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak’s security detail. 

Her execution was linked to allegations of blackmail regarding a 2002 Malaysian submarine purchase, in which Altantuya was reportedly involved in procuring payment. The case drew intense scrutiny due to the involvement of Najib’s bodyguards, though he has consistently denied knowing or meeting Altantuya. 

Azilah and Sirul were convicted of the murder in 2009. Their convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2013, but restored by the Federal Court. Both were sentenced to death. Sirul fled to Australia before the final verdict was announced, where he was detained, and extradition was complicated due to laws against the death penalty. As of 2024, the death sentences of the convicted were commuted to prison terms].  

Setev hopes that one day, the answer will come directly from one of those convicted - Azilah Hadri, who is serving a life sentence. 

Reiterating his desire for a “sincere apology”, Setev stressed that his pursuit of the case has never been about financial gain. 

“I am just a person who has been looking for justice for the past 20 years. I am only looking for a sincere apology, one word. I am holding on to the hope that one day, after 20 years, I will hear an apology for admitting the unlawful wrongdoing”, he said. 

Setev made the statement after Malaysia's Court of Appeal fully discharged the government from liability over Altantuya’s death on January 20, 2026. [The panel of three judges, led by Chief Judge of Malaya Hashim Hamzah also reduced the initial court-ordered damages from RM5 million to RM1.4 million payable to the deceased’s family].

Are You Dead?’ App Tops China’s Charts

Tapping into a deep-seated fear among China’s millions of solo dwellers – dying alone and unnoticed – a morbidly named new app called “Are You Dead?” (死了么 Si Le Mi) has become a viral sensation, climbing to the top of the country’s paid app charts. 

The concept is simple: users must check in every two days by clicking a large button to confirm they are alive, BBC reported. 

If they fail to do so, the app automatically notifies a pre-appointed emergency contact that they may be in trouble. 

Launched with little fanfare last year, the app has recently exploded in popularity as it resonates with a growing demographic of young people who live alone, a group projected to reach 200 million by 2030. 

“There is a fear that people living alone might die unnoticed, with no one to call for help. I sometimes wonder, if I died alone, who would collect my body?” one user wrote on social media, echoing a common sentiment. 

Despite its success, the app’s morbid name – a wordplay on a popular Chinese food delivery app – has drawn criticism, with some users saying it might bring bad luck. 

A user surnamed Zhao from Sichuan in southwest China said he would pay to download the app if it were renamed "Are You Alive". 

The company behind the app, Moonscape Technologies, have acknowledged the feedback and is considering a name change. Listed internationally as Demumu, the app has also climbed the charts in the US, Singapore, and Australia. 

What started as a project that cost just 1,000 yuan ($143/RM581) to build has now grown into a valuable company, with the founders reportedly seeking to raise funds at a 10 million yuan valuation. Also, they are exploring a new product specifically designed for the elderly, another large and vulnerable demographic in China.

Mixue Expands Footprint in US

A second Chinese beverage brand – the first was Luckin Coffee – expands its footprint in the United States.  

Mixue, known for serving ice cream, pure tea, fruit tea, milk tea, and freshly brewed coffee, opened its first store in Los Angeles, California on December 19. 

“Mixue is actively advancing its global strategy. Given the substantial market potential in the United States, the first store serves as a starting point”, the company said in a statement. 

Located at 6922 Hollywood Blvd Suite 107, menu pricing lists the brand’s signature ice cream at $1.19, iced lemonade at $1.99, lattes at $2.99, and bubble tea starting at $3.99, with most items priced between $1.19 and $4.99. 

Mixue has expanded internationally over several years since opening its first overseas store in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2018. There are approximately 45,000 stores across mainland China and 4,700 stores across 13 other countries, including Australia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Its parent company, MIXUE Group, were included this year in Time magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential Companies in the World", where they were the only restaurant chain recognized. 

“(They're) the biggest fast food chain you’ve likely never heard of – at least, if you live in the Western hemisphere", Time wrote. 

It was no "new year, new me" for Liverpool yesterday as they played out a dire 0-0 draw with relegation candidates Leeds United to kick off 2026 – with the same problems on show. 

Reds saw 66 percent of possession in a dominant first half, with nine shots on goal to Whites‘ two and 1.55xG, but their clinical edge was again lacking against a deep-sitting side determined to frustrate them.

Nothing consequential happened in the second half either; in fact, the English champs' performance went from bad to worse. Even the desperate introduction of two more attackers in Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha in the 79th and 84th minutes respectively did little to improve the Reds’ run of play.

And sure, there might have been boos at Anfield at full time but a point means Liverpool still sit fourth in the Premier League table.

For F–k’s Sake

Many English speakers swear by this word. 

When it comes to expletives, US citizens used “f–k” the most frequently, followed by Brits, then lastly, Australians. But Aussies are the most creative in their use of the ultimate four-letter word, per a study published in the journal Lingua. 

The profane study, which was conducted by scientists at the University of Eastern Finland, set out to investigate the uses of the notorious expletive on social media and across different countries. To accomplish this task, the team examined a staggering 7.8 billion words posted by 435,345 X users from the US, the UK and Australia between 2006 and 2023. 

They focused on the f-word because it’s the most frequently used obscenity and the most likely to ruffle feathers in “polite” company, per the study. 

“The low frequency of f–k in the Australian data are surprising, as Australians are often perceived as prolific swearers”, the team exclaimed. 

That being said, it’s not the size of the f-bomb but how you use it. Swear word-smiths from Down Under were the most creative with their deployment, using 2,160 spelling variants of the word compared to 1,969 in the US and 1,474 in the UK. 

Some of the inventive iterations included “f–knicolor”, “furkers”, “fuqqen”, “fukkeng”, “fark” and the Irish–derived “feck”. Meanwhile, their UK and Yankee counterparts were more likely to use the standard f–k. 

This perhaps proves that we might all speak English, but we definitely don’t speak the same bad language.

Of course, the use of dirty words didn’t just differ between nations. According to the study, studies show people drop f-bombs more on social media than blogs and other mediums, especially – and perhaps contrary to popular belief – when conversing with acquaintances rather than close friends. 

In fact, swearing was exceedingly rare in circles of fewer than 15 people, no matter how well they knew each other. 

The researchers weren’t just conducting the study for s–ts and giggles – the team found out that swearing fills a variety of important functions. These ranged from expressing frustration and releasing stress to, conversely, expressing joy over positive news and adding some rhetorical oomph to a statement such as “that meal was f–king fantastic”. 

In other words, they get more bang for their f–k! 

Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan's objective of making the World Tour Finals (WTF) title showdown went up in smoke as Mayu Matsumoto-Yuki Fukushima delivered another body blow in Hangzhou, China. 

“Today, our opponents really put the pressure on us. We didn’t do that well in defence. This is something to take note of and work on”, admitted Thinaah.  

The world No. 2 women's doubles pair were unable to stop the world No. 5 from securing a win 21-19, 21-13 in the semi-final clash. The top Japanese pair had also beaten Pearly-Thinaah in the group stage, and the latest defeat narrowed the Malaysian pair's head-to-head record to 5-3.

Kimchi: No Longer Solely Korea’s

Kimchi (김치) is a traditional Korean dish made from fermented cabbage, radish, or cucumber. It is often categorized by the main vegetable ingredient used to make it. 

Kimchi is a staple food in Korean cuisine. It's an accompaniment to almost every meal in Korea, usually as a side-dish (banchan). It is said to be consumed daily by 95 percent of Koreans – 2 million tons annually.  

The most popular kimchi includes baechu kimchi (made with napa cabbage, 배추김치), kkakdugi (made with radish, 깍두기), and oi kimchi (made with cucumber, 오이김치). 

The "Korean Wave" (Hallyu, 한류) has made Korean cultural exports popular all over the world. Everything from K-pop to K-dramas and more. Including Korean food that has become familiar to us such as bibimbap, bulgogi, jjigae, tteokbokki, kan poong gi, and yes, kimchi.

As the home of kimchi, South Korea dominates global exports. In fact, global demand for Korean kimchi continues to grow, with exports on track to hit an all-time high in 2025. 

According to trade data released on November 24 by the Korea Customs Service, South Korea’s cumulative kimchi exports in 2025 reached $137.4 million as at October, up 2 percent from a year earlier.

And yet, kimchi’s place as a uniquely Korean dish is being threatened by China’s exploding exports of the spicy dish. Especially, to South Korea itself. 

The fact is, more South Koreans are consuming Chinese-made kimchi, making it very likely that South Korea will post a kimchi trade deficit. Persistent inflation and the 2024 surge in domestic cabbage prices, caused by extreme weather, have continued to push demand for cheaper Chinese-made kimchi. 

Imports of Chinese kimchi hit a record $189.86 million in 2024, up 16.1 percent from 2023. During the same 10-month period, imports amounted to $159.46 million, rising 3.1 percent and outpacing the 2 percent growth in exports. 

As a result, the kimchi trade balance so far in 2025 remains in the red, with the deficit widening 10.3 percent from a year ago to $22.07 million. 

In the meantime, shipments of Korean-made kimchi are expected to hit another record in 2025, surpassing 2024’s all-time high. Exports totalled $163.57 million in 2024, double the figure from 2017, and have steadily grown on the back of rising global interest in K-food and heightened health awareness during the Covid pandemic. They reached $148.12 million in 2022, $155.6 million in 2023, and then set a new record in 2024. 

Japan remains the largest market for Korean kimchi, importing $47.55 million worth as at October, a 4.4 percent increase from a year earlier. The United States brought in $36.01 million, a 5.8 percent decrease, which marks a notable shift for a market that had seen rapid growth since 2019. In Europe, the Netherlands imported $7.97 million, a 3.3 percent decline. Canada imported $7.63 million, up 17.6 percent, while Australia saw a slight increase to $6.68 million. 

Indeed, the world may be eating more Korean kimchi but South Korea is importing more of it from China!

World No. 7 Sivasangari Subramaniam saw her hopes of retaining the HKFC Squash Open title dashed yesterday after falling to world No. 11 Fayrouz Aboelkheir of Egypt in the final. 

The top seed was beaten 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4 in just 36 minutes – her second defeat to Fayrouz in four meetings. 

Sivasangari will now aim to bounce back at next week's Hong Kong Open.