Animals

Make a game plan for your summer garden
It’s getting warmer and your garden needs a game plan. MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about fruits, vegetables, flowers — and tips to help your garden thrive all summer long.
Helping turtles cross the road? There’s an app for that, thanks to these Minnesota sisters
Turtle populations as a whole are declining, and roadway mortality is a significant factor, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Their natal homing instinct takes them across roadways and into the path of cars.
The U.S. hasn’t seen a human bird flu case in 3 months. Experts are wondering why
Health officials are urging vigilance as reports of bird flu cases in humans appear to have stopped. In the last 14 months, infections have been reported in 70 people in the U.S. — most of them workers on dairy and poultry farms.
U.S. halts cattle imports from Mexico, citing fears of flesh-eating maggot
The New World screwworm is endemic in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean — and its northward spread into Mexico has alarmed U.S. officials. It can kill a full-grown cow in one to two weeks. 
Captive-bred axolotls thrive in Mexican wetlands, researchers find
The cartoonish-looking salamanders have faced an uncertain future in the wild. But researchers hope that breeding axolotls in captivity and releasing them in the wild can help their numbers.
Baby sloth born while on exhibit at Como Park Zoo dies
The zoo said the baby sloth was found unresponsive in its habitat earlier this week. Zoo officials believe it died overnight on Sunday night or Monday morning.
What our 'good boys' can teach us about living a good life
In his new book, “The Word of Dog,” philosopher Mark Rowlands extols the the morality of dogs, which he says leads to a happy and fulfilling life.