ANIMALS

An exercise rider at a Florida horse track has died in a training accident.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission performed a necropsy on a whale that washed ashore at Hanna Park in Jacksonville, but the report does not reveal to researchers how the whale died.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said a whale washed up Wednesday morning on the beach at Hanna Park.

An Orange County pet store has been ordered to pay $85,000 to consumers after the Florida attorney general’s office said customers were deceived and sold sick or dying puppies, News4JAX sister station WKMG-TV News 6 reports.

Federal officials say the fading North Atlantic right whale will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act and requires a series of protective steps to stave off extinction.

This year, News4JAX has been following white squirrel sightings in the Jacksonville area.

From white squirrels and poisoned puppies to a Jacksonville serial killer and local entrepreneurs, our News4JAX.com team worked hard this year to showcase a variety of special content for our online audience.

The 35-year-old zookeeper who was “viciously” attacked Wednesday by a 5-year-old North American black bear at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens suffered many lacerations on her head, back and thighs, according to a police report obtained Thursday by News4JAX.

A 5-year-old North American black bear that escaped an exhibit behind the scenes at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Wednesday evening and “engaged” with a zookeeper was fatally shot by the zoo’s lethal weapons team, officials said.

Tis’ the season of giving but to scammers it’s all about taking, and nothing is off limits.

Along Florida’s East Coast, threatened manatees that are facing starvation are fed through an unprecedented program started last year.

At least 13 bald eagles were likely poisoned by scavenging the carcasses of euthanized animals that were improperly disposed of at a Minnesota landfill and three of the majestic birds have died.

The Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) and Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to save the lives of cats and dogs in America’s shelters by 2025, are teaming up for another adoption campaign to encourage people to adopt a new best friend.

Clay County Animal Services is teaming up with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and the Petfinder Foundation this holiday season to help long-term shelter dogs in Clay County find their forever homes.

Multiple people on social media have been sharing photos and videos saying they’ve seen coyotes roaming near homes in northern St. Johns County in recent weeks.

Three adult male manatees rescued from waters in the Florida Keys earlier this year have been returned to a Keys canal after being treated and rehabilitated at SeaWorld Orlando.

A man is charged with animal cruelty in connection with the death of a cat in the Springfield neighborhood, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

The city of Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services will host a free dog adoption event Saturday at the Legends Center.

Jacksonville firefighters rescued two dogs from a house fire Wednesday morning in the city’s Sandalwood neighborhood, officials said.

Pet owners in the Springfield area who were already on edge following the recent disappearance of multiple cats are even more on edge after an incident involving a family cat was caught on video.

Bats serve a purpose in Florida's ecosystem, so there are certain times of the year when Florida residents aren't allowed to disturb them. But bat maternity season is over and now is the time to bat proof your home, state wildlife officials say.

Thursday — Oct. 17 — is National Black Cat Day!

The Jacksonville Humane Society is partnering with two area businesses, VyStar Credit Union and Subaru of Jacksonville, to offer free pet adoptions on Friday and Saturday.

Households earning less than $70,000 annually can qualify for low-cost, or in some cases no-cost, spay and neuter surgery and free rabies vaccinations for their family dogs, according to a release.

It has been a historic sea turtle season in Mayport.

The Jacksonville Humane Society and Animal Care and Protective Services are teaming up to offer a free adoption event this fall.

Sunken Gardens, a botanical garden located in St. Petersburg, tweeted out a photo of a group of flamingos hanging out in a bathroom while riding out Hurricane Ian.

Who doesn’t love the zoo, right?

The 77-year-old man was found by relative in the first such fatal incident since 1936.

Baby squirrels were rescued Wednesday in Ponte Vedra.

A shark attacked and killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger who was snorkeling in waters around the Bahamas on Tuesday, according to authorities.

What began as an attempt to execute a domestic battery warrant quickly turned into an investigation into suspected dog fighting, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

They really mean it when they say dogs are our best friends.

It's an increasingly familiar sight in U.S. cities and suburbs: workers in gloves and masks, spraying yards for mosquitoes.

A feral cat from the central Cate Road area near Brunswick has tested positive for rabies, the Glynn County Health Department said Wednesday.

Scientists and students embarking on a census of Georgia lake sturgeon have found three females with mature eggs — an indication the armored “living fossils” may be reproducing in that state for the first time in a half-century.

Zachary, a 9-year-old, 5-foot American alligator, has a new home after his owner -- who surprisingly is not a "Florida man" -- turned over the reptile to authorities last week.

It was quite a discovery in tropical waters to bring in a Greenland shark, which can live for more than 500 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A man who was severely injured in the waters off Jacksonville Beach on Saturday might have been bitten by a shark, lifeguards told News4JAX.

A local couple and their daughter witnessed a miracle of nature last weekend when they were on South Ponte Vedra Beach during the hatching of a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle nest.

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department has added therapy dogs, providing another way to help firefighters and dispatchers deal with the emotional trauma that can come with being a first responder.

K9s United Vice President Jay Nix said a new Florida law that the nonprofit helped pass allows first responders to take immediate action when a police dog is injured. That quick action Friday likely saved the life of Jacksonville Sheriff's Office K-9 Huk after he was shot in the line of duty.

Fishing from the Jacksonville Beach pier has resumed after a three-year construction project, but there are several new rules in place for now.

Florida’s Turnpike was shut down Monday in Central Florida as dozens of loose cows were “moo-ved” out of the roadway.

A TikTok challenge encouraging people to dig massive holes on beaches can be dangerous to sea turtles, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A St. Johns County deputy rescued a baby deer that fell into a 15-foot pit last week.

A deputy and an animal control officer rescued an owl stuck in the grille of a car, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

A beloved pet cat that’s been dodging airport and airline personnel as well as animal experts since escaping from a pet carrier at Boston’s Logan International Airport about three weeks ago has finally been caught.

Doctors at a 24-hour animal critical care center in Jacksonville say they’re seeing an increase in the number of dogs suffering from heat stroke coming into the emergency room.

A Jacksonville-based nonprofit is on a mission to protect K9 officers, and you can help support that mission on the road -- literally.

The Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge says some of the animals hadn't left their owner's side.

It turns out there are multiple factors that have made tossing stuffed animals onto the ice a tradition.

Organised criminals are illegally burying thousands of tonnes of waste across Scotland, a BBC investigation finds.

Inflation may be hitting home for the holidays, but pet owners aren’t letting that stop them from spoiling their furry friends.

World Wide Fund for Nature and the British Antarctic Survey hope half a million people globally can help sift through thousands of images.

Around 150 animals were evacuated to the UK, along with Paul "Pen" Farthing and animal shelter staff.

Experts say vaccinating animals helps prevent COVID from spreading to humans.

Because Animals believes the $90 billion pet food industry will embrace "clean meat," made from cultured cells in a lab not from livestock.

An international group of scientists has called on Norway to halt plans for acoustic experiments on minke whales.

Truth and reconciliation is painful. But to those who reject the idea of engaging across differences, I earnestly ask, what’s your endgame?