Animals in the News

Well, this moose apparently went to the right kiosk when it was lost. Or maybe it wanted to get in on the action after wandering onto the grounds of a historic horse race course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Monday. The animal was eventually tranquilized by a state wildlife officer and removed from the area.

Lynn Drew, New York Racing Association / AP

African wildebeest herds often form the largest migrations in the world, but new research reported June 9 found that six large animal species, including a type of wildebeest, no longer migrate en mass. The report suggests broader conservation efforts are needed.

Roberto Schmidt, AFP / Getty Images

A bear cub was spotted in Wisconsin with a bird feeder stuck to its head over Memorial Day weekend. Wildlife officials caught the cub and its mother in a live trap, and the feeder was found in pieces next to them. Authorities the think the mother chewed the feeder apart.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources / AP

A Hawaiian man said he noticed this 10-inch reef fish's belly looked strangely large when he caught it by hand on June 3. But Curt Carish was still surprised when a gold watch appeared next to its mouth a short while later. The fish apparently coughed up the still-ticking watch.

Sheadon Ringor, The Garden Island

This horse, a Clydesdale named Remington, may soon hold the Guinness record for the tallest living horse. Though owner Cheryl Davis has not been able to get him to stand still for an accurate count, she believes he stands over 20 hands tall, or 6 feet, 8 inches and he weighs over 2,900 pounds.

Nathan Hunsinger, The Dallas Morning News

More than 50 whales beached themselves along the South African coast on May 30. While rescue workers attempted to return the false killer whales to the sea, they kept returning to shore. Authorities ultimately had to euthanize 44 of the whales, while the others died of stress and organ failure. Three whales who were initially returned to sea died and washed up later.

Schalk van Zuydam, AP

This patriotic squirrel stole American flags from a Port Huron, Mich., cemetery on May 25. Volunteers placed flags next to the gravesites of almost 1,000 veterans on Memorial Day, only to find many missing the next day. The cemetery superintendent solved the mystery when he saw this squirrel taking flags up a tree to furnish his nest.

Mark Rummel, The Port Huron Times Herald / AP

A popular New York City shopping area was buzzing May 23 after a swarm of bees clustered around a popular game store, trapping workers inside for hours. Here, a bee specialist wearing protective gear collects some of the bees into a box outside the GameStop store near Union Square.

WABC-TV / AP

The Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard, is a killer -- but not in the way scientists thought. A study published in May said the giant creature doesn't poison victims' blood with bacteria, but instead injects venom with a unique motion of biting and pulling, according to National Geographic.

Darrin Bush, Las Vegas News Bureau / AP

An international team of scientists has discovered the world's largest nesting population of leatherback turtles -- numbering in the tens of thousands -- in Gabon, West Africa. The leatherback is critically endangered, so the find announced in May makes Gabon a key location in the conservation efforts for this species.

J..G. Collumb