the biggest animal stories of 2022
pandemic puppies, cat psychology, reptiles vulnerable to extinction and the health benefits of dogs are among this year's must-reads.
5 minute read
2022 saw many animal stories published on healthing, from pandemic pets and tarantula-inspired painkillers, to the health benefits of spending time with a dog. getty
no matter what part of the country we live in, animals are a part of our lives — from the creatures sharing our forests to the dogs being walked on our streets, from the urban scavengers picking food out of the garbage to the birds flying overhead. whether or not we have pets, we coexist with animals in many ways. 2022 saw many animal stories published on healthing, from pandemic pets and tarantula-inspired painkillers, to the health benefits of spending time with a dog. here are this year’s biggest animal stories.
according to research from the national institute for environmental studies in tsukuba, japan, people with dogs may be less likely to develop disabilities as they age. the finding could be related to the fact that owning a dog means going for walks several times a day. read more
cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, killing 230 canadians each day. but the approach to treatment is slow and often inefficient: cancer treatments are first tested on mice, but the majority of therapies that work on mice don’t actually work on people. our pets could provide a middle ground. read more
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monkeys: they’re just like us! researchers at georgia state university found that many monkeys performed worse at skill tests when their stress levels were higher. “our results suggest that, like humans, there is individual variation in how capuchins perform on a cognitive task during high-pressure situations, with some monkeys tending to ‘choke’ and others to thrive,” the study found. read more
even 10 minutes with a dog can reduce pain, anxiety
a study of patients in the er at saskatoon’s royal university hospital found that therapy dogs can reduce pain in emergency room patients in a way that’s “clinically significant.” even a short stint with a sweet pup had an impact on patients’ wellbeing, the report’s authors say.
“there is research showing that pets are an important part of our health in different ways. they motivate us, they get us up, (give us) routines, the human-animal bond,” said author colleen dell of the university of saskatchewan. read more
ignore the stereotypes, says social psychologist zazie todd: cats aren’t as aloof as we might think.
“if they’re well-socialized, cats do have important relationships with their people and it may just be that they’re choosing to show their affection in a different way than we expect,” she explained. read more
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some dogs demonstrate oddball behaviour that’s fairly harmless: spinning with excitement, for example. but if the behaviour is out of control and doesn’t serve any purpose — such as excessive licking, chewing, spinning, fly-snapping (biting at the air), tail-, light- or shadow-chasing, trance-like staring — it becomes an abnormal repetitive behaviour, also called compulsive behaviour disorder, and you have a problem. read more
australian researchers are looking into the medical potential of the king baboon spider, a tarantula native to kenya and tanzania, which has a ferocious and extremely painful bite. and while not fatal in humans, getting bitten by a king baboon results in days of excruciating pain, along with swelling and muscle spasms.
a compound found in the tarantula’s venom causes pain neurons to fire in a rapid, intense way that’s similar to the nerves in people with specific kinds of chronic pain — and that could be a powerful discovery in terms of pain management. read more
dogs. what can’t they do? one study presented during digestive disease week in san francisco found that living with a dog — particularly between the ages of five and 15 — appeared to offer protection against inflammatory bowel disease (ibd) by promoting healthy gut permeability and a balance between microbes in the gut and the body’s immune response. read more
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the first step in helping our children become responsible is to actually return the responsibility to the child, says parenting expert alyson schafer. “that means firing yourself from doing their job. you can do this politely and respectfully, but simply saying, ‘you know, i realize i have been stepping in and taking over your jobs. that really sends a disrespectful message that i think you can’t manage – but that is not true. i think you are very capable. from now on, i am going to let you manage your jobs and stay out of it.'” read more
aquatic species like crocodiles and turtles are among the reptiles most vulnerable to the threat of extinction. the forces putting reptiles at risk are largely caused by humans and are mostly the same risks threatening other animals: their habitats are being destroyed by agriculture, logging, urban development and invasive species. and while reptiles are less affected than mammals by hunting, urban development remains a large issue.
“reptiles, to many people, are not charismatic, and there’s just been a lot more focus on the furry or feathery species of vertebrates for conservation,” bruce young, chief zoologist and senior conservation scientist at conservation nonprofit natureserve, which in part led the study, told reporters. read more
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what people joked about earlier in the pandemic was true: dogs have become so accustomed to us being home all the time that once we leave, it could be a bit anxiety-provoking.
“separation anxiety is an umbrella term for behaviours that could have many different causes,” says dr. rebecca ledger, a clinical animal behaviourist in vancouver. “dogs left in an unfamiliar place, such as a hotel room, a kennel, or someone else’s home, might not feel safe.” read more
for the last year, cases of avian flu have been rising steadily across canada, the u.s., and much of the rest of the world. but the good news, according to matthew miller, a professor at mcmaster university in hamilton, ont., is that unless you’re a poultry farmer, you should be “only mildly concerned.” read more
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