ALAMIN ANG BALITA

Lonesome George is quite a character. He's a Pinta Island tortoise, and, as Brian noted when he visited a few years ago, he's the last of this breed. Yep, that means when he's gone, that's it -- his species will be lost to the world forever. That doesn't mean that all hope for him or his kind is lost, though. George wasn't feeling very frisky, or photogenic, on the day of our visit, so here's his backside. Photo credit: Collin Dunn He has a pretty swanky setup, as far as land tortoises in Galapagos National Park go. While the others are open to park visitors, subjects of hundreds or thousands of photos and interruptions a day, Lonesome George has his own pen, but he doesn't live alone. Two females, of a different but similar species, live in there with them, and the hope is that George and his special lady friends might produce some fertile eggs that would last to term, so George's bloodline will live on. One of the fema...

From a spider that looks like the sorting hat in Harry Potter, to a deep sea worm that looks like a churro, researchers have revealed the top ten new species for 2017. The 10th annual list also includes a pink insect that bares a striking resemblance to a leaf, a tomato that appears to bleed when its cut, and a polka dot sting ray. During the decade since the first list was compiled in 2008, almost 200,000 new species have been discovered - but experts warn we risk not discovering many other species as extinction rates rise. The list, compiled by the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science's International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE), includes four species found in Asia (India, Indonesia, Laos and Malaysia). Others on the list come from Mexico, the US, Brazil, Colombia, Australia and Papua New Guinea. 'During the decade since our first Top 10 list, nearly 200,000 new species have been discovered and named. 'This would ...

MANILA- Armed with smartphones and syringes, veterinarians in the Philippines are turning to technology to fight rabies, using tracking tools to identify problem areas in mass campaigns to vaccinate dogs. Cases of rabies in the Philippines are among the highest globally, says Humane Society International (HSI), estimating that 200 Filipinos die each year from the disease, acquired mainly through dog bites. The animal protection group has launched a smartphone app that records rabies vaccinations and geo-tags dogs by location, giving local authorities the means to control the disease. Ahead of World Rabies Day this week, veterinarians went door-to-door on Tuesday in Payatas, one of the poorest suburbs in the Philippine capital of Manila, offering free vaccinations to help reach a 2020 target to stamp out the disease. "It is very important because if you don't map properly, just vaccinating one spot will not help," said HSI official Rahul Sehgal. "You...

MANILA, Philippines – Another suspected drug pusher has fallen victim to a brutal summary execution by unidentified gunmen in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija. In a video shared on Ambag Bayan Central Facebook page, the victim can be seen getting off a vehicle parked on a highway before scampering away from motorcycle-riding gunmen who chased and shot him. Two of the suspects were both wearing black hooded jackets while the other was hidden from the camera’s view. The short clip showed the assassin shooting at the fleeing victim who fell to the ground just a few meters away from the vehicle. When it seems that the gunman has finished the job and appears to leave, he suddenly turned back and pumped more bullets into the victim’s body; killing him instantly. The three attackers then left the area; leaving the lifeless body of the still unidentified victim on the busy road. The Facebook post did not mention when exactly the killing happened, but said it took place in Baranga...

Patay ang isang lolo matapos ma-hit and run ng motorsiklo habang tumatawid sa Rizal Avenue, Caloocan City, madaling araw nitong Miyerkoles. Kinilala ang biktima na si Buenaventura Salonga, 66 anyos. Sapul sa CCTV ang insidente. Tumama pa sa poste ang motor pero nakatayo rin agad ang rider at saka tumakas nang magsidatingan na ang taumbayan. Nagtamo ng mga sugat sa ulo, tagiliran at hita si Salonga. Naitakbo pa siya sa ospital ngunit binawian ng buhay kalaunan. Panawagan ng anak ng biktima, sana sumuko na ang nakabanggang rider at panagutan ang nangyari sa ama. Kahit may kuha sa CCTV, hindi pa rin matukoy ang suspek na rider dahil may suot siyang helmet. Hiling ngayon ng pamilya ng biktima na sana'y makipag-ugnayan sa kanila ang mga nakakita sa insidente. Ayon sa pamunuan ng Barangay, madalas maaksidente ang mga tumatawid sa Rizal Avenue dahil sa mabilis na takbo ng mga motorista lalo na kung gabi o madaling araw.