Vegan News 6.27.13

Justin Bieber monkey leaves quarantine in German zoo. “Justin Bieber’s former pet monkey, Mally, has left quarantine in Germany. Mally was seized after Justin Bieber failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers. The singer was on the European leg of his Believe tour at the time and had travelled from LA to Germany on his private jet when the monkey was confiscated. He was given a month to claim his pet back.”

Wounded seal found on Cornish coast had bovine TB. “A wounded seal pup that washed up on a Cornish beach was put down after contracting bovine TB, vets say. The government said the ‘unusual’ incident demonstrated that bovine TB could spread between species. Vet Andy Biggs said it may have been from a badger bite after a badger possibly came into contact with the pup after being attracted by the placenta. A badger cull was announced for two test areas earlier in the year. Under the proposals, about 5,000 badgers will be culled in two pilot zones in the South West. The government said the action was needed to help tackle bovine TB, a disease of cattle that has been steadily rising since the 1980s. However, wildlife groups said killing badgers would have no impact.”

Mouse cloned from drop of blood. “Circulating blood cells collected from the tail of a donor mouse were used to produce the clone, a team at the Riken BioResource Center reports in the journal Biology of Reproduction. The female mouse lived a normal lifespan and could give birth to young, say the researchers. Scientists at a linked institute recently created nearly 600 exact genetic copies of one mouse. The research is aimed at large-scale production of high-quality animals for farming or conservation purposes.”

Photo credit: basswulf via Flickr