Animals

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that more than 93,000 Texans who have served are eligible for healthcare benefits, but unenrolled. The VA is encouraging veterans exposed to blasts during their service to pursue care. And our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more on Lubbock Animal Services' donation campaign and advice for pet owners this holiday season.

Austin-area animal shelters have been overcrowded for years. Local officials and nonprofits are looking at different ways to alleviate the problem.

KERA's Katherine Hobbs reports that conservationists at the Fort Worth Zoo released a record-breaking number of Texas horned lizards in the month of October. Texas Parks and Wildlife says now is the time to plant wildflowers to help our pollinators. You can find more information on what to plant in your region from the Native Plant Society of Texas at npsot.org.

After several years of near-inactivity, the Invertebrate Zoology Collection at the Museum of Texas Tech University is back to providing resources to entomologists everywhere. In the spirit of the season, we visited the facility and heard from the collection’s curator who says bugs like these deserve more attention.

The dust and wind in West Texas conspire to keep front steps and porches coated in a layer of grit. But in Socorro and other rural communities near El Paso, another nuisance has plagued residents for months: red flour beetles.

Conservationists and cattle ranchers are working together to restore grassland for the lesser prairie chicken. The bird used to roam Kansas, but has lost most of its habitat to crop production.

One group estimated more than 568,000 cats and dogs entered shelters in 2023. About 82,000 cats and dogs were euthanized.

Microchips are used to trace a lost pet back to its owner. They're one tool to help keep animals out of shelters. The Austin City Council could approve the rule next week.

An animal rights advocacy group has raised concerns after a court-ordered release of public records revealed controversial details about an experiment at Angelo State University.

Texas Public Radio’s Jack Morgan explains how the San Antonio Zoo is partnering with zoo in Miami to raise and release a beloved Texas reptile back into the wild.