Internal inquiry into decision to drive police car into escaped calf has received 250 video clips of incident A police decision to ram an escaped cow with a patrol car is being investigated as a criminal and internal misconduct matter. Surrey police were heavily criticised after footage was posted online of a 10-month-old calf being rammed by a police car in the early hours of 15 June after reports of an animal on the loose in Staines-upon-Thames ..read more

Charlotte DujardinSwimming in the SeineElastic band funCat burglarsWorking tirelessly Training animals to do things they wouldn’t do naturally is cruel (Dujardin’s career in tatters after horse whipping costs her damehood and funding, 24 July). Nobody today approves of the chimpanzees’ tea party, which is hardly different from the fancy dress dressage which for some reason is an Olympic “sport”. Peter Dewar London • I was interested to read the precautions that GB triathletes are taking before swimming in the Seine (Report, 23 July). While at Aberystwyth University in the early 1970s, we would ..read more

At a wildlife centre in Mozambique, trafficked animals are fed, nursed, taken for walks and eventually released back to the wild. Vet Mércia Ângela describes what it’s like to bond with these rare and charismatic mammals I had never seen a pangolin before I started working with them in Mozambique’s Gorongosa national park. They are the only mammal in the world covered with scales. I think they are so handsome – just seeing them makes me fall in love. If you have never seen a pangolin, they have a cone-shaped head and snout, four short legs, small eyes and a brilliant sense of smell. Their fr ..read more

Footage reveals ‘an error of judgement’ by Team GB star Peta says Olympics must ‘move into the modern era’ A video has emerged of the Team GB equestrian star Charlotte Dujardin repeatedly striking a horse with a long whip during a training session. The incident has led the animal rights group Peta to call for all equestrian events to be banned from the Olympic Games. The 39-year-old Dujardin, who won six dressage Olympic medals in London, Rio and Tokyo, was banned from the Paris 2024 Games and suspended on Tuesday. The incident occurred when she conducted a coaching session to a young rider ..read more

The suffering of animals in the tourism sector is depressingly common. But we can all help shut down such cruel trades It won’t surprise anyone to know that I’m not the sort of person who’d choose to go to tourist attractions that keep animals in captivity for human entertainment. But like many of us, when it comes to interacting with animals while on holiday, there are things I look back on that I would do differently now. Tourist attractions such as dolphin parks and tiger temples exist only for commercial gain at the price of a lifetime of mental and often physical pain for those held capti ..read more

Tasmanian Labradoodles agrees to close to avoid charges laid for alleged overbreeding Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast More than 250 labradoodles – many who have never been in contact with a human – are in “urgent” need of a home after RSPCA Tasmania shut down the state’s biggest puppy breeder over animal welfare concerns. Tasmanian Labradoodles surrendered all of its dogs last Friday in a “landmark out-of-court agreement” that led to the immediate and permanent closure of the business, the RSPCA ..read more

Monarch’s decision follows opposition from animal rights activists, leading to fears the sport’s days are numbered The king has upset the pigeon racing community after dropping the monarchy’s official support amid opposition from animal rights activists. King Charles has ended royal patronage for pigeon racing, a sport his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, grandfather George VI, great-grandfather George V, and great-great-grandfather Edward VII all took part in enthusiastically ..read more

Countless famous faces have been snapped snuggling up to koalas in Australia. But it’s a practice animal activists hope will become extinct From Taylor Swift to King Charles, cuddling a koala in Australia has long been a bucket-list item for celebrities, politicians and tourists alike. But the activity may be going the way of the dinosaur, as animal activists label it “outdated” while calling for a ban, and a growing number of zoos jettison the practice in favour of more hands-off experiences ..read more

Equine specialist questions whether the animals’ behavioural needs are being met and says capital may be overwhelming The stress of life as a military horse could explain why several of the animals have bolted through London on two occasions in the past three months, an equine expert has suggested. On Monday three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) broke loose and ran through central London. Video footage showed one colliding with a car. It is thought one of the horses had been spooked by a bus, causing the other two to unseat their riders and run ..read more

Greyhound Racing NSW allegedly breached licence that stipulates it must immediately disclose anything that brings industry into disrepute Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast The New South Wales minister responsible for greyhound racing has threatened to sack the industry’s governing board over its alleged failure to properly manage a series of complaints over how it operates and other matters. Guardian Australia understands the racing minister, David Harris, issued a show cause notice to the Greyhoun ..read more