Main content

Preventing Flood Damage in South Asia

Preventing flood damage in South Asia. And also, South African rhino horn auction, VR for animals and copper helps Chilean dairy farmers

Floods in South Asia have claimed the lives of over 800 people. International collaboration is required to repair rivers and coasts in order to avoid such a high toll in the future.

The first legal online rhino horn auction opened yesterday. South African rhino breeders often de-horn their animals in order to avoid poaching, they hope to legally sell these horns to raise funds for protecting rhino against poaching.

A new study urges scientists to consider cultural superstitions, legends and myths when working to conserve animals and habitats. The Amazon pink river dolphin is heralded as a shape-shifter, and in the Caribbean, owls are thought to be witches that suck out the brains of sleeping locals. These myths should be respected and understood to enable scientists to work with local people to conserve species.

A new study reports using virtual reality to study the physiology and behaviour of fish, mice and flies. These animals aren鈥檛 wearing tiny VR glasses, but instead are living in a world made up of projections.

When a dairy cow becomes infected with bacteria causing bovine mastitis, the milk must be disposed of and the cow treated with expensive antibiotics. Farmers in Chile are reducing infection rates by lining milking tanks with copper which has antibacterial properties.

(Photo caption: An Indian man wades along a flooded street during a heavy downpour in Agartala 漏 Arindam Dey/AFP/Getty Images)

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Caroline Steel

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 27 Aug 2017 00:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 24 Aug 2017 19:32GMT
  • Fri 25 Aug 2017 02:32GMT
  • Fri 25 Aug 2017 04:32GMT
  • Fri 25 Aug 2017 06:32GMT
  • Fri 25 Aug 2017 13:32GMT
  • Sun 27 Aug 2017 00:32GMT

Podcast