Animals
FILE - The mascot for the 1996 Summer Olympic Game, Whatizit, joins dancers on the stage during the closing ceremonies for the XXV Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Aug. 9, 1992. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
Olympic mascots: Creative, cartoonish, at times contentious

By Candice Choi Feb. 18, 2022 11:42 PM EST

A resident wearing a face mask walks under red lanterns setup for the Lunar New Year holidays in Beijing, China, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. As China gets back to business after a muted Chinese New Year holiday that coincided with the start of the pandemic-restricted Beijing Olympic Winter Games, the feeling inside and out of the bubble in this auspicious Year of the Tiger is that festivities for the most sacred and important holiday for the country were limited and underwhelming. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
A muted Lunar New Year, inside and outside Olympic bubble

By Sally Ho And Ken Moritsugu Feb. 07, 2022 04:53 AM EST

Workers browse their phones next to the mascots for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games near the South Korean booth during the World Winter Sports Expo in Beijing, Sept. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP PHOTOS: Winter Olympic mascots through the years

By The Associated Press Jan. 28, 2022 05:56 AM EST

Germany to drop investigation into Olympic horse cruelty

Jan. 11, 2022 09:33 AM EST
POTSDAM, Germany (AP) — German prosecutors will drop an animal cruelty investigation into an athlete and a coach who were shown striking a horse during the Olympic...

Equine herpes affects European preparation for Olympics

By Graham Dunbar Mar. 04, 2021 11:13 AM EST
GENEVA (AP) — A severe outbreak of equine herpes could disrupt preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, the International Equestrian Federation said Thursday. ...

Sarina Renz kisses one of the eight Siberian Steppe camels, of the stranded Renz Circus in Drachten, northern Netherlands, Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The circus fleet of blue, red and yellow trucks have had a fresh lick of paint over the winter. But now, as coronavirus measures shut down the entertainment industry across Europe, they have no place to go. "It's catastrophic for everybody", said Sarina Renz, of the German family circus that has been in existence since 1842. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
The show can't go on: Virus halts circus in Netherlands

Apr. 03, 2020 03:05 AM EDT

Kentucky Horse Park, State Parks open during daytime only

Apr. 03, 2020 02:15 AM EDT
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Horse Park and Kentucky State Parks will be open to the public during daytime only beginning Friday, the Tourism, Arts and...

51-year-old Asian elephant named Reba dies at Phoenix Zoo

Apr. 02, 2020 03:52 PM EDT
PHOENIX (AP) — A 51-year-old Asian elephant who lived at the Phoenix Zoo for more than two decades has died. Zoo officials announced...