Quirky news again this week, which begins with talk on empathy - can it be learned, is there a genetic factor or who cares? A field study of Mary River Turtles in Australia reveals an ageing population. The cannibal Red Squirrels of Yukon and the death of Australia's last flamingo are our last news stories.

Our main topic discusses the benefits of desexing, with particular emphasis on small mammals. What are the other benefits of desexing apart from the obvious prevention of breeding and helping control behaviour issues? Mark and Brendan point out significant reasons why we need to desex our small mammals.

Links:

Can you learn empathy?

'They might just disappear': warning over 'punk' turtle's future

Squirrels Are Also Baby-Killing Cannibals

Australia’s last flamingo, ‘Chile’, dies at Adelaide Zoo

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