EU introduces restrictions on the use of perfluoroalkyl substances in food packaging

There are many little-known animals in the world, and one viral video raises similar questions. At night, an unusual creature appears in the frame: it has long limbs, a black body, and its eyes glow from afar. Initially, viewers mistake it for a wolf or a leopard, but it is actually a different animal.

People watching the video try to find out the nature of this beast, where it came from, and why it was so close to people in the middle of the night.

The story of this viral video is connected to the Instagram account Flavia Tasso. According to the post, the incident took place in the vast wetlands of Pantanal in Brazil. The woman left her room to improve the Wi-Fi signal and did not expect to soon encounter a forest inhabitant whose appearance makes it difficult to identify.

The woman noticed the animal slowly approaching her.

The animal shown in the video is the Maned Wolf. Despite the word 'wolf' in its name, it does not belong to ordinary wolf species. Its scientific name is Chrysocyon brachyurus, and it inhabits South America.

Despite the similarity in name, its appearance is different. The main distinguishing feature of the Maned Wolf is its unusually long legs. The animal's body has a reddish-brown coloration, and a stripe of black hair runs down its neck, resembling a mane. It is because of this mane that the animal was given the name Maned Wolf, which translates to 'maned wolf.'

When illuminated at night, when its long paws and slender body are visible, it is difficult to identify, which explains why viewers associate it either with a wolf or another predator.

The Maned Wolf is found in South America, with Brazil being its main habitat. It is not like ordinary wolves living in dense forests; rather, it is associated with open grassy areas and regions such as the Cerrado in Brazil. It can also be found in areas like the Pantanal. Typically, it is a solitary animal that tries to stay away from people.

An important feature of the Maned Wolf's diet is that it feeds not only on small animals. Its diet includes fruits and vegetation, in addition to small prey. Thus, although it looks like a predator, its diet is very diverse, which distinguishes it from other large predators in the forest.

Ultimately, the animal that caused questions on social media turned out to be the Maned Wolf. Although the word 'wolf' is in its name, its long legs, reddish-brown body, and black stripes resembling a mane classify it among the most amazing animals on the planet.

During hot weather or due to limited refrigerator space, the problem of a large amount of milk in a pitcher souring often arises. Many people consider spoiled milk unusable and pour it down the drain, which results in a loss of money and food. However, sour milk is not a useless product but a versatile kitchen ingredient.

From this milk, you can not only prepare fresh cottage cheese and delicious sweets like kalakand, but the remaining sour whey is also very beneficial for both health and cooking. Below are five simple and effective methods for using sour milk instead of throwing it away.

How to Reuse Sour Milk:

The first and simplest way is to make soft cottage cheese at home. If the milk has not yet separated into curd cheese (chhena), it should be slightly cooked, and then a little lemon juice or vinegar should be added. After that, strain the mixture through a cotton cloth to separate the liquid, and leave the cloth under a heavy object for 20–30 minutes. This will yield fresh and tender cottage cheese.

The second option is to create aromatic granular kalakand or cottage cheese dessert. The cottage cheese made from sour milk can be mixed with a small amount of dry milk, sugar, and ground cardamom. Then, this mixture must be slowly fried in a pan until it thickens and starts to separate from the sides of the pot. After that, it is formed into a tray and cut into pieces, resulting in homemade kalakand similar to what confectioners make.

The third method allows you to prepare soft flatbreads and parathas. If wheat flour or semolina for puri/bhature is kneaded using cottage cheese or the liquid obtained after straining sour milk, very soft and fluffy flatbreads and puris result. Furthermore, thanks to the protein content, the nutritional value of these flatbreads increases.

The fourth way is to add creaminess to soups and sauces. Sour milk can be used to enrich thick sauces, such as shahi paneer, chole, butter masala, or any other vegetable dish with a thick sauce. By easily blending it in a blender and adding it to the sauce, you can significantly improve the taste and color of the dish.

The fifth, but no less important point, is the use of whey from sour milk. The liquid remaining after straining the milk should not be thrown away. It is rich in proteins and minerals. This whey can be used for cooking lentils, preparing rice, making soups, or for imparting a 'natural tang' during the next milk fermentation process.

The population of wild elephants living in the forests of Africa is steadily declining. According to estimates from the Wildlife Conservation Fund, there are about 135 thousand African forest elephants remaining.

The greatest damage to these animals has been caused in the forests of Central and West Africa due to illegal hunting. To save these animals in the protected areas of Djanga-Sanga in the Central African Republic, DNA and data analysis methods are being used.

Scientists are trying to identify and count the elephants by collecting DNA from their excrement. DNA analysis obtained from elephant feces will help determine how many different individuals are in the forest and in which areas they are moving. Specialists will test samples from different locations.

Comparing this information with other data will provide a more accurate picture of the elephant population and also determine the migration routes. This information will be very useful for forest monitoring groups.

At the beginning of this century, about two-thirds of the forest elephants in the forests of Central and West Africa died due to large-scale illegal hunting. The main goal of the hunt was to obtain ivory. Although ivory hunting has decreased, the threat to elephants remains, and their forests are shrinking at an alarming rate.

Forests are being cleared for palm oil, cocoa, and rubber plantations, as well as due to the growth of human settlements and other development-related activities. The reduction of forest cover decreases the space for elephants to live and move.

The fragmentation of forest areas affects the movement of elephants between different sections. Under such conditions, it is critically important to know where the elephants are and what their numbers are. DNA, which contains the genetic material of their bodies in elephant excrement, is used by scientists to identify individual animals.

If fecal samples collected in different places show the presence of different DNA, it will allow determining the number of unique elephants in that area. Regular sample collection will allow tracking where the elephants are going and whether there are changes in their numbers. This approach may reduce the need for regular counts of all elephants in the forest.

Efforts to protect elephants involve not only DNA but also preventing illegal hunting. Security service work is being intensified in the Central African Republic and neighboring regions. A tripartite eco-group has been created, which can now pursue poachers even across borders. In Cameroon, local residents are also being assisted in taking legal action against wildlife criminals.

Today, there are about 135 thousand forest elephants in nature. The primary task for their salvation is to determine the number of elephants in the forest, their movement routes, and areas of greatest danger.