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Philippine Officials Order Evacuation, Urge Caution after Volcano Eruption

This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on May 29, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. (Photo by HANDOUT / Icelandic Coast Guard / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on May 29, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. (Photo by HANDOUT / Icelandic Coast Guard / AFP)
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Philippine Officials Order Evacuation, Urge Caution after Volcano Eruption

This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on May 29, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. (Photo by HANDOUT / Icelandic Coast Guard / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on May 29, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. (Photo by HANDOUT / Icelandic Coast Guard / AFP)

Philippine authorities ordered the evacuation of residents living near a volcano in central Philippines on Tuesday following an eruption that sent a five km (three miles) high ash cloud into the sky.

Government officials warned of the possibility of further eruptions of Kanlaon volcano, hazardous ash fall and sulphuric odour. They also warned that rivers downstream from the volcano were at risk of flash floods, mudflows and other hazards.

"Go down to your respective evacuation centres, be vigilant, and prepare important things such as water and food," Jose Chubasco Cardenas, mayor of Canlaon City in Negros Oriental province, said in issuing the evacuation order via Facebook for residents in four communities near the volcano.

In the nearby Negros Occidental province, more than 700 people were taking shelter in evacuation centres, governor Jose Lacson told DWPM radio station.

"We advise them to stay there, and for those not yet in evacuation centres, I hope they can reconsider."

Government agencies have yet to report missing, injured, or fatalities since the eruption on Monday.

The six-minute explosive eruption prompted the suspension of work and schools in Canlaon City, while three airlines cancelled 32 flights on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

"We advise people to wear face masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash," Teresito Bacolcol, chief of the state seismology agency, told DZBB radio station.

The agency raised the level for Kanlaon volcano, indicating further eruptions were possible.

Response teams have been deployed in the affected areas to move the residents to safe places, the state civil defence agency said in a statement late Monday.

Kanlaon, one of the country's two dozen active volcanoes, last erupted in December 2017. The Philippines is in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.

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Zoo in Spain Helps Elderly Elephants Age Gracefully

Two old African elephants Bully, left, and Susi, stand inside the Barcelona Zoo in Spain, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hernan Muñoz)
Two old African elephants Bully, left, and Susi, stand inside the Barcelona Zoo in Spain, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hernan Muñoz)
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Zoo in Spain Helps Elderly Elephants Age Gracefully

Two old African elephants Bully, left, and Susi, stand inside the Barcelona Zoo in Spain, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hernan Muñoz)
Two old African elephants Bully, left, and Susi, stand inside the Barcelona Zoo in Spain, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hernan Muñoz)

At the Barcelona Zoo, a 40-year-old African elephant places her foot through the metal barrier where a zookeeper gently scrubs its sole — the beloved pachyderm gets her “pedicure,” along with apple slices every day.
The treatment is part of the zoo’s specialized geriatric care for aging animals that cannot be reintroduced into the wild as zoos world over increasingly emphasize lifelong care, The Associated Press reported.
“Sending them back into nature would be an error," said Pilar Padilla, head of the zoo's mammal care. "It is very likely they wouldn’t survive.”
Zoos have undergone a rethink in recent decades with the emphasis on the conservation of species and education, moving away from the past paradigm that often displayed exotic animals as a spectacle.
The new approach includes knowing how to adapt to the needs of aging animals, which has led zoos to create bigger, more nature-like enclosures, such as the Sahel-Savannah area at the zoo in the Spanish city of Barcelona.
Along with breeding programs to reintroduce fit animals into nature, zoos today want to ensure that animals living longer due to advancements in veterinary care can age gracefully, said Martín Zordan, the CEO of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or WAZA.
“Specialized geriatric care is becoming increasingly essential," Zordan told AP at the organization’s Barcelona offices.
Zordan said that just like older people, elderly animals require more care: regular health checks, arthritis treatment, softer foods or nutritional supplements, adapted living spaces and monitoring of mental and behavioral health.
Along with caring for a pair of aging elephants, the Barcelona Zoo is also the home for a 15-year-old wolf, a leopard and a tiger who are both 17, as well as some older birds — including a flock of senior flamencos.
It's not alone — several zoos in the United States, for example, highlight their treatment of older animals, such as the zoos in Baltimore and Baton Rouge.
A study of grief Zookeepers at the Barcelona Zoo, not far from the city’s Mediterranean coastline, are closely monitoring its two aging female pachyderms, Susi and Bully (pronounced BUH'-yi), as they cope with the recent death of Yoyo, their former pen-mate and long-time companion.
Yoyo died in December at age 54.
Susi, at 52, is now among the oldest known African elephants in captivity, even though WAZA said the age of animals born in the wild is approximate. Bully, who is 40, is also considered old for an African elephant. All three were captured in the wild and spent time in circuses an other zoos before coming to Barcelona.
The zoo is now working with the University of Barcelona to study the impact of Yoyo's death on Susi and Bully. It’s the first study of its kind, focused on elephants not from the same family after the death of a long-time companion, Padilla told The Associated Press during a recent visit to the zoo’s elephant enclosure.
At first, Susi and Bully showed their shock by not eating, but are now adapting well and turning to one another, including even sharing food, Padilla said, adding that Susi has taken on the dominant role that Yoyo had.
The proof is in the teeth For elephants, their teeth are the real age test.
“What marks the decline of the animal is the wear on their teeth,” Barcelona zookeeper José María Santamaría said after finishing the Bully’s pedicure. “They go through six sets of molars during their life, and when they reach around 40 years old they lose the last set.”
Susi and Bully require daily checkups, food suited for their now molar-less mouths and extra attention to their legs — hence the daily pedicures and the enclosure's soft sandy floor to cushion aching feet.
“Those are the sort of considerations taken because we care about these animals living comfortably and leading lives with dignity,” Zordan said.