Hedgehogs are small insectivorous mammals common across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The increased encroachment of humans into hedgehog habitats has disrupted the human-animal-environment interface. With growing interest in the zoonotic diseases of wildlife species, more studies have been devoted to this subject in the last few years. These papers provide information about known and new emerging diseases. Here we review the current knowledge regarding bacterial, viral, protozoic, and mycotic pathogens with zoonotic potential and assess the importance of hedgehogs as their carriers. Both wild and pet hedgehogs were included in the review. Data from several countries and various hedgehog species were included. The study shows the importance of hedgehogs as carriers of zoonotic diseases and reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens in varied habitats.

Road infrastructures and collisions with vehicles negatively affect many animal populations globally. However, data on road kills of non‐human primates are very limited, not only due to the rare character of this phenomenon, but also due to the geographical bias of reporting in scientific references. As an alternative, we used data from social media (YouTube videos, online articles and blogs) in addition to searching the existing scientific information. The reports in scientific papers were published in 1994–2018, and the reports in social media dated from 2010 to 2018. In total we collated information on 46 non‐human primate species and 368 individual animals that were killed due to collisions with vehicles on four continents. Numbers of observations and numbers of species in each continent were as follows: Africa, 46 and 15; Asia, 247 and 14; South America, 72 and 16; and Europe, 3 and 1. Only two of the species found in our social media internet search belonged to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Endangered category, but a higher‐than‐expected number of fatalities was in the Vulnerable category. In scientific papers, seven Endangered species were reported as victims of collisions. Often it was young individuals crossing roads that were killed by vehicles. Primates are very charismatic species, so collisions are likely to be reported on social media. We believe that the information we have collected can make a valid contribution to the debate on wildlife‐vehicle collisions, and can be used to plan ways to avoid or mitigate road kills of non‐human primates.

Simple Summary: Alcohol consumption is quite common in the bird world. Using scientific literature and Internet resources (available because of the rising popularity of social media), we investigate which species and sources of ethanol are most frequently used by captive and wild birds. Moreover, it was possible with the internet videos to discriminate between intentional and unintentional ingestion. This information may be helpful in choosing appropriate species for future laboratory studies about ethanol metabolism in birds and their behaviour.Abstract: Ethanol is a natural by-product of the fermentation process of fruit sugars and is occasionally consumed by fruit-eating and tree sap drinking birds. Information on this form of alcohol consumption features in the scientific literature. However, as pets or as wild animals living close to humans in urban habitats, birds have increasing possibilities to consume alcohol from beverages, such as beer, wine or spirits. Some observations have been discussed in a light-hearted manner in mass media and social media, but without any generalization of why some bird species drink the beverages intentionally or unintentionally provided by humans. To check which species and in what circumstances birds drink alcohol and how this is evaluated by humans, we reviewed the scientific literature and analysed videos from YouTube. In total we found and analysed 8 scientific papers and 179 YouTube videos, from which we identified at least 55 species (in some cases not all birds were identified to species level), 11 in the scientific literature and 47 in videos. The distribution of these species over the avian phylogenetic tree suggests that the origin of this convergent behaviour is mainly by human influence. The two data sources differed in the species covered. Videos typically presented interactions of birds with human-provided alcoholic beverages, and were dominated by two groups of intelligent birds: parrots and corvids. The popularity of YouTube videos for a particular species was positively correlated with the general popularity of the species as measured by the number of hits (results listed) on Google. Human responses to the videos were generally very positive and we analysed how the responses were influenced by factors derived from viewing the videos. Moreover, YouTube videos also provide information on at least 47 new bird species not previously mentioned as using alcohol, and our results suggest that parrots in particular can be potentially good candidates for future restricted laboratory studies on the effect of ethanol on birds and their relationship with humans.

The main aim of this study was to analyze the arterial circle of the brain and rostral epidural rete mirabile in specimens of the common wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus). The arterial circle of the brain is a circulatory anastomosis that supplies blood to particular lobes of the brain and surrounding structures. The study was conducted on male and female adults (n = 12) by bilateral injection of an acetone solution of vinyl superchloride or latex LBS3060, which resulted in a cast of arteries of the head and encephalic base. We describe the exact structure of the arterial circle of the brain and rostral epidural rete mirabile. The shape of the arterial circle of the brain in the common wildebeest is heart‐shaped, as in other Bovidae. It is formed by bilateral rostral cerebral arteries, caudal communicating arteries, and the basilar artery, with a general pattern of vessels forming and branching off from the arterial circle of the brain, as described in other ruminants. The rostral cerebral and caudal communicating arteries emerge from an intracranial segment of the internal carotid artery, which in turn arises from vessels of the rostral epidural rete mirabile. This structure, well developed in the examined individuals, has mechanisms underlying selective cooling of the brain, protecting animals from hyperthermia, and affecting body water balance.

The red-necked wallaby is a medium-sized marsupial species, which have increasingly been kept as pets around the world. In the study, the arterial blood supply for the brain in this species was described. The study was conducted on 50 specimens with two preparation methods. The main artery supplying the brain was the internal carotid artery. The arterial circle of the brain was closed from the caudal side. The anatomy of the arteries of the described region was compared with other groups of mammals. This is the first description of this anatomical area that has been carried out in a marsupial species. Understanding the anatomy of the circulatory system in the wallaby can be valuable for further physiological and pathophysiological studies.