Chicago residents logged more than 50,000 complaints last year about rats, according to a new survey that ranks the city as the “rat capital” of the U.S. We separate rat fact from fiction.

Chicago is losing its last waterfall. We follow up on an earlier story to see the beginning of its demolition in River Park.

Despite its moniker as “The City that Works,” Chicago features plenty of places to get away from the city’s hustle and bustle. Here are 10 spots to zen out in the city this summer.

Next time you step outside to mentally recharge, leave your phone at your desk. A new study finds using electronics outdoors counteracts nature’s restorative properties.

Animal welfare advocates will gather next week at McDonald's new West Loop headquarters to present a petition with more than 200,000 signatures calling on the company to improve conditions for chickens in its supply chain. 

Conservation-minded volunteers in suburban Barrington are attracting snakes to their own backyards – on purpose.

Nearly four years in the making, a plan by Southeast Side residents to build a park for their four-legged friends is coming to life.

At River Park on Chicago’s Northwest Side, a concrete dam standing 4 feet high is being prepped for removal. But it’s not just any dam – this happens to be the last waterfall within Chicago city limits.

With the 30th anniversary of the Discovery Channel’s popular “Shark Week” fast approaching, the Shedd Aquarium is calling on visitors to help protect a key habitat for “one of the world’s most misunderstood species.”

A dozen states have enacted laws granting criminal immunity to those who enter vehicles to rescue domestic animals that appear to be suffering. Should Illinois be the 13th? 

City Hall insiders said she was “warehousing” dogs – but the ousted executive director of the city’s animal shelter denies that claim. Susan Russell joins us in discussion.

In what is an extremely rare occurrence, a male weedy sea dragons recently accepted an egg transfer from a female and is now carrying 46 fertile eggs on his tail.

So far this year, nearly a dozen bats have tested positive for rabies in Cook and Will counties alone.

To help mark its 125th anniversary, the Field Museum is preparing to release a gin made in the spirit of one of the biggest events in Chicago history.

Their recovery has been a national concern for decades. What’s happening locally in the effort to save the Mexican wolf.

Orangutans are one of humankind’s closest cousins. We meet a baby orangutan as she takes a trip to the doctor.