The winner of this e-Bay auction will be able to name one female cheetah cub. (Look for the male name on ebay beginning June 5.) She was born Easter Sunday in a litter of 4 at Wildlife Safari.
Cheetahs are extremely endangered and may be extinct in as little as 20 years. Breeding programs like the one at Wildlife Safari may be the only hope to keep cheetahs on earth. Wildlife Safari is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity. All bids will be treated as a donation and are tax deductible.
The winning cheetah name will appear in the International Cheetah Studbook, and be posted at Wildlife Safari. In addition to naming the cheetah cub, the winner will receive an 8X10 photo of the cub, a certificate with the cub’s paw prints, 2 tickets to drive through the park, a plush cheetah stuffed toy, and next time you visit Wildlife Safari we invite you to come meet our ambassador cheetah, Taini, up close and personal.
Wildlife Safari currently houses 26 cheetahs. The cost of keeping and managing these cats is close to $600/day. Any bid or other contribution to this program goes directly for the daily care of these animals.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
e-Bay auction to name cheetah cub
Irish eagle chick is first in century
A wild golden eagle has been hatched in Ireland for the first time in nearly a century.
Two chicks were hatched in a remote area of the Glenveagh National Park in County Donegal but one of the young birds died after five days.
There will be a further nervous wait to see if the remaining chick can continue to grow and fledge in late July.
Golden eagles last bred in Glenveagh back in 1910.
The bird had become extinct in Ireland but was reintroduced at Glenveagh six years ago in an effort to reintroduce the bird to Ireland.
Rare albino barking deer
Bangkok's Dusit Zoo unveiled a rare baby albino common barking deer, the world's second all white barking deer, born from a common barking deer mother and an albino common barking deer father.
Zoological Park Organization director-general Sophon Dumnui said the albino baby was born at Dusit Zoo on April 7 but that the zookeepers were closely caring for the unusual infant until they were confident that he was in good health and ready to meet the public.
Four white lions born in French zoo
Four white lions were born in a zoo in western France, providing a welcome boost for the species whose population is teetering at about 30 worldwide, a zoo official said Wednesday.
The male and three female cubs, white as snow and weighing about 1.5 kilos (3.3 pounds), were separated from their mother at birth because she appeared to lack parenting skills.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tigers cubs play with chicks
Tiger cubs play with chicks at a zoo in Wenling, Zhejiang Province.
The chicks, who were not harmed by the cubs, were feeding at a nearby river before entering the tigers' cage. It is the first time zoo staff have witnessed such an occurrence, China Daily reported.
(Source: REUTERS/China Daily)
Pampa, the white tiger
Pampa, a one-year-old male white tiger, yawns at the Metropolitan Zoo in Santiago. The white tiger is one of the most endangered species in the world with an estimated of 240 in existence. Pampa arrived form the Argentina's Temaiken zoo.
(AP Photo/Santiago Llanquin)
Woman unwittingly rescues injured bobcat
MOBILE, Ala. - A woman who helped rescue an injured cat on the roadside got a surprise when a veterinarian told her it was a wild and potentially dangerous bobcat.
Liza Eldred, her teenage daughter and the girl's friend found the female bobcat Saturday on U.S. 98 in south Baldwin County, wrapped it in a sweatshirt and drove it to an animal clinic for treatment.
Veterinarian Andy Duke said the women were "extremely lucky" that the bobcat, which had a broken paw, did not panic and injure them.
They were in "a lot of danger," Duke said.
The big cat who likes getting wet and wild
Six years old, and at the prime of his life, Odin lives at the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Zoo in Vallejo, near San Francisco. He is about 10ft long from nose to tail, and is an excellent swimmer.
Odin was hand-raised at the zoo. And after he was weaned, his British trainer Lee Munro discovered his remarkable skill: when a lump of meat was thrown into a pool of water, Odin would happily dive in after it.
Mesa couple loves Dart Frogs
Greg and Amanda Sihler love Dart Frogs. What was once a hobby has now taken over their Mesa home. In 2005 the Sihler's started selling their frogs online on their website www.azdr.com, and they have quickly become one of the nations top breeders and sellers of Dart Frogs.
"Vivariums" sit in virtually every free space in the Sihler home, with many different species of Dart frogs from babies to adults. There is even the "frog room", with tadpoles, frog eggs, and most importantly, frog food. Dart frogs live on a steady diet of flightless fruit flies, which the Sihlers keep in plastic jars.
Elephant Turns Highwayman In India
The Hindustan Times reports an elephant bandit is holding up motorists in the eastern state of Orissa. His modis operandi is to stand in the middle of the highway until a car stops. He won't move until drivers wind down their windows and get out of the car, whereupon he uses his trunk to find, and grab, the food inside.
Awakened man wrestles leopard out of his bed
JERUSALEM (AP) -- A man clad only in underwear and a T-shirt wrestled a wild leopard to the floor and pinned it for 20 minutes after the cat leapt through a window of his home and hopped into bed with his sleeping family.
"This kind of thing doesn't happen every day," said 49-year-old Arthur Du Mosch, a nature guide. "I don't know why I did it. I wasn't thinking, I just acted."
Raviv Shapira, who heads the southern district of the Israel Nature and Parks Protection Authority, said a half dozen leopards have been spotted recently near Du Mosch's small community of Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev desert in southern Israel, although they rarely threaten humans.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
11-year old hunter bags "Monster Pig"
Hogzilla is being made into a horror movie. But the sequel may be even bigger: Meet Monster Pig. An 11-year-old boy used a pistol to kill a wild hog his father says weighed a staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9 feet 4, from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail. Think hams as big as car tires.
If the claims are accurate, Jamison Stone's trophy boar would be bigger than Hogzilla, the famed wild hog that grew to seemingly mythical proportions after being killed in south Georgia in 2004.
Jamison is reveling in the attention over his pig.
"It feels really good," Jamison said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "It's a good accomplishment. I probably won't ever kill anything else that big."
Florida tries to wipe out cat-sized African rats
Deep in the heart of the Florida Keys, wildlife officials are laying bait laced with poison to try to wipe out a colony of enormous African rats that could threaten crops and other animals.
U.S. federal and state officials are beginning the final phase of a two-year project to eradicate the Gambian pouched rats, which can grow to the size of a cat and began reproducing in the remote area about eight years ago.
"This is the only place in the United States where this is occurring," said Gary Witmer, a biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.
A former exotic pet breeder, living in a small house, bred the species and allowed the critters to escape.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Flying Dog Mobile
Donald the Flying Dog Mobile
Donald the Flying Dog Mobile is a unique kinetic mobile which adds whimsical atmosphere to any nursery, garden or room of the home. No batteries are needed; you just gently push down on the body to set the mobile into motion.
Nights of Arabia Pet Bed
Nights of Arabia Pet Bed
Magical canopy lounge reserved exclusively for the Majestic. Available in either a Honey Cream or Dark Wood finish with Olive Faux Suede cover and pillows.
Vibrating Pet Massager
Total Pet Health Vibrating Pet Massager
Pets will love the soothing, gentle vibrating action of this handheld massager. Helps relieve sore muscles, relax tension, and stimulate oil glands for healthier skin and coat. Quiet motor won't startle nervous pets and offers choice of continuous or pulse operation.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Video: Bulldog adopts baby tiger
A French Bulldog is the adoptive mother to a Bengal tiger cub in Japan.
A Bengal baby tiger that was rejected by its own mother has been adopted by an affectionate French Bulldog. The unusual mother-and-adopted-daughter situation came about after the cub - which still does not have a name - was rejected by its own mother.
The tiger cub is now two weeks old and is starting to catch up in size and weight to her foster mother. Once its reaches a certain size, the zoo says the tiger cub may have to be moved to the tiger enclosure.
Video: The Blackfooted Ferret
Wildlife biologists from the US Fish and Wildlife Service explain how they are making great strides toward saving this endangered species that was once thought to be extinct. From breeding ferret offspring to preparing them for release back into the wild, the recovery effort of these cute carnivores is rich in math and science.
Friday, May 25, 2007
His name is Hudson
After receiving and reviewing nearly 5,000 name suggestions for the male polar bear cub at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) staff have selected a name: Hudson.
The cub, who now weighs just over 70 pounds, can be seen daily with his mom, Arki. Over the past several weeks, zookeepers have been slowly adding water to the bears’ pool. By early June, they hope to have it all the way filled so Arki can begin to teach Hudson how to swim.
It is estimated that between 22,000 and 25,000 polar bears live in the wild, although exact numbers are not known in their natural habitat of the circumpolar Arctic: U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway. In February 2005, several conservation organizations petitioned the U.S. Department of the Interior to list polar bears on the “threatened” species list of the Endangered Species Act. In late 2006, the Secretary of the Interior announced that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would be gathering additional information and scientific data during the next 12 months before making its final decision whether to list the species on the threatened list.
Turtle's dinner table escape provides clues on habits
A giant sea turtle saved from the dinner table by a Chinese priest swam 3,000 kilometres into a sanctuary in Japan, providing researchers a valuable insight into the species travel habits.
The priest had carved a message onto the green sea turtle's shell which a Japanese conservation group used to trace its odyssey back to the province of Guangdong in southern China.
"We found out for the first time that green sea turtles from Japan also travel and live in the waters off mainland China, which is important to know," said Hiroyuki Suganuma, chairman of the non-governmental group.
60-year old gorilla celebrates birthday
'Fifi' eats carrots as she joins Sydney's Taronga Zoo's chimpanzee family to celebrate her 60th birthday, Australia, Monday, May 21, 2007. Fifi, the oldest member of Taronga's chimpanzee family, and her extended family received a special vegetable cake, fresh leaves, watermelons and extra coconuts to mark this important milestone.
(AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Egyptian Tries To Smuggle 700 Snakes On Plane
A flight from Egypt to Saudi Arabia nearly turned into a real-life version of "Snakes on a Plane."
Airport authorities in Cairo detained an Egyptian man Thursday because he was allegedly trying to smuggle 700 live snakes onto a plane.
Authorities were told about the live snakes by the man after he was asked to open his carry-on bag. The man opened the bag and asked the officer not to come too close, probably because two poisonous cobras were among the snakes hidden in the small cloth sacks.
The man said he had hoped to sell the snakes in Saudi Arabia.
Lucky Cat Survives Shot To Head With Arrow
Lucky the cat is living up to his name after surviving being shot in the head with an arrow.
On Saturday afternoon, Kristin Slovensky, 16, was on her porch of her Parma, Ohio, home when Lucky staggered in with the arrow sticking out of his neck.
"It was just sickening, I couldn't believe he was still alive," she said.
Kristin and her boyfriend rushed Lucky, 8, to an animal emergency clinic.
"In my 20 years of taking care of animals, I've never seen anything like this," said Jeni Hren, who operated on Lucky. "This cat was shot at close range."
Lucky is now back home, but not out of danger yet. The risk of infection is very high, and he could suffer kidney damage.
Donna Slovensky said she is shocked that someone would do this to a harmless cat.
Pony gives birth to twins, overcoming odds of 10,000-to-1
Running through the fields with her newly-born foals, mare Royal Beatrice has good reason to celebrate - after managing the astonishingly rare feat of producing twins.
The 22-year-old New Forest Pony has shocked equine experts with the surprise birth of healthy twin foals because the chances of both surviving are so slim.
In nearly all cases, one or both foals die in a twin pregnancy because the mother's uterus cannot support two babies.
The chances of a mare giving birth to healthy twin foals are about 1 in 10,000, experts said today.
But little filly Bess, and colt Royal, have defied the odds by becoming the first twins to be born in the New Forest, Hampshire for many years.
Orangutan goes on rampage at zoo restaurant
The latest incident at the Shaoshan Zoo in the southern city of Kaohsiung began when an orangutan pushed his way out of his cage and wandered into a nearby restaurant courtyard.
As zoo officials scurried to bring the animal under control, he gleefully overturned picnic tables and motorbikes, forcing terrified diners to cower inside the eatery.
The orang-utan was finally subdued when an official shot him in the upper body with a a stun gun.
He was then carted off for treatment in the scoop of a small bulldozer.
Incident occurred just six weeks after a 200-kilogram (440-pound) crocodile chewed the forearm off veterinarian Chang Po-yu at the same zoo.
Man's Pet Alligator Gets Him Into Trouble
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Clay County man's pet alligator has him in trouble with wildlife officials. According to a sheriff's office report, Michael Dyer has been charged with misdemeanor possession of an alligator.
A tip led animal services officials to his apartment where they also found a dog, a rat, a python and a tarantula in cages.
The 22-year-old tried hiding the foot-long gator inside the toilet when officials arrived at his home.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took the month-old alligator to be released in the wild.
Dyer faces a maximum of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Baby elephant reunited with the mother who tried to kill him
Dumbo, the African elephant calf, has been reunited with his mother, who earlier this week tried to drown him to the horror of zoo staff and visitors.
When Pori suddenly turned on her calf at Friedrichsfelde Animal Park in Berlin, stamping on him and attempting to drown him, zookeepers had to act quickly to save Dumbo's life.
Onlookers had screamed as Pori turned on her baby and it was only when she was lured away and Dumbo was dragged out of the enclosure by his trunk that his life was saved.
Unsure whether Pori (or Dumbo) would bear a grudge, keepers tentatively put mother and son back together - but motherly love seems to have blossomed.
Many more photos.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Gay flamingos pick up chick
A pair of gay flamingos have adopted an abandoned chick, becoming parents after being together for six years, a British conservation organisation said Monday.
Carlos and Fernando had been desperate to start a family, even chasing other flamingos from their nests to take over their eggs at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in Slimbridge near Bristol.
But their egg-sitting prowess made them the top choice for taking an unhatched egg under their wings when one of the Greater Flamingo nests was abandoned.
The couple, together for six years, can feed chicks by producing milk in their throats.
After Being Hit By Car, Dog Getting New Leg
A Denver dog named Scout is about to get a new leg after being hit by a car earlier this year.
After the crash, his leg was immediately amputated. Veterinarian Robert Taylor said the prosthetic implant Scout will receive is revolutionary.
"There is a remarkable process known as biointegration. Skin, muscle and other soft tissues and bones will grow into certain metallic implants," Taylor said.
17-year Cicadas emerge in the Midwest
These cicadas spend 17 years underground, living off sap from tree roots. Now is the time when they appear in mass, shed their brown skeletons and mate. Before they die, females will lay the eggs of the batch scheduled to arrive in 2024.
This periodical cicadas swarm technically is called The Great Northern Illinois Brood XIII, they have red eyes instead of green like the annual ones. They can emerge in vast numbers — as many as 1.5 million per acre — in a path about 200 miles long that stretches from northwestern Indiana to Wisconsin.
They don’t bite or sting and their single purpose is to mate, lay about 30,000 eggs and die. The male cicadas’ buzz is so loud they can be heard a quarter-mile away. The racket is a love song. Only the males sing. The females are lured to the sound and fly nearer. A female responds to a male with a flick of her wings. The two gradually draw close to one another until they meet for mating. Male cicadas die soon after mating. Females lay 400 to 600 eggs in as many as 40 to 50 different nests before they die. The billions of cicada nymphs hatch in their nests high in the trees, drop to the ground, and burrow into the earth. There they find a succulent tree root, which they tap into with a special strawlike mouth part. They feed on the tree sap and pass through their various growth stages until, 17 years later, it is time to emerge and renew their life cycle.
National Geographic News explains that periodical cicadas are found only in the United States east of the Great Plains. Seventeen-year cicadas are found mainly in the northern, eastern, and western part of their range.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Ancient Coelacanth Caught in Indonesia
An Indonesian fisherman hooked a rare coelacanth, a species once thought as extinct as dinosaurs, and briefly kept the "living fossil" alive in a quarantined pool.
Justinus Lahama caught the four-foot, 110-pound fish off Sulawesi island near Bunaken National Marine Park, which has some of the highest marine biodiversity in the world.
The fish died 17 hours later, an extraordinary survival time, marine biologist Lucky Lumingas said Sunday.
"The fish should have died within two hours because this species only lives in deep, cold-sea environment," he said.
Many Jump At Chance To Enter Frog Contest
Despite a rift between organizers, thousands of frog wranglers turned out Sunday for Calaveras County's famous frog-jumping contest that was inspired by Mark Twain's tall tale.
About 4,000 contestants entered the Calaveras County Fair's annual Jumping Frog Jubilee this year, twice as many as last year, according to the event's organizers.
The annual event is inspired by "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," Mark Twain's tale of a frog-jumping contest that is weighted in one gambler's favor when he secretly fills his opponent's frog with buckshot.
Winning owners get a $750 prize or $5,000 if their frog breaks the 1986 record of 21 feet, 5¾ inches set by Rosie the Ribeter.
Mexican baby whale in tug of love
A newborn killer whale found bleeding on a Mexican beach has become the centre of an international controversy over whether she should stay in Mexico or be sent to a U.S. marine theme park.
Her caretakers say there is no tank in Mexico big enough to keep her when she grows and she will die if put back in the sea or kept in an aquarium that is too small for her.
Some environmentalists oppose transferring Pascuala to Sea World, however, because it could set a precedent that might enable animal traffickers to export more killer whales, also known as orcas.
"It hurts us that this animal might die, but we cannot set a negative precedent," said Alejandro Olivera, head of ocean campaigns for Greenpeace in Mexico.
The Mexican government's environmental protection agency has so far blocked a transfer to San Diego, saying Mexico's wildlife should not leave the country.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Doctor Frog
Doctor Frog
Doctor Frog monitors the conductivity of your soil. So once your soil absorbs the water and falls below a pre-set level Doctor Frog will alert you with a discreet intermittent croak.
(via)
Cute Frog Shower Curtain
Cute Frog Shower Curtain
Cute Frog Shower Curtain made of heavy gauge vinyl with metal grommets...bright green stripes with peek-a-boo frogs...measures 72" x 72"
...be sure to see the matching tub & tile appliques
Hotheads Pot Holder
Hotheads Pot Holder
Pot-holdin’ critters that can take the heat
Follow your animal instincts in the kitchen...put on one of these insulating silicone mitts before touching anything hot!
Hot Heads’ mega mouths will protect you from burns and put a smile on your face while they’re at it!
Now available in THREE styles – Dog, Mouse, & Frog!
USB Frog Massager
USB Frog Massager
Great on your sore muscles, great for your back, neck, shoulders, arms, legs or any tired body parts. Simply press his eyes to turn on and vibrate. Four specially designed massaging feet will soothe your muscle pain and help you relax!
Frog Hat
Frog Hat
Comfortable warmth with a generous dose of humor, Frog Hat was made for people who are unafraid to stand out from the crowd. This hat is so fun to wear because of its large eyes and vibrant green color. Wear it every day as the perfect pick-me-upper, especially on dull, dreary days.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Collections of funny pet & animal photos
In our affiliated websites, i-pets.com, Funny Pets Blog, The Pet Blog, and Dog Bones we have accumulated and published several collections of funny animal and pet photos. In case you missed some, here are links to some of the more popular ones.
What do your pets do while you're at work?
Dog Costumes for Halloween
Cat Costumes for Halloween
Halloween Costumes for "Other" Pets
Cats in Hats for Christmas
Hippity Hoppity (bunny parade)
Squirrels Just Wanna Have Fun ...
Amazing flying dogs!
Slurp!
Cats all Wet!
Funny Photos of Dogs Chewing Things and Making a Mess of the House
Potty Cat
Gorilla Injures 4 in Zoo in Brief Escape
A 400-pound gorilla escaped from his enclosure and ran amok in a Rotterdam zoo Friday, biting one woman, dragging her around, and causing panic among dozens of visitors before he was finally subdued, officials and a witness said.
The Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo was evacuated and the 11-year-old gorilla, named Bokito, was eventually contained in a restaurant within the park, police spokeswoman Yvette de Rave said.
Four people were injured, including the woman who was bitten, zoo director Ton Dorrestijn said.
Bear Wanders Into N.M. Medical Clinic
A young black bear ambled through a medical clinic's automatic door early Friday and into a gastroenterology lab, the perfect place for a tranquilizer.
"I think the person in the waiting room was pretty surprised," said Todd Sandman, director of public relations for Presbyterian Health Care Services, which runs the lab in Rio Rancho, on the outskirts of Albuquerque.
It was shortly before 7:30 a.m., and there weren't many people in the lab when the bear showed up, Sandman said. All the humans evacuated while animal control officers were called in to figure out what to do with the bear.
Dog nurses tiger triplets at China zoo
A Chinese mutt named Huani nurses her own puppy and three newborn tigers that were rejected by their mother in this photo, which was provided by Xinhua via AP.
It is common for Chinese zoos to use surrogate dog mothers to nurse rejected tiger cubs and that Huani has nursed tigers before.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Squirrels Just Wanna Have Fun ...
found here
found here
found here
from flickr, by corsi photo
found here
found here
found here
found here
from flickr, by Bakko Brats
from flickr, by Lisa4414
found here
found here
found here
found here
from flickr, by Mark Klotz
found here
from flickr, by Major Clanger
found here
found here
from flickr, by rylanddotnet
from flickr, by Squirrel Hugger
from flickr, by Squirrel HuggerThursday, May 17, 2007
West Nile virus decimates suburban birds
Birds that once flourished in suburban skies, including robins, bluebirds and crows, have been devastated by West Nile virus, a study found.
Populations of seven species have had dramatic declines across the continent since West Nile emerged in the United States in 1999, according to a first-of-its-kind study.
The hardest-hit species has been the American crow. Nationwide, about one-third of crows have been killed by West Nile, said study lead author Shannon LaDeau, a research scientist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in Washington. The species was on the rise until 1999.
In some places, such as Maryland, crow loss was at 45 percent, and around Baltimore and Washington, 90 percent was gone.
Big cat baby boom keeps Mexican zoo busy
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (Reuters) - Keepers at a Mexican zoo are bottle-feeding round the clock after four big cats gave birth to nine cubs in two months, among them a rare white tiger.
The owners of family-run Zoologico de Vallarta, set deep inside virgin jungle in the Pacific coast state of Jalisco, say there is no big secret behind the rash of births -- just a propitious natural environment and lots of hands-on care.
"The zoo is magical. It's situated in such a precious area which is almost completely the animals' natural habitat, and that has a lot to do with why they procreate happily and naturally," said veterinarian Xochitl Nicteja, who is bottle-feeding the youngest cubs with milk every two hours.
"If you observe the animals they are very comfortable. You can see they enjoy their habitat, and the love and care we give them, so the rest of it is up to them."
First elephant born in Ireland
Say hello to this baby elephant - the first ever to be born in the Republic of Ireland!
Dublin Zoo has been trumpeting the arrival of the baby girl elephant who was up and walking just eight minutes after she was born.
The baby Asian elephant, which has not yet been named, was born in darkness while zookeepers kept watch by using a special camera.
Zoo keeper Leo Oosterweghal said mum Bernhardine and baby are both well.
The amazing albino hedgehog
This ghostly figure in the undergrowth is actually a rare albino hedgehog. The tiny animal is being cared for by Melanie James at the Bank Mill Nursery and Nature Reserve in Cumbria.
Ms James, 31, said she was completely taken aback when her two African pygmy hedgehogs produced an albino baby.
"I was totally surprised when he was born. Only one in ten thousand hedgehogs are born totally white with red eyes," she said.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
2 whales swim up Sacramento River
A pair of wayward humpback whales continued their improbable odyssey Tuesday, swimming to the outskirts of the state capital.
The whales eluded marine biologists and law enforcement patrols who had searched for them throughout the day but were spotted Tuesday evening by a helicopter pilot for KCRA-TV in the deep water shipping channel south of Sacramento.
Footage showed the whales — believed to be a mother and her calf — plying the canal about two miles south of the Port of Sacramento. They were headed upriver toward the turning basin used for deep-water ships, a journey of more than 50 miles from the point where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers merge at Suisun Bay.
While it's unusual for whales to reach so far into the delta, it is not the first time. In 1985, a humpback nicknamed Humphrey was escorted back to sea after swimming in the delta for nearly a month. He returned to San Francisco Bay five years later.
Aussies go crazy for cat poo coffee
Cafe-crazy Australians in the last decade have embraced coffee in all its forms, but they've saved the most expensive -- and excremental -- for last.
Kopi Luwak, made in neighboring Indonesia from coffee beans excreted by native civet cats, is reputedly the world's rarest and most expensive coffee, painstakingly extracted by hand from the animals' forest droppings.
When roasted, the resulting beans sell for around $1,000 a kilogram ($450 a pound) and brew into a earthy, syrupy, coffee acknowledged by connoisseurs as one of the world's finest.
Despite the closeness of the coffee's home on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi, Australia's first civet cat brew has only just gone on sale in Queensland state, selling for A$50 a cup at the Heritage Tea Rooms, west of Townsville.
Squirrel Attacks Customers Inside Pharmacy
PORT ST. JOHN, Fla. -- Three people were attacked by a squirrel inside a Brevard County pharmacy. One person was bitten eight times.
The crazy story began when a customer was trying to walk into the store and the squirrel latched onto his ankle. He tried to shake it loose and it wouldn't let go. That's when the mayhem began inside the pharmacy.
He may be little, furry and some might think cute, but the squirrel was downright feisty. Even after attacking two customers and an employee, he took on the Animal Control officer.
Albino Alligator Makes Zoo Debut
There will be no fun in the sun during Dinah the alligator's summer vacation at the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee.
The albino reptile's sensitive, porcelain-white skin would easily burn if placed outside, so she will spend the sweltering days of summer basking inside under a heat lamp. Reptiles are cold-blooded, which means they rely on other sources, such as the sun, to keep warm.
Dinah, whose name was announced today following a local contest, is on loan until early September from the Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine, Florida.
Stunning new hummingbird species needs immediate protection
The flamboyantly coloured Gorgeted Puffleg Eriocnemis isabellae, a new species of hummingbird, has been discovered in Colombia. But there are concerns over its future safety because the Serrania del Pinche mountains where it was discovered are unprotected.
Ornithologists Alexander Cortés-Diago and Luis Alfonso Ortega made three sightings of the new hummingbird during surveys in 2005 of montane cloud forest in the Serrania del Pinche, south-west Colombia.
“We were essentially following a hunch,” said Alexander Cortés-Diago of The Hummingbird Conservancy (Colombia) and co-discoverer of Gorgeted Puffleg. “We had heard that a new species of plant had been discovered in the region in 1994. This discovery and the isolation of the Serrania led us to believe there could also be new species of vertebrates.”
“Though we expected to find new species of amphibians and new ranges for birds, the discovery of a new hummingbird was completely unexpected.”
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Cat survives 35-day trip inside cargo crate
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) - After Eric Congdon opened a crate from China and discovered a cat inside, coming up with a name for the furry stowaway was easy.
China the cat had chewed through one of the boxes before it left Shanghai on April 3 and spent at least 35 days on a ship inside the container filled with motorcycle gear.
''I saw something in the container move,'' Congdon said. ''I turned up the headlights on the fork lift to get a better look.''
That was when he saw the cat cowering in a corner, weak but still alive. Congdon, owner of Olympia Moto Sports in Hendersonville, said he and a co-worker called the county's animal services when the cat would not let them near.
A co-worker of Congdon's plans to adopt China, as animal service workers are calling her, if she checks out with a veterinarian. North Carolina law says any animal coming into the country must be vaccinated and quarantined for six months.
Louisville Zoo's Baby Pygmy Hippo Named Isoke
The Louisville Zoo’s female baby pygmy hippo heard her name for the first time—Isoke (ee SO keh), which is African for satisfying gift.
Isoke is thriving. She is brave and adventurous, even swimming by herself, without her mom by her side. But, she can still be found following in her mother’s footsteps quite often.
There are only 50 pygmy hippos in 22 locations in North America and births are rare.
Australia looks to cut kangaroo numbers
Authorities said Monday they want to shoot more than 3,000 kangaroos on the fringes of Australia's capital, noting the animals were growing in population and eating through the grassy habitats of endangered species.
The Defense Department wants to hire professional shooters to cull the kangaroos at two of its properties on the outskirts of Canberra, where some areas have as many as 1,100 kangaroos per square mile — the densest kangaroo population ever measured in the region.
Canberra's local government is expected to decide this week whether to approve the cull, government spokeswoman Yersheena Nichols said.
Under the plan, 3,200 of the common eastern gray kangaroos, which can grow as big as a man, will be shot by July.
Sonoran pronghorn recovery program a success
Federal wildlife biologist Mike Coffeen is ecstatic these days. His efforts to save North America's fastest mammal – the endangered Sonoran pronghorn – are succeeding beyond expectations.
Five years after drought whittled the deer-like animal's population to a handful, pushing it to the brink of extinction, its numbers are back above 100.
Biologists are especially encouraged by the 18 fawns born within the past three months in a square-mile captive breeding enclosure within this sprawling national refuge in southern Arizona – what Coffeen calls “our disaster ace in the hole.”
“Eighteen is above what I thought we'd have, so I was ecstatic,” said Coffeen, who is with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We're at a point in this program where we're on a roll.”
(Photo: Defenders of Wildlife)
Firefighters lift Maggie the elephant
Firefighters had to use straps and a winch to lift Alaska's only elephant, 7,500-pound Maggie, after she had been lying down for several hours at a zoo.
The compressed weight of the 25-year-old African elephant's bulk could have caused breathing and other problems, or even killed her, officials at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage said. She had lain down for 10 to 19 hours and was lifted Sunday.
The situation renewed calls for the animal to be transferred to a warmer climate where she can exercise more and be around other elephants.
"It's time to get her out of Alaska," veterinarian Elliot Katz, president of the California-based group In Defense of Animals, said Monday. "The longer the wait, the more this unnatural and abusive environment will cause severe damage to her feet and joints, until it becomes irreversible."
Maggie might have had colic, which could have weakened her, according to zoo officials, who said Monday the elephant seems fine, is walking around and is eating normally. Blood tests will determine what led to the situation, said zoo director Pat Lampi.
World's Only Twin Koalas
Mother Koala Murrumbidgee takes care of her Koala twins, who are six and a half months old, at Chimelong Xiangjiang Safari Park in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province May 13, 2007. It is currently the only pair of Koala twins surviving in the world, according to local media.
REUTERS/Joe Tan
10 most intelligent / least intelligent dogs
According to S. Coren, author of "The Intelligence of Dogs", there are three types of dog intelligence:
* Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability)
* Instinctive Intelligence
* Working /Obedience Intelligence
The first two intelligence's are individual dog specific, whereas Working / Obedience Intelligence can be applied to a whole breed.
Most intelligent dogs
These breeds on average require less than 5 repetitions to understand a new command. They obey first commands 95 % of the time or better.
Least intelligent dogs
Require more than 80 repetitions to understand a new command. Obey first commands less than 25 % of the time.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Sad sea lion finds love again
A sea lion left heart-broken by the death of its mate is happy again after finding a new girlfriend.
After 15 years splashing around side by side, Carus lost his partner Dipsy last year and had been lonely ever since.
Now staff at the National Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall have introduced him to Boadicea from Dudley Zoo - and the two have really hit it off.
Keeper Rachael Vine said: "Boadicea is settling in very well, there's been lots of playing and kissing."
Sea lion joins children’s walk-a-thon
He has flippers instead of feet — and certainly no sneakers or hiking boots. But that didn’t stop a sea lion from joining schoolchildren on a walk-a-thon.
The marine mammal apparently noticed children doing laps Friday morning around a course they had set up at the Marin Country Day School next to the shores of the San Francisco Bay. The 185-pound Steller sea lion waddled ashore, shocking students and teachers.
“He did a whole lap,” said Kelly Watson, director of constituent relations and web communications at the private school.
It was the latest brush with humans for the 1-year-old sea lion, called Astro by staffers at the Marin Headlands-based Marine Mammal Center.
Astro’s mother abandoned him at Ano Nuevo Island off the San Mateo coast in June, prompting biologists to bottle-feed the pup. They released the adolescent on April 25 with a radio tag.
But Astro keeps returning to civilization. About a week ago, he swam under the Golden Gate Bridge to the shores of Corte Madera. The Marine Mammal Center again picked him up and released him in the Farallons, 27 miles from San Francisco.
But returned again Friday, just in time for the walk-a-thon.
Best Animal Petting Spots Revealed
Domesticated animals often show signs of pleasure and relaxation when being rubbed, massaged or otherwise petted by people. Now researchers think they know why.
The research also suggests how owners might best show affection to their pets. The secret is to think like the animal.
A team of French and Austrian scientists found that cows relax, to the point that their heart rate lowers, when petted in body regions they often target when grooming each other.
They believe the findings could also apply to cats, dogs, farm animals and even rats.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Cute Baby Tortoise
This rare Northern spider tortoise was hatched in March at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The zoo was the first in North America to be able to breed these under artificial light.
Photo: Lisa Dejong / AP
Jewel Scarab Pendant
Jewel Scarab
The most brilliant scarab, and the only jewel scarab, of the United States.
$60 pendant, $20 sterling silver snake chain
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Video: Cats and Turtles and Tortoises
#1 - The killer tortoise
A tortoise defends it's territory against invading cats.
#2 - Cat vs Tortoise
Great discoveries in a young cat's life: tortoises are dull and water is wet.
#3 - my cat and turtle
It seems that the turtle loves the cat though cat is not interested in the turtle at all
Worm-filled lollypops
Worm filled lollypops are displayed during an interview with their producer, Annie Munoz, in Panama City. Munoz, who started a project making candies fill with grasshoppers and oat meal worms, hopes to sell them throughout Panama and export to the rest of Central America and China.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Calf born with extra nose
Lucy, a calf born May 4, with two noses on Mark Krombholz's hobby farm in Lincoln County Wis. Breeder Scott Grund said Lucy's noses seem to be working fine. Krombholz said Lucy will be a pet and bred if she's able.
AP Photo/WAOW/WYOW Television, Inc.
8-Foot Alligator In Parking Lot Puts Up Fight
A worker at a Cocoa, Florida car dealership got quite a surprise, Thursday, an angry alligator underneath one of the new cars.
The 7-foot-11 reptile was found hiding under a Mitsubishi up for sale, drawing a crowd and a gator trapper with a warning.
"He could jet out from underneath there quicker than any snake and grab an ankle and do a lifetime of damage," said trapper Bill Robb.
Robb said, while the giant beasts are usually on the move this time of the year looking for a mate, there are more than normal and he believes the lack of rain could be the cause.
"I don't know how it could be much drier. Alligators don't care for it one bit," Robb said.
Video: Animal Mothers
Happy Mother's Day.
Watch a series of videos from National Geographic about moms in the wild.
Friday, May 11, 2007
The mother of all litters: Poppy the St Bernard has 13 pups
A spokesman for the Kennel Club described the litter as "big", saying the average number of puppies was between five and ten. However in exceptional cases it can be up to 20.
American Idol meets the Westminster Dog Show
American Idol meets the Westminster Dog Show with the launch of Worldwide Fido, the innovative user-generated online competition where popular breeds and mutts compete snout-to-snout to be crowned
Americas next top dog.
Proud dog owners across the country can now enter their favorite pooch into the monthly competition by uploading their cutest pictures and funniest home videos for fabulous prizes and most importantly the title of Worldwide Fido for each one of the four categories: Cutest Dog, Best Trick, Best Friend and Most Outrageous.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Gupi The Guinea Pig
Robotic Guinea Pig
They're cute, they're cuddly, and Gupi Version 3 is even better than before! It's a great companion for big and little kids alike, and a must-have accessory from the world of robotic toys.
There is a full repertoire of sounds and noises that Gupi will make in response to his surroundings and to human interaction, ranging from happy to sad and everything in between. Gupi even has his own carrot which at the press of a button sends out an infrared beam that Gupi picks up and homes in on!
(via)
Cicero IL trains kids to be Pied Pipers
In a curious new tactic, Cicero, Illinois officials are recruiting children to join in the town's decades-old war on rats.
On Wednesday afternoon, a town employee began distributing "Oh Rats," a 16-page coloring book that portrays, in sometimes very graphic terms, just how appalling rats can be.
The book is the latest measure in the city's nearly $750,000 bid to kill rats in Cicero. The town ordered 20,000 books at a cost of $15,000.
One page depicts the rodents scampering in a sack of garbage. Another shows a gargantuan rat flat on its back, tongue stuck out, after snacking on poison. A third panel has a dapper rat eager to dine on dog feces.
The book's panels are accompanied by rat lessons, written by Cynthia Salvino, Cicero rat patrol employee. Salvino said she hoped children will remember, above all else, to keep their town free of dog feces.
"The poop is really the main thing," said Salvino outside the school. "But how do you have them color that?"
Plague confirmed in Colorado squirrels
Authorities have confirmed a dead squirrel in Aurora has tested positive for bubonic plague.
This brings the total number of squirrels in the metro area who've tested positive for the plague to 15.
Thirteen of those were found in or near Denver's City Park and another was found in Jefferson County.
This is the first new outbreak of plague in tree squirrels in the Denver area since 1968, although cases of plague are relatively common in local prairie dog colonies.
Since plague is spread by fleas, health experts are warning pet owners to take extra precautions with their dogs and cats.
Squirrel attacks two parents, student in San Jose
An 11-year-old student and two parents at Evergreen Elementary School got a scare this morning when a squirrel ran into the building and attacked them, drawing blood in two cases, school officials said.
All three victims were treated for bites and scratches at a local hospital, said district spokesman Will Ector, and all are undergoing rabies treatment as a precaution. They also were administered antibiotics, he said.
The attack occurred as a classroom of first-graders was preparing to go on a field trip, said Ector. Two parent chaperones were standing in the room when a squirrel ran in and then up the leg of one of the parents, he said.
"They were trying to get it off and another parent was trying to assist in getting it off," he said. "In the process, both were bitten. One was nipped on the fingertip and scratched on the arm, and the other parent was bitten on the arm."
Finally, the squirrel jumped off the mom, did a loop around the classroom, then ran out the door and jumped on an 11-year-old student walking by. She was bitten on the arm as well.
UNT has new white squirrel
Eight months after University of North Texas students mourned the death of Baby the albino squirrel, a new albino squirrel has been spotted.
This baby squirrel lives near Maple Hall, and students often see him playing with other squirrels..
Photographer K.T. Shiue says the albino appears to be male. "He's very active," Shiue said.
UNT legend says the albino squirrel brings luck to students who spot him before exams.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
What a wonderful surprise this morning to have two of these beautiful birds at my birdfeeder. I don't think I've ever seen them before, so I had to do some research.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The rose-breasted grosbeak is a songbird of the eastern deciduous woodlands. Spending much of its time in the treetops, the beautiful male rosebreast is often heard before it is seen. The rich melodic warbling song of the rose-breasted grosbeak is often described as sounding like a robin that's had singing lessons. When not singing, rosebreasts often utter a call that sounds like a squeaky eeek! In flight, male rosebreasts flash a pinwheel of black and white, and if you look carefully, you'll see that both sexes have salmon-pink in the "armpit" region under their wings.
Parrot Chronicles
ParrotChronicles.com is your number-one source of health, behavior and care advice for companion parrots. See what's new, browse thelarge collection of archived articles, take a poll, and check back frequently for new stories!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Baby owls cuddle up to toy mother
A group of orphaned baby owls are being taken under the wing of a new mother - which happens to be a cuddly toy.
The toy is being used at the New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park to give four tawny owls a surrogate family.
The quartet all cuddle under the wings of the stuffed toy, which has been mother to another two orphans who have since been moved on to an outside pen.
John Crooks, manager of the park at Longdown, said he did not think it was unusual to use a toy as a surrogate.
"It's a standard thing really. The baby owls are like most young animals and like to cuddle against something soft and warm.
(via)
Dogs, cat honoured at awards ceremony
hree dogs and one cat were inducted into the Purina Hall of Fame for feats of bravery and determination that saved lives. "They do not enhance lives. These animals we have seen this morning, they save our lives," master of ceremonies William Thomas, the author of eight books including "The Dog Rules Damn Near Everything," said at the awards ceremony.
"It's truly amazing the bond between us and them."
Echo, a shepherd-collie mix from Manitoulin Island, proved herself a life saver last July during a canoe trip on Lake Huron.
Tish Smith knew her dog was a good swimmer, so she thought Echo would make a good companion on what was to be her solo canoe trip across the lake.
Towards the end of the trip, Smith tried to get a life jacket on Echo because a storm was coming. The dog refused the jacket so Smith wore both.
Smith said Echo's calm eyes helped her throughout the ordeal until she passed out. Echo circled around Smith until a rescue team spotted them. The two survived the frigid temperatures for 12 hours before they were rescued.
They were found within swimming distance of the shore, meaning that Echo fought against her instincts to swim ashore. Instead, she stayed with Smith.
Arctic Bearded Seal Rescued In Fort Lauderdale Canal
State and federal wildlife officials rescued an arctic bearded seal Monday afternoon after it was first spotted in a canal near Andrews Avenue.
Wildlife officials caught the seal after it was sandwiched between a few kayaks and a motorboat.
Rescuers said they were extremely exhausted but relieved after a long day of chasing the dehydrated seal.
Officials said the arctic bearded seal was out of its icy habitat and thousands of miles away from its home near the Arctic Ocean.
The Arrow Stork of Mecklenburg
Until the 19th century, the sudden annual disappearance of white storks each fall had been a profound mystery to European bird-watchers.
On May 21, 1822, a stunning piece of evidence came to light, which suggested a less miraculous, if no less wondrous, solution to the quandary of the disappearing birds. A white stork, shot on the Bothmer Estate near Mecklenburg, was discovered with an 80 cm long Central African spear embedded in its neck. The stork had flown the entire migratory journey from its equatorial wintering grounds in this impaled state.
The Arrow-Stork, or Pfeilstorch, can now be found, stuffed, in the Zoological Collection of the University of Rostock. It is not alone. Since 1822, some 25 separate cases of pfeilstorches have been recorded.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Pigs die of mystery disease in China
A mysterious pig epidemic is spreading in south China's Guangdong province and has killed more than 300 of the animals.
The disease was first found in Silao town about 10 days ago as pigs stopped eating, developed fevers and started haemorrhaging, the Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao reported Monday.
Local authorities have disinfected tainted farms and markets and banned the transportation and butchering of pigs in infected areas, the report said.
The disease, which is highly infectious, has caused a panic in the local areas as residents stopped buying pork for fear of eating tainted meat.
Spiders Found In Oregon Boy's Ear
9-Year-Old Complained Of Earache, Doctors Find Pair Of Spiders Nested In Ear Canal
These guys were not exactly Snap, Crackle and Pop.
What began as a faint popping in a 9-year-old boy's ear — "like Rice Krispies" — ended up as an earache, and the doctor's diagnosis was that a pair of spiders made a home in the ear.
"They were walking on my eardrums," Jesse Courtney said.
One of the spiders was still alive after the doctor flushed the fourth-grader's left ear canal.
Myths Abound About U.S. Bee Disappearance
So Far Nobody Can Explain The Disappearance Of One Quarter Of The Population, But Theories Abound
The answer to what happened to America's vanishing honeybees is simple, a caller told entomologist May Berenbaum: Bee rapture. They were called away to heaven.
No, wait, it is Earth's magnetic field, another caller told the University of Illinois professor.
And when Berenbaum went on the Internet, she found a parody news site that quoted her as blaming rapper Kevin Federline, Britney Spears' ex-husband, and his concerts for the disappearance of the bees. Berenbaum loved it.
The sudden disappearance of one-quarter of America's honeybees has brought out some strange ideas and downright myths.
Doggie derby
They sniffed out the competition, ears perking and eyes popping with dogged determination.
Tequila shot out the gate, her tutu a plume of pink.
Oscar bounded for the finish line.
But it was Tiffany Diamond who sparkled in the end, after a 3.25-second dash from start to finish, a snout in front of her competitors.
"She's been champing at the bit. She wanted to run," said Susan Faiola. And so, Tiffany ran like the wind on a breezy day.
"I knew she was a shoo-in for the prize -- actually a paw-in," added Rick Faiola, her husband.
Tiffany, a 3.5 pound Chihuahua, stayed cool under pressure despite the ferocious competition: nearly 120 other Chihuahuas with eyes on the prize -- a trip this fall to San Diego to compete in Petco's third annual Chihuahua Races against top dogs from 14 other regional races.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Burberry Dog Trench Coat
Burberry Dog Trench Coat
Burberry offers this classic trench coat for dogs. It is made in England (of course) in cotton with Burberry Check lining and a leather covered buckle. Perfect for the fashionable, yet conservative, dog.
Dry clean. Available in Medium and Large. ($225.00)
Furrari Bed
Furrari Bed
Share your love of luxury Italian sports cars with your furry friend with our Furrari Bed. This luxurious pet bed is a parody of the infamous Italian sports cars. This bed measures 32"x24" so it may only be suitable for smaller pets.
Ladybug SD Card Reader
Ladybug SD Card Reader
# Features & Specification: Fully support USB 2.0
# Support : SD, mini-SD, MMC, RS-MMC Card.
# High speed transfer rate up to 480Mbps.
# USB Mass Storage supported.
# Supports Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP.
# Weight : 22g.
# Size : 56 x 45 x 20mm
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Video: Man's new best friend
Cropper is the perfect pet -- friendly, loyal, and he likes a cuddle. But Cropper is no typical Man's Best Friend: he is a fox.
In Britain foxes are commonly regarded as pests, rummaging through rubbish and killing farmyard animals. But not this particular fox, Cropper the fox behaves more like a dog.
He allows himself to be stroked, carried and taken for walks.
Friday, May 4, 2007
May 22 sounds like the day for cicadas in Chicago area
That's the date, a prominent cicada researcher is estimating, that the little red-eyed bugs will emerge in the Chicago area. Specifically, the evening of May 21 and early morning hours of May 22.
Some may emerge a few days earlier and some stragglers may crawl from the ground a bit later depending on sunshine and shade, but the May day is "the big day,'' said Gene Kritsky, an entomologist and author of several bug books, including Periodical Cicadas: The Plague and the Puzzle.
Cicadas spend about 17 years underground, feeding on tree roots. A few weeks before emerging, the nymphs construct exit tunnels to the surface. Some build chimney-like turrets over the holes and these small piles have already been observed in some areas around Chicago.
Get ready for cicada season
17-Year Cicada (1 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 1/2-inch Tack Pin)
Annual Cicada (1 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 1/2-inch Tack Pin)
Inspired by the Cicada.
Walnut body, brass or copper wire mesh wings, red or green eyes.
Red-eyed cicada emerges in 17-year cycles; green-eyed cicada emerges annually.
Mouse Party
Take a look inside the brains of mice on drugs.
Mouse Party is designed to provide a small glimpse into the chemical interactions at the synaptic level that cause the drug user to feel 'high'.
(via)
Alpaca, an animal with a long neck
Truffle, a recently shorn Alpaca eats her dinner as she sits in her pen with others during the Mid-Atlantic Alpaca show in Harrisburg, Pa., Friday, April 27, 2007.
The Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid developed from the wild alpacas. It resembles a sheep in appearance, but is larger and has a long erect neck as well as coming in many colors, whereas sheep are generally bred to be white.
Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Swarm of Bees Shuts Down Emergency Room
A swarm of bees clustered outside the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center shut down the emergency room Monday, as officials waited for a beekeeper to come vacuum up the 7,000 insects.
Although no one was stung, the Little Rock emergency room still decided to be closed for ambulance traffic.
"We'll take walk-ins, but ambulances are being diverted to other hospitals," UAMS spokeswoman Andrea Peel said.
Doctors did not see any patients with bee stings, but emergency room physician Dr. Delaney Kinchen said it was an important precaution to close the ER while clearing out the bees.
"I've been stung thousands of times and never had any problems, but I know people who've been stung twice and almost died," he said.
Beekeeper Harvey Johnston arrived Monday afternoon to remove the beehive.
Bat World
Bats are among the most beautiful and gentle animals on earth. They are vital to the ecosystem and enhance our lives in many ways. Insect eating bats eat millions of bugs nightly, and fruit bats bring us approximately 450 commercial products. Yet for all they do, bats are continually killed due to myths, superstition and fear. The life expectancy of a single bat exceeds 20 years, but slow birth rates limit their population growth. When just 5 bats are needlessly killed, a potential 100 years of animal life is destroyed.
In a world where so many look away, Bat World Sanctuary is on the front line of activism to end the abuse and destruction of bats. We have been recognized as the world leader in bat rehabilitation for the past decade. Each year we rescue thousands of bats that might otherwise die. Lifetime sanctuary is given to non-releasable bats, including those that are orphaned, injured, confiscated from the illegal pet trade and retired from zoos and research facilities. Bat World Sanctuary was founded in 1994 and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all volunteer organization.
(via)
3,500 Lbs. of Bat Guano Found in Attic
An upstate New York couple didn't think a few bats in the attic were much of a problem when they were buying a house last summer.
Months later, they found out how wrong they were when they discovered more than a ton and a half of bat droppings up there.
Nick LaBoda and Jenna Caputo say a home inspector informed them about the bats. They called an exterminator, who told them to wait a while before removing the bats because the babies were too young to fly.
Then they forgot about the bats until they smelled a foul odor in January. When they checked the attic, they found dead bats and piles of guano.
An exterminator says hundreds of bats had been living in the attic, leaving behind 3,500 pounds of droppings.
It cost $25,000 to clean up the mess, and the couple's insurance company wouldn't cover it. They're fighting it out in court.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Tiny Terrier Rescues 5 Children From Pit Bulls
This is a dog story.
It's about a plucky little Jack Russell terrier named George, who stood like a giant against two marauding pit bulls and gave his own life to save five kids from the steel-trap jaws and razor-sharp teeth of the vicious attack machines.
Local officials say it's also a story about the people who trained the pit bulls to kill and who may have fed the animals methamphetamines to make them even more deadly.
The tragedy unfolded Sunday afternoon on New Zealand's North Island, in the town of Manaia, where a group of children — and George — were walking back from a trip to the candy store.
Out of nowhere, the children told police, the two pit bulls lunged at them.
One of the kids, Richard Rosewarne, 11, told the local paper that George never backed down against the pit bulls, doggedly refusing to let the them get at his little brother, 4-year-old Darryl.
The Kittens of Doom: 1914
Alligator Takes Bite Out Of Police Car
Some Texas motorists got an unexpected surprise Sunday morning. A wayward alligator made its way onto Interstate 410.
The seven foot gator took a bite out of a police car bumper before it was cornered in a nearby ditch.
In true Texas fashion the alligator was lassoed and pulled to shore, although the police decided it was better not to brand it.
Game wardens say it's unusual to find an alligator in San Antonio, but the animals do sometimes wander that far north during mating season.
10-Foot Hammerhead Shark Washes Onshore
A 10-foot long hammerhead shark washed on Paradise Beach in Brevard County, twice.
The female shark first washed up on the beach overnight. A fisherman saw it was still alive, so he pushed back into the water.
The shark, though, washed onshore again late Monday morning and died.
Fish and Wildlife officials said a beached shark in the Paradise Beach area is highly unusual.
"We don't many shark calls. This is maybe the second one we've gotten in a year. But this is the biggest one I've seen so far," said Thomas Samarco, Florida Fish and Wildlife.
Officials will perform a necropsy to find out how the shark died.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Trumpeter swans released in Illinois
For the first time, a pair of trumpeter swans, the comeback kids of the waterfowl world, was released in Illinois. The last known nest of the rare and stunning swans, the largest native waterfowl species in North America, was recorded in the 1840s near Glenview.
Since then, the story for trumpeters in Illinois mostly has been bleak.
Virtually wiped from the landscape in the late 1800s and early 1900s by hunting and settlement, clusters of trumpeters surfaced in remote mountain valleys of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in 1919 and 1932. Three years later, the U.S. government established Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana and swans from that refuge became the heart of Midwestern restoration in the late 1960s.
Trumpeters are making a robust recovery, particularly in the areas east of the Rocky Mountains, including the Midwest. The latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey, conducted in 2005, showed the population in these areas at nearly 4,700, or more than 90 percent higher than the estimate five years earlier.
The reason for the rapid growth is that trumpeter-friendly habitat has existed in the Midwest for decades, and once the species was introduced, it adapted and grew swiftly, said Mike Eichholz, assistant zoology professor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and the principal investigator on researching trumpeters in that region.
About 400 trumpeters migrate for the winter to southern Illinois from Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa, Eichholz said.
It remains unclear whether the female trumpeter from Brookfield Zoo and male from Lincoln Park, both of which honked and hissed and struggled until they got into the water, will set up nest-keeping in Johnson-Sauk. But the 55-acre open water with marshes presented an encouraging landscape.
Sumatran Rhino's Birth Sets Record
Emi, a Sumatran rhino, eats bananas as her newborn baby boy stays close by at the Cincinnati Zoo Monday April 30, 2007. The baby, born late Sunday night, is the third young to be born in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.
(AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)
Sony offers goat sacrifice to 'God of War'
Many believe violent video games are unhealthy for kids. Last month, Sony proved it: A decapitated goat was the centerpiece of a party the company threw in Greece to promote the PlayStation 2 title "God of War II."
The theatrical dramatization, which according to reports, also featured topless women feeding grapes to partygoers, was supposed to be in keeping with the video game's Greek mythology theme. But according to media reports from Europe, animal rights groups were outraged and video game critics said the scene was symbolic of the industry's blood lust.
Sony issued a press release apologizing and also denied some reports that party guests were invited to dine on offal removed from the goat's stomach.
Atlanta Zoo Breeds Endangered Turtle
Zoo Atlanta hatched a rare Arakan forest turtle this week, a victory for researchers trying to save the endangered species — one shell at a time.
The hatchling is the fourth of the brown-and-tan spotted reptiles born there in the last six years, zoo officials said Tuesday. Two hatchlings have died, and another egg is near hatching.
The zoo is the only facility in the world successfully breeding the Arakan forest turtle, which is one of the planet's most critically endangered species. They were believed to be extinct for close to a century, but the turtles appeared in Asian food markets in the mid-1990s.
Scientists blame the rapid disappearance of the Arakan forest turtle — much like other shelled reptiles — on their popularity in Asia for cooking and medicinal purposes.
(photo credit: St Louis Zoo)
Bathynomus giganteus
You know those cute little roly-poly bugs you found under rocks as a kid? You poke at them and they curl up into a little ball? Well, magnify that times 1000, take away the functional role of the eyes, head to the deep-sea and you've got the Giant Isopod, Bathynomus giganteus!
Bathynomus giganteus was first discovered in fishermen's nets in the Gulf of Mexico and was described as the type species of the genus by Alphonse Milne Edwards in 1879.It is the largest known isopod, reaching lengths up to 50cm. That is about the length of small dog or cat!
