A fisherman accused of stabbing a sea lion with a steak knife after the animal stole his bait was charged Thursday with violating the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Hai Nguyen, 24, faces a misdemeanor count of illegally taking and attempting to kill a marine mammal, the U.S. attorney's office said. If convicted he faces up to one year in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Police said he was fishing off a pier when the sea lion, a 6-foot female weighing about 150 pounds, apparently snatched the bait from his fishing pole.
Authorities said he stabbed the sea lion with the knife. The animal was severely wounded and was later euthanized.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Stab a Sea Lion - Go to Jail
Video: Watch the cheetah run
Watch a cheetah go from zero to 45 mph in three seconds flat at an Animal Ark exhibition on Saturday, August 25.
What a beautiful animal!
Japan's Iriomote Cat Closer to Extinction
This month Japan's Ministry of the Environment reclassified the Iriomote cat as "critically endangered" on the government's Red List of threatened species.
The wildcat is found only on Iriomote Jima, a tiny, tropical, mountainous island on the southern end of the Ryukyu archipelago, which stretches from Japan to Taiwan.
The Iriomote cat has been considered at-risk since it was discovered in 1967, and surveys in 1985 and 1994 estimated that only about a hundred animals remain.
Now a three-year survey, still in progress, is providing evidence that the cat's already small population is shrinking, researchers say, most likely due to habitat loss and road-kill deaths.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Indian cows get passports
Indian border guards have come up with a novel way to stop cattle being smuggled from eastern India into neighbouring Bangladesh: they are issuing cows with photo-ID cards.
The guards began photographing thousands of cows in border areas of the state of West Bengal earlier this year after a series of gun battles with smugglers and Bangladeshi border patrols.
They have now started producing laminated identification cards, including each cow’s photograph, its owner’s name and address, and details such as the animal’s height, colour, sex and other distinguishing features.
(Our passport was created with Badge Maker.)
Quadruplet calves born in Ontario
After giving birth to twin calves two years ago, an eastern Ontario cow has really raised some eyebrows in the agricultural community by delivering four healthy calves, two bulls and two heifers.
The likelihood of a beef cow birthing quadruplets as one in a million.
The calves, are named Hershey, Scotty, Gladys and Christian.
Charlotte has been busy!
If you hate creepy-crawlies, you might want to avoid Lake Tawakoni State Park where a 200-yard stretch along a nature trail has been blanketed by a sprawling spider web that has engulfed seven large trees, dozens of bushes and even the weedy ground.
"At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland," said park superintendent Donna Garde." Now it's filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs."
There is little consensus about what sparked the phenomenon or even the type of spider responsible. Parks officials say similar but smaller webs have sprouted along another trail.
Click photo to see large size.
Video: The Gummy Bear Song
Neatorama's reader Travis told them about the current rage in Germany: the Gummy Bear Song.
Tunnels to prevent carnage of Canadian salamanders
In the early 1990s, local volunteers lifted about 1,200 of them over the bump through two rainy April nights. Then, park staff knocked down a curb so the animals were able to scale it to cross the road. But they're still being squashed by cars and trucks. The mortality rate has been estimated at 10 percent to 40 percent, so now the federal parks agency plans to install tunnels under a stretch of highway at a cost of about C$40,000 ($38,000) to end years of carnage among the long-toed salamander of Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta.
Was there a gift receipt?
In the movie "The Godfather," a horse's head was used to intimidate, and that's what Milwaukee police said they think is behind the discovery of a bloody goat's head at an attorney's office.
Prominent Milwaukee-area defense attorney Robin Shellow has represented hundreds of clients, many of them convicted criminals, reported WISN-TV in Milwaukee.
So, the list of people who may have an ax to grind is long.
Milwaukee police said they are taking Monday's discovery outside Shellow's office very seriously.
The severed head of a goat was found near the corner of the building stuffed inside a pink gift bag.
A note, which police described as threatening, was in the goat's mouth. It contained a name, but apparently not the name of a suspect.
10 Most Amazing Extinct Animals
From the Quagga -- half zebra, half horse -- to the Irish Deer -- the largest deer that ever lived--, an impressive list with pictures of amazing animals we will never see.
A bit of irony here:
Great placement by Google ads:
Ads posted twice on this page,
for Mukiwa Safari Company,
"Trophy hunting on some of the largest and most exotic game ranch concessions in Southern Africa."
Maybe they can help add to that list of extinct animals?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The Amazing gooey duck
Geoduck - pronounced gooey duck - is a species of large saltwater clam. Other nick names for geoduck are elephant trunk clam and king clam.
The Geoduck is the largest burrowing clam in the world, on average they weigh about three pounds. The largest one on record weighed in at a massive 15 pounds and was 2 meters in length. The amazing thing about these saltwater clams is that they have a life expectancy of about 146 years - but the oldest one on record lived for 160 years - this has to be one of the longest living organisms throughout the Animal Kingdom.
See the giant, phallic & revered geoduck clam of Puget Sound, Washington:
Video: 3 Feet Under - Digging Deep for the Geoduck
Is that a geoduck in your pocket?
Video: Cooking the gooey duck
(Several years ago, we saw these in a tank in a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco's China Town. They are very bizarre looking! Being very adventurous that evening, we had some for dinner. They were thinly sliced and were prepared with vegetables in a yellowish sauce. )
Leona's Dog Gets $12 Million in Will
Leona Helmsley's dog will continue to live an opulent life, and then be buried alongside her in a mausoleum. But two of Helmsley's grandchildren got nothing from the late luxury hotelier and real estate billionaire's estate.
Helmsley left her beloved white Maltese, named Trouble, a $12 million trust fund, according to her will, which was made public Tuesday in surrogate court.
She also left millions for her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, who was named to care for Trouble in her absence.
"I direct that when my dog, Trouble, dies, her remains shall be buried next to my remains in the Helmsley mausoleum," Helmsley wrote in her will.
The mausoleum, she ordered, must be "washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year." She left behind $3 million for the upkeep of her final resting place in Westchester County, where she is buried with her husband, Harry Helmsley.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Jennifer Graylock
They really were 'cat' burglars
Heavily-armed police surrounded a Manila bank for hours on Tuesday after its alarm went off, only to have the intruders, a pair of cats, escape.
The Special Weapons and Tactics unit of Marikina City rushed to the bank at dawn and made sure no one could leave the bank except through the front door.
The police then entered the building only to see a stray cat slip through the door and escape.
Once inside, the police saw another cat flee through a small hole in the ceiling. Nothing was missing from the bank although cat droppings were all over the place.
Walrus penis sells for $8,000 at auction
Why he became extinct? All the female walruses ran when they saw that thing!
A fossilized penis bone from an extinct walrus went for a whopping $8,000 at a Beverly Hills auction Sunday.
The 4 1/2-foot-long bone was sold to the company that runs the Ripley's Believe It or Not museums.
Discovered in Siberia, the fossilized penis bone is from a species of walrus that went extinct 12,000 years ago. The piece curves to a point and is covered with weathered skin and dry muscle tissue.
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Still around after 50 years
Happy Birthday, pink flamingo!
In the flamingos' heyday, everything from ovens to Cadillacs came in pink, and flamingos were all the rage as the unofficial symbol of tropical Florida. What better way for newly affluent suburbanites to revel in Florida's exotic cool factor than to stab pink flamingos into their well-manicured lawns?
There were the dark days, too, when the flamingos were reviled as tacky trailer-park kitsch, the repugnant epitome of mass-produced artifice and bad taste. In fact, some communities even banned them.
We can thank Don Featherstone, 71, for creating what he later dubbed phoenicopteris ruber plasticus. Now a resident of Fitchburg, Mass., Featherstone had nine years of fine arts training under his belt when Union Products, a plastic molding company in Leominster, hired him in 1957 to design three-dimensional lawn ornaments.
Now here we are, raising a glass of pink champagne to this pop culture icon, toasting its 50th anniversary. Maybe the fact that a plastic bird merits attention on its 50th anniversary lays bare a profound truth: a bit of black-velvet Elvis painting lurks in all of us.
Photo found at Confined Space
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Video: Screaming frog, the sequel
Here's a follow up to our previous post about the screaming frog - PART 2
Wolf Fish
The Wolf Fish is a powerful, elongated fish with a dorsal fin extending the whole length of its body. Its fearsome set of teeth are used for smashing up shellfish and sea urchins and the whole of the inside of the mouth is made up of grinding molars. Caught commercially and marketed in the north of Britain as Scotch Halibut and Scarborough Woof, the flesh is excellent quality. However, it is always sold skinned and beheaded for obvious reasons. The skin can be turned into a type of leather and is used for making small personal items such as wallets and purses.
27 Aquatic lifeforms you never caught while fishing
From the frightful ...
to the delightful ...
Some creatures you may have never seen before.
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My Pet Fish Soap
"My Pet Fish" Soap looks like the bag that you carry home from the pet store, but don’t be fooled…these plastic fish are not swimming in water, they are embedded in clear, vegetable based glycerin soap shaped like "water in a bag". A great party favor. Fun for kids from 1 to 100. Comes in assorted colors.
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Video: Frienfly Oranda
Punch loves to be petted and held. Not so unusual in a pet, right?
But Punch is a type of goldfish, an oranda. Punch has developed a real need for human attention - as well as communication by varying speeds of vibrations showing satisfaction - or if he is ignored, he shows displeasure by whipping his tail - with amazing force.
Fish Bowls by Roger Arquer
Fish Bowls is a new project by designer Roger Arquer that presents 15 variations on the standard fish bowl.
Fish Bowls will be exhibited in London this September as part of an exhibition called Conversational Spanish 02.
To the left, "Above Water," tells us about sharing the water between the fish bowl and the plant.
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Monday, August 27, 2007
UW Campus uses goats for grounds maintenance
The University of Washington needed to clear a 10,000-square-feet hillside overgrown with blackberry bushes and English ivy. Because the area was so steep, it would have been difficult for gardeners to work in the area safely, so the department contracted the work to Rent-A-Ruminant, a Vashon-based company that supplies goats to do heavy munching.
Goats, which have a four-stomach digestive system, are able to process the tough fibers of many pesky plants.
Birds Leave D.C. Neighborhood Covered in Filth
One block of Capitol Hill is plagued with so many bird droppings that even the U.S. Postal Service says there are days it won't deliver the mail.
The starlings roosting on the 1600 block of Potomac Avenue in Southeast have turned the neighborhood into a disgusting mess. Not only have the birds been dropping a constant whitewash and turning the street and sidewalks into a slippery stinkfest, but the birds' "fecal matter" -- as the District Department of Health indelicately terms it -- makes nearly every parked car on the block look like an ambushed victim from a paintball war.
Postal Service spokeswoman Deborah Yackley says the mess extends all the way across the sidewalk and into the street, so it's impossible for mail carriers to get to the mailbox without going through it.
Human medications that can be used on pets
The following is a list of common household human medications that can be used on pets. These Medications can be especially useful if you can't reach a veterinarian.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Dragonfly Handbag
Dragonfly
A uniquely shaped bag detailed in multi-colored hand glued Austrian crystals features push down snap closure and detachable chain strap. Comes beautifully boxed with a keepsake bag.
$4395.00
Children’s Hot Water Bottles
Children’s Hot Water Bottles
Cuddly fleece covers in a cow or sheep design for hot water bottles with an optoional matching toy are perfect for children. Made from a luxurious range of anti-pill sherpa fleece with a zip up the back and complete with mini hot water bottle, these are the ideal kid’s bedtime companion.
Dozi Paperclip Holder
Dozi Paperclip Holder
You don't have to get all prickly hunting high and low for paperclips. This clever porcupine creature, by young Korean designer Mika Kim, lets you collect them neatly, and adds a touch of wit to your desk.
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Saturday, August 25, 2007
Video: Kitten Surprise!!
Two cute kittens playing, a third kitten comes in at the end for a "surprise."
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Video: French Bulldog Death Yodel!
The infamous French Bulldog death yodel! Once heard, never forgotten.
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Friday, August 24, 2007
Fisherman Finds Rare Baby Giant Squid
A Florida fisherman found the remains of a rare baby giant squid that is nearly 7 feet long.
About 15 giant squids have been found off the Florida or Bahamian coasts, but never any babies like this one, scientists said.
Most giant squids have been discovered off the coast of New Zealand, and one has never been seen alive.
The animals live between 2,400 and 3,000 feet below the ocean's surface and can get as long as 60 feet. (That's a lot of calamari!)
Surprise! Giant panda gives birth in Austria
In this photo taken by a surveillance camera and released by the Schoenbrunn zoo in Vienna, female panda Yang Yang holds her newborn baby in her mouth. For the next two or three month Yang Yang and her baby will spend in the enclosed area where she gave birth.
A giant panda on loan from China gave her Austrian zookeepers a surprise Thursday: the first panda cub born in Europe in 25 years.
Caretakers at the Schoenbrunn Zoo detected the cub on a surveillance camera after hearing little squeals coming from an enclosed compound where the mother, Yang Yang, had retreated. Zookeepers had not been certain Yang Yang was pregnant.
A photograph released by the zoo showed Yang Yang, a first-time mother, holding the tiny creature in her mouth and looking up toward the camera.
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Young antelope found playing with a dog
A friendly young antelope found cavorting with a dog along a walking path was probably picked up illegally in Wyoming and may be too tame to return to the wild, wildlife authorities say.
The 3-month-old, 15-pound buck was spotted Wednesday morning, running and playing with a neighborhood dog named Skeeter.
"It's just the craziest thing I've ever seen," said Ronda Underwood. "We were just riding along the trail and saw this antelope playing with a dog."
She said the antelope came up to her, nuzzled its head and neck along her leg and seemed almost to beg to be petted.
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Video: The Most Talented Dog in America
Meet, Toula, a rescued border collie that will make you laugh and prove that she is the best companion. Toula's video features her fetching slippers, a tissue, a pillow, a soda, opening the refrigerator and the trash can, and flushing the toilet.
Toula beat out more than 600 dogs and gained the most online votes to win the ``Petco Stars'' competition.
Vick cards chewed by dogs are on eBay
Take some trading cards picturing a disgraced NFL superstar. Add some dog slobber and teethmarks. What do you get? The most valuable Michael Vick cards -- by far -- on eBay, that's what.
Collector Rochelle Steffen of Cape Girardeau, Mo., gave every Vick card she owned to her dogs and let them go to town on the images of the Atlanta Falcons quarterback who is scheduled to plead guilty to a federal dogfighting charge Monday.
Once Monte, her 6-year-old Weimaraner, and Roxie, her Great Dane puppy, were done worrying them, nearly two dozen $1-$10 cards were crumpled, crimped, chewed, torn and generally in a sorry state. Some even had corners missing.
As of Thursday evening, the highest bid on the lot of 22 cards had risen to $455 and more than 2,000 people had viewed the posting. Seventy-seven people already have bid on the auction, which ends Sunday.
NOTE:
We tried to make a bid, but eBay notice says : This listing (200142824314) has been removed or is no longer available.
The owls of Harry Potter
Now that five Harry Potter movies and all seven books have been released, people have become very familiar with owls. This website will give you facts about owls both in the real world and in J.K. Rowling's magical world.
Why you don't want an owl for a pet
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Video: Chow Time
In this video, two men sit down an have dinner with a herd of deer.
We're not advocating this ...
In Illinois the ban on feeding wild deer has been in place since 2002 to help prevent spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the Illinois wild deer herd.
But it's an interesting video to waste a few minutes on.
Pit Bulls at Vick's House Face Deadline
More than 50 pit bulls seized from Michael Vick's property face a deadline today to be claimed. If no one comes forward, they could be euthanized.
Federal prosecutors filed court documents last month to condemn 53 pit bulls seized in April as part of the investigation into dogfighting on the Vick's property. No one has claimed any of the dogs, which are being held at several unspecified shelters in eastern Virginia, the U.S. Attorney's office said Wednesday.
"These dogs are a ticking time bomb," said Daphna Nachminovitch, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "Rehabilitating fighting dogs is not in the cards. It's widely accepted that euthanasia is the most humane thing for them."
Photo credit: Newport News Daily Press photo by Joe Fudge / May 22, 2007
Chihuahua plays surrogate mom to chipmunk
When Buffy the Chihuahua lost a puppy during a C-section July 29, the doctor sent her home with a replacement for consolation — a chipmunk weighing less than an ounce.
Marty the chipmunk has adapted well to Buffy’s nursing, surprising even his caretaker.
Marty, chipmunk species not yet identified, weighed about 7/8 an ounce. when he was brought to Companion Pet Clinic in Keizer on July 29. He was no more than 2 to 3 days old.
He now weighs 1 1/4 ounces with no signs of rejection after seven days of nursing by Buffy, a Chihuahua.
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Tinkles The Toilet Cat
Tinkles The Toilet Cat
Listen for shrieks from the bathroom when your guests open the toilet lid to find a soaking wet cat! This black and white cat looks none too happy about falling into the toilet! Attaches to the underside of the toilet seat rim with suction cups included.
Lurch
This is Lurch, an African watusi steer, who lives at Rocky Ridge Refuge.
Lurch holds the Guinness World Record for the largest horn circumference, at 37.5 inches, but broke his own record when his horn circumference reached 38 inches. From tip to tip, Lurch's horns are over 7 1/2 feet long.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Watch out for rabid bats, Chicago health officials warn
People in the Chicago area already have to worry about West Nile virus and those mysterious mite bites. Now there is a new concern: rabid bats. Several bats with rabies have been found in the Chicago area this month.
Nine bats in suburban Cook County have tested positive for rabies this year, including three in the past week, according to the county public health department.
A 61-year-old Aurora woman was trying to remove a bat from her home Thursday when it bit her, department spokesman Tom Schlueter said. Officials tested the bat on Friday, with the results coming in Tuesday that it had rabies.
These results bring the tally to 59 bats testing positive for rabies this year statewide, Schlueter said.
Emergency Gorilla-Protection Force Deployed in Congo
A temporary, 30-ranger gorilla-protection force has been deployed in the troubled African park where at least five mountain gorillas were killed, execution style, in July.
The emergency measure is intended to end the attacks on endangered gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Virunga National Park.
More than half of the world's 700 endangered mountain gorillas are found in Virunga National Park, which straddles the border of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Burping moose bad for the environment
Aftenposten reports that Norway's national mascot may be contributing to the destruction of the environment, through burping and other bodily functions.
Researchers linked to Norway's technical university (NTNU) in Trondheim contend that moose are responsible for tons of gas emissions a year through their frequent burping and, well, farting.
A grown moose will burp and pass so much methane gas in the course of a year that it amounts to 2,100 kilos of carbon dioxide emissions. A motorist would have to drive 13,000 kilometers in a car to emit the same.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Nudist's spider-killing stunt backfires
A naked man suffered burns to one-fifth of his body when he tried to set fire to a spider at a nudist resort.
The 56-year-old Sydney man tried to kill what he thought was a funnel web spider by pouring petrol down the spider's burrow and igniting it with a match.
But the fuel exploded and the man was left with burns to 18 per cent of his body, on the upper leg and buttocks.
Pig News
Pigs around the world
In China, 68,000 pigs have died and 175,000 more have been slaughtered because of the highly infectious blue-ear pig disease. Some Western press reports have said the number of infected pigs is much higher than disclosed government figures, citing the dramatic spike in pork prices in China this year as evidence.
In Spain, Manuel Maldonado, is taking the art of the ham to new heights, pampering his pigs with a free-range lifestyle and top-quality diet of acorns before slaughtering them, then curing the meat for two years - twice as long as his competitors. His a salt-cured ham, the 2006 Alba Quercus Reserve, will cost about $1,979 per leg, or $158.35 per pound - the most expensive ham in the world.
In Austria, three people were injured after a truck carrying 200 pigs crashed. Police and rescue teams were forced to conduct a pig hunt to catch the fleeing pigs. After the fugitive hogs had been apprehended, the driver continued his trip but a few hours later he crashed against a tunnel wall in southern Austria, causing porcine pandemonium on the motorway a second time when his pigs escaped again.
What's the World's Cutest Animal?
World Wildlife Fund is holding a contest to find the World’s Cutest Animal and is asking people worldwide to pick their choice.
From tigers to polar bears to blue-footed boobies, there are 40 different animals to choose from on the contest website. The site also provides links to fun facts about the animals and exclusive photos of them in the wild.
People have two chances to vote – once between August 17-31 to select the five semi-finalists and once again from September 1-20 to choose the winner. The critter who has won the title of the World’s Cutest Animal will be announced on September 21.
The 40 animals selected were chosen by World Wildlife Fund staff from among the many species WWF is working to protect in the wild in addition to popular animals the public would recognize.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Vick Agrees to Plead Guilty to dogfighting charges
Michael Vick has agreed to plead guilty to the federal dogfighting charges against him under a deal reached today between his attorneys and prosecutors, his lawyer said.
Vick was charged with helping to operate a dogfighting ring based at a property owned by him in southeastern Virginia. He had been scheduled to go on trial Nov. 26.
State charges against Vick remain possible, and a source said that this deal with federal prosecutors does not address the issue of state charges.
The federal indictment of Vick portrayed him as an active member of the dogfighting operation who attended and even traveled to dogfights, paid bets for losing fights and participated in the killing of dogs that didn't perform well.
Pet camel kills Australian woman
A woman in Australia has been killed by her pet camel after the animal may have tried to have sex with her.
The woman was found dead at the family's sheep and cattle ranch near the town of Mitchell in Queensland.
The woman had been given the camel as a 60th birthday present earlier this year because of her love of exotic pets.
Intimate Moments in The Animal Kingdom
Many more images of lovely animals with emotional expressions similar to people.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Littlest Angel Vest
Like a white cane for blind dogs - the angel vest gives blind dogs confidence to navigate freely.
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Pig ottoman
pig ottoman
The pig was the first ottoman created, designed by Reiner Henneveld himself. Reiner’s Originals is proud to offer you the animal that was so significant to Reiner.
Reiner’s Originals Pigs are made from 100% quality upholstery leather and stuffed with acrylic, polyester and mixed fibers. Pigs are available in ten classic colors— black, ivory, grey, burgundy, navy, beige, chocolate brown and multi-color patch.
Toilet Paper Holder Bear
"John" is a free-standing, 32" tall bear with a big grin. He is sure to bring about hours of amusing conversation in addition to holding Jumbo rolls of your favorite tissue. Crafted by Big Sky Carvers, the leader in outdoors home decorations.
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Saturday, August 18, 2007
Video: Ultimate Cheerios Hamster
Answers the question you've long been wondering about: How many Cheerios can a hamster fit in her mouth?
Friday, August 17, 2007
21 Amazing Facts You Didn't Know About Pigeons
The feral pigeon that we see in our towns and cities today is descended from the Rock Dove (Columba livia), a cliff dwelling bird historically found in coastal regions. The word ‘pigeon’ is actually derived from the Latin word ‘pipio’ which meant ‘young bird’.
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Little Schnozzy
The first giant anteater born at Smithsonian's National Zoo in 118 years, will be known as "Little Schnozzy," until its gender is determined in a few weeks.
The public will vote for the new name among choices including Aurora, Pilar, Cyrano, and Francisco.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Le Dachshund Soap
Le Dachshund Soap
The Dachshund is clever, courageous and one of the most popular breeds in America. Our accurate Dachshund rendering is scented with a crisp, cottage linen fragrance and is packaged in a chocolate and ivory houndstooth patterned box, tied with a burnt orange ribbon.
Germans are turning their backs on dachshunds
Germans are turning their backs on dachshunds, the short-legged, long-bodied "sausage dogs" which are as much a national emblem as beer and lederhosen.
The German Dog Association (VDH) says only 7,158 dachsund, or "dackel," puppies were born in the country last year and the birth rate has dropped by about 35 percent in the last decade.
"Dackels are in decline because German owners have a far wider range of breeds to choose from than they did 20 years ago," said Birgit Buttner of the VDH.
Cat's Gone Crazy? No, Just Senile
Mental disorders associated with aging, including Alzheimer's, are far more common in domesticated cats than previously realized, with more than half of all cats over age 15 showing signs of senility, according to a forthcoming Journal of Small Animal Practice paper.
The behaviors associated with senility in cats range from acting disoriented to changes in their social relationships, to shifting sleep habits. They may also include inappropriate vocalizing, forgetting commands, breaking housetraining, pacing, wandering, sluggishness, unusual interest or disinterest in food, and decreased grooming and confusion, such as "forgetting that they have just been fed."
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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Grumpy Groundhog Disrupts Museum Tours
SAGINAW, Mich. - Tours at a 163-year-old home-turned-museum are sometimes disrupted by a grumpy groundhog. The furry critter's digging has foiled some of the Saginaw Valley Historic Preservation Society's attempts to refurbish the house on the city's east side.
"We put in a walkway, and part of that collapsed due to Grumpy's efforts," preservationist Thomas Mudd told The Saginaw News.
Construction workers leveled a mound of soil that Grumpy the Groundhog had settled into, "but Grumpy still has his hole under the handicap ramp," Mudd said.
Mudd's latest tactic is to use fox urine as a groundhog repellent. But other efforts have failed to rid the pest in the past. Mudd tried evicting Grumpy with ammonia and mothballs, but the animal dumped the offending materials outside of his tunnel.
A few years ago, Mudd said he baited a trap with broccoli, caught Grumpy and took him to a wooded park near the Tittabawassee River.
"I waved good-bye to Grumpy, and I was so happy," Mudd said.
Grumpy was back within a week.
Baby Leopard Triple Threat
Persian leopard triplets born in June were presented Tuesday at the Budapest Zoo. The cubs—a male and two females—were born at the zoo on June 19 and are doing well, said zoo spokesman Zoltan Hanga.
The Persian leopard is the largest of the leopard subspecies and is native to Western Asian countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Armenia.
The leopard is endangered, however, with less than 2,000 thought to be living in the wild. An additional 74 leopards live in zoos.
The cubs born in Hungary—sisters Bella and Bara and brother Bahar—are part of a breeding program of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.
Pet Pooh Bahs Parrots Pilfered
Martha Stewart's favorite animal-care expert was crying fowl yesterday after burglars broke into his Long Island pet store and stole 45 high-priced parrots.
The thieves raided Parrots of the World in Rockville Centre sometime between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., police said.
They made off with a variety of pricey parrots - including African Greys, cockatoos and Amazons - valued at roughly $60,000.
Monkey business: Oliver the monkey makes 3rd escape from Mississippi Zoo
Officials were left red faced yet again after Oliver the white-faced capuchin monkey made his second escape from a Mississippi zoo in less than a month.
On Wednesday, Oliver, who apparently has learned to pick locks, was back at the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo.
Only this time his cage has been secured with triple chains and locks.
"There's one on top, one on the bottom and one in the middle," park manager Kirk Nemecheck said. "If he gets out again, someone is letting him out."
Oliver's cage was standing open Monday morning and the lock was lying on the ground. Oliver and another capuchin named Baby were still in the area, and workers easily recaptured Baby, but Oliver took off, Nemecheck said.
Nemecheck is getting fed up.
"I'm getting titanium locks next time," he said. "I'm tired of chasing a monkey."
Ready. Aim. Fish!
Remember those deadly flying fish? They're the Asian silver carp, an invasive species remarkable for jumping into the air when disturbed by rumbling boat motors. The big fish -- they can weigh up to 60 pounds -- jump as high as 10 feet, and they'll smack you if you don't see them coming. Or even if you do.
Now fishermen in Peoria, Illinois have found a use for these pesky creatures - "extreme aerial bowfishing," one of the Illinois River's newest pastimes in which boaters use bows and arrows to shoot leaping fish.
Watch the video.
The dogs of war: Canine casualties mount
About 2,000 working military dogs confront danger beside American soldiers, largely in the Mideast. With noses that detect scents up to a third of a mile away, many sniff for explosives in Iraq. Their numbers have been growing about 20 percent a year since the terrorist attacks of 2001, says Air Force Capt. Jeffrey McKamey, who helps run the program.
In doing their jobs, dozens of these dogs have also become war wounded – scorched by the desert, slashed by broken glass, pelted by stray bullets, pounded by roadside bombs.
Their services are so valued, though, that wounded dogs are treated much like wounded troops.
“They are cared for as well as any soldier,” insists Senior Airman Ronald A. Harden, a dog handler in Iraq.
Their first aid comes out of doggy field kits bearing everything from medicine to syringes. Some are evacuated to military veterinary centers hundreds of miles away and even to Germany and the United States for rehabilitation. Many recover and return to duty.
Military dogs must be in top condition to perform the duties they’re assigned. And training is rigorous.
Dogs take their basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, where they learn to tolerate the crack of gunfire and sputter of helicopters. They are trained to sniff for explosives on command, freezing and staring at suspicious objects.
Merely baring their teeth, they can cow a crowd. Commanded to strike, they can easily flatten a big man with one leap, flying like a 50-pound sand bag tossed from a truck.
Smart and strong Malinois and shepherds predominate, but other breeds are trained, too. Even small dogs, like beagles or poodles, are occasionally taught to detect explosives in submarines and other close quarters.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Mites may be to blame for mystery bug bites in Illinois
Chicago officials say that an itch mite may be responsible for an outbreak of itchy, raised red bumps. The symptoms sent approximately 100 people to Chicago-area emergency rooms in the last week, according to the state Illinois Health Department.
The mites are tiny, measuring only 0.2 millimeters. In August 2004, an estimated 54% of the population of Crawford County, Kansas was thought to have suffered from its bites. The mites have been found from Illinois to Texas.
You can't see them with the naked eye. And you won't feel them biting. But, 10 to 16 hours later, your back, neck, shoulders and arms may be filled with itchy red welts.
"Peaches" is a good bird, they swear!!
The keepers at Black Pine Animal Park
state that contrary to what has been widely reported, Peaches does not possess a vocabulary full of swear words, nor does she curse on a regular basis! Visitors and their families do not need to cover their ears in fear of improper language.
But what about Coby, the poo-throwing chimp? Can he be trusted?
Drunken German joyrider kills 300 chickens
Three hundred chickens died in panic early on Sunday when a drunken German teenager on a joyride crashed a van into their shed, police said.
"Apparently some of the chickens were so desperate to get away that they ran into the wall and died," the spokesman said. "Others suffered heart attacks."
Monkey Suicide
Monkey Suicide asks the question “How many times can 1 monkey die?”
So far, 205 monkeys have met their doom in all kinds of sticky situations.
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Killed in Iraq, dog team buried together
The first military working dog team killed in action together since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were laid to rest together July 18.
Cpl. Kory D. Wiens, 20, of the 94th Mine Dog Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and his partner, Cooper, were killed July 6 by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Muhammad Sath, Iraq. They had been in Iraq since January.
The cremated remains of Wiens and Cooper, a Labrador retriever, were buried together at Salt Creek Cemetery in Wiens’ hometown of Dallas, Ore., at the request of his family.
The Army has 578 dog teams, and they have served several hundred rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Research indicates that the last military canine team to be killed together was during the Vietnam War.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Baltimore to be mongoose free
The Baltimore City Health Department finalized regulations regarding which exotic pets and farm animals are permitted in homes. No bears, bats, ostriches, kangaroos, monkeys or mongooses as city pets. And Baltimore's avid pigeon racers will be able to keep up to only 125 pigeons each.
In addition to the limit on volume, the new regulations restrict pigeon exercise to three daily sessions, and bird owners will have to pay a one-time $80 fee.
Green iguanas smaller than 30 inches and larger than 5 feet are out. Vietnamese potbellied pigs are OK, as long as they don't grow to more than 150 pounds.
All even-toed ungulates - deer, goats, sheep and the like - are banned as pets.
Beheaded snake sends man to hospital
Turns out, even beheaded rattlesnakes can be dangerous. That's what 53-year-old Danny Anderson learned as he was feeding his horses Monday night, when a 5-foot rattler slithered onto his central Washington property, about 50 miles southeast of Yakima.
Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin, pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and cut off its head with a shovel. A few more strikes to the head left it sitting under a pickup truck.
"When I reached down to pick up the head, it raised around and did a backflip almost, and bit my finger," Anderson said. "I had to shake my hand real hard to get it to let loose."
Sugar, the 2-legged dog
Sugar is a 2-legged miracle dog, who was found as a puppy in Taiwan more dead than alive. She overcame abuse, pneumonia, a badly broken leg, an unsuitable adoption family, brain damage and ensuing paralysis from being left on a rooftop without any shade. The organization Animals Taiwan rescued Sugar, gave her a wheelchair, and just found her a new family. After all she's been through Sugar has nothing but love to give.
Watch this amazing video - I think the greatest part is how gently Sugar plays with a tiny kitten.
Woman kills raccoon with her bare hands
A woman killed a raccoon with her bare hands Thursday when the animal attacked a young boy. Officials with Cheshire, Connecticut, animal control say the woman was walking in the woods around 11 a.m. with a group of children when the animal bit the 5-year-old son of a friend.
She pulled the raccoon off the child, told the children to run home and strangled the animal, authorities said.
"She had the presence of mind to choke it," animal control officer April Leiler told the Record-Journal of Meriden. "She is one tough lady."
How much is that Tibetan doggy in the window?
The latest "it dog" is no tiny purse filler, it's the Tibetan mastiff.
The dogs are so popular among China's elite that a perfect specimen can sell for over $500,000. The large dogs were domesticated in the mountains of Tibet 6,000 years ago and are considered to be the oldest, biggest and fiercest domestic dog.
The mastiff may not only be the most expensive dog in the world, but also among the rarest, with only 100 pure-bred animals believed to exist.
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Rare albino shark photographed in Australia
A rare albino grey nurse shark has been spotted at Australia's best known diving and fishing spot Fish Rock in NSW.
The photo of the 2.2m male was taken by Fish Rock Dive Centre owner Jon Cragg 2km off South West Rocks.
Mr Cragg was speechless when the amazing creature swam past him.
"I saw the big white shadow in the water with two other sharks then when I saw it I couldn't believe it, it was like a ghost coming out of the darkness," Mr Cragg said.
"No one has ever seen one like this before - it was pretty exciting."
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India's Tigers Number Half as Many as Thought
India's wild tiger population is now between 1,300 and 1,500—less than half of what it was in 2002—according to preliminary estimates from an ongoing government census.
The new numbers—announced at a gathering of conservationists in New Delhi last week—are a shocking drop from the previous population estimate of about 3,600.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has been conducting the new tiger census as part of a government-funded effort that has been appointed the equivalent of ten million U.S. dollars.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Incredible Surfing dog
On a foggy morning in Morro Bay, a 3-year-old golden retriever named Saint is so stoked he can hardly stand it.
It's not just because there are birds he can chase -- though Saint certainly likes to chase birds. It's more because his owner is prepping his board and the conditions today are glassy.
In addition to surfing, Saint likes soccer, moving the ball with his nose. He's also into hiking and climbing, and he's a certified therapy dog, trained to provide affection and comfort as a volunteer at French Hospital and a women's shelter.
A well-traveled pet, he's hit the surf in places such as Jalama Beach in Santa Barbara County, Black's Beach in San Diego and Ocean Beach in San Francisco.
Whenever he's in a car near the beach, Yeung says, Saint quickly jumps toward the windshield, seemingly scoping out the swell.
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Pittsburgh Zoo's Tiger Cubs Celebrate Birthday
The Amur tiger cubs at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium are celebrating their first birthday today.
Mara now weighs 160 pounds while her brother, Petya, is 180 pounds.
Their birthday cakes were made from boxes filled with their favorite treats.
Watch the video.
Great Dane - tired mom of 15
Darn it, just two more & she could tie with Michelle Duggar
Macey, the Great Dane, went through a gruelling 20 hour birth to produce the amazing litter of 15 puppies.
The two-year-old pedigree blue shocked her owners who had been told by vets to expect just four.
Parrot refuses to leave man's head
Here's another weird story from Sweden ...
A Stockholm, Sweden, man was forced to get veterinary assistance when a mysterious parrot took up a position on his head and refused to budge.
Catharina Nordin of Stockholm Police said the bird "came out of nowhere" Monday and attached itself to the head of the man, whose name was not released, The Local reported Tuesday.
The man and his wife sought assistance from the local animal hospital after their own attempts at removing the bird from the man's head failed.
Angry beavers frighten bathers
Angry beavers have managed to successfully scare off the locals after taking over a bathing area in Lindesberg in central Sweden.
A mother and her two children could only look on in horror as a beaver went on the attack, biting the children's grandmother until she bled. The older woman was also struck by the beaver's tail and was left needing hospital treatment, Nerikes Allehanda reports.
There have previously also been reports of a beaver attacking a child on the same stretch of water.
"If you're in the water and see a beaver you should watch out. In the water they see you as their enemy and will attack," said Leif Linder, who is responsible for curbing the beaver population in the area.
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130 Cats in One Flat
Can you imagine about 130 cats in a one small Moscow flat?
The flat’s owner says, that she loves homeless pets and simply wants to help them.
Watch the video.
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Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Protected birds nest on Daytona Beach
A mating pair of black skimmer birds is nesting and protecting its chick north of Sun Splash Park in Daytona Beach.
Beach drivers likely will have to detour around a family of black skimmer birds for up to two more weeks, as Volusia County Environmental Management and Beach Patrol have cordoned off a quarter-mile around the nest of the recently discovered federally and state-protected birds.
Officials will keep a close eye on the feathered family until the chick learns how to fly. For now, the chick is pretty defenseless. The parents are having to defend the chick from sea gulls.
Passenger 'hid monkey under hat'
A man has been questioned by police at LaGuardia airport in New York after smuggling a monkey onto a flight from Florida by hiding it under his hat.
Passengers spotted the animal when it climbed out and perched on the man's ponytail, Spirit Airlines spokeswoman Alison Russell told reporters.
Ms Russell said the monkey - a marmoset - spent the remainder of the flight in the man's seat and was well-behaved.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Le Chat Noir
Le Chat Noir (French for "The Black Cat") was a 19th-century cabaret in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard Rouchechouart by the artist Rodolphe Salis, and closed in 1897.
Perhaps best known now by its iconic Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen poster art, in its heyday it was a bustling nightclub — part artist salon, part rowdy music hall.
Other cats by Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen:
Fat cats falling victim to diabetes
Vets have found that cats are imitating their owners' couch potato lifestyle.
As a result of eating more and exercising less, more than a third of cats are overweight and the number of cases of feline diabetes has risen five-fold in 30 years.
Edinburgh University researchers estimate that one in 230 - or up to 400,000 pet cats - is diabetic.
Cats are not the only pets to be losing the battle of the bulge. A quarter of dogs are clinically obese and overweight rabbits and even hamsters are also a common sight in vets' surgeries.
Great British Spiders
This website documents the various species of spiders that can be found in the British Isles. The majority of the species featured are fairly common but there are a few exceptions.
USA Spider Identification Chart
Spider identification of venomous and dangerous spiders most commonly found in homes, their habitat areas, venom toxicity and spider bite first aid procedures.
Featured are the brown recluse, black widow, hobo spider, wolf spider, white-tail spider, black house spider, huntsman and other spiders with notes to aid in identification.
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Araneae, Spiders of North-West Europe
This European spider site contains more than 1000 pictures of over 220 spiders commonly found in NW-Europe, especially in the area between the Netherlands and the south of France.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Cute Panda?
A panda at a zoo in northwestern China, unimpressed with the food offered at his new lodgings, erupted with rage and sunk his teeth into a staff member's flesh instead.
Lan Zai, a male panda at Wuquanshan zoo in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, put zoo worker Xiao Zhang in hospital with multiple bite and scratch wounds to his arms and legs after a fierce attack
(AP Photo/EyePress)
Beluga whales under threat
Summer doesn't last long on the edge of the Arctic circle, but on the remote Solovetsky Island on Russia's White Sea it marks the remarkable return every year of Beluga whales just metres from the shore.
Scientists say it is the only place in the world where the whales come so close. Like many whales worldwide, these belugas are threatened - not by hunting but by the quest for energy and people's gradual encroachment on their habitat through shipping.
The whales come most days in good weather. Highly gregarious, the adult white mammals frolic and twist together with their calves, sometimes in schools of 50, lazily breaking the surface with their long backs, before diving underwater again at a location now known as Beluga Cape.
Described by environmentalists as one of Russia's national treasures, the beluga - which resemble large dolphins - will be fighting for survival as the Arctic develops and shipping, energy projects and pollution threaten their natural habitat.
20 Things You Didn't Know About Mosquitoes
Yikes ...
Millions of years ago, mosquitoes were three times as large as they are today.
also,
There are more than 2,500 varieties of mosquito (some entomologists claim 3,000) whining from the Arctic tundra to the tropical rain forests. Most are active at dawn and dusk, while others enjoy midday feeding. Protein is where you find it.
20 Things You Didn't Know About Bees
Some very unusual facts are listed. The most strange, "On the April 1984 Challenger flight, 3,300 bees, housed in a special but confining box, adapted perfectly to zero gravity and built a nearly normal comb. But they didn’t go to the toilet. Since bees excrete only outside the hive, they held it in for seven days. A NASA spokesperson said the space hive was “just as clean as a pin.”"
Sunday, August 5, 2007
USB Ladybug Mouse
USB Ladybug Mouse
Adds fun to your computer. The body is red with black dots. It works reliably and durably. Easy for both adults and kids to use.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Video: 60 Seconds in the Life of . . .
Parts 22-28 in an ongoing series of (approximately) 60 second films by Ironic Sans, "60 Seconds in the Life of the Galapagos Islands" is a collection of videos featuring the Waved Albatross, Sally Lightfoot Crabs, Blue Footed Boobies, Marine Iguanas, Frigatebirds, Flightless Cormorants, and Giant Tortoises.
(via)
Video: Oscar the Boxer Howls
The most famous boxer in South America and maybe the world: Oscar the Boxer does his thing...imitating an emergency siren.
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Video: A dog trying to eat a lolcat
Lilly, a Pekingese/fox terrier mix playing with MisJou the cat.
(via)
Friday, August 3, 2007
Man mauled to death at Ving Rhames' home
Massive dogs belonging to "Mission: Impossible" star Ving Rhames attacked and killed a live-in caretaker at the actor's Los Angeles home Friday, police said.
The caretaker, whose name was not released by authorities, was found dead on the front lawn of Rhames' gated home in an expensive Brentwood neighborhood, covered in dog bites, a Los Angeles police spokesman said.
Several large dogs were running loose on the property when police responded to the scene shortly after 7:15 a.m. (10:15 a.m. ET) and animal control officers took three huge bull mastiffs and an English bulldog into custody.
"It appeared that the person suffered a number of injuries as a result of the dog mauling," Sgt. Lee Sands said. "There were numerous dog bites all over his body, but the exact cause of death is pending the coroner's ruling."
Swiss zoo kills endangered lion cubs
A Swiss zoo has provoked public dismay by culling two endangered Namibian lion cubs because it did not have space for them.
In June, Basel Zoo proudly announced that a five-year-old lioness, imported from Namibia, had given birth to four cubs; three males and one female. However, last week the zoo decided to put two of the male cubs to sleep and feed their carcasses to other animals. It explained that the lion enclosure was not big enough for them and said it could not find another zoo to adopt them.
The lions in Basel Zoo are on the World Conservation Union's red list of endangered species because hunting has reduced their population in Namibia to a few hundred.
Pet spider kills its owner
9BERLIN) A man who lived in his own “zoo” of lizards and insects was fatally bitten by a pet black widow spider — then eaten by the other creepy-crawlies.
Police broke in to Mark Voegel’s apartment to find spider Bettina along with 200 others, several snakes, a gecko lizard called Helmut and several thousand termites had gorged on his body.
Neighbors alerted police after becoming alarmed by the stink.
A police spokesman said: “It was like a horror movie. His corpse was over the sofa.
“Giant webs draped him, spiders were all over him. They were coming out of his nose and his mouth.
“There was everything there one could imagine in the world of reptiles.
“Larger pieces of flesh torn off by the lizards were scooped up and taken back to the webs of tarantulas and other bird-eating spiders.”
Voegel is thought to have been dead for between seven and 14 days.
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Tiger gives birth to twin cubs - one yellow and one white
Cubs Jinliang and Yinshuai aren't any ordinary twins. Workers at Tianjin Zoo, China were shocked when the pair were born - because they arrived into the world in completely different colours - yellow and white.
The furry felines' mother Meimei is a mixed blood tiger - and it seems each of her offspring has unusually inherited each of her different colors.
Man Charged With Illegally Stockpiling Manure
LOXAHATCHEE GROVES, Fla. -- State officials accused a man of having 15-foot-high mounds of horse manure on his property without a permit.
Walter Duque, 22, is estimated to have stockpiled enough manure on his 5-acre property in Loxahatchee Groves to fill 1,000 dump trucks, the Department of Environmental Protection said. He was cited for illegal manure composting, said department spokesman Steve Webster.
Neighbors complained about foul smells floating through the neighborhood, state officials said in a news release. Investigators said they believe Duque may have been accepting loads of horse manure from nearby communities, illegally composting the waste and selling it.
Cute Baby Koala
An adult female koala named "Tara", with her six-month-old joey clinging to her back, rests on an eucaplyptus tree at an animal park in Sydney July 31, 2007. The central Sydney animal park has seen the birth of three joeys (baby koalas) in the last seven-and-a-half months and is holding a competition for the public to name the baby koalas.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
UCSF Accused of Mistreating Lab Animals
University of California, San Francisco researchers drilled holes in monkeys' skulls and induced irregular heartbeats in dogs without first seeking more humane alternatives, a physicians group alleges in a lawsuit to be filed Tuesday.
The nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine seeks to stop research experiments until officials can guarantee compliance with the federal Animal Welfare Act, which requires humane care and treatment of animals.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Seven-legged lamb in New Zealand
A lamb with seven legs was born in New Zealand but so badly deformed that it was to be destroyed, a local newspaper reported.
The lamb was born with an extra set of front legs and three back legs.
Farmer Dave Callaghan found the lamb in his field. Two of its legs hung useless behind the forelegs. The lamb walked using its two forelegs and three healthy hind legs.
Veterinarian Steve Williams said the lamb was also hermaphrodite, and was missing a part of its bowel so was unable to pass feces.
He said it was this latter problem, rather than the fact it had seven legs, that meant it would have to be destroyed.
10 Hot Products to Keep Your Pets Cool
Pets love to be outdoors in any season, but summers are especially dangerous times for them. Dogs and cats, especially, are not physiologically equipped to handle hot weather, as they can only sweat through their footpads, mouths, and noses. Here are ten innovative pet products to keep your pets cool during the dog days of summer:
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Rescue dogs aid Italy beachgoers
Scores of specially trained dogs have been deployed as lifeguards on Italy's busiest beaches this summer.
The dogs, mostly of the Newfoundland or Labrador breeds, are trained to jump out of helicopters and boats and swim to the rescue of struggling swimmers.
They are credited with having saved several lives by taking lifebuoys to swimmers and towing them to safety.
(via)
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Beetles go head-to-head in boxing face-off
Rhino beetles, which have been likened to mini-tanks with a horn - are popular pets among Japanese boys, who like collecting and breeding them.
Now tournaments are being held in Japan featuring Rhino beetles going into battle with each other. A race is held to eliminate the weaker specimens before the 15 strongest are entered into a boxing ring for the final competition.
Missing monkey mischief in Mississippi
A lock-pickin' primate described by handlers as "a smart little monkey" busted from his pen and escaped the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo early Tuesday.
Oliver apparently picked the lock to his pen about 8 a.m. and led park staff on a wild chase through their trail system before eventually escaping.
This is actually Oliver's second leg on the lam. About six years ago, the frisky primate fled the home of Buffalo Park owner Dan Franklin and roamed the Tupelo Country Club grounds for roughly two weeks.
Police and animal-control officers are on the look-out for Oliver, but park staffers also seek help from residents to steer home the wayward monkey. Do not try to touch him, though, he will bite.
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Bleating back the weeds
Across the dry grasslands of California's valleys and foothills, goats are gaining recognition as an effective weapon to cut the risk of rampaging wildfires and to check the spread of nonnative weeds such as star thistle.
Goats don't have the drawbacks of chemical sprays, and they have a sweet tooth for weeds and other noxious plants that other grazing animals shun, say boosters of the practice.
Between bouts of jumping into the air and butting heads, the young goats swarm through the weeds, grazing on dry grass, chewing the bark of manzanita trees and reaching high on two legs to munch on the leaves of taller trees.
The 49 adult goats and 30 youngsters belong to Dave Cheney, who has operated Pine Ridge Goats since 2001.
Cheney trucks the animals into an area to be cleared, sets up a temporary electric fence, arms it with a truck battery and puts the goats to work on the weeds.
His goats are Kikos, a hardy breed developed in New Zealand. Beyond what they eat on their own, they get a dessert of farm-grown hay at the end of the day, when he uses it to entice the goats into their pens.
Eating foie gras may increase risk of Alzheimer’s
The popular delicacy foie gras (which is French for “fat liver”) is produced in a way that animal rights activists insist is barbaric. Ducks and geese are force-fed corn mash twice a day, through a tube that is inserted into the oesophagus. The birds are slaughtered 2-3 weeks later, and their engorged livers are then removed, to be sold whole or for use in making pâté, mousse or parfait.
But it seems that the slaughtered birds may be the ones who have the last laugh - researchers from the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, in collaboration with a group from Uppsala University in Sweden, have found a potential link between foie gras consumption and the development of a number of amyloidogenic diseases.
The amyloidogenic diseases include Alzheimer’s Disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), tuberculosis, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. They are termed “amyloidogenic” because they all involve a process called amyloidosis, whereby genetic mutations lead to the synthesis of abnormally folded and insoluble proteins which accumulate within or around cells and interfere with their function. In all the amyloidogenic diseases, the mutated proteins are believed to accumulate by a process called nucleation (or “seeding”).
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So much for saving the spotted owl
In the late 1970s, some U.S. forest scientists became engrossed by a small, reclusive owl that fed on rodents in the wet, lush and steadily disappearing old-growth forests of Oregon.
Environmental groups, looking for a legal wedge in their increasingly aggressive crusade to halt old-growth logging, soon caught wind of the concerns and sued to list the northern spotted owl among the nation's endangered species.
What followed was one of the most gut-grabbing economic and social upheavals in modern Oregon history. In the five years after 1990, timber employment dropped from 57,400 to 46,200 sending families to unemployment offices and food banks.
Now even the most optimistic biologists now admit that the docile owl -- revered and reviled as the most contentious symbol the Northwest has known -- will probably never fully recover.
Intensive logging of the spotted owl's old-growth forest home threw the first punch that sent the species reeling. But the knockout blow is coming from a direction that scientists who drew up plans to save the owl didn't count on: nature itself.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo
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