Video: Elephant seals crowd California beach

Where does a 1,500 pound seal sit? Wherever he wants -- sometimes ... Watch the video

Moko the dolphin is a savior of whales

Moko the dolphin had already won over humans at Mahia Beach, where she plays with swimmers in the New Zealand surf and pushes kayaks along with her snout. Now the friendly bottle-nosed has shown her empathy for other species, by saving two whales from almost certain death after they became stranded. Human attempts to guide the two pygmy sperm whales through a narrow escape route from the beach had consistently failed, and all seemed lost until the dolphin intervened. Moko, a regular visitor to Mahia Beach on the east side of North Island, appeared to communicate with the whales before guiding them to open water. Source: Times on Line

Beijing cleans up for the Olympics

Thousands of pet cats in Beijing are being abandoned by their owners and sent to die in secretive government pounds as China mounts an aggressive drive to clean up the capital in preparation for the Olympic Games. Hundreds of cats a day are being rounded and crammed into cages so small they cannot even turn around. Then they are trucked to what animal welfare groups describe as death camps on the edges of the city. The cull comes in the wake of a government campaign warning of the diseases cats carry and ordering residents to help clear the streets of them. Source: Daily Mail (via)

Diet food

Hotlix: Original Worm Snax in BBQ, Cheddar Cheese, and Mexican Spice flavored worms for your snacking pleasure. Savor the CRUNCH! I wonder what the saturated fat content is ... (via)

La Jolla seal beach controversy continues

There's a quiet, little, sheltered cove in La Jolla, CA that continues to be the subject of controversy between animal protection advocates and members of the public who claim a right to access and to use the Children's Pool as a swimming beach. Before the sea wall was built, the site was a natural beach, with a shallow water area serving as a channel between a large offshore rock and mainland bluff. In the 1930's the townspeople built the jetty to shelter the cove so their children could enjoy the calm water. The beach is still called "The Children's Pool," but since the 1970's, the seals have moved in and taken it over. Harbor seals are protected from harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and other legislation, but some local interests would like to see the seals leave so that people can resume using the beach. They say a 1931 state tidelands grant transferring ownership of the cove to San Diego gives humans priority over seals. The latest ruling, from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is a victory for the San Diego-based Animal Protection and Rescue League. They can reinstall a guideline rope to keep sightseers away from a colony of harbor seals during their pupping season through May. I took the above photo, and the one to the left, in March of 2006. At that time, there were volunteers standing guard at the beach, explaining to visitors that they couldn't legally be kept off the sand and away from the seals, but they were encouraged to stay on the observation pier. I did see a handful of renegades who disregarded the requests and walked to within a few feet of the seals. I've been back several times to visit the seals. A trip to San Diego is not complete without a drive to La Jolla and the seal beach. I enjoy watching the seals - they're very entertaining - and quiet. I'd rather watch them than a bunch of screaming children. "seal beach, LaJolla", "La Jolla Beach California" and "What are you looking at?" by corsi photo

A herd of elephants

A new baby African elephant, Uzuri, was born on February 17 at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent. Keepers at the Park are delighted because African elephants are very difficult to breed in captivity. At the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, keepers and veterinarians are posting a close and anxious watch over Felix, an African elephant, who is poised to deliver the first elephant ever born at the 132- year-old zoo. Their 7,490-pound patient, whom they describe as "kinda petite," is due any day now. Villagers in Wellaveli, Sri Lanka had a difficult time recently when trying cast votes in the first local elections in 14 years as a herd of wild elephants blocked the polling booths. (Might have been a Republican tactic.) Residents of Kwale, Kenya, have called for the Kenya Wildlife Service to act after elephants crushed farmlands and attacked villagers in recent days. Local children are staying home from school to protect them from elephant attacks. (A much better excuse than "The dog ate my homework.") An infuriated wild elephant trampled two persons to death, when a group of people, who gathered to watch the rescue of another pachyderm that fell into an irrigation well at Muthampatti near Rayakottai, pelted stones at it. Concerned over the damage caused by the elephants to crops farmers have blamed the Forest Department for failing to take any action in chasing the elephants back into the forests.

Chihuahua wins crooning competition

Cha-chi, a Chihuahua with a penchant for opera, triumphed Sunday and took first place in the Crooning Canine Competition at Target Music in the Park. The Phoenix Symphony and Target sponsored the free event at Steele Indian Park in Phoenix. Cha-chi won for his performance of an excerpt from Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata." There's a link here to the video - watch the dog's owner - she steals the show. Source: AZ Central

Pink

Pink it´s my new obsession Pink it´s not even a question Pink on the lips of your lover, ´cause Pink is the love you discover Pink as the bing on your cherry Pink ´cause you are so very Pink it´s the color of passion `Cause today it just goes with the fashion Pink it was love at first sight, yea Pink when I turn out the light, and Pink gets me high as a kite And I think everything is going to be all right . . . But not, if you live in Denver Lyrics: Aerosmith Source: Denver Post

Praying for pets in Nicaragua

Hundreds of dogs, many dressed as babies or clowns, were taken to celebrate mass in Masaya Nicaragua on March 9, an annual ritual where the owners pray for their pets to be cured or avoid falling ill. A long queue of Catholics, carrying their pets or leading them on leashes, waited their turn to pass by an image of San Lazaro. The faithful thank the saint for curing their pets or ask for the dogs to be protected from illness. The town's priest always conducts a special canine mass. Source: Reuters

Search Dog Foundation

The mission of the Search Dog Foundation is to produce the most highly trained canine disaster search teams in the nation. The job of these teams is to find people buried alive in the wreckage of natural disasters and terrorist attacks. To create these teams, SDF recruits rescued dogs from shelters and breed rescue groups, gives them professional training, and partners them with firefighters and other first responders at no cost to their departments.

Oink your phone

Who could resist? Especially when you can replace the ring tone with a pig snore. $22.00 at Novelty Phones (via)

Wacky Pet Pacifiers

The latest wacky pet accessory is this pacifier for your dog. Manufactured by Rakuten, the pacifiers come in four designs guaranteed to make your dog look totally ridiculous so that you'll be hated forever. (via)

Like Deja vu all over again

Lakeland, FL, resident Adrian Apgar was rescued in 2006 from the jaws of a 12-foot alligator while naked and high on crack cocaine. Police have rescued Apgar again and are holding him in protective custody after he was found standing naked in a pond. He told deputies he had been bitten by a snake while looking for an alligator.

Potty Mouth?

For pet owners are appalled to find that their dogs are eating their own feces or that of other dogs or cats. This behavior is known as coprophagy, from the Greek copro, which means "feces," and phagy, which means "eat." Coprophagy is rarely seen in cats but is quite common in dogs, especially those who are very food-motivated. Many dog owner/guardians find this a completely unacceptable habit. Overall, it's not good for the dog, either, because of the risk of ingesting parasites. Four Paws Potty Mouth Coprophagia Prevention is a remedy to stop your pet from the horrible habit of consuming feces, also commonly known as Coprophagia. The Four Paws Potty Mouth formulation contains ingredients that will quickly stop pets from consuming feces. $7.99 at West Coast Pet Supply

Make mine chocolate

Think twice before buying a real Easter bunny. People buy rabbits thinking they're great low maintenance starter pets, but as a pet, they are actually more time-consuming than dogs. They have cages that need to be cleaned, like other small animals, but they need social interaction like a dog does, at least a couple of hours out of their cage each day. Your home needs to be carefully rabbit-proofed against chewing. The many electrical cords required by modern living are a particular hazard. Although rabbits can be affectionate, they don't like to be picked up, which is frustrating for children, and can result in injury to the rabbit when it tries to get away. Spaying and neutering is critical. Otherwise, behavioral problems start at puberty, including territorial aggression and smelly spraying. A pet rabbit can live 10 to 12 years. Because people often don't understand what they're getting into when they buy a rabbit, and rescue organizations get at least 30 phone calls a month from people wanting to give them up, many of which were bought as gifts for children at Easter. That problem is why the Columbus House Rabbit Society started their "Make Mine Chocolate!" campaign. The campaign encourages a better understanding of rabbits by distributing educational literature, and raises awareness of the Easter issue by selling rabbit pins that resemble chocolate bunnies.

Cute or not? Baby macaque

Aside from humans, the macaques are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from northern Africa to Japan. Twenty-two macaque species are currently recognized, and they include some of the monkeys best known to non-zoologists (wiki).

Our fast friends

Meet Alvin and Vinny, both rescued from the dog tracks by REGAP (Retired Greyhounds As Pets). The pups are in church at a Blessing of the Animals service and they are praying for the quick arrival of their 10-inch Rawhide Retrievers - their very, very favorites. Greyhounds are wonderful, calm pets. Make a fast friend - visit www.rescuedgreyhounds.org

More cuteness

Meet three-month-old twin male polar bear cubs, born in November at the Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna. Source: Daily Mail

Awwwww moment

Speaking of dogs and booze

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