April 2009

  • Be Kind to Bees

    By sparklyscotty on 4/30/09 9:00am
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    Bee no more?Bee no more?The next time you’re contemplating swatting a bee, perhaps you should think twice.

     

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  • Endangered Alert: Radiated Tortoise

    By sparklyscotty on 4/30/09 8:00am
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    Radiated TortoiseRadiated TortoiseThe critically endangered Radiated Tortoise can be found in the dry woods of southern and southwestern Madagascar, generally about 30 to 50 miles from the coast. They are typically found in areas with low rainfall  and spiny vegetation as well as along high inland plateaus and sandy dunes closer to the coast.
     
    The animals were listed as vulnerable by the IUCN in 1982, but after being reassessed in 2008 and finding a substantially lower population, the tortoises have been re-classified critically endangered. Information about the species has shown it has totally disappeared from about 40 per cent of the area that it used to occupy. This is thought to have been caused by a loss of habitat as well as exploitation as the tortoises are often collected for the wildlife and exotic medicine trade. 


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  • Rare Red Squirrels Found in Wales

    By sparklyscotty on 4/30/09 6:41am
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    Conservationists in Wales have stumbled upon a population of rare red squirrels in a remote part of the country. After the larger American grey squirrels were introduced to the area in the 19th century, the amount of the native British red squirrels has declined drastically to the point where they have become severely endangered.  The grey squirrels are the bullies of the English countryside, chasing off red squirrels, eating their food, occupying their habitats and spreading diseases that the smaller squirrels have been susceptible to.  Some researchers even believe that the grey squirrels fight and kill red squirrels that they find in their territory.


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  • Tragedy for Polo Ponies

    By sparklyscotty on 4/29/09 6:31am
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    One of the biggest animal related stories to hit America recently was quite a sad one. 21 horses died within an hour of each other just before an international polo match. On April 23rd, a veterinary pharmacy in Florida admitted that it incorrectly prepared medication which was administered to treat the polo ponies.


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  • You little bastard, you've killed us all!

    By Anonymous on 4/28/09 2:53pm
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    Swine FluSwine Flu

  • Leopards and Orangutan Make Good Friends

    By sparklyscotty on 4/28/09 6:40am
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    Animal AnticsAnimal AnticsTwin five-week old baby African leopards, Solka and his sister Chant, have made friends with a year-old baby orangutan named Rishi. The leopards were born at The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species , in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, US and are being hand reared there.  While leopards and orangutans aren't normally friends in their natural habitat,  these particular animals have been born in captivity, and while still young pose no threat to each other.

    As a matter of fact, this may be the only time the two species have ever encountered each other, as orangutans are now only found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra,  far from the African plains which the wild leopards call home.

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  • Are you tired of animal cruelty?

    By sparklyscotty on 4/26/09 2:49am
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    If you’re getting fed up with reading about cruelty to animals on a daily basis, there’s a way you can chip in and help out our four-legged friends.
     
    There are two types of animal cruelty: active and passive. Active cruelty occurs when somebody hurts an animal deliberately and injures it. It ranges from being physically violent towards an animal to using them for scientific testing.
     
    Passive abuse is the more common of the two and includes neglect and abandonment.  It also includes turning a blind eye to other people harming animals, and not acting to prevent it.

    I think perhaps in our busy lives, we are all guilty of this in way,  and now is as good a time as any to do your part to stop the cruelty.

    Animal Campaign BraceletAnimal Campaign Bracelet
     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • One Health for Gorillas, Humans and livestock

    By sparklyscotty on 4/26/09 2:36am
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    Gorillas fill any onlooker with a sense of awe, with their magnificent power and steady gaze that suggests more than a hint of intelligence.  I remember feeling profoundly humbled when I looked in a Gorilla's eyes at a nature reserve, and wondered what a strange notion we have of advanced evolution when the so called 'civilized' species keeps these noble creatures in cages while they live naturally and peacefully within their habitat causing no destruction or cruelty.


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  • Strange Animal Tales

    By sparklyscotty on 4/25/09 10:14am
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    A stolen Chihuahua puppy worth $3,000 was returned to a Long Island, New York pet shop last week along with a note of apology from the 'puppy kidnapper'.
    Nassau County police said they don’t know who took the 14-week-old puppy because the thief ran away after returning the puppy in a shoe box to Worldwide Puppies & Kittens in Bellmore, just east of New York City.
     
    The shop’s manager said the apologetic note stated that the puppy kidnappers were sorry they stole the dog, but that they hadn't had enough money to buy it. They didn't, however, explain what had prompted them to return the stolen animal.
     
    Police have been looking for four teenage suspects in the theft who were captured on CCTV surveillance.  The footage shows a teen hiding the Chihuahua under his clothing and sneaking it out of the shop. The dog is now doing fine.
    ***


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  • More Polar Bear News

    By sparklyscotty on 4/25/09 9:58am
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    Polar bears hit the headlines again this week,  this time, rather than a human venturing into Polar Bear territory one of the great white bears was found wandering into a town in Canada.

    A medium-sized polar bear strayed into the Canadian town of St. Anthony, Newfoundland, but unfortunately had to be tranquilized and then eventually put to sleep after a veterinarian determined it was badly injured and unlikely to recover.

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  • Polar Bear Attack in Zoo

    By sparklyscotty on 4/22/09 9:34am
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    Wild Polar BearWild Polar BearIn Berlin, Germany, a polar bear has recently proved that while these animals may look cute and cuddly, they shouldn’t be messed with.  One woman found this out the hard way two weeks ago at the Berlin Zoo after she climbed a fence (for some crazy reason) and jumped into the polarbear’s habitat. The woman’s timing couldn’t have been worse as she found herself face to face with the bear at its feeding time.


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  • Gay Elephant Causes a Stir in Poland

    By sparklyscotty on 4/22/09 9:06am
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    A politician in Poland made headlines around the world last week after he publicly complained to his local zoo for acquiring an elephant that he termed "gay."  It seems that the elephant, named Ninio, likes to spend his time with other male elephants and may not be attracted to females for mating.

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  • Recent Animal News

    By sparklyscotty on 4/21/09 6:25am
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    Rare dolphins foundRare dolphins foundIt was mainly a good week for our animal friends as the Wildlife Conservation Society announced that about 6,000 rare Irrawaddy dolphins were recently discovered deep in Bangladesh's Sundarbans mangrove forest and the adjacent freshwater of the Bay of Bengal.


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  • How Much Do You Know About Hedgehogs?

    By sparklyscotty on 4/15/09 2:13pm
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    Cute: Cute!Cute: Cute!Hedgehogs have been roaming the earth for millions of years, but didn’t get their current name until the mid 1400s. They are commonly found in Europe, New Zealand, Africa, India, Pakistan, China, and other parts of Asia, and the Middle East.
     
    The animals belong to the family Erinaceidae and there are 14 different species around the world.


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  • Animal Antics

    By sparklyscotty on 4/15/09 1:54pm
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    Here's a look at some animals hitting the headlines recently:

    The sheriff's office in Marion County, Oregon, U.S. was dealing with a missing female Indian peacock , known as a peahen, last week. The peahen, named Cynthia by the office’s deputies, showed up on the property next door to the sheriff's office last week. Since then, she has spent her days eating bugs, drinking water from a nearby well and generally keeping a watchful eye over the department.

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  • Dangers in Disguise: Australian Paralysis Tick

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 9:20am
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    Sometimes the biggest dangers comes from the smallest of creatures. Viruses, fungus and parasites are all known for their abilities to do harm, despite their tiny size. Here is one little bug that you don't want to get too close to... or you might not be able to get away! The Australian Paralysis Tick runs amok down under.

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  • Canadian Seal Hunt

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 7:09am
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    Harp SealsHarp SealsThe seal hunt (and the debate that accompanies it) is a yearly event in Canada, and around the world for that matter.


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  • Salamander Street Crossing

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 2:34am
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    Salamanders, frogs and newts might be a little slimy and creepy to some people, but definitely not everybody. Forty-five people helped the little critters out recently as they were trying to cross in New Haven, Vermont, road during their annual migration to mate.


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  • Endangered Alert: Cuban Crocodiles

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 2:18am
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    Communist CrocCommunist CrocCuba is pretty well known for a few things including Castro, cigars, rum, and the missile crisis, but not too many people are aware of Cuban crocodiles. And unfortunately, they may be extinct before most people realize they ever existed. The medium-sized crocs are usually found in freshwater marshes, bogs, and shrublands where they can feed on small mammals such as hutias, and freshwater turtles.

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  • Crane lives after being shot with an arrow

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 2:09am
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    Injured CraneInjured CraneA sandhill crane that was found with an arrow right through her body was released on April 1st after making an amazing recovery.
     
    The crane was spotted standing by the road near Wisconsin Rapids last September by a birdwatcher and his wife, but it was too fast to catch and got away.
     
    The couple alerted police and other authorities and then a few weeks later an 11-year-old girl saw the same bird with the arrow still through it, in a stream with it


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  • The Unicorn of the Sea

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 1:20am
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    UnicornUnicornUnicorns don't exist.  I mean what a ridiculous animal they would be, right:  a horse with a horn?  Purely stuff of myths and legends.  Or are they?  Some people believe that the myth may relate to an animal that once did in fact exist, although it has been extinct for thousands of years.  And there is actually plenty of proof in nature that such an animal might not be so far fetched.  Many animals have horns: bulls, goats, antelopes.

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  • New animals still to be discovered

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 12:59am
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    Just when we thought we’ve seen everything this world has to offer it turns out that is not the case, at least when it comes to animals. It seems that over 50 new animal species have been discovered recently by scientists in a remote, mountainous area of Papua New Guinea.
     
    The animal findings were announced on Mar. 25th by Conservation International of Washington, DC.


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  • The Sloth

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 12:51am
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    Sloth: Lazy but cuteSloth: Lazy but cuteThese weird creatures are medium-sized mammals that are found in the forests of Central and South America.  The animals are omnivores, eating insects, rodents, and small lizards, although they generally prefer to munch on leaves, buds, and tender shoots since these don't move. You see the Sloth is considered to be the laziest animal in the world. 


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  • Party Animals

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 12:29am
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    This gorilla looks like he should cut back on the alcahol and lose some weight.This gorilla looks like he should cut back on the alcahol and lose some weight.When wildlife photographer Andy Rouse visited the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda for the fourth time recently, he knew he would find a family of endangered gorillas to photograph between 8,000 and 13,000 feet up the mountain, but he got a little more than he bargained for.
     
    When he reached the animals he found they had been pounding back the alcoholic sap that is found in fresh bamboo shoots and were on wobbly le


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  • Dog Overboard!

    By sparklyscotty on 4/14/09 12:21am
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    Even the gentlest of animals can show they have the killer instinct when it comes to survival.  While we have become used to dogs as being domesticated and docile pets, one dog has proved that deep down inside there still lurks the survival spirit of a wild beast.  Australian cattle dog Sophie Tucker recently went from house pet to hunter after she fell overboard off the coast of Australia, then swam five miles to a remote island.


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  • Claude the Sea Lion and Irish Step-Dancing

    By lisala on 4/13/09 6:35pm
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    A few years ago, whenever anyone learned that I was a Celticist, they asked me how much I loved Riverdance, and wasn't that Michael Flately just wonderful?

    I like Riverdance OK; it's sort of Irish step dancing, much the way Enya is sort of traditional Celtic music, which is as much to say, neither Riverdance or Enya are actually very traditional at all. But mostly, I loathe Michal Flatley as a self-aggrandizing upstaging peacock with delusions of grandeur and really bad Irish.

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  • Dangers in Disguise: The East African Gaboon Adder

    By sparklyscotty on 4/13/09 2:11am
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    Snakes are probably in the top five animals that people would think of when asked to name a deadly creature, yet the majority of them are not poisonous. This one, however, is. And it's ability to camouflage itself means that you need to keep a sharp eye out if you go wandering around on an African Safari.

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  • Baby Badgers Rescued

    By lisala on 4/11/09 8:40pm
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  • Baby Badgers Rescued

    By lisala on 4/11/09 8:35pm
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  • Dangers in Disguise: The Stonefish

    By sparklyscotty on 4/6/09 1:52am
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    As humans we tend to get everywhere, tramping around in forests, oceans, deserts and lakes, without thinking about the animals whose home we are stomping on. While some animals might seem fierce, most will only attack humans if they feel threatened, and in some cases they might inflict damage without even trying, as is the case with this poisonous fish found in reefs around Australia, Japan and Thailand.

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