LONDON (AP) - The London zoo is taking stock of an animal you don't often find behind bars, launching what it says is the first interactive map of the British capital's domestic cats.
The zoo said Friday that its interface would allow Londoners to upload scientific survey-style photos, descriptions, and locations of their cats - creating a capital-wide census of the city's felines.
The map may not ultimately have much in the way of scientific value, but it could prove popular among Britain's cat owners.
Even ahead of its official launch, the site was filling up with dozens of felines, along with tongue-in-cheek field notes.
Among the early entrants was Ollie, a ginger cat from north London who 'likes fish and octopus toy (but) dislikes biscuits.' Another was Dorothy, a black tabby from south London who 'has intimacy issues.'
Quality control doesn't appear to be a strong suit of the site. At least one person uploaded a picture of a 'Nyancat,' the name given by Internet pranksters to an animated, space-dwelling cat with the body of a Pop-Tart.
But the other listings appeared legitimate and the map was already yielding its first figures. Nearly half of Britain's domestic cats are black or gray, according to the map, and roughly one-sixth are ginger or rust-colored.
Officials with the Zoological Society of London said they were launching the map to mark the arrival of two Sumatran tigers - Jae Jae and Melati - at the zoo.
They add that while the map is aimed at Londoners, cat fans from outside the city - even outside the country - can also upload their pets' photos to the system.
___
Online:
Cat map: http://zsl.org/CatMap
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Right at Home: games and toys to keep pets happy
Our dogs are often as fat as we are, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Family cats can look like furry ottomans. At Tufts University, they've set up an obesity clinic at the vet school.
It's time to get our pets up and at 'em.
Dogs and cats love to play, and there are scores of great toys to engage their bodies and minds.
Be mindful of your pet's breed and character when choosing games and toys, advises Victoria Wells, senior manager for behavior and training at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' adoption center in New York City.
DOGS
'Scent-oriented dogs will respond best to games that involve seeking out something that has an odor, so hide treats around the house that they have to locate,' she says. 'Buy toys that you can hide treats inside, and the dog has to tumble it to get at them.'
Intelligent dogs need mental stimulation just as people do, says Wells.
Spot's Seek a Treat sliding puzzle and Discovery Wheel might fill the bill. Company of Animals has a Twister treat-finding game. The Kong line of toys are pack pleasers; the toys have holes at one end to hide treats, and the heavy-duty rubber construction makes them tough enough for larger dogs. (Available at many pet stores, or at www.wag.com ; www.companyofanimals.co.uk )
Big, energetic dogs will have fun chasing the sturdy Varsity Ball. And for a little humor, consider Moody Pet's Humunga lips-, tongue- or moustache-shaped chew toys that give your dog a hilarious visage when they're holding them. (www.varsitypet.com ; www.moodypet.com )
Dogs that love to interact love to tug - and Wells says that, contrary to some opinion, tugging can be a great game.
'It's all about who's in control of the game. You decide when you play it, when the toy must be released, when it must be dropped,' she says.
Teaching these skills early in a puppy's life makes play a lifelong joy. But even a rescue dog can learn, with patience and understanding.
Try a tennis ball attached to a rope, which makes retrieving and throwing easy - no slobbery balls to grip. Petco also offers Bamboo's Combat Bone, a soft and floatable bone-shaped tugger, while Homegoods' extensive pet department, HG Pet, has great squeak-and-fetch options too. (www.petco.com , www.homegoods.com )
Sturdy coils of small, medium or large marine-grade rope also do the job, but for multi-dog tug action, consider Ruff Dawg's four-handled rubber toy. (www.wag.com )
If you've got a ball-loving dog, you've probably spent hours throwing one; tennis balls seem to be the toy of choice. For something a little different, consider the Mystery Tree, which requires the dog to trip a lever to release the ball. And for truly energetic canines, get the Hyperdog Launcher, which shoots up to four balls 220 feet via a slingshot-like contraption. No more goober-y hands or sore throwing arms. (www.activedogtoys.com )
Some dogs love hide and seek; Kyjen has a plush tree trunk you stuff with mini squirrels for Dog to extricate. (www.kyjen.com )
And how about chasing bubbles? Activedogtoys.com has the automatic Bubbletastic and Bubble Buddy, which blow bacon- or chicken-scented bubbles.
Perform a toy test: Does your pet respond best to a plush toy, a ball or an interactive food toy?
On his website Cesarsway.com, dog behavior specialist and TV show host Cesar Millan advises that toys can help a dog learn not to bite. With puppies, introduce toys quickly as substitutes for hands.
Wells suggests some easy-to-make homemade toys. Poke holes in a 2-liter soda bottle and fill it with a few kibbles: Pawing the bottle will randomly release the treats.
A popular treat at shelters is a savory ice pop. 'We put some treats in deli or carry-out containers, then fill them with water or chicken stock' and freeze them, she says.
Caregivers also scent objects with cinnamon, clove or lavender at different times of day, she says, depending on whether they want to energize or soothe their furry charges.
When you leave the house for a long period, Wells say, 'limit the number of toys you leave out. Just like children, pets get bored if their entire toy box is available to them every day.'
CATS
Cats appreciate an interesting toy as much as dogs do. Kitty condos, which often have several elevations and platforms to climb, sit on and hide in, are excellent choices.
'Vertical hiding places and sanctuaries are very important to cats,' notes Wells, since they seek these out in the wild.
Look for upholstered versions in kneadable micro plush, or carpet remnants.
Scratching posts made of sturdy jute will save your furniture, and can be purchased or made at home. A feline version of the mouse exercise wheel is available at Catwheelcompany.com.
Other homemade cat toys include toilet paper rolls filled with catnip or treats, which the cats release by batting the toy around, and wands made out of rulers, rubber bands and feathers, Wells says. Cats get their own version of the ice pop, she says: 3-ounce drink cups filled with cat food and chicken or beef stock, and then frozen.
A fun interactive family toy might be the Abo Cat Tunnel: Kids and pets chase each other through a nylon tube. The Bergan Catnip Cyclone involves a circular track on which a cat spins a ball filled with catnip; the more twirls, the more catnip aroma released. A feathery teaser can be attached. The Cataction Magneticat provides a magnetized bug on the end of a wand that bobbles around while your cat tries to catch it. (www.petco.com )
The Ba Da Beam Rotating Laser Cat Toy features a battery-operated laser. (www.drsfostersmith.com )
At Catchannel.com, find tips on making your own versions of wand, tug and climbing toys out of boxes, paper bags and other household items.
It's time to get our pets up and at 'em.
Dogs and cats love to play, and there are scores of great toys to engage their bodies and minds.
Be mindful of your pet's breed and character when choosing games and toys, advises Victoria Wells, senior manager for behavior and training at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' adoption center in New York City.
DOGS
'Scent-oriented dogs will respond best to games that involve seeking out something that has an odor, so hide treats around the house that they have to locate,' she says. 'Buy toys that you can hide treats inside, and the dog has to tumble it to get at them.'
Intelligent dogs need mental stimulation just as people do, says Wells.
Spot's Seek a Treat sliding puzzle and Discovery Wheel might fill the bill. Company of Animals has a Twister treat-finding game. The Kong line of toys are pack pleasers; the toys have holes at one end to hide treats, and the heavy-duty rubber construction makes them tough enough for larger dogs. (Available at many pet stores, or at www.wag.com ; www.companyofanimals.co.uk )
Big, energetic dogs will have fun chasing the sturdy Varsity Ball. And for a little humor, consider Moody Pet's Humunga lips-, tongue- or moustache-shaped chew toys that give your dog a hilarious visage when they're holding them. (www.varsitypet.com ; www.moodypet.com )
Dogs that love to interact love to tug - and Wells says that, contrary to some opinion, tugging can be a great game.
'It's all about who's in control of the game. You decide when you play it, when the toy must be released, when it must be dropped,' she says.
Teaching these skills early in a puppy's life makes play a lifelong joy. But even a rescue dog can learn, with patience and understanding.
Try a tennis ball attached to a rope, which makes retrieving and throwing easy - no slobbery balls to grip. Petco also offers Bamboo's Combat Bone, a soft and floatable bone-shaped tugger, while Homegoods' extensive pet department, HG Pet, has great squeak-and-fetch options too. (www.petco.com , www.homegoods.com )
Sturdy coils of small, medium or large marine-grade rope also do the job, but for multi-dog tug action, consider Ruff Dawg's four-handled rubber toy. (www.wag.com )
If you've got a ball-loving dog, you've probably spent hours throwing one; tennis balls seem to be the toy of choice. For something a little different, consider the Mystery Tree, which requires the dog to trip a lever to release the ball. And for truly energetic canines, get the Hyperdog Launcher, which shoots up to four balls 220 feet via a slingshot-like contraption. No more goober-y hands or sore throwing arms. (www.activedogtoys.com )
Some dogs love hide and seek; Kyjen has a plush tree trunk you stuff with mini squirrels for Dog to extricate. (www.kyjen.com )
And how about chasing bubbles? Activedogtoys.com has the automatic Bubbletastic and Bubble Buddy, which blow bacon- or chicken-scented bubbles.
Perform a toy test: Does your pet respond best to a plush toy, a ball or an interactive food toy?
On his website Cesarsway.com, dog behavior specialist and TV show host Cesar Millan advises that toys can help a dog learn not to bite. With puppies, introduce toys quickly as substitutes for hands.
Wells suggests some easy-to-make homemade toys. Poke holes in a 2-liter soda bottle and fill it with a few kibbles: Pawing the bottle will randomly release the treats.
A popular treat at shelters is a savory ice pop. 'We put some treats in deli or carry-out containers, then fill them with water or chicken stock' and freeze them, she says.
Caregivers also scent objects with cinnamon, clove or lavender at different times of day, she says, depending on whether they want to energize or soothe their furry charges.
When you leave the house for a long period, Wells say, 'limit the number of toys you leave out. Just like children, pets get bored if their entire toy box is available to them every day.'
CATS
Cats appreciate an interesting toy as much as dogs do. Kitty condos, which often have several elevations and platforms to climb, sit on and hide in, are excellent choices.
'Vertical hiding places and sanctuaries are very important to cats,' notes Wells, since they seek these out in the wild.
Look for upholstered versions in kneadable micro plush, or carpet remnants.
Scratching posts made of sturdy jute will save your furniture, and can be purchased or made at home. A feline version of the mouse exercise wheel is available at Catwheelcompany.com.
Other homemade cat toys include toilet paper rolls filled with catnip or treats, which the cats release by batting the toy around, and wands made out of rulers, rubber bands and feathers, Wells says. Cats get their own version of the ice pop, she says: 3-ounce drink cups filled with cat food and chicken or beef stock, and then frozen.
A fun interactive family toy might be the Abo Cat Tunnel: Kids and pets chase each other through a nylon tube. The Bergan Catnip Cyclone involves a circular track on which a cat spins a ball filled with catnip; the more twirls, the more catnip aroma released. A feathery teaser can be attached. The Cataction Magneticat provides a magnetized bug on the end of a wand that bobbles around while your cat tries to catch it. (www.petco.com )
The Ba Da Beam Rotating Laser Cat Toy features a battery-operated laser. (www.drsfostersmith.com )
At Catchannel.com, find tips on making your own versions of wand, tug and climbing toys out of boxes, paper bags and other household items.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Ailing pets getting hyperbaric chamber treatment
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Hyperbaric chambers have been used for decades to treat divers with the bends, burn victims and people with traumatic injuries, but in Florida and a handful of other states they're increasingly being used on ailing pets.
Doctors at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine have recently used an oxygen chamber on dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits and one monkey.
Veterinarian and professor Justin Shmalberg said the capsule has been used to treat animals that have been bitten by rattlesnakes, hit by cars and those with infected wounds, among other things.
'Any place we have swelling of tissue, we oftentimes are thinking about the hyperbaric chamber as something we could do to decrease that,' he said.
Shmalberg said the chamber's high-pressure atmosphere of pure oxygen appears to help reduce swelling and aid healing time. He added that the school will begin clinical trials this summer to determine how - or even if - the hyperbaric chamber really is effective in speeding recoveries and healing animals.
There is little research on hyperbaric treatments and pets, although veterinarians who use the chambers note that most of the research for human hyperbaric treatments comes from trials done on rabbits and rats.
'We want to make sure there's really good science behind it,' said Dr. Diane Levitan, who owns Peace Love Pets Veterinary Care in Commack, N.Y. 'It's not a panacea. There are specific reasons why this is helpful.'
Levitan has a hyperbaric chamber in her practice and is writing an article for a veterinary journal on the treatment. Like Shmalberg, she has seen an improved rate of healing for certain conditions such as herniated discs, abscesses and even post-radiation swelling.
In humans, insurance companies will pay for hyperbaric treatment for several conditions, including carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries and bone marrow infections, among other things. Some insurance companies won't pay for hyperbaric treatment for wounds or ulcers, saying that it's an 'unproven' therapy - but some people swear by the treatment and seek out private clinics.
It's the same with pet owners; veterinarians with oxygen chambers say that people with sick pets often will often research the treatment and request it after becoming familiar with it through human medicine.
'It is a very new modality for treatment in veterinary medicine,' said Dr. Andrew Turkell of Calusa Veterinary Center in Boca Raton.
The devices used by UF, Levitan and Turkell are about the size of a loveseat and are manufactured in Florida by a Boca Raton company named Hyperbaric Veterinary Medicine. Turkell was the first doctor to sign a contract with Hyperbaric Veterinary Medicine, and estimates that he's used the chamber 750-800 times in the past year and a half.
'I find that it's really very effective for any kind of trauma,' he said, adding that he's seen improvements in pets that have been hit by cars that have been subsequently treated in the chamber.
Wayne McCullough, the company's CEO, said that most veterinary offices can't afford to buy the capsules outright - chambers for humans cost between $50,000 and $150,000 each - so the company gives the clinics the chambers and then receives a cut on each treatment done by the veterinarian. At the UF clinic, treatment costs about $125 per session.
McCullough said that his employees deliver and train veterinarians on how to use the capsule. Working with 100 percent oxygen can be dangerous, which is why pets going inside the chamber are patted down with water before the treatment so their fur doesn't conduct static electricity and cause a fire.
In 2012, the high-oxygen chamber of a Florida equine sports medicine center exploded and caused part of a building to collapse, killed a worker and the horse inside the chamber.
The machine that exploded wasn't one of McCullough's chambers; it was a larger contraption made for horses. The horse inside the chamber apparently struck the side of the machine with its foot, which caused the spark and fire. It underscored the potential danger of the capsules.
Dr. Dorie Amour, the director of Emory University's wound care clinic, suggested that hyperbaric therapy in pets be a last-resort treatment. It 'has to be a therapy used when there is no alternative. Or a therapy used for a very serious problem for which there hasn't been a solution.'
Pet owners such as Mike Ray, the owner of Maggie, an 11-year-old dachshund with a gaping wound and recurring infection in her back paw, say they're willing to give it a try - and spend the extra money to do so at the University of Florida animal hospital.
Maggie has been through a handful of hyperbaric treatments, and Dr. Schmalberg and Ray say they've noticed a difference after two sessions in the capsule. New fur is growing where raw flesh was once exposed.
'Whatever it takes, we're going do and we'll find a way to get it done,' Ray said as he and his wife waited for Maggie to finish her oxygen therapy. 'Because we need to get her healed.'
___
Associated Press reporter Johnny C. Clark contributed to this report from Atlanta.
___
Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush
Doctors at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine have recently used an oxygen chamber on dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits and one monkey.
Veterinarian and professor Justin Shmalberg said the capsule has been used to treat animals that have been bitten by rattlesnakes, hit by cars and those with infected wounds, among other things.
'Any place we have swelling of tissue, we oftentimes are thinking about the hyperbaric chamber as something we could do to decrease that,' he said.
Shmalberg said the chamber's high-pressure atmosphere of pure oxygen appears to help reduce swelling and aid healing time. He added that the school will begin clinical trials this summer to determine how - or even if - the hyperbaric chamber really is effective in speeding recoveries and healing animals.
There is little research on hyperbaric treatments and pets, although veterinarians who use the chambers note that most of the research for human hyperbaric treatments comes from trials done on rabbits and rats.
'We want to make sure there's really good science behind it,' said Dr. Diane Levitan, who owns Peace Love Pets Veterinary Care in Commack, N.Y. 'It's not a panacea. There are specific reasons why this is helpful.'
Levitan has a hyperbaric chamber in her practice and is writing an article for a veterinary journal on the treatment. Like Shmalberg, she has seen an improved rate of healing for certain conditions such as herniated discs, abscesses and even post-radiation swelling.
In humans, insurance companies will pay for hyperbaric treatment for several conditions, including carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries and bone marrow infections, among other things. Some insurance companies won't pay for hyperbaric treatment for wounds or ulcers, saying that it's an 'unproven' therapy - but some people swear by the treatment and seek out private clinics.
It's the same with pet owners; veterinarians with oxygen chambers say that people with sick pets often will often research the treatment and request it after becoming familiar with it through human medicine.
'It is a very new modality for treatment in veterinary medicine,' said Dr. Andrew Turkell of Calusa Veterinary Center in Boca Raton.
The devices used by UF, Levitan and Turkell are about the size of a loveseat and are manufactured in Florida by a Boca Raton company named Hyperbaric Veterinary Medicine. Turkell was the first doctor to sign a contract with Hyperbaric Veterinary Medicine, and estimates that he's used the chamber 750-800 times in the past year and a half.
'I find that it's really very effective for any kind of trauma,' he said, adding that he's seen improvements in pets that have been hit by cars that have been subsequently treated in the chamber.
Wayne McCullough, the company's CEO, said that most veterinary offices can't afford to buy the capsules outright - chambers for humans cost between $50,000 and $150,000 each - so the company gives the clinics the chambers and then receives a cut on each treatment done by the veterinarian. At the UF clinic, treatment costs about $125 per session.
McCullough said that his employees deliver and train veterinarians on how to use the capsule. Working with 100 percent oxygen can be dangerous, which is why pets going inside the chamber are patted down with water before the treatment so their fur doesn't conduct static electricity and cause a fire.
In 2012, the high-oxygen chamber of a Florida equine sports medicine center exploded and caused part of a building to collapse, killed a worker and the horse inside the chamber.
The machine that exploded wasn't one of McCullough's chambers; it was a larger contraption made for horses. The horse inside the chamber apparently struck the side of the machine with its foot, which caused the spark and fire. It underscored the potential danger of the capsules.
Dr. Dorie Amour, the director of Emory University's wound care clinic, suggested that hyperbaric therapy in pets be a last-resort treatment. It 'has to be a therapy used when there is no alternative. Or a therapy used for a very serious problem for which there hasn't been a solution.'
Pet owners such as Mike Ray, the owner of Maggie, an 11-year-old dachshund with a gaping wound and recurring infection in her back paw, say they're willing to give it a try - and spend the extra money to do so at the University of Florida animal hospital.
Maggie has been through a handful of hyperbaric treatments, and Dr. Schmalberg and Ray say they've noticed a difference after two sessions in the capsule. New fur is growing where raw flesh was once exposed.
'Whatever it takes, we're going do and we'll find a way to get it done,' Ray said as he and his wife waited for Maggie to finish her oxygen therapy. 'Because we need to get her healed.'
___
Associated Press reporter Johnny C. Clark contributed to this report from Atlanta.
___
Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Rare Baby Crocs Released into Wild
Nineteen baby Siamese crocodiles are being let loose in the wetlands of Laos, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced this week. The effort gives a boost to the critically endangered species, which is thought to include just 250 individuals in the wild.
The rare reptiles' eggs had been incubated at the Laos Zoo after being recovered during wildlife surveys in the wetlands of Savannakhet Province, and they hatched in the summer of 2011.
The baby crocs are being let go near the same spot where they were found, but they will stay in a 'soft release' pen for several months. There they will get used to their surroundings and receive supplementary food and protection from community members, according to the WCS. Rising water levels at the start of the rainy season will eventually let the crocodiles swim away on their own, but they will be monitored occasionally by conservationists.
Siamese crocodiles grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) in length, but right now, these toothy creatures of the Laos Zoo measure only about 27 inches (70 cm). The crocs have never been known to attack humans, according to the conservation agency Fauna & Flora International. Classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Siamese crocodile population has been cut down by overhunting and habitat loss across much of its former range through Southeast Asia and parts of Indonesia.
The release effort was organized by the WCS's Laos branch as part of a community-based program to recover the local Siamese crocodile population and restore the associated wetlands, with a focus on incentives that improve local livelihoods.
'We are extremely pleased with the success of this collaborative program and believe it is an important step in contributing to the conservation of the species by involving local communities in long-term wetland management,' Alex McWilliam, a WCS conservation biologist, said in a statement. 'The head starting component of this integrated WCS program represents a significant contribution to the conservation of this magnificent animal in the wild.'
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
The rare reptiles' eggs had been incubated at the Laos Zoo after being recovered during wildlife surveys in the wetlands of Savannakhet Province, and they hatched in the summer of 2011.
The baby crocs are being let go near the same spot where they were found, but they will stay in a 'soft release' pen for several months. There they will get used to their surroundings and receive supplementary food and protection from community members, according to the WCS. Rising water levels at the start of the rainy season will eventually let the crocodiles swim away on their own, but they will be monitored occasionally by conservationists.
Siamese crocodiles grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) in length, but right now, these toothy creatures of the Laos Zoo measure only about 27 inches (70 cm). The crocs have never been known to attack humans, according to the conservation agency Fauna & Flora International. Classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Siamese crocodile population has been cut down by overhunting and habitat loss across much of its former range through Southeast Asia and parts of Indonesia.
The release effort was organized by the WCS's Laos branch as part of a community-based program to recover the local Siamese crocodile population and restore the associated wetlands, with a focus on incentives that improve local livelihoods.
'We are extremely pleased with the success of this collaborative program and believe it is an important step in contributing to the conservation of the species by involving local communities in long-term wetland management,' Alex McWilliam, a WCS conservation biologist, said in a statement. 'The head starting component of this integrated WCS program represents a significant contribution to the conservation of this magnificent animal in the wild.'
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- World's Cutest Baby Wild Animals
- The 10 Weirdest Animal Discoveries of 2012
- Alligators vs. Crocodiles: Photos Reveal Who's Who
Saturday, February 23, 2013
WhaleWatch: New Program Could Help Protect Whales
Throughout the year, the waters off the U.S. West Coast host a diverse group of whales. But the area is also home to busy shipping lanes and fishing activity, putting whales at risk for ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets.
A new program is being developed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Oregon State University and the University of Maryland to help prevent these accidents. Called WhaleWatch, it's being designed to give ship captains a better idea of where whales are most likely to congregate. It could also help NOAA adjust shipping lanes if necessary, and take other measures needed to prevent unnecessary whale deaths, said Daniel Palacios, a researcher with NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
WhaleWatch, which is due to be finished in about 1.5 years, is being developed using data from tags placed on as many as 150 whales over the last 20 years, Palacios told OurAmazingPlanet. This information has allowed researchers to determine a set of physical measurements - such as water depth, temperature and plankton productivity - where whales are usually found. Much of it depends on how these conditions affect the location and abundance of krill, a small shrimp-like animal that is a favorite food of these great whales, he said.
The program will take these variables, which can be measured by satellites, and issue a periodic online map showing where certain whales are most likely to be found, Palacios said.
The program is based upon TurtleWatch, a product developed by NOAA researchers that's used by longline fishermen in Hawaii, and which has helped reduce the number of entanglements of loggerhead sea turtles there, Palacios said. TurtleWatch similarly produces maps of where the endangered turtles are most likely to be found, namely in warm waters where wind currents converge, said Evan Howell, TurtleWatch developer and a researcher at NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu.
The data for WhaleWatch comes from tags placed on blue, fin, gray and humpback whales from off the U.S. West Coast, Palacios said. This tagging work was led by Bruce Mate, a researcher at Oregon State University and Palacios' collaborator, Palacios said.
Reach Douglas Main at dmain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas_Main. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.
A new program is being developed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Oregon State University and the University of Maryland to help prevent these accidents. Called WhaleWatch, it's being designed to give ship captains a better idea of where whales are most likely to congregate. It could also help NOAA adjust shipping lanes if necessary, and take other measures needed to prevent unnecessary whale deaths, said Daniel Palacios, a researcher with NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
WhaleWatch, which is due to be finished in about 1.5 years, is being developed using data from tags placed on as many as 150 whales over the last 20 years, Palacios told OurAmazingPlanet. This information has allowed researchers to determine a set of physical measurements - such as water depth, temperature and plankton productivity - where whales are usually found. Much of it depends on how these conditions affect the location and abundance of krill, a small shrimp-like animal that is a favorite food of these great whales, he said.
The program will take these variables, which can be measured by satellites, and issue a periodic online map showing where certain whales are most likely to be found, Palacios said.
The program is based upon TurtleWatch, a product developed by NOAA researchers that's used by longline fishermen in Hawaii, and which has helped reduce the number of entanglements of loggerhead sea turtles there, Palacios said. TurtleWatch similarly produces maps of where the endangered turtles are most likely to be found, namely in warm waters where wind currents converge, said Evan Howell, TurtleWatch developer and a researcher at NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu.
The data for WhaleWatch comes from tags placed on blue, fin, gray and humpback whales from off the U.S. West Coast, Palacios said. This tagging work was led by Bruce Mate, a researcher at Oregon State University and Palacios' collaborator, Palacios said.
Reach Douglas Main at dmain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas_Main. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.
- In Photos: Tracking Humpback Whales
- Marine Marvels: Spectacular Photos of Sea Creatures
- Humpback Whales Sing Their Tunes
Friday, February 22, 2013
Americans spent over $53 billion on pets last year
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The economy may have remained sluggish last year but Americans refused to scrimp on their pets, with animal lovers spending upwards of $53 billion on food, veterinary care, kennels and other services in 2012.
That's up 5 percent from 2011, when spending first broke the $50 billion barrier, says the American Pet Products Association, a trade group based in Greenwich, Conn. And APPA President and CEO Bob Vetere predicts another 4 percent gain this year.
At about $34.3 billion, food and vet care represented about two-thirds of total spending, with money spent on supplies and over-the-counter medications rising by more than 7 percent. Spending on the growing market of alternative vet care, such as acupuncture, totaled about $12.5 billion.
Vetere says spending on services like grooming, boarding, hotels and pet-sitting grew nearly 10 percent during 2012 to almost $4.4 billion.
That's up 5 percent from 2011, when spending first broke the $50 billion barrier, says the American Pet Products Association, a trade group based in Greenwich, Conn. And APPA President and CEO Bob Vetere predicts another 4 percent gain this year.
At about $34.3 billion, food and vet care represented about two-thirds of total spending, with money spent on supplies and over-the-counter medications rising by more than 7 percent. Spending on the growing market of alternative vet care, such as acupuncture, totaled about $12.5 billion.
Vetere says spending on services like grooming, boarding, hotels and pet-sitting grew nearly 10 percent during 2012 to almost $4.4 billion.
Alaska senator pushes for wildlife refuge road
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska U.S. senator says she may block confirmation of President Obama's choice for Interior secretary unless the administration agrees to a road that would give a remote village road access to emergency flights.
Republican Lisa Murkowski says she's considering all tools in her toolbox to ensure the safety of the people of King Cove, where dangerous winds often keep planes from landing.
Residents want a land route to nearby Cold Bay and its all-weather airport through Izembek (EYE'-zem-beck) National Wildlife Refuge.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this month rejected a land trade that could have led to construction of the road.
Road opponents say the refuge protects internationally recognized migratory bird habitat and that the village should pursue a marine route to Cold Bay.
Republican Lisa Murkowski says she's considering all tools in her toolbox to ensure the safety of the people of King Cove, where dangerous winds often keep planes from landing.
Residents want a land route to nearby Cold Bay and its all-weather airport through Izembek (EYE'-zem-beck) National Wildlife Refuge.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this month rejected a land trade that could have led to construction of the road.
Road opponents say the refuge protects internationally recognized migratory bird habitat and that the village should pursue a marine route to Cold Bay.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Singer Morrissey will not get meat-free concert in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British vegetarian rock singer Morrissey's concert in Los Angeles next week will be a little more meaty than the former Smiths frontman had initially hoped.
The longtime animal rights activist said earlier this week he had urged the Staples Center arena to close the concessions of fast-food chain McDonald's and to halt the sale of meat by other outlets at the venue for his March 1 performance there.
Morrissey's representatives said in a statement on Monday that Staples Center had agreed to the request, and they added it would the first time that all vendors within and around the Los Angeles venue would be 100 percent vegetarian.
But Staples Center arena operator Anschutz Entertainment Group, or AEG, said on Thursday that meat would still be on menus.
'As of right now, there will be meat options for fans,' Staples Center spokeswoman Cara Vanderhook told Reuters.
It was unclear how the apparent confusion arose.
AEG will also roll out a special line of meatless food concessions for fans, including vegan sloppy Joes, vegan sushi, and hummus and pita bread.
The animal rights pressure group PETA recently named Staples Center as the most vegetarian-friendly venue in professional basketball. The National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers play their home games at the arena.
Morrissey, 53, who co-wrote The Smiths' 1985 song 'Meat Is Murder,' postponed a series of concerts on his North America tour last month after being hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer.
The singer is expected to relaunch the tour with a performance on U.S. late-night talk show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' next week.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Peter Cooney)
The longtime animal rights activist said earlier this week he had urged the Staples Center arena to close the concessions of fast-food chain McDonald's and to halt the sale of meat by other outlets at the venue for his March 1 performance there.
Morrissey's representatives said in a statement on Monday that Staples Center had agreed to the request, and they added it would the first time that all vendors within and around the Los Angeles venue would be 100 percent vegetarian.
But Staples Center arena operator Anschutz Entertainment Group, or AEG, said on Thursday that meat would still be on menus.
'As of right now, there will be meat options for fans,' Staples Center spokeswoman Cara Vanderhook told Reuters.
It was unclear how the apparent confusion arose.
AEG will also roll out a special line of meatless food concessions for fans, including vegan sloppy Joes, vegan sushi, and hummus and pita bread.
The animal rights pressure group PETA recently named Staples Center as the most vegetarian-friendly venue in professional basketball. The National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers play their home games at the arena.
Morrissey, 53, who co-wrote The Smiths' 1985 song 'Meat Is Murder,' postponed a series of concerts on his North America tour last month after being hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer.
The singer is expected to relaunch the tour with a performance on U.S. late-night talk show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' next week.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Peter Cooney)
Fendi in Milan sticks discreetly to fur heritage
MILAN (AP) - Fendi is to fur what Ferrari is to cars. Yet given current concerns about animal rights, the brand has moved from the lavish fur coats that were all the rage in the 1980s to a more discreet way of interpreting fur as fashion.
At Just Cavalli, which showed right after Fendi on Thursday and also featured furs, an activist disrupted the show by jumping on the runway holding a sign that read 'Your fashion is our death.' She was forcibly dragged away as were several others in the audience who had held up similar signs.
At the latest Fendi winter collection presented Thursday during Milan Fashion Week, Silvia Venturini, the creative director and daughter of one of the company's five founding sisters, opted for wisps of fur used as hair decorations, bracelets, or charms hanging from Fendi bags.
Fur also appeared as inserts in a skirt or a dress, or sheered and fashioned into a cozy, but not showy, jacket. Long fur, usually goat, also seen on other runways during Milan's preview showings, was used to make up a skirt or a cape.
For decades, German born designer Karl Lagerfeld has been working with Fendi, adding his flamboyant designing talent to their creative genius.
This round he offered a constructed slim silhouette, with accentuated shoulders and a knee-length hemline. The look is sophisticated rather than sexy and used deep, dark shades of red and blue, which along with black are becoming the staple colors for next winter.
In the accessory department, Fendi chose to reinvent its iconic handbags, from the clutch bag - this time furry - to a modern version of the Mary Poppins bag.
The shoes are sure to be a winter hit. Whether a pump, a boot or a lace-up, each pair was elaborately decorated, some in fur, and comes with a pointed toe and a glistening mirrored high heel.
At Just Cavalli, which showed right after Fendi on Thursday and also featured furs, an activist disrupted the show by jumping on the runway holding a sign that read 'Your fashion is our death.' She was forcibly dragged away as were several others in the audience who had held up similar signs.
At the latest Fendi winter collection presented Thursday during Milan Fashion Week, Silvia Venturini, the creative director and daughter of one of the company's five founding sisters, opted for wisps of fur used as hair decorations, bracelets, or charms hanging from Fendi bags.
Fur also appeared as inserts in a skirt or a dress, or sheered and fashioned into a cozy, but not showy, jacket. Long fur, usually goat, also seen on other runways during Milan's preview showings, was used to make up a skirt or a cape.
For decades, German born designer Karl Lagerfeld has been working with Fendi, adding his flamboyant designing talent to their creative genius.
This round he offered a constructed slim silhouette, with accentuated shoulders and a knee-length hemline. The look is sophisticated rather than sexy and used deep, dark shades of red and blue, which along with black are becoming the staple colors for next winter.
In the accessory department, Fendi chose to reinvent its iconic handbags, from the clutch bag - this time furry - to a modern version of the Mary Poppins bag.
The shoes are sure to be a winter hit. Whether a pump, a boot or a lace-up, each pair was elaborately decorated, some in fur, and comes with a pointed toe and a glistening mirrored high heel.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Whale Watchers Have a Close Encounter With Gray Whales
Boaters aboard a whale watching safari off the coast of California got their money's worth when a gray whale got up close and personal.
The whale allowed the delighted adults and children on the boat to pet its skin and inside its mouth, something that could make whales just like their human admirers.
'According to the naturalists who see them every day, these gray whale calves enjoy having people touch them, even in their mouth and on their baleen,' reads the description with the video of the encounter posted on YouTube this week. 'Even though these whales don't have teeth, perhaps it is like a teething child who enjoys having his gums rubbed.'
The close encounter with the wild mammal occurred during a whale watching safari off the coast of upper Magdalena Bay piloted by Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari, a Dana, Calif.-based whale watching company.
The company says the whales, which can grow to as long as 50 feet and weigh as much as 40 tons, approach their boats on their own seeking human contact.
'No one feeds them or does anything to entice them,' the company stated on YouTube.
Capt. Dave's even keeps a count on its website of gray whale sightings on its daily boat trips, totaling as many as eight in one day.
The gray whale, which was removed from the endangered species list in 1994, is known as 'one of the animal kingdom's great migrators' and travels in groups called pods, according to National Geographic.
The whales have to surface to breathe, making them easy to spot as they migrate along the West Coast from their summer home in Alaskan waters to their cold season refuge in the warmer waters off the coast of Mexico.
Also Read
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Singer Morrissey requests meat-free Los Angeles concert venue
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British singer Morrissey has convinced a Los Angeles concert venue to not sell meat at concessions during his performance next month.
The longtime animal rights activist and former singer for 1980s rock group The Smiths urged the Staples Center arena to shutter the concession stands of fast food chain McDonald's and to halt the sale of meat by other outlets at the venue for his March 1 performance.
'We respect Morrissey's lifestyle and his concern for the wishes of so many of his fans and are happy that we are able to honor his requests in this manner,' Lee Zeidman, the arena's general manager, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Staples Center operator Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) said the arena will also roll out a special line of meatless food concessions, including vegan sloppy Joes, vegan sushi, and hummus and pita bread.
'I don't look upon it as a victory for me, but a victory for the animals,' the 'Irish Blood, English Heart' singer said earlier this week.
AEG and its promoter subsidiary Goldenvoice will donate a portion of ticket sales from the show to the animal rights group PETA, Morrissey said.
Morrissey, 53, who co-wrote The Smiths' 1985 song 'Meat Is Murder,' postponed a series of concerts on his North America tour last month after being hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer.
He is expected to relaunch the tour with a performance on U.S. late-night talk show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' next week.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)
The longtime animal rights activist and former singer for 1980s rock group The Smiths urged the Staples Center arena to shutter the concession stands of fast food chain McDonald's and to halt the sale of meat by other outlets at the venue for his March 1 performance.
'We respect Morrissey's lifestyle and his concern for the wishes of so many of his fans and are happy that we are able to honor his requests in this manner,' Lee Zeidman, the arena's general manager, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Staples Center operator Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) said the arena will also roll out a special line of meatless food concessions, including vegan sloppy Joes, vegan sushi, and hummus and pita bread.
'I don't look upon it as a victory for me, but a victory for the animals,' the 'Irish Blood, English Heart' singer said earlier this week.
AEG and its promoter subsidiary Goldenvoice will donate a portion of ticket sales from the show to the animal rights group PETA, Morrissey said.
Morrissey, 53, who co-wrote The Smiths' 1985 song 'Meat Is Murder,' postponed a series of concerts on his North America tour last month after being hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer.
He is expected to relaunch the tour with a performance on U.S. late-night talk show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' next week.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)
Singer Morrissey requests meat-free venue for Los Angeles concert
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British singer Morrissey has convinced a Los Angeles concert venue to not sell meat at concessions during his performance next month.
The longtime animal rights activist and former singer for 1980s rock group The Smiths urged the Staples Center arena to shutter the concession stands of fast food chain McDonald's and to halt the sale of meat by other outlets at the venue for his March 1 performance.
'I don't look upon it as a victory for me, but a victory for the animals,' the 'Irish Blood, English Heart' singer said in a statement released on Monday.
Staples Center operator Anschutz Entertainment Group and its promoter subsidiary Goldenvoice will donate a portion of ticket sales from the show to animal rights group PETA, Morrissey said.
Morrissey, 53, who co-wrote The Smiths' 1985 song 'Meat Is Murder,' postponed a series of concerts on his North America tour last month after being hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer.
He is expected to relaunch the tour with a performance on U.S. late-night talk show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' next week.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)
The longtime animal rights activist and former singer for 1980s rock group The Smiths urged the Staples Center arena to shutter the concession stands of fast food chain McDonald's and to halt the sale of meat by other outlets at the venue for his March 1 performance.
'I don't look upon it as a victory for me, but a victory for the animals,' the 'Irish Blood, English Heart' singer said in a statement released on Monday.
Staples Center operator Anschutz Entertainment Group and its promoter subsidiary Goldenvoice will donate a portion of ticket sales from the show to animal rights group PETA, Morrissey said.
Morrissey, 53, who co-wrote The Smiths' 1985 song 'Meat Is Murder,' postponed a series of concerts on his North America tour last month after being hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer.
He is expected to relaunch the tour with a performance on U.S. late-night talk show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' next week.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)
TV special shows glory, trauma of military dogs
LOS ANGELES (AP) - It's been almost seven months since a bomb exploded on a strip of dirt in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Leonard Anderson can only remember a reassuring voice.
He has seen the ambush and its aftermath on film, though: The man behind the voice putting a tourniquet on Anderson's leg as a medic tended to the other, listening to his own cries for help and his dog's whines of worry.
The blast that severely wounded the military dog handler was captured on film by one of four camera crews that were embedded with front line troops last year. The voice that reassured him belonged to Craig Constant, a cameraman for Animal Planet's 'Glory Hounds' TV special, which airs Thursday.
It took the network a year to get permission to film the two-hour special, which followed the animals into combat zones where insurgents and buried explosives could be around any bend or under any pile of dirt.
Military dogs are prized targets for Taliban insurgents, Anderson said. They sniff out bombs, making safe passage for troops to follow and saving countless lives. The U.S. Department of Defense calls each dog a piece of equipment, but Constant says they're much more than that.
'They call them tools, and they are not. They are soldiers. They just have four paws instead of two feet. They walk in front of the platoons. It's a deadly game, and they die all the time. But they save lives by finding IEDs that technology can't find,' said Constant, referring to the military terminology for improvised explosive devices.
Anderson became the handler for an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois named Azza when he asked for the job as kennel master at the base in Sperwan Ghar, said the 29-year-old who loves animals.
The breed is among four - including Dutch shepherd, German shepherd and Labrador retriever - that is commonly used by the military because they are of similar size and temperament, easy to train and enjoy working, said Ron Aiello, president of the U.S. War Dogs Association.
Azza became a military dog when she was 3 and detecting explosives was her specialty, said Anderson.
On the day of the blast, early morning on July 28, Azza and Anderson were about a mile from the base camp. They didn't need to go into the field - Anderson's job was to assess daily needs, plot routes and assign teams. But the self-described adrenaline junkie said he couldn't do his job if he didn't know where his men and dogs were headed and what they were facing.
Constant and his sound technician were about 10 feet behind them when the bomb went off. Military experts who examined the blast site said it was activated by remote control, not set off by touch.
But the dog bore the guilt: Constant remembers most vividly the anguished look on her face and her whines.
'Azza just looked at him. She had a human face. She was helpless. She was concerned. She was fixated on him,' Constant said.
The explosion knocked the camera out of Constant's hands. He picked it up, planning to film, but dropped it when he saw Anderson.
'I don't know how he survived. There was a 6-foot-by-5-foot crater, and he was right on top of it,' said Constant, who suffered ear drum damage and shrapnel wounds. The sound technician was wounded in the leg.
Anderson slipped in and out of consciousness while a medic and Constant, who is a former Marine, worked on his legs. Azza watched and whined.
'The only thing I remember from that day is Craig's voice talking to me telling me to 'calm down,' 'be easy,' 'it's going to be all right,'' Anderson said. 'I woke up in Texas and that's when I asked, 'Where is my dog?' and 'What's going on?''
Anderson doesn't know how many surgeries he had in Afghanistan, Germany and San Antonio, Texas, but he estimates around 20 based on what doctors and relatives have told him. He lost his left forearm and four fingers on his right hand, suffered upper body injuries and lost the skin on both legs.
Azza has been retired and was adopted by Anderson, his wife and their sons, ages 1 and 2. Memories of combat still haunt her, he said.
'She has some pretty bad nightmares, moving, breathing real heavy. I will slowly wake her up. She will get up and pace the house,' he said.
Constant believes 'Glory Hounds' shows the importance of dogs and their combat work.
'They really showed the truth and consequences of what these guys do. It's sad to watch because the story is told as much as you can tell it in two hours,' he said.
His only regret from filming the show was that he didn't have his camera trained on Azza while they were helping Anderson.
'I wish to God I could have shot that. I wish I could have gotten that on film,' Constant said. 'It would have changed people's ideas about dogs' being viewed as merely equipment or property, he added.
___
'Glory Hounds' airs Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT and repeats on Feb. 24 at 9 a.m. ET/PT.
___
Online:
http://www.animalplanet.com
He has seen the ambush and its aftermath on film, though: The man behind the voice putting a tourniquet on Anderson's leg as a medic tended to the other, listening to his own cries for help and his dog's whines of worry.
The blast that severely wounded the military dog handler was captured on film by one of four camera crews that were embedded with front line troops last year. The voice that reassured him belonged to Craig Constant, a cameraman for Animal Planet's 'Glory Hounds' TV special, which airs Thursday.
It took the network a year to get permission to film the two-hour special, which followed the animals into combat zones where insurgents and buried explosives could be around any bend or under any pile of dirt.
Military dogs are prized targets for Taliban insurgents, Anderson said. They sniff out bombs, making safe passage for troops to follow and saving countless lives. The U.S. Department of Defense calls each dog a piece of equipment, but Constant says they're much more than that.
'They call them tools, and they are not. They are soldiers. They just have four paws instead of two feet. They walk in front of the platoons. It's a deadly game, and they die all the time. But they save lives by finding IEDs that technology can't find,' said Constant, referring to the military terminology for improvised explosive devices.
Anderson became the handler for an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois named Azza when he asked for the job as kennel master at the base in Sperwan Ghar, said the 29-year-old who loves animals.
The breed is among four - including Dutch shepherd, German shepherd and Labrador retriever - that is commonly used by the military because they are of similar size and temperament, easy to train and enjoy working, said Ron Aiello, president of the U.S. War Dogs Association.
Azza became a military dog when she was 3 and detecting explosives was her specialty, said Anderson.
On the day of the blast, early morning on July 28, Azza and Anderson were about a mile from the base camp. They didn't need to go into the field - Anderson's job was to assess daily needs, plot routes and assign teams. But the self-described adrenaline junkie said he couldn't do his job if he didn't know where his men and dogs were headed and what they were facing.
Constant and his sound technician were about 10 feet behind them when the bomb went off. Military experts who examined the blast site said it was activated by remote control, not set off by touch.
But the dog bore the guilt: Constant remembers most vividly the anguished look on her face and her whines.
'Azza just looked at him. She had a human face. She was helpless. She was concerned. She was fixated on him,' Constant said.
The explosion knocked the camera out of Constant's hands. He picked it up, planning to film, but dropped it when he saw Anderson.
'I don't know how he survived. There was a 6-foot-by-5-foot crater, and he was right on top of it,' said Constant, who suffered ear drum damage and shrapnel wounds. The sound technician was wounded in the leg.
Anderson slipped in and out of consciousness while a medic and Constant, who is a former Marine, worked on his legs. Azza watched and whined.
'The only thing I remember from that day is Craig's voice talking to me telling me to 'calm down,' 'be easy,' 'it's going to be all right,'' Anderson said. 'I woke up in Texas and that's when I asked, 'Where is my dog?' and 'What's going on?''
Anderson doesn't know how many surgeries he had in Afghanistan, Germany and San Antonio, Texas, but he estimates around 20 based on what doctors and relatives have told him. He lost his left forearm and four fingers on his right hand, suffered upper body injuries and lost the skin on both legs.
Azza has been retired and was adopted by Anderson, his wife and their sons, ages 1 and 2. Memories of combat still haunt her, he said.
'She has some pretty bad nightmares, moving, breathing real heavy. I will slowly wake her up. She will get up and pace the house,' he said.
Constant believes 'Glory Hounds' shows the importance of dogs and their combat work.
'They really showed the truth and consequences of what these guys do. It's sad to watch because the story is told as much as you can tell it in two hours,' he said.
His only regret from filming the show was that he didn't have his camera trained on Azza while they were helping Anderson.
'I wish to God I could have shot that. I wish I could have gotten that on film,' Constant said. 'It would have changed people's ideas about dogs' being viewed as merely equipment or property, he added.
___
'Glory Hounds' airs Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT and repeats on Feb. 24 at 9 a.m. ET/PT.
___
Online:
http://www.animalplanet.com
Monday, February 18, 2013
Pat Derby, animal trainer for "Flipper" and "Lassie", dies at 69
(Reuters) - Pat Derby, a show business animal trainer who worked on the television programs 'Flipper' and 'Lassie' before becoming an animal rights activist, has died of throat cancer, her organization said.
Derby, 69, worked on other television shows, including 'Gunsmoke' and 'Daktari', according to the Performing Animal Welfare Society or PAWS. She was the trainer and spokesperson for the Lincoln Mercury 'Sign of the Cat' cougars Chauncey and Christopher, featured in ads.
Those were among the memorable TV shows and ads of the 1960s and '70s, along with 'Flipper', starring a bottlenose dolphin from 1964 to 1967, and 'Lassie', starring a series of collie dogs from 1954 to 1974.
Derby became shocked at the neglect and abuse she found in the performing animals business. Her autobiography, 'The Lady and Her Tiger' in 1976, was an expose on the harsh treatment of animals in the entertainment industry, according to PAWS.
Along with her longtime partner Ed Stewart, Derby founded PAWS in 1984 to rescue and provide humane sanctuary for animals from the exotic and performing animal trades.
With Stewart by her side, Derby died on Friday at her home in San Andreas, California, outside Sacramento, PAWS said in a statement dated Saturday and made available to Reuters on Monday.
'She was the first to champion the cause of performing animals, and today, because of her tireless work, and fierce determination, most animal protection organizations now have captive wildlife programs that address the issues of performing animals,' PAWS said.
Derby testified before Congress twice and served on several state committees setting standards for the care and handling of elephants and other exotic species, PAWS said.
PAWS said it maintains three sanctuaries for captive wildlife in northern California, providing refuge for more than 100 animals, including elephants, lions, tigers, bears, bobcats, coyotes, leopards, mountain lions, deer and monkeys.
(Reporting By Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Dale Hudson)
Derby, 69, worked on other television shows, including 'Gunsmoke' and 'Daktari', according to the Performing Animal Welfare Society or PAWS. She was the trainer and spokesperson for the Lincoln Mercury 'Sign of the Cat' cougars Chauncey and Christopher, featured in ads.
Those were among the memorable TV shows and ads of the 1960s and '70s, along with 'Flipper', starring a bottlenose dolphin from 1964 to 1967, and 'Lassie', starring a series of collie dogs from 1954 to 1974.
Derby became shocked at the neglect and abuse she found in the performing animals business. Her autobiography, 'The Lady and Her Tiger' in 1976, was an expose on the harsh treatment of animals in the entertainment industry, according to PAWS.
Along with her longtime partner Ed Stewart, Derby founded PAWS in 1984 to rescue and provide humane sanctuary for animals from the exotic and performing animal trades.
With Stewart by her side, Derby died on Friday at her home in San Andreas, California, outside Sacramento, PAWS said in a statement dated Saturday and made available to Reuters on Monday.
'She was the first to champion the cause of performing animals, and today, because of her tireless work, and fierce determination, most animal protection organizations now have captive wildlife programs that address the issues of performing animals,' PAWS said.
Derby testified before Congress twice and served on several state committees setting standards for the care and handling of elephants and other exotic species, PAWS said.
PAWS said it maintains three sanctuaries for captive wildlife in northern California, providing refuge for more than 100 animals, including elephants, lions, tigers, bears, bobcats, coyotes, leopards, mountain lions, deer and monkeys.
(Reporting By Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Dale Hudson)
Dogs Can Spot Fellow Furballs in a Crowd
Dogs can pick out the faces of other dogs in a virtual lineup of humans and other animals, a new study shows.
And it doesn't matter if it's a German shepherd looking at a standard poodle. Dogs still know who's one of their own, researchers say.
Previous research has shown that many animals, from macaques to sheep, are better at recognizing images of another member of their own species than picking out images of individuals from different species.
In the new study, scientists wanted to test if this phenomenon held true for the domestic dog, which is far more variable in size, shape and behavior than any other living mammal. Regardless of how different dog breeds might seem, all dogs belong to the same species, Canis lupus familiaris.
For the study, a team of French researchers put nine pet dogs in front of two side-by-side computer screens that showed images of faces. In each pair of pictures, one showed a dog's face (various breeds and cross-breeds were featured) and the other showed non-dog animals, including cows, horses, cats, birds and humans.
The dogs were trained to choose one of the pictures, by going over to a given screen and putting a paw in front of the image when the experimenter gave a signal. Over the course of dozens of trials, the dogs showed a preference for the dog faces, and they seemed to lump all dogs into the same category, regardless of whether they were looking at a Chihuahua or a mastiff, the researchers said.
'The fact that dogs are able to recognize their own species visually, and that they have great olfactory discriminative capacities, insures that social behavior and mating between different breeds is still potentially possible,' the researchers write. 'Although humans have stretched the Canis familiaris species to its morphological limits, its biological entity has been preserved.'
The study, led by Dominique Autier-Dérian of France's National Veterinary School in Lyon, was detailed online this month in the journal Animal Cognition.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
And it doesn't matter if it's a German shepherd looking at a standard poodle. Dogs still know who's one of their own, researchers say.
Previous research has shown that many animals, from macaques to sheep, are better at recognizing images of another member of their own species than picking out images of individuals from different species.
In the new study, scientists wanted to test if this phenomenon held true for the domestic dog, which is far more variable in size, shape and behavior than any other living mammal. Regardless of how different dog breeds might seem, all dogs belong to the same species, Canis lupus familiaris.
For the study, a team of French researchers put nine pet dogs in front of two side-by-side computer screens that showed images of faces. In each pair of pictures, one showed a dog's face (various breeds and cross-breeds were featured) and the other showed non-dog animals, including cows, horses, cats, birds and humans.
The dogs were trained to choose one of the pictures, by going over to a given screen and putting a paw in front of the image when the experimenter gave a signal. Over the course of dozens of trials, the dogs showed a preference for the dog faces, and they seemed to lump all dogs into the same category, regardless of whether they were looking at a Chihuahua or a mastiff, the researchers said.
'The fact that dogs are able to recognize their own species visually, and that they have great olfactory discriminative capacities, insures that social behavior and mating between different breeds is still potentially possible,' the researchers write. 'Although humans have stretched the Canis familiaris species to its morphological limits, its biological entity has been preserved.'
The study, led by Dominique Autier-Dérian of France's National Veterinary School in Lyon, was detailed online this month in the journal Animal Cognition.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- The 10 Weirdest Animal Discoveries of 2012
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- 10 Things You Didn't Know About Dogs
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Administer Deepwater Horizon Funds
A federal court judge accepted a plea agreement with Transocean on Thursday over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in which the company would pay $150 million in settlement funds. Those funds will be administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation . Here are the details.
* The settlement resolves criminal charges against Transocean as a result of the explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the foundation stated.
* The Transcocean funds will be paid over a two-year period and will be used 'to protect and preserve the natural resources of the Gulf Coast that suffered from the spill,' stated Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
* According to the agreement , Transocean waived prosecution and pleaded guilty to negligently discharging oil into the Gulf of Mexico in violation of the Clean Water Act.
* Transocean contracted to provide BP with a mobile offshore drilling unit and crew to implement BP's drilling plan for the Macondo Well, the agreement states. Transocean and BP had the joint duty to maintain control of the well and to conduct safe drilling and rig operations.
* On April 20, 2010, personnel for both BP and Transocean aboard the Deepwater Horizon failed to complete an investigation into a known pressure build up in a drill pipe at the Macondo Well. The pressure build up led to a blowout that caused natural gas and oil to spread across the rig floor and ignite, the agreement stated. Oil and natural gas began flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
* In addition to the $150 million paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, an additional $150 million will be paid by Transocean to the National Academy of Sciences for the purposes of oil spill prevention and response in the Gulf of Mexico, the agreement stated.
* According to a joint memorandum to the court provided by the Justice Department and Transocean, nine of the 11 workers who died aboard the Deepwater Horizon were employees of Transocean.
* The fine against Transocean is the second-highest criminal environmental recovery in U.S. history, behind only BP's recent settlement for the same incident, the memo stated.
* The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will also administer the nearly $2.4 billion from a recently approved plea agreement between BP and the Justice Department. Those funds will be paid over a five-year period.
* According to the settlements for both Transocean and BP, half of the funds will be received by Louisiana for restoration of barrier islands off the coast and river diversion projects on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers to help build marshlands. The rest of the money will be divided among the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.
* The settlement resolves criminal charges against Transocean as a result of the explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the foundation stated.
* The Transcocean funds will be paid over a two-year period and will be used 'to protect and preserve the natural resources of the Gulf Coast that suffered from the spill,' stated Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
* According to the agreement , Transocean waived prosecution and pleaded guilty to negligently discharging oil into the Gulf of Mexico in violation of the Clean Water Act.
* Transocean contracted to provide BP with a mobile offshore drilling unit and crew to implement BP's drilling plan for the Macondo Well, the agreement states. Transocean and BP had the joint duty to maintain control of the well and to conduct safe drilling and rig operations.
* On April 20, 2010, personnel for both BP and Transocean aboard the Deepwater Horizon failed to complete an investigation into a known pressure build up in a drill pipe at the Macondo Well. The pressure build up led to a blowout that caused natural gas and oil to spread across the rig floor and ignite, the agreement stated. Oil and natural gas began flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
* In addition to the $150 million paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, an additional $150 million will be paid by Transocean to the National Academy of Sciences for the purposes of oil spill prevention and response in the Gulf of Mexico, the agreement stated.
* According to a joint memorandum to the court provided by the Justice Department and Transocean, nine of the 11 workers who died aboard the Deepwater Horizon were employees of Transocean.
* The fine against Transocean is the second-highest criminal environmental recovery in U.S. history, behind only BP's recent settlement for the same incident, the memo stated.
* The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will also administer the nearly $2.4 billion from a recently approved plea agreement between BP and the Justice Department. Those funds will be paid over a five-year period.
* According to the settlements for both Transocean and BP, half of the funds will be received by Louisiana for restoration of barrier islands off the coast and river diversion projects on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers to help build marshlands. The rest of the money will be divided among the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Being There: Scientists Enlist Inuit for Long-Term Observations of Arctic Wildlife [Slide Show]
During the summer in Qaanaaq, Greenland, an Inuit hunter paddling next to a resting narwhal observed a thin gauzelike layer coming off the narwhal's body and dissipating into the water. The event lasted only a few seconds, but Connecticut-based dentist Martin Nweeia, a Harvard University and Smithsonian Institution researcher who studies narwhal tusks as his passion, immediately saw the scientific significance of the hunter's observation.
Whereas the beluga, the narwhal's nearest relative, is known to enter warmer estuarine waters in the summer to molt, this skin-renewal process had never been scientifically documented for narwhal, in part because no scientist has ever spent sufficient time in remote Arctic locations to record such an event. 'One voice from an Inuit hunter can be more significant than 100 scientists,' says Nweeia, who presented his findings at the 18th Inuit Studies Conference in Washington, D.C.
Nweeia, a professor at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, has obtained many more scientific insights from the Inuit elders and hunters who have lived close to the narwhal for thousands of years. Taking a cue from the Inuit who indicated that narwhal tusking was not a sign of aggression, he discovered that the unicornlike tusk was a sensory organ, capable of detecting changes in the ocean environment. Narwhals gently rubbing their tusks together are not dueling, as previously believed, but engaged in a type of ritualistic behavior, Nweeia argues. He also learned that the tusk could bend at least 30 centimeters in any direction without breaking, an observation that he did not believe until more scientific tests demonstrated the tusk's unusual strength and flexibility.
View a slide show of scientific collaboration around narwhals.
More scientists now collaborate with indigenous peoples to learn about rare and elusive wildlife. "The biologists are starting to understand that hunters have good eyes, they know what they are looking for, and it can really help them," says Gabriel Nirlungayuk, director of wildlife and environment for Nunavut Tunngavik, Inc. Nirlungayuk has collaborated with scientists on different research projects.
Reliance on aboriginal insights is particularly crucial in the Arctic, where climate change creates an urgent need to understand local dynamics. "The Arctic is changing rapidly, and often it is just too fast for scientists to keep up with all the details or implications," says Henry Huntington, science director for the Arctic program at the Pew Environment Group in Alaska.
Changing environmental conditions open unprecedented opportunities for industrial development that has the potential to compromise wildlife habitat. In Nunavut one of the biggest resource extraction efforts ever proposed for the eastern Arctic, the Mary River iron ore project, could have impacts on various species including caribou, bowhead whale, narwhal, beluga and walrus. Scientists and locals combine forces to tackle those major conservation issues.
"We have to try our best to work together in a cooperative way so that we all know as much as we can about how fragile these populations can be," says Jack Orr, project lead for the Arctic Research Division at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Orr captures narwhals and fits them with satellite transmitters to understand the whales' diving behaviors and migration routes. Inuit hunters provide information about weather conditions, best timing and locations for accessing the whales.
Local Arctic residents are traveling, hunting, boating and observing wildlife on the land and ocean throughout the year whereas scientists only conduct field studies for a limited time during the summer. "We might get a piece of the puzzle, but we are never going to see the puzzle," Nweeia says. For example, in Barrow, Alaska, Saint Lawrence Island Yupik whalers helped improve census methods for bowhead whales, telling scientists they could not see all the whales from the edge of the ice, along with sharing insights on bowheads' ability to swim through the ice where they cannot be seen. Biologists also built on Iñupiaq observations to learn that bowheads possess a sense of smell, unlike most other whales.
In contrast to scientists who seek to isolate and study one variable in the environment, traditional knowledge-holders look for relationships within the whole environment, which helps science explore new territory. Huntington learned from Iñupiaq and Yupik elders that beavers damned streams where fish spawned, hence impacting belugas' food source in Alaska. "I have yet to meet a biologist telling me with a straight face that he would have anticipated a connection between beavers and beluga," he says.
Scientific research in remote Arctic regions is expensive and logistically challenging, particularly for species like orcas ( killer whales) that cover large areas and cannot be easily surveyed through standard methods. Climate change and the resulting loss of sea ice during the summer have opened new hunting territory for the killer whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic, but scientists knew very little about these animals until they tapped into the traditional knowledge of Inuit hunters who shared unique firsthand descriptions of orca hunting tactics.
"It gives us a real jump start in knowing what to be looking for," says Steve Ferguson, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada who led a survey of traditional knowledge on killer whales in Nunavut waters. Learning from Inuit hunters that killer whales use specific methods to hunt bowheads, beluga, narwhal and seals, Ferguson discovered at least two different killer whale groups based on prey preferences.
Sometimes the locals share qualitative, subtle information that challenges scientific minds. Orr recalls that an Inuit hunter once told him that narwhals get cold when holes are made through their backs to fit satellite tags. "I may not necessarily believe that, but I can't say he is wrong, either," Orr says. He since then improved the tag design to minimize impacts on the whales.
When Nweeia learned about narwhal molting for the first time, he knew that he had to part with the traditional scientific approach that validates facts through large sample sizes. "These hunters spent their whole lives around narwhal, and the reason why their knowledge is valid and should not be questioned as much is because their lives depend on it."
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Emu heist baffles Australian wildlife park
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The theft of a fully-grown emu from an Australian wildlife park this week has left only a pile of feathers at the scene of the crime, and questions about the motive for snatching an ungainly bird with practically no cash value.
Operating under cover of darkness, robbers are believed to have lifted the flightless bird - second only to the ostrich in size and known for its speed, powerful legs and clawed feet - over electrified barbed wire atop a two-meter fence, eluding a guard and a security camera.
Police evidence suggests a getaway vehicle was parked about 1 km (0.6 miles) away near a train line adjacent to the park, said Chad Staples, senior curator at Featherdale Wildlife Park in Doonside, west of Sydney.
'It would have had to be carried the whole way and lifted over the fences twice,' he said. A grown emu can be as much as 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall and weigh roughly 37 kg, or a little more than an adult Labrador dog.
All that remained in the enclosure was a heap of feathers. A second emu was also in the area, but it escaped the thieves with minor feather loss.
Staples said he was mystified by the theft, the first of its kind.
'Emus don't really have a monetary value because of how common they are,' said Staples. 'It (the theft) was extremely targeted and it seems fairly well executed.'
The last break-in at the park was on Christmas Day in 2012, when 10 macaw parrots were stolen but recovered shortly after.
'We are hoping the same thing will happen with the emu,' Staples said.
(Reporting by Michael Sin, editing by Elaine Lies)
This article is sponsored by free dating site.
Operating under cover of darkness, robbers are believed to have lifted the flightless bird - second only to the ostrich in size and known for its speed, powerful legs and clawed feet - over electrified barbed wire atop a two-meter fence, eluding a guard and a security camera.
Police evidence suggests a getaway vehicle was parked about 1 km (0.6 miles) away near a train line adjacent to the park, said Chad Staples, senior curator at Featherdale Wildlife Park in Doonside, west of Sydney.
'It would have had to be carried the whole way and lifted over the fences twice,' he said. A grown emu can be as much as 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall and weigh roughly 37 kg, or a little more than an adult Labrador dog.
All that remained in the enclosure was a heap of feathers. A second emu was also in the area, but it escaped the thieves with minor feather loss.
Staples said he was mystified by the theft, the first of its kind.
'Emus don't really have a monetary value because of how common they are,' said Staples. 'It (the theft) was extremely targeted and it seems fairly well executed.'
The last break-in at the park was on Christmas Day in 2012, when 10 macaw parrots were stolen but recovered shortly after.
'We are hoping the same thing will happen with the emu,' Staples said.
(Reporting by Michael Sin, editing by Elaine Lies)
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Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Giant-breed owners see having dogs as living large
NEW YORK (AP) - Whatever dog wins this year's Westminster Kennel Club show, owners of giant breeds say they're living large.
Life with a massive dog - such as a St. Bernard or a mastiff - can take some getting used to.
Great Dane owner and breeder Suzzane Kelleher-Duckett says she's had to get rid of her coffee table, buy a minivan and learn to stash things in the microwave or on top of the refrigerator if she doesn't want her dogs to get them. The dogs can easily reach the countertops and stove.
Giant breeds can be susceptible to certain health problems, and they generally don't live as long as small dogs. But their owners say they're drawn to animals that can inspire both awe and awwwww.
This article is sponsored by technology.
Life with a massive dog - such as a St. Bernard or a mastiff - can take some getting used to.
Great Dane owner and breeder Suzzane Kelleher-Duckett says she's had to get rid of her coffee table, buy a minivan and learn to stash things in the microwave or on top of the refrigerator if she doesn't want her dogs to get them. The dogs can easily reach the countertops and stove.
Giant breeds can be susceptible to certain health problems, and they generally don't live as long as small dogs. But their owners say they're drawn to animals that can inspire both awe and awwwww.
This article is sponsored by technology.
Spain studies protecting bullfighting as national pastime
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's parliament voted on Tuesday to consider protecting bullfighting as a cultural asset, angering animal rights campaigners and authorities in two regions where the sport is banned.
Members of the ruling People's Party, which has an absolute majority in the parliament, voted to debate a petition signed by signed by 500,000 members of the public.
Under the proposal, bullfighting would be promoted and Spain would push to have it recognized by UNESCO as part of its heritage, joining world cultural symbols such as China's Dragon Boat Festival and the Castells human tower formations from the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia.
Bullfighting has gone on in Spain for centuries and its fans included the U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway and Spanish artist Picasso, who celebrated it in their works.
A positive vote could potentially help supporters of bullfighting overturn regional bans - in place in the Canary Islands since 1991 and in Catalonia since 2011.
Protecting bullfighting could also make it easier to gain state subsidizes to rear bulls and maintain bullrings.
The sport already receives significant subsidies in many regions and critics say it would not survive in some areas on ticket sales alone. Some regions have been forced to cut back subsidies in order to meet stringent deficit targets.
The wealthy Catalonia region banned the sport after accepting a people's petition at the Barcelona parliament, in what some people saw as an attempt to further distinguish the region culturally from the rest of Spain.
Catalonia's regional government has pledged to hold a referendum in 2014 on secession.
Esquerra Republicana, a leftist separatist party from Catalonia, said approving the petition was provocative.
'Never, ever, will we accept bullfighting in Catalonia,' Alfred Bosch, the spokesman for the group in the Madrid parliament, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Sarah Morris; Editing by Alison Williams)
Members of the ruling People's Party, which has an absolute majority in the parliament, voted to debate a petition signed by signed by 500,000 members of the public.
Under the proposal, bullfighting would be promoted and Spain would push to have it recognized by UNESCO as part of its heritage, joining world cultural symbols such as China's Dragon Boat Festival and the Castells human tower formations from the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia.
Bullfighting has gone on in Spain for centuries and its fans included the U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway and Spanish artist Picasso, who celebrated it in their works.
A positive vote could potentially help supporters of bullfighting overturn regional bans - in place in the Canary Islands since 1991 and in Catalonia since 2011.
Protecting bullfighting could also make it easier to gain state subsidizes to rear bulls and maintain bullrings.
The sport already receives significant subsidies in many regions and critics say it would not survive in some areas on ticket sales alone. Some regions have been forced to cut back subsidies in order to meet stringent deficit targets.
The wealthy Catalonia region banned the sport after accepting a people's petition at the Barcelona parliament, in what some people saw as an attempt to further distinguish the region culturally from the rest of Spain.
Catalonia's regional government has pledged to hold a referendum in 2014 on secession.
Esquerra Republicana, a leftist separatist party from Catalonia, said approving the petition was provocative.
'Never, ever, will we accept bullfighting in Catalonia,' Alfred Bosch, the spokesman for the group in the Madrid parliament, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Sarah Morris; Editing by Alison Williams)
Dogs cross species barrier, help cheetahs survive
LOS ANGELES (AP) - It may sound like a West Side Story-style love story, but some dogs love big cats.
Cheetahs are the fastest mammals in the world, but they also are the world's biggest scaredy-cats - so much so that they don't breed easily and are in danger of going extinct.
Some zoos are introducing dogs to calm the skittish cats and bring attention to their plight. They're pairing 'companion dogs' with some cheetahs to serve as playmates and to provide the cats with guidance.
'It's a love story of one species helping another species survive,' said Jack Grisham, vice president of animal collections at the St. Louis Zoo and species survival plan coordinator for cheetahs in North America.
Or, to quote Stephen Stills, it's a matter of loving the one you're with, he said.
'It is all about comforting and reassuring the cheetah,' said Janet Rose-Hinostroza, animal training supervisor at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park - the top U.S. breeder of cheetahs in captivity. In the past 40 years, 135 cheetahs have been born at the park's breeding facility.
The cheetahs most often found at zoos and wildlife parks are not considered good breeding candidates, they don't relate well to other cheetahs, or they are abandoned by their mothers, Rose-Hinostroza said. But they seem to take easily to companion dogs and look to the dogs for play and example.
Of the 19 cheetahs at Safari Park, four have dogs. Four of the zoo's cheetahs also have dogs.
The dogs, usually from animal shelters, and cheetah pups generally are introduced when they are about 3 months old.
'In this relationship, the dog is dominant, but we look for dogs that want to be a buddy,' Rose-Hinostroza said. 'The dog always has the cat's back, but it's never the other way around. Dogs worry about their cats. They protect their cats.'
One of the most popular draws at Safari Park is the 100-meter cheetah run where the public gets to see firsthand the speed of 'nature's perfect sprinter.'
'Speed is incredibly important. It is their survival technique, in a nutshell,' Rose-Hinostroza said. 'If they can't run, they won't survive. They are not equipped to be confrontational.'
A cheetah's claws don't retract, so they have footing that takes them from 'zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds,' she said.
'That's faster than every single car on the market, and it only takes three steps,' Rose-Hinostroza said.
Cheetahs use their tails like a rotor to balance while they are running. Their top speed is 60 to 70 mph, based on size, but they can run that fast only for 20 or 30 seconds. Extending that to a minute or more puts the animal in serious jeopardy of death.
'Overexertion, heat exhaustion can literally cook their organs at that speed,' Rose-Hinostroza said. She added the average cheetah chase in the wild is 200 to 300 meters.
Safari Park's cheetahs chase a lure for 100 meters, a sprint that seldom exceeds 6 seconds.
A century ago there were 100,000 cheetahs in the wild, Grisham said. Today there are fewer than 12,000. The species has become extinct in at least 13 countries. There are about 280 captive cheetahs in zoos across the United States.
As captive efforts to save the species continue, Grisham worries there is no wild to send them home to because habitat is being swallowed up by developers and poachers are killing the cats for their fur.
Cheetahs live 12 to 15 years in captivity. Males weigh 120 to 150 pounds, and females 100 to 120 pounds.
The dogs come in all sizes. At Safari Park, the smallest and sweetest is Hopper, a male mutt who weighs 40 pounds. He's teamed with Amara, the toughest female cheetah on the team, Rose-Hinostroza said.
Cheetah females don't go into heat like other cats. Instead, they have to be brought into estrus by a male cheetah, the experts explained. That's why breeding is so hard - because they aren't social animals, they live independently, and they seldom hang out with one another.
Although the dogs and cats live together, they are not always with one another. Dogs have play dates with other dogs and humans. Mealtimes always are spent apart. The dogs eat kibble, and the cheetahs eat steak.
'The dogs are the bosses in these relationships,' Rose-Hinostroza said. 'If they ate together there would be one really fat dog and a really skinny cheetah.'
One of Safari Park's dogs - the only non-shelter dog - is Yeti, an Anatolian shepherd. She works with two cheetahs - Johari and her brother Shiley.
No one is sure when the idea of cheetah dogs started, but Anatolian shepherds helped advance it. The San Diego Zoo was given a pair of cheetahs in 1981 on the condition they be given dogs because they were used to them.
A few decades ago, Dr. Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in the southern African nation of Namibia, brought Anatolian shepherds from Turkey and raised them to protect area goat herds.
'The Anatolian shepherd weighs up to 150 pounds and isn't afraid of anything,' Grisham said. 'They'll square off against lions and leopards. They don't always win, but they are very protective.
'Marker gave the dogs to farmers to protect their herds,' Grisham said. When cheetahs came looking for dinner, the dogs scared the cats away and saved the farmer's goats. At the same time, the dogs saved the cats from being killed by the farmers. There was plenty of other food in the wild for the cats, including gazelles, impalas, springhares, birds, warthogs, kudu and hartebeest.
The dogs have helped cheetah conservation in Africa. 'For the first time in 30 years, the cheetah population in the wild is on the rise because ranchers don't have to shoot them anymore. They don't need to shoot them. The dog is that effective at keeping the cheetah away from the herd,' Rose-Hinostroza said.
Not every zoo that breeds cheetahs uses dogs. The St. Louis Zoo, where Grisham is based, has seven cheetahs but does not use dogs. More than 30 cubs have been born at that zoo.
Visitors can still watch the skittish cats and learn what all the fuss is about, Grisham said.
'It helps us understand the plight of animals in nature. In Africa, cheetahs were treated as vermin for years, like people in the United States treat coyotes,' Grisham said.
___
Online:
- http://www.sdzsafaripark.org
- http://www.stlzoo.org
- http://www.cheetah.org
Cheetahs are the fastest mammals in the world, but they also are the world's biggest scaredy-cats - so much so that they don't breed easily and are in danger of going extinct.
Some zoos are introducing dogs to calm the skittish cats and bring attention to their plight. They're pairing 'companion dogs' with some cheetahs to serve as playmates and to provide the cats with guidance.
'It's a love story of one species helping another species survive,' said Jack Grisham, vice president of animal collections at the St. Louis Zoo and species survival plan coordinator for cheetahs in North America.
Or, to quote Stephen Stills, it's a matter of loving the one you're with, he said.
'It is all about comforting and reassuring the cheetah,' said Janet Rose-Hinostroza, animal training supervisor at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park - the top U.S. breeder of cheetahs in captivity. In the past 40 years, 135 cheetahs have been born at the park's breeding facility.
The cheetahs most often found at zoos and wildlife parks are not considered good breeding candidates, they don't relate well to other cheetahs, or they are abandoned by their mothers, Rose-Hinostroza said. But they seem to take easily to companion dogs and look to the dogs for play and example.
Of the 19 cheetahs at Safari Park, four have dogs. Four of the zoo's cheetahs also have dogs.
The dogs, usually from animal shelters, and cheetah pups generally are introduced when they are about 3 months old.
'In this relationship, the dog is dominant, but we look for dogs that want to be a buddy,' Rose-Hinostroza said. 'The dog always has the cat's back, but it's never the other way around. Dogs worry about their cats. They protect their cats.'
One of the most popular draws at Safari Park is the 100-meter cheetah run where the public gets to see firsthand the speed of 'nature's perfect sprinter.'
'Speed is incredibly important. It is their survival technique, in a nutshell,' Rose-Hinostroza said. 'If they can't run, they won't survive. They are not equipped to be confrontational.'
A cheetah's claws don't retract, so they have footing that takes them from 'zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds,' she said.
'That's faster than every single car on the market, and it only takes three steps,' Rose-Hinostroza said.
Cheetahs use their tails like a rotor to balance while they are running. Their top speed is 60 to 70 mph, based on size, but they can run that fast only for 20 or 30 seconds. Extending that to a minute or more puts the animal in serious jeopardy of death.
'Overexertion, heat exhaustion can literally cook their organs at that speed,' Rose-Hinostroza said. She added the average cheetah chase in the wild is 200 to 300 meters.
Safari Park's cheetahs chase a lure for 100 meters, a sprint that seldom exceeds 6 seconds.
A century ago there were 100,000 cheetahs in the wild, Grisham said. Today there are fewer than 12,000. The species has become extinct in at least 13 countries. There are about 280 captive cheetahs in zoos across the United States.
As captive efforts to save the species continue, Grisham worries there is no wild to send them home to because habitat is being swallowed up by developers and poachers are killing the cats for their fur.
Cheetahs live 12 to 15 years in captivity. Males weigh 120 to 150 pounds, and females 100 to 120 pounds.
The dogs come in all sizes. At Safari Park, the smallest and sweetest is Hopper, a male mutt who weighs 40 pounds. He's teamed with Amara, the toughest female cheetah on the team, Rose-Hinostroza said.
Cheetah females don't go into heat like other cats. Instead, they have to be brought into estrus by a male cheetah, the experts explained. That's why breeding is so hard - because they aren't social animals, they live independently, and they seldom hang out with one another.
Although the dogs and cats live together, they are not always with one another. Dogs have play dates with other dogs and humans. Mealtimes always are spent apart. The dogs eat kibble, and the cheetahs eat steak.
'The dogs are the bosses in these relationships,' Rose-Hinostroza said. 'If they ate together there would be one really fat dog and a really skinny cheetah.'
One of Safari Park's dogs - the only non-shelter dog - is Yeti, an Anatolian shepherd. She works with two cheetahs - Johari and her brother Shiley.
No one is sure when the idea of cheetah dogs started, but Anatolian shepherds helped advance it. The San Diego Zoo was given a pair of cheetahs in 1981 on the condition they be given dogs because they were used to them.
A few decades ago, Dr. Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in the southern African nation of Namibia, brought Anatolian shepherds from Turkey and raised them to protect area goat herds.
'The Anatolian shepherd weighs up to 150 pounds and isn't afraid of anything,' Grisham said. 'They'll square off against lions and leopards. They don't always win, but they are very protective.
'Marker gave the dogs to farmers to protect their herds,' Grisham said. When cheetahs came looking for dinner, the dogs scared the cats away and saved the farmer's goats. At the same time, the dogs saved the cats from being killed by the farmers. There was plenty of other food in the wild for the cats, including gazelles, impalas, springhares, birds, warthogs, kudu and hartebeest.
The dogs have helped cheetah conservation in Africa. 'For the first time in 30 years, the cheetah population in the wild is on the rise because ranchers don't have to shoot them anymore. They don't need to shoot them. The dog is that effective at keeping the cheetah away from the herd,' Rose-Hinostroza said.
Not every zoo that breeds cheetahs uses dogs. The St. Louis Zoo, where Grisham is based, has seven cheetahs but does not use dogs. More than 30 cubs have been born at that zoo.
Visitors can still watch the skittish cats and learn what all the fuss is about, Grisham said.
'It helps us understand the plight of animals in nature. In Africa, cheetahs were treated as vermin for years, like people in the United States treat coyotes,' Grisham said.
___
Online:
- http://www.sdzsafaripark.org
- http://www.stlzoo.org
- http://www.cheetah.org
Monday, February 11, 2013
Dogs begin march to fame in New York dog show
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hundreds of America's best-kept and well-behaved dogs paraded before judges and an adoring public on Monday in the 137th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, where Labrador lovers longed for an upset victory for Best of Show.
Judges were picking the best in the hound, toy, non-sporting and herding groups on Monday. The best of the sporting, working and terrier groups were to be picked on Tuesday evening, before the winner of each of the seven groups goes forward to compete for Best in Show.
In all, more than 2,700 dogs were due to compete over two days, including at least 50 Labrador retrievers in the sporting group whose owners are hoping to make history and bring home the top prize.
Among the 100-plus breeds competing on Monday were papillons, dainty toy dogs known for their floppy butterfly-like ears.
Each dog was brought into the ring by a handler who periodically fed them nibbles of chicken meat or liver - known as 'bait' in dog show circles - and teased at their coats with combs and brushes.
One by one, they cantered about in a small circle before being lifted onto a table to be inspected and palpated by the judge.
'You judge against the standard,' said Burton Yamada, who judged Westminster's Best in Show in 2004, as he watched from the crowded sidelines. 'If it says it should have round eyes and they have almond eyes then that's a fault. The standard might say alert. Well, what's alert?'
The American Kennel Club sets the standard, and the process reminded Yamada of his work in missile engineering, which also requires following tight specifications, he said.
'The rest of it is how they move, expression, if they're up that day,' Yamada said.
All 19 papillons had been called back to the ring for a final trot and appraisal by judge Peter Green, who called forward InVolo The King Of Pop, also known as Jackson, as the best in breed.
Jackson's owner, 22-year-old Gia Garofalo of Washington Township in New Jersey, chose to handle her dog herself, although many owners hire professional handlers who can command many thousands of dollars in fees and tips in the case of a victory.
She posed with the dog and the judge for a picture, which the photographer took with the help of a squeeze squawking carrot toy.
'It's awesome because we're owners and handlers. It's a thrill,' Garofalo said before hurrying away, Jackson tucked under her arm.
LAB EXPERIMENT
The Labrador retriever has for years been America's most popular breed, just not with Westminster judges. Wire fox terriers, for example, have won Best in Show more than a dozen times.
This year, two newly recognized breeds have been approved to appear in the show: the treeing Walker coonhound, a tall, flappy-eared descendant of the foxhound; and the Russell terrier, the subject of some controversy stemming from the differing taxonomic habits of kennel clubs in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.
For the first time, the show is being held in two venues. Judges were deciding the best in breeds at exhibition halls on piers on the Hudson River. The winners will then head to the show's regular venue at Madison Square Garden, where best in group judging will take place on Monday and Tuesday nights before culminating in the Best in Show event, to be judged by Michael Dougherty of Escondido, California.
This year's dogs come from all 50 states, organizers said, with the majority from New York and California. There are more than 100 foreign entries, including dogs from Brazil, Germany, Croatia and Japan.
The 2012 show was won by Palacegarden Malachy, a male Pekingese, who, as is traditional, has since retired.
(Editing by Daniel Trotta, Bernard Orr)
Judges were picking the best in the hound, toy, non-sporting and herding groups on Monday. The best of the sporting, working and terrier groups were to be picked on Tuesday evening, before the winner of each of the seven groups goes forward to compete for Best in Show.
In all, more than 2,700 dogs were due to compete over two days, including at least 50 Labrador retrievers in the sporting group whose owners are hoping to make history and bring home the top prize.
Among the 100-plus breeds competing on Monday were papillons, dainty toy dogs known for their floppy butterfly-like ears.
Each dog was brought into the ring by a handler who periodically fed them nibbles of chicken meat or liver - known as 'bait' in dog show circles - and teased at their coats with combs and brushes.
One by one, they cantered about in a small circle before being lifted onto a table to be inspected and palpated by the judge.
'You judge against the standard,' said Burton Yamada, who judged Westminster's Best in Show in 2004, as he watched from the crowded sidelines. 'If it says it should have round eyes and they have almond eyes then that's a fault. The standard might say alert. Well, what's alert?'
The American Kennel Club sets the standard, and the process reminded Yamada of his work in missile engineering, which also requires following tight specifications, he said.
'The rest of it is how they move, expression, if they're up that day,' Yamada said.
All 19 papillons had been called back to the ring for a final trot and appraisal by judge Peter Green, who called forward InVolo The King Of Pop, also known as Jackson, as the best in breed.
Jackson's owner, 22-year-old Gia Garofalo of Washington Township in New Jersey, chose to handle her dog herself, although many owners hire professional handlers who can command many thousands of dollars in fees and tips in the case of a victory.
She posed with the dog and the judge for a picture, which the photographer took with the help of a squeeze squawking carrot toy.
'It's awesome because we're owners and handlers. It's a thrill,' Garofalo said before hurrying away, Jackson tucked under her arm.
LAB EXPERIMENT
The Labrador retriever has for years been America's most popular breed, just not with Westminster judges. Wire fox terriers, for example, have won Best in Show more than a dozen times.
This year, two newly recognized breeds have been approved to appear in the show: the treeing Walker coonhound, a tall, flappy-eared descendant of the foxhound; and the Russell terrier, the subject of some controversy stemming from the differing taxonomic habits of kennel clubs in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.
For the first time, the show is being held in two venues. Judges were deciding the best in breeds at exhibition halls on piers on the Hudson River. The winners will then head to the show's regular venue at Madison Square Garden, where best in group judging will take place on Monday and Tuesday nights before culminating in the Best in Show event, to be judged by Michael Dougherty of Escondido, California.
This year's dogs come from all 50 states, organizers said, with the majority from New York and California. There are more than 100 foreign entries, including dogs from Brazil, Germany, Croatia and Japan.
The 2012 show was won by Palacegarden Malachy, a male Pekingese, who, as is traditional, has since retired.
(Editing by Daniel Trotta, Bernard Orr)
Tigers' ace Verlander passes on World Baseball Classic
(Reuters) - Former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers has declined an invitation to pitch for the United States at next month's World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Verlander, who helped the Tigers reach last year's World Series, had left open the possibility of participating in the WBC when provisional rosters were announced last month but now said he needs the time to prepare for the upcoming 2013 Major League Baseball season.
'I don't want to have to feel rushed to catch up to where I need to be,' Verlander told reporters at Detroit's spring training camp in Florida on Monday.
The U.S. team begins play in the WBC on March 8 and the Tigers open their MLB campaign on April 1.
The hard-throwing right-hander decided he needed to give his arm a rest after throwing 266 innings last year following a 271-inning season in 2011.
'I knew it was going to be a long shot the whole time,' said Verlander, who fell just short of repeating as Cy Young winner after going 17-8 with a 2.64 earned run average last season. 'But I wanted to give it a shot.'
Team USA added Washington Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez to the roster over the weekend and has an open spot for a pitcher, since Kris Medlen of the Atlanta Braves pulled out.
(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)
Verlander, who helped the Tigers reach last year's World Series, had left open the possibility of participating in the WBC when provisional rosters were announced last month but now said he needs the time to prepare for the upcoming 2013 Major League Baseball season.
'I don't want to have to feel rushed to catch up to where I need to be,' Verlander told reporters at Detroit's spring training camp in Florida on Monday.
The U.S. team begins play in the WBC on March 8 and the Tigers open their MLB campaign on April 1.
The hard-throwing right-hander decided he needed to give his arm a rest after throwing 266 innings last year following a 271-inning season in 2011.
'I knew it was going to be a long shot the whole time,' said Verlander, who fell just short of repeating as Cy Young winner after going 17-8 with a 2.64 earned run average last season. 'But I wanted to give it a shot.'
Team USA added Washington Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez to the roster over the weekend and has an open spot for a pitcher, since Kris Medlen of the Atlanta Braves pulled out.
(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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