An exceptionally rare Roloway monkey has been born at a zoo in eastern France that is striving to preserve one of the most endangered primate species on the planet.
The baby was born at Mulhouse Zoo, which is coordinating the European Endangered Species Programme to save the Roloway monkeys, native to a small area of eastern Ivory Coast and the forests of Ghana.
The two-week-old baby has been named Owabi after a wildlife sanctuary in western Ghana.
There are fewer than 200 Roloway monkeys remaining in the wild and only 27 in captivity, Mulhouse Zoo veterinarian Benoit Quintard said.
'The Cercopithecus Roloway is a very endangered species,' he said. 'Births of this species are very rare in zoos.'
Roloway monkeys are between 44 and 57 centimetres (17 and 22 inches) long, with tails that can reach lengths of 86 centimetres (34 inches), and on average weigh about five kilogrammes (11 pounds).
Predominantly black, with white areas at the throat and the interior side of the arms, Roloway monkeys are distinguished by their pointed white beards.
This article is brought to you by ONLINE DATING.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
New Pets May Help Autistic Kids Socially
Getting a pet may help children with autism to develop their social skills, if the furry friend is brought into the home when the child is about 5 years old, according to a new French study.
Researchers found that children with autism who got a pet after age 5 showed improvement in their abilities to share with others and to offer comfort, whereas those who had a pet since they were born, and those who never had a pet, showed no such improvement.
'In individuals with autism, pet arrival in the family setting may bring about changes in specific aspects of their socio-emotional development,' the researchers wrote in their study.
However, the study was small, and little is known about how pets may influence family dynamics and children's development, so further studies are needed, the researchers said.
Animals and social skills
About one in 88 U.S. children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Autism can cause language delays, problems with social and communication skills and repetitive behaviors.
In the new study, researchers led by Marine Grandgeorge, of the Autism Resource Center at Hospital Bohars in France, looked at autistic children between ages 6 and 16 who were all attending a day-care facility in France.
The children's parents had completed a commonly used autism diagnostic test when the children were 4 or 5, and they completed it again at the time of the study. They also answered a questionnaire about their pets.
In one analysis, the researchers compared the social behaviors of 12 children with autism from families that got a pet after the child turned 5, with the behaviors of 12 autistic children who never owned a pet, but were matched with the pet owners for age, gender and general language abilities.
Results showed that those who got a pet, over time, showed fewer deficits in their abilities to share food or toys with their parents or other children, while those who never owned pets didn't show such an improvement. Additionally, those with pets also became better at offering comfort to parents or children who were sad or hurt, according to the study. The type of pet didn't matter (although all the pets in the study were dogs, cats or hamsters), and neither did the child's gender.
In a separate analysis, the researchers compared eight children with autism who had a pet in their home since birth, with eight similar children who never owned a pet. They found that those who'd had pets their entire lives were no different than those without pets, in terms of how their social skills changed over time.
Additionally, the study showed that children who got a pet when they were young tended to interact with the animal, spending time petting it and playing with it. In contrast, those with pets since birth showed far fewer of these interactions.
The researchers noted that there were many social behaviors for which there was no improvement in the children who got a pet at a young age. The test they used, aside from measuring children's abilities to share and comfort others, also assessed behaviors such as social smiling, imaginative play with peers, and the ability to engage in a reciprocal conversation.
Why pets may help kids with autism
Pets can directly influence human behaviors. 'When a human and a pet are interacting, each partner uses signals emitted by the other to adjust their behavior,' the researchers wrote. Pets can also promote interactions between family members, which can promote a child's development.
But further explanation is needed to explain why the differences were seen between children with pets since birth and those who got them at a young age. It might be expected that the longer a child had a pet, they more benefited, but that's not what was seen, the researchers said.
It may be that the novelty of a new pet is particularly appealing to children with autism, or it could be that a new pet strengthens the family's bonds, and increases interactions between family members, they said.
The findings are published online today (Aug. 1) in the journal PLoS ONE.
Pass it on: A new pet may help autistic children develop better social skills.
FollowMyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
Researchers found that children with autism who got a pet after age 5 showed improvement in their abilities to share with others and to offer comfort, whereas those who had a pet since they were born, and those who never had a pet, showed no such improvement.
'In individuals with autism, pet arrival in the family setting may bring about changes in specific aspects of their socio-emotional development,' the researchers wrote in their study.
However, the study was small, and little is known about how pets may influence family dynamics and children's development, so further studies are needed, the researchers said.
Animals and social skills
About one in 88 U.S. children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Autism can cause language delays, problems with social and communication skills and repetitive behaviors.
In the new study, researchers led by Marine Grandgeorge, of the Autism Resource Center at Hospital Bohars in France, looked at autistic children between ages 6 and 16 who were all attending a day-care facility in France.
The children's parents had completed a commonly used autism diagnostic test when the children were 4 or 5, and they completed it again at the time of the study. They also answered a questionnaire about their pets.
In one analysis, the researchers compared the social behaviors of 12 children with autism from families that got a pet after the child turned 5, with the behaviors of 12 autistic children who never owned a pet, but were matched with the pet owners for age, gender and general language abilities.
Results showed that those who got a pet, over time, showed fewer deficits in their abilities to share food or toys with their parents or other children, while those who never owned pets didn't show such an improvement. Additionally, those with pets also became better at offering comfort to parents or children who were sad or hurt, according to the study. The type of pet didn't matter (although all the pets in the study were dogs, cats or hamsters), and neither did the child's gender.
In a separate analysis, the researchers compared eight children with autism who had a pet in their home since birth, with eight similar children who never owned a pet. They found that those who'd had pets their entire lives were no different than those without pets, in terms of how their social skills changed over time.
Additionally, the study showed that children who got a pet when they were young tended to interact with the animal, spending time petting it and playing with it. In contrast, those with pets since birth showed far fewer of these interactions.
The researchers noted that there were many social behaviors for which there was no improvement in the children who got a pet at a young age. The test they used, aside from measuring children's abilities to share and comfort others, also assessed behaviors such as social smiling, imaginative play with peers, and the ability to engage in a reciprocal conversation.
Why pets may help kids with autism
Pets can directly influence human behaviors. 'When a human and a pet are interacting, each partner uses signals emitted by the other to adjust their behavior,' the researchers wrote. Pets can also promote interactions between family members, which can promote a child's development.
But further explanation is needed to explain why the differences were seen between children with pets since birth and those who got them at a young age. It might be expected that the longer a child had a pet, they more benefited, but that's not what was seen, the researchers said.
It may be that the novelty of a new pet is particularly appealing to children with autism, or it could be that a new pet strengthens the family's bonds, and increases interactions between family members, they said.
The findings are published online today (Aug. 1) in the journal PLoS ONE.
Pass it on: A new pet may help autistic children develop better social skills.
FollowMyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- 7 Surprising Health Benefits of Dog Ownership
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This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
Dogs are both delicacy and man's best friend in Vietnam
At a packed Hanoi restaurant, one of Vietnam's growing ranks of proud pooch owners tucks into a traditional delicacy to mark the end of the lunar month -- a plate of juicy dog.
Canine meat has long been on the menu in Vietnam. But now a growing love of the four-legged friends means that one man's pet can be another's dog sausage -- quite literally as far as dog bandits are concerned.
'We never kill our own dogs for their meat. Here I'm eating in a restaurant so I don't care which dogs they killed or how,' Pham Dang Tien, 53, said as he chewed contentedly on a plate of boiled dog.
Dog meat is good for health and virility, believes Tien, who sees no contradiction between these monthly meat binges and owning a dog -- his family have had a string of beloved pet pooches over the course of 20 years.
For many older Vietnamese, dogs are an essential part of traditional Vietnamese cuisine that can coexist with pet ownership. Those dogs that end up on the dinner table are traditionally beaten to death.
When times were hard after the Vietnam War, local authorities in big cities strictly limited pet ownership.
But as the popularity of keeping animals at home rises along with the economy and living standards, more young people feel like 16-year-old Nguyen Anh Hong.
'I just don't understand how people can eat dogs -- they are lovely pets,' she said.
The love affair has a dark side -- growing ranks of thieves go from small town to small town in rural areas of Vietnam stealing pets to sell to dog meat restaurants.
Although the value of the thefts -- dog meat fetches around six dollars per kilo -- is too low to concern the Vietnamese police, the loss of a treasured pet to the cooking pot means emotions run high.
Dog-theft related mob violence has spiralled over the last few years.
In June, a man was beaten to death after hundreds of villagers caught him red-handed trying to steal a family dog in Nghe An province, the VNExpress news site reported, triggering an outpouring of public support for the mob.
'It's not right to beat a man to death but anyone in this situation would do the same,' one reader, who lost a pet to the bandits, wrote on the site.
In Hanoi's Reunification Park, hundreds of people now walk their pet dogs every day, showcasing the range of exotic foreign breeds -- Chihuahuas and Huskies are particularly popular -- favoured by Hanoi-based pet-owners.
'In Vietnam now, raising pet dogs has become fashionable,' said Cu Anh Tu, a 20-year-old university student and dog owner.
'The young generation now seems to love animals very much,' he added.
In the countryside, local mongrels are kept as pets or guard dogs. It is these, more nondescript, animals which are most vulnerable to the dog bandits.
Most of the dogs served in Hoang Giang's restaurant are local breeds raised specifically to be eaten -- but as local dogs are also kept as pets in the countryside, it is hard to know which animals are stolen, and which are farmed.
While exotic pet dogs are found only in cities, 'in the countryside people will continue to see dogs as meat,' he said.
Typically, Vietnamese 'eat dog meat at the end of the lunar month to get rid of bad luck. That's what business people often do', said 30-year-old Giang, a specialist dog meat chef.
As he prepared a plate of canine meat in the kitchen of his busy restaurant, Giang told AFP that his small establishment served up to seven dogs a day at that time of the month -- and business is reliably solid.
Dog is served in a range of ways -- from boiled to barbecued -- often with shrimp sauce, rice noodles and fresh herbs, he said.
For Nguyen Bao Sinh, a luxury kennel owner in Hanoi, Vietnam needs to move away from its traditional love of canine meat and learn from other pet-loving cultures.
'They (Westerners) love dogs in this life. That viewpoint is very good... We should love dogs here and now in this life. We should not kill them or beat them barbarously,' he said.
Sinh, who run's Hanoi's only luxury kennel and grooming parlour for pets, said he has seen a rise in the number of pet-mad Vietnamese.
His establishment offers 'hotel rooms' for pets whose owners go away on business or holidays -- and even has a cemetery for dogs and cats, where hundreds of pets are buried, and monks perform blessings every year.
'It would be better if the state had a law banning the eating of dog meat,' Sinh said.
'However, we should not discriminate or look down upon those eating dog meat,' he told AFP, adding that the key was to gradually convince the public to respect and love animals.
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Canine meat has long been on the menu in Vietnam. But now a growing love of the four-legged friends means that one man's pet can be another's dog sausage -- quite literally as far as dog bandits are concerned.
'We never kill our own dogs for their meat. Here I'm eating in a restaurant so I don't care which dogs they killed or how,' Pham Dang Tien, 53, said as he chewed contentedly on a plate of boiled dog.
Dog meat is good for health and virility, believes Tien, who sees no contradiction between these monthly meat binges and owning a dog -- his family have had a string of beloved pet pooches over the course of 20 years.
For many older Vietnamese, dogs are an essential part of traditional Vietnamese cuisine that can coexist with pet ownership. Those dogs that end up on the dinner table are traditionally beaten to death.
When times were hard after the Vietnam War, local authorities in big cities strictly limited pet ownership.
But as the popularity of keeping animals at home rises along with the economy and living standards, more young people feel like 16-year-old Nguyen Anh Hong.
'I just don't understand how people can eat dogs -- they are lovely pets,' she said.
The love affair has a dark side -- growing ranks of thieves go from small town to small town in rural areas of Vietnam stealing pets to sell to dog meat restaurants.
Although the value of the thefts -- dog meat fetches around six dollars per kilo -- is too low to concern the Vietnamese police, the loss of a treasured pet to the cooking pot means emotions run high.
Dog-theft related mob violence has spiralled over the last few years.
In June, a man was beaten to death after hundreds of villagers caught him red-handed trying to steal a family dog in Nghe An province, the VNExpress news site reported, triggering an outpouring of public support for the mob.
'It's not right to beat a man to death but anyone in this situation would do the same,' one reader, who lost a pet to the bandits, wrote on the site.
In Hanoi's Reunification Park, hundreds of people now walk their pet dogs every day, showcasing the range of exotic foreign breeds -- Chihuahuas and Huskies are particularly popular -- favoured by Hanoi-based pet-owners.
'In Vietnam now, raising pet dogs has become fashionable,' said Cu Anh Tu, a 20-year-old university student and dog owner.
'The young generation now seems to love animals very much,' he added.
In the countryside, local mongrels are kept as pets or guard dogs. It is these, more nondescript, animals which are most vulnerable to the dog bandits.
Most of the dogs served in Hoang Giang's restaurant are local breeds raised specifically to be eaten -- but as local dogs are also kept as pets in the countryside, it is hard to know which animals are stolen, and which are farmed.
While exotic pet dogs are found only in cities, 'in the countryside people will continue to see dogs as meat,' he said.
Typically, Vietnamese 'eat dog meat at the end of the lunar month to get rid of bad luck. That's what business people often do', said 30-year-old Giang, a specialist dog meat chef.
As he prepared a plate of canine meat in the kitchen of his busy restaurant, Giang told AFP that his small establishment served up to seven dogs a day at that time of the month -- and business is reliably solid.
Dog is served in a range of ways -- from boiled to barbecued -- often with shrimp sauce, rice noodles and fresh herbs, he said.
For Nguyen Bao Sinh, a luxury kennel owner in Hanoi, Vietnam needs to move away from its traditional love of canine meat and learn from other pet-loving cultures.
'They (Westerners) love dogs in this life. That viewpoint is very good... We should love dogs here and now in this life. We should not kill them or beat them barbarously,' he said.
Sinh, who run's Hanoi's only luxury kennel and grooming parlour for pets, said he has seen a rise in the number of pet-mad Vietnamese.
His establishment offers 'hotel rooms' for pets whose owners go away on business or holidays -- and even has a cemetery for dogs and cats, where hundreds of pets are buried, and monks perform blessings every year.
'It would be better if the state had a law banning the eating of dog meat,' Sinh said.
'However, we should not discriminate or look down upon those eating dog meat,' he told AFP, adding that the key was to gradually convince the public to respect and love animals.
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Jackson Galaxy understands cats
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Many cats are tail talkers. If those tails start to twitch and wag, watch out for fangs and claws, warns cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy.
If you try to pet a cat when its tail is wagging and get bitten, 'You had it coming,' says Galaxy, who helps solve behavior problems, both human and feline, on his Animal Planet TV show, 'My Cat From Hell.'
When a cat's angry enough to wag its tail or the fur on its back stands up, its ears flatten and eyes dilate, the owner needs to figure out what's wrong, he says.
Galaxy figures cats and owners equally share the blame for relationships gone wrong, but when it comes to changing behavior, cats are the easier students - by a wide margin.
His house call kit is a guitar case loaded with cat toys and treats. But there's no magic wand in the box, he says. It takes time and hard work. 'You get what you give.'
Galaxy, 46, has an usual job - and he's an unusual guy. He's 6-foot-5, bald, wears specs and ear hoops, sports a long goatee, prefers bowling shirts and sneakers, has tattoo 'sleeves' and has started tats on his legs so that he'll one day have a 'full suit.'
He plays the guitar, has a degree in acting and has been addicted to drugs, alcohol and food. He's also written an autobiography, 'Cat Daddy.'
Galaxy was working at an animal shelter in Colorado more than 15 years ago when a man walked in with a cat in a cardboard box. The cat, named Benny, had been hit by a car and was 'unbondable,' the man said. Benny and Galaxy spent the next 13 years bonding and developing what Galaxy calls 'cat mojo.'
He had a practice with a holistic vet before moving to Los Angeles in 2007 and opening a private consulting firm. He was at a pet adoption fair when he met the friend of a friend who introduced him to reality TV producer Adam Greener ('Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition'). 'My Cat From Hell' began airing in spring 2011. In each episode, viewers witness owners struggling to find domestic harmony with their cats.
Emilie Bandy and Mike Petriello are fans of Galaxy's show. For seven months, they tried to turn their New York City apartment into a peaceful place for their cats, Olive and Pepper, but Olive attacked Pepper every chance she got. They went to the vet, gave Olive doses of Prozac, searched for answers online and in bookstores, slept in separate rooms so they could each care for one cat, and put planning for their September wedding on hold.
'We were genuinely afraid for the cats' lives if we left them together,' Bandy said.
When they learned Galaxy was filming season three of 'My Cat From Hell' in Manhattan, they made a video and submitted it. Their problem with Olive and Pepper became the summer's first episode. In it, Galaxy:
- Gives Olive a food dish with a middle bump so she has to eat around it, ensuring that Pepper finishes and leaves first.
- Shows the couple how to build trees and platforms where Pepper can escape if Olive starts to attack. 'Build a vertical world,' Galaxy says.
- Tells them to stop running every time Olive whines, scratches or throws a temper tantrum. 'Don't positively reinforce bad behavior,' he says.
It's been three months since the last catfight. Bandy and Petriello are back in the same bedroom, wedding planning is again in full swing, and the couple spends hours each day playing with both cats in the same room.
The cats may never be fast friends, but they are coexisting - and Pepper's confidence is growing.
Karen 'Doc' Halligan of Los Angeles calls Galaxy 'fabulous,' but acknowledges that he's playing to a tough crowd.
'People do not understand the need to train cats and that they need socialization just as much as dogs. Since they have not been domesticated that long, people just think they are independent and don't need it,' says the veterinarian, author, TV consultant and director of veterinary services for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles.
Besides the show and his consulting work, Galaxy sells his own line of essence oils and is a board member for Stray Cat Alliance and FixNation in Los Angeles and Neighborhood Cats in New York.
Early on, there were a handful of cases that stumped him, but Galaxy believed then that psychotropic drugs were inappropriate for pets. He's changed his mind.
'Why not use holistic, homeopathic measures? Why not use empathic measures? Why not use traditional Western measures? Why not use acupuncture and Prozac on the same cat?' he asked.
Cats have an attention span of about 3 seconds, so Galaxy believes punishment is pointless. 'Count to 10, clean up, forgive and move on,' he says. Air in a motion-detecting can is great for disciplining cats the instant they misbehave, he says.
Despite cats' short attention span, there is nothing wrong with their memory, he says. Most cats can be taught almost anything, he says, but he doesn't believe a cat should be taught to walk on a leash or jump through hoops just to satisfy an owner. Most cats will feel the same way, he says, but some will enjoy the lessons and the activities.
Galaxy's tattoos include 15 cats (Benny will be on his leg) but he also has three real ones, along with a blind dog.
Does he think cats will one day become doglike and gather in parks, take obedience classes, share play dates and go surfing?
'I totally hope not,' he says. 'I love cats for who they are. I want everyone to embrace what I call the raw cat.'
___
Online:
http://www.jacksongalaxy.com
http://animal.discovery.com/
If you try to pet a cat when its tail is wagging and get bitten, 'You had it coming,' says Galaxy, who helps solve behavior problems, both human and feline, on his Animal Planet TV show, 'My Cat From Hell.'
When a cat's angry enough to wag its tail or the fur on its back stands up, its ears flatten and eyes dilate, the owner needs to figure out what's wrong, he says.
Galaxy figures cats and owners equally share the blame for relationships gone wrong, but when it comes to changing behavior, cats are the easier students - by a wide margin.
His house call kit is a guitar case loaded with cat toys and treats. But there's no magic wand in the box, he says. It takes time and hard work. 'You get what you give.'
Galaxy, 46, has an usual job - and he's an unusual guy. He's 6-foot-5, bald, wears specs and ear hoops, sports a long goatee, prefers bowling shirts and sneakers, has tattoo 'sleeves' and has started tats on his legs so that he'll one day have a 'full suit.'
He plays the guitar, has a degree in acting and has been addicted to drugs, alcohol and food. He's also written an autobiography, 'Cat Daddy.'
Galaxy was working at an animal shelter in Colorado more than 15 years ago when a man walked in with a cat in a cardboard box. The cat, named Benny, had been hit by a car and was 'unbondable,' the man said. Benny and Galaxy spent the next 13 years bonding and developing what Galaxy calls 'cat mojo.'
He had a practice with a holistic vet before moving to Los Angeles in 2007 and opening a private consulting firm. He was at a pet adoption fair when he met the friend of a friend who introduced him to reality TV producer Adam Greener ('Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition'). 'My Cat From Hell' began airing in spring 2011. In each episode, viewers witness owners struggling to find domestic harmony with their cats.
Emilie Bandy and Mike Petriello are fans of Galaxy's show. For seven months, they tried to turn their New York City apartment into a peaceful place for their cats, Olive and Pepper, but Olive attacked Pepper every chance she got. They went to the vet, gave Olive doses of Prozac, searched for answers online and in bookstores, slept in separate rooms so they could each care for one cat, and put planning for their September wedding on hold.
'We were genuinely afraid for the cats' lives if we left them together,' Bandy said.
When they learned Galaxy was filming season three of 'My Cat From Hell' in Manhattan, they made a video and submitted it. Their problem with Olive and Pepper became the summer's first episode. In it, Galaxy:
- Gives Olive a food dish with a middle bump so she has to eat around it, ensuring that Pepper finishes and leaves first.
- Shows the couple how to build trees and platforms where Pepper can escape if Olive starts to attack. 'Build a vertical world,' Galaxy says.
- Tells them to stop running every time Olive whines, scratches or throws a temper tantrum. 'Don't positively reinforce bad behavior,' he says.
It's been three months since the last catfight. Bandy and Petriello are back in the same bedroom, wedding planning is again in full swing, and the couple spends hours each day playing with both cats in the same room.
The cats may never be fast friends, but they are coexisting - and Pepper's confidence is growing.
Karen 'Doc' Halligan of Los Angeles calls Galaxy 'fabulous,' but acknowledges that he's playing to a tough crowd.
'People do not understand the need to train cats and that they need socialization just as much as dogs. Since they have not been domesticated that long, people just think they are independent and don't need it,' says the veterinarian, author, TV consultant and director of veterinary services for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles.
Besides the show and his consulting work, Galaxy sells his own line of essence oils and is a board member for Stray Cat Alliance and FixNation in Los Angeles and Neighborhood Cats in New York.
Early on, there were a handful of cases that stumped him, but Galaxy believed then that psychotropic drugs were inappropriate for pets. He's changed his mind.
'Why not use holistic, homeopathic measures? Why not use empathic measures? Why not use traditional Western measures? Why not use acupuncture and Prozac on the same cat?' he asked.
Cats have an attention span of about 3 seconds, so Galaxy believes punishment is pointless. 'Count to 10, clean up, forgive and move on,' he says. Air in a motion-detecting can is great for disciplining cats the instant they misbehave, he says.
Despite cats' short attention span, there is nothing wrong with their memory, he says. Most cats can be taught almost anything, he says, but he doesn't believe a cat should be taught to walk on a leash or jump through hoops just to satisfy an owner. Most cats will feel the same way, he says, but some will enjoy the lessons and the activities.
Galaxy's tattoos include 15 cats (Benny will be on his leg) but he also has three real ones, along with a blind dog.
Does he think cats will one day become doglike and gather in parks, take obedience classes, share play dates and go surfing?
'I totally hope not,' he says. 'I love cats for who they are. I want everyone to embrace what I call the raw cat.'
___
Online:
http://www.jacksongalaxy.com
http://animal.discovery.com/
Dolphins sponge up culture: study
Bottlenose dolphins that have learnt to use sea sponges as hunting tools form cliques with others that do the same -- the first evidence of animal grouping based on mutual interest, a study said Tuesday.
The finding may represent the first known proof of cultural behaviour in the animal kingdom, US-based researchers wrote in a paper in Nature Communications.
They studied a group of bottlenose dolphins at Australia's Shark Bay, some of whom had learnt the skill of 'sponging' -- slipping a sponge on their beaks as protection against sharp rocks while scouring the ocean floor for prey.
Based on 22 years of observations, the team found that the 'spongers' forged closer ties with other spongers than with dolphins that had not acquired the hunting technique.
'Like humans who preferentially associate with others who share their subculture, tool-using dolphins prefer others like themselves, strongly suggesting that sponge tool-use is a cultural behaviour,' wrote the researchers from Georgetown University in Washington.
Sponging is a solitary activity.
'Dolphins don't sponge together but can identify who sponges and who doesn't,' study author Janet Mann told AFP.
'Spongers spend a lot of time hunting, tend to be solitary, but clearly go out of their way when they can to meet up. You could think of them as workaholic dolphins that prefer to meet up with the other workaholics.'
The study forms part of an ongoing scientific quest for proof of animal culture -- loosely defined as a form of social learning that differentiates between groups.
The first spongers were discovered among Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay in the mid-1980s, and scientists believe they may have been using this hunting technique for centuries.
Normally, when some members of an animal group develop tool-use, the rest learn it too, as with chimpanzees using sticks to fish termites out of their nests or elephants swatting flies with tree branches.
But in the case of the Shark Bay dolphins, only the calves of sponger females become spongers themselves, and the practice remains limited to a small subset -- less than five percent of the 3,000-odd population, and mainly females.
No other example of sub-culture has ever been shown outside of humans, said the study.
'This was the first study to show that a non-human animal groups on the basis of ... behaviour even though they don't engage in the behaviour together,' said Mann.
'This is more similar to how we think of human culture.'
Their intelligence and communication skills make dolphins popular subjects for such research.
This article is brought to you by MATCHMAKING.
The finding may represent the first known proof of cultural behaviour in the animal kingdom, US-based researchers wrote in a paper in Nature Communications.
They studied a group of bottlenose dolphins at Australia's Shark Bay, some of whom had learnt the skill of 'sponging' -- slipping a sponge on their beaks as protection against sharp rocks while scouring the ocean floor for prey.
Based on 22 years of observations, the team found that the 'spongers' forged closer ties with other spongers than with dolphins that had not acquired the hunting technique.
'Like humans who preferentially associate with others who share their subculture, tool-using dolphins prefer others like themselves, strongly suggesting that sponge tool-use is a cultural behaviour,' wrote the researchers from Georgetown University in Washington.
Sponging is a solitary activity.
'Dolphins don't sponge together but can identify who sponges and who doesn't,' study author Janet Mann told AFP.
'Spongers spend a lot of time hunting, tend to be solitary, but clearly go out of their way when they can to meet up. You could think of them as workaholic dolphins that prefer to meet up with the other workaholics.'
The study forms part of an ongoing scientific quest for proof of animal culture -- loosely defined as a form of social learning that differentiates between groups.
The first spongers were discovered among Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay in the mid-1980s, and scientists believe they may have been using this hunting technique for centuries.
Normally, when some members of an animal group develop tool-use, the rest learn it too, as with chimpanzees using sticks to fish termites out of their nests or elephants swatting flies with tree branches.
But in the case of the Shark Bay dolphins, only the calves of sponger females become spongers themselves, and the practice remains limited to a small subset -- less than five percent of the 3,000-odd population, and mainly females.
No other example of sub-culture has ever been shown outside of humans, said the study.
'This was the first study to show that a non-human animal groups on the basis of ... behaviour even though they don't engage in the behaviour together,' said Mann.
'This is more similar to how we think of human culture.'
Their intelligence and communication skills make dolphins popular subjects for such research.
This article is brought to you by MATCHMAKING.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Giant panda delivers sixth cub at San Diego Zoo, breaks record
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The most prolific giant panda in captivity outside of China, Bai Yun, has proved her mettle yet again with the delivery of her sixth live cub at the San Diego Zoo - an unnamed baby panda that weighed about 4 ounces (113 grams) at birth.
Bai Yun, who gave birth on Sunday, was the first giant panda born in captivity in China, where giant pandas are an endangered species.
The 20-year-old panda's pregnancy was considered high risk because of her age, according to zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons. Bai Yun, whose name means White Cloud, is on long-term loan to the zoo from China.
Since 1999, Bai Yun has delivered three female and two male cubs, all but one fathered by her companion, Gao Gao. The sex of the new cub will not be known for several months, Simmons said.
The baby was born around 2:10 p.m. PDT (1710 EDT) Sunday, after about three hours of labor - longer than normal for Bai Yun, Simmons said.
'When they heard the cry from the baby, the veterinary staff was relieved for the mom and delighted for the baby,' Simmons said. 'It is about the size of a stick of butter and pandas are born hairless and pink.'
Bai Yun and the new cub are in seclusion during what zookeepers call 'a critical bonding period.' As long as everything appears to be going well, zoo veterinarians leave the mom and cub alone, Simmons said.
'Panda moms and cubs go into their dens and the babies stay there for a long time,' Simmons said. 'We don't expect the baby to emerge before December.'
The zoo does have a closed-circuit camera in the den, and people can watch the activity on the San Diego Zoo Panda Cam, http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/index.html.
The cub's father, Gao Gao, is not spending time with Bai Yun, Simmons said.
'Gao Gao is not particularly aware of what's going on,' she explained. Pandas are normally solitary animals - they only associate with other adult pandas for breeding.'
The birth of the cub brings San Diego Zoo panda count to four: the parents, a 3-year-old son named Yun Zi and the new cub. That's more than any zoo in the world outside China, Simmons said. Four of Bai Yun's other cubs were later sent on to China.
'We work very closely with the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in China, and our good fortune has a lot to do with our intense collaboration with them,' Simmons said.
(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)
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Bai Yun, who gave birth on Sunday, was the first giant panda born in captivity in China, where giant pandas are an endangered species.
The 20-year-old panda's pregnancy was considered high risk because of her age, according to zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons. Bai Yun, whose name means White Cloud, is on long-term loan to the zoo from China.
Since 1999, Bai Yun has delivered three female and two male cubs, all but one fathered by her companion, Gao Gao. The sex of the new cub will not be known for several months, Simmons said.
The baby was born around 2:10 p.m. PDT (1710 EDT) Sunday, after about three hours of labor - longer than normal for Bai Yun, Simmons said.
'When they heard the cry from the baby, the veterinary staff was relieved for the mom and delighted for the baby,' Simmons said. 'It is about the size of a stick of butter and pandas are born hairless and pink.'
Bai Yun and the new cub are in seclusion during what zookeepers call 'a critical bonding period.' As long as everything appears to be going well, zoo veterinarians leave the mom and cub alone, Simmons said.
'Panda moms and cubs go into their dens and the babies stay there for a long time,' Simmons said. 'We don't expect the baby to emerge before December.'
The zoo does have a closed-circuit camera in the den, and people can watch the activity on the San Diego Zoo Panda Cam, http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/index.html.
The cub's father, Gao Gao, is not spending time with Bai Yun, Simmons said.
'Gao Gao is not particularly aware of what's going on,' she explained. Pandas are normally solitary animals - they only associate with other adult pandas for breeding.'
The birth of the cub brings San Diego Zoo panda count to four: the parents, a 3-year-old son named Yun Zi and the new cub. That's more than any zoo in the world outside China, Simmons said. Four of Bai Yun's other cubs were later sent on to China.
'We work very closely with the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in China, and our good fortune has a lot to do with our intense collaboration with them,' Simmons said.
(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Interpol wildlife operation results mark Global Tiger Day
Interpol marked Global Tiger Day Sunday by announcing the results of an operation to help save the endangered species that saw 40 arrests and the seizure of big cat skins and other body parts.
Operation Prey, conducted across Bhutan, China, India and Nepal, has also so far led to the seizure of other wildlife goods such as rhino horns, ivory and sea horses as well as protected flora, the global policing body said.
'The range of goods recovered during an operation primarily aimed at tiger protection again shows that criminals will target any animal and any plant to make a profit,' Interpol's David Higgins said in a statement.
Interpol's Environmental Crime Programme coordinated Operation Prey, which involved police, customs, environmental agencies, narcotics bureaux, forest protection authorities, and prosecutors.
The operation was conducted under the umbrella of Project Predator, an initiative created by France-based Interpol that covers the 13 countries in Asia where wild tigers can still be found.
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Operation Prey, conducted across Bhutan, China, India and Nepal, has also so far led to the seizure of other wildlife goods such as rhino horns, ivory and sea horses as well as protected flora, the global policing body said.
'The range of goods recovered during an operation primarily aimed at tiger protection again shows that criminals will target any animal and any plant to make a profit,' Interpol's David Higgins said in a statement.
Interpol's Environmental Crime Programme coordinated Operation Prey, which involved police, customs, environmental agencies, narcotics bureaux, forest protection authorities, and prosecutors.
The operation was conducted under the umbrella of Project Predator, an initiative created by France-based Interpol that covers the 13 countries in Asia where wild tigers can still be found.
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
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