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.
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