Daily news of pets, endangered animals and wildlife around the world. Includes information on dogs, cats, dolphins, whales, and wild animals, plus news on endangered species, animal welfare and wildlife conservation.
(ENDANGERED SPECIES) State boundaries will no longer determine protection for endangered wildlife like the meadow jumping mouse. The Obama administration’s decision to drop the previous policy may result in better and more widespread protection under the Fish and Wildlife Service for endangered species with habitats in multiple states. Read on about the benefits, and controversies, of this policy. — Global Animal
(CIRCUS ANIMAL ABUSE) – More video has emerged showing that training elephants relies on electric shock and bull hooks, even for “Rosie,” the animal star of Water For Elephants, a movie, ironically, about the torture of an elephant. Water for Elephants, a romantic drama set in a 1930s animal circus starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, is premiering this month. The film’s biggest star is 45-year-old Asian elephant Tai, who plays Rosie, supplied by the performing animal supplier Have Trunk Will Travel, who trained her with electric shock and bull hooks.
(WILDLIFE/PHOTOS) MISSISSIPPI —The floods aren’t just forcing people out of their homes, but animals, too. While deer wander down city streets and cows wade out of the expanding water of the flooded river, some wild animals like the cotton mouth snake are taking up residence in abandoned houses. See pictures of wildlife escaping the rising water, and read how animals are affected by the flood.
MISSOURI (Animal Welfare) — In a state notorious for being the “Puppy Mill Capital,” dog breeding is a serious matter, and a matter of serious cruelty. The citizens have spoken out against this, with 52% of the state voting for Proposition B, also known as the “Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act,” last November. Much to the disappointment of puppies and those who care about them, though, Governor Jay Nixon just signed in a “compromise” in order to those in the lucrative breeding business as well as animal welfare groups; however, is a compromise truly a compromise when major, important components of the original Act are eliminated to the benefit of one group? Here, this appears to be the case. Prop B was well-intentioned, but with such overbearing “compromises,” one cannot be sure how much will truly change. — Global Animal
Chris Blank, Associated Press
(ENDANGERED SPECIES) – Conservationists are already fighting congress’ shortsighted decision to delist gray wolves with a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Despite its endangered species status, the gray wolf population is not fully recovered and they were hunted as recently as 2009. With wolf hunts already planned within hours of the delisting announcement, conservationists are acting as quickly as possible to save the unjustly targeted wolves. –Global Animal
(ENDANGERED TIGERS/VIDEO) Watch the video in a forest in Indonesia where three Sumatran tiger cubs playfully chase a leaf and adult tigers, captured on infrared cameras, roam through a clearing at night. The footage exemplifies why the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is urging logging companies to drop plans to clear Indonesian forest areas where these critically endangered Sumatran tigers and their cubs live. How rare are these tigers? There are only about 400 left in the wild, according to the WWF, of which 12 live in the Bukit Tigapuluh forest that’s on the chopping block. Unless the Indonesian government enforces its pledge to protect this forest area, the Sumatran tiger will most likely go the way of the Bali Tiger and the Java Tiger, which is to say, gone forever. While the WWF is applying pressure to reverse the logging threat, we can all take action in support of tiger conservation as individuals, such as reducing paper waste and buying recycled paper and FSC-certified wood products. Recycling isn’t glamorous, and the big picture of how our choices effect a global reality can seem like an abstraction. But a world without tigers is too drab to contemplate. Thankfully, there’s still time to ensure that tigers, with their magnificent stripes, remain part our world’s design. – Leah Lessard Jeon, Global Animal
May 7, 2011 – (HORSES) A longshot named Animal Kingdom roared past the rest of the pack today to win the 137th Kentucky Derby. We love it when an underdog upends expectations. One of our favorites is Mine That Bird, the horse who shook up the 2009 Kentucky Derby. It’s a story of triumph against the odds. – Global Animal
FARM ANIMAL WELFARE – Imagine two people: an abusive farm worker, inflicting senseless pain upon a multitude of innocent animals; and an animal rights activist, taking major risks to record and expose this gruesome cruelty that occurs behind closed doors. Now, who is the terrorist? Agribusiness lobbies from Iowa, Florida and Minnesota have crafted bills, or “Ag-Gags,” aimed at punishing animal rights activists — painting them as eco-terrorists — and ultimately denying citizens their right to the truth. Read on to learn more about this potentially disastrous political phenomenon, for animals and the people who care about them. — Global Animal
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