Paws down, non-human animals handily beat human animals
I’m not familiar with (other-than-human) animals bitterly taking sides among themselves and working against the other sides; lying about the innocence of others in their group; manipulating in any way possible the minds of those on other sides . . . and so on. Once again, I conclude that the great inclusionary poet Walt Whitman was…
Of horse horrors, outdoor cats, squirrels en masse & spring storms
Besides shipping horses abroad for slaughter – which has happened since 2007, when that heinous practice ended in the US — this subject can also include the slaughter of horses in the horserace world. Long before triple crown races began this spring, race horses have died in training at tracks, for causes often claimed to…
These days, people and animals are together in misery
For many, many people, times are hard these days. Bitter national divisions, long covid, mass shootings, frightful storms and climate-change fears . . . . For our fellow (non-human) animals, times have always been hard — for at least as long as we’ve been on earth with them! Now and then come rays of hope,…
Animals to people riding them: ‘Get off my back!’
Lucy the elephant, of Margate, NJ, whose ears suggest she’s an Asian elephant. On her back is a relatively simple howdah, in which hunters, travelers and tourists make themselves comfortable. Objection to people riding elephants is more widespread than I had hoped! No sooner did I post the article about Thailand’s “unemployed” elephants last time…
Thailand elephants, moms sharing & reformed circus
Recent media articles about animals have included one sad story about Asian elephants in Thailand and one idiotic story (the kindest way to describe it) about another Asian elephant . . . and a heartwarming story about inter-species kindness involving two moms with infants – one, an orangutan and the other, a human. I’ll build…
Creatures ‘great & small’: something’s fishy here!
Asked to imagine rescuing creatures who live in water, you might picture large sea animals being helped somehow. Sure, that happens. But how about goldfish –300 of them — in a flooded basement? What then? That’s a job for New York City’s “on-call fish-rescuer,” Brenda Prohaska, whose lifesaving tendencies began with a casual interest in…
A unique pig, animal ‘pests’ & ‘aliens,’ & Jersey
Brutus I have to say that Sy Montgomery’s book about her family’s unique pet pig is “a good good book.” Which seems only fair when the book title is A Good, Good Pig. In a spur-of-the-moment rescue, Montgomery and her husband, both writers, adopted a sickly runt piglet from friends, brought him home to their…
Robins meet, owl adapts, Galaxy shares, fox learns . . .
American robin After rain? Before spring? Once grass starts greening? What brought at least 100 of them here to the park earlier this week? Despite the chilly, overcast day, they were out in droves, their colors giving them away: a robin convention in the neighborhood! People walking or bike-riding could move right through the robins,…
Whales’ (& others’) tales & a cat who’s a real character
Times are hard these days for whales, with disturbing news about their deaths along East Coast shores – unwelcome visitors who can be 30 feet long and can’t simply be whisked away in body bags for quick burials. Definitive reasons for dead whales washing ashore haven’t been determined from among conflicting theories – with offshore…
Deer as non-traditional villains, right-way stickers & pets’ disaster kits
“Behold the deer, the deadliest beast in North America.” Wha-a-a-a-t?! Talk about “scare headlines”! But this one’s true, based on statistics indicating that “deer are responsible for the deaths of about 440 of the estimated 458 Americans killed in physical confrontations with wildlife in an average year.” That’s not deer-on-humans confrontations, but “the unfortunate…
Come back as a peacock, not a donkey!
Disaster prep for pets A few posts ago, I raised the need for pet parents to protect their pets when disaster strikes, especially now when such events just keep happening. I proposed that we all prepare a pet disaster kit by the end of this month. Well, here we are and here I am, to…
A feast of animal news briefs . . . & a Jersey update
a Great Pyrenees (not Casper) Details about defender-dogs and defending dogs lead off today’s banquet of animal news, which also includes a new law affecting NY pet stores, unconventional wedding participants, foiling dognappers, elephant follow-ups, and, yes, Jersey Summers. Some dogs take their jobs very seriously, luckily for the sheep they’re charged with protecting.…