Good News About Animals: June 2009 Archive
Sunnyvale dog walker builds successful following
(Matt Wilson, Sunnyvale Sun) Walking the streets has been profitable for Kimberley Gay. The Sunnyvale resident says even in the tough economic times, she's had no problem finding clients. Most of them, she says, gravitate to her while she's on the job. For the past decade, Gay has been one of the most sought-after professional dogwalkers in Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Los Altos. "I don't market myself anymore. I don't have to because it's one of those jobs where you are your own advertisement," says Gay, who brings along business cards whenever she's on the job, which often includes walking about a half dozen pooches at once.
The charms of worm charming
(William Langley, Telegraph) As a thin drizzle fell on the World Worm Charming Championships on Saturday, Stan Allen strummed his guitar and felt the earth move at his feet. This was broadly the idea, although it wasn't clear whether the worms emerging mob-handed around him were coming up to enjoy the entertainment or to escape from the noise.
Litter of lynx kittens raises biologists' hopes
(AP) The discovery of 10 lynx kittens this spring marks the first newborns documented in Colorado since 2006, heartening biologists overseeing restoration of the mountain feline.
Boost for rare butterfly colony
(BBC News) A colony of one of the UK's rarest butterflies has grown by 10 times in the past year, the RSPB has said. There were about 120 heath fritillary butterflies at Blean Woods National Nature Reserve in Kent in 2008 - and there are about 1,300 this year.
Happiness is a dolphin hug
(St. Petersburg Times) McKenna McGough, 10, of Garland, Texas, planned her summer vacation around her visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium this week through Friday. McKenna had cancerous tumors in her ears that damaged her ability to hear and she has had surgeries. She always refused to regularly wear her hearing aid until she met Winter, the tail-less dolphin. After meeting Winter, she has worn her hearing aid ever since.
Students' pet project brings mutual rewards
(Annette John-Hall, Philadelphia Inquirer) The students from Good Intent Elementary School in Deptford chanted for the Old English sheepdog, shaggy superstar that he is. "Hen-ley! Hen-ley!" This is the celebrity dog, after all, whose love and generosity have raised awareness about rescue shelters for young students throughout the region; who inspired Good Intent youngsters to save up their allowance so they could contribute to drives that collected thousands of pounds of food, blankets, bleach, paper towels, leashes, toys, and treats for their local shelter - the Gloucester County Animal Shelter.
Surfing dogs fetch a look at annual event
(Jennifer Davies, San Diego Union-Tribune) The surf was ruff, but Dozer was ready. He shifted his weight and looked around at the competition, his jaw jutting defiantly. When others came close to his surfboard, he barked at them to get away – literally. "He doesn't like it when other people get on his board,"” said Doug Hokstad, 46, Dozer's owner.
Ohio dog walkers ensure shelter pooches exercise
(AP) Tails wag whenever Connie Donald walks into the Wood County Humane Society. The residents all know it's time to go outside. Donald has been walking dogs at the shelter for 18 years, and now leads a group of volunteers who show up four days a week to make sure that each dog gets its exercise.
Ellie the emu adopts zookeeper as her dad
(Caroline Graham, Daily Mail) They don't share the same eyes, colouring, features or even species - yet Ellie the emu is quite determined that zookeeper Mark Walters is her father. The month-old bird was rejected by her parents when she was an egg and when she finally hatched, the first thing she saw was Mr Walters - and that was it. As far as Ellie is concerned, the 20-year-old keeper is her adopted daddy and the pair will celebrate Mr Walters' first Father's Day this weekend.
Endangered turtles get a head start
(Jason Kolnos, Cape Cod Times) Out in the wild, tiny northern red-bellied cooters would most certainly become lunch for opportunistic predators. But six turtles with fire-colored tummies were more eaters than entrees this week as they devoured shreds of lettuce in a protected, albeit temporary, habitat. The undersized bunch arrived at the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay two weeks ago with the goal of getting fatter — or at least big enough to be safely released back into their natural, freshwater habitat.
Blue butterfly colonies thriving
(BBC News) The large blue butterfly has made an astonishing comeback following re-introduction efforts, scientists say. The butterfly was declared extinct in Britain in 1979, but large blues were imported from Sweden in the 1980s by conservationists. There are now more than 30 colonies, with a rough estimate putting the total number of large blues at about 20,000.
Roo-m with a view: The astonishing image of a baby kangaroo taken from INSIDE its trusting mother's pouch
(Richard Shears, Daily Mail) This extraordinary photograph shows something that looks more like a baby alien than a life form here on Earth. But it is in fact of a baby kangaroo - still in its mother's pouch, 25 weeks before it will emerge into the world. As if the image is not astonishing enough, it was only made possible because the mother remembered an act of kindness by humans many years before.
Sophie the spaniel befriends baby owl Bramble - by licking her clean every day
(Daily Mail) A baby owl is kept looking spruce thanks to her friend Sophie the spaniel, who licks her clean every day. The pair have become inseparable since Bramble, the baby eagle owl, was taken in at a bird of prey centre. Sophie, three, used her maternal nature to give Bramble a quick clean as a chick. Now the bird flies into the main house for a spruce-up every day and sits while Sophie licks her feathers and beak.
Beagle lost for 3 years in Colo. is headed home
(Denver Post) At Denver International Airport, Abby wagged her tail excitedly and let out some happy beagle "woof-howls" as Sean Lehman repeatedly told the dog she was going home. The 7-year-old Abby seemed to know exactly what "going home" meant, Lehman said. Abby has been on an adventure, but no one seems sure just where she has been for the past three years.
Dog’s heroic feat touches many hearts
(Nancy Bowman, Dayton Daily News) A day after Jeter, a Great Pyrenees, died in a fire after waking his family and saving their lives, people touched by his actions offered the family condolences and another companion. The owner of Petland of Piqua offered Glenda Moss a companion pet of her choice, when and if she is ready.
Central Park Zoo visitors go wild for new snow leopards
(Jan Ransom, New York Daily News) Two snow leopards made their debut at the Central Park Zoo Thursday - and visitors are already going wild for them. "They were very fascinating," said Conway McGrath, 8, who attends Public School 9 in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, and was an instant fan. The endangered spotted cats are in the zoo's first new exhibit in more than 20years.
Barking but true: How a Rottweiler became surrogate father to an abandoned wolf cub
(Daily Mail) He is a fully grown Rottweiler. She is a tiny wolf pup. But that hasn't stopped 18-month-old,150lb dog Ulrok and and eight-week-old cub Beldaran becoming best of friends. They sleep together, frolic in the sun and even howl at the moon in unison - and their unlikely union brings a smile to the face of everyone who sees them. Beldaran, who weighs just five pounds, was adopted by the Rottweiler when she was just four days old at the Kisma Preserve in Mt Desert, Maine, USA, after she was rejected by her parents.
Mother Nature's humdingers: The awesome animals that turn the laws of science upside down
(Colin Tudge, Daily Mail) Even by the miraculous standards of the natural world, it’s a feat almost beyond imagining. Scientists in California have shown that a small bird known as Anna’s hummingbird, when attempting to impress a mate, can dive through the air at speeds of around 50 miles per hour. So far, so what? After all, even a humble Ford Fiesta can go at least twice as fast. Ah, but an Anna’s hummingbird is only five inches long. A scientific study, published this week, has shown that if you scaled it up to the size of a Ford Fiesta (13ft) it would be going at 1,300 miles per hour - almost twice the speed of sound.
Chimps mentally map fruit trees
(Matt Walker, BBC) Chimpanzees remember the exact location of all their favourite fruit trees. Their spatial memory is so precise that they can find a single tree among more than 12,000 others within a patch of forest, primatologists have found. More than that, the chimps also recall how productive each tree is, and decide to travel farther to eat from those they know will yield the most fruit.
Beluga born at Vancouver, B.C., aquarium
(Seattle Times) A baby beluga whale has been born at the aquarium in Vancouver, British Columbia. Twenty-one-year-old Aurora gave birth Sunday to a female calf after several hours of labor as members of the public watched. The yet-to-be-named calf swam up to the water's surface for its first breath at 3:39 p.m. The calf is the second born at the aquarium during the past year.
Nashville Zoo welcomes rare leopard cubs
(Nashville Tennessean) A rare clouded leopard recently gave birth to three genetically valuable cubs at the Nashville Zoo. The mother, Jing Jai and her mate Arun, were imported from Thailand to the Nashville Zoo in 2008 as part of a worldwide conservation effort to save the species from extinction. The cubs, two male and one female each weighing about a half of a pound, are reported healthy and being hand-raised by zoo keepers.
Mustang stole this cowboy's heart
(Marek Warszawski, Fresno Bee) There are enduring symbols of the Old West. Cowboys and mustangs. Contrary to popular belief, neither has completely vanished into tumbleweed legend. There certainly is no shortage of mustangs. More than 32,000 wild horses roam free on rangelands across the West, and another 30,000 are in Bureau of Land Management holding facilities, according to government estimates. And there are still a few true cowboys, including Ja Allen. The Tollhouse man breaks and trains horses – usually abused or problem animals – for a living. This is a story about what happens when mustang and cowboy unexpectedly come together. It's kind of a love story.
You dirty rat: Daring rodent shows puzzled leopard exactly who's boss by stealing its lunch
(Beth Hale, Daily Mail) It's not so much snatching victory from the jaws of defeat as dinner from the jaws of danger. But even the imposing presence of an adult leopard at feeding time is not enough to get between plucky young Rattus Norvegicus (better known as the brown rat) and a free meal.
Abandoned Baby Gorilla Finds New Mom
(Becky Worley, Steve Cheng, Sharon Hoffman and Jen Pereira, ABC News) When a new baby animal is born at a zoo it is cause for celebration. But when Hasani, a Western Lowland gorilla, was born at the San Francisco Zoo, it was also cause for concern. Hasani's mother, Monifa, abandoned the newborn shortly after giving birth. "The biological mom gave birth, cleaned up the baby and just walked away," said Kathy Edwards, senior gorilla keeper at the San Francisco Zoo. "She felt like her job was done."
Curious koala surprises tourists by climbing into their bed
(Sophie Tedmanson, Times Online) You could call it the tale of the bear and three Goldilocks. Three tourists received an amusing surprise when they discovered a koala bear wandering around their beachside holiday home on a tropical island off far north eastern Australia, trying out different beds to sleep in. The curious marsupial had become confused after climbing down from a nearby tree and clambering onto the wooden veranda, looking for a place to rest his head.
Fallen soldier’s pup Laia arrives in U.S.
(MSNBC) Richard Hutchison didn't get to see his brother, Maj. Steven Hutchison, return home alive from Iraq. But Monday he got at least a tiny comfort: Laia, the dog the soldier rescued and loved in Iraq, landed in the United States after being saved by his former comrades and Operation Baghdad Pups, an offshoot of SPCA International. "It’s the last thing left of him that he was passionate about," Richard told PEOPLE Pets after meeting the young yellow dog at Washington Dulles International Airport. "Even though Steve's not here, I know how much Steve loved the dog. You can kind of feel Steve through the dog."
Fate leads couple to save Colo. puppies
(Melanie Wong, Vail Daily) When Arizona couple Jason and Corey Anne Luman left their home for a road trip, they weren't expecting to lose their beloved dog, then save a litter of abandoned pups - all before they hit the Colorado border. The couple were headed to Fort Collins to visit family along with their 12-year-old Australian shepherd Jake, who had been part of the family for years. The dog, who had diabetes, had been having trouble all morning and went rapidly downhill as the family got on the road, Jason Luman said.