Good News About Animals: March 2009 Archive
Vast butterfly migration reported in the Bay Area
(Lisa M. Krieger, San Jose Mercury News) Like autumn leaves blowing across a spring landscape, millions of small orange butterflies are fluttering through the Bay Area. One of the larger migrations in recent years, flurries of painted lady butterflies have been sighted at such urban settings as the sidewalks of Macy's in Sunnyvale, the streets of San Jose and the asphalt parking lot of East Palo Alto's Home Depot. In Redwood City, Allan Wofchuck counted 50 in his backyard.
Public gives nearly $14,000 to help abandoned horse
(Nicole Ethier and Sarah MacDonald, Arizona Republic) Nearly $14,000 has been raised for the horse that was found abandoned and badly injured near a boarding facility in Mesa earlier this month.
Award for parrot that warned baby was choking
(AP) A parrot whose cries of alarm alerted his owner when a little girl choked on her breakfast has been honored as a hero.
Bees and ants 'operate in teams'
(BBC) Bees and ants are true team players unlike other creatures who seek safety in numbers for selfish reasons, according to researchers. Scientists from Edinburgh and Oxford Universities used mathematical models to study "swarm behavior". They found that bison or fish want to get to the center of large groups to keep themselves safe from predators.
Mexico's butterfly reserve alights in the soul
(Ken Ellingwood, L.A. Times) They first catch the eye as tiny, ghost-like flashes. It takes a moment to fix the flitting shapes. You have come to these highland woods to see a natural marvel. The sparse, darting forms are not quite that. But they silently summon you deeper with the suggestion that this is just the start. They are butterflies, and for a few months a year they convert the hills here into a wonderland of fluttering movement and color.
Monkeying Around in Orangu-Tot Hospital
(David Hastie, NY Post) You will go bananas over these radiant redheads. Deep in the Malaysian jungle is a unique hospital committed to saving the endangered Borneo orangutan. The place is Bukit Merah Laketown Resort better known as Orang Utan Island.
Hotel Promotes Safe Sex For Frogs
(NPR) Amphibians have a new place to hook up in Edinburgh, Scotland: The Frog Hotel. The hotel, conceived by Community Service Volunteers' Action Earth campaign, opened about two weeks ago to provide a safe place for frogs to mate.
Beer kegs help keep zoo animals happy
(AP) A lion rips open a paper bag stuffed with hay and meat. Giraffes chew up old Christmas trees. Asian black bears claw on empty beer kegs. It's been a busy winter for zoo animals - and their schedules promise to be just as packed this spring. But this is not for show: Zoo keepers say games and other activities are essential to keeping animals physically and mentally healthy when they are out of their natural environments.
Pink elephant is caught on camera
(Rebecca Morelle, Science Reporter, BBC News) A pink baby elephant has been caught on camera in Botswana. A wildlife cameraman took pictures of the calf when he spotted it among a herd of about 80 elephants in the Okavango Delta. Experts believe it is probably an albino, which is an extremely rare phenomenon in African elephants.
Finches choose sex of offspring
(Victoria Gill, Science Reporter, BBC News) Female Gouldian finches "decide" to have more male chicks if they are less compatible with their mate. The birds, which have either red or black heads, prefer to mate with males with the same head coloring, as this signifies a better genetic match. Chicks from a mismatched mating - particularly the females - are weaker and more likely to die very early. A report in the journal Science says that the birds compensate for this by having more male chicks in their brood. Colorful Gouldian finches can judge if a mate is genetically compatible just by looking at its head.
Famed Iditarod lead dog retires
(Kevin Klott, Anchorage Daily News) With more than 12,000 miles of racing and countless miles of training under his paws, life is finally about to slow down for Larry the lead dog. A 9-year-old bombproof canine, Larry helped Lance Mackey win a third straight Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Thursday. It will go down as the last race of Larry's career.
Rare Reptile Hatchling Found on NZ Mainland
(Ray Lilley, Associated Press) A hatchling of a rare reptile with lineage dating back to the dinosaur age has been found in the wild on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in about 200 years, a wildlife official said Thursday.
Butch came when called, in war if not at home
(Eileen Mitchell, San Francisco Chronicle) Today, the concept of a working dog is not unusual: From therapy dogs, tracking dogs, guide dogs, herding dogs, search dogs and police dogs, the list is endless. But during World War II, working dogs were a relatively novel idea when the military launched a program called Dogs for Defense. Although dogs had previously been used in minor roles, they hadn't been utilized to any significant extent. Madeleine DeAndreis-Ayres shares the story of one particular canine soldier: her grandparents' dog, the slovenly, mischievous Butch.
Christian the lion’s owners recall final farewell
(Mike Celizic, TodayShow.com) Those two guys with the lion — the ones in the YouTube video with the Whitney Houston soundtrack — are back. Now, they are showing another film clip, unseen for years, of their second and final reunion in Africa with their pet and friend, Christian. Ace Bourke and John Rendall talked about that final reunion with TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Wednesday in New York.
'Armed' chimps go wild for honey
(Rebecca Morelle, Science reporter, BBC News) Scientists in the Republic of Congo found that the wild primates crafted large clubs from branches to pound the nests until they broke open. The team said some chimps would also use a "toolkit" of different wooden implements in a bid to access the honey and satisfy their sweet tooth. The study is published in the International Journal of Primatology.
Port Jefferson dachshund is world's oldest dog
(Dave Marcus, Newsday) She can't hear well, she doesn't like the cold and she no longer goes on four-mile runs. But Chanel, a 20-year-old dachshund in Port Jefferson Station, is enjoying the perks of being the world's oldest dog. The next edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, due out in September, will make that title official.
Wild Animal Park welcomes baby elephant
(Jeanette Steele, San Diego Union-Tribune) An African elephant calf was born early Friday morning at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park.
Flossing monkeys teach offspring
(Scientific American) Japanese researchers have found a group of monkeys in Thailand who have taught their infants how to floss their teeth.
Dolphins delight: bubble fun
(ABC News) Incredible video shows porpoises at play with their own manufactured toys
Elephants reveal new trunk tricks
(BBC) A BBC team discovered that the tusked giants use their trunks to delicately siphon off clean liquid that has settled at the top of the dirty pool. The footage shows how the elephants move incredibly slowly to avoid stirring up any sediment.
Injured 'miracle dog' recovers, finds new home
(Erika Chavez, Orange County Register) A stray dog with injuries so severe that one veterinarian described them as "something from a horror show" has made a full recovery and found a permanent home.
Chimps craft ultimate fishing rod
(Rebecca Morelle, Science reporter, BBC News) Scientists believe they have solved the mystery of why some chimpanzees are so good at catching termites. A team working in the Republic of Congo discovered that the chimps are crafting brush-tipped "fishing rods" to scoop the insects out of their nests. They filmed the wild primates using their teeth to fashion the tools.