UPDATED PETITION AS OF NOVEMBER 8 2013Koalas are thick, furry marsupials (have young in a pouch like a kangaroo) averaging 9 kg (20 lbs) who spend most of their time in trees. "Koala" came from the Aboriginal word meaning "no drink" which perfectly fits this little guy since most of his hydration comes from Eucalyptus leaves. Koalas only drink water when they're ill or during droughts when leaves don't have enough moisture. SAVETHEKOALA.COM (below) has great information about what's going on with the koalas and their habitat and ways to get involved to really make a difference. Take a browse if only to learn a little more about these amazing creatures! But before you go, please scroll down to sign the petition asking for help with the current disease devastating the koala population. FROM THEKOALA.COM: Disease is part of the natural history of the koala. There are 4 common koala diseases caused by the chlamydia organism: conjunctivitis which can cause blindness, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and reproductive tract infections, which can cause female infertility. The symptoms of chlamydia manifest as sore eyes, chest infections, and "wet bottom" or "dirty tail". Different strains of chlamydia bacteria are thought to cause these diseases. In 1995, scientists isolated two strains called chlamydia pecorum and chlamydia pneumoniae. CLICK TO SIGN PETITION from The Animal Rescue Site FROM THEKOALA.COM: Scientists now believe that the chlamydia organism has been occuring amongst koala populations for many years, and has acted as a natural population control in times of stress. The organism is harmless in populations with unlimited resources, but manifests in times of stress, such as happens when habitat is reduced. The weaker animals succumb to the disease, become sick, infertile or die, leaving the genetically stronger animals to continue breeding. In disease-free populations which have been moved to areas where they were not native or where there is not enough habitat to support them (such as on some islands off Victoria and Kangaroo Island in South Australia), problems with overpopulation have arisen because of this unnatural situation. However, this is not the case in most mainland populations, and indeed many of the mainland colonies are in decline. Koalas also suffer from a range of cancers like leukemia and skin cancers.
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When I say warning I mean it. Most people will pass up this video to keep the conscience feeling light enough to continue eating meat. I've been there. I did it too. I was a huge animal lover who turned a blind eye to this issue as well as a deaf ear because I'd been raised eating meat. I was actually raised eating a lot of deer and elk in addition to the store bought meat. I haven't watched many of these 'behind the scenes' videos. I don't like slasher films or tremendously violent films. I don't like graphic stuff. And I know the swine and cattle industry hate these films and claim they aren't the truth at all. You'll have to decide that for yourself. Hearts United for Animals is a national no-kill animal shelter, sanctuary and animal welfare organization dedicated to the relief of suffering. We rescue dogs from all over the country and specialize in long distance adoptions. We take creatures who are lost, afraid, hungry or ill and comfort them, give them a warm, soft bed, good food, medical care and most of all, love. HUA is a place of happiness, joy and love. Everything we do is in the best interest of the dogs. The dogs have big fields of grass and trees in which to run. Our primary interest is what will make them happy. HUA is a place to celebrate the joy of life. READ MORE Since 1996 one main mission of Hearts United for Animals has been the rescue and rehabilitation of puppy mill dogs. During that time we have rescued over 5,000 dogs from puppy mills. These gentle, fragile creatures have both broken and warmed our hearts. Every set of frightened, sad eyes steels our resolve to see the horrible practice of holding dogs prisoner come to an end. It is our belief that dogs are companion animals, not meant to be housed in bare wire cages with no blankets, no clean food or water, no veterinary care, no ability to touch grass and no understanding of love or kindness. The atrocities we see are staggering. The injuries we repair, both physical and emotional, are beyond comprehension for most loving pet owners. It is a labor of love, one that pays back when we see a dog know health, touch grass and understand that they are safe and loved for the first time in their long lives. GO TO THEIR WEBSITE LEGACY OF LOVE reminds us to make preparations for our beloved animals should something happen to us. Let your family and friends know your wishes to ensure that your animal(s) are well taken care of in case you're not around. Click on Legacy of Love to read the full article. Pass it on.
THE WORLD'S MOST SAVAGE BLOOD SPORT: BEAR BAITING IS WHERE DOGS TEAR APART A CHAINED UP BEAR2/12/2011 Bear baiting is one of the most barbaric acts of inhumanity. This article is about it going on in Pakistan, but it also goes on in the United States! STRAIGHT FROM THE WORLD SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS: The brutal but lucrative contests are organized by powerful local landlords. They own and train the dogs, which are also victims of this 'sport', encouraging ferocity in attack situations. The bears are owned by Kalanders – traditional bear owners –who are paid by the landlords to bring the bears to fight. Bear baiting is banned by the Pakistan Wildlife Act and contravenes Islamic teachings, which forbid the baiting of animals. Taking actionDogs attack during a bear baiting event, Pakistan © WSPA/Mark RissiWSPA and member society the Pakistan Biodiversity Research Center (PBRC) have helped to dramatically reduce the number of bear baiting events in recent years, by:
READ A PRIOR POSTING ON BEAR FARMING
by Betsy Seeton A dog's sense of smell is 1000 times stronger than a human's. The canine's heightened ability is helping sniff out bowel cancer through breath and stool samples. It turns out that different types of cancer cells have their own distinct odor that a trained Labrador has been able to very effectively detect. The test revealed an astounding accuracy rate between 95% to 98%. This applies to even early stages of the cancer, which is being hailed as the holy grail because early detection offers the best cure rates. photo: www.irishviews.com/brown-labrador.html By Boonsri Dickinson | Feb 3, 2011 | smartplanet.com Like Popular Science said: Training dogs is another issue all together. CSIRO researcher Trevor Lockett told ABC.net.au While training dogs to identify cancer with their incredible sniffing ability might be impracticable as a scalable medical screening procedure, it’s reasonable to think that one day sensors could do the dirty work. An electronic nose (see article below) can detect tumors in its earliest stages. But can researchers design a system that can recreate what goes on when a dog uses its super sense of smell? The dog might be smelling a number of different compounds - and this might be hard to recreate with sensors. A number of groups are honing in on the precision of the systems to detect a slew of cancers and to identify the threat of hazardous substances. I wrote about Stanford chemists who created an e-nose that can sniff out anything from sour milk to explosives. Breath test can detect cancer By Boonsri Dickinson | Aug 11, 2010 Smartplanet.com Scientists developed a breath test prototype that can identify the four most common forms of cancer: lung, bowel, breast, and prostate. The Technion Israel Institute of Technology researchers tested 177 people — some were healthy, while others suffered from breast, bowel, lung, or prostate cancer, reports The Guardian. More tests will be needed to see if the breath test works in cases when the cancer status isn’t known. The electronic nose could tell if a person has healthy or cancerous breathand detected which kind of cancer the person had. It’s the gold nanoparticles in the sensors that can sniff out chemicals. When tumors begin to grow, the cancerous cells emit chemicals unique to that type of cancer. And it will take a few years for scientists to hone down the accuracy of the test. The breath tests would be far less troublesome than mammograms and stool tests. So using the electronic nose in addition to imaging could ease the burden of uncomfortable, regular checkups. KIDS SHOWING THEIR LOVE FOR MUSTANGS! Why are there over 30,000 Wild Horses in holding facilities and not Home on the Range? Why do we need a Private Foundation to save Wild Horses and Burros?Why does the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 need to be amended to save Wild Horses and Burros? What can you do to save these excess 30,000 Wild Horses and Burros held in holding facilities?Why do we need to create a Wild Horse Sanctuary? How many wild horses can the Saving America’s Mustangs Ranch support?Can the Saving America’s Mustangs Ranch be managed without negative environmental impacts? How can you keep 30,000 head of wild horses from escaping the Ranch?What kind of conflicts may exist between wildlife and wild horses on the Saving America’s Mustangs Ranch? Could there be impacts to federal land users, adjacent land owners, local communities, county, or state government by changing use from cattle to horses on the Saving America’s Mustangs Ranch? Will the federal government acquire any private lands within the ranch if the foundation ceases to exist? Will the Foundation be a good neighbor by being open and accessible, ensuring fences are maintained and the horses don’t escape, and allow public access to the ranch? Why do taxpayers have to pay the Foundation to care for and protect wild horses relocated from government pens to the ranch? How can the federal government be assured that the foundation is capable of managing and caring for the thousands of horses they will receive and provide long term health of both the horses and the rangeland? Why not acquire a small ranch which can support between 500 to 1,000 horses where the forage is more plentiful and the overall ranch price is lower so the ranch could be managed without government funding? Are there other benefits the Foundation proposal provides the government? Why does BLM have so many horses in Short Term Holding? Does it make sense that the BLM relocate excess wild horses to other federal and private lands which has capacity for wild horses, if the WH&BA is amended to provide the Secretary of Interior this authority? FIND THE ANSWERS TO ALL THESE QUESTIONS ON MADELEINE'S WEBSITE YOU WON'T FIND ANYONE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT HOW TO SAVE AMERICA'S WILD HORSES "In the past we have tried to make a distinction between animals which we acknowledge have some value and others which, having none, can be liquidated when we wish. This standard must be abandoned. Everything that lives has value simply as a living thing, as one of the manifestations of the mystery that is life." — Albert Schweitzer "Ask not what animal can do for you, ask what you can do for an animal."
by Jasper "In the last 30 years, the African elephant population has declined to about 35 percent of its original numbers." Samuel Wasser Conservation Biologist, University of Washington DEMAND FOR IVORY DRIVES THE ILLEGAL TRADE Pictured below is confiscated ivory (top left corner), museum tusks (world record size), ivory scraps (lower right hand corner), cherished "legally" owned ivory tusks on the right, and various other specimens of ivory. They all have one thing in common: dead elephants. The only sure way to end the supply of ivory is stop the demand. Stop buying ANY ivory. You could be contributing to the demand for ivory without even knowing it. READ MORE THE IVORY BAN IS A MAZE NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO NAVIGATE "A confusing array of restrictions, bans and occasional legal mass sales make tracking and finding illegal ivory – made from the tusks of elephants slaughtered in spite of bans enacted decades ago — a challenge for the best of sleuths," writes Melissa Seagrest for Green Right Now. READ MORE "For more than 25 years, Zoocheck has been a leading voice for the protection of wild animals. We are the only Canadian organization with a specific focus on captive wild animal issues and problems." ZooCheck.com STRAIGHT FROM ZOOCHECK.COM: Zoocheck Canada is a national animal protection charity (#13150 2072 RR 0001) established in 1984 to promote and protect the interests and well-being of wild animals. Zoocheck works to improve wildlife protection in Canada and to end the abuse, neglect and exploitation of individual wild animals through:
Zoocheck has also provided vital support to the efforts of individuals, organizations and governments throughout Canada and around the world as they work to address wildlife problems and issues in their own regions. Training workshops have been conducted, campaign tools developed and advice, information and assistance provided to hundreds of different animal protection initiatives over the years. photo from zoocheck.com Biography Rob Laidlaw has spent 30 years campaigning to protect animals of all kinds. His work has taken him from Canada's north to tropical Asia and includes more than 1,000 visits to zoos around the world. He is a Chartered Biologist, avid outdoorsman, cave explorer, and a founder of the wildlife protection organization Zoocheck Canada. He regularly provides commentary on animal issues to print, radio and television media and speaks to groups of all ages throughout the world. In 2008, Laidlaw’s first children’s book, Wild Animals in Captivity, was released. His second book, On Parade, The Hidden World of Animals in Entertainment, is scheduled for release in 2010, while a third book about rescue centers and sanctuaries is now in the works. For more information, please visit Rob's websites at www.zoocheck.com andwww.wildanimalsincaptivity.com. |
Animal Rights & Welfare
Posts by Betsy Seeton "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men." ~Alice Walker The source of the quote is Walker's preface to Marjorie Spiegel's 1988 book, "The Dreaded Comparison" . Her next sentence was, "This is the gist of Ms. Spiegel's cogent, humane and astute argument, and it is sound." Archives
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