Nigel, a handsome gannet bird who lived on a desolate island off the coast of New Zealand, died suddenly this week. Wherever his soul has landed, the singles scene surely cannot be worse. The bird was lured to Mana Island five years ago by wildlife officials who, in hopes of establishing a gannet colony there, had placed concrete gannet decoys on cliffsides and broadcast the sound of the species’ calls. Nigel accepted the invitation, arriving in 2013 as the island’s first gannet in 40 years. But none of his brethren joined him. In the absence of a living love interest, Nigel became enamored with one of the 80 faux birds. He built her — it? — a nest. He groomed her “chilly, concrete feathers . . . year after year after year,” the Guardian reported. He died next to her in that unrequited love nest, the vibrant orange-yellow plumage of his head contrasting, as ever, with the weathered, lemony paint of hers. “Whether or not he was lonely, he certainly never got anything back, and that must have been [a] very strange experience,” conservation ranger Chris Bell, who also lives on the island, told the paper. “I think we all have a lot of empathy for him, because he had this fairly hopeless situation.”
A heart-tugging issue has surfaced as lawmakers prepare to dig into details of the Farm Bill, a catchall package of items relating to agriculture and food policy in the United States. Should recipients of food stamps be allowed to purchase food for their hungry pets with the finite federal support they receive through the program? Edward B. Johnston, Jr., a 59-year-old Mississippian who gets by with the help of food stamps, has initiated a petition on Care2 that has attracted more than 83,000 signatures thus far. It calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow food stamp beneficiaries to buy pet food for their animals if they deem that essential. The food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), allows recipients to only buy food meant for human consumption. To read more on this story, click here:Federal Food Stamp Program Should, in a SNAP, Allow Pet Food Purchases
Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals and are part of the family of toothed whales that includes orcas and pilot whales. Dolphins are well known for their intellect, their gregarious nature, and their acrobatic abilities. They are found worldwide, mostly in shallow seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. Dolphin coloration varies, but they are generally gray in color with darker backs than the rest of their bodies. The body of a dolphin is designed to help them move through the water quickly and without exerting huge amounts of energy. They rely on their pectoral fins and the fluke (tail) to help them navigate through the water. Even though dolphins have 100 teeth, they don’t use them for eating. They do use them to get the fish though and then they swallow them. They can consume up to 30 pounds fish per day. They usually work as a team in their pod to get the school of fish surrounded and balled up. From there, they can plow through the middle and eat plenty as they do so. Dolphins are found all over the world; generally in shallow seawater of the continental shelves. You can witness dolphins in the cold waters as well as the warm tropical waters. Of course, there are certain species of dolphins that show preference to a particular temperature and region. Lifespan: Most dolphins live long lives. The bottlenose dolphin can live over 40 years, and the orca can live to be 70 or 80! Parts of the Dolphin
Boscawen, N.H. (CBS/AP) -- A New Hampshire man has been charged with resisting arrest and biting a police dog. Police said the man unsuccessfully tried to hide under a pile of clothes to evade arrest over the weekend and then put the police dog in a chokehold and bit it on the head. State police were asked to help deal with a shooting on Sunday in Boscawen, a town of about 4,000 residents. They said two men in a home were wanted on outstanding warrants and both resisted arrest before one exchanged bites with the dog, whose name is Veda. Police haven't released the men's names. They say the man who bit the dog faces charges including resisting arrest, interfering with a police dog and assaulting an officer. To read more on this story, click here:Dog Bites Man, Man Bites Dog, Man Gets Arrested
The Yellow Dog Project is a movement created for dogs that need space. By tying a yellow ribbon or something similar to the dog's leash you are indicating that this dog needs space, for whatever reason (or perhaps the human walking the dog... either way). However, there has been much debate with this whole 'yellow ribbon please ignore us' movement. What do you think? Can you see the downsides? Are people taking it too far? Are we assuming the worst if a dog is wearing this ribbon on their leash? Shortly after I became aware of the Yellow Dog Project, I read many blog posts and articles touching base on the potential downsides to this movement. After swaying back and forth and weighing in the good and possible negative sides to the yellow ribbon, I have formed my opinion. The movement was intended to create awareness and provide a clear indicator that your dog needs a little more space. I think this is a great idea and positive way to make this statement. I've seen alternatives to the yellow ribbon, such as harnesses and leashes that have text printed on them saying things such as, "do not pet". I think the yellow ribbon leaves it wide open to the reason the dog may need space. My only hope would be that people would not jump to conclusions assuming that the dog wearing the ribbon must be aggressive. While we as dog owners do control the situation that we expose our dogs to, I do believe that there are many unknowns in any given scenario. And ultimately you should be the one looking out for a dog you are handling that needs a little extra space, but if others are aware as well it will work much better. Just imagine walking in a neighborhood and rather than having to "shoo" off an approaching stranger that clearly wants to see the dog, they see the ribbon and understand. Now, for creating a wide awareness... To read more on this story, click here:THE YELLOW RIBBON – GOOD IDEA OR NOT?!
It’s not easy being different. Tianna and Gianna know that better than most people. The twin 10-year-old girls are legally blind, and Gianna suffers from autism. It’s hard for them to find someone who truly understands what they go through. Maybe that’s why this year they only had one Christmas wish. They wanted a disabled dog who would love them and understand them. To read more on this story, click here: Twin Special Needs Girls Adopt Disabled Pit Bull For Christmas
True story: I was working the other day and decided to light one of my beloved Bath and Body Works holiday candles that I’d just scored during their huge seasonal sale. For the first few minutes, I reveled in the awesome, spiced-apple scent while working on the day’s assignments. But after a few minutes, I started coughing uncontrollably and I felt so lightheaded. As I tried to think of what could be causing it, my eyes wandered to the candle and it hit me — this thing was making me sick. I put the candle out and after about 20 minutes, I felt totally fine. That’s when I knew I had to start researching side-effects of using scented candles. If you’re anything like my candle-loving self, you’re about to be so disappointed in what I found. While your favorite candles may smell good to you, their chemical makeup could be making you sick. According to MCS-America, most fragranced products contain anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 different chemicals. Even more alarming is the idea that despite the U.S. National Academy of Science have declared that fragrances should undergo neurotoxicity testing, most of the products on the market have not undergone testing to make sure that they’re safe for humans.
SAN DIEGO — Approximately 25 race horses were killed when a wildfire engulfed about eight barns at a training center in northeast San Diego County, the California Horse Racing Board said. Other horses that were in surrounding pastures remained unaccounted for. Nearly 500 horses were stabled at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in Bonsall when the fire erupted amid strong Santa Ana winds Thursday, and workers risked their lives to free horses from stalls and herd them into safer areas, a board statement said. Horses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars who are usually carefully walked from place to place were simply set free and encouraged to run away as flames engulfed the center, which is just a few miles from where the fire broke out. To read more on this story, click here: 25 Racehorses Killed Trying to Escape California Wildfire
