Amur leopard populations have more than doubled in just seven years. New census data reveals Amur leopards in Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park now number at least 57 cats (up from just 30 cats in 2007). And an additional 8-12 leopards were counted in adjacent areas of China. For the census, camera traps were spread out over more than 900,000 acres of leopard habitat. Scientists then reviewed 10,000 images and identified nearly 60 individual animals, judging by the distinctive pattern of spots on the leopards’ fur. The census was carried out by the Land of the Leopard National Park jointly with the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the support of The Amur Leopard Center and WWF-Russia. Land of the Leopard National Park, established in 2012, includes all of the Amur leopard’s known breeding areas and about 60 percent of the critically endangered cat’s remaining habitat. Saving the world’s rarest cat Conservationists are also working towards monitoring leopard populations across the border in neighboring Chinese nature reserves. One of the highly anticipated next steps would be the establishment of a Sino-Russian transboundary nature reserve. “There’s still a lot of work to be done in order to secure a safe future for the Amur leopard, but these numbers demonstrate that things are moving in the right direction,” said Dr. Barney Long, Director of Species Conservation for WWF-US. The dramatic good news for Amur leopards comes on the heels of WWF’s release of the first footage of a family of Amur tigers inside China. Both animals share the same habitat.
Reno, NV - Rooster, a 10-year-old Karelian Bear Dog, and his daughter 10-month-old daughter, Dazzle play and integral part of the team when it comes to releasing bears captured in populated areas. There travel with their owner, Carl Lackey, a Bear Biologist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife. This includes trucks, ATVs, helicopters, ski lifts, classrooms and everywhere else! Their main job…to harass the bear by chasing it, barking in its face, and making it run away or climb a tree. Combined with a shotgun firing rubber bullets, the idea is to make the bears not want to return. NDOW has had more success with this procedure than by relocating the bears, many of which return to the capture site within days or weeks if no aversion techniques are used. "They're extremely important to what we do," Lackey said of the dogs. "They're our main tool in non-lethal bear management. Our No. 1 goal is to release bears." Karelians are a specialized breed, originally from Russia and Finland where they were used by grizzly bear and moose hunters. They have a body type similar to a husky and facial features similar to a border collie. Lackey said they also have tremendous instincts and physical attributes. "They're fearless and they're really, really quick," he said, comparing them to a mongoose that is able to keep away from a cobra strike. Lackey bought his first Karelian, Stryker, in 2001 from the Wind River Bear Institute in Florence, Mont., a facility that raises and trains the dogs. Stryker helped with more than 400 bear. Rooster, a son of Stryker, joined the team in 2004, and has helped with more than 300, Lackey said. Now Dazzle is working alongside Rooster. Some of his other offspring is working as bear dogs with wildlife departments in Montana, Alaska and Washington State. Along with chasing the bears during release operations, the dogs can also be used to search under houses when its suspected bears might be trying to hibernate there, tracking, patrolling, finding food attractants and a variety of other duties. Lackey also uses his dogs in schools when he gives presentations. "They're great ambassadors," Lackey said. "The kids love them. They're great family dogs, too." Lackey owns his dogs and provides for their care. He would like to see the bear dog program expanded in Nevada. "We'd like to get one or two more dogs and be able to place them with a warden or two," he said.
Guinea pigs are small members of the rodent family native to South America, but they have been domesticated for several hundred years. They were popular lap pets in European courts, and their names have become synonymous with "test subject." Many people find them to be an excellent pet for a home or apartment.
A guinea pig is often thought of as a good pet for children, and this is true, but as with all pets, parents must make certain the child is old enough to be gentle with the animal and mature enough to care for it properly. They are sociable animals and need homes where they will receive attention and affection. Being left in a cage and ignored is a harsh life for the animal since they are affectionate and love to be held. Owners should be prepared for this.
A prospective owner should get a good book on guinea pig care and read it carefully. The animal's needs are not elaborate, but at the most basic, one needs a roomy cage, safe bedding, a ceramic food bowl, a water bottle with a sipper spout, pellets, and timothy hay.
Some people put a little plastic or wooden shelter inside the cage, but this is not recommended for the first week or so at home. The rodent may retreat inside the shelter and refuse to come out, except to eat. A shelter should only be added after the pet has become accustomed to its environment.
Guinea pigs are strict vegans: they do not eat any kind of meat product and do not need dairy products or sweets. A nugget of corn or wheat cereal once in a while may be a nice treat, but these should not be given regularly. Pellets formulated especially for these animals should compose the bulk of the diet, along with timothy hay.
Some cages have ricks where hay can be placed for eating at leisure, but most piggies do not nibble throughout the day &mdsah; they will eat an entire rick-full and "week" for more. Incidentally, the “wheek!” is a noise that the animal does not make in the wild. It is a call reserved for humans opening the refrigerator, and the animal knows exactly what is in there: treats.
Within their limits, these rodents are fairly bright. They know what the refrigerator is for, or at least that opening the door means a treat might be in their future. Pets seem to respond to their owners coming in from being absent, and they certainly relish being picked up and loved. They return affection with nuzzles, head butts and gurgles of contentment.
The guinea pig is a prey creature, and so will mask illness. An owner should look for any nasal discharge or diarrhea and notice if the animal is not drinking water. These are sure signs of illness, and time is always of the essence when treating this rodent. If possible, the animal should be taken to a veterinarian specializing in exotic pets for treatment.
The animal’s cage should be kept out of direct sunlight and drafts. The room temperature should be fairly consistent to help keep illness away. Loud noises should be kept to a minimum, when possible.
One great advantage of the guinea pig as a pet is that it is quiet. It will wheek and squeak and gurgle, but not loudly. They rattle their water bottles and bang items around in their cages, but do not create much commotion.
When their cages are kept clean, these pets also have very little odor. People are rarely allergic to them, which makes them good pets for those who love animals but can't have a cat or dog. Most are also generally fastidious little animals and keep themselves groomed, although gentle brushing with a soft-bristled brush is also appreciated.
Guinea pigs are often packed with personality and friendliness. They rarely bite and are sociable, likable little animals. As such, they can make excellent pets.
Tomatillo looks like any horse. To those in the know, the 18-month-old looks like one horse.
Tomatillo is the clone of Tamarillo -- a famous eventing horse who reached the Olympics in 2004.
Twelve years have passed since humans first successfully cloned a horse. The science is developing fast, but remains imperfect.
The current process takes a sample of cells from a horse's neck, swaps the nucleus of one of those cells into an equine egg, then gives that egg a small electric shock to stimulate development before it is placed inside a recipient mare and carried to term.
Yet Tomatillo, and a handful of others, represent near-exact replicas of sporting excellence and pose an important question: are we going to start seeing clones at the world's top equestrian events?
At the Olympic Games of the future, will a horse compete against itself for gold?
Tomatillo's owners are Finn and Mary Guinness, who also own Tamarillo.
The Guinnesses watched British eventer William Fox-Pitt ride the latter to glory at the Olympics, World Equestrian Games and a succession of other major events until Tamarillo's retirement in 2008.
At that point, there arose a problem.
Like many horses at the top of equestrian sport, Tamarillo is a gelding -- in other words, the horse has been castrated, in the belief that geldings are calmer, easier to handle and therefore more readily prepared for the rigors of competition.
But the decision to castrate the horse is taken well before it's apparent that the horse carries world-class genes.
"When you've finally got your champion, it's too late, because it's a gelding," in the words of Finn Guinness, who brings a learned background to ownership of Tomatillo.
Guinness was a one-time student of cloning at Edinburgh University and holds a doctorate in genetics.
His wife, Mary, adds: "When Tamarillo turned out to be this treasure, my husband was regretting it like anything, because he was just interested in keeping the genetics going with the animal.
"And now we can."
A Different Breed:
The Guinnesses have cloned Tamarillo not to replace the horse in the arena, but in the bedroom.
Without a clone, Tamarillo's world-beating genetics would be lost when the horse died. Now, Tomatillo can do the breeding in Tamarillo's place.
"They have the same head, the same personality, the same coloring. It's completely uncanny when you deal with them all the time," says Mary.
"It's especially in the eyes, for me. Looking at the eye, the eye is so similar. They are similar in the way they move, too, and my husband is obsessed with the swirls on his head.
"We are going to try to breed from him, not this year but next year, to see what sort of animals he produces before we go on the open market."
This is in keeping with a broader trend in equine cloning: the focus is on breeding, not sport.
In mid-February this year, two clones of Irish stallion Cruising were revealed.
Cruising died last year at the age of 29. Now, the existence of two clones (Cruising Encore and Cruising Arish) allows his phenomenally successful genes to continue, or so the breeder in question -- Mary McCann -- hopes.
"Cruising would be the number one Irish sporthorse stallion in terms of producing both showjumpers and eventing horses," says Dr Tom Reed, a fellow breeder based in Ireland at Morningside Stud.
Dr Reed says the Irish Sport Horse stud book -- or registry of horses, used by breeders -- "would be very interested in encouraging the owners to clone the horse."
The stud book has struggled to find horses of Cruising's genetic caliber, he believes, and cloning represents a roll of the dice to preserve its greatest equine asset.
Dr Reed sees that as a bad thing. "They're basically counting on 26-year-old genetics to bring the showjumping side of the stud book back into relevance and that's not going to happen," he argues.
Fertile Ground?:
Yet for Eric Palmer, that is the joy and purpose of his work.
Palmer founded Cryozootech, in France, in 2001. He has since become a world-leading authority on the cloning of horses, responsible for the cloning of champion showjumpers like ET (one of the first to be cloned) and Quidam de Revel (the first horse cloned in the U.S.)
"The job I'd done before involved technologies for reproduction, like artificial insemination. All the time, the reason for these technologies was giving people a tool to increase their genetic progress," Palmer tells CNN.
"When I saw that cloning was possible, I realized it could be used to make fertile animals out of infertile ones. For me, this is the ability to make a gelding become a stallion."
In 2005, Palmer worked with Dr Katrin Hinrichs, at Texas A&M University, on the cloning of Quidam de Revel.
A decade later, Hinrichs still finds it hard to comprehend why anyone would clone a horse for sport, rather than breeding.
"As a scientist and as a horse owner myself, it never occurred to me that people would want to clone horses to compete them. That's totally sideways," says Dr Hinrichs.
"The reason these horses compete is to show they are really good at what they do, so you can choose the animals to breed to and improve the breed. It's because we want to know which horses are good, so we can choose the stallions and mares we want to breed, so the next generation is better.
"If you compete a clone, what good is that? If the original animal showed great talent, then of course the clone will -- it can't really improve the breed."
And yet some of the advantages are obvious. If you own a champion horse and want to carry on winning medals in future, a clone prolongs your access to that horse's winning genetics for a decade or two. The cost of cloning, at a shade above $150,000, is a fraction of the seven-figure sums routinely spent on champion jumping or dressage horses.
Despite that, Palmer says clients at Cryozootech don't typically have their hearts set on sporting achievement from cloning.
Rewriting the Rule Book:
If they do, his advice is: cloning is not a sure thing.
"Of the few cloned horses starting to compete, Levisto Alpha Z [the clone of Levisto Z], was a champion at four years old in Belgium, showing that clones can do sport," says Palmer. "So it may happen, but it's not really a good reason to make a clone.
"When you clone a big champion, remember he had everything going for him: the best genes but all the rest, too. He formed a good combination with the rider.
"Genetics is only 30%, 70% is other factors. So there's little chance that you will get all 100% of the factors being optimum.
"I would say it's a bet. It's a bet where you have control over 30% of your chances, but you still have 70% that you have not yet controlled."
Not only that, the science does not yet deliver a perfect replica -- as might be implied by the word "clone."
The process produces a foal that is almost, but not 100%, identical to the original horse. Moreover, Dr Hinrichs says it's only successful around a third of the time.
"Cloning is such a science-fiction thing -- the idea that you can duplicate somebody," she says.
"But this doesn't work the way it does in science fiction. The best simile is that it's an identical twin, born years and years later. It's going to have many of the same genetics but it's going to be very different, too."
In 2012, the FEI -- equestrian sport's world governing body -- changed its rules to allow clones to compete, arguing that the move would encourage the preservation of the genes of leading geldings.
That was the moment that concerns first surfaced in the wider media about the presence of clones in events.
In reality, though, it appears more likely that the offspring of clones will be future Olympic champions, rather than the clones themselves.
Returning to the theory that stallions are harder to train for sport than geldings, it's a given that for your clone to breed, they cannot be castrated. However, there is nothing to stop you turning the clone's offspring into geldings.
Like today's stallions, clones are set to be used to sire hundreds of foals -- raking in money for their owners and spreading the clone's genes far and wide.
Why castrate your clone and their expensive, world-beating genetics for sporting purposes when, a few years down the line, you can take your pick between dozens of the clone's foals?
"We are sure that offspring of clones will be there in competition," says Palmer.
From Blood Line to Production Line?:
Dr Reed worries about the concept.
"I have a couple of fundamental problems," he says. "I have questions about the possible long-term effects. We don't know whether there will be negative outcomes associated with these clones that, once introduced into a population, could be detrimental to that population.
"Another problem I have is that we're horse breeders, not horse manufacturers. What we basically have here is some very wealthy people getting hold of some genetic material and trying to gain some competitive advantages in breeding, and potentially in the arena, through cloning.
"And once you let cloned genetics into your population, how do you get rid of it?"
Dr Reed agrees is probably a matter of time until clones, or their offspring, show up in the sporting arena.
"I'm not aware of any of them in sport [but] the door's been opened and there is no turning back, at this point, in terms of international sport," he says.
It's unlikely that Tomatillo will be among them. But it isn't out of the question.
"Who knows? it's very interesting to watch Tomatillo trotting, he does seem pretty similar to Tamarillo," says Finn Guinness.
"I don't think we're going to be able to resist taking him a little way [in eventing], anyway. My main interest is getting his foals. We'll see. We're some way off all that."
Mary Guinness says Fox-Pitt, the rider of Tamarillo, is preparing to have his second look at Tomatillo -- just in case there is something there. If anyone gets to ride Tomatillo in competition, she adds, it will be him.
"People are so nervous about cloning," she continues.
"I remember 35, 36 years ago when they had the first IVF baby and everybody thought it was a freak of science. Now it's the norm. I tend to think that cloning will be a fairly common thing in 30 years' time -- we're just ahead of the game, as it were.
"Tomatillo looks absolutely like any other horse you would see in the field. He doesn't have five toes coming out of a hoof or anything like that. He's just normal. That's what people can't get their heads around."
Dr Hinrichs, in pondering the prospect of clones in sport, comes up with a suggestion many people are unlikely to get their heads around.
"I was just in a meeting," she recalls, "where somebody argued that if you want to test the ability of a person to train a horse and ride it to the top of the field, the ultimate challenge would be to have everybody riding the same clone.
"Everybody receives a clone of the horse 10 years ago, trains it up and competes it at the Olympics. Then the variable would be the training, the upbringing, the handling and the riding.
"Is the Olympics a test of the training and riding ability, or of the horse? It's probably the former. The Olympics is all about people, right?"
It’s a story with a sad refrain: a neglected old dog (or old cat) sits alone in a shelter, hoping for a second chance at life. For one such dog in a rural Tennessee community, that second chance came in the form of a retired Air Force veteran and longtime animal lover. In the company of dogs Growing up on a farm in a small town in Pennsylvania, Zelva – who likes to be called Zee – always had a strong connection with animals. “They have been a comfort to me most of my life,” she says. Long after her retirement from the military, Zee finally had time to volunteer and dedicate her life to animals in need. She started by walking dogs at her local shelter; two days a week quickly turned to five. Eventually she found herself working the front desk, at the surgery center, and helping with adoption and vetting. Although a full-time employee now fulfills most of these responsibilities, Zee simply found other ways to help. “I go every Saturday and do medications for all of the animals,” she says. “I still teach a class once a month and do events.” The Air Force veteran found new channels for her passion and now serves as Vice President of the Smokey Mountain Animal Care Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the Blount County Animal Shelter. In this capacity, Zee gives new volunteer orientations, and serves as the McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base liaison for non-commissioned officers performing community service at the shelter. “They come in flights,” she says, “maybe have 15 people, show up for about four hours [to volunteer] about every six weeks or so.” Zee’s love of animals was not always so well received. She smiles when she thinks about the one time during her long military career when she got in trouble. “I got lectured by my commander for taking dogs home to the barracks,” she recalls. “My roommate came home one night and there was an Irish Setter in the room, and she got mad at me.” Neglected old dog loses her way Shelley was rescued from a dog trap set by animal control officers to catch wild dogs. It was immediately apparent that the old dog was not wild, but an abandoned, severely neglected pet. The Shepherd-Lab mix was in pretty bad shape when the officers took her to the Blount County Animal Shelter for care. She had arthritis, thyroid problems, hip dysplasia, rotten teeth, untrimmed nails and to top it all off, she was heartworm positive. Zee believes that at one time in her life, Shelley had a family. “Shelley, I think, wandered off,” she says. “Someone probably had her for years and years. We have some country folk around here that just don’t look at dogs the same way I do. They are an extension of my family.” The shelter staff estimated Shelley to be about 12 years old. During her otherwise unremarkable stay there a couple adopted her, only to return her three days later. “She got really depressed,” Zee remembers. “I took her home with my other dogs where she had company, and to get her out of the shelter…The family that brought her back said it was because she chased cats, but she doesn’t.” Blazing a trail for other female veterans Zee came from a small town where jobs were scarce. She knew that higher education was the ticket to a better life, but her options were limited after her father passed away when she was young. Then there was an uncle. He was in the special forces, and Zee always admired his travels and adventures. She decided that a military career would allow her to serve her country while creating a better future for herself. “For years,” Zee says, “I think I was the first female in my high school to join the military.” Zee started her long career in the Women’s Army Corps in 1972, working in personnel and then as a Military Police Officer. She spent a short time in the Air National Guard, and served the remainder of her career in active duty Air Force in law enforcement and administration. During her years with the Guard, she worked full-time in civilian law enforcement. “I enjoyed police work,” she says. “My last year in the military, I was also a reserve [Sheriff’s] Deputy with the local county.” Looking back on her 27-year military career, the dual Army-Air Force veteran realizes that she was a trailblazer for other female veterans. “When I joined the Army women weren’t allowed to be military police,” she says. “August of 1973 I signed into the Military Police Corps and trained in Germany as one of the first female MP Officers. Three years in the Army and I was only issued skirts, not pants. And I had to do police work in a skirt!” In August 2001, Zee retired after 27 years of dedicated service to our nation. She tried to re-enlist after 9/11, but her request was denied due to a lack of need in her military career field. With her children grown and with free time for the first time in her life, Zee started volunteering at her local animal shelter. An old dog is finally at home Zee first became acquainted with Shelley when the old dog was featured in a story about the Blount County Animal Shelter’s new partnership with Pets for Patriots, a nationally operating companion pet adoption program for United States military veterans. The Air Force veteran was instrumental in bringing the program to Blount County, and serves as its program manager at the shelter. Everyone thought that featuring Shelly’s plight would be a great way to introduce the community to their new partnership and, at the same time, find a veteran who might adopt this sweet yet unwanted dog. But with no response to the article, Zee could sense that being at the shelter was taking its toll on the old dog. The rest, as they say, is history. Shelley officially joined the rest of Zee’s rescue pack: Itzy, Amos, Schnitzel, Schotzy, Tennessee, and Nutmeg. Two of the larger dogs came from abusive situations as well, and along with Shelley often spend time in the family room. From unwanted to loved Although estimated by the shelter to be about 12 years of age, Zee’s veterinarian believes the big dog is closer to 14. That does not matter to Zee. The Air Force veteran is no stranger to adopting senior dogs and giving them happy retirements. “Over the last six or seven years,” she says, “I have had three elderly dogs that I took in when they were old.” Zee’s rescue work has allowed senior dogs to enjoy their retirement and spend their last years surrounded by love. She estimates that Shelley may have only “about another good year or so…I just wanted her to have a happy ending.” Since joining the veteran’s pack, Shelley – often called Shelley Bear because she looks like a bear from a distance – has been settling in well. She has put on some much-needed weight, is receiving treatment for her heartworm, and is fed a high quality diet with supplements for her arthritis and thyroid. The big old dog has plenty of room to roam on Zee’s multi-acre property, and has been showing off her excellent manners. Years of neglect, however, have taken their toll. Shelley will need to have several teeth pulled. Her first real bath will come in the spring, when the lake near Zee’s property warms up. Because of her hip issues and her size – about 80 pounds – Zee is unable to lift Shelley into a tub. The dog’s physical limitations are limiting other, more enjoyable activities as well. “She loves riding in the car,” Zee says, “but I don’t take her very often because it’s hard to get her in and out of it, and she’s hard to pick up.” Companion pets for veterans Zee’s entire life is a testament to the power of companion pets. Long before she entered the military, animals were an integral part of her life and her family. “I grew up without a whole lot of neighbors, but we all had pets,” she explains, adding that she thinks Pets for Patriots is the way to go for any veteran considering pet adoption. “It’s a great way to get a companion animal – a super way!” she exclaims, recognizing that the partnership is good for older veterans and those returning from service alike. “A lot of what has happened in the Middle East in the last couple of years has been bringing back some things for Vietnam era and older veterans,” she says. “Having an animal around when they are feeling down, I can see how that would be helpful.”
$2,000 REWARD: On February 21, 2015 the WHS discovered an adult, male, blue brindle and white pit bull-type dog with infected wounds on his front legs; he was in a dumpster behind 351 53rd St. SE. The dog may have been placed there the previous night.
The Washington Humane Society desperately needs the help of the community for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this horrific act of animal cruelty. The Washington Humane Society is offering a $2,000.00 reward that will be given to any person who provides such information.
If you have any information about this case, please contact
Washington Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement Department:
Officer Russell
arussell@washhumane.org
202-723-5730 ext.132
Information will be kept confidential upon request.
If you're still searching for the love of your life after this Valentine's Day, we're a great place to look! We have many wonderful dogs and cats who can't wait to show you how much you mean to them! And don't forget that through February, you can adopt a selected "Staff Favorite" dog for a reduced adoption fee of $125 (normally $225), which still includes all age appropriate vaccinations, heartworm testing, microchip, and the spay or neuter surgery for your new pet! Cats are also included in the matchmaking - adoption fees for cats are only $70 (normally $150) and include all age appropriate vaccinations, FIV/FeLV testing, microchip, and the spay or neuter for your new cat. You can also adopt two for a total of only $95! If anyone is looking for a pocket-sized companion, we also have two adorable hamsters hoping to find a family and even several turtles who are looking for a loving home! We've got someone for everyone - stop in to find your perfect match! Prince George's County Animal Shelter 3750 Brown Station Rd Upper Marlboro, Maryland (301) 780-7200
The Wilson County Animal Shelter in North Carolina has finally hauled away their gas chamber. They will now focus more strongly on spay and neuter programs. Wilson County Sheriff Calvin Woodard says the county purchased the chamber years ago when he was still a deputy. “I wish we never had to put any pet down at all,” he said. “I love animals and it is a very difficult thing to do. And when using the gas chamber it is emotionally hard on the staff.” He says it has always been hard to put animals in the chamber, and that they will now use lethal injection. “Even when it was an animal that was so aggressive we couldn’t save it to adopt out, or those animals who were hurt and laying there on the road and brought here, it weighed hard and took emotional toll on us to put them in there,” Woodard explained. “And I want the staff to be comfortable and safe. But the biggest thing we want to do is get the animals into loving homes.” Though they come in through the back door, the Sheriff says he wants to see them all leave through the front door. “I wanted that gas chamber gone and thank God we eventually got to the place where we could get it picked up,” he said. Though many improvements have been made to the shelter, he would like to see a total change. “I would love to have a new animal shelter — it would be great for the community to come and visit animals in a place before they adopt them, better for the animals and good for our staff,” Woodard said in December 2013. “But the economy has been bad and commissioners can’t build a new shelter with no money.” Some money was allocated to the shelter for some basic improvements, but the most important change that has occurred since 2013 is the spay and neuter program, which provides the service for free to low-income families. “There are elderly people and hard-working people who don’t have enough money to get their pet spayed or neutered and this is a service to them,” Woodard said. “The only issue is that you have to take your pet to get it fixed — we don’t do that.” Families interested in adopting can also have their new pet fixed free of charge.
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