Monday, May 4, 2015
Keeping Chickens As Pets: A Growing Trend For City Dwellers
Maybe it’s a growing trend of getting back to basics, maybe it’s the economy. Whatever the reason, keeping chickens as pets is a growing trend even for city dwellers. There are even clubs for those who fancy poultry as pets, and competitive shows where owners can show off their beautiful Bantams. The clubs and shows are generally overseen by the American Poultry Association.
While regulations vary on chicken ownership from town to town, even many urban communities allow for a small number of hens. Many towns see roosters as too noisy (hello, annoying alarm clock) and/or aggressive to be kept in a residential setting.
Marci Riseman, mom of two, has kept chickens in her San Francisco backyard for three years.
“I consider our chickens to be somewhere between pets and farm animals,” she said. “It’s a strange relationship that I’ve never had before, and I find it leaves me with different expectations. We feed our cat and all we expect is love and a full litterbox; we feed our chickens and we expect them to produce eggs.”
Don’t expect to start a roadside egg-selling stand (which is probably also regulated in your town, by the way) with just a few hens.
“Right now we have three chickens, and are getting two eggs a day,” said Marci. “This means that someone is not laying. We can’t tell who the freeloader is, since they all spend time in the laying box; without a strategically-placed ChickenCam we’ll never know who isn’t pulling her weight egg-wise.”
“I love having these creatures in our yard,” said Marci. “They are beautiful those weird spindly feet are actually very graceful in motion … and the feathers, oh the feathers! and funny, and friendly, and they are a great live-action science experiment every day in our own back yard.”
Marci describes herself as “an urban homesteader at heart” who makes her own jam and sauerkraut and cooks or bakes most of what her family eats. She and her family also grow fruits and vegetables in a small garden.
“I would totally have a goat and an orchard and acres of blueberry bushes if we had the land and my husband wouldn’t divorce me over it,” jokes Marci. “Especially the goat. Just being with the chickens while I pull weeds or hang out with the kids or friends in the yard makes me happy. Chickens are a small way to bring nature closer in to our noisy, urban lives.”
I asked Marci if she and her family eat the chickens or just the eggs.
“We don’t eat the chickens. Partly because of the part-pet thing; the kids would be beyond horrified. And partly because it would be disgusting to slaughter our own animals, though I’m sure I could get over that part with practice. At first it did freak me out to eat something that came out of the rear end of something that lives in our backyard. It made me realize how disassociated we are from our food; I don’t mind eating something that comes out of the rear end of a chicken I can’t see? I got over it, though, and now I adore eating their eggs.”
If you’re considering keeping chickens, the first and most important step is to find out what your community’s regulations are. Your town’s public health department can help you with that. If chickens are allowed, you can use a tool like the “Which Chicken?” Breed Selector Tool at mypetchicken.com to help find breeds that are suitable for your climate and your interests.
For example, in my fantasy world in which I have chickens, I want a cold-hardy chicken that is docile and produces lots of fun-colored eggs. The chicken chooser tool recommends a chicken called an Easter Egger that lays four large bluish-green eggs a week.
A particularly helpful resource is backyardchickens.com, which includes lots of ideas about coops, owner reviews of a vast number of breeds, and a thriving online community in which to discuss and ask questions about laws, breeds, problem solving, and other issues. Their Learning Center section has great information for those just getting started, as well as long-time chicken owners.
The most amazing thing about chickens is that there’s a huge variety that are suited to backyard raising.
The following are just a few of the nifty birds out there:
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Sunday, May 3, 2015
Japanese Cat Owners Have Transformed a Popular Doll Bed from IKEA into Beds for Their Pets
The Duktig, a popular and widely known doll bed from IKEA,
was cleverly transformed into beds for their pet cats and other pets by a few
cat owners in Japan. Although the bed was originally meant for children’s dolls
and cost $20 each, the Duktig was then modified by the pet owners to cater to
the needs of their pets. Also, it has been designed by taking into
consideration all the aspects related to cats. Both the ends of the bed are
left uncovered, due to which they can easily stick out their tails whenever
they wish to relax.
Also, the same bed can be used by other animals too. Rabbits
and dogs have found the bed to be highly comfortable and are appreciating the
bed. Also, a few pet owners have gone a step ahead and have converted the pet
beds into bunk beds for multiple pets.
Meet, Disney, Britain's Smallest Puppy…Just Three Inches Tall
Meet Disney, a pocket-sized Chihuahua, who was part of a
litter of three born on January 25th, and hasn't grown since she was
eight-weeks-old.
Standing at only three inches tall, and weighing less than a
bag of sugar Britain's smallest puppy is so tiny she thinks she's a kitten.
She weighs just 14oz and can be carried around by owner
Natalie Vanes, 26, in the palm of her hand.
The mother-of-one has to keep Disney away from her three other
dogs at her home in Coseley, West Midlands, in case they mistake her for a toy.
As a result, Disney forged an inseparable bond with Ms.
Vanes' pet kitten Kiera, and they have been best friends ever since.
Disney plays with kitten toys - as the dog toys are too big
for her - and even pinches Kiera's food out of her bowl.
The pair also sleep together on a heat-mat in a special dog
crate, which is kept in Ms. Vanes' bedroom, and can fit in a plant-pot
together.
Ms. Vanes, who lives with her fiancé, Stephen, 30, and their
five-year-old daughter, said, “Disney was a normal sized little puppy and was
fed and reared by her mom, Tinkerbell, and didn't really need any special
treatment.
“As time passed they both grew normally but they were quite
small. However, their mom and dad are small so I wasn't too concerned.
Since then her brother has grown into a handsome boy
weighing a little over 1 pound at 12 weeks, and Disney only weighed under a
pound at 12 weeks.
That's when I realized how small she actually was. The
unique thing about Disney is that she has never really grown since eight weeks
old.
She is a normal healthy fun little puppy, full of energy,
but just so tiny.
“I have to be careful when I take her out, I wrap her in a
blanket because she gets cold, and there is no collar big enough to fit her.”
“She became best friends with Kiera, and they soon became
inseparable. They stay by each other's side all the time. Disney plays with the
tiny fluffy mice toys, as dog toys are too big and heavy for her.
She also enjoyed stealing Kiera's food, she thinks she’s a
kitten and they snuggle up together all the time.”
Disney weighs the same weight as a five-week-old average
Chihuahua, which currently makes her the smallest dog in Britain.
The current smallest dog in the UK is Tyson, a four inch,
Lhasa Apso cross Chihuahua, who lives in Lincoln with owner, Rosemarie
McLinden.
The world's smallest living dog is a female Chihuahua called
Miracle Milly, who is 3.8in tall and weighs 1lb.
She sleeps in a doll's crib at her owner's home in Dorado,
Puerto Rico.
Standing at a only three inches tall, and weighing less than a bag of sugar Britain's smallest puppy Disney (right) is so tiny she thinks she's a kitten, pictured with kitten Kiera (left).
Owner, Natalie Vanes has to keep Disney away from her three other dogs at her home in Coseley, pictured with bulldog, Skye.
.
Disney plays with kitten toys, regular dog toys are too big for her. She eats Kiera's food out of her bowl.
The pair also sleep together on a heat-mat in a special dog crate, which is kept in Ms. Vanes' bedroom, and can even fit in a plant-pot together.
The 14-week-old pup is on course to break a Guinness World Record for the smallest dog, if she continues to grow at the same rate, pictured with Summer Peters.
Disney only weighs the same weight of a five-week-old average Chihuahua, which currently makes her the smallest dog in Britain.
Ms. Vanes said, “I have to be careful when I take her out, I wrap her in a blanket because she gets cold, and there is no collar big enough to fit her.” FOLLOW US!
Rochester, New Hampshire, Police Department: Cash Rewards Are Offered for Information that Leads to an Arrest/Conviction of the Person(s) Responsible for Throwing a Dog from a Car Window
Police are seeking information about a dog that was thrown
from a car window near Norway Plains Road in Rochester, N.H., on Wednesday. The
female pit bull mix looked as if it had just given birth to puppies, according
to a statement on the Rochester Police Department’s Facebook page. Although the
dog looked thin and had some scratches, it appeared “to be okay,” the statement
said. The dog is under veterinary care in the police holding facility.
Rochester police asked anyone with information about the dog or its owner to
call the Rochester animal control officer at 603-330-7122.
DO YOU RECOGNIZE ME?
On 4/29/2015, this female pit bull mix was reportedly thrown
out the window of a vehicle (possibly a dark colored Cadillac) near Norway
Plains Road. The dog appears to have recently given birth to puppies. She is
thin and had some scratches, but appears to be okay. She is currently being
held in our holding facility under the care of veterinarian, Dr. Moon.
If anyone recognizes this dog, knows her owner, or has any
knowledge about this crime, please contact our Animal Control Officer at
603-330-7122.
You can also provide information and remain anonymous by
calling the Rochester Crime Line at 335-6500 or Text to: CRIMES (274637) Body
of Text: TEXT4CASH + your tip. Cash rewards are offered for information that
leads to an arrest.
Could Your Kitten Not Covering Her Poop Be a Behavioral Issue, or Medical Problem?
Most
felines have a knack for depositing their pee and poop in one spot, which they
then cover up from prying eyes. So why is it that some cats dislike the idea of
concealing their feces? Two experts weigh in to give us the scoop on kitties
who refuse to hide their poop.
Dr.
Melissa Bain, assistant professor and service chief of the Companion Animal
Behavior Service at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, says the exact
reason why felines cover their feces isn't fully understood, but one theory
speculates that the behavior developed to prevent parasites from becoming more
prevalent.
Could
Not Covering Poop Be a Medical Problem?
Although
Dr. Bain says that there's no specific medical reason why a cat would not cover
her waste, she stresses that “any medical condition that could cause pain or
pain associated with the litterbox, such as a urinary tract condition, could
cause a cat to not want to spend time in the litterbox.”
Dr.
Katherine Houpt, a certified applied animal behaviorist at Animal Behavior
Consultants of Northern Michigan, agrees with Dr. Bain, adding that cats who
have recently been declawed or who have a painful paw infection could be averse
to scratching and covering their waste.
Could
Not Covering Poop Be a Behavioral Issue?
“Primarily,
it is behavioral,” says Dr. Houpt, who has specialized in animal behavior for
more than 30 years. But there could be several reasons behind it.
Lax
cat parenting may be one culprit. Dr. Bain says that some cats never learn as
kittens to cover their waste.
Another
reason: Certain cats will not cover their waste because they prefer to
eliminate in their own territory, Dr. Houpt explains, noting that even an
indoor cat who's lived in the same place for a long period of time still may
not feel as though the home is truly her territory. “Some experts feel that a
dominant cat will not cover," Dr. Houpt says. "The smell lets other
cats know ‘I’m here.’ ”
For
some felines, the litterbox itself can be an issue. “It could be the 'wrong'
kind of litter for that cat, or it may be too dirty,” says Dr. Bain. "It
may even be that the litterbox is too small for the cat to adequately turn
around inside.”
Dr.
Houpt adds that a dislike for a certain type of litter can often lead to
avoiding the box entirely. “A cat who doesn’t like the litter will often not
dig before it eliminates, and she's more likely to be a house-soiling cat,” Dr.
Houpt says. “She doesn’t like the feel of litter and prefers the feel of the
rug.”
What
You Can Do to Get Your Cat to Cover Her Poop
Dr.
Houpt admits that this isn't the worst problem a cat owner can have, but there
may be ways to combat it. Once you and your vet have ruled out any medical
issues, such as tender paws or painful elimination, you can start by trying out
different types of cat litter.
In
the case of multiple-cat households, adding more litterboxes throughout your
home might also help because it increases the number of territories. In fact,
having more than one cat can actually be a benefit. “Sometimes one cat will
cover for another cat,” says Dr. Houpt.
.
FOLLOW US! Saturday, May 2, 2015
12 Of The World’s Most Massive Animals
In America, we love everything that’s big. Whether it be our
trucks, our land, our drinks, or our burgers, there’s one slogan that we like
to live by: Bigger is better.
And it’s no different when it comes to the animal world.
Whether it be a 300-pound snake, a 2-pound goldfish, or a pig that weighs as
much as a truck, we’re impressed by the biggest and best!
Take a look at some of the biggest animals below. Most of
them have been confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the
absolute biggest of the big among their species.
1. At 7'4" tall when standing on his hind legs, and
3'8" when on all fours, Zeus holds the record for tallest dog ever.
2. Trouble, the world's largest domestic cat, was 19"
tall from shoulder to paw.
3. 13-year-old Blossom is the world's tallest cow, standing
at 6'4".
4. Big Jake, the world's tallest horse, weighs about 2,600
pounds and is an incredible 6'11" tall! That's 20 hands!
5. It took over 100 people to finally capture this
20'3" monster.
6. Originally bought for 99 cents, this goldfish lived over
15 years and grew to be 15 inches long and weighed in at 2 pounds!
7. 9-year-old Romulus holds the honor of being the world's
tallest living donkey. At 5'8" he's over 17 hands!
8. The largest living cat is the aptly named Hercules. An
adult male tiger, he stands 4'1" at the shoulder and weighs 922 pounds!
9. Medusa, the world's longest snake, lives in Missouri and
is 25'2" long!
10. This Chinese pig weighed 1,984 pounds before it died.
That's a lot of bacon!
11. The world's biggest catfish weighed in at an incredible
280 pounds. That thing could eat you!
12. And Patrick! The world's largest and oldest Wombat: 88 pounds and 28 years old — this guy knows how to live!
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This Single Dad Is Waiting To Meet His Baby - Wait Until You See His Surprise
This has to be one of the most surprising TV ads I have ever
seen. This is a commercial made by an energy corporation in Belgium known as
Electrabel. It’s intended to showcase the importance of electricity in the modern
family, but the star performers in this video are some miniature canines.
In the video you are about to watch, you will see a man with
a dog waiting expectantly outside the operating room in a hospital. However, it
turns out that the man actually isn’t the father. When the operating room door
opens there’s a big bundle of surprises in the nurse’s arms.
The essence of the video is to show people how important
electricity is to every household. Along the way, they have also successfully
shown, wittingly or otherwise, how difficult it is to single-handedly raise
multiple puppies. They can be quite a handful.
This Electrabel commercial is supposed to demonstrate the
importance of electricity in our lives by showing how convenient and useful
appliances are for raising a family. The parent dog in the video even utilized
the microwave oven for heating the puppy formula. He also washed the dishes
using a dishwasher, recorded adorable moments using a camera, and provided a
train set that used electricity for playtime.
Enjoy the video below!
Friday, May 1, 2015
Tips on How to Stop Your Dog from Begging for Table Food
Our dogs are social creatures and love to eat. So, when your family gathers for dinner,
there’s nothing more that combines a dog’s dual love of being social and eating
your food! However, even though your dog
want to join you in the festivities, there's nothing fun or amusing about a
dinner dominated by whining and pawing from under the table. And if this bother you, it is better to get
the ‘table begging’ under control sooner rather than later.
Table begging can be harmful to your dogs
Table begging is more than just an annoyance. It can be potentially harmful to your dog.
Dogs who are frequently fed at the table can suffer any of the following
problems:
Obesity, choking on bones, hyperactivity and anxiety and
even seizures: A possible result if chocolate, which contains theobromine, is
consumed, and bad behavior.
Table begging needs to end before it begins
Dogs beg at the table because we let them and it only takes
one time for the habit to begin. Unfortunately, attention-getting behaviors
like begging don't have to be indulged often to become a bad habit. The most
effective way to get a dog to stop begging at the table is to completely ignore
him, a task that's often easier said than done. This means not talking to the
animal or even making eye contact. By scolding your dog, it scares them and
engages them. They might not understand the difference.
Teach your dog to go to specific spot when you eat dinner
Try teaching your dog to go to a designated spot, usually a
bed or a mat, and stay there. This skill can be useful in a variety of other
situations, too. If you’re watching a movie with friends and you’d like your
dog to occupy herself for a while, you can ask her to go to her spot and chew a
bone. If your dog jumps up on people when they come to the door, you can ask
her to go to her spot whenever the doorbell rings and wait there to greet
visitors. If you take your dog somewhere with you, you can bring her bed or mat
and have her settle on it when you need her to be calm and quiet. Leave a chew bone or toy there to keep your
dog occupied and distracted.
Your dog’s table begging will get worse before it get better
Expect your dog's begging to get worse before it gets
better. If whining at a low volume doesn't result in food, he'll think he isn't
trying hard enough and turn it up and start howling. As unpleasant as this may
be for a few days, stand firm. Eventually, your dog will realize that his
efforts no longer work.
However, if you train your dog consistently, you should see
positive results within several weeks. Consistency is the key. Even one tiny
snack from the table here and there can erase everything you've worked so hard
to achieve. Even the smallest morsel can turn a trained dog back to a begging
dog! And make sure all family members
and dinner guests understand what you're doing and why you're doing it, so no
one sneaks your dog a treat when they think you're not looking.
Here are a few more tips to stop your dog from begging:
- Feed your dog at the same time you eat. If your dog is enjoying his own food, he can't beg for yours.
- Give him something else to do. Try sticking some healthy treats stuffed in a few Kong toys so he'll have something to play with while you eat.
- If your dog has been crate-trained, place him in his crate to prevent him from begging at the table. But, the goal is to have your dog nearby and not begging, so this would only be on a trial basis.
- Take your dog for a long walk just before dinner. If the dog is worn out, the intensity of the begging behavior will decrease. Tired dogs are better behaved dogs.
You can still feed your dog human food at the correct time
Some people worry that feeding their dogs’ human food
(anything except dog food and treats made for dogs) will encourage begging at
the table. But when teaching a dog new skills or treating certain behavior
problems, using treats like small pieces of chicken, cheese or beef can
accelerate the training process. Luckily, dogs can learn very specific rules.
It’s okay to give your dog foods you eat, too. Just avoid feeding your dog from
the table so your pup learns that she never gets human food in that context.
Cops in San Francisco Rescue Sea Lion Pup Roaming the Streets
A California sea lion pup was
rescued after it was seen roving around San Francisco on Thursday, giving new
meaning to the term 'trash collection.'
'Rubbish' the pup was saved in
the Marina neighborhood by police and officials from the Marine Mammal Center,
the center said in a news release.
The retrieval took place around
7:00 a.m., after Rubbish was earlier spied hiding under a car, center officials
said.
The Marine Mammal Center's Dr.
Shawn Johnson told KGO 'Luckily the San Francisco Police Department had stopped
traffic around him and was protecting him until we got there.'
According to KRON, the rescue
attempt took around four minutes.
Rubbish was delivered to the
Marine Mammal Center, where Johnson figured out the pup had spent time there
before, center officials said.
Johnson told KGO: 'He was
rescued in Santa Barbara County in February and brought up here for
rehabilitation. He was here at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito for nearly
two months.'
The person who first reported
Rubbish gave him his name, center officials explained.
The center said of the pup's
February rescue: 'Rubbish was eight months old and weighed just 30 pounds when
he was rescued.
Veterinary staff and volunteers
at the Center treated him for pneumonia and malnutrition, and helped return him
to a healthy weight.
This is a Powerful Short Film About Adoption and Abandonment: You Must Watch it to the End…You WILL Be Shocked
This powerful short film about adoption and abandonment is so hard-hitting that it really deserves a warning about what irresponsibility and cruelty can do to living beings. It is set to music, and is able to tell a story without any dialogue, that will stay with you forever.
It tells the story of a very normal looking family who adopt
an adorable little red-haired girl. Over time she does “little girl” things
like fighting with her older (not adopted) sister, spilling a drink, making
messes, interrupting when parents are busy.
We watch the parents get angry and less inclusive of this little girl.
She grows more remote and sad, and acts out more. She has a stuffed doll whose insides she
keeps pulling out. The symbolism is
evident.
What happens next is the father takes her for a ride, and
just when you think he is about to give her the attention she so sorely needs,
the “Gift” (as the film is named) takes a very dark turn. It needs to be watched to the bitter
end. I must say that I was shocked and
really moved by this beautiful little film that manages, without words, to say
everything there needs to be said about the responsibility of adopting both
children and animals. We live in a society that has a throw-away
mentality. We have short attention
spans, and often don’t have the patience nor the commitment to deal with life
when it becomes difficult.
This short film is truly a Gift that should be watched and
watched again.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Four Colorado Residents Have Been Infected by a Dog Spread the Pneumonic Plague
A plague-infected dog spread the dangerous disease to four
Colorado residents, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Health officials told ABC News that this is the first report
of a dog infecting a human with the plague in the U.S.
The dog, a 2-year-old American pit bull terrier, became sick
last summer with a fever and jaw rigidity, among other symptoms. The dog's
health declined so quickly that it was euthanized the following day at a local
vet's office, health officials said.
Four days later, the dog's owner entered the hospital with a
fever and a bloody cough that became worse over the next few hours, but an
initial blood culture was misidentified, according to the CDC report.
As the patient's symptoms grew worse, the test was redone
and he was found to have been infected with pneumonic plague, according to the
CDC report. The remains of the dog were also tested and were found to be
positive for the plague bacteria.
"Frankly one of the biggest surprises of this outbreak
is the source," said John Douglas of Tri-County Health Department in
Colorado, one of the study authors. "Primarily...dogs don’t get sick at
all or they get a minor illness" after being infected with the plague.
Janine Runfola of the Tri-County Health Department in
Colorado, lead author of the report, explained that cats are more likely to
infect humans with the disease than dogs because they exhibit more symptoms.
"For pneumonic plague a more likely scenario would be
you have a cat [play] with prairie dogs and infected fleas get on the
cat," Runfola said. "The cat gets sick and sneezes and coughs on its
owner."
The dog's owner remained hospitalized for 23 days as he
recovered from the potentially deadly disease, the report said. In addition to
the owner, a close contact of the owner and two veterinary employees who
treated the dog or handled its body also became infected with the plague. All
three were successfully treated with medication after exhibiting symptoms.
The plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and
can infect the body in different ways. For example, a flea bite can lead to
infection of the glands, which is called bubonic plague -- notorious for the
epidemics it spawned during the Middle Ages in Europe. Because this plague was
spread from dog to owner through coughing, it developed into pneumonic plague,
according to Douglas.
The plague is known to be endemic to prairie dogs in the
American Southwest, which can then lead to isolated outbreaks of the disease in
domestic animals or humans.
"Pneumonic plague is the worst form," said
Douglas. "It’s the one that you least want to get. You get sick fast and
the chances of getting a rocky or even fatal course" are increased.
The plague is incredibly rare in the U.S., with an estimated
eight infections in the country reported every year. Douglas said pneumonic
plague is even rarer and accounts for just 3 to 5 percent of plague cases.
Douglas said the case shows the importance of considering
all the options when diagnosing a patient, even extremely rare options like the
plague.
FOLLOW US! Animal Sanctuaries…A Safe Haven for Animals? Not Always the Case
While you would think a place named an “animal sanctuary”
operates as a safe haven for animals, this is not always the case. There are
many amazing animal sanctuaries for formerly abused farm, exotic and domestic
animals, but sadly there are too facilities that operate under the “sanctuary”
guise that exist with the sole purpose of exploiting animals. These false
sanctuaries display wild animals and often charge visitors to interact with them.
On the surface, they may seem like “fun” but more often than not the animals
are starved, abused or drugged in order to render them docile enough to
interact with paying customers.
Unlike these abusive establishments, Big Cat Rescue and the
Center for Great Apes are real sanctuaries for animals. All of the big cats and
chimps who live at these sanctuaries have been rescued from deplorable former
lives and are now allowed to live free from any type of exploitation.
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73-Year-Old, Ex-Marine and Bouncer Punches 300 Pound Bear in Face to Save Dog
They say a mother’s distress upon seeing her child in danger
can give her the momentary strength to lift a car. And perhaps it was this same
rush of adrenaline that drove Carl Moore as he leapt in to action to save his
dog.
“I raised both hands in the air and I cussed at him” he
said. “He looked at me like go f*** yourself.”
According to Moore, he then charged the bear and delivered a
running right hand to the side of the bear’s head.
“Carl just smacks him. I couldn’t believe it” said his
friend and employee, John Sargent who witnessed the event.
Tyler Silva was also there to see the action unfold and was
shocked by his friend’s actions.
“I know I’ll never see that one again. He definitely
connected. The bear took a breath out like it had been struck in the stomach
and then it took off down the road,” he told the Auburn Journal.
Moore says he boxed competitively in his youth and also saw
his fair share of fights while working as a bouncer but on this occasion, he
says all he was trying to do was protect his dogs.
“The man or beast that I run from ain’t been born ... And
you’re not gonna sacrifice my babies for some damn bear,” he told CBS
Sacramento as he cuddled his pooch.
According to Moore, he heard his dog Lacy whimpering outside
and went to investigate before seeing the black bear approaching the house.
The two witnesses were happy to corroborate the story, and
described the animal as being about 160cm tall and 135 kilograms.
Unsurprisingly, state wildlife officials are not condoning
Moore’s actions and are advising against instigating contact with black bears
in the state. Instead, the official advice is to back slowly away from the
animal and only yell aggressively towards the bear if it continues to approach.
“But if you’re attacked, we recommend fighting back
aggressively,” said Capt. Patrick Foy from the California Department of Fish
and Wildlife.
It may be no laughing matter but when CBS news anchor, Sam
Shane introduced the story this week, he struggled to contain his giggles.
You can watch the report below.
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Conservationists and Scientists Predict That 2.8 Percent of the World’s Species Are Currently Going Extinct Under Current Climate Conditions
Conservationists and scientists have long predicted that
climate change would push species around the world into extinction. Now comes
word that the problem may be even worse than was previously realized. According
to a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, the rate of extinction
will dramatically speed up for every degree temperatures rise.
“If we follow through the business as usual in terms of
greenhouse gas emissions, then we get to the point where one in six species are
threatened with extinction from climate change,” said the paper’s author, Mark
Urban, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Connecticut.
Urban’s research analyzed more than 130 previously published
papers covering how climate change and other factors, such as habitat loss,
will affect species extinctions. The previous papers covered certain groups of
species or specific geographic ranges but didn’t look at the planet as a whole.
By conducting a meta-analysis of that earlier research, Urban said he was able
to come up with an “an overall picture of extinction risk.”
Urban said he expected to find that climate change would be
one of the major factors affecting species extinctions in the coming decades,
but he was surprised to find out how quickly that risk would accelerate.
According to his calculations, 2.8 percent of the world’s
species are currently predicted to go extinct under current conditions. If
global temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius, that risk will increase to 5.2
percent. If temperatures rise one more degree, the risk balloons to 8.5
percent.
And if we continue on our current trajectory, in which
global temperatures are anticipated to rise 4.3 degrees Celsius, Urban
calculated that the risk increases even more, to the point where 16 percent of
the world’s species will go extinct.
Urban said his analysis illustrates that climate change will
pose many dangers beyond the ones we talk about the most, such as sea-level
rise and drought. “There’s another impact, and that’s on our biodiversity,” he
said.
The risk that species face will vary around the world
according to their habitats. Species in North America and Europe, Urban found,
will face a 5 percent and 6 percent risk of extinction, respectively.
That risk leaps upward in areas with greater levels of native
biodiversity. Australia and New Zealand will each lose 14 percent of their
species, Urban calculated.
South America will be hit hardest—23 percent of the
continent’s unique species will go extinct if the rate of climate change does
not slow.
Outside of specific regions, species with limited ranges or
a limited ability to move to new habitats will also face a higher extinction
risk. These include amphibians and lizards, as well as many plants, insects,
and mammals.
“One example is the American pika,” Urban said. The species
lives on mountains in very specific temperature ranges. Moving upward as ground
temperatures rise shrinks their available habitat and food. They can’t move
down the mountain or cross the plains to another mountain because they die if
they get too warm.
Urban found that for many species with limited ability to
adapt to new habitats, the risk of extinction ranges from 80 to 100 percent.
Even with this meta-analysis, Urban found that more data
will provide an even better picture of the future. Particularly needed is more
information about species in Asia and how climate change will affect that
region, he said.
More information is also required about species that have
not been fully studied, as well as how climate change will affect specific
regions. He said that will help us “to pinpoint those species like the American
pika that are most at risk and then try to implement conservation strategies to
protect the most at-risk species.”
Urban said this study should be a wake-up call for the
international community to take climate change’s effect on wildlife seriously.
“Biodiversity is the foundation of our economy, our future,
our health, and our food security,” he said.
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