U.S. Court Grants 'Human Rights' to Chimpanzees: Top Naturalist Reveals Why the Animals Are Like Us Than We Think

How would you feel about marrying a chimpanzee? Horror, disgust, revulsion: I mean, they are not human, are they?

So, how would you feel about serving up a chimp for your Sunday dinner? Horror, disgust, revulsion: it would look and feel like cannibalism.

This is not a make-your-mind-up contradiction. The confusion is an unavoidable aspect of the relationship between humans and chimp.

They’re different from us, all right — we know that in our guts. But they’re also the same. They are closer to us than any other non-human life-form on the planet.

Last week, a revolutionary decision was made in a U.S. court: chimpanzees were acknowledged to have rights of their own.

It is the first time legal rights of any kind have ever been accorded to anything other than a human.

The story started in 2013, when an organization called the Nonhuman Rights Project filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court on behalf of four chimps kept for research by Stony Brook University. The eventual conclusion of Justice Barbara Jaffe was that they were not to be treated as property, but as legal persons.

Not as persons with full human rights, but as persons with a right not to be held in captivity and a right not to be owned.

The fact is that chimpanzees really are almost human. It’s a truth that humankind has tried to ignore ever since Charles Darwin declared in 1871 that humans were related to the apes of Africa.

Modern genetic studies have shown that this relationship is much closer than people thought. We have nearly 99 per cent of our genetic material in common.

And if that one-and-a-bit per cent is unquestionably significant, the rest of it takes a fair amount of thinking about. Chimpanzees are more closely related to us than to their — or should it be our — fellow apes, the gorillas and orangutans.

It has been suggested that humans and chimpanzees belong not just in the same family, but in the same genus: in other words, the only correct way to understand the human connection to other species is to accept that humans are a species of chimpanzee . . . or chimpanzees are a species of human.

And if that sounds fantastic, cast your mind back. Some statements made about race — statements that are shocking now — were once accepted as good sense: ‘There is a physical difference between the White and the Black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.’ That was Abraham Lincoln in 1858.

One more: ‘The mental constitution of the negro is . . . normally good-natured and cheerful, but subject to sudden fits of emotion and passion during which he is capable of performing acts of singular atrocity, impressionable, vain, but often exhibiting in the capacity of a servant a dog- like fidelity . . .’ That’s from Encyclopedia Britannica 1911.

The great primatologist Frans de Waal said of us humans: “We are apes in every way, from our long arms and tail-less bodies to our habits and temperament.”

A study published this week in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology said that the many humans who suffer from lower back pain do so because their spines are more like those of chimpanzees than the spines of those people who don’t suffer from back pain.

In other words, some humans are less well adapted to walking upright than others because their spines are ‘statistically indistinguishable’ from those of chimps.

And we find many traits in chimps that are equally uncomfortable.

One chimp learned to use sign language.

Take language. Washoe was a chimpanzee born in West Africa in 1965 and captured for use in the American space program. She was brought up in an American family and taught sign language.

Experiments to teach chimps spoken language had all failed: they don’t have the physical equipment to make sufficiently varied sounds, but they communicate with body language in their wild daily lives.

Washoe acquired a vocabulary of 350 signs, and taught some of them to her adopted chimpanzee son Louis. On seeing a swan, she signed ‘water’ and then ‘bird’.

Washoe put together a near sentence when a doll was put in her drinking mug: “Baby in my cup.” Another time she signed to her teacher: “You me out go.” She received the answer: “OK, but put clothes on.” Washoe immediately put on her jacket.

And, touchingly, one of her regular teachers suffered a miscarriage and was absent for some time. On her return, she signed to Washoe: “My baby died.” Washoe signed back: “Cry.” She then traced the track of a tear on her face. This is an astonishing bit of empathy: chimpanzees don’t weep.

A similar project involving a chimpanzee called Nim Chimpsky failed to get the same results. It was conducted with clinical rigor, without messy stuff like affection and with many changes of assistants.

A human child needs love to learn, as every parent knows. This failed experiment seems to prove that chimpanzees are no different.

They outperform humans in some computer games, in which snap decision making is required. In problem-solving tests, chimpanzees have invented all kinds of complex ways to find and reach hidden fruit, building towers and creating tools to stretch beyond a barrier. Chimpanzees experience insight: they know what it is to have a ‘eureka moment’.

Desmond Morris, author of the best-selling The Naked Ape, taught a chimp, Congo, to paint. Congo never tried representational art; his style was described as abstract impressionism. But he would carefully balance his paintings, putting, for example, blue on both sides.

He would throw an artistic tantrum if he was told to stop painting before he considered the work finished, and he would refuse to add to a painting he saw as complete. Picasso owned a Congo.

Observations of chimpanzees in the wild, most of them inaugurated by the great anthropologist Jane Goodall, show all kinds of things that humans and chimpanzees have in common.

Chimpanzees make and use tools, they co-operate. They communicate with kisses, embraces, tickling, swaggering and threatening.

She also discovered the most significant thing we have in common: childhood. Chimps and humans spend a long time before taking on the responsibilities (such as breeding) of adult life.

A chimpanzee will spend five years with its mother, suckling and sharing a leafy bed. Orphaned chimps show evidence of clinical depression, and will sometimes be adopted by an older sibling.

Play is essential to humans and chimpanzees: it’s the way we learn skills and behavior that we in turn pass on. In other words, this is culture. Humans and chimpanzees don’t just pass on things through our genes: we also pass things on by showing and learning and showing again in our turn.

Chimpanzees have emotions and express them. They have a sense of self: unlike your dog, they recognize their reflection in a mirror. Its clear chimpanzees know mental as well as physical pain. On what grounds, then, would you deny them the right not to be enslaved or imprisoned?

The moral philosopher Peter Singer suggested human history shows an ever-expanding circle of moral concern. At one stage, people from another tribe were outside that circle.

In recent times, women, as well as people of other races and religions, were excluded from the circle, but now they are all accepted inside most societies in the developed world. The next stage is the beginnings of acceptance of non-human animals into the circle.

Singer uses the term ‘speciesism’. It is the same idea as racism and sexism: the denial of rights and moral concern to a group for no reason beyond the personal convenience of others.

This judgment in New York is a small but meaningful strike against speciesism. Perhaps in time it will acquire the significance of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 or the Equal Pay Act of 1970.

No one will expect change to come with any itching hurry, but it seems that the beginning of change is out there blowing in the wind.

Last week, a revolutionary decision was made in a U.S. court: chimpanzees were acknowledged to have rights of their own. Above Kenuzy, a chimpanzee from Los Angeles, appears to laugh.

A similar project involving a chimpanzee called Nim Chimpsky failed to teach the animal how to sign language.

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$1,000 Reward for Information Leading to the Arrest/Conviction of the Person(s) Responsible for Taping a Dog's Muzzle Together with Electrical Tape

Charleston, South Carolina - The Charleston Animal Society needs help finding the person who taped a dog's muzzle taped shut. The dog, Caitlyn, is now in critical condition after it was found on a Good Samaritan's doorstep with electrical tape tightly wound around her muzzle.

The tape was so tight around Caitlyn's muzzle that her tongue was caught between her teeth, stopping blood flow to her tongue. Officials think that the tape was on Caitlyn for up to 36-48 hours.

The Charleston Animal Society Senior Director of Veterinary Care, Dr. Lucy Fuller, DVM, said "Caitlyn is in a lot of pain, her condition is critical, and her prognosis is guarded." She also said that "A large part of her tongue may need to be removed surgically if the tissue dies from the lack of blood flow. She may be severely disfigured, or the large amount of dead tissue may cause life-threatening complications."

Treatment for Caitlyn will be paid for by Toby's Fund, Charleston Animal Society's medical fund that is only made possible by donations from the community.

"This is the most malicious case of animal abuse I have ever seen in my entire career," said Charleston Animal Society Director of Anti-Cruelty & Outreach Aldwin Roman. He continued, "to leave this dog in pain, unable to eat or drink and to now leave her in the position where her life is at stake because she may lose her tongue is heartbreaking."

North Charleston Animal Control is investigating the case and looking for whoever is responsible. Charleston Animal Society is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. If convicted of ill treatment of an animal, the guilty could face up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

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The Question of Whether Only Human Beings Deserve Human Rights: Chimpanzees Get a Day in Court

A year after the starting fight for legal personhood for the research chimpanzees Hercules and Leo, the apes and their lawyers got their day in court. At a hearing in Manhattan on Wednesday, a judge heard arguments in the landmark lawsuit against Stony Brook University, with a decision expected later this summer. At stake: the question of whether only human beings deserve human rights.

A decision could set a precedent for challenging, under human law, the captivity of other chimpanzees—and perhaps other species. It’s a radical notion, and many legal experts doubted whether the lawsuit, one of several filed late in 2013 by the Nonhuman Rights Project, would ever reach court.

But Justice Barbara Jaffe decided to consider the arguments. “The law evolves according to new discoveries and social mores,” she said while presiding over the hearing. “Isn’t it incumbent on judiciaries to at least consider whether a class of beings may be granted a right?”

Jaffe posed that question to New York assistant attorney general Christopher Coulston, who represented the university, where the two chimps are housed. Coulston had argued that Jaffe was bound by the previous decisions of two appellate courts, which had ruled that other Nonhuman Rights Project chimps didn’t qualify for habeas corpus, the legal principle that protects people from illegal imprisonment.

Both those decisions are controversial. In one, judges decided that habeas corpus didn’t apply because the chimp would be transferred from one form of captivity to another—in this case, a sanctuary. But illegally-held human prisoners have been released to mental hospitals, and juveniles into the care of guardians.

In the other appeals court decision, judges declared that chimps are not legal persons because they can’t fulfill duties to human society. But that rationale arguably denies personhood to young children and mentally incapacitated individuals, as several high-profile legal scholars, including Constitutional law expert Laurence Tribe, pointed out. He filed a brief on behalf of the Nonhuman Rights Project, saying the court “reached its conclusion on the basis of a fundamentally flawed definition of legal personhood.”

In fact, Nonhuman Rights Project attorney Steven Wise argued, New York law only requires judges to follow appeals court decisions involving settled legal principles—which animal personhood is not. That set the stage for the pivotal question: What is the basis of legal personhood? Wise said it’s rooted in the tremendous value placed by American society and New York law on liberty, which is synonymous with autonomy. “The purpose of the writ of habeas corpus isn’t to protect a human being,” he said. “It’s to protect autonomy.”

By that standard, Wise said, chimpanzees qualify. “Chimps are autonomous and self-determined beings. They are not governed by instinct,” he said. “They are self-conscious. They have language, they have mathematics, they have material and social culture. They are the kinds of beings who can remember the past and plan for the future.” In a human, argued Wise, those capacities are grounds for the right to be free.

Coulston marshalled an argument elsewhere made by Richard Posner, a legal theorist and federal appeals court judge who has written that legal rights and personhood were designed with only humans in mind. “Those rights evolved in relation to human interests,” Coulston said. “I worry about the diminishment of those rights in some way if we expand them beyond human beings.”

The cognitive capacities of chimpanzees have been compared to 5-year-old humans, said Coulston; how would the legal system handle animals with minds comparable to a 3-year-old, or a 1-year-old? “This becomes a question of where we’re going,” he said, with chimp personhood opening the floodgates to lawsuits on behalf of animals in zoos or on farms, or even pets. “The great writ is for human beings,” he said, “and I think it should stay there.”

Wise countered by saying that denying freedom to an autonomous being is itself a diminishment; it could even come back to bite us, serving as rationale for limiting human freedom. He described the slippery slope as a separate issue. Freedom—or at least sanctuary—for Hercules and Leo is something to debate on its own merits, just as rights for any potentially deserving human should be considered without regard for social inconvenience.

It is true, though, that success could lead to personhood claims on behalf of other chimps, as well as other great apes, orcas and also elephants, for whom the Nonhuman Rights Project is now preparing a case. More than a third of Americans now support rights for animals.

Win or lose, Wise said at a press conference following the trial, the hearing itself was a victory. “Many human beings have these kinds of hearings,” he said. Chimpanzees “are now being treated like all the other autonomous beings of this world.” Whether they’ll continue to get that treatment will be up to Justice Jaffe. Or, more likely, whoever hears the almost inevitable appeal of her decision.

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Service Dogs Help Children with Epilepsy, Autism and Other Disabilities

When Alyssa Howes was 4-years-old, she lost her sight and started having seizures. Her grandmother stayed in the girl's room at night, monitoring her for attacks. That ended three years ago when Alyssa got a service dog named Flint.

When the golden retriever moved in, life changed for Alyssa's Los Angeles-area family. He gives the 11-year-old a more normal life by alerting her family to seizures, guiding her so she doesn't fall and allowing her to have a bit more freedom.

"It gives her a companion to enjoy the moments when she is doing things she likes to do," said her mother, Juliette Palomaki. "And if she is having a bad day, she will call him and they will just be together."

But not enough dogs are being trained for children with epilepsy, autism and other disabilities, said Karen Shirk, founder of 4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit that breeds and trains service dogs. Other agencies train dogs specifically to help people with seizures, but Ohio-based 4 Paws is one of just a few that does not exclude young children.

Most require a minor to be 16 so they can handle the dog alone in public. Because a younger child cannot do that, 4 Paws trains at least two adult caregivers, such as parents, teachers and baby-sitters.

Service dogs allow children to feel comfortable at the park, school and restaurants. In Alyssa's case, it means no one has to stand guard at night in case of seizures.

"Once we got Flint, she said she wanted to start sleeping on her own with him," Palomaki said.

Animal behaviorist Brandon McMillan, the star of "Lucky Dog" on CBS, says it's very easy for a child with disabilities to become a recluse.

"Life shouldn't be so complicated at 5," said McMillan, a spokesman for Magnolia Paws for Compassion, which raises awareness that kids can get service dogs. 

"Take a child who has a condition. Give them a dog. The dog opens up a world for this child. It's important for a child's life."

Seizure dogs are costly — taking 4 Paws $22,000 to breed and train, with each family asked to raise $15,000 — but they can alert their companions to seizures before they strike.

Scientists say pooches smell a chemical change when a person is about to seize — they just don't agree how dogs do it, Shirk said. At her training center, dogs learn to bark to signal a seizure so an adult can give the child medicine.

For Shirk, who has a service dog, Piper, to help her with her muscular dystrophy, getting that warning allows her to take medicine that keeps her breathing.

"Messages don't get through from the brain to the muscles," Shirk said of a seizure. "Without Piper, I barely have time to call 911 before everything shuts down."

In Alyssa's case, if Flint detects a seizure, he will lick her, become very attentive, lie on her and bark, the girl's mother said.

"When we hear him bark, we know something is up because he doesn't bark for any other reason," Palomaki said.

Alyssa also has leukemia that's in remission and lacks full use of her right hand. Doctors won't give a prognosis because they "don't want to put expectations or limitations on her," Palomaki said.

"She walks, talks and can read the whole Braille alphabet with one good hand. She's a true joy, and they are a dynamic duo," Palomaki said.

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Yummy Dog Treats for Those Hot Summer Days

Help your pooch cool down on hot days with tasty doggie popsicles. They’re not only simple, but easy on the wallet as well. Below are some homemade popsicle recipes that will surely keep Fido cool and content this sunny season.

Homemade Pupsicle Recipe Ideas

1. Whole-fruit Pupsicles. Begin by mixing 4 cups of water, 1 cup of chopped fresh fruit, and 1 tbsp. of molasses (dissolved in water) in a bowl. Just pick the fruit that your pooch loves the most (don’t forget to discard any of its pits or seeds!). Pour into popsicle molds or ice trays and freeze until solid.

2. Apple-Honey Pupsicles. Start by mixing 2 six-ounce containers of non-fat, plain yogurt, 2 tbsp. of peanut butter, 2 tbsp. of honey, and 1/3 cup of applesauce in a bowl. Pour into popsicle molds or ice trays and freeze until solid.

3. Chicken Pupsicles. Combine 1 cup of low-sodium chicken stock, ½ cup of water, and 1 ½ ounces of finely chopped chicken meat in a bowl. Pour into popsicle molds or ice trays and freeze until solid.

4. Bacon Pupsicles. Combine 1 cup of non-fat, plain yogurt, 1/3 cup of cinnamon applesauce, ¼ cup of milk, 3 ounce-bag of real bacon bits, and 3 tbsps. of maple syrup in a bowl. Pour into popsicle molds or ice trays and freeze until solid.

5. Banana-Peanut Butter Pup-cream. Prepare the following ingredients: 1 ripe banana, ½ cup of peanut butter, ¼ cup of wheat germ. Prepare by mashing the bananas and peanut butter together. Stir the mixture in wheat germ, and then pour into popsicle molds or ice trays and freeze until solid.

For an added treat, use a carrot stick or your dog’s favorite healthy, long crunchy treat as the popsicle stick! When using a popsicle mold, allow the mixture to partially set and insert the “stick” into each popsicle, then allow it to freeze completely.

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A Quick-Moving and Potentially Fatal Virus from a Tick Has Been Found in the U.S. in the Northeast and Great Lakes area

A quick-moving and potentially fatal virus has been found in the U.S. in the Northeast and Great Lakes area.

Carried and transferred to people and pets by ticks, the Powassan virus can infect the central nervous system, causing similar symptoms to Lyme disease, but more severe and without any cure.

Once bitten by an infected tick, it only takes a matter of hours before symptoms begin to occur. The patients infected are likely to become susceptible to neurological damage due to inflammation of the brain, which can lead to both encephalitis and meningitis.

Currently, approximately ten percent of cases have led to death, with only 50 people affected in the U.S. each year (compared to the roughly 20,000 people who are affected by Lyme disease).

Although contracting the disease is quite rare, because of the possible fatality, doctors are urging people to do everything they can to prevent being infected. For people who work outdoors or camp in any of the affected areas, the chance of becoming infected is much higher.

Here are the main guidelines to follow to protect your family:

• Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass.
• Complete a full body check on yourself, children, and pets when spending time outdoors.
• Carry and use bug spray.

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This Impressively Massive Kangaroo with Muscles that Would Make Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Jealous

Brisbane, Australia — Meet Big Buck.

He's an impressively massive kangaroo with muscles that would make Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson jealous. According to the Huffington Post, the burly 'roo is said to be 6-foot-5 and is estimated to weigh almost 210 pounds. Big Buck hopped into the town of Brisbane in Australia and has been intimidating residents with his rippling physique.

"He's very intimidating, he's a big boy," resident Linda Hellyer told Seven News Brisbane. "We turned the corner and old mate jumped out. He's very big and I don't want to take him on. He's got massive, massive muscles, big pecs and everything."

Big Buck has been spotted hanging out on golf courses in North Lakes, Queensland as well as other areas.

Reuters reports that smaller kangaroos are normal to see in the Brisbane suburb but a kangaroo the size of Big Buck is 'unusual.'

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The Smithsonian's National Zoo is Showing Off the Rare Spider Tortoise that Hatched in the Reptile Discovery Center

Washington, DC - The Smithsonian's National Zoo is showing off the rare spider tortoise that hatched in the Reptile Discovery Center. The spider tortoise was born on May 10 and staff have been watching it closely since then.

The birth marks the first time a spider tortoise has hatched at the center. Zoo officials say spider tortoise eggs can be difficult to hatch in human care "in part because they must be incubated, cooled, and incubated again during the embryo's development."

The tortoise "appears to be thriving," according to zoo officials, and they hope to have it on exhibit this summer. Right now, zoo visitors can see a family group of adult male spider tortoises.

The sex of the two-week-old tortoise is unknown at this time.

Spider tortoises are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, according to zoo officials. They are native to the forests and sandy coastlines of Madagascar. Their populations have "declined by 80 percent since 1970 and populations continue to dwindle due to habitat loss and wildlife trafficking for the food and pet trade," according to zoo officials.

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Couple Charged After The Humane Animal Welfare Society Removed 331 Chinchillas from a Home in Waukesha, Wisconsin

The complaint says officers were called to the Rees home on Melody Lane in Waukesha for a “well-being check” on Sunday, March 29th. Officers made contact with Garrett and Tricia Rees. While standing in the doorway of the home, the officers “detected the strong smell of urine and ammonia.” The officers were allowed inside the home and they indicated “their eyes and noses were burning…because of the level of ammonia.”

Officers said in the complaint that “there was a complete disarray and there was clutter everywhere” inside the home. That included “flies swarming around the kitchen table” and “cages filled with animals which were identified…as chinchillas.” One officer noticed there was chinchilla feces on the hallway and kitchen floors.

The Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) was called in and removed 331 chinchillas from the home. They also found “several dead chinchillas in the basement freezer of the residence.”

A fire marshal called in as part of this investigation stated in the complaint that “there was no ventilation system inside the residence and the house was not being ventilated in any fashion.” He indicated there were “toxic ammonia levels” inside the home — and that “it would take as little as 15 minutes of exposure to that level of ammonia to cause potential health issues.”

Officers asked the couple if there were any children living in the residence, and Tricia Rees said there were three. A seven-year-old child was located in the home — and immediately evacuated. The other two children were apparently out of the residence.

As for the chinchillas, they were examined by a licensed veterinarian. Dr. Marla Lichtenberger “indicated that some of the chinchillas were mistreated.” The complaint says she “believed there was neglect over a period of months.”

If convicted, Garrett and Tricia Rees each face up to nine months in prison and a $10,000 fine on each of the five charges.

Garrett and Tricia Rees will be in court for their initial appearance on June 15th.

The chinchillas have been at HAWS since they were seized in March — and they have been multiplying.

“At last count, we had 158 boys. We had about four born last week and eight born the week before,” HAWS Executive Director Lynn Olenik said.

While the males and females have been separated, more babies could be on the way.

“Based on the gestation period of 111 days average, we could be having babies until after the Fourth of July,” Olenik said.

Olenik says she’s not surprised by the charges.

“The caging was absolutely deplorable. It’s important to take animal cases seriously — just to prevent things like this from happening,” Olenik said.

Caring for the chinchillas has cost about $2,000 per day.

“They`re living in temporary housing. The cages are small. They do get out for some exercise, but not as much as they should. We really do need to get this resolved,” Olenik said.

HAWS officials have said the chinchillas’ owners have refused to surrender the animals, so they haven’t been able to be adopted.

“We`re hoping that they will sign them over and do the right thing,” Olenik said.

HAWS’ attorney has been negotiating with the chinchillas’ owners, but even though there are more than 80 people on a waiting list to adopt them, nothing can happen as of yet.

The hope is that there will be a resolution prior to Garrett and Tricia Rees’ court appearance on June 15th.

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Art and Soul in the Liaison Hotel is One of the Only Places in Washington, DC, Selling Beer for Dogs

Washington, DC - Dog beers are growing in popularity, and we had to check out these brews for pups for ourselves.

At this time it looks like Art and Soul in the Liaison Hotel is one of the only places in the D.C. are selling them.

Don't worry about over-serving your dog -- the beverages are non-alcoholic. It's made out of chicken stock and malt extract.

"We typically sell out," said executive chef Douglas Alexander. "And we'll move through a case or two all summer."

He added, "We also have delicious human food so all you dogs out there watching, please bring your owner in for something to eat."

We're told the dog brews are safe for humans. Tommy McFly even took a sip on camera on Monday morning!

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Are You Surprised at the Innovative Ways Dogs Are Being Used Today?

Looking for a way to harness the energy of an unruly German shepherd puppy named Solo, English professor Cat Warren started training him as a cadaver dog. The two have spent the past seven years as volunteers searching for the dead.

In her book, What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs, published this month, Warren tells of her journey into the field of "on the job" dogs and reveals how science is unraveling the secrets of the canine nose.

Not everyone who has a high-energy dog like Solo decides to train him to become a volunteer cadaver dog. What made you decide to teach Solo to look for the dead?

I took Solo to a trainer when he was four months old and asked her what I could possibly do with this dog. She suggested that I could consider training him as a cadaver dog. I didn't even know what that meant. She explained that a cadaver dog goes out to search for the missing and presumed dead.

What makes a good cadaver dog?

Drive, a good nose, and an ability to focus. A good cadaver dog needs to be deeply bonded to his handler and simultaneously be independent and to make decisions on his own. The dog needs to work as part of an inseparable unit with the handler, but also be independent enough that he's not constantly looking back for signals on what to do next. When Solo is working scent, he won't look back at me for minutes at a time. He will be out there, and I will be trying to stay out of his way so he can do his best work.

Do most searches end with finding a body?

Nine out of ten times you search, and you don't find someone. It can be very hard to find the missing. People think that it's easy once you have one or two things in place, but bodies can disappear forever. We're so used to having everything wrapped up in a 50-minute television show that we don't realize how many years investigators can work on cases and how many of them remain unresolved.

Why does law enforcement rely on volunteer cadaver dogs?

It's mostly about budgets. The fact is, cadaver dogs aren't needed every day in the same way a patrol dog is needed every day. There are larger departments that still have cadaver dogs, but more and more law enforcement depends on volunteers. A good dog and handler team can help produce some excellent results.

How does training a cadaver dog differ from training other types of sniffer dogs, like drug- and bomb-detecting canines?

Scent is scent, so the training itself is not greatly different. You introduce the dog to the scent, and you reward him for finding it. You're training a dog to get as close as it can to a particular scent, indicate it's there, and get his reward while making sure that the dog doesn't harm a scene or get harmed. One of the fascinating things about training human-remains detection is that it's a very complex scent. You're dealing with a range of scent, from dry bone to very fresh material. Understanding that and getting the dog to recognize that means going through a pretty long series of steps until you think that you and the dog are dependable. For Solo and me, I didn't rush it. I was inexperienced. We finally were ready when he was about two years old.

How much does science understand about how detector dogs do their work?

What's fascinating about this field is how much we don't know about how dogs detect scent. Chemists are starting to realize what the compounds are in certain drugs that dogs are interested in, but we're still a ways away from knowing exactly what the dogs are alerting on in cadaver scent. Forensic anthropologist Arpad Vass and fellow researchers at the University of Tennessee's anthropological research facility have identified nearly 480 different volatile compounds coming off decomposing bodies. We don't yet fully know which of those compounds are significant to the dog.

Are German shepherds, like Solo, better at detecting certain smells than other breeds?

Despite all the myths about the bloodhound having the best nose versus the German shepherd, we have no really good scientific studies about which breed's nose is the best. There are sometimes more variations between one Labrador and another than between two breeds. Many breeds have fine noses. It also has to do with how much the dog wants to work. You could have a Labrador with a great nose that is indifferent to doing the work, and you would simply never know it had a great nose.

Were you surprised at the innovative ways dogs are being used today?

I was surprised. The tasks that we're thinking up for dogs are multiplying by the day. It's not just bombs, drugs, and humans we're asking dogs to find. They are being trained to detect everything from invasive species to endangered species, from mildew to cows in heat to gas leaks. That's not to say that they're always successful, and we still have a lot to learn about, for instance, how good dogs are at detecting cancer and whether there's ultimately a practical application for that skill. Finally, I think it's important for people to realize that while dogs and their noses are amazing, they are not magical, and it's not easy work. It takes rigorous training, handling, and a fine dog to produce good results.

What's in it for the dogs?

It depends on the dog, but it has to be fun. I think that Solo works partly for the joy of the hunt and partly because he is bonded with me. But I know he loves getting a game of tug most of all.

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Why This Domestic Violence Center's Pet Shelter Is Crucial For Both Animals And People

A 12-year-boy and his beloved cat have been reunited after a Phoenix domestic violence center opened a shelter for residents’ pets.

When Robert Pressler and his mother, Jennifer Pressler, arrived at the Sojourner Center two months ago, they didn’t want to leave their orange cat, Clark Kent, behind.

At the time, the center had been building a facility for pets for about a year and a half but did not yet have a place for Clark Kent to stay, Teri Hauser, chief advancement officer at the center, told The Huffington Post. Jennifer Pressler even considered leaving the center because the cat couldn't stay there.

“We were going to leave and I didn't have anywhere to go,” Pressler told local TV station Fox 10.

With funding assistance from pet rescue group RedRover, the Sojourner Center found temporary housing for the cat at local animal shelter Lost Our Home. (Since 2008, RedRover has helped Sojourner Center pay for temporary housing for residents' pets).

Nevertheless, being separated from his cat during such a traumatic time was “devastating” for Robert, Hauser said, and the boy began helping with the construction of the onsite pet facility any way he could.

"He’d come in every day," Hauser said. "He was very much a participant in helping the guys do what they felt was safe for him."

To read more on this story, click here: WhyThis Domestic Violence Center's Pet Shelter Is Crucial For Both Animals AndPeople

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Young People in South Korea Risk Jail Time for Getting Tattoos of Their Feline Friends

While getting a tattoo of a beloved pet may seem okay, young men and women in South Korea who are embracing a trend of getting tattoos of their feline friends may be facing jail time.

While tattoos themselves are not technically illegal, the permanent ink designs must be administered by a licensed doctor- prompting the adventurous to risk consequences just as permanent as their ink by visiting a tattoo parlor.

One parlor is Sol Tattoo, an underground parlor in Seoul which specializes in cat tattoos and encourages its customers to break the law in a very unique way.

The tattoos, which range from several centimeters high to covering a whole forearm, show off customers four-legged friends through cartoons, portraits and etchings.

The parlor also specializes in intricate floral designs, as well as other animals including whales and dogs.

Sol Tattoo regularly posts their detailed creations and 'cat tats' onto social media, showing the growing demand for the unusual ink.

In South Korea, tattoos have long been associated with organized crime, but, championed by sporting heroes, K-pop stars and other celebrities with passionate fan bases, the ink is slowly working its way into the mainstream.

According to the Association of Korean Tattooists, more than a million people have tattoos, prompting many young Koreans to protest against laws which label tattoos as a medical procedure.

“Korean tattooists have good hands, so they're recognized globally like the break-dancers. But because it is illegal, it creates more problems in a shadowy area”, the Association's President, Jang Joon-hyuck told The Korea Times.

   

“In Korea, you can shave your jawbone, slice your eye socket open for bigger eyes, adjust your nose and breasts as you please, but drawing on your body is deemed crazy and illegal”, said a local blogger.

“This old-fashioned attitude needs to change, considering Korea openly supports other forms of body adjustment.”

Korea and Japan are the only countries in the world where the activity is illegal, and police regularly raid local shops believed to be fronting underground tattoo parlors.

Jang Jun-Hyuk, the owner of Tattooism, another underground parlor in Seoul, had his shop targeted in a random raid, and he ended up in court, where he was fined $3,000 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence for violating public health codes.

“If you want to get a tattoo, you're supposed to go to a hospital? It's just absurd,” Jang said.

Despite sporadic crackdowns, the number of studios has continued to grow and some, like Maverick in the expat-friendly district of Itaewon, have grown bold enough to put up neon signs.

“It's a form of passive resistance”, said Maverick owner Lee Sung-Je.

“It's my way of saying 'I'm here, doing my work.”

Lee claims customers across the social spectrum, including a smattering of civil servants, and executives working at straight-laced conglomerates like Samsung.

“Though they do tend to go for tattoos that can be covered up easily,” he said.

Despite the proposition of a bill in December last year that could see the industry regulated, no concrete laws have been introduced to certify tattoo artistry as a legal profession, reported The Wall Street Journal.

  

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