YouTube sensation the slow loris might look adorable, but it can kill humans... and we are killing them out in return. It’s was the latest YouTube sensation in 2012: a small, furry creature with huge eyes and arms raised above its head is being tickled. More than 12 million people have watched this and another film of a similar animal holding a cocktail umbrella. Many of those probably thought ‘What a lovely creature, how cute’. Professor Anna Nekaris is a Professor in Anthropology and Primate Conservation studying the unique group of evolutionary distinct primates known as the Asian lorises. You can read more about her HERE. Professor Anna Nekaris: It breaks my heart. The animal in the films is a ‘slow loris’, a nocturnal primate from Asia, a close cousin to monkeys. I’ve spent almost 20 years studying them and I know just how cruel those films are.
Sad tale: Primatologist Anna Nekaris with a slow loris which is illegally on sale in the market in Indonesia.
Misleading: The YouTube video of a loris 'being tickled' (left) has been seen by 12 million people - but it is endangering the lives of lorises in the wild (right) Yes, they are beautiful animals but they are not in this world to perform tricks on the internet - they’re not even suitable as pets. They are venomous, the only primate to be so, and are known as the ‘jungle gremlins’ because of their benign appearance coupled with a flesh-rotting poison, which can be fatal to humans. Although evolution has given the slow loris some unique attributes, like so many other species, nature alone cannot protect it from all the 21st century threats. Their natural forest habitat is disappearing at an alarming rate, the use of them in traditional Asian medicine continues to decimate the population and now, thanks to YouTube and other internet sites, exacerbates their demand as exotic pets, putting them at huge risk. I went undercover with a BBC film crew in Jakarta, Indonesia, to find out the extent of the shocking trade in these wonderful but shy animals. What I saw reduced me to tears. The loris first emerged as a distinct lineage more than 40 million years ago. Unlike similar primates it can’t leap at all – its tail is reduced to a stub but instead has an extraordinary vice-like grip by which it manouevres Ninja-like through the trees. In its natural habitat, high above the ground and shrouded by the darkness of night, it makes rapid and elegant progress from branch to branch.
Wide-eyed wonder: The slow loris is a beautiful animal, but they are not in this world to perform tricks on the internet - they're not even suitable as pets. But on the ground it feels ill at ease, and under bright daytime light is insecure, unsure of itself and vulnerable. Its movements become unsteady and, well, slow. Hence, the less than flattering name. Apart from its extraordinary grip it also has a powerful bite, able to chisel through the bark of trees and even bamboo. It sounds not unlike a woodpecker when it’s feeding, using its two tongues to extract gum, syrup and nectar from the vegetation. It also consumes insect larvae and even small bats and lizards. In turn, the slow loris can fall victim to pythons and orang-utans but the biggest threat is, of course, mankind. And that threat comes in several forms. The slow loris lives in the trees – it needs forests to survive. Yet in the parts of the Asian world that is its natural habitat the forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. On Java, the main island of Indonesia, there is only 10 per cent of the forest left and here the slow loris population is falling at a terrifying rate. In one of Java’s best-protected forests, we came across only six wild animals in a whole year. One of the great misfortunes of the slow loris is that it is much sought after in traditional Asian medicine. Known as the ‘animal that cures 100 diseases’ it’s widely used in traditional healing remedies in China, Laos, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam. Add to that its popularity as a pet in Asia and it’s new fame in the west and you have the elements of a major onslaught on the loris population which could drive it to extinction. But that is no concern of the people who work in the live animal markets in Java.
Danger: Slow lorises are venomous - the only primate to be so - and are known as the 'jungle gremlins' because of their benign appearance coupled with a flesh-rotting poison, which can be fatal to humans.
Heart-breaking: Nekaris with a box full of slow lorises - when she was searching for the animal in the wide they only saw six of them in a whole year. They were healthy and had their teeth, they were good candidates for release back into the wild - it broke my heart to leave them there when it would have been in my power to set them free. But buying them would be wrong on so many fronts. I would never buy an animal in a market because it just promotes the sale of them. The second any foreigner buys an animal the traders think: ‘Oh, we can sell them to foreigners’ and the trade escalates. If I had bought them, he would have just got four more. The moment he sells one he just replaces it. The whole trade is just so sick. The ‘catchers’ make around 25 pence for a slow loris, the traders then sell them for £25. But international trade can see a single slow loris being sold for between £900-£1,800. Everyone who has seen the film we took in the market has cried. But this trade is made even more heartless by the fact that the slow loris is not even a suitable pet – far from it. It sleeps all day, it smells worse than a whole box of rotten eggs and on top of that it can seriously harm you. It is the only primate in the world that is poisonous thanks to a dark fluid released from a gland above its elbow which, when mixed with its own saliva, becomes toxic. We are studying the reasons why they may have this - the classic explanation is that it is predator defense - although this is now in dispute with other theories being that it makes them unpalatable and so protects themselves and their young.
In the wild: One of the primates in its natural habitat.
Not pets: The animal only has a stump of a tail but has an extremely strong grip. The effect of the poison is to cause wounds to fester – it works as an anti-coagulant. The necrotic effect means that the tissue dies and the flesh rots. Another theory suggests they may have venomous glands as a way of destroying rivals over territory - they do attack other slow lorises who then die a slow death. The danger to humans is generally an allergic reaction, in some cases their bites have triggered anaphylactic shock and death. Even if the reaction is not that severe the bite alone from the razor sharp fangs of a slow loris is excruciating, and I should know I have suffered a few bites myself – always on my fingers. That’s why the slow lorises sold as domestic pets have their teeth ripped out first. It’s cruel and unnecessary because they shouldn’t be kept as pets at all. Yet, the new interest in the animals generated by the internet and the films on YouTube produce a stream of inquiries on forums asking if people can get one as a pet. The correct answer is: you can’t. Or at least, you shouldn’t be able to, because the trade in them is illegal. The YouTube films create the impression that the slow loris is a cute domestic animal. So let’s demand YouTube take these cruel movies down from the internet and allow the slow loris to return to the darkness of the forest.
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On May 24, 2018, Chuck and Deb Beldo welcomed a truly rare phenomenon on their farm in. So rare, in fact, that it only ever happens in one in 11.2 million cases! “I’ve been around cows my whole life, and I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Deb told CBS Local. One of the cows on their farm got pregnant for a third time. Her previous two births were to single healthy calves. To read more on this story, click here:Farmer Thinks Cow Is Pregnant With One Calf But During Labor The Babies Keep Dropping To Ground
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The newest member of the Pittsburgh police bureau is a very good boy. He is not an officer but maybe an arf-icer, and, yes, that will be the last bad pun you’ll have to read here. Meet Zane, who the bureau said is its first “comfort dog for peer support, critical incidents and community outreach.” Pittsburgh police Officer Victoria Butch showed off the pup Thursday on the North Shore, posing next to the Police Memorial on North Shore Drive near Heinz Field. The statue, dedicated in 2015, honors fallen K-9 officers. To read more on this story, click here:Pittsburgh Police Has a New Comfort Dog for the Bureau and of Course There Are Adorable Photos of Him
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Everyone was standing around on the muddy ooze of the Churchill Downs racetrack, and nothing was happening. The adrenaline rush of the Kentucky Derby had given way to a surreal limbo. The trainers, jockeys and owners connected to two racehorses had nothing to do. Stable hands cooled down the colts, walking them in circles, waiting for news. A grandstand packed with boozed and confused fans buzzed with uncertainty. These were the longest, strangest minutes in the 145-year history of the Kentucky Derby. The first-ever racing disqualification of a Derby winner was being deliberated in a room seven floors above the track. Maximum Security had generated maximum controversy. The aftermath of this race usually unfolds like clockwork, and the mechanisms were all in place. The winner’s circle beckoned, the gold trophy was sitting there, the governor of Kentucky was standing by to award it, and the blanket of roses was prepared to be draped across the shoulders of the champion.
With gargantuan effort (and a little help from a crack team of Arizona veterinarians), a Great Dane gave birth to an unbelievable 19 healthy puppies on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. The Kingman Animal Hospital in Arizona successfully delivered the litter by cesarean section. It took many hands to get these puppies into the world! “It was a shocking number,” said the Fox 10 news report. “You should hear what they all sound like together!” And, most importantly, they added: “every single one is looking to be in good health so far.” The surgical procedure to birth the puppies necessitated seven vet technicians, including the dog’s owner, led by Dr. Erika Angone. “Think 101 Dalmations? Try 19 Great Danes!” the news report concluded. To read more on this story, click here:7 Vets Help Great Dane Deliver 19 Puppies: ‘All Live and Healthy’
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Join us tomorrow at Cantina Bambina from 5-8PM to meet, adopt, and go home with your new best friend and have a drink or two to celebrate! Ten percent of proceeds will benefit the Humane Rescue Alliance. Hope to see you there! To sign up on facebook, click here:Cantina Bambina
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Officials cited Maximum Security for interference and the colt became the first Kentucky Derby winner to be disqualified for violating a state regulation that penalizes horses for impeding the path of another in a race. Stewards, who supervise the outcome of horse races, referenced Section 12 of rule 810 KAR1:016. The rule calls for disqualification if "a leading horse or any other horse in a race swerves or is ridden to either side so as to interfere with, intimidate, or impede any other horse or jockey." Stewards determined that Maximum Security interfered with the path of several horses as the field of 19 rounded the final turn in Saturday's race. To read more on this story, click here:Derby Officials Say Maximum Security Broke Interference Rule
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For people who’d like to adopt a German Shorthaired Pointer, a German Shepherd, a Labrador Retriever, or a Belgian Malinois, they can now choose from beautiful puppies who are just too nice and carefree to pass the training for government work. The Transportation Security Administration has organized an adoption program to find lovely homes for the energetic and adorable training ‘dropouts’. The complete list of minimum requirements that are needed for submitting an adoption application can be viewed on the TSA website. Some of the requirements are having no plans of moving within the next six months, having a yard that’s completely fenced, and being able to provide the dog training, exercise, proper medical care, and love. Approved applicants will be asked to travel to San Antonio, Texas twice. The first purpose of the first visit is to meet the dogs while the second one is to take the pet home. To read more on this story, click here:People Can Now Adopt Dogs Who Failed Government Training For Being Too Friendly
Some 65 million years ago, an asteroid just six miles wide struck the planet. The resulting cloud of dust and debris that funneled into the atmosphere blocked sunlight for several weeks, while earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis wreaked havoc on what is now the Americas. When all was said and done, the Tyrannosaurus rex and its Saurichian compatriots had all died out, along with 75% of the planet's species. Today, another force is driving Earth towards its next extinction event. Human-driven changes to the planet are hitting global species on multiple fronts, as hotter oceans, deforestation, and climate change drive floral and faunal populations to extinction in unprecedented numbers. As much as half of the total number of animal individuals that once shared the Earth with humans are already gone, a clear sign that we're on the brink, if not in the midst of, a sixth mass extinction. To read more on this story, click here:So Many Animals Are Going Extinct That It Could Take Earth 10 Million Years To Recover
One of the most difficult days for any pet owner is the day their pet passes away. That’s because pets are more than just furry creatures that live in our homes — they’re part of our families. If we take a moment and think deeply about our relationships with our pets, it’s easy to see why they’re so beloved. If we’re upset or depressed for any reason at all, our pets can often cheer us up. Their loyalty and devotion are unmet by most humans, and they each have their own personality. Because pets play such a pivotal role in our lives, our grief when we lose them is genuine and devastating. For most pet owners, our emotional ties to our pets are powerful. But there are some people who don’t understand that grief, often because they have no pets of their own and simply don’t quite understand the pull they have on our lives. In turn, they don’t understand the empty spot in our hearts that immediately appears when they pass away. When someone you know is grieving the loss of their fur baby — which is bound to happen, as their lives are impactful but far too short — here are a few tips to keep in mind: To read more on this story, click here:People Need To Be Taken Seriously When They Grieve The Death Of A Pet – Here’s Why
A California family’s missing pet pig was found but while police went to get the animal’s owners, someone slaughtered their beloved pet. Princess the pig—a 400-pound sow—had escaped her enclosure at owner Carrie Hogan’s mother’s house in Arcata, California, on March 23, according to MailOnline. The pig wandered around the neighborhood and was spotted by locals. Humboldt Paws Cause, a lost and found pets service in Humboldt County, California, posted photos of the missing pig on its Facebook page. “Found a massive pig in our yard this morning up Fickle Hill,” Humboldt Paws Cause wrote, citing an individual named Brianne. A lively discussion ensued about animals on the loose and whether the missing animal was a pot-bellied pig or someone’s 4H/FFA youth development project. “That’s not a potbelly that’s a Hampshire/ mix probably for FAA or 4H it looks pretty young. Hope it finds its home!!” wrote Anna Marie. “Buffalo on the highways and a piggy strolling around Arcata! Lol only in Humboldt!! Yee haw!!” commented Susan Wentworth. To read more on this story, click here:Escaped Pet Pig Slaughtered by ‘Helpful’ Neighbor in California
While seeing an alligator is never too much of a surprise in Florida, the number of close encounters has jumped in recent days and it’s likely due to a combination of hunger and lust. A family in Fort Myers was awakened by an eight-foot gator in their lanai in the middle of the night last week, police said on Facebook. In another part of town, a motorist captured footage of a massive gator casually strolling along a busy road. With the mating season underway, the randy reptiles tend to be more active. But one expert told local media there was more to it than that. The weather is getting warmer and the higher temps speed up the reptiles’ metabolism and make them hungrier. “They have to find some food so that’s when we’ll find them on sidewalks and people’s pools,” Brian Norris of Florida Fish and Wildlife told Fox 4 in Fort Myers. “They’re really just out there browsing around.” Some might even be looking for chicken. A motorist in North Port had to call the cops after coming out of a chicken wing restaurant and finding a gator under the car. To read more on this story, click here: Hungry And Horny Alligators Are Invading Streets, Homes And Pools In Florida
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Research shows dogs pay close attention to different human facial expressions. In Unleashing Your Dog: A Field Guide to Giving Your Canine Companion the Best Life Possible, Jessica Pierce and I stress the importance of people who choose to live with dogs becoming "fluent in dog" or "dog literate." In addition to learning the basics of dog behavior, one area that's important for us to understand is how their various senses work and how they use their eyes to read our faces and the reasons for their sensitivity to the various visual social cues we emit.1 (See "How Dogs See the World: Some Facts About the Canine Cosmos," "Dogs: An Exciting Journey Through Their Sensory Worlds," and Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do.) Not surprisingly, research shows that dogs pay particularly close attention to human facial expressions—perhaps because we don’t have tails and our ears don’t move. Here's a review of some of what we know about what dogs are able to learn when they read our faces. To read more on this story, click here:Dogs Watch Us Carefully and Read Our Faces Very Well
There are few things more precious than getting the chance to witness nature unfold in all its glory. But for staff at the Metro Richmond Zoo, catching a glimpse of the wonders of nature is just part of their job. Despite this, nature still manages to surprise them every now and then. On Nov. 30, 2018, the zoo welcomed seven new additions to their Chesterfield County zoo’s cheetah population when a cheetah named Vaila gave birth to septuplets. According to Jim Andelin, the owner of the zoo, this kind of thing happens rarely. “This is a very special birth to us because not only is it a big boost for cheetah conservation by increasing the captive population, but also a cheetah having seven cubs at once only happens 1 percent of the time,” Andelin said in a statement. WTVR reported back in January that the cubs were healthy after getting their first set of shots. The cubs’ parents, mom Vaila is a second-time mother, and dad Kalu is a first-time father who was born and raised right at the Metro Richmond Zoo. To read more on this story, click here:Metro Richmond Zoo Welcomes Cheetah Septuplets: It’s a Rare 1 Percent Chance
